AGREEMENT AND RELEASE
This Agreement and Release (this
“AGREEMENT”) is between William G. Manias
(“EMPLOYEE”) and EPCO, Inc.
(“COMPANY”).
WITNESSETH
Whereas, EMPLOYEE is employed by
COMPANY.
Whereas, EMPLOYEE is resigning from
COMPANY effective January 15, 2009.
Whereas, EMPLOYEE and COMPANY desire
to resolve any and all disputes about EMPLOYEE’s employment
with COMPANY.
Whereas, EMPLOYEE, during his
employment had access to trade secrets and/or proprietary and
confidential information belonging to COMPANY and COMPANY’s
affiliates.
Whereas, EMPLOYEE and COMPANY desire
to clarify EMPLOYEE’s obligations with respect to any trade
secrets and/or proprietary and confidential information acquired
during EMPLOYEE’s employment.
Whereas, EMPLOYEE and COMPANY desire
to avoid the expense, delay and uncertainty attendant to any claims
that may arise from EMPLOYEE’s employment with, and
resignation from, COMPANY, as well as any claims that may arise
from the disclosure of any trade secrets and/or proprietary and
confidential information that EMPLOYEE acquired during his
employment with COMPANY.
Whereas, EMPLOYEE desires to release
any claims or causes of action EMPLOYEE may have arising from
EMPLOYEE’s employment with, or his resignation from,
COMPANY.
Now, therefore, for and in
consideration of the mutual covenants and promises hereinafter set
forth, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt
and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, EMPLOYEE and
COMPANY hereby agree:
Section
1.
Severance and Other Payments. COMPANY, in exchange for the
promises of EMPLOYEE contained below, agrees as follows:
A. COMPANY
agrees to pay EMPLOYEE the lump sum amount of one million three
hundred thousand dollars and no cents ($1,300,000.00), less
applicable legal standard deductions and less deductions or
offsets for any and all loans and/or advances made by COMPANY or
any COMPANY AFFILIATE to, or on behalf of, EMPLOYEE (which
deductions or offsets EMPLOYEE hereby expressly agrees to and
acknowledges), within seven (7) days after the expiration of the
EMPLOYEE’s revocation option in Section 5(C) below;
and
B. EMPLOYEE
may be eligible for up to eighteen (18) months of COBRA coverage
following EMPLOYEE’s termination of employment. If
at the time of EMPLOYEE’s
termination of employment, EMPLOYEE is enrolled
in COMPANY’s medical and dental plan coverages as an active
employee and EMPLOYEE exercises health coverage continuation rights
under COBRA following termination of employment, EMPLOYEE’s
COBRA premium will equal zero ($0.00) and will be paid for in full
by COMPANY until the earliest of: (i) the expiration of the first
eighteen (18) full calendar months immediately following
EMPLOYEE’s termination of employment; (ii) the date EMPLOYEE
obtains subsequent employment and becomes eligible for medical
and/or dental benefits coverages to employees of the new employer;
or (iii) the expiration of your COBRA rights. After the
expiration of the foregoing applicable period, EMPLOYEE will be
responsible for the full cost of any health and dental
coverage.
C. EMPLOYEE
acknowledges and agrees that payment of the foregoing amounts are,
and shall be deemed to be, in full and complete satisfaction of any
and all obligations, if any, of COMPANY and/or a COMPANY AFFILIATE
to EMPLOYEE in respect of his employment with COMPANY and/or any of
its affiliates or otherwise. For purposes of this
AGREEMENT, the term “COMPANY AFFILIATE” means and
includes (i) EPCO Holdings, Inc., (ii) Enterprise Products GP, LLC,
(iii) Enterprise Products OLPGP, Inc., (iv) Enterprise Products
Partners L.P., (v) EPE Holdings LLC, (vi) Enterprise Products
Operating LLC, (vii) DEP Holdings LLC, (viii) Duncan Energy
Partners L.P., (ix) Texas Eastern Products Pipeline Company, LLC,
(x) TEPPCO Partners L.P., (xi) the respective subsidiaries or
affiliates of any of the foregoing entities, (xii) any other entity
(A) which is controlled, directly or indirectly, individually,
collectively or in any combination, by COMPANY or any of the
foregoing entities or (B) in which any of COMPANY or any of the
foregoing entities has a direct or indirect ownership interest,
(xiii) any other entity (a) which is controlled, directly or
indirectly, by Dan L. Duncan, his spouse, his descendants or any
trusts for any of their respective benefit, individually,
collectively or in any combination, or (b) in which any of them has
a direct or indirect ownership interest and (xiv) any predecessors,
subsidiaries, related entities, officers, directors, shareholders,
parent companies, agents, attorneys, employees, successors, or
assigns of any of the foregoing.
