JANUS ASPEN SERIES
FUND PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT
(SERVICE SHARES)
THIS AGREEMENT is made this 25th day of February, between JANUS ASPEN
SERIES, an open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware
business trust (the "Trust"), JANUS DISTRIBUTORS, INC. ("JDI"), a Colorado
corporation and distributor of shares of the Trust, and ALLMERICA FINANCIAL LIFE
INSURANCE AND ANNUITY COMPANY, a life insurance company organized under the laws
of the State of Delaware (the "Company"), on its own behalf and on behalf of
each segregated asset account of the Company (the "Accounts").
W I T N E S S E T H:
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WHEREAS, the Trust has registered with the Securities and Exchange
Commission as an open-end management investment company under the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), and the beneficial interest in
the Trust is divided into several series of shares, each series representing an
interest in a particular managed portfolio of securities and other assets (the
"Portfolios"); and
WHEREAS, the Trust has registered the offer and sale of a class of
shares designated the Service Shares ("Shares") of each of its Portfolios under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"); and
WHEREAS, the Trust desires to act as an investment vehicle for separate
accounts established for variable life insurance policies and variable annuity
contracts to be offered by insurance companies that have entered into
participation agreements with the Trust (the "Participating Insurance
Companies"); and
WHEREAS, the Trust has received an order from the Securities and
Exchange Commission granting Participating Insurance Companies and their
separate accounts exemptions from the provisions of Sections 9(a), 13(a), 15(a)
and 15(b) of the 1940 Act, and Rules 6e-2(b)(15) and 6e-3(T)(b)(15) thereunder,
to the extent necessary to permit shares of the Trust to be sold to and held by
variable annuity and variable life insurance separate accounts of both
affiliated and unaffiliated life insurance companies and certain qualified
pension and retirement plans (the "Exemptive Order"); and
WHEREAS, JDI serves as distributor of shares of the Trust; and
WHEREAS, the Company has registered or will register (unless
registration is not required under applicable law) certain variable life
insurance policies and/or variable annuity contracts under the 1933 Act (the
"Contracts"); and
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WHEREAS, the Company has registered or will register each Account as a
unit investment trust under the 1940 Act; and
WHEREAS, the Company desires to utilize the Shares of one or more
Portfolios as an investment vehicle of the Accounts;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of their mutual promises, the parties
agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
SALE OF TRUST SHARES
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1.1 The Trust shall make Shares of its Portfolios available to the
Accounts at the net asset value next computed after receipt of such purchase
order by the Trust (or its agent), as established in accordance with the
provisions of the then current prospectus of the Trust. Shares of a
particular Portfolio of the Trust shall be ordered in such quantities and at
such times as determined by the Company to be necessary to meet the
requirements of the Contracts. The Trustees of the Trust (the "Trustees") may
refuse to sell Shares of any Portfolio to any person, or suspend or terminate
the offering of Shares of any Portfolio if such action is required by law or
by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction or is, in the sole discretion
of the Trustees acting in good faith and in light of their fiduciary duties
under federal and any applicable state laws, necessary in the best interests
of the shareholders of such Portfolio.
1.2 The Trust will redeem any full or fractional Shares of any
Portfolio when requested by the Company on behalf of an Account at the net
asset value next computed after receipt by the Trust (or its agent) of the
request for redemption, as established in accordance with the provisions of
the then current prospectus of the Trust. The Trust shall make payment for
such shares in the manner established from time to time by the Trust, but in
no event shall payment be delayed for a greater period than is permitted by
the 0000 Xxx.
1.3 For the purposes of Sections 1.1 and 1.2, the Trust hereby
appoints the Company as its agent for the limited purpose of receiving and
accepting purchase and redemption orders resulting from investment in and
payments under the Contracts. Receipt by the Company shall constitute receipt
by the Trust provided that i) such orders are received by the Company in good
order prior to the time the net asset value of each Portfolio is priced in
accordance with its prospectus and ii) the Trust receives notice of such
orders by 10:00 a.m. New York time on the next following Business Day.
"Business Day" shall mean any day on which the New York Stock Exchange is
open for trading and on which the Trust calculates its net asset value
pursuant to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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1.4 Purchase orders that are transmitted to the Trust in accordance
with Section 1.3 shall be paid for no later than 12:00 noon New York time on
the same Business Day that the Trust receives notice of the order. Payments
shall be made in federal funds transmitted by wire.
