Exhibit 10.8
OWNERSHIP LIMIT WAIVER AGREEMENT
(VORNADO)
THIS OWNERSHIP LIMIT WAIVER
AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”), dated as of
December 31, 2006, is between Lexington Realty Trust, a Maryland
real estate investment trust (the “ Company ”),
and Vornado Realty, L.P. (“VRT”), a Delaware limited
partnership (together with any entity at least 99% of the voting
securities of which are owned by VRT, “Vornado”).
Capitalized terms used, but not otherwise defined, in this
Agreement shall have the meanings given to them in the
hereinafter-mentioned Declaration.
R E C I T A L S
A. The
Company and Newkirk Realty Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation
(“ Newkirk ”) have entered into that certain
Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 23, 2006 (the
“ Merger Agreement ”).
B. Article
IX of the Company’s Declaration of Trust (the “
Declaration ”) contains (1) a restriction prohibiting
any Person from Beneficially Owning or Constructively Owning
outstanding shares of beneficial interest in the Company which are
classified as Common Stock or Preferred Stock (the “
Equity Stock ”) in excess of 9.8% of the value of the
outstanding Equity Stock of the Company (the “ Ownership
Limit ”) and (2) a restriction setting forth that any
sale, transfer, gift, hypothecation, pledge, assignment, devise or
other disposition of Equity Stock of the Company that, if
effective, would result in any Person Beneficially Owning or
Constructively Owning Equity Stock in excess of the Ownership Limit
shall be void ab initio as to the Transfer of that number of shares
of Equity Stock which would be otherwise Beneficially or
Constructively Owned by such Person in excess of the Ownership
Limit; and the intended transferee shall acquire no rights in such
excess shares of Equity Stock.
C. Pursuant
to subparagraph (a)(9) of Article IX of the Declaration, the
Company’s Board of Trustees has adopted resolutions approving
Vornado’s exemption from the Ownership Limit on the terms and
conditions hereinafter set forth.
AGREEMENT
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1.
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WAIVER OF OWNERSHIP LIMIT
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1.1 Pursuant
to Section 7.26 of the Merger Agreement, the Company exempts
Vornado, effective as of the Effective Time (as defined in the
Merger Agreement) and subject to the terms herein, from the
Ownership Limit solely (A) (i) to the extent of Vornado’s
ownership of the lesser of (1) the number of shares of Equity Stock
of the Company into which [10,186,991] NRT OP Units, NRT Common
Stock (each as defined in the Merger Agreement) or any combination
thereof are exchangeable pursuant to the Merger (as defined in the
Merger Agreement); (2) the number of shares of Equity Stock of the
Company into which NRT OP Units, NRT Common Stock or combination
thereof, owned by Vornado as of the Effective Time, are
exchangeable pursuant to the Merger; and (3) any lesser number of
shares of Equity Stock of the Company owned by Vornado from time to
time following the Effective Time, plus (ii) to the extent
of Vornado’s Beneficial Ownership or Constructive Ownership
of any Equity
Stock of the Company that is owned
by Winthrop Realty Trust or WRT Realty L.P. (together “
Winthrop ”), but in no event more than the lesser of
(1) the number of shares of Equity Stock of the Company into which
[4,375,000] NRT Common Stock owned by Winthrop are exchangeable
pursuant to the Merger; (2) the number of shares of Equity Stock of
the Company into which NRT Common Stock, owned by Winthrop as of
the Effective Time, are exchangeable pursuant to the Merger; and
(3) any lesser number of shares of Equity Stock of the Company
owned by Winthrop from time to time following the Effective Time,
and (B) upon and subject to Vornado’s compliance with Section
2.2 below and its continued compliance with the covenants referred
to therein. This exemption shall not apply to any other shares of
Equity Stock of the Company Beneficially Owned or Constructively
Owned by Vornado.
1.2 For
avoidance of doubt, (x) following any sale, assignment, transfer or
other disposition by Vornado (or Winthrop) of NRT OP Units or
shares of Equity Stock of the Company, the exemption granted by the
Company hereunder shall exempt Vornado from the Ownership Limit
only with respect to the maximum aggregate number of NRT OP Units
and shares of Equity Stock of the Company, as the case may be,
owned by Vornado (or Winthrop) immediately after such sale,
assignment, transfer or disposition and after each such sale,
assignment, transfer or disposition by Vornado (or Winthrop)
anytime thereafter and (y) under no circumstances shall this
exemption apply to any NRT OP Units or shares of Equity Stock of
the Company acquired by Vornado (or Winthrop) at any time after the
date of this Agreement.
