CONFIDENTIAL SEVERANCE AND
RELEASE AGREEMENT
This Confidential Severance and Release
Agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into by and
between Ian Aaron (hereinafter “Employee”) on the one
hand, and Twistbox Entertainment, Inc., as successor-in-interest to
the WAAT Corporation and Mandalay Media, Inc.
(”Mandalay”) (collectively hereinafter the
“Company”) on the other hand.
RECITALS
A.
WHEREAS , Employee is currently employed by Twistbox
Entertainment, Inc. as the President and Chief Executive Officer
pursuant to an employment agreement dated May 16, 2006, as amended
December 30, 2007, February 12, 2008 and March 16, 2009
(collectively hereinafter the “Employment
Agreement”). Employee is also currently President
and Chief Executive Officer of WAAT Media Corp.;
B.
WHEREAS , Employee is currently a Director on the Boards of
Directors of Twistbox Entertainment, Inc., WAAT Media Corp.,
Twistbox Entertainment Ltd., Twistbox Games Ltd., Twistbox Games
Ltd. & Co KG, Mandalay, and AMV Holding Ltd. (collectively
hereinafter the “Boards”);
C.
WHEREAS , Employee seeks to resign his position as President
and Chief Executive Officer of Twistbox Entertainment, Inc. and
WAAT Media Corp. Employee also seeks to resign from his
Director positions on the Boards;
D.
WHEREAS , the Company has accepted Employee’s
resignation as President and Chief Executive Officer of Twistbox
Entertainment, Inc. and WAAT Media Corp., and his resignation from
the Boards;
E.
WHEREAS , this Agreement shall supersede Employee’s
Employment Agreement and shall render the Employment Agreement null
and void; and
F.
WHEREAS , it is now the desire of the parties to compromise,
settle, waive and release all claims of whatever kind or
description which Employee may have against Releasees, as defined
herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the recitals
which are incorporated into this Agreement and the mutual promises
and covenants set forth herein, the parties do hereby agree as
follows:
AGREEMENT
1.
Separation of Employment . Employee’s last day of
employment with the Company will be October 7, 2009 (the
“Separation Date”). On the Separation Date
and thereafter, Employee will have no authority to act on behalf of
the Company or any of its subsidiary, related or affiliated
entities in any capacity.
2. Board
of Directors . By executing this Agreement, Employee
hereby resigns from the Boards, and each of them, effective on the
Separation Date. On the Separation Date and thereafter,
Employee will have no authority to act on or behalf of the Boards,
or any of them, in any capacity.
3.
Outstanding Expenses . Employee shall receive, in
cash, any outstanding business-related reimbursements which shall
be paid promptly in accordance with Company policy, including
provision by Employee of supporting documentation as required by
Company policy.
4.
Separation Pay, Accrued Vacation and Benefits
. The Company agrees that provided Employee signs this
Agreement and does not revoke this Agreement as set forth in
Paragraph 11, below, the Company shall:
(a) Extend
the time period in which Employee may exercise (i) 400,000 shares
which represents the vested portion of the option to purchase
600,000 shares of the common stock of Mandalay issued pursuant to
an option agreement dated February 12, 2008 and (ii)
54,725 fully vested options issued under an option agreement dated
December 6, 2006 (collectively, the “Vested Options”),
to a period commencing on the date hereof and terminating on the
earlier of (x) September 30, 2010 and (y) ninety (90) days
following the date that Employee shall first be eligible to sell
shares of Mandalay’s common stock under a registration
statement with respect shares of common stock of Mandalay issuable
under the Employee’s Vested Options filed with the Securities
Exchange Commission (“Commission”) under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), shall
have been declared effective by the Commission, provided that in
any event the Vested Options shall expire on the latest option
expiration date set forth in the foregoing option
agreements. Except as set forth herein, the Vested
Options shall continue in force and effect pursuant to the terms of
the option agreements and the stock plan referenced therein. The
Employee hereby acknowledges that as of the Separation Date,
Employee shall no longer continue to vest with regard to any other
outstanding, unvested stock options provided by the Company, all of
which shall be cancelled.
