PACIFIC ETHANOL,
INC.
INDEMNITY
AGREEMENT
This Indemnity Agreement
(this “
Agreement ”) dated as of May 29, 2007, is
made by and between Pacific Ethanol, Inc., a
Delaware corporation (the “ Company
”), and Douglas Jeffries (“
Indemnitee ”).
Recitals
A.
The Company desires to attract and
retain the services of highly qualified individuals as directors,
officers, employees and agents.
B.
The Company’s bylaws (the
“ Bylaws ”) require that the Company
indemnify its directors, and empowers the Company to indemnify its
officers, employees and agents, as
authorized by the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended (the
“ Code ”), under which the Company is
organized and such Bylaws expressly provide that the
indemnification provided therein is not exclusive and contemplates
that the Company may enter into separate agreements with its
directors, officers and other persons to set forth specific
indemnification provisions.
C.
Indemnitee does not regard the
protection currently provided by applicable law, the
Company’s governing documents and available insurance as
adequate under the present circumstances, and the Company has
determined that Indemnitee and other directors, officers, employees
and agents of the Company may not be willing to serve or continue
to serve in such capacities without additional
protection.
D.
The Company desires and has
requested Indemnitee to serve or continue to serve as a director,
officer, employee or agent of the Company, as the case may be, and
has proferred this Agreement to Indemnitee as an additional
inducement to serve in such capacity.
E.
Indemnitee is willing to serve, or
to continue to serve, as a director, officer, employee or agent of
the Company, as the case may be, if Indemnitee is furnished the
indemnity provided for herein by the Company.
Agreement
Now Therefore , in consideration of the mutual covenants and
agreements set forth herein, the parties hereto, intending to be
legally bound, hereby agree as follows:
(a)
Agent
. For purposes of this Agreement,
the term “agent” of the Company means any person who:
(i) is or was a director , officer, employee
or other fiduciary of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company;
or (ii) is or was serving at the request or for the
convenience of, or representing the interests of, the Company or a
subsidiary of the Company, as a director, officer, employee or
other fiduciary of a foreign or domestic corporation, partnership,
joint venture, trust or other enterprise.
(b)
Expenses
. For purposes of this Agreement,
the term “expenses” shall be broadly construed and
shall include, without limitation, all direct and indirect costs of
any type or nature whatsoever (including, without limitation, all
attorneys’, witness, or other professional fees and related
disbursements, and other out-of-pocket costs of whatever nature),
actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with
the investigation, defense or appeal of a proceeding or
establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under this
Agreement, the Code or otherwise, and amounts paid in settlement by
or on behalf of Indemnitee, but shall not include any judgments,
fines or penalties actually levied against Indemnitee for such
individual’s violations of law. The term
“expenses” shall also include reasonable compensation
for time spent by Indemnitee for which he is not compensated by the
Company or any subsidiary or third party (i) for any period during
which Indemnitee is not an agent, in the employment of, or
providing services for compensation to, the Company or any
subsidiary; and (ii) if the rate of compensation and estimated time
involved is approved by the directors of the Company who are not
parties to any action with respect to which expenses are incurred,
for Indemnitee while an agent of, employed by, or providing
services for compensation to, the Company or any
subsidiary.
(c)
Proceedings
. For purposes of this Agreement,
the term “proceeding” shall be broadly construed and
shall include, without limitation, 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, and whether
formal or informal in any case, in which Indemnitee was, is or will
be involved as a party or otherwise by reason of: (i) the fact that
Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company; (ii) the
fact that any action taken by Indemnitee or of any action on
Indemnitee’s part while acting as director, officer, employee
or agent of the Company; or (iii) the fact that Indemnitee is or
was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer,
employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint
venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, and in
any such case described above, whether or not serving in any such
capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which
indemnification, reimbursement, or advancement of expenses may be
provided under this Agreement.
(d)
Subsidiary
. For purposes of this Agreement,
the term “subsidiary” means any corporation or limited
liability company of which more than 50% of the outstanding voting
securities or equity interests are owned, directly or indirectly,
by the Company and one or more of its subsidiaries, 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)
Independent
Counsel . For
purposes of this Agreement, the term “independent
counsel” means a law firm, or a partner (or, if applicable,
member) of such a law firm, that is experienced in matters of
corporation law and neither presently is, nor in the past five (5)
years has been, retained to represent: (i)
the Company or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such
party, 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.
