EXHIBIT (C)(2)
DH TECHNOLOGY, INC.
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
THIS INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT ("Agreement") is made as of this day of
, 19 by and between DH Technology, Inc., a California
corporation (the "Company"), and ("Indemnitee").
WHEREAS, the Company and Indemnitee recognize the increasing difficulty in
obtaining directors' and officers' liability insurance, the significant
increases in the cost of such insurance and the general reductions in the
coverage of such insurance;
WHEREAS, the Company and Indemnitee further recognize the substantial
increase in corporate litigation in general, subjecting officers and directors
to expensive litigation risks at the same time as the availability and
coverage of liability insurance has been severely limited;
WHEREAS, Indemnitee does not regard the current protection available as
adequate under the present circumstances, and Indemnitee and other officers
and directors of the Company may not be willing to continue to serve as
officers and directors without additional protection; and
WHEREAS, the Company desires to attract and retain the services of highly
qualified individuals, such as Indemnitee, to serve as officers and directors
of the Company and to indemnify its officers and directors so as to provide
them with the maximum protection permitted by law.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Company and Indemnitee hereby agree as follows:
1. INDEMNIFICATION.
(a) Third Party Proceedings. The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee if
Indemnitee is or was a party or is threatened to be made a party to any
threatened, pending or completed action or proceeding, whether civil,
criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the
right of the Company) by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a
director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or any subsidiary of the
Company, by reason of any action or inaction on the part of Indemnitee while
an officer or director or by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was
serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or
agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other
enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and
amounts paid in settlement (if such settlement is approved in advance by the
Company, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld) actually and
reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such action or proceeding
if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably
believed to be in the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any
criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe Indemnitee's
conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action or proceeding by judgment,
order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its
equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that (i) Indemnitee did
not act in good faith and in a manner which Indemnitee reasonably believed to
be in the best interests of the Company, or (ii) with respect to any criminal
action or proceeding, Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe that
Indemnitee's conduct was unlawful.
(b) Proceedings By or in the Right of the Company. The Company shall
indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is a party or is threatened to be
made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or proceeding by
or in the right of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company to procure a
judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a
director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or any subsidiary of the
Company, by reason of any action or inaction on the part of Indemnitee while
an officer or director or by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was
serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or
agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other
enterprise, against expenses (including
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attorneys' fees) and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, amounts paid in
settlement, in each case to the extent actually and reasonably incurred by
Indemnitee in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or
proceeding if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee
reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the Company and its
shareholders, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any
claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been adjudged to be
liable to the Company in the performance of Indemnitee's duty to the Company
and its shareholders unless and only to the extent that the court in which
such action or proceeding is or was pending shall determine upon application
that, in view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and
reasonably entitled to indemnity for expenses and then only to the extent that
the court shall determine.
2. EXPENSES; INDEMNIFICATION PROCEDURE.
(a) Advancement of Expenses. The Company shall advance all expenses incurred
by Indemnitee in connection with the investigation, defense, settlement or
appeal of any civil or criminal action or proceeding referenced in Section
1(a) or (b) hereof (but not amounts actually paid in settlement of any such
action or proceeding). Indemnitee hereby undertakes to repay such amounts
advanced only if, and to the extent that, it shall ultimately be determined
that Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company as authorized
hereby. The advances to be made hereunder shall be paid by the Company to
Indemnitee within twenty (20) days following delivery of a written request
therefor by Indemnitee to the Company.
(b) Notice/Cooperation by Indemnitee. Indemnitee shall, as a condition
precedent to his right to be indemnified under this Agreement, give the
Company notice in writing as soon as practicable of any claim made against
Indemnitee for which indemnification will or could be sought under this
Agreement. Notice to the Company shall be directed to the Chief Executive
Officer of the Company at the address shown on the signature page of this
Agreement (or such other address as the Company shall designate in writing to
Indemnitee). Notice shall be deemed received three business days after the
date postmarked if sent by domestic certified or registered mail, properly
addressed; otherwise notice shall be deemed received when such notice shall
actually be received by the Company. In addition, Indemnitee shall give the
Company such information and cooperation as it may reasonably require and as
shall be within Indemnitee's power.
