Exhibit 10.1
SEPARATION AND RELEASE
AGREEMENT
This SEPARATION AND RELEASE AGREEMENT (this
"Agreement") is made and entered into by and between Exobox
Technologies Corp., a Nevada corporation (the "Company"), and
Robert B. Dillon ("Executive") on and as of this 6th day of May,
2009. The Company and Executive are sometimes referred
to collectively herein as the “Parties” and
individually as a “Party.”
WHEREAS, Executive was the Chairman of the Board
and Chief Executive Officer of the Company;
WHEREAS, the Executive and the Company desire to
terminate the employment relationship between the Executive and the
Company effective as of May 6, 2009; and
WHEREAS, it is the desire of the Company and
Executive that they enter into a written agreement in order to
confirm and establish their respective rights, duties, and
obligations, to resolve any and all claims and differences that may
exist or that in the future may arise, and generally to provide
mutual releases to one another from any and all claims or other
matters as set forth herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the
foregoing premises and the consideration more fully set forth
hereinafter, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the Parties
mutually agree as follows:
1.
COMPANY REFERENCES. All references used herein
to the "Company" shall refer to Exobox Technologies Corp. and its
subsidiaries and affiliates and the successors of the Company and
its subsidiaries and affiliates.
2.
TERMINATION DATE. The employment relationship
between Executive and the Company shall terminate and cease as of
the close of business on May 6, 2009 (the "Termination Date"), and
neither party shall have any further rights or obligations with
respect to or arising from such employment relationship except as
provided herein. Effective as of the Termination Date,
Executive hereby tenders, and Company accepts, Executive's
resignation from any and all board seats, offices and positions
that Executive may hold with the Company.
3.
SEVERANCE BENEFITS. The Company will pay to
Executive $300,000, which payment shall be made in twelve (12)
equal payments of $25,000 each on the 15 th day of
each calendar month beginning on May 15, 2009 and ending on April
15, 2010. These severance payments shall be subject to
withholding for payroll taxes only and no withholding shall be made
for federal income taxes. Executive agrees that he will
timely pay all federal income taxes owed from his receipt of the
severance payments. Executive will defend and indemnify the Company
from and against any and all claims, lawsuits, actions, proceedings
or the like against the Company for failure to comply with his
covenant contained in the immediately preceding sentence (and will
bear all costs in connection with such indemnification and
defense). At the Company’s option, in its sole and
absolute discretion, the Company can make all or any portion of the
severance payments (net of withholding amounts) under this Section
3 by issuing to Executive shares of its common stock valued at
$0.06 per share. In the event that Executive revokes
this Agreement within the seven-day revocation period referred to
at the end of this Agreement, the Company and any other parties
that would otherwise have been released under Section 6 hereof and
Section 7 hereof shall be entitled to set-off against any claims,
or judgments in favor of, Executive amounts paid
hereunder. In addition, from the date hereof until the
earlier to occur of (i) May 5, 2010 and (ii) the date on which
Executive becomes eligible to receive health insurance benefits
from another employer on substantially the same or better terms
than he is receiving from the Company hereunder (the
“Coverage Period”), Executive shall be entitled to
continue to receive the health insurance benefits, at the same cost
to Executive, to which he was entitled and was receiving
immediately before the Termination Date. If because of
limitations required by third parties or imposed by law, the
Executive cannot be provided such health insurance benefits through
the Company's plans during the Coverage Period, then, during the
Coverage Period, the Company will instead pay that portion of
Executive’s COBRA premiums necessary to keep the costs to
Executive the same as they were immediately before the Termination
Date. Except as specifically provided in this Agreement,
no other amounts will be payable by Company to Executive resulting
from his termination of employment.
In connection with Executive’s agreement
to give the Company the option to make all or any portion of the
severance payments (net of withholding amounts) under this Section
3 by issuing to Executive shares of its common stock, the Executive
hereby represents and warrants to the Company as follows: (A) the
Executive is an “accredited investor” as defined in
Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the “Securities Act”); (B) the Executive
understands that the shares of Company common stock that he will
receive (the “Severance Shares”) will not be issued
pursuant to a transaction registered under the Securities Act and
will therefore be “restricted securities” under Rule
144 promulgated under the Securities Act (“Rule 144”);
and (C) the Executive agrees that he will fully comply with Rule
144 in connection with any resale of the Severance Shares by
him.
