Exhibit 4(c)
INVESTOR RIGHTS
AGREEMENT
CONFIDENTIAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS
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1
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Section 1.1.
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Definitions
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1
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Section 1.2.
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Construction
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1
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ARTICLE II LLC
UNITS; CONFIDENTIALITY
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2
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Section 2.1.
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Members; LLC
Units
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2
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Section 2.2.
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Legends
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3
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Section 2.3.
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Cessation of
LLC Membership Interest
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3
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Section 2.4.
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Confidentiality
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4
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Section 2.5.
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Conflicts with
LLC Agreement
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4
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ARTICLE III TRANSFERABILITY OF INTERESTS;
PREEMPTIVE RIGHTS
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5
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Section 3.1.
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Restrictions On
Transfer of LLC Units
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5
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Section 3.2.
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Tag-Along
Rights
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6
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Section 3.3.
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Drag-Along
Rights
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11
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Section 3.4.
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Other Transfer
Restrictions
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16
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Section 3.5.
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Substituted
Members
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17
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Section 3.6.
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Preemptive
Rights
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17
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Section 3.7.
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Conversion to
IPO Corporation
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20
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Section 3.8.
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Specific
Performance
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24
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Section 3.9.
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Right of First
Refusal
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25
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ARTICLE IV REPRESENTATIONS AND
WARRANTIES
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27
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Section 4.1.
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Members’
Representations and Warranties
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27
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ARTICLE V GENERAL PROVISIONS
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27
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Section 5.1.
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Notices
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27
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Section 5.2.
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Entire
Agreement; Supersede
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29
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Section 5.3.
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Effect of
Waiver or Consent
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29
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Section 5.4.
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Amendment or
Restatement
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29
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Section 5.5.
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Binding Effect;
Third Party Beneficiaries
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30
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Section 5.6.
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Governing Law;
Severability; Limitation of Liability
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30
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Section 5.7.
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Further
Assurances
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31
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Section 5.8.
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Counterparts
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31
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Section 5.9.
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Other
Covenants
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31
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Section 5.10.
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Aggregation of
Units
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31
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Section 5.11.
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Judicial
Proceedings
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31
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- i -
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Exhibit A
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Definitions
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Exhibit B
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Form of
Addendum Agreement
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- ii -
INVESTOR RIGHTS
AGREEMENT
This INVESTOR RIGHTS AGREEMENT dated
as of November 5, 2008 (this “ Agreement
”), is being entered into by and among Oncor Electric
Delivery Company LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the
“ Company ”), Oncor Electric Delivery Holdings
Company LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “
Initial Member ”), Texas Transmission Investment LLC,
a Delaware limited liability company (the “ Minority
Member ”), Energy Future Holdings Corp., a Texas
Corporation (“ EFH ”) and any other Persons that
may hereafter become a party hereto (collectively with the Initial
Member and the Minority Member, the “ Members
”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Initial Member and the
Minority Member each own limited liability company interests in the
Company, as represented by the LLC Units; and
WHEREAS, the parties hereto desire
to enter into this Agreement to establish, among other things, the
rights and obligations arising out of, or in connection with, their
ownership of LLC Units.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of
the mutual promises and agreements made in this Agreement and
intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto hereby
agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.1. Definitions
. Capitalized terms used in the Agreement (including Exhibits and
Schedules hereto) but not defined in the body hereof shall have the
meanings ascribed to them in Exhibit A.
Section 1.2.
Construction . Unless the context requires otherwise:
(a) pronouns in the masculine, feminine and neuter genders
shall be construed to include any other gender, and words in the
singular form shall be construed to include the plural and vice
versa; (b) the term “including” shall be construed
to be expansive rather than limiting in nature and to mean
“including, without limitation,” (except to the extent
the context otherwise provides); (c) references to Articles
and Sections refer to Articles and Sections of this Agreement;
(d) the words “this Agreement,”
“herein,” “hereof,” “hereby,”
“hereunder” and words of similar import refer to this
Agreement as a whole, including the Exhibits and Schedules attached
hereto, and not to any particular subdivision unless expressly so
limited; and (e) references to Exhibits and Schedules are to
the items identified separately in writing by the parties hereto as
the described Exhibits or Schedules attached to this Agreement,
each of which is hereby incorporated herein and made a part hereof
for all purposes as if set forth in full herein.
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ARTICLE II
LLC UNITS;
CONFIDENTIALITY
Section 2.1. Members; LLC
Units
(a) Any reference in this Agreement
to Schedule B shall be deemed to be a reference to Schedule B to
the LLC Agreement, as amended and in effect from time to
time.
(b) The limited liability company
interests in the Company are represented by the LLC Units as
described in the LLC Agreement. The Members shall have the rights
and obligations conferred on Members pursuant to the LLC
Agreement.
(c) No Member shall have any right
to withdraw from the Company except as expressly set forth in the
LLC Agreement. No Member shall be entitled to receive any
distribution from the Company for any reason or upon any event
except as expressly set forth in the LLC Agreement.
(d) Minority Member agrees that it
and any Permitted Transferee (i) will be, or will be directly
or indirectly owned by, an entity that is taxed as a corporation
for U.S. federal income tax purposes; and (ii) until the
occurrence of a Trigger Event, has and will have in place in its
limited liability company agreement or similar governing documents:
(w) provisions to ensure that such Person is able (to the
extent entitled to such right under the LLC Agreement) to duly
designate Minority Member Directors (as defined in the LLC
Agreement) meeting the requirements of Section 10(a)(i) of the
LLC Agreement, (x) provisions restricting each equityholder of
Minority Member Parent (or any successor entity) or any Affiliates
of such equityholder (each, an “ MMP Equityholder
”) from (A) acquiring any direct equity ownership
interest, to be directly held by such MMP Equityholder, in Parent
or EFH, or (B) acquiring any indirect equity ownership
interest in Parent or EFH through any direct equity ownership
interest, directly held by such MMP Equityholder, in Texas Energy
Future Co-Invest LP or any other co-investment vehicle that, in
each case, has as its express principal purpose the acquisition of
any direct equity ownership in Parent or EFH (except to the extent
necessary to maintain existing direct or indirect pro rata stakes
in Parent or EFH), (y) an acknowledgment that each MMP
Equityholder will not object to being excused or excluded from
funding any capital call or otherwise contributing equity to, any
entity that expressly intends (as expressly disclosed in the
related capital call notice) to use the proceeds of such capital
call or contributed equity exclusively for the purpose of directly
or indirectly acquiring any additional Direct or Indirect EFH
Interest (except to the extent necessary to maintain existing
direct or indirect pro rata stakes in Parent or EFH), and
(z) representations and warranties from Minority Member Parent
(or any successor entity) that each equityholder of Minority Member
Parent (or any successor entity) has represented and warranted to,
and covenanted for the benefit of, Minority Member Parent and
Minority Member that such equityholder has not, directly or
indirectly, entered into any side letter, agreement or similar
arrangement or otherwise agreed to, and will not enter into or
otherwise agree to enter into any side agreement, agreement or
arrangement (in each case, including but not limited to any
stockholders agreement or charter or similar governing document of
or relating to Minority Member Parent) with any other Person
(including, but not limited to, any other equityholder of Minority
Member Parent) pursuant to which any Person
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who has (or is affiliated with any Person who
has) any Direct or Indirect EFH Interest has the right to direct or
otherwise control the designation of Minority Member Directors or
the actions taken by Minority Member Directors in their capacity as
such.
(e) From the date hereof until the
earlier of the date on which (i) the Minority Member ceases to
be affiliated with the Company or (ii) EFH is no longer
required to comply with paragraph 71 of the PUCT Order, the
Minority Member agrees to provide advance notice of its corporate
separateness from the Company to lenders of any indebtedness
incurred by the Minority Member or the Minority Member Parent and
will use commercially reasonable efforts to seek an acknowledgment
representation of that separateness with non-petition covenants in
all new debt instruments entered into by the Minority Member or the
Minority Member Parent, including any debt instruments entered into
in connection with financing the Contribution (as defined in the
Contribution and Subscription Agreement).
(f) From the date hereof until the
earlier of the date on which (i) the Minority Member ceases to
be affiliated with the Company or (ii) EFH is no longer
required to comply with paragraph 92 of the PUCT Order, Minority
Member agrees on behalf of itself, Minority Member Parent and their
respective Subsidiaries, not to pursue, support or propose
legislation, either directly or through any legislative advocacy
group in which Minority Member or Minority Member Parent is a
member that would change or abrogate any of the terms of the
stipulation approved by the Commission in the PUCT Order; provided
that, if legislation discussed in finding of fact 88 of the PUCT
Order is considered in future legislative sessions, Minority
Member, Minority Member Parent and their respective Subsidiaries
may participate in that legislative process, either directly or
through any legislative advocacy group in which Minority Member or
Minority Member Parent is a member.
(g) EFH agrees to provide written
notice (which notice shall make reference to Sections 2.1(d) and
2.1(g) hereof) to Minority Member of its intention to effect an
initial offering (or series of related offerings) of equity
securities of EFH or any of its Subsidiaries, as the case may be,
to the public or to otherwise list or qualify such securities for
trading on any stock exchange at least 10 Business Days prior to
the date of such offering or listing.
Section 2.2. Legends .
Unless and until the Board shall determine otherwise, LLC Units
shall be uncertificated and recorded in the books and records of
the Company (including Schedule B). To the extent any LLC Units are
or become certificated, such certificates shall be in the form
approved by the Board from time to time. In addition to any legends
required by applicable securities laws and the LLC Agreement, each
LLC Unit certificate held by the Members and their Permitted
Transferees shall bear a legend on the face thereof in the form set
forth in Section 6(c) of the LLC Agreement.
Section 2.3. Cessation of
LLC Membership Interest . A Member shall automatically cease to
be a Member under this Agreement upon a direct Transfer of all of
such Member’s LLC Units in accordance with this Agreement and
the LLC Agreement. Following such cessation, a Member shall have no
rights or obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement
(other than Sections 7 or 8 thereof, to the extent that they
survive following termination of such agreement with respect to a
Member pursuant to Section 12(k) thereof) or this Agreement
(other than Sections 2.4, 5.5, 5.6 and 5.11, which shall survive
any such cessation or termination of this Agreement).
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Section 2.4.
Confidentiality . In furtherance of and not in limitation of
any other applicable agreement such Member may have with the
Company, each Member agrees that all Confidential Information shall
be kept confidential by such Member and shall not be disclosed by
such Member in any manner whatsoever; provided ,
however , that (i) any of such Confidential Information
may be disclosed by a Member to its Affiliates, direct and indirect
shareholders of such Affiliates and Affiliates of such
shareholders, managers, directors, officers, employees and
authorized representatives (including attorneys, accountants,
consultants, bankers and financial advisors of such Member) and
each Member that is a limited partnership or limited liability
company may disclose such Confidential Information to any former
partners or members who retain an economic interest in such Member,
and to any current or prospective partner, limited partner, member,
general partner or management company of such Member (or any
employee, attorney, accountant, consultant, banker or financial
advisor or representative of any of the foregoing) (collectively,
for purposes of this Section 2.4, the Member’s “
Representatives ”) who need to be provided such
Confidential Information to assist such Member in evaluating and
managing its investment in the Company and which Confidential
Information shall be used only for the purposes of evaluating and
managing such investment, each of which Representatives shall be
bound by the provisions of this Section 2.4 and shall, if
requested by the Company, sign an undertaking agreeing with the
Company to be bound by this Section 2.4 prior to receiving any
Confidential Information, (ii) any disclosure of Confidential
Information may be made by a Member or its Representatives to the
extent the Company consents in writing, (iii) Confidential
Information may be disclosed by a Member or its Representatives to
a potential transferee (including a Permitted Transferee) and its
attorneys, accountants, consultants, bankers and financial
advisors, provided that prior to such disclosure such
potential transferee shall have agreed in writing with the Company
to be bound by the provisions of this Section, and such Member
shall be responsible for any breach of this provision by any such
Person, and (iv) Confidential Information may be disclosed by
any Member or Representative to the extent that the Member or its
Representative has received advice from its counsel that it is
legally compelled to do so or is required to do so to comply with
applicable law, regulation or a written order of a Governmental
Authority, provided that, prior to making such disclosure,
the Member or Representative, as the case may be, uses commercially
reasonable efforts to preserve the confidentiality of the
Confidential Information, including, if legally permitted,
consulting with the Board regarding such disclosure and, if
reasonably requested by the Board, assisting the Company, at the
Company’s expense, in seeking a protective order to prevent
the requested disclosure, and provided further that
the Member or Representative, as the case may be, discloses only
that portion of the Confidential Information as is, based on the
advice of its counsel, required by applicable law, regulation or a
written order of a Governmental Authority.