(c) Procedure. Any indemnification provided for in Section 1 shall be made
no later than forty-five (45) days after receipt of the written request of
Indemnitee. If a claim under this Agreement, under any statute, or under any
provision of the Company's Articles of Incorporation or By-laws providing for
indemnification, is not paid in full by the Company within forty-five (45)
days after a written request for payment thereof has first been received by
the Company, Indemnitee may, but need not, at any time thereafter bring an
action against the Company to recover the unpaid amount of the claim and,
subject to Section 12 of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall also be entitled to
be paid for the expenses (including attorneys' fees) of bringing such action.
It shall be a defense to any such action (other than an action brought to
enforce a claim for expenses incurred in connection with any action or
proceeding in advance of its final disposition) that Indemnitee has not met
the standards of conduct which make it permissible under applicable law for
the Company to indemnify Indemnitee for the amount claimed, but the burden of
proving such defense shall be on the Company, and Indemnitee shall be entitled
to receive interim payments of expenses pursuant to Subsection 2(a) unless and
until such defense may be finally adjudicated by court order or judgment from
which no further right of appeal exists. It is the parties' intention that if
the Company contests Indemnitee's right to indemnification, the question of
Indemnitee's right to indemnification shall be for the court to decide, and
neither the failure of the Company (including its Board of Directors, any
committee or subgroup of the Board of Directors, independent legal counsel, or
its shareholders) to have made a determination that indemnification of
Indemnitee is proper in the circumstances because Indemnitee has met the
applicable standard of conduct required by applicable law, nor an actual
determination by the Company (including its Board of Directors, any committee
or subgroup of the Board of Directors, independent legal counsel, or its
shareholders) that Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct,
shall create a presumption that Indemnitee has or has not met the applicable
standard of conduct.
(d) Notice to Insurers. If, at the time of the receipt of a notice of a
claim pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof, the Company has director and officer
liability insurance in effect, the Company shall give prompt notice of the
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commencement of such proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the
procedures set forth in the respective policies. The Company shall thereafter
take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on
behalf of the Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such proceeding
in accordance with the terms of such policies.
(e) Selection of Counsel. In the event the Company shall be obligated under
Section 2(a) hereof to pay the expenses of any proceeding against Indemnitee,
the Company, if appropriate, shall be entitled to assume the defense of such
proceeding, with counsel approved by Indemnitee, which approval shall not be
unreasonably withheld, upon the delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of
its election so to do. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel
by Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company
will not be liable to Indemnitee under this Agreement for any fees of counsel
subsequently incurred by Indemnitee with respect to the same proceeding,
provided that (i) Indemnitee shall have the right to employ his counsel in any
such proceeding at Indemnitee's expense; and (ii) if (A) the employment of
counsel by Indemnitee has been previously authorized by the Company, (B)
Indemnitee shall have reasonably concluded that there may be a conflict of
interest between the Company and Indemnitee in the conduct of any such defense
or (C) the Company shall not, in fact, have employed counsel to assume the
defense of such proceeding, then the fees and expenses of Indemnitee's counsel
shall be at the expense of the Company.
3. ADDITIONAL INDEMNIFICATION RIGHTS; NONEXCLUSIVITY.
(a) Scope. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the
Company hereby agrees to indemnify the Indemnitee to the fullest extent
permitted by law, notwithstanding that such indemnification is not
specifically authorized by the other provisions of this Agreement, the
Company's Articles of Incorporation, the Company's By-laws or by statute. In
the event of any change, after the date of this Agreement, in any applicable
law, statute or rule which expands the right of a California corporation to
indemnify a member of its board of directors or an officer, such changes shall
be, ipso facto, within the purview of Indemnitee's rights and Company's
obligations, under this Agreement. In the event of any change in any
applicable law, statute or rule which narrows the right of a California
corporation to indemnify a member of its Board of Directors or an officer,
such changes, to the extent not otherwise required by such law, statute or
rule to be applied to this Agreement shall have no effect on this Agreement or
the parties' rights and obligations hereunder.