1.5 Issuance and transfer of the Trust's Shares will be by book
entry only. Stock certificates will not be issued to the Company or the
Account. Shares ordered from the Trust will be recorded in the appropriate
title for each Account or the appropriate subaccount of each Account.
1.6 The Trust shall furnish prompt notice to the Company of any
income dividends or capital gain distributions payable on the Trust's Shares.
The Company hereby elects to receive all such income dividends and capital
gain distributions as are payable on a Portfolio's Shares in additional
Shares of that Portfolio. The Trust shall notify the Company of the number of
Shares so issued as payment of such dividends and distributions.
1.7 The Trust shall make the net asset value per Share for each
Portfolio available to the Company on a daily basis as soon as reasonably
practical after the net asset value per Share is calculated and shall use its
best efforts to make such net asset value per Share available by 6 p.m. New
York time.
1.8 The Trust agrees that its Shares will be sold only to
Participating Insurance Companies and their separate accounts and to certain
qualified pension and retirement plans to the extent permitted by the
Exemptive Order. No Shares of any Portfolio will be sold directly to the
general public. The Company agrees that Trust Shares will be used only for
the purposes of funding the Contracts and the Accounts.
1.9 The Trust agrees that all Participating Insurance Companies
shall have the obligations and responsibilities regarding pass-through voting
and conflicts of interest corresponding to those contained in Section 2.8 and
Article IV of this Agreement.
ARTICLE II
OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES
--------------------------
2.1 The Trust shall prepare and be responsible for filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission and any state regulators requiring such
filing all shareholder reports, notices, proxy materials (or similar
materials such as voting instruction solicitation materials), prospectuses
and statements of additional information of the Trust. The Trust shall bear
the costs of registration and qualification of its shares, preparation and
filing of the documents listed in this Section 2.1 and all taxes to which an
issuer is subject on the issuance and transfer of its shares.
2.2 At the option of the Company, the Trust shall either (a) provide
the Company (at the Company's expense) with as many copies of the Trust's
Shares' current prospectus,
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annual report, semi-annual report and other shareholder communications,
including any amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing, as the
Company shall reasonably request; or (b) provide the Company with a camera
ready copy of such documents in a form suitable for printing. The Trust shall
provide the Company with a copy of the Shares' statement of additional
information in a form suitable for duplication by the Company. The Trust (at
its expense) shall provide the Company with copies of any Trust-sponsored
proxy materials in such quantity as the Company shall reasonably require for
distribution to Contract owners.
2.3 (a) The Company shall bear the costs of printing and
distributing the Trust's Shares' prospectus, statement of additional
information, shareholder reports and other shareholder communications to
owners of and applicants for policies for which Shares of the Trust are
serving or are to serve as an investment vehicle. The Trust or its adviser
shall bear the costs of distributing proxy materials (or similar materials
such as voting solicitation instructions) to Contract owners for proxy
materials initiated by the Trust or its adviser; the Company shall bear such
costs for proxy materials initiated by the Company. The Company assumes sole
responsibility for ensuring that such materials are delivered to Contract
owners in accordance with applicable federal and state securities laws.
(b) If the Company elects to include any materials provided by
the Trust, specifically prospectuses, SAIs, shareholder reports and proxy
materials, on its web site or in any other computer or electronic format, the
Company assumes sole responsibility for maintaining such materials in the
form provided by the Trust and for promptly replacing such materials with all
updates provided by the Trust.
2.4 The Company agrees and acknowledges that the Trust's adviser,
Janus Capital Corporation ("Janus Capital"), is the sole owner of the name
and xxxx "Xxxxx" and that all use of any designation comprised in whole or
part of Janus (a "Xxxxx Xxxx") under this Agreement shall inure to the
benefit of Janus Capital. Except as provided in Section 2.5, the Company
shall not use any Xxxxx Xxxx on its own behalf or on behalf of the Accounts
or Contracts in any registration statement, advertisement, sales literature
or other materials relating to the Accounts or Contracts without the prior
written consent of Janus Capital. Upon termination of this Agreement for any
reason, the Company shall cease all use of any Xxxxx Xxxx(s) as soon as
reasonably practicable.
