DIRECTOR INDEMNIFICATION
AGREEMENT
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Page
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1. Indemnity of Indemnitee
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2
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2
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3. Advancement of Expenses
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4
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4. Procedures and Presumptions for Determination
of Entitlement to Indemnification
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4
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5. Remedies of Indemnitee
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7
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6. Non-Exclusivity; Survival of Rights;
Insurance; Primacy of Indemnification; Subrogation
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8
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7. Exception to Right of
Indemnification
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9
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9
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9
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10
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10
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11
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13. Modification and Waiver
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11
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11
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12
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12
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12
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18. Governing Law and Consent to
Jurisdiction
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12
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-i-
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
THIS INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT (this “
Agreement ”) is made and entered into as of [DATE]
between Youbet.com, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “
Company ”), and [NAME] (“ Indemnitee
”).
WHEREAS, highly competent persons have become
more reluctant to serve 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 Amended and Restated Bylaws of the
Company (the “ Bylaws ”) require indemnification
of the directors and officers of the Company, and Indemnitee may
also be entitled to indemnification pursuant to the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (“ DGCL
”);
WHEREAS, the Bylaws 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 Company’s
board of directors (the “ Board ”), officers and
other persons with respect to indemnification;
WHEREAS, 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;
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 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; and
WHEREAS, this Agreement is a supplement to and
in furtherance of the Bylaws and Certificate of Incorporation 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;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of
Indemnitee’s agreement to serve as a director from and after
the date hereof, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Indemnity of Indemnitee . The
Company hereby agrees to hold harmless and indemnify Indemnitee to
the fullest extent permitted by law, as such may be amended from
time to time. In furtherance of the foregoing indemnification, and
without limiting the generality thereof:
(a) Proceedings Other Than Proceedings
by or in the Right of the Company . Indemnitee shall be
entitled to the rights of indemnification provided in this
Section l(a) if, by reason of his Corporate Status (as
defined in Section 11 of this Agreement), the Indemnitee is,
or is threatened to be made, a party to or participant in any
Proceeding (as defined in Section 11 of this Agreement)
other than a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company. Pursuant
to this Section 1(a) , Indemnitee shall be indemnified
against all Expenses (as defined in Section 11 of this
Agreement), judgments, penalties, fines and amounts paid in
settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him, or on his
behalf, in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or
matter therein, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a
manner the Indemnitee 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 the
Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful.
(b) Proceedings by or in the Right of
the Company . Indemnitee shall be entitled to the rights of
indemnification provided in this Section 1(b) if, by
reason of his Corporate Status, the Indemnitee is, or is threatened
to be made, a party to or participant in any Proceeding brought by
or in the right of the Company. Pursuant to this
Section 1(b) , Indemnitee shall be indemnified against
all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the Indemnitee, or
on the Indemnitee’s behalf, in connection with such
Proceeding if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner
the Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the
best interests of the Company; provided, however, if applicable law
so provides, no indemnification against such Expenses shall be made
in respect of any claim, issue or matter in such Proceeding as to
which Indemnitee shall have been adjudged to be liable to the
Company unless and to the extent that the Court of Chancery of the
State of Delaware shall determine that such indemnification may be
made.
(c) Indemnification for Expenses of a
Party Who is Wholly or Partly Successful . Notwithstanding any
other provision of this Agreement, to the extent that Indemnitee
is, by reason of his Corporate Status, a party to and is
successful, on the merits or otherwise, in any Proceeding, he shall
be indemnified to the maximum extent permitted by law, as such may
be amended from time to time, against all Expenses actually and
reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf 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. For purposes of this Section 1(c) 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.
(a) Whether or not the indemnification
provided in Section 1 hereof is available, in respect
of any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding
in which the Company is jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be
if joined in such action, suit or proceeding), the Company shall
pay, in the first instance, the entire amount of any judgment or
settlement of such action, suit or proceeding without requiring
Indemnitee to contribute to such payment and the Company hereby
waives and relinquishes any right of contribution it may have
against Indemnitee. The Company shall not enter into any settlement
of any action, suit or proceeding in which the Company is jointly
liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such action, suit
or proceeding) unless such settlement provides for a full and final
release of all claims asserted against Indemnitee.
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(b) Without diminishing or impairing the
obligations of the Company set forth in the preceding subparagraph,
if, for any reason, Indemnitee shall elect or be required to pay
all or any portion of any judgment or settlement in any threatened,
pending or completed Proceeding in which the Company is jointly
liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such Proceeding),
the Company shall contribute to the amount of Expenses, judgments,
fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably
incurred and paid or payable by Indemnitee in proportion to the
relative benefits received by the Company and all directors,
officers, employees and agents of the Company, other than
Indemnitee, who are jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if
joined in such Proceeding), on the one hand, and Indemnitee, on the
other hand, from the transaction from which such Proceeding arose;
provided, however, that the proportion determined on the basis of
relative benefit may, to the extent necessary to conform to law, be
further adjusted by reference to the relative fault of the Company
and all directors, officers, employees and agents of the Company
other than Indemnitee who are jointly liable with Indemnitee (or
would be if joined in such Proceeding), on the one hand, and
Indemnitee, on the other hand, in connection with the events that
resulted in such expenses, judgments, fines or settlement amounts,
as well as any other equitable considerations which the applicable
law may require to be considered. The relative fault of the Company
and all directors, officers, employees and agents of the Company,
other than Indemnitee, who are jointly liable with Indemnitee (or
would be if joined in such Proceeding), on the one hand, and
Indemnitee, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to,
among other things, the degree to which their actions were
motivated by intent to gain personal profit or advantage, the
degree to which their liability is primary or secondary and the
degree to which their conduct is active or passive.
