ˆOˆßÐ&
Exhibit 10.24
[FORM OF INDEMNIFICATION
AGREEMENT]
TRAFFIC.COM, INC.
DIRECTOR AND OFFICER INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
This Director and Officer
Indemnification Agreement, dated as of ______________, 2006 (this
“Agreement”), is made by and between
Traffic.com, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
“Company”), and __________________ (the
“Indemnitee”).
RECITALS:
A.
Section 141 of the Delaware General Corporation Law provides
that the business and affairs of a corporation shall be managed by
or under the direction of its board of directors.
B.
By virtue of the managerial prerogatives vested in the directors
and officers of a Delaware corporation, directors and officers act
as fiduciaries of the corporation and its stockholders.
C.
Thus, it is critically important to the Company and its
stockholders that the Company be able to attract and retain the
most capable persons reasonably available to serve as directors and
officers of the Company.
D.
In recognition of the need for corporations to be able to induce
capable and responsible persons to accept positions in corporate
management, Delaware law authorizes (and in some instances
requires) corporations to indemnify their directors and officers,
and further authorizes corporations to purchase and maintain
insurance for the benefit of their directors and
officers.
E.
The Delaware courts have recognized that indemnification by a
corporation serves the dual policies of (1) allowing corporate
officials to resist unjustified lawsuits, secure in the knowledge
that, if vindicated, the corporation will bear the expense of
litigation, and (2) encouraging capable women and men to serve
as corporate directors and officers, secure in the knowledge that
the corporation will absorb the costs of defending their honesty
and integrity.
F.
The number of lawsuits challenging the judgment and actions of
directors and officers of Delaware corporations, the costs of
defending those lawsuits and the threat to personal assets have all
materially increased over the past several years, chilling the
willingness of capable women and men to undertake the
responsibilities imposed on corporate directors and
officers.
G.
Recent federal legislation and rules adopted by the Securities
and Exchange Commission and the national securities exchanges have
exposed such directors and officers to new and substantially
broadened civil liabilities.
H.
Under Delaware law, a director’s or officer’s right to
be reimbursed for the costs of defense of criminal actions, whether
such claims are asserted under state or federal law, does not
depend upon the merits of the claims asserted against the director
or officer and is separate and distinct from any right to
indemnification the director may be able to establish.
1
I.
Indemnitee is, or will be, a director and/or officer of the Company
and his or her willingness to serve in such capacity is predicated,
in substantial part, upon the Company’s willingness to
indemnify him or her in accordance with the principles reflected
above, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the State of
Delaware, and upon the other undertakings set forth in this
Agreement.
J.
The Company’s Fifth Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation provides the Company with the express authority to
enter into such agreements with the Company’s officers and
directors as the Company’s board of directors deems
appropriate for the indemnification of such persons as well as the
advancement of expenses in connection therewith.
K.
Therefore, in recognition of the need to provide Indemnitee with
substantial protection against personal liability, in order to
procure Indemnitee’s continued service as a director and/or
officer of the Company and to enhance Indemnitee’s ability to
serve the Company in an effective manner, and in order to provide
such protection pursuant to express contract rights (intended to be
enforceable irrespective of, among other things, any amendment to
the Company’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws
(collectively, the “Constituent Documents”),
any change in the
composition of the Company’s Board of Directors (the
“Board”)
or any
change-in-control or business combination transaction relating to
the Company), the Company wishes to provide in this Agreement for
the indemnification and advancement of Expenses to Indemnitee on
the terms, and subject to the conditions, set forth in this
Agreement,
L.
In light of the considerations referred to in the preceding
recitals, it is the Company’s intention and desire that the
provisions of this Agreement be construed liberally, subject to
their express terms, to maximize the protections to be provided to
Indemnitee hereunder.
AGREEMENT:
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereby
agree as follows:
1.
Certain Definitions . In addition to terms defined elsewhere
herein, the following terms have the following meanings when used
in this Agreement with initial capital letters:
(a)
“Change in
Control” shall have occurred at such
time, if any, as Incumbent Directors cease for any reason to
constitute a majority of Directors. For purposes of this
Section 1(a), “Incumbent Directors”
means the
individuals who, as of the date hereof, are Directors of the
Company and any individual becoming a Director subsequent to the
date hereof whose election, nomination for election by the
Company’s stockholders, or appointment, was approved by a
vote of at least a majority of the then Incumbent Directors (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); provided, however,
that an individual shall not be an Incumbent Director if such
individual’s election or appointment to the Board occurs as a
result of an actual or threatened election contest (as described in
Rule 14a-12(c) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended) with respect to the election or removal of directors or
other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by
or on behalf of a Person other than the Board.