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2.
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LIMITATIONS AND OTHER MATTERS
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2.1 The
exemption set forth in Section 1 above (the “ Ownership
Limit Waiver ”) shall not be effective if and to the
extent that, as a result of Vornado’s ownership of Equity
Stock of the Company permitted by reason of the Ownership Limit
Waiver, (A) the Company would be considered to own (actually or
Constructively, applying the provisions of Section 856(d)(5) of the
Code) an interest described in Section 856(d)(2)(B) of the Code in
a “Vornado Related Tenant” (as defined in Section 2.4
herein), or (B) any “individual” (within the meaning of
Section 542(a)(2) of the Code) would be considered to
“own” (within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the
Code) any of the shares of Equity Stock of the Company covered by
the Ownership Limit Waiver, of more than 9.8% (by number of shares
or value, whichever is more restrictive) of the total outstanding
shares of Equity Stock of the Company (whether or not such
ownership causes the Company to be “closely held” under
the REIT rules). In addition, if the Ownership Limit Waiver is not
effective as a result of the operation of any clause(s) of the
preceding sentence, the Equity Stock of the Company that otherwise
would be Excess Stock shall be deemed to have been transferred to
the Company in accordance with subparagraph (b)(1) of Article IX of
the Declaration.
2.2 For
the Ownership Limit Waiver to be effective, Vornado must execute a
counterpart signature page to this Agreement and complete and make
the representations and covenants set forth in the Certificate of
Representations and Covenants, the form of which is attached hereto
as Exhibit A (the “ Certificate ”), and
must deliver such Certificate to the Company. Except as otherwise
determined by the Board of Trustees of the Company, the Ownership
Limit Waiver shall cease to be effective upon any breach of the
representations or covenants set forth herein or in the
Certificate. In addition, if the Ownership Limit Waiver
ceases to be effective as a result
of the operation of the preceding sentence, the shares of Equity
Stock of the Company that would otherwise be Excess Stock shall be
deemed to have been transferred to the Company in accordance with
subparagraph (b)(1) of Article IX of the Declaration.
2.3 Vornado
shall deliver to the Company, at such times as may reasonably be
requested by the Company (it being acknowledged that the Company
may reasonably make such request on at least a calendar quarterly
basis), a certificate signed by an authorized officer of Vornado to
the effect that Vornado has complied and expects to continue to
comply with its representations and covenants set forth in this
Agreement and the Certificate. If so requested by the Company,
Vornado will cooperate with the Company in investigating any direct
or indirect relationship that Vornado and any Person whose
ownership of shares of Equity Stock of the Company would be
attributed to Vornado under Section 318(a) of the Code (as modified
by Section 856(d)(5) of the Code), may have with the
Company’s tenants or “independent contractors”
(within the meaning of Section 856(d)(3) of the Code), including
but not limited to Vornado’s relationship with Winthrop, for
purposes of determining compliance with the provisions of this
Ownership Limit Waiver and in updating the Certificate accordingly.
However, the Company’s remedies under this Agreement with
respect to Vornado’s representations and covenants set forth
in this Agreement and the Certificate shall become effective only
if and for the taxable years of the Company during which Vornado
requires the exemptions afforded to Vornado under this Agreement
(the “Waiver Period”).
2.4 For
purposes of this Agreement, “ Vornado Related Tenant
” means any entity (x) in which Vornado owns during the
Waiver Period (actually or Constructively, applying the provisions
of Section 856(d)(5) of the Code), in the case of a corporation,
shares equal to or greater than the “Threshold
Percentage” (as defined in Section 2.5 herein) of either the
total combined voting power of all classes of stock of such entity
entitled to vote or the total value of shares of all classes of
stock of such entity or, in the case of an entity that is not a
corporation, an interest equal to or greater than the Threshold
Percentage in the assets or net profits of such entity (such actual
or Constructive ownership equal to or greater than the Threshold
Percentage being hereinafter called a “ Related
Interest ”), (y) from which the Company is or will be
deriving rental income (other than a taxable REIT subsidiary, if
the requirements of Section 856(d)(8) of the Code are satisfied)
and (z) included in the tenant list (the “ Tenant List
”) attached hereto as Exhibit B (or added to such
Tenant List pu
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