ATC HEALTHCARE, INC.
PLACEMENT AGENT AGREEMENT
Dated as of: April 19, 2000
Arthur's, Lestrange & Company Inc.
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
Gentlemen:
The undersigned, ATC Healthcare, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), hereby agrees with Arthur's, Lestrange & Company Inc. (the
"Placement Agent") and Cornell Capital Partners, LP, a Delaware Limited
Partnership (the "Investor"), as follows:
1. Offering. The Company hereby engages the Placement Agent to act as its
exclusive placement agent in connection with the Standby Equity Distribution
Agreement dated the date hereof (the "Standby Equity Distribution Agreement"),
pursuant to which the Company shall issue and sell to the Investor, from time to
time, and the Investor shall purchase from the Company (the "Offering") up to
Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000) of the Company's Class A common stock (the
"Commitment Amount"), $.01 par value per share (the "Common Stock"), at price
per share equal to the Purchase Price, as that term is defined in the Standby
Equity Distribution Agreement. The Placement Agent's services shall consist of
reviewing the terms of the Standby Equity Distribution Agreement and advising
the Company with respect to those terms.
All capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein shall
have the same meaning ascribed to them as in the Standby Equity Distribution
Agreement. The Investor will be granted certain registration rights with respect
to the Common Stock as more fully set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement
between the Company and the Investor dated the date hereof (the "Registration
Rights Agreement"). The documents to be executed and delivered in connection
with the Offering, including, but not limited to, this Agreement, the Standby
Equity Distribution Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, and the Escrow
Agreement dated the date hereof (the "Escrow Agreement"), are referred to
sometimes hereinafter collectively as the "Offering Materials." The Company's
Common Stock purchased by the Investor or to be issued in connection with the
conversion of the debenture to be issued to the Investor are sometimes referred
to hereinafter as the "Securities." The Placement Agent shall not be obligated
to sell any Securities.
2. Compensation.
Upon the execution of this Agreement, the Company shall issue to the
Placement Agent or its designee shares of the Company's Common Stock in an
amount equal to Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) divided by the Closing Bid Price
of the Company's Common Stock on the date hereof (the "Placement Agent's
Shares"). The Placement Agent's Shares shall be registered along with the
Investor's shares being registered pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement
dated the date hereof.
3. Representations, Warranties and Covenants of the Placement Agent.
The Placement Agent represents, warrants and covenants as follows:
(i) The Placement Agent has the necessary power to enter into
this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.
(ii) The execution and delivery by the Placement Agent of this
Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein will not
result in any violation of, or be in conflict with, or constitute a default
under, any agreement or instrument to which the Placement Agent is a party or by
which the Placement Agent or its properties are bound, or any judgment, decree,
order or, to the Placement Agent's knowledge, any statute, rule or regulation
applicable to the Placement Agent. This Agreement when executed and delivered by
the Placement Agent, will constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of
the Placement Agent, enforceable in accordance with their respective terms,
except to the extent that (a) the enforceability hereof or thereof may be
limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws
from time to time in effect and affecting the rights of creditors generally, (b)
the enforceability hereof or thereof is subject to general principles of equity,
or (c) the indemnification provisions hereof or thereof may be held to be in
violation of public policy.
(iii) Upon receipt and execution of this Agreement by it, the
Placement Agent will promptly forward copies of this Agreement to the Company or
its counsel and the Investor or its counsel.
(iv) The Placement Agent will not intentionally take any
action that it reasonably believes would cause the Offering to violate the
provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "1934 Act"), the respective rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder (the "Rules and Regulations") or applicable
"Blue Sky" laws of any state or jurisdiction.
(v) The Placement Agent is a member of the National
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., and is a broker-dealer registered as
such under the 1934 Act and under the securities laws of the states in which the
Securities will be offered or sold by the Placement Agent unless an exemption
for such state registration is available to the Placement Agent. The Placement
Agent is in material compliance with the rules and regulations applicable to the
Placement Agent generally and applicable to the Placement Agent's participation
in the Offering.
4. Representations and Warranties of the Company.
The Company represents and warrants to the Placement Agent as
follows:
(i) The execution, delivery and performance of each of this
Agreement, the Standby Equity Distribution Agreement and the Registration Rights
Agreement have been or will be duly and validly authorized by the Company and
are, or with respect to this Agreement, the Standby Equity Distribution
2
Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement will be, a valid and binding
agreement of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its respective terms,
except to the extent that (a) the enforceability hereof or thereof may be
limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws
from time to time in effect and affecting the rights of creditors generally, (b)
the enforceability hereof or thereof is subject to general principles of equity
or (c) the indemnification provisions hereof or thereof may be held to be in
violation of public policy.
(ii) The Company has a duly authorized, issued and outstanding
capitalization as set forth in the Standby Equity Distribution Agreement.
(iii) The shares of Common Stock to be issued in accordance
with this Agreement, the Standby Equity Distribution Agreement and the
Compensation Debenture have been duly authorized and, when issued and paid for
in accordance with this Agreement, the Standby Equity Distribution Agreement and
the Compensation Debenture, those shares will be validly issued, fully-paid and
non-assessable; the holders thereof will not be subject to personal liability
solely by reason of being such holders.
