EXHIBIT 10.11
INTERCREDITOR AGREEMENT
INTERCREDITOR AGREEMENT , dated as of May 13, 2004 (as
amended from time to time, the “ Agreement ”),
by and between J.P. Morgan Trust Company, National Association, as
successor to Bank One, National Association (“ Bank
One ”), a national banking association, not in its
individual capacity but solely as trustee (the “
Trustee” ) under the Junior Agreement (as defined
below), as junior collateral agent for the Trustee and the holders
of the Senior Second Notes (as defined below) (in such capacity,
together with its successors and assigns in such capacity, the
“ Junior Collateral Agent ”), and Wells Fargo
Foothill, Inc., a California corporation (“ WFF
”), as the arranger and administrative agent for the Senior
Lenders (as defined below) (in such capacity, together with its
successors and assigns in such capacity, the “ Senior
Agent ”). The holders from time to time of the Senior
Second Notes, the Trustee and the Junior Collateral Agent are
collectively referred to herein as the “ Junior
Creditors .”
RECITALS
A.
Pursuant to a Loan and Security Agreement dated as of May 13, 2004
(as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time
to time, the “ Credit Agreement ”) by and among
Evergreen International Aviation, Inc., an Oregon corporation (the
“ Parent ”), certain subsidiaries and affiliates
of Parent that are party thereto (each a “ Borrower
” and individually and collectively, jointly and severally,
the “ Borrowers ”), and the Senior Creditors,
the Senior Creditors have agreed to extend certain financial
accommodations in an aggregate amount not to exceed $100,000,000
available to the Borrowers, subject to the terms and conditions set
forth therein.
B.
Pursuant to a General Continuing Guaranty dated as of May 13, 2004
(as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time
to time, the “ Guaranty ”) executed and
delivered by Parent and certain subsidiaries and affiliates of
Parent that are party thereto (together with Parent, each a “
Guarantor ” and individually and collectively, the
“ Guarantors ”), in favor of the Senior Agent,
the Guarantors have guarantied the obligations of the Borrowers
under the Credit Agreement and the other Senior Documents (as
defined below). The Borrowers and the Guarantors are sometimes
hereinafter referred to individually as an “ Obligor
” and collectively as the “ Obligors
.”
C.
Pursuant to an Indenture dated as of May 16, 2003 (the “
Junior Agreement ”) by and among the Obligors and Bank
One and the other Junior Documents (as defined below), Parent
issued the Senior Secured Notes (as defined below).
D.
The obligations of the Obligors under the Credit Agreement and the
other Senior Documents (as defined below) are being secured on a
first-priority basis by security interests and liens on the assets
and properties described in the Credit Agreement (the “
Collateral ”) pursuant to the Senior Collateral
Documents (as defined below).
E.
The obligations of the Obligors under the Junior Agreement arid the
other Junior Documents (as defined below) are being secured on a
second-priority basis by the Collateral pursuant to the Junior
Documents (as defined below).
1
F.
The parties hereto agree that the Liens in favor of the Senior
Agent under the Senior Documents shall be senior to the Liens in
favor of the Junior Collateral Agent under the Junior
Documents.
G.
It is a condition to the extension of the credit facilities to be
made available by the Senior Creditors that the Junior Collateral
Agent, acting on behalf of the Junior Creditors, enter into this
Agreement.
AGREEMENT
NOW, THEREFORE , for good and valuable consideration, the
receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the
parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS AND RELATED
MATTERS
1.01 Definitions . Terms with initial capital letters
not otherwise defined herein (including “ Default
,” “ Event of Default ,” “
Obligations ” and “ Lien ”) have
the respective meanings set forth in the Credit Agreement. In
addition, the following terms with initial capital letters have the
following meanings:
“
Agreement ” is defined in the
Preamble.
“
Aircraft Security Agreement ” means that
certain Aircraft Security Agreement of even date herewith, executed
and delivered by certain Subsidiaries of Parent in favor of Senior
Agent and contemporaneously recorded with the Federal Aviation
Administration.
“
Bankruptcy Code ” means Title 11 of the United
States Code (11 U.S.C. Section 101 et seq.), as amended from
time to time, or any successor statute.
“
Borrower ” and “ Borrowers
” are defined in the Recitals and include their permitted
successors and assigns.
“ Collateral ” is defined in the
Recitals.
“
Contingent Senior Debt ” means Senior Debt that
is contingent or otherwise unmatured, whether such Senior Debt is
in the form of reimbursement obligations with respect to undrawn
letters of credit, reimbursement or indemnity obligations with
respect to guaranties or other assurances of payment, or otherwise.
