SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED
AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
OF
ATLAS PIPELINE PARTNERS, L.P.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE I.........................................................................................................1
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DEFINITIONS.......................................................................................................1
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SECTION 1.1 Definitions........................................................................................1
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SECTION 1.2 Construction......................................................................................20
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ARTICLE II.......................................................................................................20
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ORGANIZATION.....................................................................................................20
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SECTION 2.1 Formation.........................................................................................20
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SECTION 2.2 Name..............................................................................................21
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SECTION 2.3 Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices..............................21
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SECTION 2.4 Purpose and Business..............................................................................21
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SECTION 2.5 Powers............................................................................................22
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SECTION 2.6 Power of Attorney.................................................................................22
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SECTION 2.7 Term..............................................................................................23
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SECTION 2.8 Title to Partnership Assets.......................................................................24
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ARTICLE III......................................................................................................24
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RIGHTS OF LIMITED PARTNERS.......................................................................................24
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SECTION 3.1 Limitation of Liability...........................................................................24
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SECTION 3.2 Management of Business............................................................................24
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SECTION 3.3 Outside Activities of Limited Partners............................................................24
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SECTION 3.4 Rights of Limited Partners........................................................................25
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ARTICLE IV.......................................................................................................25
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CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS; TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS; REDEMPTION OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS.............26
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SECTION 4.1 Certificates......................................................................................26
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SECTION 4.2 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates.................................................26
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SECTION 4.3 Record Holders....................................................................................27
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SECTION 4.4 Transfer Generally................................................................................27
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SECTION 4.5 Registration and Transfer of Limited Partner Interests............................................28
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SECTION 4.6 Transfer of the General Partner's General Partner Interest........................................29
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SECTION 4.7 Transfer of Incentive Distribution Rights.........................................................29
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SECTION 4.8 Restrictions on Transfers.........................................................................30
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SECTION 4.9 Citizenship Certificates; Non-citizen Assignees...................................................30
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SECTION 4.10 Redemption of Partnership Interests of Non-citizen Assignees.....................................31
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ARTICLE V........................................................................................................33
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CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS......................................................33
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SECTION 5.1 Organizational Contributions......................................................................33
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SECTION 5.2 Contributions by the General Partner and Its Affiliates...........................................33
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SECTION 5.3 Contributions by Initial Limited Partners and Reimbursement of the General Partner................33
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SECTION 5.4 Interest and Withdrawal...........................................................................34
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SECTION 5.5 Capital Accounts..................................................................................34
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SECTION 5.6 Issuances of Additional Partnership Securities....................................................37
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SECTION 5.7 Limitations on Issuance of Additional Partnership Securities......................................38
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SECTION 5.8 Conversion of Subordinated Units..................................................................38
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SECTION 5.9 Limited Preemptive Right..........................................................................39
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SECTION 5.10 Splits and Combinations..........................................................................39
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SECTION 5.11 Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Limited Partner Interests................................40
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ARTICLE VI.......................................................................................................40
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ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS....................................................................................40
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SECTION 6.1 Allocations for Capital Account Purposes..........................................................40
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SECTION 6.2 Allocations for Tax Purposes......................................................................48
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SECTION 6.3 Requirement and Characterization of Distributions; Distributions to Record Holders................50
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SECTION 6.4 Distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus............................................50
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SECTION 6.5 Distributions of Available Cash from Capital Surplus..............................................52
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SECTION 6.6 Adjustment of Minimum Quarterly Distribution and Target Distribution Levels.......................53
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SECTION 6.7 Special Provisions Relating to the Holders of Subordinated Units..................................53
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SECTION 6.8 Special Provisions Relating to the Holders of Incentive Distribution Rights.......................54
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SECTION 6.9 Entity-Level Taxation.............................................................................54
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ARTICLE VII......................................................................................................54
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MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS.............................................................................54
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SECTION 7.1 Management........................................................................................54
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SECTION 7.2 Certificate of Limited Partnership................................................................56
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SECTION 7.3 Restrictions on General Partner's Authority.......................................................57
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SECTION 7.4 Reimbursement of the General Partner..............................................................58
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SECTION 7.5 Outside Activities................................................................................58
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SECTION 7.6 Loans from the General Partner; Loans or Contributions from the Partnership; Contracts with
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Affiliates; Certain Restrictions on the General Partner.......................................................59
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SECTION 7.7 RESERVED..........................................................................................61
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SECTION 7.8 Indemnification...................................................................................61
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SECTION 7.9 Liability of Indemnitees..........................................................................62
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SECTION 7.10 Resolution of Conflicts of Interest..............................................................63
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SECTION 7.11 Other Matters Concerning the General Partner.....................................................65
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SECTION 7.12 Purchase or Sale of Partnership Securities.......................................................65
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SECTION 7.13 Registration Rights of the General Partner and Its Affiliates....................................65
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SECTION 7.14 Reliance by Third Parties........................................................................68
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ARTICLE VIII.....................................................................................................68
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BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS...........................................................................68
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SECTION 8.1 Records and Accounting............................................................................68
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SECTION 8.2 Fiscal Year.......................................................................................68
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SECTION 8.3 Reports...........................................................................................69
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ARTICLE IX.......................................................................................................69
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TAX MATTERS......................................................................................................69
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SECTION 9.1 Tax Returns and Information.......................................................................69
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SECTION 9.2 Tax Elections.....................................................................................69
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SECTION 9.3 Tax Controversies.................................................................................70
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SECTION 9.4 Withholding.......................................................................................70
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ARTICLE X........................................................................................................70
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ADMISSION OF PARTNERS............................................................................................70
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SECTION 10.1 Admission of Initial Limited Partners............................................................70
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SECTION 10.2 Admission of Substituted Limited Partner.........................................................70
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SECTION 10.3 Admission of Successor General Partner...........................................................71
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SECTION 10.4 Admission of Additional Limited Partners.........................................................71
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SECTION 10.5 Amendment of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership....................................72
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ARTICLE XI.......................................................................................................72
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WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS................................................................................72
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SECTION 11.1 Withdrawal of the General Partner................................................................72
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SECTION 11.2 Removal of the General Partner...................................................................74
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SECTION 11.3 Interest of Departing Partner and Successor General Partner......................................74
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SECTION 11.4 Termination of Subordination Period, Conversion of Subordinated Units and Extinguishment of
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Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages.............................................................................75
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SECTION 11.5 Withdrawal of Limited Partners...................................................................76
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ARTICLE XII......................................................................................................76
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DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION......................................................................................76
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SECTION 12.1 Dissolution......................................................................................76
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SECTION 12.2 Continuation of the Business of the Partnership After Dissolution................................76
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SECTION 12.3 Liquidator.......................................................................................77
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SECTION 12.4 Liquidation......................................................................................78
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SECTION 12.5 Cancellation of Certificate of Limited Partnership...............................................79
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SECTION 12.6 Return of Contributions..........................................................................79
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SECTION 12.7 Waiver of Partition..............................................................................79
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SECTION 12.8 Capital Account Restoration......................................................................79
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ARTICLE XIII.....................................................................................................79
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AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; MEETINGS; RECORD DATE........................................................79
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SECTION 13.1 Amendment to Be Adopted Solely by the General Partner............................................79
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SECTION 13.2 Amendment Procedures.............................................................................81
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SECTION 13.3 Amendment Requirements...........................................................................81
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SECTION 13.4 Special Meetings.................................................................................82
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SECTION 13.5 Notice of a Meeting..............................................................................82
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SECTION 13.6 Record Date......................................................................................82
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SECTION 13.7 Adjournment......................................................................................83
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SECTION 13.8 Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting; Approval of Minutes.......................................83
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SECTION 13.9 Quorum...........................................................................................83
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SECTION 13.10 Conduct of a Meeting............................................................................84
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SECTION 13.11 Action Without a Meeting........................................................................84
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SECTION 13.12 Voting and Other Rights.........................................................................85
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ARTICLE XIV......................................................................................................85
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MERGER...........................................................................................................85
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SECTION 14.1 Authority........................................................................................85
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SECTION 14.2 Procedure for Merger or Consolidation............................................................85
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SECTION 14.3 Approval by Limited Partners of Merger or Consolidation..........................................86
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SECTION 14.4 Certificate of Merger............................................................................87
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SECTION 14.5 Effect of Merger.................................................................................87
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ARTICLE XV.......................................................................................................88
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RIGHT TO ACQUIRE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS.......................................................................88
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SECTION 15.1 Right to Acquire Limited Partner Interests.......................................................88
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ARTICLE XVI......................................................................................................90
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GENERAL PROVISIONS...............................................................................................90
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SECTION 16.1 Addresses and Notices............................................................................90
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SECTION 16.2 Further Action...................................................................................90
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SECTION 16.3 Binding Effect...................................................................................90
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SECTION 16.4 Integration......................................................................................91
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SECTION 16.5 Creditors........................................................................................91
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SECTION 16.6 Waiver...........................................................................................91
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SECTION 16.7 Counterparts.....................................................................................91
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SECTION 16.8 Applicable Law...................................................................................91
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SECTION 16.9 Invalidity of Provisions.........................................................................91
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SECTION 16.10 Consent of Partners.............................................................................91
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SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
OF
ATLAS PIPELINE PARTNERS, L.P.
THIS SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP OF
ATLAS PIPELINE PARTNERS, L.P. dated as of March 9, 2004, is entered into by and
among Atlas Pipeline Partners GP, LLC a Delaware limited liability company, as
the General Partner and the Persons who are Limited Partners in the Partnership
as of the date hereof, together with any other Persons who become Partners in
the Partnership or parties hereto as provided herein. In consideration of the
covenants, conditions and agreements contained herein, the parties hereto hereby
agree as follows:
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the General Partner and the Organizational Limited Partner
organized the Partnership as a Delaware limited partnership on May 6, 1999;
WHEREAS, the General Partner and the Organizational Limited Partner
executed and entered into the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited
Partnership of the Partnership dated February 2, 2000; and
WHEREAS, effective today a Unit Majority has approved the amendments
evidenced by this Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership.
ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS
SECTION 1.1 Definitions.
The following definitions shall be for all purposes, unless otherwise
clearly indicated to the contrary, applied to the terms used in this Agreement.
