EXHIBIT 10.1
March 20, 2002
Xxxxxx X. Fitting
Chief Executive Officer
0000 Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx, XX 00000
Re: Your Change in Control Agreement
Dear Xxx:
Upon execution by you, this letter will constitute your Change in
Control Agreement ("Agreement") with Radyne ComStream Corp., (the "Company").
1. Term. This Agreement will become effective March 14, 2002 and will
terminate when you terminate your employment with the Company.
2. Termination in Connection with a Change in Control. In the event of a
Change of Control (as defined in the Company's Long-Term Incentive
Plan, a copy of which definition is attached), you will be entitled to
receive the following:
(a) Immediately prior to the effective date of a Change of
Control, all stock options granted to you and not otherwise
vested shall vest and become exercisable by you for a minimum
of 90 days (or, if longer, the term of the options thereof) so
that you may participate in the Change of Control transaction
to the fullest extent feasible, provided, however, that if the
acceleration of your options would cause a charge to the
Company's earnings, then at the Company's option it may offer
you a consulting position for the term of your options during
which your options would continue to vest;
(b) Upon any termination of your employment after a Change of
Control, for a period of eighteen months from the date of your
termination, the Company will pay for the COBRA benefits due
you;
(c) Upon a Change in Control, you shall be paid in a lump sum an
amount equal to three times your current salary from the
Company;
(d) To the extent that the benefits provided to you upon a Change
in Control would exceed the amount deductible pursuant to
Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code (or any successor
law), or the rules and regulations thereunder, and thereby
result in an excise tax payable by you, then at least 30 days
prior to the due date of any such tax, the Company shall pay
you an amount equal the tax (together with any tax on such
payment).
3. Covenant Not to Compete.
(a) For a period of 1 year from any termination of your
employment, (or, if later, upon conclusion of your service as a
consultant), you shall not, directly or indirectly, for your own
benefit or for, with or through any other individual, firm,
corporation, partnership or other entity, whether acting in an
individual, fiduciary or other capacity, own, manage, operate, control,
advise, invest in (except as a 1% or less shareholder of a public
company), loan money to, or participate or assist in the ownership,
management, operation or control of or be associated as a director,
officer, employee, partner, consultant, advisor, creditor, agent,
independent contractor or otherwise with, or acquiesce in the use of
your name by, any business enterprise that is in direct competition
with the Company or any subsidiary within the United States of America
or any other country that the Company conducts business at the time of
your termination.
(b) In addition to the foregoing, at all times during the period
of your employment and for 1 year after any termination thereof (or, if
later, upon conclusion of your services as a consultant), you will not,
directly or indirectly (as described above), for your benefit or for,
with or through any business, hire, employ, solicit, or otherwise
encourage or entice any of the Company's (or subsidiary's) employees or
consultants to leave or terminate their employment with the Company.
(c) You and the Company consider the restrictions contained in
subparagraphs (a) and (b) above to be reasonable for the purpose of
preserving the Company's proprietary rights and interests. If a court
makes a final judicial determination that any such restrictions are
unreasonable or otherwise unenforceable against you, you and the
Company hereby authorize such court to amend this Agreement so as to
produce the broadest, legally enforceable agreement, and for this
purpose the restrictions on time period, geographical area and scope of
activities set forth in subparagraphs (a) and (b) above are divisible;
if the court refuses to do so, you and the Company hereto agree to
modify the provisions held to be unenforceable to preserve each party's
anticipated benefits thereunder to the maximum extent legal.
(d) You acknowledge and agree that the Company's remedies at law
for breach or threatened breach of any of the provisions of this
Paragraph would be inadequate. Therefore, you agree that in the event
of a breach or threatened breach by you of the provisions in this
Paragraph, the Company shall be entitled to, in addition to its
remedies at law and without posting any bond, equitable relief in the
form of specific performance, a temporary restraining order, a
temporary or permanent injunction, or any other equitable remedy that
may then be available.
4. Personal Rights and Obligations. This Agreement and all rights and
obligations hereunder are personal and shall not be assignable by
either you or the Company except as provided in this subparagraph, and
any purported assignment in violation thereof shall be null and void.
Any person, firm or corporation succeeding to the business of the
Company by merger, consolidation, purchase of assets or otherwise,
shall assume by contract or operation of law the obligations of the
Company hereunder and in such a case
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you shall continue to honor this Agreement with such business
substituted for the Company as the employer.
5. Notices. Any notice, election or communication to be given under this
Agreement shall be in writing and delivered in person or deposited,
certified or registered, in the United States mail, postage prepaid,
addressed as follows:
If to the Company: Radyne ComStream Corp.
