Exhibit 10.13
LOEWS CINEPLEX ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
This INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT (this "Agreement") is made as of this
___ day of ____________, 2002, by and between Loews Cineplex Entertainment
Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and _________ (the
"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 may not be willing to
continue to serve as a director 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 was or is a party or witness or is threatened to be made a party or
witness to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit 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, 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, suit or proceeding if Indemnitee
acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or
not opposed to 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, and (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 witness or is threatened
to be made a party or witness to any threatened, pending or completed action or
suit 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, 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) actually and reasonably incurred by
Indemnitee in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit
if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed
to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, 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, or any
subsidiary of the Company, unless and only to the extent that the Court of
Chancery of the State of Delaware or the court in which such action or suit is
or was pending shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication
or liability but 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 deem proper.
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, accompanied by such supporting
documentation as may be reasonably requested by 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. 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 made following final
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disposition of the action or proceeding to which such indemnification relates.
If a claim under this Agreement, under any statute, or under any provision of
the Company's Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws 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 13 of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall also be entitled to be paid for
the expenses (including reasonable 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 Section 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
stockholders) 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 stockholders) 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 that may cover the claim in effect, the Company shall give
prompt notice of the 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 Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such
proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policies in partial or complete
satisfaction of the Company's obligations hereunder.
(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 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 own 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
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(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 (other than Section 145(f) of the Delaware General Corporation
Law or any successor non-exclusivity provision), notwithstanding that such
indemnification is not specifically authorized by the other provisions of this
Agreement, the Company's Certificate of Incorporation, the Company's Bylaws 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 Delaware
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 the
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 Delaware
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 Certificate of Incorporation, its Bylaws, any agreement, any
vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, the Delaware 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 (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 an action, suit or
proceeding described in Section 1(a), but not, however, for the total amount
thereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion of
such expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in
settlement to which Indemnitee is entitled.
5. MUTUAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT. 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
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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 at
all times maintain a policy or policies of insurance with reputable insurance
companies providing the officers and directors of the Company with coverage (in
an amount not less than $[5,000,000]) for losses from wrongful acts, or to
ensure the Company's performance of its indemnification obligations under this
Agreement, unless the maintenance of any such policy or policies becomes
prohibitively expensive. 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.
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
Delaware General Corporation Law; or
(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 145 of the Delaware 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 Indemnitee with respect to any proceeding instituted by Indemnitee
to enforce or interpret this Agreement, to the extent that a court of competent
jurisdiction determines that the material assertions made by Indemnitee in such
proceeding was not made in good faith or was frivolous; or
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(d) Insured Claims. To indemnify Indemnitee for expenses or liabilities
of any type whatsoever (including, but not limited to, judgments, fines,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 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 Delaware General Corporation
Law, such provisions shall not be effective unless and until the Company's
Certificate of Incorporation authorizes 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 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) Company. 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) Other Enterprise, etc. 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
any 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 two or more
counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original.
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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,
except to the extent that, as a part of such action, the court of competent
jurisdiction determines that 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), except to the extent that, as a part of such action, the court
determines that Indemnitee's material defenses to such action were made in bad
faith or were frivolous.
14. NOTICES. 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, (ii) if mailed by domestic certified or registered mail with postage
prepaid, on the fifth business day after the date postmarked, or (iii) if sent
by telecopier (with receipt confirmed), on the date of such receipt. Addresses
for notice to either party are as shown on the signature page of this Agreement,
or as subsequently modified by written notice and in the case of notices to the
Company shall be marked for the attention of the Chief Executive Officer.
15. CONSENT TO JURISDICTION. The Company and Indemnitee each hereby
irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Delaware
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 Delaware.
16. CHOICE OF LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by and its
provisions construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware as
applied to contracts between Delaware residents entered into and to be performed
entirely within Delaware.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as
of the date first above written.
LOEWS CINEPLEX
ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION
By: ___________________________________
Name:
Title:
Address:
AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED:
INDEMNITEE:
___________________________________
Address: