Note Guarantee (a) Subject to this Article 5, each Guarantor hereby fully and unconditionally guarantees, on a joint and several basis, to each Holder of a Note authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and to the Trustee and its successors and assigns, that:
(1) the principal of, premium, if any, and interest, if any, on the Notes will be promptly paid in full when due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, redemption or otherwise, and interest on the overdue principal of, premium on, if any, irrespective of the validity and enforceability of the Indenture, the Notes or the obligations of the Company under the Indenture or the Notes, and interest, if any, on, the Notes, if lawful, and all other obligations of the Company to the Holders or the Trustee under the Indenture or the Notes (including fees and expenses) will be promptly paid in full or performed, all in accordance with the terms under the Indenture or the Notes; and
(2) in case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any Notes or any of such other obligations, that same will be promptly paid in full when due or performed in accordance with the terms of the extension or renewal, whether at Stated Maturity, by acceleration or otherwise. Failing payment when due of any amount so guaranteed or any performance so guaranteed for whatever reason, each Guarantor will be obligated to pay the same immediately. Each Guarantor agrees that this is a guarantee of payment and not a guarantee of collection.
(b) Each Guarantor hereby agrees that its obligations under the Indenture and the Notes are full and unconditional, irrespective of the validity, regularity or enforceability of the Indenture or the Notes, the absence of any action to enforce the same, any waiver or consent by any Holder of the Notes with respect to any provisions of the Indenture or the Notes, the recovery of any judgment against the Company, any action to enforce the same or any other circumstance which might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of such Guarantor. Each Guarantor hereby agrees that in the event of a default in payment of the principal of or interest on the Notes entitled to the Guarantee, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, call for redemption or otherwise, legal proceedings may be instituted by the Trustee on behalf of the Holders or, subject to Section 6.7 of the Base Indenture, by the Holders, on the terms and conditions set forth in the Indenture, directly against such Guarantor to enforce the Guarantee without first proceeding against the Company. Each Guarantor hereby (i) waives diligence, presentment, demand of payment, filing of claims with a court in the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of the Company, any right to require a proceeding first against the Company, protest, notice and all demands whatsoever, (ii) acknowledges that any agreement, instrument or document evidencing the Guarantee may be transferred and that the benefit of its obligations hereunder shall extend to each holder of any agreement, instrument or document evidencing the Guarantee without notice to it and (iii) covenants that this Note Guarantee will not be discharged except by complete performance of the obligations contained in the Indenture and the Notes.
(c) If any Holder or the Trustee is required by any court or otherwise to return to the Company, any Guarantor or any custodian, trustee, liquidator or other similar official acting in relation to either the Company or such Guarantor, any amount paid by either to the Trustee or such Holder, this Note Guarantee, to the extent theretofore discharged, will be reinstated in full force and effect.
(d) Each Guarantor agrees that it will not be entitled to any right of subrogation in relation to the Holders in respect of any obligations guaranteed hereby until payment in full of all obligations guaranteed hereby. Each Guarantor further agrees that, as between such Guarantor, on the one hand, and the Holders and the Trustee, on the other hand, (1) the maturity of the obligations guaranteed hereby may be accelerated as provided in Article VII for the purposes of this Note Guarantee, notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such acceleration in respect of the obligations guaranteed hereby, and (2) in the event of any declaration of acceleration of such obligations as provided in Article VII, such obligations (whether or not due and payable) will forthwith become due and payable by such Guarantor for the purpose of this Note Guarantee.
Release of Note Guarantees (a) A Note Guarantee by a Guarantor shall be automatically and unconditionally released and discharged, and no further action by such Guarantor, the Company or the Trustee shall be required for the release of such Guarantor’s Note Guarantee, upon:
(A) a sale or disposition (including by way of consolidation, merger or amalgamation) of all or a portion of the Capital Stock of such Guarantor following which such Guarantor is no longer a Subsidiary of the Company;
(B) a sale or disposition (including by way of consolidation, merger or amalgamation) of all or substantially all of the assets of such Guarantor to a Person that is not the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary of the Company;
(C) the Company’s exercise of its Legal Defeasance option or Covenant Defeasance option in accordance with Article 8 or the discharge of the Company’s obligations under this Indenture in accordance with the terms of this Indenture;
(D) the Designation of such Guarantor as an Unrestricted Subsidiary;
(E) pursuant to the terms of the Deed of Guarantee, security or a guarantee of the Company’s obligations under this Indenture which is acceptable to the Security and Intercreditor Agent being provided in substitution for such Note Guarantee;
(F) the release or discharge of such other guarantee that resulted in the creation of such Note Guarantee, except a discharge or release by or as a result of payment under such guarantee (it being understood that a release subject to a contingent reinstatement will constitute a release for the purposes of this provision, and if any such guarantee is so reinstated, such guarantee shall also be reinstated to the extent that such Guarantor would then be required to provide a Note Guarantee pursuant to Section 4.11); or
(G) the liquidation or dissolution of such Guarantor; provided that no Event of Default occurs as a result thereof or has occurred or is continuing; provided, that the transaction is carried out pursuant to, and in accordance with, all other applicable provisions of this Indenture; and
(2) such Guarantor delivering to the Trustee and the Security and Intercreditor Agent an Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel stating that all conditions precedent provided for in this Indenture and the Deed of Guarantee relating to such transaction have been complied with.