4.
LOANS FROM EXECUTIVE; VOTING AGREEMENT. The
Parties acknowledge that the Company is currently indebted to
Executive in the principal amount of $101,000 for one or more
promissory notes with a zero interest rate (the
“Notes”) and $25,000 accrued but unpaid back pay owed
Executive as described in the Company’s SEC filings (the
“Back Pay Obligation”). The Company
reaffirms its obligations under the Notes and the Back Pay
Obligation and agrees that such obligations are not being released
by Executive hereunder. Executive hereby agrees to
extend the maturity date of the Notes and the payment of the Back
Pay Obligation to May 31, 2010 and further agrees to execute and
deliver to the Company amendments to the Notes consistent with the
foregoing.
Executive hereby agrees that for a period of one
year from the date hereof, he and Michael G. Wirtz (who is
executing a similar Separation and Release Agreement concurrently
herewith with this same provision) will vote all of their Control
Shares (as defined below) with respect to the Specified Stockholder
Actions (as defined below) as of the record date for the vote on
the Specified Stockholder Actions in accordance with the
instructions of the Board of Directors of the Company as conveyed
to Executive in writing by the Chief Executive Officer of the
Company or the Chairman of the Board of the Company. For
the purposes hereof, the term “Control Shares” shall
mean those shares of common stock of the Company that Executive, on
the one hand, and Mr. Wirtz, on the other hand, own or hold, of
record and/or beneficially (including, without limitation, any
shares over which Executive, on the one hand, and Mr. Wirtz, on the
other hand, has voting control), including, without limitation, in
the case of Executive, those shares owned or held by First Brampton
Corporation. For the purposes hereof, the term
“Specified Stockholder Actions” shall mean (i) the
election of one or more directors, (ii) the removal of one or more
directors, (iii) the approval of an amendment to the
Company’s charter as required to increase the number of
shares of the Company’s common stock that can be issued and
(iv) any action that requires the approval of more than 51% of the
outstanding shares of the Company’s common
stock. Executive further agrees that, for a period of
one year from the date hereof, he will not relinquish voting
control over any of his current and hereafter acquired Control
Shares except in connection with the bona fide sale of such shares
to an unaffiliated third party. Executive further
acknowledges and agrees that this provision (together with the same
provision in Mr. Wirtz’s Separation and Release Agreement) is
intended to constitute a voting “agreement” under
Subsection 3 of Section 78.365 of the Nevada Revised
Statutes.
5.
WELFARE BENEFIT PLAN CONTRIBUTIONS AND ACCRUALS.
After the Termination Date, except as provided in
Section 3 hereof, the Company shall not be obligated to continue,
pay for, or provide Executive's health, dental, disability, life
insurance and any other "welfare benefits" (as such term is defined
under Section 3(1) of ERISA) or fringe benefits or
perquisites.
6. RELEASE
AND WAIVER OF CLAIMS BY EXECUTIVE.
For good and valuable consideration,
including the Company's agreements contained in Section 3 hereof
and elsewhere herein, the Executive hereby releases, discharges and
forever acquits the Company, its affiliates and the past, present
and future stockholders, members, partners, directors, managers,
employees, agents, attorneys, heirs, legal representatives,
successors and assigns of the foregoing, in their personal and
representative capacities (collectively, the "Company Parties" or
singularly, a “Company Party”), from liability for, and
hereby waives, any and all claims, damages, punitive damages,
attorneys’ fees and causes of action of any and every kind,
whether in contract or in tort, known or unknown, matured or
unmatured, at law or in equity, including, but not limited to, any
and all claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty,
torts, intentional torts, negligence, gross negligence and claims
arising under or by virtue of any state or federal statute or
constitution, for all actions and/or inactions by the Company
occurring on or before the effective date of this Agreement,
including, but not limited to, all matters related to, Executive's
employment with any Company Party, the termination of such
employment, and any other acts or omissions related to any matter
with respect to the Executive's employment with the Company on or
prior to the date of this Agreement including without limitation
any alleged violation through the date of this Agreement of (i) the
Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended; (ii)
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; (iii) the
Civil Rights Act of 1991, as amended; (iv) Section 1981 through
1988, and Section 2000 et seq ., of Title 42 of the United