2.5 The Company shall furnish, or cause to be furnished, to the
Trust or its designee, a copy of each Contract prospectus or statement of
additional information in which the Trust or its investment adviser is named
prior to the filing of such document with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. The Company shall furnish, or shall cause to be furnished, to the
Trust or its designee, each piece of sales literature or other promotional
material in which the Trust or its investment adviser is named, at least
fifteen Business Days prior to its use. No such material shall be used if the
Trust or its designee reasonably objects to such use within fifteen Business
Days after receipt of such material.
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2.6 The Company shall not give any information or make any
representations or statements on behalf of the Trust or concerning the Trust
or its investment adviser in connection with the sale of the Contracts other
than information or representations contained in and accurately derived from
the registration statement or prospectus for the Trust Shares (as such
registration statement and prospectus may be amended or supplemented from
time to time), reports of the Trust, Trust-sponsored proxy statements, or in
sales literature or other promotional material approved by the Trust or its
designee, except as required by legal process or regulatory authorities or
with the written permission of the Trust or its designee.
2.7 The Trust shall not give any information or make any
representations or statements on behalf of the Company or concerning the
Company, the Accounts or the Contracts other than information or
representations contained in and accurately derived from the registration
statement or prospectus for the Contracts (as such registration statement and
prospectus may be amended or supplemented from time to time), or in materials
approved by the Company for distribution including sales literature or other
promotional materials, except as required by legal process or regulatory
authorities or with the written permission of the Company.
2.8 So long as, and to the extent that the Securities and Exchange
Commission interprets the 1940 Act to require pass-through voting privileges
for variable policyowners, the Company will provide pass-through voting
privileges to owners of policies whose cash values are invested, through the
Accounts, in shares of the Trust. The Trust shall require all Participating
Insurance Companies to calculate voting privileges in the same manner and the
Company shall be responsible for assuring that the Accounts calculate voting
privileges in the manner established by the Trust. With respect to each
Account, the Company will vote Shares of the Trust held by the Account and
for which no timely voting instructions from policyowners are received as
well as Shares it owns that are held by that Account, in the same proportion
as those Shares for which voting instructions are received. The Company and
its agents will in no way recommend or oppose or interfere with the
solicitation of proxies for Trust shares held by Contract owners without the
prior written consent of the Trust, which consent may be withheld in the
Trust's sole discretion.
2.9 The Company shall notify the Trust of any applicable state
insurance laws that restrict the Portfolios' investments or otherwise affect
the operation of the Trust and shall notify the Trust of any changes in such
laws.
ARTICLE III
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
------------------------------
3.1 The Company represents and warrants that it is an insurance
company duly organized and in good standing under the laws of the State of
Delaware and that it has legally and validly established each Account as a
segregated asset account under such law.
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3.2 The Company represents and warrants that each Account has been
registered or, prior to any issuance or sale of the Contracts, will be
registered as a unit investment trust in accordance with the provisions of
the 0000 Xxx.
3.3 The Company represents and warrants that the Contracts or
interests in the Accounts (1) are or, prior to issuance, will be registered
as securities under the 1933 Act or, alternatively (2) are not registered
because they are properly exempt from registration under the 1933 Act or will
be offered exclusively in transactions that are properly exempt from
registration under the 1933 Act. The Company further represents and warrants
that the Contracts will be issued and sold in compliance in all material
respects with all applicable federal and state laws; and the sale of the
Contracts shall comply in all material respects with state insurance
suitability requirements.
3.4 The parties to the Agreement each represent and warrant that, to
their knowledge, their respective user interfaces and operating systems and
environments that are material to the performance of this Agreement will
properly process data prior to, during and after the calendar year 2000 and
will recognize accurate century data, including leap years. Notwithstanding
any other provision of this Agreement, no party, nor any of their affiliates,
officers, employees or agents shall be liable for any loss, liability, cost,
damage, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees and costs)
("Losses"), except for Losses directly resulting from such party's
negligence, bad faith, or willful malfeasance. No party shall be liable for
any indirect, special, or consequential losses, even if the party has notice
of the possibility of such losses.