Section 2.5. Conflicts with
LLC Agreement . In the event of any conflict between the
provisions of this Agreement and the provisions of the LLC
Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement shall prevail to the
extent permitted by Law.
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ARTICLE III
TRANSFERABILITY OF INTERESTS;
PREEMPTIVE RIGHTS
Section 3.1. Restrictions On
Transfer of LLC Units
(a) The Minority Member and its
Permitted Transferees may only Transfer their LLC Units as
follows:
(i) To a Permitted Transferee of the
Minority Member; or
(ii) Pursuant to, and in accordance
with, Section 3.2 or Section 3.3; or
(iii) During the period commencing
on the date hereof and ending on the earlier of (x) the
completion of a Qualified IPO or (y) the date seven years from
the date hereof, (A) with the written consent of the Initial
Member (which consent right shall be exercised by the Initial
Member in its absolute discretion), (subject, in each case, to the
provisions of Sections 3.1(b)-(d) and 3.4) or (B) in a
Transfer under a registration statement pursuant to the
Registration Rights Agreement (subject to the provisions of
Section 3.4 (other than clause (a)(ii) or (v) thereof));
or
(iv) During the period commencing on
the earlier of (x) completion of a Qualified IPO or
(y) the date seven years from the date hereof, and
thereafter:
(A) in a Transfer under a
registration statement pursuant to the Registration Rights
Agreement (subject to the provisions of Section 3.4 (other
than clause (a)(ii) or (v) thereof)); or
(B) pursuant to (1) sales
to the public pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act
(subject to the provisions of Section 3.4 (other than clause
(a)(v) thereof)) and (2) any other Transfers permitted by
applicable securities Laws (subject to the provisions of
Section 3.4 and Section 3.9).
(b) Notwithstanding anything in this
Agreement to the contrary, no issuance or Transfer of LLC Units
otherwise permitted or required by this Agreement shall be made
unless such issuance or Transfer is in compliance with U.S. and
other federal, foreign, state, or provincial securities or other
applicable Laws, including the Securities Act and the rules and
regulations thereunder, the Act and any binding regulatory orders
issued by the Commission.
(c) Transfers of LLC Units may only
be made in strict compliance with all applicable terms of this
Agreement and the LLC Agreement, and, to the fullest extent
permitted by Law, any purported Transfer of LLC Units that does not
so comply with all applicable terms of this Agreement and the LLC
Agreement shall be null and void and of no force or effect, and the
Company shall not recognize or be bound by any such purported
Transfer and shall not effect any such purported Transfer on the
Register of Members.
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(d) Transfers of LLC Units made in
accordance with this Agreement shall be effected by such documents
and instruments as are necessary to comply with the Act, any other
applicable Laws and the LLC Agreement and, for Permitted
Transferees, the execution and delivery to the Company of an
Addendum Agreement to this Agreement from the Permitted Transferee
in the form of the Addendum Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit B
(the “ Addendum Agreement ”).
Section 3.2. Tag-Along
Rights
(a) Subject to compliance with
Section 3.1, a Related Entity (the “ Tag Seller
”) shall not sell or otherwise effect a sale or other
Transfer of all or any number of the LLC Units or IPO Units, as the
case may be, (the “ Tag Units ”) held by the Tag
Seller (other than (w) to Oncor Management Investment LLC or
any successor management equity vehicle (“ OMI
”) in connection with the Company’s management equity
program, (x) to a Permitted Transferee, (y) in a
transaction pursuant to Section 3.3 or a Transfer under a
registration statement pursuant to the Registration Rights
Agreement or (z) in any transaction or series of related
transactions resulting in the Transfer of less than 10% of the then
outstanding equity interests of the Company or the IPO Corporation,
as the case may be) unless the terms and conditions of such
Transfer include an offer, on the same economic terms and
conditions and on other terms and conditions no less advantageous
in the aggregate, as the offer by the proposed third party
transferee to the Tag Seller, to each of the Minority Member and
its Permitted Transferees (collectively, the “ Tag
Offerees ”), to include at the option of each Tag
Offeree, in the sale or other Transfer to the third party, a number
of Tag Units owned by each Tag Offeree determined in accordance
with this Section 3.2.
(b) The Tag Seller shall cause such
third party transferee offer to be reduced to writing (which
writing shall include an offer to purchase or otherwise acquire Tag
Units from the Tag Offerees as required by this Section 3.2)
and shall send written notice of such third party offer (the
“ Inclusion Notice ”) to each of the Tag
Offerees in the manner specified herein, which Inclusion Notice
will include the material terms and conditions of the proposed
Transfer, including (A) the name and address of the proposed
transferee, (B) the proposed amount and form of consideration
(and if such consideration consists in part or in whole of property
other than cash, the Tag Seller will provide such information, to
the extent reasonably available to the Tag Seller, relating to such
non-cash consideration as the other Members may reasonably request
in order to evaluate such non-cash consideration; provided ,
however , that the provision of such information (or lack
thereof) shall not affect any Member’s rights under this
Section 3.2), (C) the proposed Transfer date, if known,
which date shall not be less than thirty (30) Business Days
after delivery of such Inclusion Notice and (D) the number of
Tag Units to be sold or Transferred by the Tag Seller, the Tag
Seller’s Pro Rata Share and the maximum number of Tag Units
to be sold or Transferred to the third party transferee.