(c) The Company hereby agrees to fully
indemnify and hold Indemnitee harmless from any claims of
contribution which may be brought by directors, officers, employees
or agents of the Company, other than Indemnitee, who may be jointly
liable with Indemnitee.
(d) To the fullest extent permissible under
applicable law, if the indemnification provided for in this
Agreement is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be
unavailable to Indemnitee for any reason whatsoever, the Company,
in lieu of indemnifying Indemnitee, shall contribute to the amount
incurred by Indemnitee, whether for judgments, fines, penalties,
excise taxes, amounts paid or to be paid in settlement and/or for
Expenses, in connection with any claim relating to an indemnifiable
event under this Agreement, in such proportion as is deemed fair
and reasonable in light of all of the circumstances of such
Proceeding in order to reflect (i) the relative benefits
received by the Company and Indemnitee as a result of the event(s)
and/or transaction(s) giving cause to such Proceeding; and/or
(ii) the relative fault of the Company (and its directors,
officers, employees and agents) and Indemnitee in connection with
such event(s) and/or transaction(s); provided, however, that such
contribution shall not be required where such determination by a
court of competent jurisdiction is due to (i) the failure of
Indemnitee to meet the standard of conduct set forth in Section
1(a) of this Agreement, or (ii) any limitation on
indemnification set forth in Section 6 or Section 7 of
this Agreement.
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3. Advancement of Expenses .
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Company
shall advance all Expenses incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee
in connection with any Proceeding by reason of Indemnitee’s
Corporate Status within thirty (30) days after the receipt by
the Company of a statement or statements from Indemnitee requesting
such advance or advances from time to time, whether prior to or
after final disposition of such Proceeding. Such statement or
statements shall reasonably evidence the Expenses incurred by
Indemnitee and shall include or be preceded or accompanied by a
written undertaking by or on behalf of Indemnitee to repay any
Expenses advanced if it shall ultimately be determined that
Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified against such Expenses.
Any advances and undertakings to repay pursuant to this
Section 3 shall be unsecured and interest
free.
4. Procedures and Presumptions for
Determination of Entitlement to Indemnification . It is the
intent of this Agreement to secure for Indemnitee rights of
indemnity that are as favorable as may be permitted under the DGCL
and public policy of the State of Delaware. Accordingly, the
parties agree that the following procedures and presumptions shall
apply in the event of any question as to whether Indemnitee is
entitled to indemnification under this Agreement:
(a) To obtain indemnification under this
Agreement, Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written
request, including therein or therewith such documentation and
information as is reasonably available to Indemnitee and is
reasonably necessary to determine whether and to what extent
Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification. The Secretary of the
Company shall, promptly upon receipt of such a request for
indemnification, advise the Board in writing that Indemnitee has
requested indemnification. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any
failure of Indemnitee to provide such a request to the Company, or
to provide such a request in a timely fashion, shall not relieve
the Company of any liability that it may have to Indemnitee unless,
and to the extent that, such failure actually and materially
prejudices the interests of the Company.
(b) Upon written request by Indemnitee for
indemnification pursuant to the first sentence of
Section 4(a) hereof, a determination with respect to
Indemnitee’s entitlement thereto shall be made in the
specific case by one of the following four methods, which shall be
at the election of the Board: (1) by a majority vote of the
Disinterested Directors, even though less than a quorum,
(2) by a committee of Disinterested Directors designated by a
majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even though less than
a quorum, (3) if there are no Disinterested Directors or if
the Disinterested Directors so direct, by Independent Counsel in a
written opinion to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to
the Indemnitee, or (4) if so directed by the Board, by the
stockholders of the Company.
(c) If the determination of entitlement to
indemnification is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to
Section 4(b) hereof, the Independent Counsel shall be
selected as provided in this Section 4(c) . The
Independent Counsel shall be selected by the Board. Indemnitee may,
within 10 days after such written notice of selection shall
have been given, deliver to the Company a written objection to such
selection; provided, however, that such objection may be asserted
only on the ground that the Independent Counsel so selected does
not meet the requirements of “ Independent Counsel
” as defined in Section 11 of this Agreement, and
the objection shall set forth with particularity the factual basis
of such assertion. Absent a proper and timely objection, the person
so selected shall act as Independent Counsel. If a written
objection is made and substantiated, the
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Independent
Counsel selected may not serve as Independent Counsel unless and
until such objection is withdrawn or a court has determined that
such objection is without merit. If, within 20 days after
submission by Indemnitee of a written request for indemnification
pursuant to Section 4(a) hereof, the Board does not
select a method other than a determination by Independent Counsel
and no Independent Counsel shall have been selected and not
objected to, either the Company or Indemnitee may petition the
Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware for resolution of any
objection which shall have been made by the Indemnitee to the
Company’s selection of Independent Counsel and/or for the
appointment as Independent Counsel of a person selected by the
court or by such other person as the court shall designate, and the
person with respect to whom all objections are so resolved or the
person so appointed shall act as Independent Counsel under
Section 4(b) hereof. The Company shall pay any and all
reasonable fees and expenses of Independent Counsel incurred by
such Independent Counsel in connection with acting pursuant to
Section 4(b) hereof, and the Company shall pay all
reasonable fees and expenses incident to the procedures of this
Section 4(c) , regardless of the manner in which such
Independent Counsel was selected or appointed.
(d) In making a determination with respect
to entitlement to indemnification hereunder, the person or persons
or entity making such determination shall presume that Indemnitee
is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement. Anyone seeking
to overcome this presumption shall have the burden of proof and the
burden of persuasion by clear and convincing evidence. Neither the
failure of the Company (including by its directors or Independent
Counsel) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of
any action pursuant to this Agreement that indemnification is
proper in the circumstances because Indemnitee has met the
applicab
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