(b) At the written request of the Company and upon receipt of the items described in Section 10.06(a)(2) above, the Trustee and the Security and Intercreditor Agent shall execute and deliver any documents reasonably requested in order to evidence such release, discharge and termination in respect of the applicable Note Guarantee.
Note Guarantees (a) Each Guarantor hereby, jointly and severally, fully, unconditionally and irrevocably guarantees the Notes and obligations of the Company hereunder and thereunder, and guarantees to each Holder of a Note authenticated and delivered by the Trustee and to the Trustee on behalf of such Holder, that: (i) the principal of and premium, if any and interest on the Notes shall be paid in full when due, whether at Stated Maturity, by acceleration, call for redemption or otherwise (including, without limitation, the amount that would become due but for the operation of the automatic stay under Section 362(a) of the Bankruptcy Code), together with interest on the overdue principal, if any, and interest on any overdue interest, to the extent lawful, and all other obligations of the Company to the Holders or the Trustee hereunder or thereunder shall be paid in full or performed, all in accordance with the terms hereof and thereof; and (ii) in case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of the Notes or of any such other obligations, the same shall be paid in full when due or performed in accordance with the terms of the extension or renewal, whether at Stated Maturity, by acceleration or otherwise. Each of the Note Guarantees shall be a guarantee of payment and not of collection.
(b) Each Guarantor hereby agrees that its obligations hereunder shall be unconditional, irrespective of the validity, regularity or enforceability of the Notes or this Indenture, the absence of any action to enforce the same, any waiver or consent by any Holder with respect to any provisions hereof or thereof, the recovery of any judgment against the Company, any action to enforce the same or any other circumstance which might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a Guarantor.
(c) Each Guarantor hereby waives the benefits of diligence, presentment, demand for payment, filing of claims with a court in the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of the Company, any right to require a proceeding first against the Company or any other Person, protest, notice and all demands whatsoever and covenants that the Note Guarantee of such Guarantor shall not be discharged as to any Note except by complete performance of the obligations contained in such Note and such Note Guarantee or as provided for in this Indenture. Each of the Guarantors hereby agrees that, in the event of a default in payment of principal or premium, if any or interest on such Note, whether at its Stated Maturity, by acceleration, call for redemption, purchase or otherwise, legal proceedings may be instituted by the Trustee on behalf of, or by, the Holder of such Note, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in this Indenture, directly against each of the Guarantors to enforce such Guarantor’s Note Guarantee without first proceeding against the Company or any other Guarantor. Each Guarantor agrees that if, after the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, the Trustee or any of the Holders are prevented by applicable law from exercising their respective rights to accelerate the maturity of the Notes, to collect interest on the Notes, or to enforce or exercise any other right or remedy with respect to the Notes, such Guarantor shall pay to the Trustee for the account of the Holders, upon demand therefor, the amount that would otherwise have been due and payable had such rights and remedies been permitted to be exercised by the Trustee or any of the Holders.
(d) If any Holder or the Trustee is required by any court or otherwise to return to the Company or any Guarantor, or any custodian, trustee, liquidator or other similar official acting in relation to the Company or any Guarantor, any amount paid by any of them to the Trustee or such Holder, the Note Guarantee of each of the Guarantors, to the extent theretofore discharged, shall be reinstated in full force and effect. This paragraph (d) shall remain effective notwithstanding any contrary action which may be taken by the Trustee or any Holder in reliance upon such amount required to be returned. This paragraph (d) shall survive the termination of this Indenture.
(e) Each Guarantor further agrees that, as between each Guarantor, on the one hand, and the Holders and the Trustee, on the other hand, (x) the maturity of the obligations guaranteed hereby may be accelerated as provided in Section 6.02 for the purposes of the Note Guarantee of such Guarantor, notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such acceleration in respect of the obligations guaranteed hereby, and (y) in the event of any acceleration of such obligations as provided in Section 6.02, such obligations (whether or not due and payable) shall forthwith become due and payable by each Guarantor for the purpose of the Note Guarantee of such Guarantor.