(b) Provide
severance to Employee by hereby modifying that certain Restricted
Stock Agreement dated March 16, 2009 (the "Restricted Stock
Agreement") so that, notwithstanding anything to the contrary
contained in the Restricted Stock Agreement, the Lapsing Forfeiture
Right of Mandalay shall be deemed to have terminated on the
Separation Date and, except for the Vested Shares (as defined
below), all shares of restricted stock that are subject to the
Restricted Stock Agreement shall vest in full and shall be
delivered to Employee on the earlier of the following dates (such
date being referred to as the "Vesting Date"): (i) March 31, 2010
and (ii) the occurrence of a Change in Control (as defined in the
Restricted Stock Agreement). For the avoidance of doubt,
the parties make the following acknowledgments with respect to the
Restricted Stock Agreement: (i) the Restricted Stock Agreement
provided for the issuance to Employee of 504,218 shares of common
stock of Mandalay at a price per share of $0.0001; (ii) 153,858
shares vested on March 16, 2009 of which (x) 62,011 of these shares
were retained by the Company, pursuant to Section 7 of the
Restricted Stock Agreement, as payment of applicable income and
withholding taxes related to issuance of such common stock, and (y)
91,847 of which are being held in escrow pursuant to the provisions
of Section 2.1(e) of the Restricted Stock Agreement, (iii) 192,938
additional shares vested through the Separation Date of which (x)
69,700 of these shares were retained by the Company, pursuant to
Section 7 of the Restricted Stock Agreement, as payment of
applicable income and withholding taxes related to issuance of such
common stock and (y) 123,238 of which are being held in escrow
pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.1(e) of the Restricted
Stock Agreement (together with the shares referenced in clause
(b)(ii)(y) above, the "Vested Shares") and (iv) 157,422 shares (the
"Un-Vested Shares") will vest in full and shall be delivered to
Employee effective as of the Vesting Date, and (iv) certificates
representing all Vested Shares and Un-Vested Shares (less any
shares withheld as payment of withholding taxes as provided in
Section 7 of the Restricted Stock Agreement) will be delivered to
Employee or a designated brokerage account, without legend (to the
extent permissible under applicable securities law) as soon as
reasonably possible but in no event later than April 10,
2010. Without limiting any remedy that the Company may
have for breach by Employee of any provision of this Agreement or
any surviving provision of the Employment Agreement, the Company
shall have the right to cancel all or part of the Un-Vested Shares,
if prior to the Vesting Date, Employee materially breaches the
provisions of Sections 9(c) (Non-Solicitation of Customers) or 9(d)
(Non-Solicitation of Employees) of the Employment Agreement, and
such breach is continuing for fifteen days following delivery by
the Company of written notice thereof to Employee.
(c) In
full satisfaction of Employee’s accrued, unused vacation pay,
the Company shall issue 79,938 shares of common stock of Mandalay
to Employee on March 31, 2010 and deliver a certificate
representing all such shares to Employee or his designated
brokerage account as soon as reasonably possible but in no event
later than April 10, 2010. The issuance of these shares
have not been effectively registered under the Securities
Act. The Employee hereby represents and warrants that he
is acquiring the shares for his own account, for investment, and
not with a view to, or for sale in connection with, the
distribution of any such shares. The Employee understands that
because the shares have not been registered under the Securities
Act, the Employee must continue to bear the economic risk of the
investment for an indefinite period of time. The Employee
represents and warrants that the Employee (1) has been furnished
with all information which it deems necessary to evaluate the
merits and risks of the receipt of the shares, (2) has had the
opportunity to ask questions concerning the shares and the Company
and all questions posed have been answered to its satisfaction, (3)
has been given the opportunity to obtain any additional information
it deems necessary to verify the accuracy of any information
obtained concerning the shares and the Company, (4) has such
knowledge and experience in financial and business matters that the
Employee is able to evaluate the merits and risks of investing in
the shares and to make an informed investment decision relating
thereto and (5) is an “accredited investor” as such
term is defined in Rule 501 of Regulation D promulgated under the
Securities Act. The Employee specifically acknowledges
and agrees that any sales of the shares shall be made in accordance
with the requirements of the Securities Act, in a transaction as to
which the Company shall have received an opinion of counsel
satisfactory to it confirming such compliance.
