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Exhibit 10.1
SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT, SEVERANCE AGREEMENT AND
RELEASE
This Settlement Agreement, Severance Agreement and Release (the
"Severance Agreement") is made and entered into by and between
William Dwyer ("Dwyer" or "you" or "your"), who resides at 2001
Mahre Drive, Park City, UT 84098 and, Raser Technologies, Inc.
("Raser" or "Company"), a Utah corporation with its principal
office at 5152 North Edgewood Drive, Suite 375, Provo, UT
84604.
This Severance Agreement is made in connection with Dwyer's
termination of employment with Raser and to resolve any issues or
claims Dwyer may have regarding his employment and/or relationship
with Raser, or the conclusion of his employment, all as more
specifically described below.
In consideration of the mutual promises and releases contained
herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, it is hereby agreed
as follows:
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1. These terms are defined as follows in this Settlement
Agreement, Severance Agreement and Release:
"Severance Agreement" refers to this document, the Settlement
Agreement, Severance Agreement and Release.
"Dollars" and "$" mean United States dollars.
An "affiliate" or "affiliated" company of a named person or
entity is any other person or entity that is owned or controlled
by, owns or controls, or is under common ownership or control with
such named person or entity.
2. By
mutual agreement of the parties, in consideration of the promises
and obligations set forth herein, your position as Chief Financial
Officer of Raser terminated effective December 4, 2006 ("Employment
Termination Date"). By signing this Severance Agreement, you
further warrant and agree that after the Employment Termination
Date you are not eligible for and will not present yourself for
re-employment with Raser or any other subsidiary of Raser.
3. In full and final settlement of any claims, causes of action
and demands for relief which you or your heirs or representatives
might have or assert against Raser, Raser agrees to the following,
subject to the conditions, limitations and other terms of this
Severance Agreement:
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i. Raser will pay you a lump sum severance payment equivalent to
the value of your current salary from December 5, 2006 through
January 31, 2007.
ii. 176,000 vested shares of Raser stock have been delivered to
you as of the Employee Termination Date -- 125,000 of those shares
are unregistered and 51,000 of those shares are registered,
free-trading common shares pursuant to the S-8 registration
statement for Raser Technologies, Inc which became effective on
March 2, 2005.
i. 124,000 additional shares of Raser stock which were
previously granted to you, and which are fully vested as of the
Employment Termination Date, shall be delivered to you as otherwise
set forth in column 1 of Attachment A to this Severance Agreement.
These 124,000 shares are to be registered, free-trading common
shares pursuant to the S-8 registration statement for Raser
Technologies, Inc which became effective on March 2, 2005.
ii. Your right to 33,332 additional shares of Raser stock will
vest effective on the Employment Termination Date and will be
delivered to you according to the schedule set forth in column 2 of
Attachment A. These 33,332 shares are to be registered,
free-trading common shares pursuant to the S-8 registration
statement for Raser Technologies, Inc which became effective on
March 2, 2005.
iii. 5,000 shares of Raser stock which were previously granted
to you as consideration for a prior delivery deferral, are fully
vested as of the Employment Termination Date and will be delivered
to you according to the schedule set forth in column 3 of
Attachment A.
These 5,000 shares are to be registered, free-trading common shares
pursuant to the S-8 registration statement for Raser Technologies,
Inc which became effective on March 2, 2005.
iv. 33,333 additional shares of Raser stock will be granted and
fully vested as a settlement as of the Employment Termination Date
and will be delivered to you according to the schedule set forth in
column 4 of Attachment A. These 33,333 shares are to be registered,
free-trading common shares pursuant to the S-8 registration
statement for Raser Technologies, Inc which became effective on
March 2, 2005.
v. You will be permitted to keep your Company-issued computer
and computer accessories.
vi. Raser's Chief Executive Officer will provide you with a
positive letter of reference for your use in seeking future
employment. No Raser officer or director will make negative or
derogatory statements to Raser employees or third parties about
you.
AS AN EXPRESS CONDITION TO RASER PROVIDING THE COMPENSATION AND
VALUE SET FORTH HEREIN, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION RASER STOCK,
YOU AGREE THAT AS OF DECEMBER 26, 2006 FORWARD YOU WILL NOT SELL
MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND (1,000) SHARES OF RASER STOCK DURING ANY
SINGLE TRADING DAY. YOU AGREE THAT ANY BREACH OF THIS RESTRICTION
ON STOCK SALES THROUGH YOUR FAULT WILL CONSTITUTE A MATERIAL BREACH
OF THIS AGREEMENT AND MAY CAUSE RASER IRREPARABLE HARM AND MONETARY
DAMAGES.