3.5 The Trust represents and warrants that it is duly organized and
validly existing under the laws of the State of Delaware.
3.6 The Trust represents and warrants that the Trust Shares offered
and sold pursuant to this Agreement will be registered under the 1933 Act and
the Trust shall be registered under the 1940 Act prior to any issuance or
sale of such Shares. The Trust shall amend its registration statement under
the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act from time to time as required in order to
effect the continuous offering of its Shares. The Trust shall register and
qualify its Shares for sale in accordance with the laws of the various states
only if and to the extent deemed advisable by the Trust.
3.7 The Trust represents and warrants that the investments of each
Portfolio will comply with the diversification requirements set forth in
Section 817(h) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the
rules and regulations thereunder.
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ARTICLE IV
POTENTIAL CONFLICTS
-------------------
4.1 The parties acknowledge that the Trust's Shares may be made
available for investment to other Participating Insurance Companies. In such
event, the Trustees will monitor the Trust for the existence of any material
irreconcilable conflict between the interests of the contract owners of all
Participating Insurance Companies. An irreconcilable material conflict may
arise for a variety of reasons, including: (a) an action by any state
insurance regulatory authority; (b) a change in applicable federal or state
insurance, tax, or securities laws or regulations, or a public ruling,
private letter ruling, no-action or interpretative letter, or any similar
action by insurance, tax, or securities regulatory authorities; (c) an
administrative or judicial decision in any relevant proceeding; (d) the
manner in which the investments of any Portfolio are being managed; (e) a
difference in voting instructions given by variable annuity contract and
variable life insurance contract owners; or (f) a decision by an insurer to
disregard the voting instructions of contract owners. The Trustees shall
promptly inform the Company if they determine that an irreconcilable material
conflict exists and the implications thereof.
4.2 The Company agrees to promptly report any potential or existing
conflicts of which it is aware to the Trustees. The Company will assist the
Trustees in carrying out their responsibilities under the Exemptive Order by
providing the Trustees with all information reasonably necessary for the
Trustees to consider any issues raised including, but not limited to,
information as to a decision by the Company to disregard Contract owner
voting instructions.
4.3 If it is determined by a majority of the Trustees, or a majority
of its disinterested Trustees, that a material irreconcilable conflict exists
that affects the interests of Contract owners, the Company shall, in
cooperation with other Participating Insurance Companies whose contract
owners are also affected, at its expense and to the extent reasonably
practicable (as determined by the Trustees) take whatever steps are necessary
to remedy or eliminate the irreconcilable material conflict, which steps
could include: (a) withdrawing the assets allocable to some or all of the
Accounts from the Trust or any Portfolio and reinvesting such assets in a
different investment medium, including (but not limited to) another Portfolio
of the Trust, or submitting the question of whether or not such segregation
should be implemented to a vote of all affected Contract owners and, as
appropriate, segregating the assets of any appropriate group (I.E., annuity
contract owners, life insurance contract owners, or variable contract owners
of one or more Participating Insurance Companies) that votes in favor of such
segregation, or offering to the affected Contract owners the option of making
such a change; and (b) establishing a new registered management investment
company or managed separate account.
4.4 If a material irreconcilable conflict arises because of a
decision by the Company to disregard Contract owner voting instructions and
that decision represents a minority position or would preclude a majority
vote, the Company may be required, at the Trust's election, to withdraw the
affected Account's investment in the Trust and terminate this Agreement with
respect to such Account; provided, however that such withdrawal and
termination shall be limited to the extent required by the foregoing material
irreconcilable conflict as determined by
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a majority of the disinterested Trustees. Any such withdrawal and
termination must take place within six (6) months after the Trust gives
written notice that this provision is being implemented. Until the end of
such six (6) month period, the Trust shall continue to accept and implement
orders by the Company for the purchase and redemption of shares of the Trust.
4.5 If a material irreconcilable conflict arises because a
particular state insurance regulator's decision applicable to the Company
conflicts with the majority of other state regulators, then the Company will
withdraw the affected Account's investment in the Trust and terminate this
Agreement with respect to such Account within six (6) months after the
Trustees inform the Company in writing that it has determined that such
decision has created an irreconcilable material conflict; provided, however,
that such withdrawal and termination shall be limited to the extent required
by the foregoing material irreconcilable conflict as determined by a majority
of the disinterested Trustees. Until the end of such six (6) month period,
the Trust shall continue to accept and implement orders by the Company for
the purchase and redemption of shares of the Trust.
