SECURITIES PURCHASE
AGREEMENT
This Securities Purchase Agreement
(this “ Agreement ”) is dated as of
May , 2009, between Converted Organics Inc., a
Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), and each
purchaser identified on the signature pages hereto (each, including
its successors and assigns, a “ Purchaser ” and
collectively the “ Purchasers ”).
WHEREAS, subject to the terms and
conditions set forth in this Agreement and pursuant to an effective
registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the “ Securities Act ”), the Company desires to
issue and sell to each Purchaser, and each Purchaser, severally and
not jointly, desires to purchase from the Company, securities of
the Company as more fully described in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION of
the mutual covenants contained in this Agreement, and for other
good and valuable consideration the receipt and adequacy of which
are hereby acknowledged, the Company and each Purchaser agree as
follows:
ARTICLE I.
DEFINITIONS
1.1 Definitions . In addition
to the terms defined elsewhere in this Agreement, for all purposes
of this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings set forth
in this Section 1.1:
“ Acquiring Person
” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in
Section 4.5.
“
Action ” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term
in Section 3.1(j).
“
Affiliate ” means any Person that, directly or
indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is
controlled by or is under common control with a Person as such
terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the
Securities Act.
“ Board
of Directors ” means the board of directors of the
Company.
“
Business Day ” means any day except any Saturday, any
Sunday, any day which is a federal legal holiday in the United
States or any day on which banking institutions in the State of New
York are authorized or required by law or other governmental action
to close.
“
Closing ” means the closing of the purchase and sale
of the Securities pursuant to Section 2.1.
“
Closing Date ” means the Trading Day on which all of
the Transaction Documents have been executed and delivered by the
applicable parties thereto, and all conditions precedent to
(i) the Purchasers’ obligations to pay the Subscription
Amount and (ii) the Company’s obligations to deliver the
Securities, in each case, have been satisfied or waived.
“
Commission ” means the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission.
“ Common
Stock ” means the common stock of the Company, par value
$0.0001 per share, and any other class of securities into which
such securities may hereafter be reclassified or changed.
“ Common
Stock Equivalents ” means any securities of the Company
or the Subsidiaries which would entitle the holder thereof to
acquire at any time Common Stock, including, without limitation,
any debt, preferred stock, rights, options, warrants or other
instrument that is at any time convertible into or exercisable or
exchangeable for, or otherwise entitles the holder thereof to
receive, Common Stock.
“
Company Counsel ” means Cozen O’Connor, with
offices located at 1900 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
19103.
“
Evaluation Date ” shall have the meaning ascribed to
such term in Section 3.1(r).
“
Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated
thereunder.
“ Exempt
Issuance ” means the issuance of (a) shares of
Common Stock or options to employees, officers or directors of the
Company pursuant to any stock or option plan duly adopted for such
purpose, by a majority of the non-employee members of the Board of
Directors or a majority of the members of a committee of
non-employee directors established for such purpose,
(b) securities upon the exercise or exchange of or conversion
of any Securities issued hereunder and/or other securities
exercisable or exchangeable for or convertible into shares of
Common Stock issued and outstanding on the date of this Agreement,
provided that such securities have not been amended since the date
of this Agreement to increase the number of such securities or to
decrease the exercise price, exchange price or conversion price of
such securities, and (c) securities issued pursuant to
acquisitions or strategic transactions approved by a majority of
the disinterested directors of the Company, provided that any such
issuance shall only be to a Person (or to the equityholders of a
Person) which is, itself or through its subsidiaries, an operating
company or an asset in a business synergistic with the business of
the Company and shall provide to the Company additional benefits in
addition to the investment of funds, but shall not include a
transaction in which the Company is issuing securities primarily
for the purpose of raising capital or to an entity whose primary
business is investing in securities.
“
FWS ” means Feldman Weinstein & Smith LLP with
offices located at 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 2620, New York,
New York 10170-0002.
“
GAAP ” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in
Section 3.1(h).
“
Indebtedness ” shall have the meaning ascribed to such
term in Section 3.1(z).
“
Intellectual Property Rights ” shall have the meaning
ascribed to such term in Section 3.1(o).
“
Liens ” means a lien, charge, security interest,
encumbrance, right of first refusal, preemptive right or other
restriction.
“
Material Adverse Effect ” shall have the meaning
assigned to such term in Section 3.1(b).
