EXHIBIT 10.16
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
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EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (this "Agreement"), dated as of June 16, 1998 between
MEDPARTNERS, INC., a Delaware corporation (together with any successor
corporation, "Employer"), and Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx, Xx. ("Officer").
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, MedPartners and its subsidiaries and affiliates are engaged in
providing physician practice management services, pharmacy benefit management
services, disease management services and hospital-based physician services
(collectively, "Health care Services") throughout the United States; and
WHEREAS, Employer desires to avail itself of Officer's talents and
expertise in management of the Healthcare Services business of MedPartners, and
to employ him as Executive Vice-President and General Counsel of MedPartners,
and Officer is willing to accept such employment.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, and other mutual promises
and covenants hereinafter contained Employer and Officer do hereby agree, for
their mutual benefit, as follows:
Section 1. Employment.
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Officer shall be employed by MedPartners under this Agreement, effective on
the date hereof, and Officer accepts such employment upon the terms and
conditions hereinafter set forth.
Section 2. Term.
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The term of employment provided for in this Agreement shall commence on
June 16, 1998 (the "Commencement Date"), and shall remain in full force and
effect for a period of three years thereafter. Such term shall be automatically
extended for an additional year on each anniversary of the Commencement Date,
unless written notice of non-extension is provided by Employer to Officer at
least 30 days prior to such anniversary.
Section 3. Powers and Duties.
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In carrying out his duties under this Agreement, Officer shall have such
powers and duties usually incident to the offices of Executive Vice-President
and General Counsel and consistent with the foregoing, as are determined from
time-to-time by the Chief Executive Officer of Employer and shall not be
inconsistent with the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation of Employer
or applicable law.
Officer shall devote substantially all of his time and energies during
business hours to the supervision arid conduct, faithfully and to the best of
his ability, of the business and affairs of MedPartners; provided that it shall
not be a violation of this Agreement for the Officer to serve on the Board of
Directors of American Sports Medicine Institute, The Bombay Cafe, Inc., The
Xxxxxxx House Companies, and American Sports Fishing Company. The Officer shall
not be restricted from investing his assets in such form or manner as will not
require any services on his part in the operation of the affairs of the
companies in which such investments are made and which do not conflict with the
Employer's policies on conflicts of interest.
Officer may continue to devote time and attention to his former law
practice so as to facilitate the orderly resolution and/or transition of cases,
controversies and other matters associated with such law practice which are
pending as of the date hereof, provided such time and attention does not
interfere or conflict with the performance of Officer's duties hereunder in the
good faith determination of the Chief Executive Officer of Employer and provided
such time does not exceed five (5) business days. Officer also may serve as an
officer, director, agent or employee of any direct or indirect subsidiary or
other affiliate of Employer, but may not serve as an officer, director or agent
or employee of any other business enterprise without the written approval of the
Chief Executive Officer of the Employer.
Section 4. Place of Performance.
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The Officer shall perform his duties at the principal offices of
MedPartners located in Birmingham, Alabama, but from time to time Officer shall
be required to travel to MedPartners' other locations in the proper conduct of
his responsibilities under this Agreement. Due to the national scope of
MedPartners' business, MedPartners may require Officer to spend a reasonable
amount of time traveling, as his duties and the business of MedPartners and its
subsidiaries and affiliates may require.
Section 5. Compensation.
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During the Term, Employer shall pay Officer a salary in the amount of
$450,000 per year (pro-rated for any partial year during the Term) payable in
equal semi-monthly installments, less state and federal tax and other legally
required and Officer-authorized withholdings. Such salary shall be subject to
review and adjustment by the Board (or a Committee of the Board) from time-to-
time consistent with past practice; provided however, that during the Term, such
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salary may not be reduced below any previous level paid during the Term as a
result of such review, unless the salaries of all executive officers of Employer
are reduced in the same proportionate manner, but in no event shall such base
salary be reduced below $450,000 per calendar year during the Term.