(d) The
Employee shall be bound by the provisions of the following legends
which shall be endorsed upon the certificate evidencing the shares
issued:
“The
shares represented by this certificate have been taken for
investment and they may not be sold or otherwise transferred by any
person, including a pledgee, unless (1) either (a) a Registration
Statement with respect to such shares shall be effective under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or (b) the Company shall have
received an opinion of counsel satisfactory to it that an exemption
from registration under such Act is then available, and (2) there
shall have been compliance with all applicable state securities
laws.”
“THESE
SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN QUALIFIED UNDER THE CALIFORNIA CORPORATE
SECURITIES LAW OF 1968, AS AMENDED (“CSL”), AND ARE
ALSO RESTRICTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THAT LAW. THESE
SECURITIES MUST BE HELD INDEFINITELY UNLESS THEY ARE SUBSEQUENTLY
QUALIFIED UNDER THE CSL OR ARE OTHERWISE EXEMPT FROM QUALIFICATION
UNDER THAT LAW.”
(e) The
Company shall reasonably cooperate with Employee, at the request of
Employee, in connection with removing restrictive legends from
shares of common stock of Mandalay now held or hereafter acquired
by Employee under this Agreement, as permitted by law or agreement,
and shall, at the Company’s sole cost, arrange for one or
more opinions of counsel if necessary to remove the
legends.
(f) Pay
Employee’s and his eligible covered dependents’ COBRA
continuation insurance coverage premiums for six (6) months
following the Separation Date (the
“Benefits”).
5. Six
Month Holdback . Employee understands and agrees
that, for a period ending on the Vesting Date, Employee may not
transfer by gift, sale, operation of law, or otherwise, any of
Employee’s shares in the Company, including but not limited
to Employee’s shares of restricted common stock in Mandalay
as referenced herein in Paragraph 4, without the prior written
consent of the Company. The Company shall not be required to
transfer any of the Employee’s shares on its books which
shall have been sold, assigned or otherwise transferred in
violation of this Paragraph 5, or to treat as the owner of such
shares, or to accord the right to vote as such owner or to pay
dividends to, any person or organization to which any such shares
shall have been so sold, assigned or otherwise transferred, in
violation of this Paragraph 5.
6.
Representations and Warranties .
(a) Employee
makes the following representations and warranties: (a) Employee
acknowledges that the Separation Pay and Benefits set forth in
Paragraph 4 are things to which Employee would not be entitled
except for Employee’s decision to sign this Agreement and to
abide by the terms of this Agreement; (b) Employee represents and
warrants that, other than what is provided for in this Agreement,
the Company has paid to Employee all wages owing and due to him by
the Company as a result of Employee’s employment with and
separation from the Company, including but not limited to all
salary, bonuses, commissions, incentive pay, management fees,
director fees, grants of stock, stock options, vacation pay, or any
other remuneration in any type or form.
(b) Company
makes the following representation and warranty: The
members of the Board of Directors of the Company have no present
actual knowledge of any material facts regarding the Employee or
his conduct prior to the date of this Agreement that would support
legal action by the Company against Employee for
damages.
7. Waiver
and Release of Known and Unknown Claims By Employee
. In exchange for the agreements contained in this
Agreement, Employee agrees unconditionally and forever to waive,
release and discharge the Company and the Company’s past and
present affiliated, related, parent and subsidiary entities, as
well as their respective past and present owners, investors,
lenders, members, managers, partners, officers, directors,
employees, agents, representatives, successors and assigns, past
and present (hereinafter the “Releasees”
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