Section
2. Prior Rights
and Obligations. Except as otherwise provided for in this
AGREEMENT, this AGREEMENT extinguishes all rights, if any, which
EMPLOYEE may have, contractual or otherwise, relating to his
employment with, or resignation from, COMPANY.
Section
3. Resignation.
EMPLOYEE hereby resigns (i) from employment with COMPANY and/or
any COMPANY AFFILIATE and (ii) as an officer and/or
director and/or any other similar position of COMPANY and/or any
COMPANY AFFILIATE. EMPLOYEE agrees that the effective
date of such resignation is January 15,
2009.
Section
4.
Release .
A. Release
and Waiver: EMPLOYEE hereby agrees to release COMPANY
and all COMPANY AFFILIATEs from all claims or demands EMPLOYEE has,
may have, or may have had based on or in any way related to
EMPLOYEE’s employment with COMPANY or any COMPANY AFFILIATE,
the resignation or termination of that employment, or based on
any
previous act or omission by or on behalf of
COMPANY or any COMPANY AFFILIATE. EMPLOYEE further
agrees to waive any right EMPLOYEE may have with respect to the
claims or demands from which COMPANY or any COMPANY AFFILIATE is
herewith released. This release and waiver includes any
rights or claims EMPLOYEE may have under, but not limited to, the
Age Discrimination in Employment Act, which prohibits age
discrimination in employment; Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of
1964, as amended, which prohibits discrimination in employment
based on race, color, national origin, religion or sex (including
claims of sexual harassment); 42 U.S.C. §1981, which prohibits
race discrimination; claims under the Family and Medical Leave Act;
the federal and Texas Equal Pay Acts, which prohibit paying men and
women unequal pay for equal work; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
and the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibit
discrimination on the basis of handicap or disability; the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act; claims for discrimination under the
Texas Commission on Human Rights Act as codified in the Texas Labor
Code; claims for discrimination or retaliation under the Texas
Workers’ Compensation Act; or any other federal, state or
local laws or regulations prohibiting employment discrimination,
retaliation or harassment. This release and waiver also
includes any claims for wrongful discharge, whether based on
claimed violations of statutes, regulations or public policy, or
based on claims in contract or tort. This release and
waiver also includes any claims that EMPLOYEE suffered any harm by
or through the actions or omissions of COMPANY or any COMPANY
AFFILIATE, including, but not limited to, negligence claims and any
other tort or contract claims.
B. Scope
of Release/Non-release of Future Claims based on subsequent acts or
omissions: The release and waiver, to which EMPLOYEE voluntarily
agrees, covers all claims or demands based on any facts or events,
whether known or unknown by EMPLOYEE, that occurred on or before
January 15, 2009. EMPLOYEE fully understands that if any of the
facts or circumstances on which EMPLOYEE premises EMPLOYEE’s
execution of this release and waiver be found, suspected or claimed
hereafter to be other than or different from the facts and
circumstances now believed by EMPLOYEE to be true, EMPLOYEE
nonetheless expressly accepts and assumes the risk of such possible
differences in fact or circumstances and agrees that this release
and waiver shall be and remain effective notwithstanding any such
difference in any such fact or circumstances. COMPANY
acknowledges that EMPLOYEE has not released any rights or claims
that EMPLOYEE may have under the Age Discrimination in Employment
Act that arise after the date this release and waiver is
executed.
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