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Section 6. Incentive Compensation.
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During the Term, Officer shall be eligible to receive from Employer annual
incentive compensation in an amount up to one hundred percent (100%) of
Officer's base salary (pro-rated for any particular calendar year during the
term, except for 1998), where the incentive compensation will be in an amount up
to $400,000.00, less state and federal tax and other legally required and
Officer-authorized withholdings. The incentive compensation contemplated by
this Section 6 shall be payable to Officer solely at the discretion of the Chief
Executive Officer of Employer based upon Officer's performance. The incentive
compensation which Officer shall be eligible to earn under this Section 6 shall
be subject to review and adjustment by the Board (or a Committee of the Board)
from time-to-time consistent with past practice.
Section 7. Non-Qualified Stock Options
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Officer shall receive a stock option award (the "Award") covering non-
qualified stock options to acquire 400,000 shares of common stock, par value
$.001 per share, of Employer (the "Common Stock"), which Award shall be made
under the MedPartners, Inc. 1998 New Employee Stock Option Plan (the "New
Employee Plan") and shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the New
Employee Plan and the applicable stock option agreement evidencing the Award
thereunder. Employer and Officer further acknowledge and agree that the: (a)
Award constitutes a material inducement for Officer to enter into this
Agreement; and (b) stock option agreement evidencing the Award shall provide,
among other things, for accelerated vesting of the options evidenced thereby in
the case of the sale, transfer or other disposition, in a transaction or series
of related transactions, of a majority of the assets of any one of the
Employer's three major lines of business as of the date hereof (consisting of
its physician practice management services business, pharmacy benefit management
services business and contract management services business).
Section 8. Benefits
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(a) Fringe Benefits. In addition to the compensation and other
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remuneration provided for in Sections 5,6, and 7, Officer shall be
entitled, during the term, to such other benefits of employment with
Employer as are now or may after the date of this Agreement, be in
effect for (i) salaried officers of Employers or (ii) senior
executives of Employer, including, without limitation, all special
bonus and deferred compensation, pension, stock option, life and
other insurance, disability (insured and uninsured), medical and
dental and other benefit plans or programs.
(b) Expenses. During the Term, Employer shall reimburse Officer promptly
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for all reasonable travel, entertainment, parking, business meeting
and similar expenditures in pursuit and furtherance of Employer's
business upon receipt of
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reasonable supporting documentation as required by Employer's
policies applicable to its officers generally.
Section 9. Termination
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(a) Termination Due to Resignation and Termination For Cause. Officer's
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employment under this Agreement shall be terminated and, except as
provided in this Section 9, all of Officer's rights to receive
salary and other benefits (except for salary, incentive compensation
and other benefits accrued through the date of termination) shall
terminate upon the occurrence of (i) Officer's resignation, other
than for "good reason" as defined in Section 9(e), or (ii)
termination by Employer for "cause", as defined below. Employer
shall have the right, exercisable upon 30 days' written notice, to
terminate, without liability except as provided in the parenthetical
in the preceding sentence, Officer's employment for "cause" if
Officer (i) materially breaches any material term of this Agreement,
(ii) is convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of a felony,
(iii) refuses, fails or neglects to perform his duties under this
Agreement in a manner substantially detrimental to the business of
the Employer, (iv) engages in illegal or other wrongful conduct
substantially detrimental to the business or reputation of Employer,
or (v) develops or pursues interests substantially adverse to
Employer; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (i), (iii)
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or (v), no such termination shall be effective unless (1) Employer
shall have given Officer 30 days' prior written notice of any
conduct or deficiency in performance by Officer that Employer
believes could, if not discontinued or corrected, lead to Officer's
termination under this Section 9(a) in order that Officer shall have
had an opportunity to cure such noncomplying conduct or performance,
and (2) Officer shall not have cured such noncomplying conduct or
performance during such notice period. In the event Officer's
employment under this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this
Section 9(a), any stock option or other stock-based compensation
award then held by Officer shall be governed by the terms of the
plan and/or agreement pursuant to which such award was granted.