(b)
“Claim”
means
(i) any threatened, asserted, pending or completed claim,
demand, action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal,
administrative, arbitrative, investigative or other, and whether
made pursuant to federal, state or other law; and (ii) any
inquiry or
2
investigation, whether made,
instituted or conducted by the Company or any other Person,
including, without limitation, any federal, state or other
governmental entity, that Indemnitee reasonably determines might
lead to the institution of any such claim, demand, action, suit or
proceeding. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company intends
indemnity to be provided hereunder in respect of acts or
failure to act prior to, on or after the date hereof.
(c)
“Controlled
Affiliate” means any corporation,
limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or
other entity or enterprise, whether or not for profit, that is
directly or indirectly controlled by the Company. For purposes of
this definition, “control” means the possession,
directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the
direction of the management or policies of an entity or enterprise,
whether through the ownership of voting securities, through other
voting rights, by contract or otherwise; provided that
direct or indirect beneficial ownership of capital stock or other
interests in an entity or enterprise entitling the holder to cast
15% or more of the total number of votes generally entitled to be
cast in the election of directors (or persons performing comparable
functions) of such entity or enterprise shall be deemed to
constitute control for purposes of this definition.
(d)
“Disinterested
Director” means a director of the
Company who is not and was not a party to the Claim in respect of
which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.
(e)
“Expenses”
means verified
attorneys’ and experts’ fees and expenses and all other
verified costs and expenses paid or payable in connection with
investigating, defending, being a witness in or participating in
(including on appeal), or preparing to investigate, defend, be a
witness in or participate in (including on appeal), any
Claim.
(f)
“Indemnifiable
Claim” means any Claim based upon,
arising out of or resulting from (i) any actual, alleged or
suspected act or failure to act by Indemnitee in his or her
capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company
or as a director, officer, employee, member, manager, trustee or
agent of any other corporation, limited liability company,
partnership, joint venture, trust or other entity or enterprise,
whether or not for profit, as to which Indemnitee is or was serving
at the request of the Company, (ii) any actual, alleged or
suspected act or failure to act by Indemnitee in respect of any
business, transaction, communication, filing, disclosure or other
activity of the Company or any other entity or enterprise referred
to in clause (i) of this sentence, or
(iii) Indemnitee’s status as a current or former
director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or as a current
or former director, officer, employee, member, manager, trustee or
agent of the Company or any other entity or enterprise referred to
in clause (i) of this sentence or any actual, alleged or
suspected act or failure to act by Indemnitee in connection with
any obligation or restriction imposed upon Indemnitee by reason of
such status. In addition to any service at the actual request of
the Company, for purposes of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be
deemed to be serving or to have served at the request of the
Company as a director, officer, employee, member, manager, trustee
or agent of another entity or enterprise if Indemnitee is or was
serving as a director, officer, employee, member, manager, agent,
trustee or other fiduciary of such entity or enterprise and
(i) such entity or enterprise is or at the time of such
service was a Controlled Affiliate, (ii) such entity or
enterprise is or at the time of such service was an employee
benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the
Company or a Controlled Affiliate, or (iii) the Company or a
Controlled Affiliate (by action of the Board, any committee thereof
or the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”)
(other than as the CEO him or herself)) caused or authorized
Indemnitee to be nominated, elected, appointed, designated,
employed, engaged or selected to serve in such
capacity.
3
(g)
“Indemnifiable
Losses” means any and all Losses relating
to, arising out of or resulting from any Indemnifiable Claim;
provided, however, that Indemnifiable Losses shall not
include Losses incurred by Indemnitee in respect of any
Indemnifiable Claim (or any matter or issue therein) as to which
Indemnitee shall have been adjudged liable to the Company, unless
and only to the extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery or the
court in which such Indemnifiable Claim was brought shall have
determined 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 for
such Expenses as the court shall deem proper.