The amount of any Contingent Senior Debt at any time shall be equal
to claims in existence at such time or an amount payable thereunder
upon removal of all contingencies or maturity, as the case may
be.
“
Credit Agreement ” is defined in the
Recitals.
“
Creditor ” means any of the Senior Creditors
and any of the Junior Creditors.
2
“
Foreclosure Action ” means, with respect to any
Creditor, any action to foreclose upon or enforce a Lien against
particular property, including commencing judicial or non-judicial
foreclosure proceedings, exercising any other remedy with respect
to any item of real or personal property included in the
Collateral, exercising any rights afforded to secured creditors in
a case under the Bankruptcy Code (including those under Section
361, 362 or 363 thereof, or taking any action under the
Bankruptcy Code that directly relates to or directly affects any
Collateral, other than any such action that relates to or affects
(a) the perfection or maintenance of the perfection of any
Collateral or (b) all or substantially all the property of the
bankruptcy estate.
“
Fully Cash Collateralized ” means, with respect
to any Contingent Senior Debt, that such Senior Debt shall have
been fully secured by a first priority Lien on cash collateral in
an amount equal to the amount of such Senior Debt.
“
Governmental Approval ” means any
authorization, approval, permit or license of or by or filing with
any Governmental Authority.
“
Governmental Authority ” means any nation, any
state or other political subdivision thereof and any entity
exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory or
administrative functions of government, including any tribunal or
arbitrator(s) of competent jurisdiction.
“
Guarantor ” and “
Guarantors ” are defined in the
Recitals.
“
Guaranty ” is defined in the
Recitals.
“
Insolvency or Liquidation Proceeding ” means
(i) any insolvency or bankruptcy case or proceeding (including any
case under the Bankruptcy Code), or any receivership, liquidation,
reorganization or other similar case or proceeding relative to any
Obligor or any of their respective Subsidiaries, or to their
respective assets, (ii) any liquidation, dissolution,
reorganization or winding up of any Obligor or any Subsidiary of
any Obligor, whether voluntary or involuntary and whether or not
involving insolvency or bankruptcy or (iii) any assignment for the
benefit of creditors or any other marshaling of assets and
liabilities of any Obligor or any Subsidiary of any
Obligor.
“
Junior Collateral Agent ” is defined in the
Preamble
“
Junior Agreement ” is defined in the
Recitals.
“
Junior Creditors ” is defined in the Preamble
and includes their respective permitted successors and assigns and
any other permitted holder of Junior Debt.
“
Junior Debt ” means any and all present arid
future obligations and liabilities of every type or description of
the Obligors to the Junior Creditors pursuant to the Junior
Documents, or any Person entitled to indemnification, arising under
or in connection with the Junior Documents, whether for principal,
premium, interest, letter of credit or other reimbursement
obligations, cash collateral cover, fees, expenses, subrogation
claims, indemnities or other amounts (including attorneys fees and
expenses), in each case whether due or not due, direct or indirect,
joint or several, absolute or contingent, voluntary or involuntary,
liquidated or unliquidated, determined or undetermined, now or
hereafter existing, renewed or restructured, whether or not from
time to time decreased or extinguished and later increased, created
or incurred, whether or not arising after the commencement of a
proceeding under the Bankruptcy
3
Code (including post-petition
interest) and whether or not allowed or allowable as a claim in any
such proceeding, and whether or not recovery of any such obligation
or liability may be barred by a statute of limitations or such
obligation or liability may otherwise be unenforceable. For the
sake of clarity, “Junior Debt” shall specifically
include all obligations and liabilities of the Obligors under or
pursuant to the Indenture, the Senior Second Notes and the Junior
Documents and all increases, renewals, extensions and refinancings
thereof.
“
Junior Documents ” means the Junior Agreement
and the Security Agreement dated as of May 16, 2003 which was
recorded by the Federal Aviation Administration on June 12, 2003
and assigned Conveyance No. JJ 001560 among the Obligors and the
Junior Collateral Agent, as amended, restated, supplemented or
otherwise modified from time to time (the “ Junior
Security Agreement ”) and all security agreements, pledge
agreements, deeds of trust, mortgages and other instruments,
agreements and documents executed at any time pursuant thereto or
in connection therewith, including all amendments
thereto.
“
Junior Liens ” means the Liens on the
Collateral created under the Junior Documents, securing payment and
performance of all or any Junior Debt, and all replacements,
renewals and other modifications of such Liens.
“
Obligor ” and “ Obligors
” are defined in the Recitals.
