Exhibit
10.2
INDEMNITY
AGREEMENT
This
Agreement made and entered into as of this
day of
,
2005, by and between Stroud Energy, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (the “Company”), and
(“Indemnitee”), who is currently serving the Company in
the capacity of a director and/or officer thereof;
W I T N E S S E
T H:
WHEREAS, the Company and
Indemnitee recognize that the interpretation of ambiguous statutes,
regulations and court opinions and of the Certificate of
Incorporation and Bylaws of the Company, and the vagaries of public
policy, are too uncertain to provide the directors and officers of
the Company with adequate or reliable advance knowledge or guidance
with respect to the legal risks and potential liabilities to which
they become personally exposed as a result of performing their
duties in good faith for the Company; and
WHEREAS, the Company and
the Indemnitee are aware that highly experienced and capable
persons are often reluctant to serve as directors or officers of a
corporation unless they are protected to the fullest extent
permitted by law by comprehensive insurance and indemnification,
especially since the legal risks and potential liabilities, and the
very threat thereof, associated with lawsuits filed against the
officers and directors of a corporation, and the resultant
substantial time, expense, harassment, ridicule, abuse and anxiety
spent and endured in defending against such lawsuits, whether or
not meritorious, bear no reasonable or logical relationship to the
amount of compensation received by the directors or officers from
the corporation; and
WHEREAS, Section 145
of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and the
Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, which set forth
certain provisions relating to the mandatory and permissive
indemnification of, and advancement of expenses to, officers and
directors (among others) of a Delaware corporation by such
corporation, are specifically not exclusive of other rights to
which those indemnified thereunder may be entitled under any bylaw,
agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or
otherwise; and
WHEREAS, after due
consideration and investigation of the terms and provisions of this
Agreement and the various other options available to the Company
and the Indemnitee in lieu thereof, the Board of Directors of the
Company has determined that the following Agreement is not only
reasonable and prudent but necessary to promote and ensure the best
interests of the Company and its stockholders; and
WHEREAS, the Company
desires to have Indemnitee serve or continue to serve as an officer
and/or director of the Company, free from undue concern for
unpredictable, inappropriate or unreasonable legal risks and
personal liabilities by reason of his acting in good faith in the
performance of his duty to the Company; and Indemnitee desires to
serve, or to continue to serve (provided that he is furnished the
indemnity provided for hereinafter), in either or both of such
capacities;
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual
agreements herein set forth and for other good and valuable
consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby
acknowledged, the Company and Indemnitee, intending to be legally
bound, do hereby agree as follows:
1.
Agreement to
Serve. Indemnitee agrees
to serve or continue to serve as director and/or officer of the
Company and as Indemnitee and the Company may agree, as a director,
officer, trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary,
employee or agent of another Enterprise, for so long as he is duly
elected or appointed and qualified in accordance with the
provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware
and the Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Company or
until such time as he tenders his resignation. The Company
acknowledges that the Indemnitee is relying on this Agreement in so
serving.
2.
Definitions.
As used in this
Agreement:
(a)
“Change
in Control” means a change in control of the Company of a
nature that would be required to be reported in response to Item
6(e) of Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A (or in response to
any similar item on any similar schedule or form) promulgated
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Act”),
whether or not the Company is then subject to such reporting
requirement; provided, however, that, without limitation, such a
Change in Control shall be deemed to have occurred if (i) any
“person” (as such term is used in Sections
13(d) and 14(d) of the Act) other than a trustee or other
fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the
Company or a corporation owned directly or indirectly by the
stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions
as their ownership of stock of the Company is or becomes the
“beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under
the Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company
representing 15% or more of the combined voting power of the
Company’s then outstanding securities without the prior
approval of at least two-thirds of the members of the Board of
Directors of the Company in office immediately prior to such person
attaining such percentage interest; (ii) there occurs a proxy
contest, or the Company is a party to a merger, consolidation, sale
of assets, plan of liquidation or other reorganization not approved
by at least two-thirds of the members of the Board of Directors of
the Company then in office, as a consequence of which members of
the Board of Directors in office immediately prior to such
transaction or event constitute less than a majority of the Board
of Directors thereafter; or (iii) during any period of two
consecutive years, other than as a result of an event described in
clause (ii) of this subsection (a), individuals who at
the beginning of such period constituted the Board of Directors of
the Company (including for this purpose any new director whose
election or nomination for election by the Company’s
stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the
directors then still in office who were directors at the beginning
of such period) cease for any reason to constitute at least a
majority of the Board of Directors.
