This Indemnity
Agreement (“Agreement”) is made as of October ___,
2005, by and between Waste Management, Inc., a Delaware corporation
(the “Company”), and
___(“Indemnitee”).
WHEREAS, highly
competent persons have become more reluctant to serve publicly-held
corporations as directors or in other capacities unless they are
provided with adequate protection through insurance or adequate
indemnification against inordinate risks of claims and actions
against them arising out of their service to and activities on
behalf of the corporation;
WHEREAS, the Board
of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) has
determined that, in order to attract and retain qualified
individuals, the Company will attempt to maintain on an ongoing
basis, at its sole expense, liability insurance to protect persons
serving the Company and its subsidiaries from certain liabilities.
Although the furnishing of such insurance has been a customary and
widespread practice among United States-based corporations and
other business enterprises, the Company believes that, given
current market conditions and trends, such insurance may be
available to it in the future only at higher premiums and with more
exclusions. At the same time, directors, officers, and other
persons in service to corporations or business enterprises are
being increasingly subjected to expensive and time-consuming
litigation relating to, among other things, matters that
traditionally would have been brought only against the Company or
business enterprise itself. The By-laws of the Company (the
“By-laws”) and the Second Restated Certificate of
Incorporation of the Company (the “Certificate”)
require indemnification of the officers and directors of the
Company. Indemnitee may also be entitled to indemnification
pursuant to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware
(the “DGCL”). The By-laws, the Certificate and the DGCL
expressly provide that the indemnification provisions set forth
therein are not exclusive, and thereby contemplate that contracts
may be entered into between the Company and members of the board of
directors, officers and other persons with respect to
indemnification;
WHEREAS, the
uncertainties relating to such insurance and to indemnification
have increased the difficulty of attracting and retaining such
persons;
WHEREAS, the Board
has determined that the increased difficulty in attracting and
retaining such persons is detrimental to the best interests of the
Company’s stockholders and that the Company should act to
assure such persons that there will be increased certainty of such
protection in the future;
WHEREAS, it is
reasonable, prudent and necessary for the Company contractually to
obligate itself to indemnify, and to advance expenses on behalf of,
such persons to the fullest
extent
permitted by applicable law so that they will serve or continue to
serve the Company free from undue concern that they will not be so
indemnified;
WHEREAS, this
Agreement is a supplement to and in furtherance of the By-laws and
Certificate of the Company and any resolutions adopted pursuant
thereto, and shall not be deemed a substitute therefor, nor to
diminish or abrogate any rights of Indemnitee
thereunder;
WHEREAS,
Indemnitee does not regard the protection available under the
Company’s By-laws, Certificate and insurance as adequate in
the present circumstances, and may not be willing to serve as a
[director] [officer] without adequate protection, and the Company
desires Indemnitee to serve in such capacity. Indemnitee is willing
to serve, continue to serve and to take on additional service for
or on behalf of the Company on the condition that he be so
indemnified; and
NOW, THEREFORE, in
consideration of the premises and the covenants contained herein,
the Company and Indemnitee do hereby covenant and agree as
follows:
Section 1.
Services to the Company. Indemnitee agrees to serve as a
[director] [officer] of the Company. Indemnitee may at any time and
for any reason resign from such position (subject to any other
contractual obligation or any obligation imposed by operation of
law), in which event the Company shall have no obligation under
this Agreement to continue Indemnitee in such position. This
Agreement shall not be deemed an employment contract between the
Company (or any of its subsidiaries or any Enterprise) and
Indemnitee. Indemnitee specifically acknowledges that
Indemnitee’s employment with the Company (or any of its
subsidiaries or any Enterprise), if any, is at will, and the
Indemnitee may be discharged at any time for any reason, with or
without cause, except as may be otherwise provided in any written
employment contract between Indemnitee and the Company (or any of
its subsidiaries or any Enterprise), other applicable formal
severance policies duly adopted by the Board, or, with respect to
service as a director of the Company, by the Company’s
Certificate, the Company’s By-laws, and the DGCL. The
foregoing notwithstanding, this Agreement shall continue in force
after Indemnitee has ceased to serve as a [director] [officer] of
the Company.
Section 2.