“
Paid in Full ” and “ Payment in
Full ” mean, with respect to any Senior Debt, that
(i) such Senior Debt has been indefeasibly paid in full in cash in
such currency as may be specified in the applicable Senior
Documents, or, in the case of Contingent Senior Debt, such Senior
Debt has been Fully Cash Collateralized, or (ii) the Senior
Creditors have otherwise accepted an amount as full payment of the
Senior Debt.
“
Realization ” means any Foreclosure Action or
other realization upon Collateral, including any payment or
distribution of assets of any Obligor or any Subsidiary of any
Obligor that is attributable to Collateral (or the proceeds
thereof) or a secured claim in the event of any distribution of
assets or dissolution, winding up, liquidation, reorganization,
readjustment of indebtedness, sale of all or substantially all the
assets, or marshalling of assets, of any Obligor or any Subsidiary
of any Obligor (whether in any Insolvency or Liquidation Proceeding
or otherwise).
“
Senior Agent ” is defined in the Preamble and
includes its successors and assigns.
“
Senior Collateral ” is defined in Section
3.03.
“
Senior Creditors ” means, individually and
collectively, each of the Senior Lenders and Senior
Agent.
“
Senior Debt ” means any and all present and
future obligations (including the Obligations and the Secured
Obligations (as defined in the Guarantor Security Agreement)) and
liabilities of every type or description of the Obligors to the
Senior Creditors pursuant to the Senior Documents, or any Person
entitled to indemnification, arising under or in connection with
the Senior Documents, whether for principal, premium, interest,
letter of credit or other reimbursement obligations, cash
collateral cover, fees, expenses, subrogation claims,
indemnities
4
or other amounts (including
attorneys’ fees and expenses), in each case whether due or
not due, direct or indirect, joint or several, absolute or
contingent, voluntary or involuntary, liquidated or unliquidated,
determined or undetermined, now or hereafter existing, renewed or
restructured, whether or not from time to time decreased or
extinguished and later increased, created or incurred, whether or
not arising after the commencement of a proceeding under the
Bankruptcy Code (including post-petition interest) and whether or
not allowed or allowable as a claim in any such proceeding, and
whether or not recovery of any such obligation or liability may be
barred by a statute of limitations or such obligation or liability
may otherwise be unenforceable. For the sake of clarity,
“Senior Debt” shall specifically include all
obligations and liabilities of the Obligors under or pursuant to
the Senior Documents and all increases, renewals, extensions and
refinancings thereof.
“
Senior Documents ” means the Credit Agreement,
the Aircraft Security Agreement and all promissory notes,
reimbursement agreements, guaranties, security agreements, pledge
agreements, deeds of trust, mortgages and other instruments,
agreements and documents executed at any time pursuant thereto or
in connection therewith, including all amendments
thereto.
“
Senior Lenders ” means the lenders that are
identified on the signature pages of the Credit Agreement, together
with their respective permitted successors and assigns.
“
Senior Liens ” means the Liens on the
Collateral created under the Senior Documents, securing payment and
performance of all or any Senior Debt, and all replacements,
renewals and other modifications of such Liens.
“
Senior Second Notes ” means the Parent’s
second secured notes due 2010 issued pursuant to the
Indenture.
1.02
Related Matters .
(a)
Determinations . All references herein to
‘discretion” of any Senior Creditor (or terms of
similar import) shall mean “absolute and sole
discretion.”
(b)
Severability . If any provision of this Agreement or any
right hereunder shall be held to be invalid, illegal or
unenforceable under Applicable Law in any jurisdiction, such
provision or right shall be ineffective only to the extent of such
invalidity, illegality or unenforceability, which shall not affect
any other provisions herein or any right granted hereby or the
validity, legality or enforceability of such provision or right in
any other jurisdiction.
(e)
No Party Deemed Drafter . None of the parties to this
Agreement shall be deemed to be the drafter of this Agreement, and
this Agreement shall not be interpreted in favor of or against any
party hereto.
(d)
Recitals Part of Agreement . The Recitals are part of the
agreement of the parties to this Agreement.
1.03 Construction . Unless the context of this
Agreement clearly requires otherwise, references to the plural
include the singular, references to the singular include the
plural, the
5
terms “includes” and
“including” are not limiting, and the term
“or” has, except where otherwise indicated, the
inclusive meaning represented by the phrase “and/or.”