5. Representations, Warranties and Covenants of the Investor.
The Investor represents, warrants and covenants as follows:
A. The Investor has the necessary power to enter into this Agreement
and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.
B. The execution and delivery by the Investor of this Agreement and
the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein will not result in any
violation of, or be in conflict with, or constitute a default under, any
agreement or instrument to which the Investor is a party or by which the
Investor or its properties are bound, or any judgment, decree, order or, to the
Investor's knowledge, any statute, rule or regulation applicable to the
Investor. This Agreement when executed and delivered by the Investor, will
constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Investor, enforceable
in accordance with their respective terms, except to the extent that (a) the
enforceability hereof or thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium or similar laws from time to time in effect and
affecting the rights of creditors generally, (b) the enforceability hereof or
thereof is subject to general principles of equity, or (c) the indemnification
provisions hereof or thereof may be held to be in violation of public policy.
6. Indemnification and Limitation of Liability.
A. The Company hereby agrees that it will indemnify and hold the
Placement Agent and each officer, director, shareholder, employee or
representative of the Placement Agent, and each person controlling, controlled
by or under common control with the Placement Agent within the meaning of
Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act or the Rules and
Regulations, harmless from and against any and all loss, claim, damage,
liability, cost or expense whatsoever (including, but not limited to, any and
all reasonable legal fees and other expenses and disbursements incurred in
connection with investigating, preparing to defend or defending any action, suit
or proceeding, including any inquiry or investigation, commenced or threatened,
3
or any claim whatsoever or in appearing or preparing for appearance as a witness
in any action, suit or proceeding, including any inquiry, investigation or
pretrial proceeding such as a deposition) to which the Placement Agent or such
indemnified person of the Placement Agent may become subject under the 1933 Act,
the 1934 Act, the Rules and Regulations, or any other federal or state law or
regulation, common law or otherwise, arising out of or based upon (i) the breach
of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement made by the Company in
this Agreement, or (ii) any false or misleading information or allegedly false
or misleading information, which is included in any document filed with the SEC
or any state agency, other than information included therein which is
specifically provided for that purpose by the Placement Agent or the Investor.
B. The Placement Agent hereby agrees that it will indemnify and hold
the Company and each officer, director, shareholder, employee or representative
of the Company, and each person controlling, controlled by or under common
control with the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or
Section 20 of the 1934 Act or the Rules and Regulations, harmless from and
against any and all loss, claim, damage, liability, cost or expense whatsoever
(including, but not limited to, any and all reasonable legal fees and other
expenses and disbursements incurred in connection with investigating, preparing
to defend or defending any action, suit or proceeding, including any inquiry or
investigation, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever or in appearing
or preparing for appearance as a witness in any action, suit or proceeding,
including any inquiry, investigation or pretrial proceeding such as a
deposition) to which the Company or such indemnified person of the Company may
become subject under the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, the Rules and Regulations, or
any other federal or state law or regulation, common law or otherwise, arising
out of or based upon (i) the breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or
agreement made by the Placement Agent in this Agreement, or (ii) any false or
misleading information or allegedly false or misleading information provided to
the Company by the Placement Agent or by one of the Placement Agent's
indemnified persons specifically for inclusion in any document filed with the
SEC or any state agency
C. The Investor hereby agrees that it will indemnify and hold the
Placement Agent and each officer, director, shareholder, employee or
representative of the Placement Agent, and each person controlling, controlled
by or under common control with the Placement Agent within the meaning of
Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act or the Rules and
Regulations, harmless from and against any and all loss, claim, damage,
liability, cost or expense whatsoever (including, but not limited to, any and
all reasonable legal fees and other expenses and disbursements incurred in
connection with investigating, preparing to defend or defending any action, suit
or proceeding, including any inquiry or investigation, commenced or threatened,
or any claim whatsoever or in appearing or preparing for appearance as a witness
in any action, suit or proceeding, including any inquiry, investigation or
pretrial proceeding such as a deposition) to which the Placement Agent or such
indemnified person of the Placement Agent may become subject under the 1933 Act,
the 1934 Act, the Rules and Regulations, or any other federal or state law or
regulation, common law or otherwise, arising out of or based upon (i) the
conduct of the Investor or its officers, employees or representatives in its
acting as the Investor for the Offering, (ii) the material breach of any
representation, warranty, covenant or agreement made by the Investor in the
Offering Materials, or (iii) any false or misleading information provided to the
Placement Agent by one of the Investor's indemnified persons.