"Acquisition" means any transaction in which any Group Member acquires
(through an asset acquisition, merger, stock acquisition or other form of
investment) control over all or a portion of the assets, properties or business
of another Person for the purpose of increasing, over the long term, the
operating capacity of the Partnership Group from the operating capacity of the
Partnership Group existing immediately prior to such transaction.
"Additional Book Basis" means the portion of any remaining Carrying
Value of an Adjusted Property that is attributable to positive adjustments made
to such Carrying Value as a result of Book-Up Events. For purposes of
determining the extent that Carrying Value constitutes Additional Book Basis:
(i) Any negative adjustment made to the Carrying Value of an
Adjusted Property as a result of either a Book-Down Event or a Book-Up
Event shall first be deemed to offset or decrease that portion of the
Carrying Value of such Adjusted Property that is attributable to any
prior positive adjustments made thereto pursuant to a Book-Up Event or
Book-Down Event.
1
(ii) If Carrying Value that constitutes Additional Book Basis
is reduced as a result of a Book-Down Event and the Carrying Value of
other property is increased as a result of such Book-Down Event, an
allocable portion of any such increase in Carrying Value shall be
treated as Additional Book Basis; provided that the amount treated as
Additional Book Basis pursuant hereto as a result of such Book-Down
Event shall not exceed the amount by which the Aggregate Remaining Net
Positive Adjustments after such Book-Down Event exceeds the remaining
Additional Book Basis attributable to all of the Partnership's Adjusted
Property after such Book-Down Event (determined without regard to the
application of this clause (ii) to such Book-Down Event).
"Additional Book Basis Derivative Items" means any Book Basis
Derivative Items that are computed with reference to Additional Book Basis. To
the extent that the Additional Book Basis attributable to all of the
Partnership's Adjusted Property as of the beginning of any taxable period
exceeds the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of the beginning of
such period (the "Excess Additional Book Basis"), the Additional Book Basis
Derivative Items for such period shall be reduced by the amount that bears the
same ratio to the amount of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items determined
without regard to this sentence as the Excess Additional Book Basis bears to the
Additional Book Basis as of the beginning of such period.
"Additional Limited Partner" means a Person admitted to the Partnership
as a Limited Partner pursuant to Section 10.4 and who is shown as such on the
books and records of the Partnership.
"Adjusted Capital Account" means the Capital Account maintained for
each Partner as of the end of each fiscal year of the Partnership, (a) increased
by any amounts that such Partner is obligated to restore under the standards set
by Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(c) (or is deemed obligated to
restore under Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(g) and 1.704-2(i)(5)) and (b)
decreased by (i) the amount of all losses and deductions that, as of the end of
such fiscal year, are reasonably expected to be allocated to such Partner in
subsequent years under Sections 704(b)(2) and 706(d) of the Code and Treasury
Regulation Section 1.751-1(b)(2)(ii), and (ii) the amount of all distributions
that, as of the end of such fiscal year, are reasonably expected to be made to
such Partner in subsequent years in accordance with the terms of this Agreement
or otherwise to the extent they exceed offsetting increases to such Partner's
Capital Account that are reasonably expected to occur during (or prior to) the
year in which such distributions are reasonably expected to be made (other than
increases as a result of a minimum gain chargeback pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(i)
or 6.1(d)(ii)). The foregoing definition of Adjusted Capital Account is intended
to comply with the provisions of Treasury Regulation Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith. The
"Adjusted Capital Account" of a Partner in respect of a General Partner
Interest, a Common Unit, a Subordinated Unit or an Incentive Distribution Right
or any other specified interest in the Partnership shall be the amount which
such Adjusted Capital Account would be if such General Partner Interest, Common
Unit, Subordinated Unit, Incentive Distribution Right or other interest in the
Partnership were the only interest in the Partnership held by a Partner from and
after the date on which such General Partner Interest, Common Unit, Subordinated
Unit, Incentive Distribution Right or other interest was first issued.
2
"Adjusted Operating Surplus" means, with respect to any period,
Operating Surplus generated during such period (a) less (i) any net increase in
Working Capital Borrowings during such period and (ii) any net reduction in cash
reserves for Operating Expenditures during such period not relating to an
Operating Expenditure made during such period, and (b) plus (i) any net decrease
in Working Capital Borrowings during such period, and (ii) any net increase in
cash reserves for Operating Expenditures during such period required by any debt
instrument for the repayment of principal, interest or premium. Adjusted
Operating Surplus does not include that portion of Operating Surplus included in
clause (a)(i) of the definition of Operating Surplus.
"Adjusted Property" means any property the Carrying Value of which has
been adjusted pursuant to Section 5.5(d)(i) or 5.5(d)(ii).
"Affiliate" means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that
directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries controls, is
controlled by or is under common control with, the Person in question. As used
herein, the term "control" means the possession, direct or indirect, of the
power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a
Person, whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or
otherwise.
"Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments" means, as of the end of
any taxable period, the sum of the Remaining Net Positive Adjustments of all the
Partners.
"Agreed Allocation" means any allocation, other than a Required
Allocation, of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to the
provisions of Section 6.1, including, without limitation, a Curative Allocation
(if appropriate to the context in which the term "Agreed Allocation" is used).
"Agreed Value" of any Contributed Property means the fair market value
of such property or other consideration at the time of contribution as
determined by the General Partner using such reasonable method of valuation as
it may adopt. The General Partner shall, in its discretion, use such method as
it deems reasonable and appropriate to allocate the aggregate Agreed Value of
Contributed Properties contributed to the Partnership in a single or integrated
transaction among each separate property on a basis proportional to the fair
market value of each Contributed Property.
"Agreement" means this Second Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited
Partnership of Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P., as it may be amended, supplemented
or restated from time to time.
"Assignee" means a Non-citizen Assignee or a Person to whom one or more
Limited Partner Interests have been transferred in a manner permitted under this
Agreement and who has executed and delivered a Transfer Application as required
by this Agreement, but who has not been admitted as a Substituted Limited
Partner.
3
"Associate" means, when used to indicate a relationship with any
Person, (a) any corporation or organization of which such Person is a director,
officer or partner or is, directly or indirectly, the owner of 20% or more of
any class of voting stock or other voting interest; (b) any trust or other
estate in which such Person has at least a 20% beneficial interest or as to
which such Person serves as trustee or in a similar fiduciary capacity; and (c)
any relative or spouse of such Person, or any relative of such spouse, who has
the same principal residence as such Person.
"Available Cash" means, with respect to any Quarter ending prior to the
Liquidation Date,
(a) the sum of (i) all cash and cash equivalents of the
Partnership Group on hand at the end of such Quarter, and (ii) all
additional cash and cash equivalents of the Partnership Group on hand
on the date of determination of Available Cash with respect to such
Quarter resulting from Working Capital Borrowings made subsequent to
the end of such Quarter, less
(b) the amount of any cash reserves that is necessary or
appropriate in the reasonable discretion of the General Partner to (i)
provide for the proper conduct of the business of the Partnership Group
(including reserves for future capital expenditures and for anticipated
future credit needs of the Partnership Group) subsequent to such
Quarter, (ii) comply with applicable law or any loan agreement,
security agreement, mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement or
obligation to which any Group Member is a party or by which it is bound
or its assets are subject or (iii) provide funds for distributions
under Section 6.4 or 6.5 in respect of any one or more of the next four
Quarters; provided, however, that the General Partner may not establish
cash reserves pursuant to (iii) above if the effect of such reserves
would be that the Partnership is unable to distribute the Minimum
Quarterly Distribution on all Common Units, plus any Cumulative Common
Unit Arrearage on all Common Units, with respect to such Quarter; and,
provided further, that disbursements made by a Group Member or cash
reserves established, increased or reduced after the end of such
Quarter but on or before the date of determination of Available Cash
with respect to such Quarter shall be deemed to have been made,
established, increased or reduced, for purposes of determining
Available Cash, within such Quarter if the General Partner so
determines.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, "Available Cash" with respect to the Quarter in
which the Liquidation Date occurs and any subsequent Quarter shall equal zero.
"Book Basis Derivative Items" means any item of income, deduction, gain
or loss included in the determination of Net Income or Net Loss that is computed
with reference to the Carrying Value of an Adjusted Property (e.g.,
depreciation, depletion, or gain or loss with respect to an Adjusted Property).
"Book-Down Event" means an event which triggers a negative adjustment
to the Capital Accounts of the Partners pursuant to Section 5.5(d).
4
"Book-Tax Disparity" means with respect to any item of Contributed
Property or Adjusted Property, as of the date of any determination, the
difference between the Carrying Value of such Contributed Property or Adjusted
Property and the adjusted basis thereof for federal income tax purposes as of
such date. A Partner's share of the Partnership's Book-Tax Disparities in all of
its Contributed Property and Adjusted Property will be reflected by the
difference between such Partner's Capital Account balance as maintained pursuant
to Section 5.5 and the hypothetical balance of such Partner's Capital Account
computed as if it had been maintained strictly in accordance with federal income
tax accounting principles.
"Book-Up Event" means an event which triggers a positive adjustment to
the Capital Accounts of the Partners pursuant to Section 5.5(d).
"Business Day" means Monday through Friday of each week, except that a
legal holiday recognized as such by the government of the United States of
America or the states of New York or Pennsylvania shall not be regarded as a
Business Day.
"Capital Account" means the capital account maintained for a Partner
pursuant to Section 5.5. The "Capital Account" of a Partner in respect of a
General Partner Interest, a Common Unit, a Subordinated Unit, an Incentive
Distribution Right or any other Partnership Interest shall be the amount which
such Capital Account would be if such General Partner Interest, Common Unit,
Subordinated Unit, Incentive Distribution Right or other Partnership Interest
were the only interest in the Partnership held by a Partner from and after the
date on which such General Partner Interest, Common Unit, Subordinated Unit,
Incentive Distribution Right or other Partnership Interest was first issued.
"Capital Contribution" means any cash, cash equivalents or the Net
Agreed Value of Contributed Property that a Partner contributes to the
Partnership pursuant to this Agreement or the Contribution and Conveyance
Agreement.
"Capital Improvement" means any (a) addition or improvement to the
capital assets owned by any Group Member or (b) acquisition of existing, or the
construction of new, capital assets (including, without limitation, coal mines,
preparation plants and related assets), in each case if such addition,
improvement, acquisition or construction is made to increase over the long term
the operating capacity or revenues of the Partnership Group from the operating
capacity of the Partnership Group existing immediately prior to such addition,
improvement, acquisition or construction.