(b) Termination Due to Death or Disability. Officer's employment and all
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of his rights to receive salary and other benefits under this
Agreement may be terminated by Employer upon Officer's death, or on
30 days' written notice from Employer if Officer has been unable to
perform substantially all of his duties under this Agreement for a
period of 180 days, or can reasonably be expected to be unable to do
so for such period, as the result of physi cal or mental impairment;
provided, however, that upon any termination by Employer pursuant to
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this Section 9(b), Officer (or in the event of his death, his
estate) shall be entitled to receive the Specified Amount (as
defined below), in cash in a lump sum payment on the date of
termination and any stock option or other stock-based compensation
award to
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Officer shall be governed by the terms of the plan and/or agreement
pursuant to which such award was granted. The term "Specified Amount"
shall mean the sum of: (i) the total of all salary payments pursuant
to Section 5 that would thereafter have come due during the Term had
there been no such termination; and (ii) any portion or portions of
any bonus or other cash incentive compensation that had been accrued
with respect to Officer on the books of Employer through the date of
termination pursuant to this Section 9(b) or otherwise.
(c) Termination Without Cause. Subject to compliance with the provisions
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of Section 9(d), Employer shall have the right, exercisable on 30
days' written notice, to terminate Officer's employment under this
Agreement without cause at any time during the Term.
(d) Payments Upon Termination Without Cause. If Officer is terminated by
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Employer without cause pursuant to Section 9(c), then (i) Officer
shall be entitled to receive the Specified Amount in a lump sum
payment in cash on the date of such termination; (ii) any stock option
or other stock-based compensation award to Officer shall be governed
by the terms of the plan and/or agreement pursuant to which such award
was granted; and (iii) Officer shall be entitled to continue to
receive during the remainder of the Term the life and other insurance,
disability and medical and dental benefits contemplated by Section 8
as if there had been no such termination.
(e) Termination By Officer For Good Reason. Officer shall be entitled to
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terminate his employment under this Agreement for "good reason" and in
such event shall be entitled to all of the salary, benefits and other
rights provided in this Agreement as though the termination was
initiated by Employer without "cause" pursuant to Section 9(c). For
purpose of this Agreement, "good reason" shall mean any of the
following events, which event shall continue
(i) The assignment to Officer of any duties inconsistent with
Officer's status as Executive Vice President and General
Counsel of Employer;
(ii) a reduction by Employer in Officer's annual base salary below
$450,000 per calendar year;
(iii) the failure of Employer to comply with Sections 5,6, 7, or 8 of
this Agreement; or
(iv) any other material breach of this Agreement by Employer.
(f) Termination Upon a Change of Control. In the event of a Change in
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Control (as hereinafter defined), Officer shall have the right to
request at any time during the 30 day period following the
consummation of such Change of Control that the surviving corporation
or organization in such Change of Control (the "Surviving Entity")
acknowledge and confirm in writing to Officer that the Surviving
Entity
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has assumed all of Employer's rights and obligations hereunder
in connection with such Change of Control (the "Employment
Confirmation"). If the Surviving Entity in a Change of Control shall
fail to provide Officer with an Employment Confirmation confirming
continued employment within 30 days of Officer's written request for
same, then Officer shall be entitled to terminate his employment
hereunder during the period commencing 31 days after Officer's written
request for an Employment Confirmation and terminating 61 days after
Officer's written request for an Employment Confirmation. In the event
Officer terminates his employment hereunder pursuant to the
immediately preceding sentence of this Section 9(f), then Officer
shall be entitled to: (i) those payments and rights provided under
Section 9(d) as though the termination has been initiated by Employer
without cause pursuant to Section 9(c); and (ii) a Gross-Up Payment
(as hereinafter defined), to the extent provided by the second
paragraph of this Section 9(f). For purposes hereof, a Change of
Control shall be deemed to have taken place upon the occurrence of any
of the following events: (a) the acquisition after the date of this
Agreement, in one or more transactions, of beneficial ownership
(within the meaning of Rule 13d-3(a)(1) under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act")) by any person or entity
(other than Officer) or group of persons or entities (other than
Officer) who constitute a group (within the meaning of Section
13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) of any securities of Employer such that
as a result of such acquisition such person or entity or group
beneficially owns (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3(a)(1) under the
Exchange Act) more than 50% of Employer's then outstanding voting
securities entitled to vote on a regular basis for a majority of the
Board; or (b) the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of
Employer (including, without limitation, by way of merger,
consolidation, lease or transfer) in a transaction where Employer or
the holders of common stock of Employer do not receive (i) voting
securities representing a majority of the voting power entitled to
vote on a regular basis for the Board of Directors of the acquiring
entity or of an affiliate that controls the acquiring entity or (ii)
securities representing a majority of the equity interests in the
acquiring entity or of an affiliate that controls the acquiring
entity.