4.6 For purposes of Sections 4.3 through 4.6 of this Agreement, a
majority of the disinterested Trustees shall determine whether any proposed
action adequately remedies any irreconcilable material conflict, but in no
event will the Company be required to establish a new funding medium for the
Contracts if an offer to do so has been declined by vote of a majority of
Contract owners materially adversely affected by the irreconcilable material
conflict. In the event that the Trustees determine that any proposed action
does not adequately remedy any irreconcilable material conflict, then the
Company will withdraw the Account's investment in the Trust and terminate
this Agreement within six (6) months after the Trustees inform the Company in
writing of the foregoing determination; provided, however, that such
withdrawal and termination shall be limited to the extent required by any
such material irreconcilable conflict as determined by a majority of the
disinterested Trustees.
4.7 The Company shall at least annually submit to the Trustees such
reports, materials or data as the Trustees may reasonably request so that the
Trustees may fully carry out the duties imposed upon them by the Exemptive
Order, and said reports, materials and data shall be submitted more
frequently if deemed appropriate by the Trustees.
4.8 If and to the extent that Rule 6e-2 and Rule 6e-3(T) are
amended, or Rule 6e-3 is adopted, to provide exemptive relief from any
provision of the 1940 Act or the rules promulgated thereunder with respect to
mixed or shared funding (as defined in the Exemptive Order) on terms and
conditions materially different from those contained in the Exemptive Order,
then the Trust and/or the Participating Insurance Companies, as appropriate,
shall take such steps as may be necessary to comply with Rules 6e-2 and
6e-3(T), as amended, and Rule 6e-3, as adopted, to the extent such rules are
applicable.
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ARTICLE V
INDEMNIFICATION
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5.1 INDEMNIFICATION BY THE COMPANY. The Company agrees to indemnify
and hold harmless the Trust, JDI, and each of its Trustees, Directors,
officers, employees and agents and each person, if any, who controls the
Trust or JDI within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (collectively,
the "Indemnified Parties" for purposes of this Article V) against any and all
losses, claims, damages, liabilities (including amounts paid in settlement
with the written consent of the Company) or expenses (including the
reasonable costs of investigating or defending any alleged loss, claim,
damage, liability or expense and reasonable legal counsel fees incurred in
connection therewith) (collectively, "Losses"), to which the Indemnified
Parties may become subject under any statute or regulation, or at common law
or otherwise, insofar as such Losses:
(a) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statements or
alleged untrue statements of any material fact contained in a
registration statement or prospectus for the Contracts or in the
Contracts themselves or in sales literature generated or approved by
the Company on behalf of the Contracts or Accounts (or any amendment or
supplement to any of the foregoing) (collectively, "Company Documents"
for the purposes of this Article V), or arise out of or are based upon
the omission or the alleged omission to state therein a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading, provided that this indemnity shall not apply as
to any Indemnified Party if such statement or omission or such alleged
statement or omission was made in reliance upon and was accurately
derived from written information furnished to the Company by or on
behalf of the Trust or JDI for use in Company Documents or otherwise
for use in connection with the sale of the Contracts or Trust Shares;
or
(b) arise out of or result from statements or representations
(other than statements or representations contained in and accurately
derived from Trust Documents as defined in Section 5.2(a)) or wrongful
conduct of the Company or persons under its control, with respect to
the sale or acquisition of the Contracts or Trust Shares; or
(c) arise out of or result from any untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in Trust
Documents as defined in Section 5.2(a) or the omission or alleged
omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading if such
statement or omission was made in reliance upon and accurately derived
from written information furnished to the Trust by or on behalf of the
Company; or
(d) arise out of or result from any failure by the Company to
provide the services or furnish the materials required under the terms
of this Agreement; or
(e) arise out of or result from any material breach of any
representation and/or warranty made by the Company in this Agreement or
arise out of or result from any other material breach of this Agreement
by the Company.