“
Material Permits ” shall have the meaning ascribed to
such term in Section 3.1(m).
“ Per
Share Purchase Price ” equals $1.40 , subject to
adjustment for reverse and forward stock splits, stock dividends,
stock combinations and other similar transactions of the Common
Stock that occur after the date of this Agreement.
“
Person ” means an individual or corporation,
partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association,
joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company,
government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of
any kind.
“
Proceeding ” means an action, claim, suit,
investigation or proceeding (including, without limitation, an
informal investigation or partial proceeding, such as a
deposition), whether commenced or threatened.
“
Prospectus ” means the final prospectus filed for the
Registration Statement.
“
Prospectus Supplement ” means the supplement to the
Prospectus complying with Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act that is
filed with the Commission and delivered by the Company to each
Purchaser at the Closing.
“
Purchaser Party ” shall have the meaning ascribed to
such term in Section 4.8.
“
Registration Statement ” means the effective
registration statement with Commission file No. 333-158784
which registers the sale of the Shares, the Warrants and the
Warrant Shares by the Purchasers.
“
Required Approvals ” shall have the meaning ascribed
to such term in Section 3.1(e).
“
Rule 144 ” means Rule 144 promulgated by the
Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be
amended from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation
hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same
effect as such Rule.
“
Rule 424 ” means Rule 424 promulgated by the
Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such Rule may be
amended or interpreted from time to time, or any similar rule or
regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially
the same purpose and effect as such Rule.
“ SEC
Reports ” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in
Section 3.1(h).
“
Securities ” means the Shares, the Warrants and the
Warrant Shares.
“
Securities Act ” means the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“
Shares ” means the shares of Common Stock issued or
issuable to each Purchaser pursuant to this Agreement.
“ Short
Sales ” means all “short sales” as defined in
Rule 200 of Regulation SHO under the Exchange Act (but
shall not be deemed to include the location and/or reservation of
borrowable shares of Common Stock).
“
Subscription Amount ” means, as to each Purchaser, the
aggregate amount to be paid for Shares and Warrants purchased
hereunder as specified below such Purchaser’s name on the
signature page of this Agreement and next to the heading
“Subscription Amount,” in United States dollars and in
immediately available funds.
“
Subsidiary ” means any subsidiary of the Company as
set forth in the SEC Reports, and shall, where applicable, also
include any direct or indirect subsidiary of the Company formed or
acquired after the date hereof.
“
Trading Day ” means a day on which the principal
Trading Market is open for trading.
“
Trading Market ” means any of the following markets or
exchanges on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted for trading
on the date in question: the NYSE AMEX, the Nasdaq Capital Market,
the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, or the
New York Stock Exchange (or any successors to any of the
foregoing).
“
Transaction Documents ” means this Agreement, the
Warrants and any other documents or agreements executed in
connection with the transactions contemplated hereunder.
“
Transfer Agent ” means
, the current transfer
agent of the Company, with a mailing address of
and a facsimile number
of , and any successor
transfer agent of the Company.
“
Warrants ” means, collectively, the Common Stock
purchase warrants delivered to the Purchasers at the Closing in
accordance with Section 2.2(a) hereof, which Warrants shall be
exercisable at anytime on or after the date hereof and have a term
of exercise until August 15, 2009, in the form of
Exhibit A attached hereto.
“
Warrant Shares ” means the shares of Common Stock
issuable upon exercise of the Warrants.
ARTICLE II.
PURCHASE AND SALE
2.1 Closing . On the Closing
Date, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth
herein, substantially concurrent with the execution and delivery of
this Agreement by the parties hereto, the Company agrees to sell,
and the Purchasers, severally and not jointly, agree to purchase,
up to an aggregate of 1,500,000 Shares and Warrants pursuant to
Section 2.2. Each Purchaser shall deliver to the Company, via
wire transfer or a certified check of immediately available funds
equal to such Purchaser’s Subscription Amount as set forth on
the signature page hereto executed by such Purchaser and the
Company shall deliver to each Purchaser its respective Shares and a
Warrant as determined pursuant to Section 2.2(a), and the
Company and each Purchaser shall deliver the other items set forth
in Section 2.2 deliverable at the Closing. Upon satisfaction
of the covenants and conditions set forth in Sections 2.2 and
2.3, the Closing shall occur at the offices of FWS or such other
location as the parties shall mutually agree.