4. In this section 4 of this Severance Agreement, you are
giving up and waiving any and all legal claims you might have
against Raser, its officers, directors, managers, employees, and
shareholders. You are giving up and waiving claims even if you do
not know now that you have a claim. The claims you are giving up
include, but are not limited to, claims for discrimination based on
age, race, color, national origin, religion, ethnic origin, sex,
disability, or veteran's status, or any other protected class
arising under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Equal Pay Act,
the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination In
Employment Act, the Utah Anti-Discrimination Act and any and all
other federal, state, county or city government employment
discrimination laws inasmuch as is permissible under each law, and
any claim of wrongful termination on any other basis or theory. You
are giving up these legal claims on behalf of yourself and your
heirs and representatives, who might be able to assert some claims
against Raser. Once you and Raser have signed this Severance
Agreement, you will have given up these legal claims and those
listed herein forever and you cannot sue or bring an action to
recover money for those claims.
Raser waives, releases and otherwise discharges you from and
against any legal claims the Company may have against you arising
out of your performance of duties as Chief Financial Officer of
Raser, except to the extent such claims or liabilities are based on
actions taken by you for which you may be found criminally liable
based on your knowing and intentional conduct. You agree Raser's
release only applies to claims arising, discoverable or discovered
before the date this document is signed, and not to claims that may
arise after the signing of this document. Raser also waives,
releases and otherwise discharges any rights or legal claims it may
have relative to Raser stock in which your interests were vested,
which were previously delivered to you, and which will vest and be
delivered pursuant to the Severance Agreement. Raser further agrees
to indemnify, defend and hold you harmless from and against claims
by or liabilities to third parties arising out of your performance
of duties as Chief Financial Officer of Raser, except to the extent
such claims or liabilities are based on actions taken by you for
which you may be found criminally liable based on your knowing and
intentional conduct.
In exchange for the benefits described herein , you forever
waive, release and discharge, to the full extent permitted by law,
the right to pursue any and all claims, causes of action, and
demands for relief, fees and liabilities of any kind whatsoever,
including attorneys fees and costs, known and unknown, that you or
your heirs or representatives ever had or now have against Raser,
its officers, directors, managers, employees, and shareholders
including (without limiting the generality of the foregoing)
claims, causes of action, and demands for relief:
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A. under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (as
amended);
B. under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as
amended);
C. under the Americans With Disabilities Act (as amended);
D. under the Family and Medical Leave Act;
E. under any other federal, state, or local law, including
(without limitation) laws prohibiting, or relating to employment
discrimination, harassment, or wrongful discharge for any basis or
reason, or imposing any restriction on a company's right to
terminate its employees to the extent permitted under each law;
F. under the National Labor Relations Act;
G. under the Fair Labor Standards Act;
H. under the Occupational Safety and Health Act;
I. under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act;
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J. under any claim relating to any civil, tort, breach of
express or implied contract, breach of express or implied
covenants, and/or any other legal theory whatsoever, whether by
reason of my employment or termination or on any other ground;
K. under any claim that this Agreement was procured by fraud or
as a result of a mistake of fact or should otherwise be
rescinded;
L. under any claim that you know about or that currently exist
(or that arise from facts, events or circumstances that exist or
have occurred but that you may not know about).
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, you and Raser
agree that this waiver, release, and discharge shall apply
regardless of whether the companies or persons released were acting
in a personal or corporate capacity, or in a fiduciary capacity in
connection with an employee benefit plan maintained by Raser.
You understand that this release does not prevent you from
filing a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission and/or the Utah Anti-Discrimination and
Labor Division. However, by signing this Agreement you hereby waive
any right to receive any compensation or damages awarded to you by
such agencies in the case that you were to prevail in such a claim
and will assign any such award to Raser.
You acknowledge that in accordance with the Age Discrimination
in Employment Act, the Company has provided the opportunity for you
to consider the terms of this Agreement for at least twenty-one
(21) days before signing it; and that if you have signed and
returned this document prior to the expiration of twenty-one days,
you have done so voluntarily and have therefore declined your right
to consider the Agreement for the full twenty-one day period. You
acknowledge that you have been informed that you have the right to
have this Agreement reviewed by legal counsel prior to signing it.
You also acknowledge that you have been informed that you may
revoke your signature within seven (7) days of signing this
document and void this Agreement.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, however, you do not
waive or release any claims you may have to date (i) to benefits
that have accrued or vested or to which you are entitled according
to the terms of Raser's benefit plans (such as 401k); or
(ii) arising out of events that occur after the date you sign
this Severance Agreement. In addition, you are not waiving the
right to challenge the legal validity of this Severance Agreement.
