Closing Purchase Price (a) The closing (the “Closing”) of the purchase and sale of the Transferred Assets and the assumption of the Assumed Liabilities shall be held at the offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇ LLP, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇., ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, at 6:00 a.m., San Francisco time on the third business day after and excluding the date on which the conditions to Closing set forth in Article VIII hereof (other than those conditions which by their nature are to be satisfied concurrently with the Closing) shall have been satisfied or waived or at such other place, time and date as agreed in writing by Purchaser and the Seller. The date on which the Closing shall occur is hereinafter referred to as the “Closing Date.” The Closing shall be deemed to occur as of the close of business on the Closing Date.
(b) In consideration of the transfer of the Transferred Assets to Purchaser, and in reliance on the representations and warranties of Seller and the Canadian Subsidiary contained in this Agreement, at the Closing, Purchaser shall (i) pay Seller and the Canadian Subsidiary the aggregate amount of Eighty-Two Million Dollars ($82,000,000), which amount shall be adjusted as provided in this Section 2.4, Section 2.8 and Section 2.12(a), in cash (the “Cash Consideration”) by wire transfer of immediately available funds to an account or accounts designated in writing by Seller no later than one business day prior to Closing and (ii) assume the Assumed Liabilities.
(c) All expenses and other liabilities arising from the North America Business up until the close of business on the Closing Date, including assessments levied against the Transferred Assets, salesperson advances, property and equipment rentals, amounts owing under the Canadian Lease, sales taxes, applicable copyright or other fees, sales and service charges, and similar prepaid and deferred items shall be prorated between Purchaser, on the one hand, and Seller and the Canadian Subsidiary, on the other hand, in accordance with the principle that Seller and its Affiliates shall be responsible for all expenses, costs and liabilities allocable to the conduct of the North America Business for the period prior to the close of business on the Closing Date, and Purchaser shall be responsible for all expenses, costs and liabilities allocable to the conduct of the North America Business for the period after the close of business on the Closing Date; provided that, Seller and its Affiliates shall be solely responsible for all intercompany accounts among Seller and its Affiliates. The Cash Consideration shall be increased or decreased as required to effectuate the foregoing proration of expenses and liabilities. This Section 2.4(c) is subject to the provisions of Sections 2.8, 2.9 and 2.12. A preliminary schedule of such allocation, calculated in accordance with the foregoing as though the Closing had taken place on November 30, 2004, is attached hereto as Schedule 2.4(c).
(d) The Cash Consideration shall be decreased by an amount equal to (i) any customer payments and deposits received by Seller or the Canadian Subsidiary prior to the close of business on the Closing Date but attributable to products or services to be provided by Purchaser after the close of business on the Closing Date (including any interest owing thereon), (ii) any other advance payments or deposits, to the extent any of the foregoing payments or deposits are attributable to products or services to be provided after the close of business on the Closing Date and (iii) the cost of all accrued vacation for Transferred Employees, as reflected on Section 4.12 of the Seller Disclosure Letter, as updated as of the Closing Date pursuant to Section 7.3 of this Agreement. A preliminary schedule of all such payments, deposits and accrued vacation, calculated in accordance with the foregoing as though the Closing had taken place on November 30, 2004, is attached hereto as Schedule 2.4(d).
(e) At least 10 business days prior to the Closing, Seller will deliver to Purchaser a report with respect to the North America Business (the “Preliminary Report”), certified as to completeness and accuracy by Seller, showing in detail the preliminary determination of the adjustments referred to in Sections 2.4(c), 2.4(d), 2.8 and 2.12(a), which are calculated in accordance with such Section as of the Closing Date, together with any documents substantiating the determination of the adjustments to the Cash Consideration proposed in the Preliminary Report. The parties shall negotiate in good faith to resolve any dispute and to reach an agreement prior to the Closing Date on such preliminary adjustments to the Cash Consideration as of the Closing Date (provided that, in the absence of such agreement prior to the Closing Date, the Preliminary Report shall be used for determining any adjustments to the Cash Consideration at Closing) or thereafter in accordance with Section 2.4(f) below. The adjustments shown in the Preliminary Report, as adjusted by agreement of the parties, will be reflected as an adjustment to the Cash Consideration payable at the Closing.