2.2 Deliveries .
(a) On or
prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall deliver or cause to be
delivered to each Purchaser the following:
(i) this
Agreement duly executed by the Company;
(ii) a legal
opinion of Company Counsel, substantially in the form of
Exhibit B attached hereto;
(iii) a copy
of the irrevocable instructions to the Company’s transfer
agent instructing the transfer agent to deliver via the Depository
Trust Company Deposit Withdrawal Agent Commission System (“
DWAC ”) Shares equal to such Purchaser’s
Subscription Amount divided by the Per Share Purchase Price,
registered in the name of such Purchaser;
(iv) a
Warrant registered in the name of such Purchaser to purchase up to
a number of shares of Common Stock equal to 100% of such
Purchaser’s Shares, with an exercise price equal to
$1.40, subject to adjustment therein (such Warrant
certificate may be delivered within three Trading Days of the
Closing Date); and
(v) the
Prospectus and Prospectus Supplement (which may be delivered in
accordance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act).
(b) On or
prior to the Closing Date, each Purchaser shall deliver or cause to
be delivered to the Company the following:
(i) this
Agreement duly executed by such Purchaser; and
(ii) such
Purchaser’s Subscription Amount by wire transfer to the
account as specified in writing by the Company.
2.3 Closing Conditions .
(a) The
obligations of the Company hereunder in connection with the Closing
are subject to the following conditions being met:
(i) the
accuracy in all material respects on the Closing Date of the
representations and warranties of the Purchasers contained herein
(unless as of a specific date therein);
(ii) all
obligations, covenants and agreements of each Purchaser required to
be performed at or prior to the Closing Date shall have been
performed; and
(iii) the
delivery by each Purchaser of the items set forth in
Section 2.2(b) of this Agreement.
(b) The
respective obligations of the Purchasers hereunder in connection
with the Closing are subject to the following conditions being
met:
(i) the
accuracy in all material respects when made and on the Closing Date
of the representations and warranties of the Company contained
herein (unless as of a specific date therein);
(ii) all
obligations, covenants and agreements of the Company required to be
performed at or prior to the Closing Date shall have been
performed;
(iii) the
delivery by the Company of the items set forth in
Section 2.2(a) of this Agreement;
(iv) there
shall have been no Material Adverse Effect with respect to the
Company since the date hereof; and
(v) from the
date hereof to the Closing Date, trading in the Common Stock shall
not have been suspended by the Commission or the Company’s
principal Trading Market (except for any suspension of trading of
limited duration agreed to by the Company, which suspension shall
be terminated prior to the Closing), and, at any time prior to the
Closing Date, trading in securities generally as reported by
Bloomberg L.P. shall not have been suspended or limited, or minimum
prices shall not have been established on securities whose trades
are reported by such service, or on any Trading Market, nor shall a
banking moratorium have been declared either by the United States
or New York State authorities nor shall there have occurred any
material outbreak or escalation of hostilities or other national or
international calamity of such magnitude in its effect on, or any
material adverse change in, any financial market which, in each
case, in the reasonable judgment of each Purchaser, makes it
impracticable or inadvisable to purchase the Securities at the
Closing.
ARTICLE III.
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
3.1 Representations and Warranties
of the Company . Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, the
Company hereby makes the following representations and warranties
to each Purchaser:
(a)
Subsidiaries . All of the direct and indirect subsidiaries
of the Company are set forth in the SEC Reports. The Company owns,
directly or indirectly, all of the capital stock or other equity
interests of each Subsidiary free and clear of any Liens, and all
of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of each
Subsidiary are validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable
and free of preemptive and similar rights to subscribe for or
purchase securities. If the Company has no subsidiaries, all other
references to the Subsidiaries or any of them in the Transaction
Documents shall be disregarded.
(b)
Organization and Qualification . The Company and each of the
Subsidiaries is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized,
validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the
jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with the
requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and
assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted. Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation nor default of any
of the provisions of its respective certificate or articles of
incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents.
Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries is duly qualified to
conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation
or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the
business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification
necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good
standing, as the case may be, could not have or reasonably be
expected to result in: (i) a material adverse effect on the
legality, validity or enforceability of any Transaction Document,
(ii) a material adverse effect on the results of operations,
assets, business, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise)
of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or
(iii) a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability
to perform in any material respect on a timely basis its
obligations under any Transaction Document (any of (i),
(ii) or (iii), a “ Material Adverse Effect
”) and no Proceeding has been instituted in any such
jurisdiction revoking, limiting or curtailing or seeking to revoke,
limit or curtail such power and authority or qualification.
(c)
Authorization; Enforcement . The Company has the requisite
corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the
transactions contemplated by each of the Transaction Documents and
otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder.
The execution and delivery of each of the Transaction Documents by
the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions
contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly authorized by all
necessary action on the part of the Company and no further action
is required by the Company, the Board of Directors or the
Company’s stockholders in connection therewith other than in
connection with the Required Approvals. Each Transaction Document
to which it is a party has been (or upon delivery will have been)
duly executed by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with
the terms hereof and thereof, will constitute the valid and binding
obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in
accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by general
equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application
affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally,
(ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of
specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies
and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution
provisions may be limited by applicable law.
(d) No
Conflicts . The execution, delivery and performance by the
Company of the Transaction Documents, the issuance and sale of the
Securities and the consummation by it of the transactions
contemplated hereby and thereby to which it is a party do not and
will not (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the
Company’s or any Subsidiary’s certificate or articles
of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter
documents, or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or
an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a
default) under, result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the
properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, or give to
others any rights of termination, amendment, acceleration or
cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of,
any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument
(evidencing a Company or Subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other
understanding to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or
by which any property or asset of the Company or any Subsidiary is
bound or affected, or (iii) subject to the Required Approvals,
conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule,
regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other
restriction of any court or governmental authority to which the
Company or a Subsidiary is subject (including federal and state
securities laws and regulations), or by which any property or asset
of the Company or a Subsidiary is bound or affected; except in the
case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as could not have
or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Effect.
(e) Filings,
Consents and Approvals . The Company is not required to obtain
any consent, waiver, authorization or order of, give any notice to,
or make any filing or registration with, any court or other
federal, state, local or other governmental authority or other
Person in connection with the execution, delivery and performance
by the Company of the Transaction Documents, other than:
(i) the filings required pursuant to Section 4.4 of this
Agreement, (ii) the filing with the Commission of the
Prospectus Supplement, (iii) application(s) to each applicable
Trading Market for the listing of the Securities for trading
thereon in the time and manner required thereby and (iv) such
filings as are required to be made under applicable state
securities laws (collectively, the “ Required
Approvals ”).
(f) Issuance
of the Securities; Registration . The Securities are duly
authorized and, when issued and paid for in accordance with the
applicable Transaction Documents, will be duly and validly issued,
fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed
by the Company. The Warrant Shares, when issued in accordance with
the terms of the Warrants, will be validly issued, fully paid and
nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed by the Company.
The Company has reserved from its duly authorized capital stock the
maximum number of shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to this
Agreement and the Warrants. The Company has prepared and filed the
Registration Statement in conformity with the requirements of the
Securities Act, which became effective on May 19, 2009
(the “ Effective Date ”), including the
Prospectus, and such amendments and supplements thereto as may have
been required to the date of this Agreement. The Registration
Statement is effective under the Securities Act and no stop order
preventing or suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement or suspending or preventing the use of the Prospectus has
been issued by the Commission and no proceedings for that purpose
have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company, are
threatened by the Commission. The Company, if required by the rules
and regulations of the Commission, proposes to file the Prospectus,
with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b). At the time the
Registration Statement and any amendments thereto became effective,
at the date of this Agreement and at the Closing Date, the
Registration Statement and any amendments thereto conformed and
will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the
Securities Act and did not and will not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading; and the Prospectus and any amendments or
supplements thereto, at time the Prospectus or any amendment or
supplement thereto was issued and at the Closing Date, conformed
and will conform in all material respects to the requirements of