(c) Each Tag Offeree shall have the
right (an “ Inclusion Right ”), exercisable by
delivery of a notice to the Tag Seller at any time within twenty
(20) Business Days after receipt of the Inclusion Notice, to
sell or Transfer pursuant to such third party transferee offer, and
upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Inclusion Notice,
that number of Tag Units requested to be included by such Tag
Offeree, which number shall not exceed that number of such Tag
Offeree’s Tag Units equal to the product of (i) such Tag
Offeree’s Tag Units multiplied
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by (ii) the percentage of the Tag
Seller’s Tag Units that the Tag Seller is proposing to sell
or Transfer relative to the total number of Tag Units held by such
Tag Seller (the amounts in this clause (ii), their “ Pro
Rata Share ”) (it being understood that the failure to
exercise such right within such time period specified above shall
be deemed to constitute a waiver of all of such Tag Offeree’s
rights with respect to such proposed Transfer (but not with respect
to any subsequent Transfer) and any such exercise of the Inclusion
Right shall be irrevocable). If the aggregate number of Tag Units
to be sold or Transferred by the Tag Seller together with the Tag
Units to be sold or Transferred by exercising Tag Offerees and any
other Person(s) entitled to tag-along rights to participate in such
sale, exceeds the maximum number of Tag Units to be Transferred to
the third party transferee, as specified in the Inclusion Notice,
then the Tag Seller, each exercising Tag Offeree and each such
other Person shall reduce, on a pro rata basis based on their
respective Sharing Percentages (where the specified class of Tag
Units referenced in the definition thereof is all classes of
outstanding Tag Units held by the exercising Tag Offerees, Tag
Seller and such other Person(s)), the number of the Tag Units that
each otherwise would have been entitled to sell or Transfer based
on the immediately preceding sentence so as to permit the Tag
Seller, each exercising Tag Offeree and each such other Person(s)
to sell or Transfer in the aggregate such maximum amount of Tag
Units specified in the Inclusion Notice. In the event that there
would otherwise be a reduction in the number of Tag Units to be
sold or Transferred by the Tag Seller, exercising Tag Offerees and
such other Person(s) pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence
of this Section 3.2(c), and the proposed third party
transferee is willing to purchase the remaining securities that the
Tag Seller, Tag Offerees and such other Person(s) otherwise would
have sold or Transferred if there had been no such reduction (the
“ Reduction Units ”), the Tag Seller, Tag
Offerees and such other Person(s) shall be entitled to sell or
Transfer the Reduction Units to the proposed third party
transferee, upon the terms and conditions set forth in the
Inclusion Notice. The exercising Tag Offerees and the Tag Seller
shall sell or Transfer to the proposed third party transferee the
Tag Units proposed to be Transferred by them in accordance with
this Section 3.2 at the time and place provided for the
closing in the Inclusion Notice, or at such other time and place as
the holders of a majority of the Tag Units to be Transferred by
exercising Tag Offerees, the Tag Seller, and such other Person(s)
and the proposed third party transferee shall agree.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Tag Offeree shall be entitled to
Transfer Tag Units pursuant to an Inclusion Right conferred
pursuant to this Section 3.2 in the event that,
notwithstanding delivery of an Inclusion Notice pursuant to this
Section 3.2, the Tag Seller fails to consummate the Transfer
of Tag Units which gave rise to such Inclusion Right.
(d) The Tag Seller shall, in its
sole discretion, decide whether or not to pursue, consummate,
postpone or abandon any proposed Transfer and the terms and
conditions thereof. No Member or any Affiliate thereof or direct or
indirect shareholder of any such Member or Affiliate or any
Affiliates of such shareholders shall have any liability to any
other Member, the Company or the IPO Corporation arising from,
relating to or in connection with the pursuit, consummation,
postponement, abandonment or terms and conditions of any such
proposed Transfer except to the extent such Member shall have
failed to comply with the provisions of this
Section 3.2.
(e) Notwithstanding anything herein
to the contrary, no Tag Offeree shall have an Inclusion Right in
connection with any Transfer, if and to the extent making available
or exercising such Inclusion Right, if applicable to such sale or
Transfer, would require the relevant
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third party transferee to (i) register
under applicable securities Laws the securities to be issued to the
Tag Seller, the Tag Offerees or other participating Persons or the
securities of such third party transferee, or (ii) effect a
“private placement” in lieu of such registration that
does not satisfy the requirements of Regulation D under the
Securities Act.
(f) In connection with any such
Transfer, each Tag Offeree and other Person(s) participating in
such Transfer must agree to make the same representations,
warranties, covenants and indemnities as the Tag Seller;
provided , that (x) no such Tag Offeree shall be
required to make representations and warranties or covenants or
provide indemnities as to any other Member or other participating
Person(s) and no such Tag Offeree shall be required to make any
representations and warranties (but, subject to clause (z), may be
required to provide several but not joint indemnities with respect
to breaches of representations and warranties made by or in respect
of the Company or its Subsidiaries or the IPO Corporation or its
Subsidiaries, as the case may be) regarding the business of the
Company or its Subsidiaries or the IPO Corporation or its
Subsidiaries, as the case may be, (y) no Tag Offeree shall be
liable for the breach of any covenant by any other Tag Offeree,
Member or other participating Person(s) and
(z) notwithstanding anything in this Section 3.2(f) to
the contrary, any liability relating to representations and
warranties (and related indemnities), covenants or other
indemnification obligations regarding the business of the Company
or its Subsidiaries or the IPO Corporation or its Subsidiaries, as
the case may be, assumed in connection with the Transfer shall be
shared by all exercising Tag Offerees electing to sell, the Tag
Seller and such other Person(s) entitled to tag-along rights
participating in such sale pro rata in proportion to the number of
Tag Units to be actually Transferred by each of those Members or
other participating Person(s) and in any event shall not exceed the
proceeds received by such Member or other participating Person(s)
in the proposed Transfer. Each Tag Offeree participating in such
Transfer will be responsible for its proportionate share of the
costs of the proposed Transfer to the extent not paid or reimbursed
by the proposed third party transferee.