"Capital Surplus" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section
6.3(a).
"Carrying Value" means (a) with respect to a Contributed Property, the
Agreed Value of such property reduced (but not below zero) by all depreciation,
amortization and cost recovery deductions charged to the Partners' and
Assignees' Capital Accounts in respect of such Contributed Property, and (b)
with respect to any other Partnership property, the adjusted basis of such
property for federal income tax purposes, all as of the time of determination.
The Carrying Value of any property shall be adjusted from time to time in
accordance with Sections 5.5(d)(i) and 5.5(d)(ii) and to reflect changes,
additions or other adjustments to the Carrying Value for dispositions and
acquisitions of Partnership properties, as deemed appropriate by the General
Partner.
5
"Cause" means a court of competent jurisdiction has entered a final,
non-appealable judgment finding the General Partner liable for actual fraud,
gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct in its capacity as general
partner of the Partnership.
"Certificate" means a certificate (i) substantially in the form of
Exhibit A to this Agreement, (ii) issued in global form in accordance with the
rules and regulations of the Depositary or (iii) in such other form as may be
adopted by the General Partner in its discretion, issued by the Partnership
evidencing ownership of one or more Common Units or a certificate, in such form
as may be adopted by the General Partner in its discretion, issued by the
Partnership evidencing ownership of one or more other Partnership Securities.
"Certificate of Limited Partnership" means the Certificate of Limited
Partnership of the Partnership filed with the Secretary of State of the State of
Delaware as referenced in Section 2.7, as such Certificate of Limited
Partnership may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.
"Citizenship Certification" means a properly completed certificate in
such form as may be specified by the General Partner by which an Assignee or a
Limited Partner certifies that he (and if he is a nominee holding for the
account of another Person, that to the best of his knowledge such other Person)
is an Eligible Citizen.
"Claim" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.13(c).
"Closing Price" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section
15.1(a).
"Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and in
effect from time to time. Any reference herein to a specific section or sections
of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any corresponding
provision of successor law.
"Combined Interest" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section
11.3(a).
"Commission" means the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission.
"Common Unit" means a Partnership Security representing a fractional
part of the Partnership Interests of all Limited Partners and Assignees and of
the General Partner (exclusive of its interest as a holder of the General
Partner Interest and Incentive Distribution Rights) and having the rights and
obligations specified with respect to Common Units in this Agreement. The term
"Common Unit" does not refer to a Subordinated Unit prior to its conversion into
a Common Unit pursuant to the terms hereof.
"Common Unit Arrearage" means, with respect to any Common Unit,
whenever issued, as to any Quarter within the Subordination Period, the excess,
if any, of (a) the Minimum Quarterly Distribution with respect to a Common Unit
in respect of such Quarter over (b) the sum of all Available Cash distributed
with respect to a Common Unit in respect of such Quarter pursuant to Section
6.4(a)(i).
6
"Conflicts Committee" means a committee of the Board of Directors of
the General Partner composed entirely of two or more directors who are neither
security holders, officers nor employees of the General Partner nor officers,
directors or employees of any Affiliate of the General Partner.
"Contributed Property" means each property or other asset, in such form
as may be permitted by the Delaware Act, but excluding cash, contributed to the
Partnership (or deemed contributed to a new partnership on termination of the
Partnership pursuant to Section 708 of the Code). Once the Carrying Value of a
Contributed Property is adjusted pursuant to Section 5.5(d), such property shall
no longer constitute a Contributed Property, but shall be deemed an Adjusted
Property.
"Contribution and Conveyance Agreement" means that certain
Contribution, Conveyance and Assumption Agreement, dated as of the Initial
Closing Date, among the General Partner, the Partnership, the Operating
Partnership together with certain other instruments contemplated or referenced
thereunder.
"Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage" means, with respect to any Common
Unit, whenever issued, and as of the end of any Quarter, the excess, if any, of
(a) the sum resulting from adding together the Common Unit Arrearage as to a
Common Unit for each of the Quarters within the Subordination Period ending on
or before the last day of such Quarter over (b) the sum of any distributions
theretofore made pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(ii) and the second sentence of
Section 6.5 with respect to a Common Unit (including any distributions to be
made in respect of the last of such Quarters).
"Curative Allocation" means any allocation of an item of income, gain,
deduction, loss or credit pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.1(d)(xi).
"Current Market Price" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section
15.1(a).
"Delaware Act" means the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership
Act, 6 Del. C. Sections 17-101, et seq., as amended, supplemented or restated
from time to time, and any successor to such statute.
"Departing Partner" means a former General Partner from and after the
effective date of any withdrawal or removal of such former General Partner
pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2.
"Depositary" means, with respect to any Units issued in global form,
The Depository Trust Company and its successors and permitted assigns.
"Economic Risk of Loss" has the meaning set forth in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.752-2(a).
7
"Eligible Citizen" means a Person qualified to own interests in real
property in jurisdictions in which any Group Member does business or proposes to
do business from time to time, and whose status as a Limited Partner or Assignee
does not or would not subject such Group Member to a significant risk of
cancellation or forfeiture of any of its properties or any interest therein.
"Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditures" means an estimate made in
good faith by the board of directors of the General Partner (with the
concurrence of the Conflicts Committee) of the average quarterly Maintenance
Capital Expenditures that the Partnership will incur over the long term. The
board of directors of the General Partner will be permitted to make such
estimate in any manner it determines reasonable in its sole discretion. The
estimate will be made annually and whenever an event occurs that is likely to
result in a material adjustment to the amount of Maintenance Capital
Expenditures on a long term basis. The Partnership shall disclose to its
Partners the amount of Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditures. Except as
provided in the definition of Subordination Period, any adjustments to Estimated
Maintenance Capital Expenditures shall be prospective only.
"Event of Withdrawal" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section
11.1(a).
"Expansion Capital Expenditures" means cash capital expenditures for
Acquisitions or Capital Improvements. Expansion Capital Expenditures shall not
include Maintenance Capital Expenditures.
"Final Subordinated Units" has the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 6.1(d)(x).
"First Liquidation Target Amount" has the meaning assigned to such term
in Section 6.1(c)(i)(D).
"First Target Distribution" means $0.52 per Unit per Quarter (or, with
respect to the period commencing on the Initial Closing Date and ending on March
31, 2000, it means the product of $0.52 multiplied by a fraction of which the
numerator is the number of days in such period, and of which the denominator is
92), subject to adjustment in accordance with Sections 6.6 and 6.9.
"General Partner" means Atlas Pipeline Partners GP, LLC, and its
successors and permitted assigns as general partner of the Partnership.
"General Partner Interest" means the ownership interest of the General
Partner in the Partnership (in its capacity as a general partner without
reference to any Limited Partner Interest held by it) which may be evidenced by
Partnership Securities or a combination thereof or interest therein, and
includes any and all benefits to which the General Partner is entitled as
provided in this Agreement, together with all obligations of the General Partner
to comply with the terms and provisions of this Agreement.
"Group" means a Person that with or through any of its Affiliates or
Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of
acquiring, holding, voting (except voting pursuant to a revocable proxy or
consent given to such Person in response to a proxy or consent solicitation made
to 10 or more Persons) or disposing of any Partnership Securities with any other
Person that beneficially owns, or whose Affiliates or Associates beneficially
own, directly or indirectly, Partnership Securities.
8
"Group Member" means a member of the Partnership Group.
"Holder" as used in Section 7.13, has the meaning assigned to such term
in Section 7.13(a).
"Incentive Distribution Right" means a non-voting Limited Partner
Interest issued to the General Partner in connection with the transfer of
substantially all of its general partner interest in the Operating Partnership
to the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.2, which Partnership Interest will
confer upon the holder thereof only the rights and obligations specifically
provided in this Agreement with respect to Incentive Distribution Rights (and no
other rights otherwise available to or other obligations of a holder of a
Partnership Interest). Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the
contrary, the holder of an Incentive Distribution Right shall not be entitled to
vote such Incentive Distribution Right on any Partnership matter except as may
otherwise be required by law.
"Incentive Distributions" means any amount of cash distributed to the
holder of the Incentive Distribution Rights pursuant to Sections 6.4(a)(iv), (v)
and (vi) and 6.4(b)(iii), (iv) and (v).
"Indemnified Persons" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section
7.13(c).
"Indemnitee" means (a) the General Partner, (b) any Departing Partner,
(c) any Person who is or was an Affiliate of the General Partner or any
Departing Partner, (d) any Person who is or was a member, partner, officer,
director, employee, agent or trustee of any Group Member, the General Partner or
any Departing Partner or any Affiliate of any Group Member, the General Partner
or any Departing Partner, (e) any Person who is or was serving at the request of
the General Partner or any Departing Partner or any Affiliate of the General
Partner or any Departing Partner as an officer, director, employee, agent or
trustee of any Group member, the General Partner or any Departing Partner or any
Affiliate of any Group Member, the General Partner or any Departing Partner, and
(f) any Person who is or was serving at the request of the General Partner or
any Departing Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner or any Departing
Partner as an officer, director, employee, member, partner, agent, fiduciary or
trustee of another Person; provided, that a Person shall not be an Indemnitee by
reason of providing, on a fee-for-services basis, trustee, fiduciary or
custodial services.
"Initial Closing Date" means February 2, 2000.
"Initial Common Units" means the Common Units sold in the Initial
Offering.
"Initial Limited Partners" means the General Partner (with respect to
the Common Units, Subordinated Units and the Incentive Distribution Rights
received by it pursuant to Section 5.2) and the Underwriters, in each case upon
being admitted to the Partnership in accordance with Section 10.1.
9
"Initial Offering" means the initial offering and sale of Common Units
to the public, as described in the Registration Statement.
"Initial Unit Price" means (a) with respect to the Common Units and the
Subordinated Units, the initial public offering price per Common Unit at which
the Underwriters offered the Common Units to the public for sale as set forth on
the cover page of the prospectus included as part of the Registration Statement
and first issued at or after the time the Registration Statement first became
effective or (b) with respect to any other class or series of Units, the price
per Unit at which such class or series of Units is initially sold by the
Partnership, as determined by the General Partner, in each case adjusted as the
General Partner determines to be appropriate to give effect to any distribution,
subdivision or combination of Units.