(b)
“Disinterested
Director” means a director of the Company who is not and was
not a party to the Proceeding in respect of which indemnification
is sought by Indemnitee.
(c)
“Enterprise”
shall mean any other corporation, limited liability company,
partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan,
organization or other enterprise of which Indemnitee is or was
serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer,
trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or
agent.
(d)
The
term “Expenses” includes, without limitation, all
reasonable attorneys’ fees, retainers, court costs,
transcript costs, fees of experts, witness fees, travel expenses,
duplicating costs, printing and binding costs, telephone charges,
postage, delivery service fees and all other disbursements or
expenses of the types customarily incurred in connection with
prosecuting, defending, preparing to prosecute or defend,
investigating, or being or preparing to be a witness in, or
otherwise involved in, a Proceeding. Should any payments by
the Company under this Agreement be determined to be subject to any
federal, state or local income or excise tax, Expenses will also
include such amounts as are necessary to place Indemnitee in the
same after-tax position, after giving effect to all applicable
taxes, Indemnitee would have been in had such tax not have been
determined to apply to those payments. Expenses also shall
include (i) Expenses incurred in connection with any appeal
resulting from any Proceeding, including, without limitation, the
premium, security for, and other costs relating to any cost bond,
supersedeas bond, or other appeal bond or its equivalent and
(ii) Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the
interpretation, enforcement or defense of Indemnitee’s rights
under this Agreement, by litigation or otherwise.
(e)
“Independent
Counsel” means a law firm, or a member of a law firm, that is
experienced in matters of corporation law and neither presently is,
nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent:
(i) the Company or Indemnitee in any matter material to either
such party (other than with respect to matters concerning the
Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under
similar indemnification agreements), or (ii) any other party
to the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification
hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term
“Independent Counsel” shall not include 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. The Company
agrees to pay the reasonable fees and expenses of the Independent
Counsel referred to above and to fully indemnify such counsel
against any and all Expenses, claims, liabilities and damages
arising out of or relating to this Agreement or its engagement
pursuant hereto.
(f)
“Proceeding”
shall mean any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, or
proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, arbitrative or
investigative, any appeal in such an action, suit, or proceeding,
and any inquiry or investigation that could lead to such an action,
suit or proceeding irrespective of the initiator thereof. The
final disposition of a Proceeding shall be as determined by a
settlement or the judgment of a court or other investigative or
administrative body. The Board of Directors shall not make a
determination as to the final disposition of a
Proceeding.
(g)
References
to “fines” shall include any (i) excise taxes
assessed with respect to any employee benefit plan and
(ii) penalties; references to “serving at
the
request
of the Company” shall include any service as a director,
officer, trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary,
employee or agent which imposes duties on, or involves services by,
such director, officer, trustee, general partner, managing member,
fiduciary, employee or agent with respect to an Enterprise; and a
person who acts in good faith and in a manner he reasonably
believed to be in the interest of the Enterprise shall be deemed to
have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of
the Company” as referred to in this Agreement.
3.