With these stated exceptions only, you agree and acknowledge that
you are forever giving up the right to sue for any and all claims
described in this Severance Agreement and may not assign or
transfer such claims to anyone else.
5. You acknowledge the receipt and sufficiency of consideration
adequate to support this Severance Agreement in general and, in
particular, your release of rights set forth herein, since you are
receiving benefits you otherwise would not have been entitled to
receive.
6. You agree and acknowledge that you have carefully read this
Severance Agreement, and that you understand and have full
knowledge of all of its provisions. You agree and acknowledge that
you are entering into this Severance Agreement voluntarily, of your
own free will, and without duress.
7. (a) You acknowledge that any secrecy
and/or confidentiality agreements and non-compete agreements you
have signed with Raser are not superseded by this Severance
Agreement and thus remain in full force and effect, subject to the
provision of this Section 7 hereof. You further agree that you will
not disclose to a third party or use any trade secrets or other
commercially valuable confidential or proprietary information that
you possess and that was disclosed to you or to which you had or
will have access during your employment by Raser (the "Confidential
Information") including marketing strategy, sales strategy,
planning strategy, or confidential and/or proprietary information
that relates in any way to actual or anticipated business,
research, development, product, intellectual property, including
but not limited to trade secrets and patentable subject matter,
divestment, acquisition, planning, sales, or marketing activity of
Raser. You may, however, disclose such Confidential Information to
a third party with the written consent of Raser, or as may be
required by law. In the event disclosure of any Confidential
Information is required by law, you agree to provide Raser promptly
with written notice of such requirement so that Raser and/or its
affiliate(s) may, if they so desire, seek an appropriate protective
order. You agree that you shall not disclose any Confidential
Information, or any part thereof, pending conclusion of any legal
proceeding regarding such disclosure requirement or protective
order. You further agree to provide reasonable assistance to Raser
and/or its affiliate(s) in obtaining such protective order or other
reliable assurance that confidential treatment will be granted for
the Confidential Information. You agree to return all property
belonging to the Company within seven days of your execution of
this Severance Agreement. This includes, but is not limited to,
equipment (except as specifically provided for herein), materials,
data, leads, client lists, computer files, form agreements and
other legal materials, product, and any other property, whether
physical or intellectual that belongs to the Company and is in your
possession. However, you may keep copies of personnel documents
relating to your employment with Raser, and you may keep personal
notes or journals, personal and administrative contacts, and
personal matters and copies of any correspondence between you and
others at the Company specifically relating to your work
performance as Chief Financial Officer. Notwithstanding anything to
the contrary, you acknowledge that you are subject to certain
confidentiality and non-compete requirements set forth more
particularly in that At Will Employment, Confidential
Information, Invention Assignment, Noncompetition and Arbitration
Agreement executed previously by the parties, which
requirements you agree shall remain in full force and effect and
are in no way abrogated or otherwise superseded by this Severance
Agreement. To the extent that you retain copies of any
correspondence between you and others at the Company relating to
your work performance as Chief Financial Officer, you agree that
such is "Confidential Information" and may contain trade secrets,
know how, or other intellectual property owned by Raser and to the
extent such is Confidential Information you agree to keep such
information confidential and to not disclose it to any party except
for legal counsel retained by you.
(b) You hereby agree that you will not make any disparaging
comments, negative statements or do anything that derogates the
Company, or its services, reputation, officers, directors,
managers, employees, shareholders, financial status, or operations
which may damage the Company, its officers, directors, managers,
employees, and/or shareholders in any way, including but not
limited to, in any business relationship whether actual or
potential. You further agree that you will not join with, assist,
or otherwise aid in any manner another person, entity, or party in
making any disparaging or negative statements or comments about the
Company, its services, reputation, officers, directors, managers,
employees, shareholders, financial status, or operations which
could damage the Company. You also agree that you will not join
with, assist, or otherwise aid in any manner another person,
entity, or party in bringing or defending against any claim or
action against the Company, its officers, directors, managers,
employees, and/or shareholders.
8. You represent and warrant that within the past three (3)
years you have not commenced, maintained, prosecuted or
participated in any action, suit, charge, grievance, complaint or
proceeding of any kind against Raser in any court or before any
administrative or investigative body or agency. You further
acknowledge and agree that by virtue of the foregoing, you have
waived all relief available to you (including without limitation,
monetary damages, equitable relief and reinstatement) under any of
the claims and/or causes of action waived in this Severance
Agreement.
9. In connection with mat
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