"Interim Capital Transactions" means the following transactions if they
occur prior to the Liquidation Date: (a) borrowings, refinancings or refundings
of indebtedness and sales of debt securities (other than Working Capital
Borrowings and other than for items purchased on open account in the ordinary
course of business) by any Group Member; (b) sales of equity interests by any
Group Member; and (c) sales or other voluntary or involuntary dispositions of
any assets of any Group Member other than (i) sales or other dispositions of
inventory, accounts receivable and other assets in the ordinary course of
business, and (ii) sales or other dispositions of assets as part of normal
retirements or replacements.
"Issue Price" means the price at which a Unit is purchased from the
Partnership, after taking into account any sales commission or underwriting
discount charged to the Partnership.
"Limited Partner" means, unless the context otherwise requires, (a) the
Organizational Limited Partner prior to its withdrawal from the Partnership,
each Initial Limited Partner, each Substituted Limited Partner, each Additional
Limited Partner and any Partner upon the change of its status from General
Partner to Limited Partner pursuant to Section 11.3 or (b) solely for purposes
of Articles V, VI, VII and IX and Sections 12.3 and 12.4, each Assignee;
provided, however, that when the term "Limited Partner" is used herein in the
context of any vote or other approval, including without limitation Articles
XIII and XIV, such term shall not, solely for such purpose, include any holder
of an Incentive Distribution Right except as may otherwise be required by law.
"Limited Partner Interest" means the ownership interest of a Limited
Partner or Assignee in the Partnership, which may be evidenced by Common Units,
Subordinated Units, Incentive Distribution Rights or other Partnership
Securities or a combination thereof or interest therein, and includes any and
all benefits to which such Limited Partner or Assignee is entitled as provided
in this Agreement, together with all obligations of such Limited Partner or
Assignee to comply with the terms and provisions of this Agreement; provided,
however, that when the term "Limited Partner Interest" is used herein in the
context of any vote or other approval, including without limitation Articles
XIII and XIV, such term shall not, solely for such purpose, include any holder
of an Incentive Distribution Right except as may otherwise be required by law.
10
"Liquidation Date" means (a) in the case of an event giving rise to the
dissolution of the Partnership of the type described in clauses (a) and (b) of
the first sentence of Section 12.2, the date on which the applicable time period
during which the holders of Outstanding Units have the right to elect to
reconstitute the Partnership and continue its business has expired without such
an election being made, and (b) in the case of any other event giving rise to
the dissolution of the Partnership, the date on which such event occurs.
"Liquidator" means one or more Persons selected by the General Partner
to perform the functions described in Section 12.3 as liquidating trustee of the
Partnership within the meaning of the Delaware Act.
"Maintenance Capital Expenditures" means cash capital expenditures
(including expenditures for the addition or improvement to the capital assets
owned by any Group Member or for the acquisition of existing, or the
construction of new, capital assets (including, without limitation, pipelines,
compressor stations and related assets) if such expenditure is made to maintain
over the long term the operating capacity of the capital assets of the
Partnership Group, as such assets existed at the time of such expenditure.
Maintenance Capital Expenditures shall not include Expansion Capital
Expenditures.
"Master Natural Gas Gathering Agreement" means that Master Natural Gas
Gathering Agreement, dated as of the Initial Closing Date, among the Sponsor,
Resource Energy, Viking Resources, the Partnership and the Operating
Partnership.
"Merger Agreement" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section
14.1.
"Minimum Quarterly Distribution" means $0.42 per Unit per Quarter (or
with respect to the period commencing on the Initial Closing Date and ending on
March 31, 2000, it means the product of $0.42 multiplied by a fraction of which
the numerator is the number of days in such period and of which the denominator
is 92), subject to adjustment in accordance with Sections 6.6 and 6.9.
"National Securities Exchange" means an exchange registered with the
Commission under Section 6(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and any successor to such
statute, or the Nasdaq Stock Market or any successor thereto.
"Net Agreed Value" means, (a) in the case of any Contributed Property,
the Agreed Value of such property reduced by any liabilities either assumed by
the Partnership upon such contribution or to which such property is subject when
contributed, and (b) in the case of any property distributed to a Partner or
Assignee by the Partnership, the Partnership's Carrying Value of such property
(as adjusted pursuant to Section 5.5(d)(ii)) at the time such property is
distributed, reduced by any indebtedness either assumed by such Partner or
Assignee upon such distribution or to which such property is subject at the time
of distribution, in either case, as determined under Section 752 of the Code.
11
"Net Income" means, for any taxable year, the excess, if any, of the
Partnership's items of income and gain (other than those items taken into
account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for
such taxable year over the Partnership's items of loss and deduction (other than
those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net
Termination Loss) for such taxable year. The items included in the calculation
of Net Income shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.5(b) and shall
not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(d); provided that
the determination of the items that have been specially allocated under Section
6.1(d) shall be made as if Section 6.1(d)(xii) were not in this Agreement.
"Net Loss" means, for any taxable year, the excess, if any, of the
Partnership's items of loss and deduction (other than those items taken into
account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for
such taxable year over the Partnership's items of income and gain (other than
those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net
Termination Loss) for such taxable year. The items included in the calculation
of Net Loss shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.5(b) and shall not
include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(d); provided that the
determination of the items that have been specially allocated under Section
6.1(d) shall be made as if Section 6.1(d)(xii) were not in this Agreement.
"Net Positive Adjustments" means, with respect to any Partner, the
excess, if any, of the total positive adjustments over the total negative
adjustments made to the Capital Account of such Partner pursuant to Book-Up
Events and Book-Down Events.
"Net Termination Gain" means, for any taxable year, the sum, if
positive, of all items of income, gain, loss or deduction recognized by the
Partnership after the Liquidation Date. The items included in the determination
of Net Termination Gain shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.5(b)
and shall not include any items of income, gain or loss specially allocated
under Section 6.1(d).
"Net Termination Loss" means, for any taxable year, the sum, if
negative, of all items of income, gain, loss or deduction recognized by the
Partnership after the Liquidation Date. The items included in the determination
of Net Termination Loss shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.5(b)
and shall not include any items of income, gain or loss specially allocated
under Section 6.1(d).
"Non-citizen Assignee" means a Person whom the General Partner has
determined in its discretion does not constitute an Eligible Citizen and as to
whose Partnership Interest the General Partner has become the Substituted
Limited Partner, pursuant to Section 4.9.
"Nonrecourse Built-in Gain" means with respect to any Contributed
Properties or Adjusted Properties that are subject to a mortgage or pledge
securing a Nonrecourse Liability, the amount of any taxable gain that would be
allocated to the Partners pursuant to Sections 6.2(b)(i)(A), 6.2(b)(ii)(A) and
6.2(b)(iii) if such properties were disposed of in a taxable transaction in full
satisfaction of such liabilities and for no other consideration.
12
"Nonrecourse Deductions" means any and all items of loss, deduction or
expenditures (described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code) that, in accordance
with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b), are attributable
to a Nonrecourse Liability.
"Nonrecourse Liability" has the meaning set forth in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.752-1(a)(2).
"Notice of Election to Purchase" has the meaning assigned to such term
in Section 15.1(b).
"Omnibus Agreement" means that Omnibus Agreement, dated as of the
Initial Closing Date, among the Sponsor, Resource Energy, Viking Resources, the
Partnership and the Operating Partnership.
"Operating Expenditures" means all Partnership Group expenditures,
including, but not limited to, taxes, reimbursements of the General Partner,
repayment of Working Capital Borrowings, debt service payments and capital
expenditures, subject to the following:
(a) Payments (including prepayments) of principal of and
premium on indebtedness other than Working Capital Borrowings shall not
constitute Operating Expenditures; and
(b) Operating Expenditures shall include Maintenance Capital
Expenditures and Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditures but shall
not include Expansion Capital Expenditures. Where capital expenditures
are made in part to maintain the long-term operating capacity of the
assets of the Partnership Group and in part to increase the long-term
operating capacity of the assets of the Partnership Group, the good
faith allocation by the Board of Directors of the General Partner (with
the concurrence of its Conflicts Committee) between Maintenance Capital
Expenditures and Expansion Capital Expenditures shall be conclusive.
(c) Operating Expenditures shall not include (i) payment of
transaction expenses relating to Interim Capital Transactions or (ii)
distribution to partners.
"Operating Partnership" means Atlas Pipeline Operating Partnership,
L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and any successors thereto.
"Operating Partnership Agreement" means the Limited Partnership
Agreement of the Operating Partnership, as it may be amended, supplemented or
restated from time to time.
"Operating Surplus" means, with respect to any period ending prior to
the Liquidation Date, on a cumulative basis and without duplication,
(a) the sum of (i) all cash and cash equivalents of the
Partnership Group on hand as of the close of business on the Initial
Closing Date, (ii) all cash receipts of the Partnership Group for the
period beginning on the Initial Closing Date and ending with the last
day of such period, other than cash receipts from Interim Capital
Transactions (except to the extent specified in Section 6.5) and (iii)
all cash receipts of the Partnership Group after the end of such period
but on or before the date of determination of Operating Surplus with
respect to such period resulting from Working Capital Borrowings, less
13
(b) the sum of (i) Operating Expenditures for the period
beginning on the Initial Closing Date and ending with the last day of
such period and (ii) the amount of cash reserves that is necessary or
advisable in the reasonable discretion of the General Partner to
provide funds for future Operating Expenditures.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, "Operating Surplus" with respect to the
Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs and any subsequent Quarter shall
equal zero.
"Opinion of Counsel" means a written opinion of counsel (who may be
regular counsel to the Partnership or the General Partner or any of its
Affiliates) acceptable to the General Partner in its reasonable discretion.
"Organizational Limited Partner" means Resource Energy in its capacity
as the organizational limited partner of the Partnership pursuant to this
Agreement.
"Outstanding" means, with respect to Partnership Securities, all
Partnership Securities that are issued by the Partnership and reflected as
outstanding on the Partnership's books and records as of the date of
determination; provided, however, that if at any time any Person or Group (other
than the General Partner or its Affiliates) beneficially owns 20% or more of any
Outstanding Partnership Securities of any class then Outstanding, all
Partnership Securities owned by such Person or Group shall not be voted on any
matter and shall not be considered to be Outstanding when sending notices of a
meeting of Limited Partners to vote on any matter (unless otherwise required by
law), calculating required votes, determining the presence of a quorum or for
other similar purposes under this Agreement, except that Common Units so owned
shall be considered to be Outstanding for purposes of Section 11.1(b)(iv) (such
Common Units shall not, however, be treated as a separate class of Partnership
Securities for purposes of this Agreement); provided, further, that the
foregoing limitation shall not apply (i) to any Person or Group who acquired 20%
or more of any Outstanding Partnership Securities of any class then Outstanding
directly from the General Partner or its Affiliates or (ii) to any Person or
Group who acquired 20% or more of any Outstanding Partnership Securities of any
class then Outstanding directly or indirectly from a Person or Group described
in clause (i) provided that the General Partner shall have notified such Person
or Group in writing that such limitation shall not apply.