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5.2 INDEMNIFICATION BY THE TRUST. The Trust agrees to indemnify and
hold harmless the Company and each of its directors, officers, employees and
agents and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning
of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (collectively, the "Indemnified Parties" for
purposes of this Article V) against any and all losses, claims, damages,
liabilities (including amounts paid in settlement with the written consent of
the Trust) or expenses (including the reasonable costs of investigating or
defending any alleged loss, claim, damage, liability or expense and
reasonable legal counsel fees incurred in connection therewith)
(collectively, "Losses"), to which the Indemnified Parties may become subject
under any statute or regulation, or at common law or otherwise, insofar as
such Losses:
(a) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statements or
alleged untrue statements of any material fact contained in the
registration statement or prospectus for the Trust (or any amendment or
supplement thereto), (collectively, "Trust Documents" for the purposes
of this Article V), or arise out of or are based upon the omission or
the alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, provided that this indemnity shall not apply as to any
Indemnified Party if such statement or omission or such alleged
statement or omission was made in reliance upon and was accurately
derived from written information furnished to the Trust by or on behalf
of the Company for use in Trust Documents or otherwise for use in
connection with the sale of the Contracts or Trust Shares; or
(b) arise out of or result from statements or representations
(other than statements or representations contained in and accurately
derived from Company Documents) or wrongful conduct of the Trust or
persons under its control, with respect to the sale or acquisition of
the Contracts or Trust Shares; or
(c) arise out of or result from any untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in Company
Documents or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading if such statement or omission was
made in reliance upon and accurately derived from written information
furnished to the Company by or on behalf of the Trust; or
(d) arise out of or result from any failure by the Trust to
provide the services or furnish the materials required under the terms
of this Agreement; or
(e) arise out of or result from any material breach of any
representation and/or warranty made by the Trust in this Agreement or
arise out of or result from any other material breach of this Agreement
by the Trust.
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5.3 INDEMNIFICATION BY JDI. JDI agrees to indemnify and hold
harmless the Company and each of its directors, officers, employees and
agents and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning
of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (collectively, the "Indemnified Parties" for
purposes of this Article V) against any and all losses, claims, damages,
liabilities (including amounts paid in settlement with the written consent of
JDI) or expenses (including the reasonable costs of investigating or
defending any alleged loss, claim, damage, liability or expense and
reasonable legal counsel fees incurred in connection therewith)
(collectively, "Losses"), to which the Indemnified Parties may become subject
under any statute or regulation, or at common law or otherwise, insofar as
such Losses:
(a) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statements or
alleged untrue statements of any material fact contained in the
registration statement or prospectus for the Trust (or any amendment or
supplement thereto), (collectively, "Trust Documents" for the purposes
of this Article V), or arise out of or are based upon the omission or
the alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, provided that this indemnity shall not apply as to any
Indemnified Party if such statement or omission or such alleged
statement or omission was made in reliance upon and was accurately
derived from written information furnished to the Trust by or on behalf
of the Company for use in Trust Documents or otherwise for use in
connection with the sale of the Contracts or Trust Shares; or
(b) arise out of or result from statements or representations
(other than statements or representations contained in and accurately
derived from Company Documents) or wrongful conduct of JDI or persons
under its control, with respect to the sale or acquisition of the
Contracts or Trust Shares; or
(c) arise out of or result from any untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in Company
Documents or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading if such statement or omission was
made in reliance upon and accurately derived from written information
furnished to the Company by or on behalf of JDI; or
(d) arise out of or result from any failure by JDI to provide
the services or furnish the materials required under the terms of this
Agreement; or
(e) arise out of or result from any material breach of any
representation and/or warranty made by JDI in this Agreement or arise
out of or result from any other material breach of this Agreement by
JDI.
5.4 Neither the Company, the Trust nor JDI shall be liable under the
indemnification provisions of Sections 5.1, 5.2 or 5.3, as applicable, with
respect to any Losses incurred or assessed against an Indemnified Party that
arise from such Indemnified
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Party's willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of
such Indemnified Party's duties or by reason of such Indemnified Party's
reckless disregard of obligations or duties under this Agreement.
