INDEMNIFICATION
AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made the [ ]
day of [ ], 2009 by and between Endurance Specialty Holdings
Ltd., a Bermuda company (the “Company”), and
[Executive], who serves as an officer of the Company on the date
hereof (the “Indemnitee”).
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WHEREAS, the Indemnitee serves as an officer of
the Company;
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WHEREAS, the Company wishes the
Indemnitee to continue to serve as an officer of the Company and
the Indemnitee is willing, under certain circumstances, to continue
in such capacity; and
WHEREAS, as an inducement to
continued service as a officer by the Indemnitee and its other
directors and officers, the Company has determined to provide
additional protection to the Indemnitee as set forth
herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of
the Indemnitee’s continued and future service to the Company,
the parties agree as follows:
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1.
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Indemnification . The Company agrees to indemnify the Indemnitee
to the full extent permitted by Bermuda law and the Company’s
Bye-Laws, as each exists now and as each may be amended in the
future to permit additional indemnification for the
Indemnitee.
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2.
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Payment of Expenses . Without limiting the indemnification provided
in Section 1 and subject to the limitations, terms and conditions
of this Agreement, including, but not limited to, the limitations
in Section 9, the Company agrees, to the fullest extent permitted
by applicable law and the Company’s Bye-Laws as in effect at
any time during the term of this Agreement, to pay all costs,
charges and other expenses, including, but not limited to,
attorneys’ fees, costs of appearance, attachment and similar
bonds (hereinafter referred to as “Expenses”) incurred
by the Indemnitee in connection with any threatened, pending or
completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal,
administrative or investigative (including, but not limited to, any
action by or in the right of the Company), to which the Indemnitee
is, was or at any time becomes a party, or is threatened to be made
a party, by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is, was or at
any time becomes a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary
of the Company, or is or was serving or at any time serves at the
request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, agent, or
fiduciary of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust
or other enterprise or with respect to any employee benefit plan
(or its participants or beneficiaries) of the Company or any such
other enterprise as such Expenses accrue and, in any event, within
twenty (20) days after the Company has received written request
therefor from or on behalf of the Indemnitee. The Company shall
continue to make such payments unless and until there has been a
final adjudication by a court of competent jurisdiction
establishing that the Indemnitee is not entitled to payment of such
Expenses in accordance with Section 9 of this Agreement.
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3.
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Maintenance of D&O Insurance
. The Company currently maintains
directors’ and officers’ liability insurance with a
limit of coverage of $70,000,000 (the “D&O
Policies”).
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a.
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So long as the Indemnitee shall continue to
serve in any capacity described in Section 2 and thereafter so long
as the Indemnitee shall be subject to any possible action, suit or
proceeding by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee served in any
of said capacities, the Company will purchase and maintain in
effect for the benefit of the Indemnitee one or more valid, binding
and enforceable policies of directors’ and officers’
liability insurance providing, in all respects, coverage and
amounts at least comparable to that provided pursuant to the
D&O Policies.
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b.
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Notwithstanding Section 3(a), the Company shall
not be required to maintain directors’ and officers’
liability insurance in effect if such insurance is not reasonably
available or if, in the reasonable business judgment of the Board
of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) as it may
exist from time to time, either (i) the premium cost for such
insurance is substantially disproportionate to the amount of
insurance or (ii) the coverage is so limited by exclusions that
there is insufficient benefit provided by such
insurance.
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c.
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If the Company, acting under Section 3(b), does
not purchase and maintain in effect directors’ and
officers’ liability insurance, the Company shall indemnify
and hold harmless the Indemnitee to the full extent of the coverage
which would otherwise have been provided by the D&O
Policies.
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d.
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The Company shall pay all Expenses incurred by
the Indemnitee in connection with any action, suit or proceeding to
enforce the Indemnitee’s rights under the D&O
Policies.
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4.
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Procedure for Requesting Indemnification and
Payment of Expenses . To
obtain indemnification and payment of Expenses under this
Agreement, the Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written
request, including therein or therewith such documentation and
information as is reasonably available to the Indemnitee and is
reasonably necessary to determine whether and to what extent the
Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification. The Secretary of the
Company shall, promptly upon receipt of such a request for
indemnification, advise the Board in writing that the Indemnitee
has requested indemnification. Any determination as to the
eligibility of an Indemnitee to indemnification and/or payment of
Expenses shall be made:
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a.
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by the Board, by a majority vote at a meeting
duly constituted by a quorum of directors not party to the
proceedings or matter with regard to which the indemnification is,
or would be claimed; or
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b.
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in the case such a meeting cannot be constituted
by lack of a disinterested quorum, by independent legal counsel in
a written opinion.
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5.
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Presumptions and Effect of Certain
Proceedings .
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a.
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In making a determination with respect to
entitlement to indemnification or payment of Expenses hereunder,
the person or persons or entity making such determination shall
presume that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification or payment
of Expenses under this Agreement if Indemnitee has submitted a
request for indemnification or payment of Expenses in accordance
with Section 4 of this Agreement, and the Company shall have the
burden of proof to overcome that presumption in connection with the
making of any determination contrary to that
presumption.
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b.
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If the person, persons or entity empowered or
selected pursuant to Section 4 to determine whether Indemnitee is
entitled to indemnification or payment of Expenses hereunder shall
not have made a determination within thirty (30) days after receipt
by the Company of the request therefor, the requisite determination
of entitlement shall be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee
shall be entitled to indemnification and/or payment of Expenses
hereunder.
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c.
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The termination of any action, suit or
proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, a plea of
nolo contendere or its equivalent, or an entry of an order of
probation prior to judgment, does not create a presumption that
Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification and/or payment of
Expenses hereunder.
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6.
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Defense of Claims . With respect to any action, suit or proceeding
described in Section 2, the Company may elect to assume the
investigation and defense of such action, suit or proceeding with
counsel it selects with the consent of the Indemnitee, which
consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. After notice to the
Indemnitee from the Company of its election to assume the
investigation and defense of such action, suit or proceeding, the
Company shall not be liable to the Indemnitee under this Agreement
for any expenses subsequently incurred by the Indemnitee in
connection with the investigation and defense of such action, suit
or proceeding other than for services requested by the Company or
the counsel it selected. The Indemnitee shall have the right to
employ his own counsel, but the expenses incurred by the Indemnitee
after notice from the Company of its assumption of the
investigation and defense shall be at the expense of the
Indemnitee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, however, the Indemnitee
shall be entitled to separate counsel in any action, suit or
proceeding brought by or on behalf of the Company or as to which
counsel for the Indemnitee reasonably concludes that there is a
conflict of interest between the Company and the Indemnitee,
provided that the Company shall not be required to pay the expenses
of more than one such separate counsel for persons it is
indemnifying in any one action, suit or proceeding unless the
counsel originally chosen to represent such Indemnitees as a group
reasonably concludes that substantial and material conflicts of
interest prevent such counsel from acting for the Indemnitees as a
single client.
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7.
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Indemnitee’s Reimbursement
. The Indemnitee agrees to reimburse
the Company for all amounts paid by the Company pursuant to this
Agreement in the event and to the
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extent, but only in the event and
only to the extent, that there is a final adjudication by a court
of competent jurisdiction establishing that the Indemnitee is not
entitled to be so indemnified or to have s
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