"Partner Nonrecourse Debt" has the meaning set forth in Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-2(b)(4).
"Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain" has the meaning set forth in
Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(2).
"Partner Nonrecourse Deductions" means any and all items of loss,
deduction or expenditure (including, without limitation, any expenditure
described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code) that, in accordance with the
principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i), are attributable to a
Partner Nonrecourse Debt.
14
"Partners" means the General Partner and the Limited Partners.
"Partnership" means Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited
partnership, and any successors thereto.
"Partnership Group" means the Partnership, the Operating Partnership
and any Subsidiary of any such entity, treated as a single consolidated entity.
"Partnership Interest" means an interest in the Partnership, which
shall include the General Partner Interest and Limited Partner Interests.
"Partnership Minimum Gain" means that amount determined in accordance
with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(d).
"Partnership Security" means any class or series of equity interest in
the Partnership (but excluding any options, rights, warrants and appreciation
rights relating to an equity interest in the Partnership), including without
limitation, Common Units, Subordinated Units and Incentive Distribution Rights.
"Percentage Interest" means as of any date of determination (a) as to
the General Partner (with respect to its General Partner Interest), an aggregate
1.0101%, (b) as to any Unitholder or Assignee holding Units, the product
obtained by multiplying (i) 98.9899% less the percentage applicable to clause
(c) by (ii) the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the number of Units held by
such Unitholder or Assignee by (B) the total number of all Outstanding Units,
and (c) as to the holders of additional Partnership Securities issued by the
Partnership in accordance with Section 5.6, the percentage established as a part
of such issuance. The Percentage Interest with respect to an Incentive
Distribution Right shall at all times be zero.
"Person" means an individual or a corporation, limited liability
company, partnership, joint venture, trust, unincorporated organization,
association, government agency or political subdivision thereof or other entity.
"Per Unit Capital Amount" means, as of any date of determination, the
Capital Account, stated on a per Unit basis, underlying any Unit held by a
Person other than the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner
who holds Units.
"Pro Rata" means (a) when modifying Units or any class thereof,
apportioned equally among all designated Units in accordance with their relative
Percentage Interests, (b) when modifying Partners and Assignees, apportioned
among all Partners and Assignees in accordance with their relative Percentage
Interests and (c) when modifying holders of Incentive Distribution Rights,
apportioned equally among all holders of Incentive Distribution Rights in
accordance with the relative number of Incentive Distribution Rights held by
each such holder.
15
"Purchase Date" means the date determined by the General Partner as the
date for purchase of all Outstanding Units of a certain class (other than Units
owned by the General Partner and its Affiliates) pursuant to Article XV.
"Quarter" means, unless the context requires otherwise, a fiscal
quarter of the Partnership.
"Recapture Income" means any gain recognized by the Partnership
(computed without regard to any adjustment required by Section 734 or Section
743 of the Code) upon the disposition of any property or asset of the
Partnership, which gain is characterized as ordinary income because it
represents the recapture of deductions previously taken with respect to such
property or asset.
"Record Date" means the date established by the General Partner for
determining (a) the identity of the Record Holders entitled to notice of, or to
vote at, any meeting of Limited Partners or entitled to vote by ballot or give
approval of Partnership action in writing without a meeting or entitled to
exercise rights in respect of any lawful action of Limited Partners or (b) the
identity of Record Holders entitled to receive any report or distribution or to
participate in any offer.
"Record Holder" means the Person in whose name a Common Unit is
registered on the books of the Transfer Agent as of the opening of business on a
particular Business Day, or with respect to other Partnership Securities, the
Person in whose name any such other Partnership Security is registered on the
books which the General Partner has caused to be kept as of the opening of
business on such Business Day.
"Redeemable Interests" means any Partnership Interests for which a
redemption notice has been given, and has not been withdrawn, pursuant to
Section 4.10.
"Registration Statement" means the Registration Statement on Form S-1
(Registration No. 333-85193) as it has been or as it may be amended or
supplemented from time to time, filed by the Partnership with the Commission
under the Securities Act to register the offering and sale of the Common Units
in the Initial Offering.
"Remaining Net Positive Adjustments" means as of the end of any taxable
period, (i) with respect to the Unitholders holding Common Units or Subordinated
Units, the excess of (a) the Net Positive Adjustments of the Unitholders holding
Common Units or Subordinated Units as of the end of such period over (b) the sum
of those Partners' Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items for each
prior taxable period, (ii) with respect to the General Partner (as holder of the
General Partner Interest), the excess of (a) the Net Positive Adjustments of the
General Partner as of the end of such period over (b) the sum of the General
Partner's Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items with respect to the
General Partner Interest for each prior taxable period, and (iii) with respect
to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights, the excess of (a) the Net
Positive Adjustments of the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights as of the
end of such period over (b) the sum of the Share of Additional Book Basis
Derivative Items of the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights for each
prior taxable period.
16
"Required Allocations" means (a) any limitation imposed on any
allocation of Net Losses or Net Termination Losses under Section 6.1(b) or
6.1(c)(ii) and (b) any allocation of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction
pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(i), 6.1(d)(ii), 6.1(d)(iv), 6.1(d)(vii) or
6.1(d)(ix).
"Residual Gain" or "Residual Loss" means any item of gain or loss, as
the case may be, of the Partnership recognized for federal income tax purposes
resulting from a sale, exchange or other disposition of a Contributed Property
or Adjusted Property, to the extent such item of gain or loss is not allocated
pursuant to Section 6.2(b)(i)(A) or 6.2(b)(ii)(A), respectively, to eliminate
Book-Tax Disparities.
"Resource Energy" means Resource Energy, Inc., an Affiliate of the
Sponsor.
"Second Liquidation Target Amount" has the meaning assigned to such
term in Section 6.1(c)(i)(E).
"Second Target Distribution" means $0.60 per Unit per Quarter (or, with
respect to the period commencing on the Initial Closing Date and ending on March
31, 2000, it means the product of $0.60 multiplied by a fraction of which the
numerator is equal to the number of days in such period and of which the
denominator is 92), subject to adjustment in accordance with Sections 6.6 and
6.9.
"Securities Act" means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
supplemented or restated from time to time and any successor to such statute.
"Share of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items" means in connection
with any allocation of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items for any taxable
period, (i) with respect to the Unitholders holding Common Units or Subordinated
Units, the amount that bears the same ratio to such Additional Book Basis
Derivative Items as the Unitholders' Remaining Net Positive Adjustments as of
the end of such period bears to the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments
as of that time, (ii) with respect to the General Partner (as holder of the
General Partner Interest), the amount that bears the same ratio to such
additional Book Basis Derivative Items as the General Partner's Remaining Net
Positive Adjustments as of the end of such period bears to the Aggregate
Remaining Net Positive Adjustment as of that time, and (iii) with respect to the
Partners holding Incentive Distribution Rights, the amount that bears the same
ratio to such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items as the Remaining Net
Positive Adjustments of the Partners holding the Incentive Distribution Rights
as of the end of such period bears to the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive
Adjustments as of that time.
"Special Approval" means approval by a majority of the members of the
Conflicts Committee.
"Sponsor" means Atlas America, Inc.
17
"Subordinated Unit" means a Unit representing a fractional part of the
Partnership Interests of all Limited Partners and Assignees (other than of
holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights) and having the rights and
obligations specified with respect to Subordinated Units in this Agreement. The
term "Subordinated Unit" as used herein does not include a Common Unit.
"Subordination Period" means the period commencing on the Initial
Closing Date and ending on the first to occur of the following dates:
(a) the first day of any Quarter beginning after December 31,
2004 in respect of which (i) (A) distributions of Available Cash from
Operating Surplus on each of the Outstanding Common Units and
Subordinated Units with respect to each of the twelve consecutive
Quarter periods immediately preceding such date equaled or exceeded the
sum of the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on all Outstanding Common
Units and Subordinated Units during such periods and (B) the Adjusted
Operating Surplus generated during each of the twelve consecutive
Quarter periods immediately preceding such date equaled or exceeded the
sum of the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on all of the Common Units
and Subordinated Units that were Outstanding during such periods on a
fully diluted basis (i.e., taking into account for purposes of such
determination all Outstanding Common Units, all Outstanding
Subordinated Units, all Common Units issuable upon exercise of employee
options that have, as of the date of determination, already vested or
are scheduled to vest prior to the end of the Quarter immediately
following the Quarter with respect to which such determination is made,
and all Common Units that have as of the date of determination, been
earned by but not yet issued to management of the Partnership in
respect of incentive compensation), plus the related distribution on
the General Partner Interest in the Partnership and on the general
partner interest in the Operating Partnership, during such periods and
(ii) there are no Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages; and
(b) the date on which the General Partner is removed as
general partner of the Partnership upon the requisite vote by holders
of Outstanding Units under circumstances where Cause does not exist and
Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates are not voted in
favor of such removal.
For purposes of determining whether the test in subclause (a)(i)(B)
above has been satisfied, Adjusted Operating Surplus will be adjusted upwards or
downwards if the Conflicts Committee determines in good faith that the amount of
Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditure used in the determination of Adjusted
Operating Surplus in subclause (a)(i)(B) was materially incorrect, based on
circumstances prevailing at the time of original determination of Estimated
Maintenance Capital Expenditures, for any one or more of the preceding three
four-quarter periods.
"Subsidiary" means, with respect to any Person, (a) a corporation of
which more than 50% of the voting power of shares entitled (without regard to
the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors or other
governing body of such corporation is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date
of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or
a combination thereof, (b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which
such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a
general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if more than 50% of the
partnership interests of such partnership (considering all of the partnership
interests of the partnership as a single class) is owned, directly or
indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more
Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, or (c) any other Person
(other than a corporation or a partnership) in which such Person, one or more
Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, directly or indirectly,
at the date of determination, has (i) at least a majority ownership interest or
(ii) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or
other governing body of such Person.