the Securities Act and did not and will not contain an untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(g)
Capitalization . The capitalization of the Company is as set
forth in the SEC Reports. The Company has not issued any capital
stock since its most recently filed periodic report under the
Exchange Act, other than pursuant to the exercise of employee stock
options under the Company’s stock option plans, the issuance
of shares of Common Stock to employees pursuant to the
Company’s employee stock purchase plans and pursuant to the
conversion and/or exercise of Common Stock Equivalents outstanding
as of the date of the most recently filed periodic report under the
Exchange Act. No Person (excluding any Purchaser) has any right of
first refusal, preemptive right, right of participation, or any
similar right to participate in the transactions contemplated by
the Transaction Documents. Except as a result of the purchase and
sale of the Securities, there are no outstanding options, warrants,
scrip rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character
whatsoever relating to, or securities, rights or obligations
convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or giving any
Person any right to subscribe for or acquire, any shares of Common
Stock, or contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by
which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may become bound to issue
additional shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents. The
issuance and sale of the Securities will not obligate the Company
to issue shares of Common Stock or other securities to any Person
(other than the Purchasers) and will not result in a right of any
holder of Company securities to adjust the exercise, conversion,
exchange or reset price under any of such securities, except for
such adjustments which have been waived by the holder of such
securities. All of the outstanding
shares
of capital stock of the Company are validly issued, fully paid and
nonassessable, have been issued in compliance with all federal and
state securities laws, and none of such outstanding shares was
issued in violation of any preemptive rights or similar rights to
subscribe for or purchase securities. No further approval or
authorization of any stockholder, the Board of Directors or others
is required for the issuance and sale of the Securities. There are
no stockholders agreements, voting agreements or other similar
agreements with respect to the Company’s capital stock to
which the Company is a party or, to the knowledge of the Company,
between or among any of the Company’s stockholders.
(h) SEC
Reports; Financial Statements . The Company has filed all
reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required
to be filed by the Company under the Securities Act and the
Exchange Act, including pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) thereof,
for the two years preceding the date hereof (or such shorter period
as the Company was required by law or regulation to file such
material) (the foregoing materials, including the exhibits thereto
and documents incorporated by reference therein, together with the
Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement, being collectively
referred to herein as the “ SEC Reports ”), and
for a period of 12 calendar months and any portion of a month
immediately preceding the filing of the Registration Statement, the
Company has filed such SEC reports on a timely basis or has
received a valid extension of such time of filing and has filed any
such SEC Reports prior to the expiration of any such extension. As
of their respective dates or with respect to any amended SEC
Reports as of the date of such amendment, the SEC Reports complied
in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities
Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and none of the SEC
Reports, when filed, contained any untrue statement of a material
fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in
the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading. The Company has never been an issuer subject to Rule
144(i) under the Securities Act. The financial statements of the
Company included in the SEC Reports comply in all material respects
with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and
regulations of the Commission with respect thereto as in effect at
the time of filing or with respect to any amended SEC Reports as of
the date of such amendment. Such financial statements have been
prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted
accounting principles applied on a consistent basis during the
periods involved (“ GAAP ”), except as may be
otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes
thereto and except that unaudited financial statements may not
contain all footnotes required by GAAP, and fairly present in all
material respects the financial position of the Company and its
consolidated Subsidiaries as of and for the dates thereof and the
results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended,
subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal,
immaterial, year-end audit adjustments.
(i) Material
Changes; Undisclosed Events, Liabilities or Developments .
Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included
within the SEC Reports, except as specifically disclosed in a
subsequent SEC Report filed prior to the date hereof, (i) there has
been no event, occurrence or development that has had or that could
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect,
(ii) the Company has not incurred any liabilities (contingent
or otherwise) other than (A) trade payables and accrued
expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent
with past practice and (B) liabilities not required to be reflected
in the Company’s financial statements pursuant to GAAP or
disclosed in filings made with the Commission, (iii) the
Company has not altered its method of accounting, (iv) the
Company has not declared or made any dividend or distribution of
cash or other property to its stockholders or purchased, redeemed
or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares of its
capital stock and (v) the Company has not issued any equity
securities to any officer, director or Affiliate, except pursuant
to existing Company stock option plans. The Company does not have
pending before the Commission any request for confidential
treatment of information. Except for the issuance of the Securities
contemplated by this Agreement or as set forth in the SEC Reports,
no event, liability, fact, circumstance, occurrence or development
has occurred or exists or is reasonably expected to occur or exist
with respect to the Company or its Subsidiaries or their respective
business, prospects, properties, operations, assets or financial
condition that would be required to be disclosed by the Company
under applicable securities laws at the time this representation is
made or deemed made that has not been publicly disclosed at least 1
Trading Day prior to the date that this representation is made.