A Gross-Up Payment (as hereinafter defined) shall be payable upon
termination of employment pursuant to this Section 9(f) on and subject to the
following terms and conditions:
(i) If Employer determines that any payment, option vesting
or other benefit (a "Termination Payment") to Officer
under this Section 9(f) is or will be subject to the tax
(the "Excise Tax") imposed by Section 4999 of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code") or
an Excise Tax is properly assessed against Officer based
on a Termination Payment, Employer shall pay to Officer,
at
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the time the applicable Termination Payment is made or
the Excise Tax is assessed, an additional amount (the
"Gross-Up Payment") such that the net amount retained by
Officer, after the payment in full of any Excise Tax on
such Termination Payment and any federal, state and local
income tax and Excise Tax on the Gross-Up Payment and any
related interest and penalties, shall be not less than
the amount or value of such Termination Payment. For
purposes of determining whether any such Termination
Payment will be subject to the Excise Tax, Employer shall
take into account any other payments, option vesting or
benefits received or to be received by Officer in
connection with an event giving rise to a Termination
Payment (whether pursuant to the terms of this Agreement
or any other plan, arrangement or agreement with
Employer, with any person whose actions result in the
Change of Control or with any person affiliated with
Employer or such person) in accordance with Section 280G
of the Code and any related regulations (whether
temporary, proposed or final) and Internal Revenue
Service Rulings and applicable case law.
(ii) For purposes of determining the amount of any Gross-Up
Payment, Officer shall be deemed to pay federal income
taxes at the highest marginal rate of federal income
taxation in the calendar year in which the applicable
Termination Payment or Gross-Up Payment is made, and
shall be deemed to pay state and local income taxes at
the highest marginal rates of taxation in the state and
locality of Officer's residence on the date the
applicable Termination Payment or Gross-Up Payment is
made, net of the maximum reduction in federal income
taxes that could be obtained from deduction of such state
and local taxes.
(iii) If the Excise Tax or income tax payable with respect to a
Gross-Up Payment as finally determined exceeds the amount
taken into account or paid to Officer at the time the
applicable Termination Payment or Gross-Up Payment is
made (including by reason of any payment the existence or
amount of which cannot be determined at the time of the
applicable Gross-Up Payment), Employer shall make an
additional Gross-Up Payment in respect of such excess at
the time that the amount of such excess is finally
determined.
(iv) If a Gross-Up Payment is made as a result of the
assessment of an Excise Tax, Officer at Employer's
request and expense shall take such action as reasonable
and appropriate to challenge such assessment or recover
(on Employer's behalf) such Excise Tax.