Definitions. As used in this Agreement:
(a) A
“Change in Control” shall be deemed to occur upon the
earliest to occur after the date of this Agreement of any of the
following events:
i. Acquisition
of Stock by Third Party. Any Person (as defined below) is or
becomes the Beneficial Owner (as defined below), directly or
indirectly, of securities of the Company representing fifteen
percent (15%) or more of the combined voting power of the
Company’s then outstanding securities;
ii. Change
in Board of Directors. During any period of two
(2) consecutive years (not including any period prior to the
execution of this Agreement), individuals who at the beginning of
such period constitute the Board, and any new director (other than
a director designated by a person who has entered into an agreement
with the Company to effect a transaction described in
Sections 2(a)(i), 2(a)(iii) or 2(a)(iv)) whose election by
the
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Board 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 either were directors at the beginning of the
period or whose election or nomination for election was previously
so approved, cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority
of the members of the Board;
iii. Corporate
Transactions. The effective date of a merger or consolidation of
the Company with any other entity, other than a merger or
consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the
Company outstanding immediately prior to such merger or
consolidation continuing to represent (either by remaining
outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the
surviving entity) more than 51% of the combined voting power of the
voting securities of the surviving entity outstanding immediately
after such merger or consolidation and with the power to elect at
least a majority of the board of directors or other governing body
of such surviving entity;
iv. Liquidation.
The approval by the stockholders of the Company of a complete
liquidation of the Company or an agreement for the sale or
disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the
Company’s assets; and
v. Other
Events. There occurs any other event of a nature that would be
required to be reported in response to Item 6(e) of
Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A (or a response to any
similar item on any similar schedule or form) promulgated under the
Exchange Act (as defined below), whether or not the Company is then
subject to such reporting requirement.
For purposes of
this Section 2(a), the following terms shall have the
following meanings:
(A)
“Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended.
(B)
“Person” shall have the meaning as set forth in
Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act; provided, however,
that Person shall exclude (i) the Company, (ii) any
trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee
benefit plan of the Company, and (iii) any corporation owned,
directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in
substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of
the Company.
(C)
“Beneficial Owner” shall have the meaning given to such
term in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act; provided, however,
that Beneficial Owner shall exclude any Person otherwise becoming a
Beneficial Owner by reason of the stockholders of the Company
approving a merger of the Company with another entity.
(b) “Corporate
Status” describes the status of a person who is or was a
director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or of any other
corporation, limited liability
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company,
partnership or joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other
enterprise which such person is or was serving at the request of
the Company.
(c) “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.
(d) “Enterprise”
shall mean the Company and any other corporation, limited liability
company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan
or other enterprise of which Indemnitee is or was serving at the
request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, agent or
fiduciary.
(e) “Expenses”
shall include 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, being or preparing to be a witness in, or
otherwise participating in, a Proceeding. 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) for purposes of Section 13(d) only, Expenses incurred by
Indemnitee in connection with the interpretation, enforcement or
defense of Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement, by
litigation or otherwise. Expenses, however, shall not include
amounts paid in settlement by Indemnitee or the amount of judgments
or fines against Indemnitee.
(f) “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.
(g) The
term “Proceeding” shall include any threatened, pending
or completed action, suit, arbitration, alternate dispute
resolution mechanism, investigation, inquiry, administrative
hearing or any other actual, threatened or completed proceeding,
whether brought in the right of the Company or otherwise and
whether of a civil, criminal, administrative or investigative
nature, in which Indemnitee was, is or will be involved as a party
or otherwise by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a
[director] [officer] of the Company, by reason of any action taken
by him or of any action on his part while acting as a [director]
[officer] of the Company, or by reason of the fact that he is or
was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer,
employee
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or agent of
another corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint
venture, trust or other enterprise, in each case whether or not
serving in such capacity at the time any liability or expense is
incurred for which indemnification, reimbursement, or advancement
of expenses can be provided under this Agreement; except one
initiated by an Indemnitee to enforce his rights under this
Agreement.
(h) Reference
to “other enterprise” shall include employee benefit
plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise
tax assessed with respect to any employee benefit plan; references
to “serving at the request of the Company” shall
include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of
the Company which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such
director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee
benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who
acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in
the best interests of the participants and beneficiaries of an
employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in manner
“not opposed to the best interests of the Company” as
referred to in this Agreement.