(j)
Litigation . There is no action, suit, inquiry, notice of
violation, proceeding or investigation pending or, to the knowledge
of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company, any
Subsidiary or any of their respective properties before or by any
court, arbitrator, governmental or administrative agency or
regulatory authority (federal, state, county, local or foreign)
(collectively, an “ Action ”) which (i)
adversely affects or challenges the legality, validity or
enforceability of any of the Transaction Documents or the
Securities or (ii) could, if there were an unfavorable
decision, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material
Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor any
director or officer thereof, is or has been the subject of any
Action involving a claim of violation of or liability under federal
or state securities laws or a claim of breach of fiduciary duty.
There has not been, and to the knowledge of the Company, there is
not pending or contemplated, any investigation by the Commission
involving the Company or any current or former director or officer
of the Company. The Commission has not issued any stop order or
other order suspending the effectiveness of any registration
statement filed by the Company or any Subsidiary under the Exchange
Act or the Securities Act.
(k) Labor
Relations . No material labor dispute exists or, to the
knowledge of the Company, is imminent with respect to any of the
employees of the Company, which could reasonably be expected to
result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of the Company’s or
its Subsidiaries’ employees is a member of a union that
relates to such employee’s relationship with the Company or
such Subsidiary, and neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries is a party to a collective bargaining agreement, and
the Company and its Subsidiaries believe that their relationships
with their employees are good. No executive officer, to the
knowledge of the Company, is, or is now expected to be, in
violation of any material term of any employment contract,
confidentiality, disclosure or proprietary information agreement or
non-competition agreement, or any other contract or agreement or
any restrictive covenant in favor of any third party, and the
continued employment of each such executive officer does not
subject the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any liability
with respect to any of the foregoing matters. The Company and its
Subsidiaries are in compliance with all U.S. federal, state, local
and foreign laws and regulations relating to employment and
employment practices, terms and conditions of employment and wages
and hours, except where the failure to be in compliance could not,
individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect.
(l)
Compliance . Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary:
(i) is in default under or in violation of (and no event has
occurred that has not been waived that, with notice or lapse of
time or both, would result in a default by the Company or any
Subsidiary under), nor has the Company or any Subsidiary received
notice of a claim that it is in default under or that it is in
violation of, any indenture, loan or credit agreement or any other
agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or
any of its properties is bound (whether or not such default or
violation has been waived), (ii) is in violation of any
judgment, decree or order of any court, arbitrator or governmental
body or (iii) is or has been in violation of any statute,
rule, ordinance or regulation of any governmental authority,
including without limitation all foreign, federal, state and local
laws applicable to its business and all such laws that affect the
environment, except in each case as could not have or reasonably be
expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(m) Regulatory
Permits . The Company and the Subsidiaries possess all
certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate
federal, state, local or foreign regulatory authorities necessary
to conduct their respective businesses as described in the SEC
Reports, except where the failure to possess such permits could not
reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect
(“ Material Permits ”), and neither the Company
nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating
to the revocation or modification of any Material Permit.
(n) Title to
Assets . The Company and the Subsidiaries have good and
marketable title in fee simple to all real property owned by them
and good and marketable title in all personal property owned by
them that is material to the business of the Company and the
Subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all Liens, except for
Liens as do not materially affect the value of such property and do
not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made
of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries and Liens for
the payment of federal, state or other taxes, the payment of which
is neither delinquent nor subject to penalties, or Liens securing
indebtedness to be repaid from the proceeds of this offering. Any
real property and facilities held under lease by the Company and
the Subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and
enforceable leases with which the Company and the Subsidiaries are
in compliance.
(o) Patents
and Trademarks . The Company and the Subsidiaries have, or have
rights to use, all patents, patent applications, trademarks,
trademark applications, service marks, trade names, trade secrets,
inventions, copyrights, licenses and other intellectual property
rights and similar rights necessary or material for use in
connection with their respective businesses as described in the SEC
Reports and which the failure to so have could have a Material
Adverse Effect (collectively, the “ Intellectual Property
Rights ”). Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has
received a notice (written or otherwise) that any of the
Intellectual Property Rights used by the Company or any Subsidiary
violates or infringes upon the rights of any Person. To the