Section 10. Trade Secrets, Confidentiality and Noncompetition
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(a) Trade Secrets. Officer agrees and covenants that, both during
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the Term and after termination of his employment, Officer will
hold in a fiduciary capacity for the benefit of Employer, and
shall not directly or indirectly use or disclose, except as
authorized by Employer in connection with the performance of
Officer's duties, any Trade Secret, as defined hereinafter, that
Officer may have or acquire during the Term for so long as the
such information remains a Trade Secret. The term "Trade Secret"
as used in this Agreement shall mean information including, but
not limited to, technical or non-technical data, a formula, a
pattern, a compilation, a program, a device, a method, a
technique, a drawing, a process, financial data, financial plans,
product plans, or a list of actual or potential customers or
suppliers, including without limitation, information received by
Employer or Officer from any client or potential client of
Employer, which:
(i) derives economic value, actual or potential, from not being
generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable by
proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value
from its disclosure or use; and
(ii) is the subject of reasonable efforts by Employer or the
client from which the information was received to maintain
its secrecy.
(b) Confidentiality. In addition to the convenants set forth in
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Section 10(a) and not in limitation thereof, Officer agrees that,
during the Term and for a period of five (5) years after
termination of his employment, Officer will hold in a fiduciary
capacity for the benefit of Employer and shall not directly or
indirectly use or disclose, except as authorized by Employer in
connection with the performance of Officer's duties, any
Confidential or Proprietary Information, as defined hereinafter,
that Officer may have or acquire (whether or not developed or
compiled by Officer and whether or not Officer has been
authorized to have access to such Confidential or Proprietary
Information) during the Term. The term "Confidential or
Proprietary Information" as used in this Agreement means any
secret, confidential or proprietary information of Employer,
including information received by Employer or Officer from any
client or potential client of Employer, not otherwise included in
the definition of "Trade Secret" in Section 10(a) above. The
term "Confidential or Proprietary Information" does not include
information that has become generally available to the public by
the act of one who has the right to disclose such information
without violating any right of the client to which such
information pertains.
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(c) Restrictions Supplemental to State Law. The restrictions set
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forth in Sections 10(a) and (b) are in addition to and not in
lieu of protections afforded to trade secrets and confidential
information under applicable state law. Nothing in this
Agreement is intended to or shall be interpreted as diminishing
or otherwise limiting Employer's right under applicable state law
to protect its trade secrets and confidential information.
(d) Noncompetition. In order to protect any confidential information
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that Officer may learn during the Term and in order to protect
any goodwill that Employer has earned and may earn during the
Term, Officer agrees that, if Officer voluntarily terminates this
Agreement without good reason during the Term he shall not, at
any location within a fifty (50) mile radius of any office of
Employer or any subsidiary thereof, for a period of 12 months
after such termination, provide services, as an employee,
officer, director, consultant or otherwise, which services are
substantially similar to the services performed by Officer under
this Agreement, for any company, firm or entity that is engaged
in Employer's Business (as hereinafter defined). For purposes
hereof, Employer's Business shall consist of: (a) the provision
of physician practice management services; (b) the provision of
prescription benefit management services; (c) the organization
and management of physicians and other healthcare professionals
engaged in the delivery of emergency, radiology and teleradiology
services, primary care and temporary staffing and support
services to hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations,
correctional facilities, Department of Defense facilities and
government-affiliated physician groups; and (d) the provision of
occupational health services to corporate industrial clients.
Section 11. Miscellaneous
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(a) Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall inure to the
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benefit of and shall be binding upon Employer, its successors and
assigns, and Employer shall be entitled to assign its rights and
obligations hereunder to the surviving corporation or
organization in a Change of Control without the consent of
Officer. The obligations and duties of Officer under this
Agreement shall be personal and not assignable by Officer.
(b) Notices. Any notice, request, instruction or other document to
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be given under this Agreement by any party to the others shall be
in writing and delivered in person or by courier, telegraphed,
telexed or sent by facsimile transmission or mailed by certified
mail, postage prepaid, return receipt
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requested (such mail notice to be effective on the date such
receipt is acknowledged), as follows:
If to Officer:
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx, Xx.
00 Xxxxxxx Xxx
Xxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
If to Employer:
MedPartners, Inc.