2.
Agreement to
Serve . Indemnitee
will serve, or continue to serve, as a director, officer, employee
or agent of the Company or any subsidiary, as the case may be,
faithfully and to the best of his or her ability, at the will of
such corporation (or under separate agreement, if such agreement
exists), in the capacity Indemnitee currently serves as an agent of
such corporation, so long as Indemnitee is duly appointed or
elected and qualified in accordance with the applicable provisions
of the bylaws or other applicable charter documents of such
corporation, or until such time as Indemnitee tenders his or her
resignation in writing; provided, however, that nothing contained
in this Agreement is intended as an employment agreement between
Indemnitee and the Company or any of its subsidiaries or to create
any right to continued employment of Indemnitee with the Company or
any of its subsidiaries in any capacity.
The Company acknowledges that it has entered
into this Agreement and assumes the obligations imposed on it
hereby, in addition to and separate from its obligations to
Indemnitee under the Bylaws, to induce Indemnitee to serve, or
continue to serve, as a director, officer,
employee or agent of the Company, and the Company acknowledges that
Indemnitee is relying upon this Agreement in serving as a director,
officer, employee or agent of the Company.
(a)
Indemnification in Third
Party Proceedings .
Subject to Section 10 below, the Company shall indemnify
Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by the Code, as the same
may be amended from time to time (but, only to the extent that such
amendment permits Indemnitee to broader indemnification rights than
the Code permitted prior to adoption of such amendment), if
Indemnitee is a party to or threatened to be made a party to or
otherwise involved in any proceeding, for any and all expenses,
actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with
the investigation, defense, settlement or appeal of such
proceeding.
(b)
Indemnification in
Derivative Actions and Direct Actions by the
Company . Subject to
Section 10 below, the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee to the
fullest extent permitted by the Code, as the same may be amended
from time to time (but, only to the extent that such amendment
permits Indemnitee to broader indemnification rights than the Code
permitted prior to adoption of such amendment), if Indemnitee is a
party to or 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, against any and all expenses actually and
reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the
investigation, defense, settlement, or appeal of such
proceedings.
4.
Indemnification of Expenses
of Successful Party . Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Agreement, to the extent that Indemnitee has been successful on the
merits or otherwise in defense of any proceeding or in defense of
any claim, issue or matter therein, including the dismissal of any
action without prejudice, the Company shall indemnify Indemnitee
against all expenses actually and reasonably incurred in connection
with the investigation, defense or appeal of such
proceeding.
5.
Partial
Indemnification . If
Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Agreement to
indemnification by the Company for some or a portion of any
expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in the
investigation, defense, settlement or appeal of a proceeding, but
is precluded by applicable law or the specific terms of this
Agreement to indemnification for the total amount thereof, the
Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion
thereof to which Indemnitee is entitled.
6.
Advancement of
Expenses . To the
extent not prohibited by law, the Company shall advance the
expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any proceeding,
and such advancement shall be made within twenty (20) days after
the receipt by the Company of a statement or statements requesting
such advances (which shall include invoices received by Indemnitee
in connection with such expenses but, in the case of invoices in
connection with legal services, any references to legal work
performed or to expenditures made that would cause Indemnitee to
waive any privilege accorded by applicable law shall not be
included with the invoice) and upon request of the Company, an
undertaking to repay the advancement of expenses if and to the
extent that it is ultimately determined by a court of competent
jurisdiction in a final judgment, not subject to appeal, that
Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company.
Advances shall be unsecured, interest free and without regard to
Indemnitee’s ability to repay the expenses. Advances shall
include any and all expenses actually and reasonably incurred by
Indemnitee pursuing an action to enforce Indemnitee’s right
to indemnification under this Agreement, or otherwise and this
right of advancement, including expenses incurred preparing and
forwarding statements to the Company to support the advances
claimed. Indemnitee acknowledges that the execution and delivery of
this Agreement shall constitute an undertaking providing that
Indemnitee shall, to the fullest extent required by law, repay the
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