Indemnity in Third Party
Proceedings. The Company shall
indemnify Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this
Section 3 if Indemnitee is a party to or is threatened to be
made a party to or is otherwise involved in any Proceeding (other
than a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a
judgment in its favor) by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or
was a director and/or officer of the Company, or was serving at the
request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, general
partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of an
Enterprise, against all Expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid
in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee (or on
his behalf) in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue
or matter therein, provided it is determined pursuant to
Section 8 of this Agreement or by the court having
jurisdiction in the matter, that Indemnitee acted in good faith and
in a manner that he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to
the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any
criminal Proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct
was unlawful. The termination of any Proceeding or of any
claim, issue or matter therein, by judgment, order, settlement or
conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent,
shall not, of itself, adversely affect the right of Indemnitee to
indemnification or create a presumption that Indemnitee did not act
in good faith and in a manner that he reasonably believed to be in
or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, or, with
respect to any criminal Proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe
that his conduct was unlawful. Indemnitee shall have the
right to employ Indemnitee’s own legal counsel in any
Proceeding for which indemnification is available under this
Section 3.
4.
Indemnity in Proceedings By
or In the Right of the Company. The Company shall
indemnify Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this
Section 4 if Indemnitee is a party to or is threatened to be
made a party to or otherwise involved in any Proceeding by or in
the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by
reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director and/or
officer of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of the
Company as a director, officer, trustee, general partner, managing
member, fiduciary, employee or agent of an Enterprise, against all
Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee (or on his
behalf) in connection with such Proceeding provided it is
determined pursuant to Section 8 of this Agreement or by the
court having jurisdiction in the matter, that Indemnitee acted in
good faith and in a manner that he reasonably believed to be in or
not opposed to the best interests of the Company, except that no
indemnification shall be made under this Section 4 in respect
of any claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have
been adjudged to be liable to the Company unless and only to the
extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery or the court in which
such Proceeding was brought or is pending, shall determine upon
application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view
of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and
reasonably entitled to indemnity for such Expenses as the Delaware
Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.
Indemnitee shall have the right to employ Indemnitee’s own
legal counsel in any Proceeding for which indemnification is
available under this Section 4.
5.
Indemnification for
Expenses of a Witness. Notwithstanding any
other provision of this Agreement, to the extent that Indemnitee
is, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director
and/or officer of the Company, or is or was serving at the request
of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, general partner,
managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of an Enterprise, a
witness in any Proceeding to which Indemnitee is not a party, he
shall be indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably
incurred by Indemnitee (or on his behalf) in connection
therewith.
6.
Indemnification for
Expenses of Successful Party. Notwithstanding any
other provision of this Agreement to the contrary, to the extent
that Indemnitee has been successful on the merits or otherwise in
defense of any Proceeding referred to in Sections 3 and/or 4 of
this Agreement, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter
therein, including dismissal with or without prejudice, Indemnitee
shall be indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably
incurred by Indemnitee (or on his behalf) in connection
therewith. If Indemnitee is not wholly successful in any
Proceeding referred to in Sections 3 and/or 4 of this Agreement,
but is successful on the merits or otherwise (including dismissal
with or without prejudice) as to one or more, but less than all
claims, issues or matters therein, including dismissal without
prejudice, Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Expenses
actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee (or on his behalf)
in connection with each successfully resolved claim, issue or
matter. For purposes of this Section 6, and without
limitation, the termination of any claim, issue or matter in any
Proceeding referred to in Sections 3 and/or 4 of this Agreement by
dismissal, with or without prejudice, shall be deemed to be a
successful result as to such claim, issue or matter.
7.
Advances of
Expenses. To the fullest
extent permitted by applicable law, the Expenses incurred by
Indemnitee pursuant to Sections 3 and/or 4 of this Agreement in
connection with any Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter
therein shall be paid by the Company currently and in advance of
the final disposition of such Proceeding or any claim, issue or
matter therein no later than 10 days after receipt by the Company
of a request for an Expense advancement with appropriate
documentation. The undersigned Indemnitee hereby undertakes
to repay the advanced Expenses to the Company to the extent that it
is ultimately determined pursuant to Section 8, or, in the
event the Indemnitee elects to pursue othe
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