(g) If the closing of the Transfer
to the proposed third party transferee (whether or not any Tag
Offeree has exercised its rights under this Section 3.2) shall
not have occurred 120 days after the date of the Inclusion Notice
(or such longer period, not to exceed 180 days after the date of
the Inclusion Notice, if extended by the Tag Seller pursuant to
Section 3.2(i)(iii)), the provisions of this Section 3.2
shall again be required to be complied with, with respect to such
Tag Units.
(h) In the event that EFH or any of
its Subsidiaries proposes to Transfer LLC Units or IPO Units, as
the case may be, indirectly through a Transfer of equity interests
in a Subsidiary of EFH the sole or principal asset of which is such
LLC Units or IPO Units (other than (w) to OMI in connection
with the Company’s management equity program, (x) to a
Permitted Transferee of EFH, (y) in a transaction pursuant to
Section 3.3 or a Transfer under a registration statement filed
pursuant to the Securities Act or (z) in any transaction or
series of related transactions resulting in the direct or indirect
Transfer of less than 10% of the then outstanding equity interests
of the Company or the IPO Corporation, as the case may be) and such
Transfer would not trigger the issuance of an Inclusion Notice to
the Tag Offerees pursuant to the terms of this Section 3.2,
EFH or any of its Subsidiaries, as applicable, shall cause
(i) an offer to be made to each Tag Offeree to Transfer a
portion of its LLC Units or IPO Units, as the case may be, equal to
the number of such securities that such Tag Offeree would have
been
8
permitted to Transfer pursuant to this
Section 3.2 if the proposed Transfer had been effected as a
direct Transfer by a Related Entity (the “ Equivalent
Offer ”) and (ii) the terms of the Equivalent Offer
to be in all material respects substantially similar in the
aggregate to those terms that would have been offered to each Tag
Offeree pursuant to the terms of this Section 3.2 if the
proposed Transfer had been effected as a direct Transfer by a
Related Entity.
(i) Notwithstanding any other
provision in this Section 3.2, in the event that the proposed
Transfer to which an Inclusion Notice pursuant to this
Section 3.2 relates or an Equivalent Offer is conditional upon
or includes the sale by the Tag Seller, EFH, Parent or any of their
Subsidiaries of any of their material assets in addition to Tag
Units, LLC Units or IPO Units, as the case may be, then, in
addition to the items required pursuant to Section 3.2(b), the
following provisions shall apply:
(i) The Inclusion Notice or the
notice of an Equivalent Offer made pursuant to Section 3.2(h)
shall specify the proposed allocation of the consideration in
respect of such sale or Transfer as between such other assets, on
the one hand, and the Tag Units, LLC Units or IPO Units, on the
other hand, to be sold or Transferred to the proposed transferee,
together with a description, in reasonable detail, of the reasons
underlying such proposed allocation;
(ii) Following receipt of such an
Inclusion Notice or the notice of an Equivalent Offer made pursuant
to Section 3.2(h), each exercising Tag Offeree shall have the
option, exercisable by written notice to the Tag Seller or EFH, as
the case may be, within ten (10) Business Days of receiving
such notice, to require that the fair allocation of purchase price
to the Tag Units, LLC Units or IPO Units, as the case may be,
directly or indirectly held by the Tag Seller or EFH, as
applicable, and such other material assets, in each case, to be
sold by the Tag Seller, EFH or Parent in such sale be determined
pursuant to an independent appraisal process;
(iii) If this option is so
exercised,
(A) the Tag Seller or EFH, as
the case may be, shall have the option, to be exercised in its sole
discretion, to determine whether to (1) await the outcome of
the Tag Appraiser (as defined below) prior to proceeding with any
sale or Transfer pursuant to this Section 3.2 and, if so
desired, to extend the proposed time period for the closing of such
sale or Transfer to a date not later than 180 days after the date
of the Inclusion Notice or its equivalent pursuant to
Section 3.2(h), as applicable or (2) proceed with the
closing of such sale or Transfer upon the original proposed closing
date, whether or not the decision of the Tag Appraiser has been
rendered as of such time (and, for the avoidance of doubt, any such
Tag Offeree exercising its rights to participate in such sale or
Transfer shall be obligated to complete such sale or Transfer on
the same day as the Tag Seller or EFH, as the case may be);
and
9
(B) the Tag Seller or EFH, as
the case may be, on the one hand, and such exercising Tag Offeree,
on the one hand, shall jointly appoint (by mutual agreement, or
failing such agreement, by lot from among four qualified
institutions two of which are designated by each of the two
participants) a nationally-recognized appraiser with experience
valuing utility companies (the “ Tag Appraiser
”) to determine the fair allocation of purchase price to the
Tag Units, LLC Units or IPO Units, as the case may be and such
other material assets, in each case, to be sold by the Tag Seller
or EFH in such sale; provided , that in each case any such
determinations shall in all respects be made on a going concern
basis for the relevant business(es), assuming a willing purchaser
and a willing buyer, with no control premium and no discount for a
minority interest in respect of such assets of EFH, Parent or any
of their Subsidiaries or the Tag Units, LLC Units, or IPO Units, as
the case may be.