(b) Nonexclusivity. The indemnification provided by this Agreement shall not
be deemed exclusive of any rights to which Indemnitee may be entitled under
the Company's Articles of Incorporation, its By-laws, any agreement, any vote
of shareholders or disinterested directors, the California General Corporation
Law, or otherwise, both as to action in Indemnitee's official capacity and as
to action in another capacity while holding such office. The indemnification
provided under this Agreement shall continue as to Indemnitee for any action
taken or not taken while serving in an indemnified capacity even though he may
have ceased to serve in such capacity at the time of any action or other
covered proceeding.
4. PARTIAL INDEMNIFICATION. If Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of
this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for some or a portion of the
expenses, judgments, fines or penalties actually or reasonably incurred by him
in the investigation, defense, appeal or settlement of any civil or criminal
action or proceeding, but not, however, for the total amount thereof, the
Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion of such
expenses, judgments, fines or penalties to which Indemnitee is entitled.
5. MUTUAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. Both the Company and Indemnitee acknowledge that
in certain instances, Federal law or applicable public policy may prohibit the
Company from indemnifying its directors and officers under this Agreement or
otherwise. Indemnitee understands and acknowledges that the Company has
undertaken or may be required in the future to undertake with the Securities
and Exchange Commission to submit the question of indemnification to a court
in certain circumstances for a determination of the Company's right under
public policy to indemnify Indemnitee.
6. DIRECTORS' AND OFFICERS' LIABILITY INSURANCE. The Company shall, from
time to time, make the good faith determination whether or not it is
practicable for the Company to obtain and maintain a policy or policies of
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insurance with reputable insurance companies providing the officers and
directors of the Company with coverage for losses from wrongful acts, or to
ensure the Company's performance of its indemnification obligations under this
Agreement. Among other considerations, the Company will weigh the costs of
obtaining such insurance coverage against the protection afforded by such
coverage. In all policies of directors' and officers' liability insurance,
Indemnitee shall be named as an insured in such a manner as to provide
Indemnitee the same rights and benefits as are accorded to the most favorably
insured of the Company's directors, if Indemnitee is a director; or of the
Company's officers, if Indemnitee is not a director of the Company but is an
officer; or of the Company's key employees, if Indemnitee is not an officer or
director but is a key employee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company
shall have no obligation to obtain or maintain such insurance if the Company
determines in good faith that such insurance is not reasonably available, if
the premium costs for such insurance are disproportionate to the amount of
coverage provided, if the coverage provided by such insurance is limited by
exclusions so as to provide an insufficient benefit, or if Indemnitee is
covered by similar insurance maintained by a subsidiary or parent of the
Company.
7. SEVERABILITY. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to require or shall
be construed as requiring the Company to do or fail to do any act in violation
of applicable law. The Company's inability, pursuant to court order, to
perform its obligations under this Agreement shall not constitute a breach of
this Agreement. The provisions of this Agreement shall be severable as
provided in this Section 7. If this Agreement or any portion hereof shall be
invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the
Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee to the full extent permitted
by any applicable portion of this Agreement that shall not have been
invalidated, and the balance of this Agreement not so invalidated shall be
enforceable in accordance with its terms.
8. EXCEPTIONS. Any other provision herein to the contrary notwithstanding,
the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to the terms of this Agreement:
(a) Excluded Acts. To indemnify Indemnitee for any acts or omissions or
transactions from which a director may not be relieved of liability under
the California General Corporation Law.