Section 3.
Indemnity in Third-Party Proceedings. The Company shall
indemnify Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this
Section 3 if Indemnitee is, or is threatened to be made, a
party to or a participant in any Proceeding, other than a
Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment
in its favor. Pursuant to this Section 3, Indemnitee shall be
indemnified to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law
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, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner
he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best
interests of the Company and, in the case of a criminal proceeding
had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was
unlawful.
Section 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, or is
threatened to be made, a party to or a participant in any
Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment
in its favor. Pursuant to this Section 4, Indemnitee shall be
indemnified to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law
against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or on
his behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue
or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a
manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best
interests of the Company. No indemnification for Expenses shall be
made under this Section 4 in respect of any claim, issue or
matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been finally adjudged by a
court to be liable to the Company, unless and only to the extent
that the Delaware Court of Chancery or any court in which the
Proceeding was brought 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 indemnification.
Section 5.
Indemnification for Expenses of a Party Who is Wholly or Partly
Successful. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this
Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law and to
the extent that Indemnitee is a party to (or a participant in) and
is successful, on the merits or otherwise, in any Proceeding or in
defense of any claim, issue
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or matter
therein, in whole or in part, the Company shall indemnify
Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by
him in connection therewith. If Indemnitee is not wholly successful
in such Proceeding but is successful, on the merits or otherwise,
as to one or more but less than all claims, issues or matters in
such Proceeding, the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee against all
Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf
in connection with each successfully resolved claim, issue or
matter. If the Indemnitee is not wholly successful in such
Proceeding, the Company also shall indemnify Indemnitee against all
Expenses reasonably incurred in connection with a claim, issue or
matter related to any claim, issue, or matter on which the
Indemnitee was successful. For purposes of this Section and without
limitation, the termination of any claim, issue or matter in such a
Proceeding by dismissal, with or without prejudice, shall be deemed
to be a successful result as to such claim, issue or
matter.
Section 6.
Indemnification For Expenses of a Witness. Notwithstanding
any other provision of this Agreement, to the fullest extent
permitted by applicable law and to the extent that Indemnitee is,
by reason of his Corporate Status, a witness in any Proceeding to
which Indemnitee is not a party, he shall be indemnified against
all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his
behalf in connection therewith.
Section 7.
Additional Indemnification .
(a) Notwithstanding
any limitation in Sections 3, 4, or 5, the Company shall
indemnify Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by applicable
law if Indemnitee is a party to or threatened to be made a party to
any Proceeding (including a Proceeding by or in the right of the
Company to procure a judgment in its favor) against all Expenses,
judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and
reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the
Proceeding.
(b) For
purposes of Section 7(a), the meaning of the phrase “to
the fullest extent permitted by applicable law” shall
include, but not be limited to:
i. to
the fullest extent permitted by the provision of the DGCL that
authorizes or contemplates additional indemnification by agreement,
or the corresponding provision of any amendment to or replacement
of the DGCL, and
ii. to
the fullest extent authorized or permitted by any amendments to or
replacements of the DGCL adopted after the date of this Agreement
that increase the extent to which a corporation may indemnify its
officers and directors.
Section 8.
Exclusions . Notwithstanding any provision in this
Agreement, the Company shall not be obligated under this Agreement
to make any indemnity in connection with any claim made against
Indemnitee:
(a) for
which payment has actually been made to or on behalf of Indemnitee
under any insurance policy or other indemnity provision, except
with respect to any excess beyond the amount paid under any
insurance policy or other indemnity provision; or
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(b) for
(i) an accounting of profits made from the purchase and sale
(or sale and purchase) by Indemnitee of securities of the Company
within the meaning of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act (as defined
in Section 2(a) hereof), or similar provisions of state statutory
law or common law, or (ii) any reimbursement of the Company by
the Indemnitee of any bonus or other incentive-based or
equity-based compensation or of any profits realized by the
Indemnitee from the sale of securities of the Company, as required
in each case under the Exchange Act; or
(c) except
as provided in Section 13(d) of this Agreement, in connection with
any Proce
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