18
"Substituted Limited Partner" means a Person who is admitted as a
Limited Partner to the Partnership pursuant to Section 10.2 in place of and with
all the rights of a Limited Partner and who is shown as a Limited Partner on the
books and records of the Partnership.
"Surviving Business Entity" has the meaning assigned to such term in
Section 14.2(b).
"Trading Day" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 15.1(a).
"Transfer" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.4(a).
"Transfer Agent" means such bank, trust company or other Person
(including the General Partner or one of its Affiliates) as shall be appointed
from time to time by the Partnership to act as registrar and transfer agent for
the Common Units; provided that if no Transfer Agent is specifically designated
for any other Partnership Securities, the General Partner shall act in such
capacity.
"Transfer Application" means an application and agreement for transfer
of Units in the form set forth on the back of a Certificate or in a form
substantially to the same effect in a separate instrument.
"Underwriter" means each Person named as an underwriter in Schedule I
to the Underwriting Agreement who purchases Common Units pursuant thereto.
"Underwriting Agreement" means the Underwriting Agreement dated January
27, 2000 among the Underwriters, the Partnership and certain other parties,
providing for the purchase of Common Units by such Underwriters.
"Unit" means a Partnership Security that is designated as a "Unit" and
shall include Common Units and Subordinated Units but shall not include (i) a
General Partner Interest or (ii) Incentive Distribution Rights.
"Unitholders" means the holders of Common Units and Subordinated Units.
"Unit Majority" means, during the Subordination Period, at least a
majority of the Outstanding Common Units voting as a class and at least a
majority of the Outstanding Subordinated Units voting as a class, and
thereafter, at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units.
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"Unpaid MQD" has the meaning assigned to such term in Section
6.1(c)(i)(B).
"Unrealized Gain" attributable to any item of Partnership property
means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the fair
market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section
5.5(d)) over (b) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to
any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.5(d) as of such date).
"Unrealized Loss" attributable to any item of Partnership property
means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the Carrying
Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made
pursuant to Section 5.5(d) as of such date) over (b) the fair market value of
such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.5(d)).
"Unrecovered Capital" means at any time, with respect to a Unit, the
Initial Unit Price less the sum of all distributions constituting Capital
Surplus theretofore made in respect of an Initial Common Unit and any
distributions of cash (or the Net Agreed Value of any distributions in kind) in
connection with the dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership theretofore
made in respect of an Initial Common Unit, adjusted as the General Partner
determines to be appropriate to give effect to any distribution, subdivision or
combination of such Units.
"U.S. GAAP" means United States Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles consistently applied.
"Viking Resources" means Viking Resources Corporation, a Pennsylvania
corporation.
"Withdrawal Opinion of Counsel" has the meaning assigned to such term
in Section 11.1(b).
"Working Capital Borrowings" means borrowings used solely for working
capital purposes or to pay distributions to partners made pursuant to a credit
facility or other arrangement requiring all such borrowings thereunder to be
reduced to a relatively small amount each year for an economically meaningful
period of time.
SECTION 1.2 Construction.
Unless the context requires otherwise: (a) any pronoun used in this
Agreement shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms,
and the singular form of nouns, pronouns and verbs shall include the plural and
vice versa; (b) references to Articles and Sections refer to Articles and
Sections of this Agreement; and (c) the term "include" or "includes" means
includes, without limitation, and "including" means including, without
limitation.
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ARTICLE II ORGANIZATION
SECTION 2.1 Formation.
The General Partner and the Organizational Limited Partner have
previously formed the Partnership as a limited partnership pursuant to the
provisions of the Delaware Act and the General Partner and the Limited Partners
hereby amend and restate the First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited
Partnership of Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P. in its entirety. This amendment and
restatement shall become effective on the date of this Agreement. Except as
expressly provided to the contrary in this Agreement, the rights, duties
(including fiduciary duties), liabilities and obligations of the Partners and
the administration, dissolution and termination of the Partnership shall be
governed by the Delaware Act. All Partnership Interests shall constitute
personal property of the owner thereof for all purposes and a Partner has no
interest in specific Partnership property.
SECTION 2.2 Name.
The name of the Partnership shall be "Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P."
The Partnership's business may be conducted under any other name or names deemed
necessary or appropriate by the General Partner in its sole discretion,
including the name of the General Partner. The words "Limited Partnership,"
"L.P.," "Ltd." or similar words or letters shall be included in the
Partnership's name where necessary for the purpose of complying with the laws of
any jurisdiction that so requires. The General Partner in its discretion may
change the name of the Partnership at any time and from time to time and shall
notify the Limited Partners of such change in the next regular communication to
the Limited Partners.
SECTION 2.3 Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office;
Other Offices.
Unless and until changed by the General Partner, the registered office
of the Partnership in the State of Delaware shall be located at ▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, and the registered agent for
service of process on the Partnership in the State of Delaware at such
registered office shall be ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇. The principal office of the
Partnership shall be located at ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇ or such other place as the General Partner may from time to time designate
by notice to the Limited Partners. The Partnership may maintain offices at such
other place or places within or outside the State of Delaware as the General
Partner deems necessary or appropriate. The address of the General Partner shall
be ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ or such other place as the
General Partner may from time to time designate by notice to the Limited
Partners.
SECTION 2.4 Purpose and Business.
The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the
Partnership shall be to (a) hold a limited partnership interest of 98.9899% in
the Operating Partnership and, in connection therewith, to exercise all the
rights and powers conferred upon the Partnership as a limited partner of the
Operating Partnership pursuant to the Operating Partnership Agreement or
otherwise, (b) engage directly in, or enter into or form any corporation,
partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other arrangement to
engage indirectly in, any business activity that the Operating Partnership is
permitted to engage in by the Operating Partnership Agreement and, in connection
therewith, to exercise all of the rights and powers conferred upon the
Partnership pursuant to the agreements relating to such business activity, (c)
engage directly in, or enter into or form any corporation, partnership, joint
venture, limited liability company or other arrangement to engage indirectly in,
any business activity that is approved by the General Partner and which lawfully
may be conducted by a limited partnership organized pursuant to the Delaware Act
and, in connection therewith, to exercise all of the rights and powers conferred
upon the Partnership pursuant to the agreements relating to such business
activity; provided, however, that the General Partner reasonably determines, as
of the date of the acquisition or commencement of such activity, that such
activity (i) generates "qualifying income" (as such term is defined pursuant to
Section 7704 of the Code) or (ii) enhances the operations of an activity of the
Operating Partnership or a Partnership activity that generates qualifying
income, and (d) do anything necessary or appropriate to the foregoing, including
the making of capital contributions or loans to a Group Member. The General
Partner has no obligation or duty to the Partnership, the Limited Partners, or
the Assignees to propose or approve, and in its discretion may decline to
propose or approve, the conduct by the Partnership of any business.
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SECTION 2.5 Powers.
The Partnership shall be empowered to do any and all acts and things
necessary, appropriate, proper, advisable, incidental to or convenient for the
furtherance and accomplishment of the purposes and business described in Section
2.4 and for the protection and benefit of the Partnership.
SECTION 2.6 Power of Attorney.
(a) Each Limited Partner and each Assignee hereby constitutes and
appoints the General Partner and, if a Liquidator shall have been selected
pursuant to Section 12.3, the Liquidator, (and any successor to the Liquidator
by merger, transfer, assignment, election or otherwise) and each of their
authorized officers and attorneys-in-fact, as the case may be, with full power
of substitution, as his true and lawful agent and attorney-in-fact, with full
power and authority in his name, place and ▇▇▇▇▇, to:
(i) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record
in the appropriate public offices (A) all certificates, documents and
other instruments (including this Agreement and the Certificate of
Limited Partnership) that the General Partner or the Liquidator deems
necessary or appropriate to form, qualify or continue the existence or
qualification of the Partnership as a limited partnership (or a
partnership in which the limited partners have limited liability) in
the State of Delaware and in all other jurisdictions in which the
Partnership may conduct business or own property; (B) all certificates,
documents and other instruments that the General Partner or the
Liquidator deems necessary or appropriate to reflect, in accordance
with its terms, any amendment, change, modification or restatement of
this Agreement; (c) all certificates, documents and other instruments
(including conveyances and a certificate of cancellation) that the
General Partner or the Liquidator deems necessary or appropriate to
reflect the dissolution and liquidation of the Partnership pursuant to
the terms of this Agreement; (D) all certificates, documents and other
instruments relating to the admission, withdrawal, removal or
substitution of any Partner pursuant to, or other events described in,
Article IV, X, XI or XII; (E) all certificates, documents and other
instruments relating to the determination of the rights, preferences
and privileges of any class or series of Partnership Securities issued
pursuant to Section 5.6; and (F) all certificates, documents and other
instruments (including agreements and a certificate of merger) relating
to a merger or consolidation of the Partnership pursuant to Article
XIV; and
22
(ii) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record
all ballots, consents, approvals, waivers, certificates, documents and
other instruments necessary or appropriate, in the discretion of the
General Partner or the Liquidator, to make, evidence, give, confirm or
ratify any vote, consent, approval, agreement or other action that is
made or given by the Partners hereunder or is consistent with the terms
of this Agreement or is necessary or appropriate, in the discretion of
the General Partner or the Liquidator, to effectuate the terms or
intent of this Agreement; provided, that when required by Section 13.3
or any other provision of this Agreement that establishes a percentage
of the Limited Partners or of the Limited Partners of any class or
series required to take any action, the General Partner and the
Liquidator may exercise the power of attorney made in this Section
2.6(a)(ii) only after the necessary vote, consent or approval of the
Limited Partners or of the Limited Partners of such class or series, as
applicable.
Nothing contained in this Section 2.6(a) shall be construed as
authorizing the General Partner to amend this Agreement except in accordance
with Article XIII or as may be otherwise expressly provided for in this
Agreement.