4
D. The Placement Agent hereby agrees that it will indemnify and hold
the Investor and each officer, director, shareholder, employee or representative
of the Investor, and each person controlling, controlled by or under common
control with the Investor within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or
Section 20 of the 1934 Act or the Rules and Regulations, harmless from and
against any and all loss, claim, damage, liability, cost or expense whatsoever
(including, but not limited to, any and all reasonable legal fees and other
expenses and disbursements incurred in connection with investigating, preparing
to defend or defending any action, suit or proceeding, including any inquiry or
investigation, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever or in appearing
or preparing for appearance as a witness in any action, suit or proceeding,
including any inquiry, investigation or pretrial proceeding such as a
deposition) to which the Investor or such indemnified person of the Investor may
become subject under the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, the Rules and Regulations, or
any other federal or state law or regulation, common law or otherwise, arising
out of or based upon the material breach of any representation, warranty,
covenant or agreement made by the Placement Agent in this Agreement.
E. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party of notice of the
existence of any condition which is covered by Section 6(A), (B), (C) or (D),
the party to be indemnified shall, within five (5) business days, notify the
indemnifying party of the occurrence thereof; the omission by an indemnified
party to so notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve the indemnifying
party of its obligation to indemnify any other indemnified party that has given
such notice and shall not relieve the indemnifying party of any liability
outside of this indemnification if not materially prejudiced thereby. In the
event that any action is brought against an indemnified party, the indemnifying
party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent it may desire,
to assume and control the defense thereof with counsel chosen by it. After
notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election to
so assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such
indemnified party under such Section 6(A), (B), (C) or (D) for any legal or
other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection
with the defense thereof, but the indemnified party may, at its own expense,
participate in such defense by counsel chosen by it, without, however, impairing
the indemnifying party's control of the defense. Subject to the proviso of this
sentence and notwithstanding any other statement to the contrary contained
herein, the indemnified party or parties shall have the right to choose its or
their own counsel and control the defense of any action, all at the expense of
the indemnifying party if (i) the employment of such counsel shall have been
authorized in writing by the indemnifying party in connection with the defense
of such action at the expense of the indemnifying party, or (ii) the
indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel to have charge of the defense
of such action within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the
action, or (iii) such indemnified party or parties shall have reasonably
concluded that there may be defenses available to it or them which are different
from or additional to those available to one or all of the indemnifying parties,
which cannot be properly raised by the counsel hired by the indemnifying party
(in which case the indemnifying parties shall not have the right to direct the
defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party or parties), in any of
which events such fees and expenses of one additional counsel shall be borne by
the indemnifying party; provided, however, that the indemnifying party shall
not, in connection with any one action or separate but substantially similar or
related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general
allegations or circumstance, be liable for the reasonable fees and expenses of
more than one separate firm of attorneys at any time for all such indemnified
5
parties. No settlement of any action or proceeding against an indemnified party
shall be made without the consent of the indemnifying party.
F. The indemnity agreements contained in this Section 6 shall remain
operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by
or on behalf of any indemnified person or any termination of this Agreement.
7. Termination.
This Agreement shall be co-terminus with, and terminate at the same time
as, the Standby Equity Distribution Agreement.
8. Miscellaneous.
A. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts,
each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all which shall be deemed
to be one and the same instrument.
B. Any notice required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be
given in writing and shall be deemed effective when deposited in the United
States mail, postage prepaid, or when received if personally delivered or faxed
(upon confirmation of receipt received by the sending party), addressed as
follows to such other address of which written notice is given to the others):
If to Placement Agent, to: Arthur's Lestrange & Company Inc.
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Telephone: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
Facsimile: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
If to the Company, to: ATC Healthcare, Inc.
▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Telephone: ▇▇▇-▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
Facsimile: ▇▇▇-▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
With a copy to: DKW Law Group, LLC
58th Floor, US Steel Tower
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, Esq.
Telephone: ▇▇▇-▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
Facsimile: ▇▇▇-▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
6
If to the Investor: Cornell Capital Partners, LP
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ - ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Attention: ▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Portfolio Manager
Telephone: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
Facsimile: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
With Copies to: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP
▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ - ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Attention: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, Esq.
Facsimile: (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP
C. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in all respects
under the laws of the State of New York, without reference to its conflict of
laws rules or principles. Any suit, action, proceeding or litigation arising out
of or relating to this Agreement shall be brought and prosecuted in such federal
or state court or courts located within the State of New Jersey as provided by
law. The parties hereby irrevocably and unconditionally consent to the
jurisdiction of each such court or courts located within the State of New Jersey
and to service of process by registered or certified mail, return receipt
requested, or by any other manner provided by applicable law, and hereby
irrevocably and unconditionally waive any right to claim that any suit, action,
proceeding or litigation so commenced has been commenced in an inconvenient
forum.
D. This Agreement and the other agreements referenced herein contain
the entire understanding between the parties hereto and may not be modified or
amended except by a writing duly signed by the party against whom enforcement of
the modification or amendment is sought.
E. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid or
unenforceable, such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect any other
provision of this Agreement.
[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]
7
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as
of the date first written above.
COMPANY:
ATC HEALTHCARE, INC.
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Chief Financial Officer
PLACEMENT AGENT:
ARTHUR'S, LESTRANGE & COMPANY INC.
By: /s/ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Title: President
INVESTOR:
CORNELL CAPITAL PARTNERS, LP
By: Yorkville Advisors, LLC
Its: General Partner
By: /s/ ▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
-----------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Portfolio Manager
8