Additional Note Guarantees of the Base Indenture shall be amended and restated in its entirety as follows: “Prior to the occurrence of an Investment Grade Event Election with respect to each series of Notes, if (a) any Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of the Company that is not an Excluded Subsidiary becomes an obligor with respect to any Indebtedness under the Credit Agreement, (b) any Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of the Company that is not an Excluded Subsidiary and that is not an Unrestricted Subsidiary becomes an obligor with respect to any capital markets debt securities in an aggregate principal amount in excess of $500.0 million or (c) Parent or any Subsidiary of Parent acquires or creates a Subsidiary that directly or indirectly owns Capital Stock of the Company, then the Company or Parent, as applicable, will, within 20 Business Days after the date on which it becomes an obligor with respect to any of the foregoing, or reasonably promptly thereafter, (i) cause that newly acquired or created Subsidiary to become a Guarantor of the Notes of this Series and execute a supplemental indenture and (ii), if requested by the Trustee, deliver an Opinion of Counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee. Following the occurrence of an Investment Grade Event Election, with respect to each series of Notes, if the aggregate principal amount of Indebtedness for Borrowed Money of non-guarantor Subsidiaries that are not Excluded Subsidiaries (excluding any Specified Indebtedness under any Permitted Receivables Financing and any Specified Indebtedness of an “Unrestricted Subsidiary” (or the equivalent thereof) under the Credit Agreement or Permitted Receivables Financing Subsidiary) that is incurred or issued and outstanding exceeds $2,000.0 million (the “Guarantee Threshold”), then Parent shall cause such of its non-guarantor Subsidiaries that are not Excluded Subsidiaries to, within 60 days, execute and deliver a supplemental indenture providing for a Note Guarantee by such non-guarantor Subsidiaries (each such Note Guarantee, a “Post-Release Event Note Guarantee”) such that the aggregate principal amount of Specified Indebtedness of all other non-guarantor Subsidiaries that are not Excluded Subsidiaries (excluding any Specified Indebtedness under any Permitted Receivables Financing and any Specified Indebtedness of an “Unrestricted Subsidiary” (or the equivalent thereof) under the Credit Agreement or Permitted Receivables Financing Subsidiary) that is incurred or issued and outstanding does not exceed the Guarantee Threshold (after giving effect to the provision of Post-Release Event Note Guarantees pursuant to this Section 4.17); provided that (i) this Section 4.17 shall not be applicable to any Specified Indebtedness of any Subsidiary that existed at the time such Person became a Subsidiary of Parent (including any Specified Indebtedness incurred in connection with, or in contemplation of, such Person becoming a Subsidiary, so long as Parent and its Subsidiaries (other than such Person and its Subsidiaries) are not obligors under such Specified Indebtedness), (ii) if the Guarantee Threshold would be exceeded immediately after giving effect to the occurrence of an Investment Grade Event Election, then such Investment Grade Event Election shall be deemed not to have occurred with respect to the release of such Note Guarantees as the Company may designate such that the Guarantee Threshold would not be then exceeded and (iii) a Post-Release Event Note Guarantee shall be released to the extent the Guarantee Threshold would not be exceeded after giving effect to such release.”
The Guarantee Each Guarantor hereby jointly and severally with the other Guarantors guarantees, as a primary obligor and not merely as a surety to each Secured Party and their respective permitted successors and assigns, the prompt payment in full when due (whether at stated maturity, by required prepayment, declaration, demand, by acceleration or otherwise) of the principal of and interest (including any interest, fees, costs or charges that would accrue but for the provisions of (i) the Title 11 of the United States Code after any bankruptcy or insolvency petition under Title 11 of the United States Code and (ii) any other Debtor Relief Laws) on the Loans made by the Lenders to, and the Notes held by each Lender of, the Borrower, and all other Secured Obligations from time to time owing to the Secured Parties by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary under any Loan Document or any Secured Hedge Agreement or any Treasury Services Agreement, in each case strictly in accordance with the terms thereof (such obligations, including any future increases in the amount thereof, being herein collectively called the “Guaranteed Obligations”); provided, however, that Guaranteed Obligations shall exclude all Excluded Swap Obligations. The Guarantors hereby jointly and severally agree that if the Borrower or other Guarantor(s) shall fail to pay in full when due (whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) any of the Guaranteed Obligations, the Guarantors will promptly pay the same in cash, without any demand or notice whatsoever, and that in the case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any of the Guaranteed Obligations, the same will be promptly paid in full when due (whether at extended maturity, by acceleration or otherwise) in accordance with the terms of such extension or renewal.