(b) Claims Initiated by Indemnitee. To indemnify or advance expenses to
Indemnitee with respect to proceedings or claims initiated or brought
voluntarily by Indemnitee and not by way of defense, except with respect to
proceedings brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification
under this Agreement or any other statute or law or otherwise as required
under Section 317 of the California General Corporation Law, but such
indemnification or advancement of expenses may be provided by the Company
in specific cases if the Board of Directors has approved the initiation or
bringing of such suit; or
(c) Lack of Good Faith. To indemnify Indemnitee for any expenses incurred
by the Indemnitee with respect to any proceeding instituted by Indemnitee
to enforce or interpret this Agreement, if a court of competent
jurisdiction determines that each of the material assertions made by the
Indemnitee in such proceeding was not made in good faith or was frivolous;
or
(d) Insured Claims. To indemnify Indemnitee for expenses or liabilities
of any type whatsoever (including, but not limited to, judgments, fines,
ERISA excise taxes or penalties, and amounts paid in settlement) which have
been paid directly to Indemnitee by an insurance carrier under a policy of
directors' and officers' liability insurance maintained by the Company; or
(e) Claims Under Section 16(b). To indemnify Indemnitee for expenses and
the payment of profits arising from the purchase and sale by Indemnitee of
securities in violation of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, or any similar successor statute.
9. EFFECTIVENESS OF AGREEMENT. To the extent that the indemnification
permitted under the terms of certain provisions of this Agreement exceeds the
scope of the indemnification provided for in the California General
Corporation Law, such provisions shall not be effective unless and until the
Company's Articles of Incorporation authorize such additional rights of
indemnification. In all other respects, the balance of this Agreement shall be
effective as of the date set forth on the first page and may apply to acts or
omissions of Indemnitee which
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occurred prior to such date if Indemnitee was an officer, director, employee
or other agent of the Company, or was serving at the request of the Company as
a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership,
joint venture, trust or other enterprise, at the time such act or omission
occurred.
10. CONSTRUCTION OF CERTAIN PHRASES.
(a) For purposes of this Agreement, references to the "Company" shall
include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation
(including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or
merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power
and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, employees or agents, so
that if Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such
constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such
constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, Indemnitee
shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Agreement with
respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as Indemnitee would have
with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had
continued.
(b) For purposes of this Agreement, references to "other enterprises" shall
include employee benefit plans; references to "fines" shall include any excise
taxes assessed on Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan; and
references to "serving at the request of the Company" shall include any
service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company which imposes
duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent
with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants, or beneficiaries.
11. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in one or more
counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original.
12. SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS. This Agreement shall be binding upon the Company
and its successors and assigns, and shall inure to the benefit of Indemnitee
and Indemnitee's estate, heirs, legal representatives and assigns.
13. ATTORNEYS' FEES. In the event that any action is instituted by
Indemnitee under this Agreement to enforce or interpret any of the terms
hereof, Indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid all court costs and expenses,
including reasonable attorneys' fees, incurred by Indemnitee with respect to
such action, unless as a part of such action, the court of competent
jurisdiction determines that each of the material assertions made by
Indemnitee as a basis for such action were not made in good faith or were
frivolous. In the event of an action instituted by or in the name of the
Company under this Agreement or to enforce or interpret any of the terms of
this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid all court costs and
expenses, including attorneys' fees, incurred by Indemnitee in defense of such
action (including with respect to Indemnitee's counterclaims and cross-claims
made in such action), unless as a part of such action the court determines
that each of Indemnitee's material defenses to such action were made in bad
faith or were frivolous.
14. NOTICE. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under
this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed duly given (i) if
delivered by hand and receipted for by the party addressee, on the date of
such receipt, or (ii) if mailed by domestic certified or registered mail with
postage prepaid, on the third business day after the date postmarked.
Addresses for notice to either party are as shown on the signature page of
this Agreement, or as subsequently modified by written notice.
15. CONSENT TO JURISDICTION. The Company and Indemnitee each hereby
irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of
California for all purposes in connection with any action or proceeding which
arises out of or relates to this Agreement and agree that any action
instituted under this Agreement shall be brought only in the state courts of
the State of California.
16. CHOICE OF LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by and its provisions
construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California as applied to
contracts between California residents entered into and to be performed
entirely within California.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the
date first above written.
DH Technology, Inc.
By: _________________________________
Title: ______________________________
Address: 00000 Xxxxxx xx Xxxxxxx
Xxx Xxxxx, XX 00000
AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED:
INDEMNITEE:
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(type name)
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(signature)
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(address)
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