States Code, as amended; (v) the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974, as amended; (vi) the Immigration Reform
Control Act, as amended; (vii) the Americans with Disabilities Act
of 1990, as amended; (viii) the Fair Labor Standards Act, as
amended; (ix) the Occupational Safety and Health Act, as amended;
(x) the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988;
(xi) the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended; (xii) the Equal
Pay Act, as amended; (xiii) the National Labor Relations Act, as
amended; (xiv) the Family and Medical Leave Act, as amended; (xv)
the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act, as amended; (xvi) the
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as amended;
(xvii) the Health Insurance and Portability Accountability Act of
1996, as amended; (xviii) 29 U.S.C. Section 201 et seq. ;
(xix) 29 U.S.C. Section 206; (xx) 29 U.S.C. Section 1001, et. seq.;
(xxi) the Texas Health and Safety Code, (xxii) the Texas Payday
Act, (xxiii) the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act, (xxiv) the
Texas Labor Code (including but not limited to Chapters 21, 61 and
451thereof), (xxv) any other state or federal employment or civil
rights act or provision of law, and any and all claims for
severance pay or benefits under any compensation or employee
benefit plan, program, policy, contract or other arrangement;
(xxvi) any other state anti-discrimination law; (xxvii) any other
state wage and hour law; (xxviii) any other local, state or federal
law, regulation, or ordinance; (xxix) any public policy, contract,
tort, or common law claim; (xxx) any allegation for costs, fees, or
other expenses including attorneys' fees incurred in these matters;
(xxxi) any and all rights, benefits, or claims the Executive may
have under any employment contract, incentive compensation plan, or
stock option plan with any Company Party, or to any ownership
interest in any Company Party; and (xxxii) any claim for
compensation or benefits of any kind (collectively, the "Released
Claims"). The foregoing release is not intended to
indicate that any such claims exist or that, if they do exist, they
are meritorious. Rather, the Executive is simply
agreeing that, in exchange for the consideration recited in the
first sentence of this paragraph, any and all potential claims of
this nature that the Executive may have against the Company
Parties, regardless of whether they actually exist, are expressly
settled, compromised and waived. By signing this
Agreement, the Executive is bound by it. Anyone who
succeeds to the Executive's rights and responsibilities, such as
heirs or the executor of the Executive's estate, is also bound by
this Agreement. The foregoing release also applies to
any claims brought by any person or agency or class action under
which the Executive may have a right or benefit. THE
FOREGOING RELEASE INCLUDES MATTERS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE SOLE OR
PARTIAL NEGLIGENCE (WHETHER GROSS OR SIMPLE) OR OTHER FAULT,
INCLUDING STRICT LIABILITY, OF ANY OF THE COMPANY
PARTIES.
The Executive affirms that he has not filed,
caused to be filed, and presently is not a party to, any claim,
complaint, or action against the Company in any forum or
form. The Executive further affirms that, except as set
forth in Section 4 hereof, he has been paid and/or has received all
leave (paid or unpaid), compensation, wages, bonuses, commissions,
and/or benefits to which he may be entitled and that no other leave
(paid or unpaid), compensation, wages, bonuses, commissions, and/or
benefits are due to him. The Executive furthermore
affirms that he has no known workplace injuries or occupational
diseases and has been provided and/or has not been denied any leave
requested under the Family and Medical Leave Act of
1993. The Executive agrees not to bring or join any
lawsuit against any of the Company Parties in any court relating to
any of the Released Claims. The Executive represents
that he has not brought or joined any lawsuit or filed any charge
or claim against any of the Company Parties in any
court or before any government agency and has made no assignment of
any rights the Executive has asserted or may have against any of
the Company Parties to any person or entity, in each case, with
respect to any Released Claims. If the Executive brings
or joins any lawsuit against any of the Company Parties in any
court (except as necessary to protect the Executive's
rights under this Agreement or with respect to the Executive's
entry into this release) relating to any of the Released Claims,
and the Executive is the prevailing party in such lawsuit, the
Executive shall be obligated to return to the Company all amounts
paid to the Executive under this Agreement, to the extent permitted
under applicable law and ordered by the court. Further,
if the Executive violates the covenant not to sue set forth in this
paragraph, the Executive shall be required to
|