Exhibit 10.4
SETTLEMENT AND
GENERAL RELEASE AGREEMENT AMONG FORMER SRS STOCKHOLDERS AND
OEC
This
Settlement and General Release Agreement (“Ag
r eement”) is entered into as of
March 7, 2008 (the “Effective Date”) by Open
Energy Corporation (“OEC”), formerly known as Barnabus
Energy, Inc., and the Stockholders (as defined in the SPA
referred to below) with reference to the following
facts:
RECITALS
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A.
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A Stock Purchase
Agreement dated as of February 8, 2006 was entered into among
OEC, 2093603 Ontario, Inc., Solar Roofing Systems, Inc.
(“SRS”) and the Stockholders (the “SPA”).
All initial capitalized terms used in this Agreement that are not
otherwise defined herein are accorded the definitions of the SPA or
share provisions for the Exchangeable Shares, as
applicable.
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B.
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Under the SPA, the
Stockholders were to be paid Cash Consideration and Share
Consideration for the purchase of their interest in SRS.
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C.
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At the Closing of
the SPA, all of the Cash Consideration and a portion of the Share
Consideration (a combination of 3,182,152 OEC Common Stock and
Exchangeable Shares) was delivered to the Stockholders in
accordance with the provisions of the SPA.
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D.
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The remainder of
the Share Consideration (a combination of 3,182,152 OEC Common
Stock and Exchangeable Shares) was to be delivered to the
Stockholders subsequent to the Closing, subject to certain terms
and conditions.
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E.
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A Registration
Rights Agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”)
was entered into between OEC and Canadian Stockholders, and an
Exchange Rights Agreement (the “Exchange Rights
Agreement”) and a Support Agreement (the “Support
Agreement”) was entered into by OEC, 2093603 Ontario Inc. and
Canadian Stockholders for the benefit of such Stockholders, on the
closing of the transactions contemplated in the SPA. No Share
Consideration was registered pursuant to the terms and conditions
specified in the SPA and the Registration Rights
Agreement.
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F.
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OEC and the
Stockholders disagree regarding their respective rights and
liabilities related to the SPA other matters.
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G.
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The parties desire
to avoid the expense of litigating their differences and to resolve
all outstanding issues between them on the terms and conditions
contained in this Agreement.
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NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual recitals, covenants, and
conditions in this Agreement, and for other valuable consideration,
the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the
parties agree as follows:
AGREEMENT
1.
Effective Date. This Agreement shall be valid and binding
among all parties as of the Effective Date.
2.
Obligations of OEC.
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a.
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OEC shall issue
certified checks or wire transfers for full payment, including
interest, of stockholder loans payable to certain of the
Stockholders in the amounts and on the dates as more particularly
set out in Schedule A hereto. Upon receipt by the Stockholders
listed on Schedule A of the funds described on Schedule A, OEC
shall be released in full from all liabilities pursuant to any loan
between OEC and any Stockholder.
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b.
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OEC shall issue a
certified check or wire transfer on the Effective Date to Jim
Chaney for USD$72,000 for services rendered.
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c.
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On the Effective
Date, OEC shall issue or instruct the OEC transfer agent to issue
additional Share Consideration to the Stockholders as more
particularly set out in Schedule B hereto.
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d.
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On the Effective
Date, OEC shall pay in full all outstanding amounts, including
principal and accrued and unpaid interest in respect of the Bank of
Montreal loan facility of SRS (the “Bank Loan”) and,
following the Effective Date, OEC will use commercially reasonable
efforts to obtain as soon as reasonably practicable the
Bank’s acknowledgement that all liabilities under the Bank
Loan have been satisfied and that as a result, the guarantees of
such indebtedness by Norman Dodd, Robert Kafato and William
Chislett have similarly been released or cancelled.
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e.