(iv) Notwithstanding any other
provision of this Section 3.2, in the event that an exercising
Tag Offeree exercises its rights under this Section 3.2(i),
the consideration payable to the Tag Offerees so exercising their
rights under this Section 3.2(i) in respect of their Tag
Units, LLC Units or IPO Units pursuant to the sale or Transfer
contemplated by this Section 3.2 shall be based on a per Unit
price derived from the fair allocation attributable to the Tag
Units, LLC Units or IPO Units, as the case may be, determined by
the Tag Appraiser, notwithstanding the allocation (and underlying
per Unit price) that was specified in the Inclusion Notice or a
notice of Equivalent Offer made pursuant to Section 3.2(h);
provided , for greater certainty, that, in the event that
the Tag Seller or EFH, as the case may be, has elected to proceed
with the closing of the sale or Transfer prior to receipt from the
Tag Appraiser of its allocation, the Tag Seller or EFH, as the case
may be, shall be solely responsible for payment of any
consideration determined by the Tag Appraiser to be payable to Tag
Offerees pursuant to the sale or Transfer in accordance with this
Section 3.2(i), if and to the extent this amount exceeds the
consideration payable to such Tag Offerees that was specified in
the Inclusion Notice or a notice of Equivalent Offer made pursuant
to Section 3.2(h).
(v) The parties shall use reasonable
efforts to provide that the Tag Appraiser render its final
determination in writing prior to the closing of such sale or
Transfer contemplated by this Section 3.2. The final written
determination of the Tag Appraiser shall be final and binding on
EFH, the Initial Member and each Tag Offeree exercising its rights
under this Section 3.2(i), as applicable, absent manifest
error, and shall modify the allocation of consideration payable in
such sale or other Transfer pursuant to this Section 3.2,
solely as between such applicable Persons. In the event that any
such final determination is made prior to the closing of such sale
or other Transfer, the consideration payable in such sale or other
Transfer shall be reallocated as appropriate to reflect such final
determination. In the event that any such final determination is
made following the closing of such sale or other Transfer, a
payment in cash of the applicable corrective payment required by
such final determination shall be made, by wire transfer of
immediately available funds within five Business Days
following
10
receipt of such final determination
from the Tag Appraiser, by the Tag Offerees exercising their rights
under this Section 3.2(i) to EFH or the Initial Member, as
applicable, or by EFH or the Initial Member, as applicable, to the
Tag Offerees exercising their rights under this Section 3.2(i)
to an account specified in writing by the recipient at least one
Business Day prior to such payment date.
(vi) In the event that the decision
of the Tag Appraiser results in an amount of consideration per Unit
payable to the applicable Tag Offerees exercising their rights
under this Section 3.2(i) that exceeds the implied per Unit
amount that was specified in the Inclusion Notice or its equivalent
pursuant to Section 3.2(h) by more than 10.0%, then the Tag
Seller or EFH, as the case may be, shall be responsible for the
costs and expenses of the Tag Appraiser. In the event that the
decision of the Tag Appraiser results in an amount of consideration
payable to the applicable Tag Offerees that is less than 110.0% of
the implied per Unit amount that was specified in the Inclusion
Notice or notice of an Equivalent Offer pursuant to
Section 3.2(h), then the Tag Offeree(s) that elected to
require an allocation to be prepared shall be responsible for the
costs and expenses of the Tag Appraiser.
(j) The provisions of this
Section 3.2 shall terminate upon the earlier of
(x) completion of a Qualified IPO and (y) the date seven
years from the date hereof.
Section 3.3. Drag-Along
Rights
(a) Notwithstanding anything
contained in this Article III to the contrary, but subject to
Section 3.3(f), if (i) Parent, EFH or its Subsidiaries
(other than the Initial Member (or its Permitted Transferee(s))
receives an offer to purchase (an “ EFH Sale Proposal
”) a number of LLC Units or IPO Units, as the case may be,
held directly or indirectly by such entities and LLC Units or IPO
Units, as the case may be, owned directly by Members other than the
Initial Member (or its Permitted Transferee(s)) (the “ EFH
Drag Units ”) or (ii) if the Initial Member (or its
Permitted Transferee(s)) receives an offer to purchase (an “
Initial Member Sale Proposal ”) a number of LLC Units
or IPO Units, as the case may be, including LLC Units or IPO Units,
as the case may be, owned by Members other than the Initial Member
(or its Permitted Transferee(s)) (the “ Initial Member
Drag Units ” and together with the EFH Drag Units, the
“ Drag Units ”) such that the transaction would
result in a Change of Control (taking into account all LLC Units or
IPO Units being “dragged”) (each, a “ Required
Sale ”), then EFH or the Initial Member (on its own
behalf or on behalf of its Permitted Transferee(s)), as the case
may be, may deliver a written notice (a “ Required Sale
Notice ”) with respect to such EFH Sale Proposal or
Initial Member Sale Proposal at least twenty (20) Business
Days prior to the anticipated closing date of such Required Sale to
all Members (other than the Initial Member (or its Permitted
Transferee(s))) requiring them to sell or otherwise Transfer their
Drag Units to the proposed transferee in accordance with the
provisions of this Section 3.3.
(b) The Required Sale Notice will
include the material terms and conditions of the Required Sale,
including (A) the name and address of the proposed transferee,
(B) the proposed amount and form of consideration (and if such
consideration consists in part or in whole of property other than
cash, the issuer of the Required Sale Notice will provide
such
11
information, to the extent reasonably available
to such issuer, relating to such non-cash consideration as the
other Members may reasonably request in order to evaluate such
non-cash consideration; provided , however , that the
provision of such information (or lack thereof) shall not relieve
any Member of its obligation to sell or otherwise Transfer Drag
Units under this Section 3.3) and (C) the proposed
Transfer date, if known. The issuer of the Required Sale Notice
will deliver or cause to be delivered to each other Member copies
of all transaction documents relating to the Required Sale promptly
as the same become available.
