INDEMNIFICATION
AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT, made and entered into this __th
day of _________, ____ by and between CPI Corp., a Delaware
corporation (the “ Company ”) and
______________ (the “ Indemnitee
”).
WHEREAS, it is essential to the Company to
retain and attract as directors and officers the most capable
persons available;
WHEREAS, Indemnitee is a director of the
Company;
WHEREAS, both the Company and Indemnitee
recognize the increased risk of litigation and other claims being
asserted against directors and officers of public companies in
today’s environment;
WHEREAS, in recognition of Indemnitee’s
need for substantial protection against personal liability and to
enhance Indemnitee’s continued service to the Company in an
effective manner and in part to provide Indemnitee with specific
contractual assurance that the indemnification protection will be
available to Indemnitee (regardless of, among other things, any
changes in the composition of the Company’s Board of
Directors), and to induce Indemnitee to continue to provide
services to the Company as a director, the Company wishes to
provide in this Agreement for the indemnification of and the
advancing of expenses to Indemnitee to the full extent (whether
partial or complete) permitted by law and as set forth in this
Agreement, and, to the extent insurance is maintained, for the
continued coverage of Indemnitee under the Company’s
directors’ and officers’ liability insurance
policies;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises
and of Indemnitee’s continuing to serve the Company directly
or, at its request, another enterprise, and intending to be legally
bound hereby, the parties hereto agree as follows:
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1.
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Certain
Definitions . As used
herein the following terms shall have the following
meanings:
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(a) Board of Directors : the Board of Directors of the
Company.
(b) Change of Control : a change of control of a nature that would be
required to be reported in response to Item 1(a) of the Current
Report of Form 8-K, as in effect on the date hereof, pursuant to
Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (“ Exchange Act ”) or would have been
required to be so reported but for the fact that such event had
been “previously reported” as that term is defined in
Rule 12b-2 of Regulation 12B of the Exchange Act unless the
transactions that give rise to the change of control are approved
or ratified by a majority of the individuals who constitute the
Board of Directors on the date hereof (the “ Incumbent
Board ”) who are not employees of the Corporation;
provided that, without limitation, notwithstanding anything herein
to the contrary, such a change of control shall be deemed to have
occurred if, (i) any Person is or becomes the beneficial owner (as
defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or
indirectly, of securities of the Company representing 40% or more
of the combined Voting Securities, (ii) individuals who constitute
the Incumbent Board cease for any reason to constitute at least a
majority thereof, provided that any person becoming a director
subsequent to the date hereof whose election, or nomination for
election by the Company’s shareholders, was approved by a
vote of at least three-quarters of the directors comprising the
Incumbent Board (either by a specific vote or by approval of the
proxy statement of the Company in which such person is named as a
nominee for director, without objection to such nomination) shall
be, for purposes of this clause (ii), considered as though such
person were a member of the Incumbent Board, or (iii) approval
by the stockholders of the Company of a reorganization, merger or
consolidation, in each case, with respect to which persons who were
the stockholders of the Company immediately prior to such
reorganization, merger or consolidation do not, immediately
thereafter, own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the
combined voting power entitled to vote generally in the election of
directors of the reorganized, merged or consolidated
company’s then outstanding voting securities, or a
liquidation or dissolution of the Company or the sale of all or
substantially all of the assets of the Company.
(c) Claim : any threatened, pending or completed action,
suit, proceeding, arbitration or alternate dispute resolution
proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, investigative,
or other, or any inquiry hearing or investigation (whether
conducted by the Company or any other party or authority) that
Indemnitee in good faith believes might lead to the institution of
any such action, suit, proceeding, arbitration or alternate dispute
resolution proceeding.
(d) Expenses : include attorneys’ fees, expenses and
charges and all other costs, travel expenses, fees of experts,
transcript costs, filing fees, witness fees, telephone charges,
postage, delivery service fees, expenses and obligations of any
nature whatsoever paid or incurred in connection with
investigating, defending, being a witness in or participating in
(including on appeal), or preparing to defend, be a witness in or
participate in any Claim relating to any Indemnifiable
Event.
(e) Indemnifiable Event : any event or occurrence related to the fact
that Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee, agent or
fiduciary of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of
the Company as a director, officer, employee, trustee, agent or
fiduciary of another corporation, partnership, joint venture,
employee benefit plan, trust or other enterprise, or by reason of
anything done or not done by Indemnitee in any such
capacity.
(f) Independent Legal Counsel
: Independent Legal Counsel shall
refer to an attorney, selected by the Indemnitee and approved by
the Board of Directors (which approval shall not be unreasonably
withheld), who shall not have otherwise performed services for the
Company or Indemnitee within the last five years. Independent Legal
Counsel shall be a member of or of counsel to a firm having no
fewer than fifty attorneys as of the date such Independent Legal
Counsel is designated by the Indemnitee. Independent Legal Counsel
shall not be counsel to the Indemnitee in any Claims arising in
whole or in part from any Indemnifible Event and shall not be
Indemnitee’s counsel in any proceeding to determine
Indemnitee’s rights hereunder. Independent Legal Counsel
shall also not be any person who, under the applicable standards of
professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of
interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an
action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement,
nor shall Independent Legal Counsel be any person who has been
sanctioned or censured for ethical violations of applicable
standards of professional conduct. In the event an Independent
Legal Counsel resigns, becomes disabled, dies, or is otherwise
unable in such counsel’s opinion to serve as Independent
Legal Counsel, Indemnitee shall select, subject to the approval of
the Board of Directors (which approval shall not be unreasonably
withheld) a successor Independent Legal Counsel.
(g) Person : any individual, corporation, partnership,
group, association or other “person,” as such term is
used in Section 14(d) of the Exchange Act, other than the Company
or any corporation (or other business entity) controlling,
controlled by or under common control with the Company or any
employee benefit plan(s) sponsored or maintained by the Company or
any corporation (or other business entity) controlling, controlled
by or under common control with the Company.
(h) Voting Securities : all outstanding shares of capital stock of
all classes and series of the Company entitled to vote generally in
the election of directors of the Company, in each case hereunder
voting together as a single class.
2.
Basic Indemnification
Arrangement
(a)
In the event Indemnitee was, is or
becomes a party to or witness or other participant in, or is
threatened to be made a party to or witness or other participant
in, a Claim by reason of (or arising in whole or in part out of) an
Indemnifiable Event, subject to Sections 2(b), 2(c), and 2(d)
hereof the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee to the fullest extent
permitted by law as soon as practicable but in any event no later
than thirty days after the Indemnitee presents written demand to
the Company, against any and all reasonable Expenses and all
judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement
(including all interest, assessments and other charges paid or
payable in connection with or in respect of such Expenses,
judgments, fines, penalties or amounts paid in settlement) of such
Claim and any federal, state, local or foreign taxes imposed on the
Indemnitee as a result of the actual or deemed receipt of any
payments under this Agreement. The Indemnitee’s written
demand shall also specify the Independent Legal Counsel selected by
Indemnitee pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.
If so requested by Indemnitee
in writing, the Company shall advance (within ten business days of
such request) any and all reasonable Expenses to Indemnitee or to
the Indemnitee’s counsel (an “ Expense Advance
”). Such written request shall also specify the Independent
Legal Cou
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