(b) The foregoing power of attorney is hereby declared to be
irrevocable and a power coupled with an interest, and it shall survive and, to
the maximum extent permitted by law, not be affected by the subsequent death,
incompetency, disability, incapacity, dissolution, bankruptcy or termination of
any Limited Partner or Assignee and the transfer of all or any portion of such
Limited Partner's or Assignee's Partnership Interest and shall extend to such
Limited Partner's or Assignee's heirs, successors, assigns and personal
representatives. Each such Limited Partner or Assignee hereby agrees to be bound
by any representation made by the General Partner or the Liquidator acting in
good faith pursuant to such power of attorney; and each such Limited Partner or
Assignee, to the maximum extent permitted by law, hereby waives any and all
defenses that may be available to contest, negate or disaffirm the action of the
General Partner or the Liquidator taken in good faith under such power of
attorney. Each Limited Partner or Assignee shall execute and deliver to the
General Partner or the Liquidator, within 15 days after receipt of the request
therefor, such further designation, powers of attorney and other instruments as
the General Partner or the Liquidator deems necessary to effectuate this
Agreement and the purposes of the Partnership.
SECTION 2.7 Term.
The term of the Partnership commenced upon the filing of the
Certificate of Limited Partnership in accordance with the Delaware Act and shall
continue in existence until the close of Partnership business on December 31,
2098 or until the earlier dissolution of the Partnership in accordance with the
provisions of Article XII. The existence of the Partnership as a separate legal
entity shall continue until the cancellation of the Certificate of Limited
Partnership as provided in the Delaware Act.
23
SECTION 2.8 Title to Partnership Assets.
Title to Partnership assets, whether real, personal or mixed and
whether tangible or intangible, shall be deemed to be owned by the Partnership
as an entity, and no Partner or Assignee, individually or collectively, shall
have any ownership interest in such Partnership assets or any portion thereof.
Title to any or all of the Partnership assets may be held in the name of the
Partnership, the General Partner, one or more of its Affiliates or one or more
nominees, as the General Partner may determine. The General Partner hereby
declares and warrants that any Partnership assets for which record title is held
in the name of the General Partner or one or more of its Affiliates or one or
more nominees shall be held by the General Partner or such Affiliate or nominee
for the use and benefit of the Partnership in accordance with the provisions of
this Agreement; provided, however, that the General Partner shall use reasonable
efforts to cause record title to such assets (other than those assets in respect
of which the General Partner determines that the expense and difficulty of
conveyancing makes transfer of record title to the Partnership impracticable) to
be vested in the Partnership as soon as reasonably practicable; provided,
further, that, prior to the withdrawal or removal of the General Partner or as
soon thereafter as practicable, the General Partner shall use reasonable efforts
to effect the transfer of record title to the Partnership and, prior to any such
transfer, will provide for the use of such assets in a manner satisfactory to
the General Partner. All Partnership assets shall be recorded as the property of
the Partnership in its books and records, irrespective of the name in which
record title to such Partnership assets is held.
ARTICLE III RIGHTS OF LIMITED PARTNERS
SECTION 3.1 Limitation of Liability.
The Limited Partners and the Assignees shall have no liability under
this Agreement except as expressly provided in this Agreement or the Delaware
Act.
SECTION 3.2 Management of Business.
No Limited Partner or Assignee, in its capacity as such, shall
participate in the operation, management or control (within the meaning of the
Delaware Act) of the Partnership's business, transact any business in the
Partnership's name or have the power to sign documents for or otherwise bind the
Partnership. Any action taken by any Affiliate of the General Partner or any
officer, director, employee, member, general partner, agent or trustee of the
General Partner or any of its Affiliates, or any officer, director, employee,
member, general partner, agent or trustee of a Group Member, in its capacity as
such, shall not be deemed to be participation in the control of the business of
the Partnership by a limited partner of the Partnership (within the meaning of
Section 17-303(a) of the Delaware Act) and shall not affect, impair or eliminate
the limitations on the liability of the Limited Partners or Assignees under this
Agreement.
24
SECTION 3.3 Outside Activities of Limited Partners.
Subject to the provisions of Section 7.5 and the Omnibus Agreement,
which shall continue to be applicable to the Persons referred to therein,
regardless of whether such Persons shall also be Limited Partners or Assignees,
any Limited Partner or Assignee shall be entitled to and may have business
interests and engage in business activities in addition to those relating to the
Partnership, including business interests and activities in direct competition
with the Partnership Group. Neither the Partnership nor any of the other
Partners or Assignees shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement in any
business ventures of any Limited Partner or Assignee.
SECTION 3.4 Rights of Limited Partners.
(a) In addition to other rights provided by this Agreement or by
applicable law, and except as limited by Section 3.4(b), each Limited Partner
shall have the right, for a purpose reasonably related to such Limited Partner's
interest as a limited partner in the Partnership, upon reasonable written demand
and at such Limited Partner's own expense:
(i) to obtain true and full information regarding the status
of the business and financial condition of the Partnership;
(ii) promptly after becoming available, to obtain a copy of
the Partnership's federal, state and local income tax returns for each
year;
(iii) to have furnished to him a current list of the name and
last known business, residence or mailing address of each Partner;
(iv) to have furnished to him a copy of this Agreement and the
Certificate of Limited Partnership, together with a copy of the
executed copies of all powers of attorney pursuant to which this
Agreement, the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all amendments
thereto have been executed;
(v) to obtain true and full information regarding the amount
of cash and a description and statement of the Net Agreed Value of any
other Capital Contribution by each Partner and which each Partner has
agreed to contribute in the future, and the date on which each became a
Partner; and
(vi) to obtain such other information regarding the affairs of
the Partnership as is just and reasonable.
(b) The General Partner may keep confidential from the Limited
Partners and Assignees, for such period of time as the General Partner deems
reasonable, (i) any information that the General Partner reasonably believes to
be in the nature of trade secrets or (ii) other information the disclosure of
which the General Partner in good faith believes (A) is not in the best
interests of the Partnership Group, (B) could damage the Partnership Group or
(C) that any Group Member is required by law or by agreement with any third
party to keep confidential (other than agreements with Affiliates of the
Partnership the primary purpose of which is to circumvent the obligations set
forth in this Section 3.4).
25
ARTICLE IV CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS; TRANSFER OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS;
REDEMPTION OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS
SECTION 4.1 Certificates.
Upon the Partnership's issuance of Common Units or Subordinated Units
to any Person, the Partnership shall issue one or more Certificates in the name
of such Person evidencing the number of such Units being so issued. In addition,
(a) upon the General Partner's request, the Partnership shall issue to it one or
more Certificates in the name of the General Partner evidencing its interests in
the Partnership and (b) upon the request of any Person owning Incentive
Distribution Rights or any other Partnership Securities other than Common Units
or Subordinated Units, the Partnership shall issue to such Person one or more
certificates evidencing such Incentive Distribution Rights or other Partnership
Securities other than Common Units or Subordinated Units. Certificates shall be
executed on behalf of the Partnership by the Chairman of the Board, President or
any Executive Vice President or Vice President and the Secretary or any
Assistant Secretary of the General Partner. No Common Unit Certificate shall be
valid for any purpose until it has been countersigned by the Transfer Agent;
provided, however, that if the General Partner elects to issue Common Units in
global form, the Common Unit Certificates shall be valid upon receipt of a
certificate from the Transfer Agent certifying that the Common Units have been
duly registered in accordance with the directions of the Partnership. Subject to
the requirements of Section 6.7(b), the Partners holding Certificates evidencing
Subordinated Units may exchange such Certificates for Certificates evidencing
Common Units on or after the date on which such Subordinated Units are converted
into Common Units pursuant to the terms of Section 5.8.
SECTION 4.2 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates.
(a) If any mutilated Certificate is surrendered to the Transfer Agent,
the appropriate officers of the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership
shall execute, and the Transfer Agent shall countersign and deliver in exchange
therefor, a new Certificate evidencing the same number and type of Partnership
Securities as the Certificate so surrendered.
(b) The appropriate officers of the General Partner on behalf of the
Partnership shall execute and deliver, and the Transfer Agent shall countersign
a new Certificate in place of any Certificate previously issued if the Record
Holder of the Certificate:
(i) makes proof by affidavit, in form and substance
satisfactory to the Partnership, that a previously issued Certificate
has been lost, destroyed or stolen;
(ii) requests the issuance of a new Certificate before the
Partnership has notice that the Certificate has been acquired by a
purchaser for value in good faith and without notice of an adverse
claim;
26
(iii) if requested by the Partnership, delivers to the
Partnership a bond, in form and substance satisfactory to the
Partnership, with surety or sureties and with fixed or open penalty as
the Partnership may reasonably direct, in its sole discretion, to
indemnify the Partnership, the Partners, the General Partner and the
Transfer Agent against any claim that may be made on account of the
alleged loss, destruction or theft of the Certificate; and
(iv) satisfies any other reasonable requirements imposed by
the Partnership.
If a Limited Partner or Assignee fails to notify the Partnership within
a reasonable time after he has notice of the loss, destruction or theft of a
Certificate, and a transfer of the Limited Partner Interests represented by the
Certificate is registered before the Partnership, the General Partner or the
Transfer Agent receives such notification, the Limited Partner or Assignee shall
be precluded from making any claim against the Partnership, the General Partner
or the Transfer Agent for such transfer or for a new Certificate.
(c) As a condition to the issuance of any new Certificate under this
Section 4.2, the Partnership may require the payment of a sum sufficient to
cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation
thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Transfer
Agent) reasonably connected therewith.
SECTION 4.3 Record Holders.
The Partnership shall be entitled to recognize the Record Holder as the
Partner or Assignee with respect to any Partnership Interest and, accordingly,
shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in
such Partnership Interest on the part of any other Person, regardless of whether
the Partnership shall have actual or other notice thereof, except as otherwise
provided by law or any applicable rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of
any National Securities Exchange on which such Partnership Interests are listed
for trading. Without limiting the foregoing, when a Person (such as a broker,
dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation or an agent of any of the
foregoing) is acting as nominee, agent or in some other representative capacity
for another Person in acquiring and/or holding Partnership Interests, as between
the Partnership on the one hand, and such other Persons on the other, such
representative Person (a) shall be the Partner or Assignee (as the case may be)
of record and beneficially, (b) must execute and deliver a Transfer Application
and (c) shall be bound by this Agreement and shall have the rights and
obligations of a Partner or Assignee (as the case may be) hereunder and as, and
to the extent, provided for herein.
SECTION 4.4 Transfer Generally.
(a) The term "transfer," when used in this Agreement with respect
to a Partnership Interest, shall be deemed to refer to a transaction by which
the General Partner assigns its General Partner Interest to another Person who
becomes the General Partner, by which the holder of a Limited Partner Interest
assigns such Limited Partner Interest to another Person who is or becomes a
Limited Partner or an Assignee, and includes a sale, assignment, gift, pledge,
encumbrance, hypothecation, mortgage, exchange or any other disposition by law
or otherwise.