0000 Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx 00000
Attn: Chief Executive Officer
If to you: Xxxxxx X. Fitting
c/o Radyne ComStream Corp.
0000 Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx, XX 00000
or to such other addresses as the Company or you may from time to time
designate by notice hereunder. Notices will be effective upon delivery
in person or upon receipt of any facsimile or e-mail, or at midnight on
the fourth business day after the date of mailing, if mailed.
6. Entire Agreement. Except for any confidentiality agreement, option
grants or Company plans or policies, to which you are subject, this
Agreement constitutes and embodies the full and complete understanding
and agreement of the Company and you with respect to your employment by
the Company and supersedes all prior understandings or agreements
whether oral or in writing. This Agreement may be amended only by a
writing signed by you and the Company. This Agreement may be executed
in any number of counterparts, each of which will be considered a
duplicate original.
7. Binding Nature of Agreement. This Agreement shall be binding upon and
inure to the benefit of the Company and its successors and assigns and
shall be binding upon you, your heirs and legal representatives.
8. Arbitration. Any controversy relating to this Agreement or relating to
the breach hereof shall be settled by arbitration conducted in Phoenix,
Arizona in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the
American Arbitration Association then in effect. The award rendered by
the arbitrator(s) shall be final and judgment upon the award rendered
by the arbitrator(s) may be entered upon it in any court having
jurisdiction thereof. The arbitrator(s) shall possess the powers to
issue mandatory orders and restraining orders in connection with such
arbitration. The expenses of the arbitration shall be borne by the
losing party unless otherwise allocated by the arbitrator(s). This
agreement to arbitrate shall be specifically enforceable under the
prevailing arbitration law. During the continuance of any arbitration
proceedings, the parties shall continue to perform their respective
obligations under this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall
preclude the Company or any affiliate or successor from seeking
equitable relief, including injunction or specific performance, in any
court having jurisdiction, in
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connection with the non-compete provisions herein and any obligations
of confidentiality.
9. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in
accordance with the laws of the State of Arizona.
10. Withholding and Release. You acknowledge and agree that payments made
to you hereunder may be subject to taxes and withholding. You further
acknowledge and agree that payment of any of the benefits to be
provided to you under this Agreement following any termination of your
employment is subject to:
(a) your compliance with your agreements hereunder, including in
particular the non-competition provisions of Paragraph 3,
(b) any reasonable and lawful policies or procedures of the
Company relating to employee severances; and
(c) the execution and delivery by you of a release reasonably
satisfactory to the Company of any and all claims that you may have
against the Company or related persons, except for (i) the continuing
obligations provided herein, and (ii) for any continuing obligations of
indemnification due you as an officer or director (or a former officer
or director).
Very truly yours,
------------------------
Ming Xxxxx Xxx
Chairman of the Board
ACCEPTED:
------------------------------
Xxxxxx X. Fitting
Date:
-------------------------
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DEFINITIONS
"Cause" means in the event that you, in the reasonable judgment of the Board:
(1) materially breach this Agreement;
(2) fail to follow any reasonable and lawful direction of the
Board of Directions of the Company or materially violate any reasonable rule or
regulation established by the Company from time to time regarding conduct of its
business;
(3) engage in any act of dishonesty with respect to the Company;
(4) engage in criminal conduct (whether related to or not related
to your employment); or
(5) fail to perform your duties satisfactorily.
"Change of Control" means any of the following:
(1) any merger of the Company in which the Company is not the
continuing or surviving entity, or pursuant to which Stock would be converted
into cash, securities, or other property other than a merger of the Company in
which the holders of the Company's Stock immediately prior to the merger have
the same proportionate ownership of beneficial interest of common stock or other
voting securities of the surviving entity immediately after the merger;
(2) any sale, lease, exchange or other transfer (in one
transaction or a series of related transactions) of assets or earning power
aggregating more than 50% of the assets or earning power of the Company and its
subsidiaries (taken as a whole), other than pursuant to a sale-leaseback,
structured finance or other form of financing transaction;
(3) the shareholders of the Company approve any plan or proposal
for liquidation or dissolution of the Company;
(4) any person (as such term is used in Section 13(d) and 14(d)(2)
of the Exchange Act), other than any current shareholder of the Company or
affiliate thereof or any employee benefit plan of the Company or any subsidiary
of the Company or any entity holding shares of capital stock of the Company for
or pursuant to the terms of any such employee benefit plan in its role as an
agent or trustee for such plan, shall become the beneficial owner (within the
meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) of 50% or more of the Company's
outstanding Stock; or
(5) during any two-year period, individuals who at the beginning
of such period do not constitute a majority of the Board at the end of that
period, excluding any new director approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of
the directors who were directors at the beginning of the period.
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