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OEC shall at its
sole expense file a registration statement (the “Registration
Statement”) with the SEC prior to May 31, 2008 to
qualify or register all of the shares of Registrable Stock (which
has the meaning ascribed to it in the Registration Rights
Agreement), the effect of which Registration Statement is to enable
the shares of Registrable Stock, on their issue, to be immediately
and freely traded thereafter in the United States on all stock
exchanges and quotation systems on which outstanding common stock
of OEC (or such other shares or securities derived
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therefrom) have
been listed by OEC and remain listed and are quoted or posted for
trading at such time.
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f.
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In the event that
the aforesaid Registration Statement is not filed with the SEC on
or before May 31, 2008, OEC shall pay to the Canadian
Stockholders as liquidated damages a total sum of USD $20,000
pro-rata on or before the 5 th day of the following
month, and shall similarly pay as liquidated damages the same total
sum of USD $20,000 in respect of each month thereafter that the
Registration Statement is not filed until the month in which the
Registration Statement is so filed. For the avoidance of doubt, if
the Registration Statement is filed during the month of
June 2008 (and not sooner), only one aggregate payment of USD
$20,000 would be payable hereunder.
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g.
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OEC agrees to use
all commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that (a) the
Registration Statement is effective on or prior to August 31,
2008 and (b) that the Registration Statement is kept
continuously effective thereafter until (i) the date that all
Registrable Stock has been sold, and (ii) the later of
(A) August 31, 2010 and (B) 90 days following the
fiscal year end of OEC occurring in 2010. OEC will forthwith notify
Norman Dodd upon the Registration Statement becoming effective, or
ceasing to be effective, as applicable, or if OEC reasonably
believes that the Registration Statement will not be effective by
August 31, 2008 or will thereafter cease to be effective. For
purposes hereof, “commercially reasonable efforts”
shall require OEC to respond to SEC comment letters within 20 days
of OEC’s receipt thereof.
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h.
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OEC will at its
sole expense forthwith take all necessary actions to enable U.S.
Stockholders to transfer any OEC shares held by them, including
directing its legal counsel to provide, in accordance with
applicable state and federal securities laws, a legal opinion to
OEC’s transfer agent with respect to the transfer of any OEC
shares by the Stockholders in compliance with an exemption from
registration, including transfers permitted under Rule 144 and
Rule 144(k), or any successor statute or rule. OEC thereafter
agrees, at its sole expense, to take all such actions necessary to
enable any Stockholder wishing to transfer OEC shares to do so
under Rule 144 and Rule 144(k), or any successor statute
or rule, subject to applicable restrictions under such statutes or
rules or under section 8 of the Registration Rights Agreement,
as applicable, and such Stockholder will be deemed at the time of
transfer to have made the representation and warranty set out in
Section 3(vii) hereof to OEC.
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i.
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Effective as of
the Effective Date, OEC will reduce the current USD $1.50 per share
exercise price of the OEC stock options issued to Norman Dodd, Don
Rogers and Howard Gomes (the “Repriced Stock Options”)
to the exercise price contemplated in Schedule C.
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j.
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Effective as of
the Effective Date, OEC will extend the expiry date of the Repriced
Stock Options, as well as the expiry date of other options granted
to such persons as more particularly described in Schedule D (the
“Other Stock Options”), from three months to 6 months
after their respective termination of employment with OEC or its
affiliates. For purposes hereof, Don Rogers and Norman Dodd will be
deemed to have terminated their employment on January 31,
2008.
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k.
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On the Effective
Date, OEC shall reimburse up to Cdn$20,000 plus applicable taxes in
legal costs actually incurred by the Stockholders in connection
with the settlement transaction contemplated herein.
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l.
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OEC
agrees that it will, within the time periods specified in the share
provisions for the Exchangeable Shares, exercise the Liquidation
Call Right, Redemption Call Right or Retraction Call Right (as
applicable) upon such call rights becoming available to it,
provided that OEC determines, acting reasonably, that the resulting
tax consequences to
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