0000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxxx
Xxxxx 0000
Xxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
Attn: Chief Executive Officer
or to such other place and with such other copies as either party may designate
as to itself by written notice to the others.
(c) Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire agreement
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of the parties relating to the subject matter hereof, and it
replaces and supersedes any prior agreements between the parties
relating to said subject matter.
(d) Waiver and Amendment. No provision of this Agreement may be
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waived except by a written agreement signed by the waiving party.
The waiver of any term or of any condition of this Agreement
shall not be deemed to constitute the waiver of any other term or
condition. This Agreement may be amended only by a written
agreement signed by each of the parties hereto.
(e) Governing Law. This Agreement shall be construed under and
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governed by the internal laws of the State of Alabama.
(f) Arbitration. Except for a claim by Employer for injunctive
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relief, any disputes or controversies arising out of or relating
to this Agreement including any breach hereof, Officer's
employment or termination of employment by Employer, including
any claim of employment discrimination, or the arbitrability of
any matter under this Agreement, shall be settled by arbitration
in Birmingham, Alabama, in accordance with the Federal
Arbitration Act and the employment dispute arbitration rules of
the American Arbitration Association. Employer agrees to pay the
administrative costs and expenses required by such arbitration,
including
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the fees and expenses of the arbitrator(s). The determination and
findings of such arbitrators shall be final and binding on all
parties and may be enforced, if necessary, in any court of
competent jurisdiction in the federal or state courts in
Birmingham, Alabama.
(g) Attorneys' Fees in Action by Employee on Contract. In the event
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of litigation or arbitration between Officer and Employer arising
out of or as a result of this Agreement or the acts of the
parties pursuant to this Agreement, or seeking an interpretation
of this Agreement, if Officer is the party in such litigation or
arbitration, in addition to any other judgment or award, he shall
be entitled to receive such sums as the court or panel hearing
the matter shall find to be reasonable as and for attorneys'
fees.
(h) Remedies of Employer. Officer acknowledges that the services he
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is obligated to render under the provisions of this Agreement are
of a special, unique and intellectual character, which gives this
Agreement peculiar value to Employer. The loss of these services
cannot be reasonably or adequately compensated in damages in an
action at law and it would be difficult (if not impossible) to
replace such services. Accordingly, Officer agrees and consents
that, if he materially violates any of the material provisions of
this Agreement, including, without limitation, Section 10,
Employer, in addition to any other rights and remedies available
under this Agreement or under applicable law, shall be entitled
during the remainder of the Term (and, in the case of Section 10,
after the Term to the extent provided in Section 10) to seek
injunctive relief, from a court of competent jurisdiction,
restraining Officer from committing or continuing any violation
of this Agreement, or from the performance of services to any
other business entity, or both.
(i) Captions. Captions have been inserted solely for the convenience
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of reference and in no way define, limit or describe the scope or
substance of any provisions of this Agreement.
(j) Severability. If this Agreement shall for any reason be or
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become unenforceable by any party, this Agreement shall thereupon
terminate and become unenforceable by the other party as well.
In all other respects, if any provision of this Agreement is held
invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of this Agreement shall
nevertheless remain in full force and effect and, if any
provision is held invalid or unenforceable with respect to
particular circumstances, it shall nevertheless remain in full
force and effect in all other circumstances; provided, however,
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that if any one or more of the terms contained in Section 10
shall for any reason be held to be excessively broad with regard
to time, duration, geographic scope or
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activity, that term shall not be deleted but shall be reformed
and construed in a manner to enable it to be enforced to the
greatest extent compatible with applicable law.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date
first above written.
Attest: MEDPARTNERS, INC.
By: By: /s/ X. X. Xxxxxxxx
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Name: E. Xxx Xxxxxxxx
---------------------------- President and Chief Executive
Title: Officer
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/s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx, Xx.
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Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx, Xx.
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EXHIBIT A
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[Attach MedPartners, Inc. Relocation Policy and Procedures Statement]
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