5.5 Neither the Company, the Trust nor JDI shall be liable under the
indemnification provisions of Sections 5.1, 5.2 or 5.3, as applicable, with
respect to any claim made against an Indemnified Party unless such
Indemnified Party shall have notified the other party in writing within a
reasonable time after the summons, or other first written notification,
giving information of the nature of the claim shall have been served upon or
otherwise received by such Indemnified Party (or after such Indemnified Party
shall have received notice of service upon or other notification to any
designated agent), but failure to notify the party against whom
indemnification is sought of any such claim shall not relieve that party from
any liability which it may have to the Indemnified Party in the absence of
Sections 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3.
5.6 In case any such action is brought against the Indemnified
Parties, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate, at its own
expense, in the defense of such action. The indemnifying party also shall be
entitled to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory
to the party named in the action. After notice from the indemnifying party to
the Indemnified Party of an election to assume such defense, the Indemnified
Party shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by
it, and the indemnifying party will not be liable to the Indemnified Party
under this Agreement for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by
such party independently in connection with the defense thereof other than
reasonable costs of investigation.
ARTICLE VI
TERMINATION
------------
6.1 This Agreement may be terminated by any party for any reason by
ninety (90) days advance written notice delivered to the other parties.
6.2 Notwithstanding any termination of this Agreement, the Trust
shall, at the option of the Company, continue to make available additional
shares of the Trust (or any Portfolio) pursuant to the terms and conditions
of this Agreement for all Contracts in effect on the effective date of
termination of this Agreement, provided that the Company continues to pay the
costs set forth in Section 2.3.
6.3 The provisions of Article V shall survive the termination of
this Agreement, and the provisions of Article IV and Section 2.8 shall
survive the termination of this Agreement as long as Shares of the Trust are
held on behalf of Contract owners in accordance with Section 6.2.
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ARTICLE VII
NOTICES
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Any notice shall be sufficiently given when sent by registered or
certified mail to the other party at the address of such party set forth
below or at such other address as such party may from time to time specify in
writing to the other party.
If to the Trust:
Janus Aspen Series
000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: General Counsel
If to JDI:
Janus Distributors, Inc.
000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: General Counsel
If to the Company:
Allmerica Financial Life Insurance and Annuity Company
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attention: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx, President
ARTICLE VIII
MISCELLANEOUS
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8.1 The captions in this Agreement are included for convenience of
reference only and in no way define or delineate any of the provisions hereof
or otherwise affect their construction or effect.
8.2 This Agreement may be executed simultaneously in two or more
counterparts, each of which taken together shall constitute one and the same
instrument.
8.3 If any provision of this Agreement shall be held or made invalid
by a court decision, statute, rule or otherwise, the remainder of the
Agreement shall not be affected thereby.
8.4 This Agreement shall be construed and the provisions hereof
interpreted under and in accordance with the laws of State of Colorado.
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8.5 The parties to this Agreement acknowledge and agree that all
liabilities of the Trust arising, directly or indirectly, under this
Agreement, of any and every nature whatsoever, shall be satisfied solely out
of the assets of the Trust and that no Trustee, officer, agent or holder of
shares of beneficial interest of the Trust shall be personally liable for any
such liabilities.
8.6 Each party shall cooperate with each other party and all
appropriate governmental authorities (including without limitation the
Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Association of Securities
Dealers, Inc., and state insurance regulators) and shall permit such
authorities reasonable access to its books and records in connection with any
investigation or inquiry relating to this Agreement or the transactions
contemplated hereby.
8.7 The rights, remedies and obligations contained in this Agreement
are cumulative and are in addition to any and all rights, remedies and
obligations, at law or in equity, which the parties hereto are entitled to
under state and federal laws.
8.8 The parties to this Agreement acknowledge and agree that this
Agreement shall not be exclusive in any respect.
8.9 Neither this Agreement nor any rights or obligations hereunder
may be assigned by either party without the prior written approval of the
other party.
8.10 No provisions of this Agreement may be amended or modified in
any manner except by a written agreement properly authorized and executed by
both parties.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused their duly authorized
officers to execute this Participation Agreement as of the date and year
first above written.
JANUS ASPEN SERIES
By: /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxx
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Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxx
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Title: Vice President
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JANUS DISTRIBUTORS, INC.
By: /s/ Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxx
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Name: Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxx
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Title: Vice President
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ALLMERICA FINANCIAL LIFE INSURANCE
AND ANNUITY COMPANY
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
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Name: Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
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Title: President
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