(c) Each Member, upon receipt of a
Required Sale Notice, shall be obligated to sell or otherwise
Transfer the proportion of its Drag Units specified by the issuer
of the Required Sale Notice (which proportion shall be the same for
all Members) and participate in the Required Sale contemplated by
the EFH Sale Proposal or Initial Member Sale Proposal, to vote, if
required by this Agreement, the LLC Agreement or otherwise, its
Drag Units in favor of the Required Sale at any meeting of Members
called to vote on or approve the Required Sale and/or to consent in
writing to the Required Sale, to use its reasonable efforts to
cause any individuals designated or nominated by such Member to the
Board to vote in favor of the Required Sale in a vote amongst the
Board called to vote on or approve the Required Sale and/or to
consent in writing to the Required Sale, to, subject to
Section 3.3(f), waive all dissenters’ or appraisal
rights, if any, in connection with the Required Sale, to enter into
agreements relating to the Required Sale, to agree (as to itself)
to make to the proposed purchaser the same representations,
warranties, covenants, indemnities and agreements as any direct or
indirect holders of LLC Units or IPO Units, as the case may be,
that are Affiliates of EFH agree to make in connection with the
Required Sale, and to take or cause to be taken all other actions
as may be reasonably necessary to consummate the Required Sale;
provided , that (x) unless otherwise agreed by such
Member, a Member may not be required to make representations and
warranties or provide indemnities as to any other Member, or make
any representations and warranties (but, subject to clause (z),
shall be required to provide several but not joint indemnities with
respect to breaches of representations and warranties made by or in
respect of the Company or its Subsidiaries or the IPO Corporation
or its Subsidiaries, as the case may be) about the business or
operations of the Company or its Subsidiaries or the IPO
Corporation or its Subsidiaries, as the case may be, (y) no
such Member shall be liable for the breach of any covenant by any
other Member and (z) notwithstanding anything in this
Section 3.3(c) to the contrary, any liability relating to
representations and warranties (and related indemnities) and other
indemnification obligations regarding the business of the Company
or its Subsidiaries or the IPO Corporation or its Subsidiaries, as
the case may be, assumed in connection with the Required Sale shall
be shared by all Members pro rata based on their respective Drag
Units being sold or Transferred in the Required Sale and in any
event shall not exceed the proceeds received by such Member in the
Required Sale.
(d) The obligations of the Members
pursuant to this Section 3.3 are subject to the satisfaction
of the following conditions:
(i) subject to Section 3.3(f),
each of the Members shall receive the same type and amount of
consideration (except, in the case of a Required Sale in which the
consideration to be received by the sellers or transferors consists
of both cash and securities, to the extent that any Members other
than the Minority Member and its Permitted Transferees agree to
accept a disproportionate share of
12
securities in order to allocate a
greater portion of cash to the Minority Member and/or its Permitted
Transferees due to restrictions described in clause
(ii) immediately below on the ability of the Minority Member
and/or its Permitted Transferees to hold such securities), at the
same time, on a per Drag Unit basis, and shall participate in such
Required Sale on terms and conditions no less favorable in the
aggregate than those offered to the other Members;
(ii) the consideration payable to
the Minority Member and its Permitted Transferees pursuant to the
Required Sale shall be (x) cash, and/or (y) except as
prohibited by applicable Law or as prohibited by the written
statement of investment policies governing OMERS Administration
Corporation, Borealis Infrastructure Management Inc., GIC, and the
investment policies of their wholly-owned Subsidiaries to the
extent relevant to the type of asset being received, in effect
immediately prior to delivery of the relevant Required Sale Notice,
Marketable Securities, and/or (z) any other securities with
the Minority Member’s (or, if applicable, its Permitted
Transferees’) prior written consent;
(iii) without the consent of the
Minority Member or its Permitted Transferee (such consent not to be
unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), the Required Sale
will not require that the Minority Member or its Permitted
Transferees be subject to non-compete covenants that would restrict
its business activities in any material respect;
(iv) subject to Section 3.3(f),
any expenses incurred for the benefit of the Company or all Members
and any indemnities, holdbacks, escrows and similar items relating
to the Required Sale, that are not paid or established by the
Company or the IPO Corporation or its Subsidiaries, as the case may
be, (other than those that relate to representations or indemnities
concerning a Member’s valid ownership of its Drag Units free
and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances or a Member’s
authority, power and legal right to enter into and consummate a
purchase or merger agreement or ancillary documentation) shall be
paid or established by the Members in accordance with their
respective Sharing Percentages; and
(v) notwithstanding anything in this
Section 3.3(d) to the contrary, any liability relating to
representations and warranties (and related indemnities) and other
indemnification obligations regarding the business of the Company
or its Subsidiaries or the IPO Corporation or its Subsidiaries, as
the case may be, assumed for which a Member is liable shall not
exceed the proceeds received by such Member in the Required
Sale.
In addition to the conditions
described in clauses (i) through (v) immediately above,
none of the Minority Member or any of its Permitted Transferees who
are Members shall be obligated to sell or otherwise Transfer their
LLC Units or IPO Units (or otherwise satisfy their obligations
pursuant to Section 3.3(c)) in a Required Sale unless the
Minority Member would have achieved an IRR on its initial
investment in LLC Units acquired pursuant to the Contribution and
Subscription Agreement of no less than 10.0% as of immediately
after consummation of such
13
Required Sale (calculated (x) as if the
Minority Member had received its proceeds in respect of such
Required Sale; (y) treating all proceeds and distributions in
respect of the LLC Units and IPO Units held (and/or previously
held, as applicable) by each of the Minority Member’s
Permitted Transferees as proceeds received by the Minority Member;
and (z) assuming completion of such Required Sale by the
target closing date mutually agreed by the parties to the Required
Sale) (the “ IRR Hurdle ”); provided that
in the event that the IRR Hurdle is not met but EFH or the Initial
Member (or their respective Affiliates), as applicable, proceeds
with such Required Sale (in which the Minority Member and its
Permitted Transferees shall accordingly not be obligated to
Transfer LLC Units or IPO Units), then the Minority Member shall
nevertheless be required to, if so requested by the proposed
transferee, agree to amend the LLC Agreement and, if applicable,
this Agreement (effective as of or after the closing of such
Required Sale) to reflect terms and conditions substantially
equivalent to those set forth in Schedule 3.3(d) hereto (and
to delete any corresponding conflicting or inconsistent terms then
existing in the LLC Agreement or this Agreement).