(f) Within 90 days after the Closing Date, Purchaser shall deliver to Seller a report with respect to the North America Business (the “Final Report”), showing in detail the final determination of any adjustments which were not calculated as of the Closing Date and containing any corrections to the Preliminary Report, together with any documents substantiating the final calculation of the adjustments proposed in the Final Report. If Seller shall conclude that the Final Report does not accurately reflect the adjustments and prorations to be made to the Cash Consideration in accordance with this Section 2.4, Seller shall, within 30 days after its receipt of the Final Report, provide to Purchaser its written statement of any discrepancies believed to exist. Purchaser and Seller shall use good faith efforts to jointly resolve the discrepancies within 30 days of Purchaser’s receipt of Seller’s written statement of discrepancies, which resolution, if achieved, shall be binding upon all parties to this Agreement and not subject to dispute or judicial review. If Purchaser and Seller cannot resolve the discrepancies to their mutual satisfaction within such 30-day period, Purchaser and Seller shall, within the following 10 days, jointly designate a national independent public accounting firm to be retained to review the Final Report together with Seller’s discrepancy statement and any other relevant documents. The parties agree that the foregoing independent public accounting firm shall not be one that is regularly engaged by Purchaser or Seller. Such firm shall report its conclusions as to adjustments pursuant to this Section 2.4, which shall be conclusive on all parties to this Agreement and not subject to dispute or judicial review. The conclusion of such firm with respect to each discrepancy shall be within the range established for such item by the Final Report and Seller’s discrepancy statement. If Purchaser or Seller is determined to owe an amount to the other, the appropriate party shall pay such amount thereof to the other within three business days after receipt of such determination. The cost of retaining such independent public accounting firm shall be borne equally by the parties.
Post-Closing Purchase Price Adjustment 1.9.1 Within ninety (90) days following the Closing Date, Seller shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, and deliver to Purchaser a statement (the “Closing Net Working Capital Statement”) which shall set forth the Net Working Capital of the Newsprint Business and of Apache as of the Closing Time (which shall be set forth separately for each of the Newsprint Business and Apache, but as aggregated shall be referred to as the “Closing Net Working Capital”) and shall be prepared in accordance with Seller’s past accounting methods, policies, practices and procedures and in the same manner, with consistent classification and estimation methodology, as the Financial Statements were prepared, except that the Excluded Assets and the Newsprint Retained Obligations shall be excluded. The Closing Net Working Capital Statement may not be amended by Seller after it is delivered to Purchaser.
1.9.2 Purchaser shall, within thirty (30) days after the delivery of the Closing Net Working Capital Statement to it, complete its review of the Closing Net Working Capital reflected on the Closing Net Working Capital Statement. If Purchaser wishes to dispute the Closing Net Working Capital, Purchaser shall notify Seller in writing in reasonable detail of such disagreement and any reason therefore (“Purchaser’s Objection”), setting forth a specific description of the basis of Purchaser’s Objection and the adjustments to the Closing Net Working Capital that Purchaser believes should be made, on or before the last day of such thirty (30) day period, which Purchaser’s Objection may not be amended by Purchaser after it is delivered to Seller (except to withdraw any such Purchaser’s Objection). Any items on the Closing Net Working Capital Statements not disputed in Purchaser’s Objection shall be irrevocably deemed to be accepted by Purchaser. Seller shall then have thirty (30) days to review and respond to Purchaser’s Objection. If Seller and Purchaser are unable to resolve all of their disagreements with respect to the determination of the foregoing items within thirty (30) days following Seller’s receipt of Purchaser’s Objection (the “Negotiation Period”), they shall refer their remaining differences to a mutually agreeable independent accounting firm of national recognition (other than an independent accounting firm utilized by any of Seller, Apache or Purchaser or any Affiliate of any of the foregoing within the past three (3) years) acceptable to both Seller and Purchaser or if Seller and Purchaser are unable to agree as to such third party accounting firm within ten (10) days after the conclusion of the Negotiation Period, either Seller or Purchaser may request that the Chairman of the American Arbitration Association (or the nominated representative of the Chairman) appoint a third party accounting firm meeting the aforementioned requirements to resolve the dispute (the accounting firm selected being referred to as the “CPA Firm”), who shall determine, only with respect to the remaining differences so submitted, whether and to what extent, if any, the Closing Net Working Capital requires adjustment. The procedure and schedule under which any dispute shall be submitted to the CPA Firm shall be as follows:
(a) Within ten (10) days after the later of (i) the end of the Negotiation Period and (ii) the selection of the CPA Firm, Purchaser shall submit any unresolved elements of the Purchaser’s Objection to the CPA Firm in writing (with a copy to Seller), supported by any documents and/or affidavits upon which it relies. Failure to timely do so shall constitute a withdrawal by Purchaser of the Purchaser’s Objection with respect to any unresolved element to which such failure relates.
(b) Within fifteen (15) days following Purchaser’s submission of the unresolved elements of the Purchaser’s Objection as specified in sub-clause (a) above, Seller shall submit its response to the CPA Firm in writing (with a copy to Purchaser), supported by any documents and/or affidavits upon which it relies. Failure to timely do so shall constitute an acceptance by Seller with respect to any unresolved elements to which such failure relates.
(c) The CPA Firm shall deliver its written determination to Purchaser and Seller no later than the thirtieth (30th) day after the remaining differences underlying Purchaser’s Objection are referred to the CPA Firm, or such longer period of time as the CPA Firm determines is necessary.