The words “hereof,” “herein,”
“hereby,” “hereunder,” and similar terms in
this Agreement refer to this Agreement or such other Loan Document,
as the case may be, as a whole and not to any particular provision
of this Agreement or such other Loan Document, as the case may be,
Section, subsection, clause, schedule, and exhibit references
herein are to this Agreement unless otherwise specified
ARTICLE II
TERMS OF SUBORDINATION
2.01 Subordination of Junior Liens . The
Junior Collateral Agent, for itself and its successors and assigns
and as the collateral agent for the benefit of the Trustee and the
holders of the Senior Second Notes, agrees that (a) to the extent
and in the manner provided in this Agreement, all Junior Liens
shall be subordinate and junior to the Senior Liens, (b) the
subordination is for the benefit of the Senior Creditors, (c) the
Senior Creditors shall conclusively be deemed to have extended or
acquired the Senior Debt, whether now outstanding or hereafter
created, incurred, assumed or guarantied, in reliance upon the
covenants and provisions contained in this Agreement and (d) the
provisions of this Agreement apply notwithstanding anything to the
contrary in the Junior Documents.
2.02
Certain Terms of Subordination .
(a)
Except as otherwise specifically provided herein, the Junior Liens
shall at all times be and remain unconditionally subordinate,
junior and subject to the Senior Liens, and the Senior Liens shall
at all times be and remain unconditionally superior, senior and
prior in right of payment and enforcement to the Junior Liens,
regardless of (i) the order or time as of which any such Liens are
granted or attach to any or all of the Collateral, (ii) the order
or time of Uniform Commercial Code, Federal Aviation
Administration, the United States Patent and Trademark Office or
other filings or recordings, physical possession of any of the
Collateral or other steps of perfection, and (iii) whether the
Senior Debt secured by the Senior Liens is outstanding on the date
hereof or hereafter incurred or arising and, if hereafter incurred
or arising, whether incurred or arising pursuant to commitment or
otherwise.
(b)
The subordination hereunder applies regardless of the legality,
validity or enforceability of the Senior Debt or the Senior
Documents or the legality, validity, enforceability or perfection
of the Senior Liens.
(c)
The Junior Creditors shall pay over or deliver to the Senior Agent,
and segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the Senior
Creditors until paid or delivered, any payment or distribution of
any character, direct or indirect, whether in cash, securities or
other property, received by the Junior Creditors as a result of any
Realization with respect to any Junior Lien or any Collateral or
any other payment or distribution of or on account of any Junior
Lien or Collateral or any proceeds thereof (including proceeds of
any sale or other disposition of Collateral). To the extent it is
legally permitted to do so, the Senior Agent shall apply any such
payment or distribution (i) first to the payment of all Senior Debt
until paid in full and (ii) second, to the extent proceeds remain
after the application pursuant to the preceding clause (i), to the
Junior Collateral Agent for payment of the Junior Debt.
6
(d)
Senior Agent will be free to exercise in such manner and order as
it elects in its discretion (including any judicial or non-judicial
foreclosure on any real estate Collateral), fail to exercise,
waive, suspend, terminate or suffer expiration of, any of the
remedies or rights of Senior Agent with respect to the Collateral.
Without limiting the foregoing, the Junior Collateral Agent waives
the right to commence any legal action or assert in any legal
action or any Insolvency or Liquidation Proceeding any claim
against the Senior Creditors seeking damages from the Senior
Creditors or other relief, by way of specific performance,
injunction or otherwise, with respect to any action taken or
omitted by the Senior Agent or Senior Creditors with respect to the
Collateral other than any such action by the Senior Agent or Senior
Creditors that the Junior Collateral Agent reasonably believes
violates applicable law.
(e)
No Senior Creditor shall have any obligation or duty, nor shall any
Junior Creditor have any right to direct any Senior Creditor, to
see to the application of the proceeds of any advance to any
Borrower or any other Obligor, to retain, perfect, protect, waive
or release the Senior Lien on any Collateral, to take or refrain
from taking any Foreclosure Action or to engage in any other
Realization with respect to any Collateral, to act or refrain from
acting with respect to any Default or Event of Default, to act or
refrain from acting with respect to the collection of any claim
from any account debtor, guarantor or any other party or otherwise
to exercise or refrain from exercising any rights or remedies in
respect of any Borrower or any other Obligor or any of their
respective Subsidiaries, any Senior Lien or any Collateral. The
Junior Creditors expressly agree that the Senior Agent will have
the unfettered right in accordance with applicable law to release
(whether intentionally, negligently or otherwise) any Senior Lien
on any or all Collateral at any time and from time to time and that
the Senior Agent shall be entitled to receive and apply upon the
Senior Debt any and al