(h)
“Independent
Counsel” means a law firm, or a member
of a law firm, that is experienced in matters of Delaware corporate
law and neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been,
retained to represent: (i) the Company (or any subsidiary) 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 named (or, as to a threatened
matter, reasonably likely to be named) party to the Indemnifiable
Claim 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.
(i)
“Losses”
means any and
all Expenses, damages, losses, liabilities, judgments, fines,
penalties (whether civil, criminal or other) and amounts paid or
payable in settlement, including, without limitation, all interest,
assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or
in respect of any of the foregoing.
(j)
“Person”
means any
individual, entity or group, within the meaning of
Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(k)
“Standard of
Conduct” means the standard for
conduct by Indemnitee that is a condition precedent to
indemnification of Indemnitee hereunder against Indemnifiable
Losses relating to, arising out of or resulting from an
Indemnifable Claim. The Standard of Conduct is (i) good faith
and a reasonable belief by Indemnitee that his action was in or not
opposed to the best interests of the Company and, with respect to
any criminal action or proceeding, that Indemnitee had no
reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful, or
(ii) any other applicable standard of conduct that may
hereafter be substituted under Section 145(a) or
(b) of the Delaware General Corporation Law or any successor
to such provision(s).
2.
Indemnification Obligation . Subject only to Section 7
and to the proviso in this Section, the Company shall indemnify,
defend and hold harmless Indemnitee, to the fullest extent
permitted, required or not prohibited by the laws of the State of
Delaware in effect on the date hereof or as such laws may from time
to time hereafter be amended to increase the scope of such
permitted indemnification, against any and all Indemnifable Claims
and Indemnifiable Losses; provided, however, that, except as
provided in Section 5, Indemnitee shall not be entitled to
indemnification pursuant to this Agreement in connection with
(i) any Claim initiated by Indemnitee against the Company or
any director or officer of the Company unless the Company has
joined in or consented to the initiation of such Claim, or
(ii) the purchase and sale by Indemnitee of securities in
violation of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended. The Company acknowledges that the foregoing
obligation may be broader than that now provided by applicable law
and the Company’s
4
Constituent Documents and intends
that it be interpreted consistently with this Section and the
recitals to this Agreement.
3.
Advancement of Expenses . Indemnitee shall have the right to
advancement by the Company prior to the final disposition of any
Indemnifiable Claim of any and all Expenses relating
to, arising out of or resulting from any Indemnifiable Claim paid
or incurred by Indemnitee. Without limiting the generality or
effect of any other provision hereof, Indemnitee’s right to
such advancement is not subject to the satisfaction of any Standard
of Conduct. Without limiting the generality or effect of the
foregoing, within five business days after any request by
Indemnitee that is accompanied by supporting documentation for
specific Expenses to be reimbursed or advanced, the Company
shall, in accordance with such request (but without duplication),
(a) pay such Expenses on behalf of Indemnitee,
(b) advance to Indemnitee funds in an amount sufficient to pay
such Expenses, or (c) reimburse Indemnitee for such Expenses;
provided that Indemnitee shall repay, without interest, any
amounts actually advanced to Indemnitee that, at the final
disposition of the Indemnifiable Claim to which the advance
related, were in excess of amounts paid or payable by Indemnitee in
respect of Expenses relating to, arising out of or resulting from
such Indemnifiable Claim. In connection with any such payment,
advancement or reimbursement, at the request of the Company,
Indemnitee shall execute and deliver to the Company an undertaking,
which need not be secured and shall be accepted without reference
to Indemnitee’s ability to repay the Expenses, by or on
behalf of the Indemnitee, to repay any amounts paid, advanced or
reimbursed by the Company in respect of Expenses relating to,
arising out of or resulting from any Indemnifiable Claim in respect
of which it shall have been determined, following the final
disposition of such Indemnifiable Claim and in accordance with
Section 7, that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification
hereunder. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained
herein, Indemnitee shall repay any amounts paid, advanced or
reimbursed by the Company if any portion of Expenses previously
paid, advanced, or reimbursed by the Company is ultimately deemed
by a court of competent jurisdiction, after final disposition of
the subject Indemnifiable Claim, to be in excess of the amount of
Expenses that would have been reasonable with respect to the
Indemnifiable Claim.
4.
Indemnification for Additional Expenses . Without limiting
the generality or effect of the foregoing, the Company shall
indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee against and, if requested by
Indemnitee, shall
|