(e) The issuer of the Required Sale
Notice shall, in its sole discretion, decide whether or not to
pursue, consummate, postpone or abandon any Required Sale and,
subject to Section 3.3(c) and 3.3(d), the terms and conditions
thereof. No Member or any Affiliate or direct or indirect
shareholder of any such Member or Affiliate or any Affiliates of
such shareholders shall have any liability to any other Member, the
Company or the IPO Corporation arising from, relating to or in
connection with the pursuit, consummation, postponement,
abandonment or terms and conditions of any Required Sale except to
the extent such Member shall have failed to comply with the
provisions of this Section 3.3.
(f) Notwithstanding any other
provision in this Section 3.3, in the event that the Required
Sale is conditional upon or includes the sale by Parent or its
Subsidiaries of any of their material assets (other than the Drag
Units), then, in addition to the items required pursuant to
Section 3.3(b), the following provisions shall
apply:
(i) The Required Sale Notice shall
specify the proposed allocation of the purchase price in respect of
such transaction as between such other assets and the Drag Units to
be sold or Transferred to the proposed transferee, together with a
description, in reasonable detail, of the reasons underlying such
proposed allocation;
(ii) Following receipt of such a
Required Sale Notice, the Minority Member or its Permitted
Transferee shall have the option, exercisable by written notice to
EFH or the Initial Member, as the case may be, within ten
(10) Business Days of receiving the Required Sale Notice, to
require that the fair allocation of purchase price to the Drag
Units and such other material assets be determined pursuant to an
independent appraisal process. If this option is so exercised, EFH
or the Initial Member, on the one hand, and the Minority Member or
its Permitted Transferee, on the other hand, shall jointly appoint
(by mutual agreement, or failing such agreement, by lot from among
four qualified institutions two of which are designated by each of
the two participants) a nationally-recognized appraiser with
experience valuing utility companies (the “ Drag
Appraiser ”) to determine the fair allocation of purchase
price to the Drag Units and other
14
material assets; provided, that in
each case any such determinations shall in all respects be made on
a going concern basis for the relevant business(es), assuming a
willing purchaser and a willing buyer, with no control premium and
no discount for a minority interest;
(iii) Notwithstanding any other
provision of this Section 3.3, the consideration payable to
Members (other than EFH or Affiliates of EFH) pursuant to the
Required Sale shall be the fair allocation to their Drag Units
determined by the Drag Appraiser, notwithstanding the consideration
payable to such Members that was specified in the Required Sale
Notices; provided , for greater certainty, that EFH or the
Initial Member, as the case may be, shall be solely responsible for
payment of any consideration determined by the Drag Appraiser to be
payable to Members (other than EFH or Affiliates of EFH) pursuant
to the Required Sale in accordance with this Section 3.3(f),
if and to the extent this amount exceeds the consideration payable
to such Members that was specified in the Required Sale
Notice;
(iv) The parties shall use
reasonable efforts to provide that the Drag Appraiser render its
final determination in writing prior to the closing of such
Required Sale. The final written determination of the Drag
Appraiser shall be final and binding on EFH, the Initial Member,
the Minority Member and its Permitted Transferees, as applicable,
absent manifest error, and shall modify the allocation of
consideration payable in such Required Sale, solely as between such
applicable Persons. In the event that any such final determination
is made prior to the closing of such Required Sale, the
consideration payable in such Required Sale shall be reallocated as
appropriate to reflect such final determination. In the event that
any such final determination is made following the closing of such
Required Sale, a payment in cash of the applicable corrective
payment required by such final determination shall be made, by wire
transfer of immediately available funds within five Business Days
following receipt of such final determination from the Drag
Appraiser, by the Minority Member and/or its Permitted Transferees,
as applicable, to EFH or the Initial Member, as applicable, or by
EFH or the Initial Member, as applicable, to the Minority Investor
and/or its Permitted Transferees, as applicable, in each case to an
account specified in writing by the recipient at least one Business
Day prior to such payment date; and
(v) In the event that the decision
of the Drag Appraiser results in an amount of consideration payable
to Members (other than EFH or Affiliates of EFH) that exceeds the
amount that was specified in the Required Sale Notice, then EFH or
the Initial Member, as the case may be, shall be responsible for
the costs and expenses of the Drag Appraiser. In the event that the
decision of the Drag Appraiser results in an amount of
consideration payable to Members (other than EFH or Affiliates of
EFH) that equals or is less than the amount that was specified in
the Required Sale Notice, then the Member that elected to require a
valuation to be prepared shall be responsible for the costs and
expenses of the Drag Appraiser.
15
(g) The provisions of this
Section 3.3 shall terminate upon the eighteen (18) month
anniversary of the completion of a Qualified IPO.
Section 3.4. Other Transfer
Restrictions
(a) In addition to any other
restrictions on Transfer herein contained, in no event may any
Transfer of any LLC Units by any Member be made (other than sales
pursuant to, and in accordance with, Sections 3.2 and
3.3):
(i) if such Transfer would be
reasonably likely to cause the Company to cease to be classified as
a partnership for U.S. federal or state income tax
purposes;
(ii) if such Transfer would require
the registration of such LLC Units pursuant to any applicable
foreign, federal, provincial or state securities Laws;
(iii) if such Transfer would be
reasonably likely to cause the Company to become a “Publicly
Traded Partnership,” as such term is defined in
Section 469(k)(2) or Section 7704(b) of the Code or would
result in the Company having more than 100 Members at any time
during any taxable year of the Company within the meaning of
Treasury Regulations 1.7704-1(h)(1)(ii);
(iv) if such Transfer would subject
the Company, its Members or any of their Affiliates to regulation
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or Title I of
ERISA, or would sub