(b) No Partnership Interest shall be transferred, in whole or in
part, except in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this
Article IV. Any transfer or purported transfer of a Partnership Interest not
made in accordance with this Article IV shall be null and void.
27
(c) Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed to
prevent a disposition by any member of the General Partner of any or all of the
issued and outstanding membership interests of the General Partner.
SECTION 4.5 Registration and Transfer of Limited Partner Interests.
(a) The Partnership shall keep or cause to be kept on behalf of
the Partnership a register in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as
it may prescribe and subject to the provisions of Section 4.5(b), the
Partnership will provide for the registration and transfer of Limited Partner
Interests. The Transfer Agent is hereby appointed registrar and transfer agent
for the purpose of registering Common Units and transfers of such Common Units
as herein provided. The Partnership shall not recognize transfers of
Certificates evidencing Limited Partner Interests unless such transfers are
effected in the manner described in this Section 4.5. Upon surrender of a
Certificate for registration of transfer of any Limited Partner Interests
evidenced by a Certificate, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.5(b), the
appropriate officers of the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall
execute and deliver, and in the case of Common Units, the Transfer Agent shall
countersign and deliver, in the name of the holder or the designated transferee
or transferees, as required pursuant to the holder's instructions, one or more
new Certificates evidencing the same aggregate number and type of Limited
Partner Interests as was evidenced by the Certificate so surrendered.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in Section 4.9, the Partnership
shall not recognize any transfer of Limited Partner Interests until the
Certificates evidencing such Limited Partner Interests are surrendered for
registration of transfer and such Certificates are accompanied by a Transfer
Application duly executed by the transferee (or the transferee's
attorney-in-fact duly authorized in writing). No charge shall be imposed by the
Partnership for such transfer; provided, that as a condition to the issuance of
any new Certificate under this Section 4.5, the Partnership may require the
payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that
may be imposed with respect thereto.
(c) Limited Partner Interests may be transferred only in the
manner described in this Section 4.5. The transfer of any Limited Partner
Interests and the admission of any new Limited Partner shall not constitute an
amendment to this Agreement.
(d) Until admitted as a Substituted Limited Partner pursuant to
Section 10.2, the Record Holder of a Limited Partner Interest shall be an
Assignee in respect of such Limited Partner Interest. Limited Partners may
include custodians, nominees or any other individual or entity in its own or any
representative capacity.
(e) A transferee of a Limited Partner Interest who has completed
and delivered a Transfer Application shall be deemed to have (i) requested
admission as a Substituted Limited Partner, (ii) agreed to comply with and be
bound by and to have executed this Agreement, (iii) represented and warranted
that such transferee has the right, power and authority and, if an individual,
the capacity to enter into this Agreement, (iv) granted the powers of attorney
set forth in this Agreement and (v) given the consents and approvals and made
the waivers contained in this Agreement.
28
(f) The General Partner and its Affiliates shall have the right at
any time to transfer their Subordinated Units and Common Units (whether issued
upon conversion of the Subordinated Units or otherwise) to one or more Persons.
SECTION 4.6 Transfer of the General Partner's General Partner Interest.
(a) Subject to Section 4.6(c) below, prior to the end of the
Subordination Period, the General Partner shall not transfer all or any part of
its General Partner Interest to a Person unless such transfer (i) has been
approved by the prior written consent or vote of the holders of at least a
majority of the Outstanding Common Units (excluding Common Units held by the
General Partner and its Affiliates) or (ii) is of all, but not less than all, of
its General Partner Interest to (A) an Affiliate of the General Partner or (B)
another Person in connection with the merger or consolidation of the General
Partner with or into another Person or the transfer by the General Partner of
all or substantially all of its assets to another Person.
(b) Subject to Section 4.6(c) below, at or after the end of the
Subordination Period, the General Partner may transfer all or any of its General
Partner Interest without Unitholder approval.
(c) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, no transfer
by the General Partner of all or any part of its General Partner Interest to
another Person shall be permitted unless (i) the transferee agrees to assume the
rights and duties of the General Partner under this Agreement and the Operating
Partnership Agreement and to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement and
the Operating Partnership Agreement, (ii) the Partnership receives an Opinion of
Counsel that such transfer would not result in the loss of limited liability of
any Limited Partner or of any limited partner of the Operating Partnership or
cause the Partnership or the Operating Partnership to be treated as an
association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for
federal income tax purposes (to the extent not already so treated or taxed) and
(iii) such transferee also agrees to purchase all (or the appropriate portion
thereof, if applicable) of the partnership interest of the General Partner as
the general partner of each other Group Member. In the case of a transfer
pursuant to and in compliance with this Section 4.6, the transferee or successor
(as the case may be) shall, subject to compliance with the terms of Section
10.3, be admitted to the Partnership as a General Partner immediately prior to
the transfer of the Partnership Interest, and the business of the Partnership
shall continue without dissolution.
SECTION 4.7 Transfer of Incentive Distribution Rights.
Prior to the end of the Subordination Period, a holder of Incentive
Distribution Rights may transfer any or all of the Incentive Distribution Rights
held by such holder without any consent of the Unitholders (a) to an Affiliate
or (b) to another Person in connection with (i) the merger or consolidation of
such holder of Incentive Distribution Rights with or into such other Person or
(ii) the transfer by such holder of all or substantially all of its assets to
such other Person. Any other transfer of the Incentive Distribution Rights prior
to the end of the Subordination Period, shall require the prior approval of
holders at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units (excluding Common
Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates). At or after the end of
the Subordination Period, the General Partner or any other holder of Incentive
Distribution Rights may transfer any or all of its Incentive Distribution Rights
without Unitholder approval. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, no
transfer of Incentive Distribution Rights to another Person shall be permitted
unless the transferee agrees to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement.
The General Partner shall have the authority (but shall not be required) to
adopt such reasonable restrictions on the transfer of Incentive Distribution
Rights and requirements for registering the transfer of Incentive Distribution
Rights as the General Partner, in its sole discretion, shall determine are
necessary or appropriate.
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SECTION 4.8 Restrictions on Transfers.
(a) Except as provided in Section 4.8(d) below, but
notwithstanding the other provisions of this Article IV, no transfer of any
Partnership Interests shall be made if such transfer would (i) violate the then
applicable federal or state securities laws or rules and regulations of the
Commission, any state securities commission or any other governmental authority
with jurisdiction over such transfer, (ii) terminate the existence or
qualification of the Partnership or the Operating Partnership under the laws of
the jurisdiction of its formation, or (iii) cause the Partnership or the
Operating Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation
or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes (to the
extent not already so treated or taxed).
(b) The General Partner may impose restrictions on the transfer of
Partnership Interests if a subsequent Opinion of Counsel determines that such
restrictions are necessary to avoid a significant risk of the Partnership or the
Operating Partnership becoming taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed
as an entity for federal income tax purposes. The restrictions may be imposed by
making such amendments to this Agreement as the General Partner may determine to
be necessary or appropriate to impose such restrictions; provided, however, that
any amendment that the General Partner believes, in the exercise of its
reasonable discretion, could result in the delisting or suspension of trading of
any class of Limited Partner Interests on the principal National Securities
Exchange on which such class of Limited Partner Interests is then traded must be
approved, prior to such amendment being effected, by the holders of at least a
majority of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests of such class.
(c) The transfer of a Subordinated Unit that has converted into a
Common Unit shall be subject to the restrictions imposed by Section 6.7(b).
(d) Nothing contained in this Article IV, or elsewhere in this
Agreement, shall preclude the settlement of any transactions involving
Partnership Interests entered into through the facilities of any National
Securities Exchange on which such Partnership Interests are listed for trading.
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SECTION 4.9 Citizenship Certificates; Non-citizen Assignees.
(a) If any Group Member is or becomes subject to any federal,
state or local law or regulation that, in the reasonable determination of the
General Partner, creates a substantial risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any
property in which the Group Member has an interest based on the nationality,
citizenship or other related status of a Limited Partner or Assignee, the
General Partner may request any Limited Partner or Assignee to furnish to the
General Partner, within 30 days after receipt of such request, an executed
Citizenship Certification or such other information concerning his nationality,
citizenship or other related status (or, if the Limited Partner or Assignee is a
nominee holding for the account of another Person, the nationality, citizenship
or other related status of such Person) as the General Partner may request. If a
Limited Partner or Assignee fails to furnish to the General Partner within the
aforementioned 30-day period such Citizenship Certification or other requested
information or if upon receipt of such Citizenship Certification or other
requested information the General Partner determines, with the advice of
counsel, that a Limited Partner or Assignee is not an Eligible Citizen, the
Partnership Interests owned by such Limited Partner or Assignee shall be subject
to redemption in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.10. In addition,
the General Partner may require that the status of any such Partner or Assignee
be changed to that of a Non-citizen Assignee and, thereupon, the General Partner
shall be substituted for such Non-citizen Assignee as the Limited Partner in
respect of his Limited Partner Interests.
(b) The General Partner shall, in exercising voting rights in
respect of Limited Partner Interests held by it on behalf of Non-citizen
Assignees, distribute the votes in the same ratios as the votes of Partners
(including without limitation the General Partner) in respect of Limited Partner
Interests other than those of Non-citizen Assignees are cast, either for,
against or abstaining as to the matter.
(c) Upon dissolution of the Partnership, a Non-citizen Assignee
shall have no right to receive a distribution in kind pursuant to Section 12.4
but shall be entitled to the cash equivalent thereof, and the Partnership shall
provide cash in exchange for an assignment of the Non-citizen Assignee's share
of the distribution in kind. Such payment and assignment shall be treated for
Partnership purposes as a purchase by the Partnership from the Non-citizen
Assignee of his Limited Partner Interest (representing his right to receive his
share of such distribution in kind).
(d) At any time after he can and does certify that he has become
an Eligible Citizen, a Non-citizen Assignee may, upon application to the General
Partner, request admission as a Substituted Limited Partner with respect to any
Limited Partner Interests of such Non-citizen Assignee not redeemed pursuant to
Section 4.10, and upon his admission pursuant to Section 10.2, the General
Partner shall cease to be deemed to be the Limited Partner in respect of the
Non-citizen Assignee's Limited Partner Interests.
SECTION 4.10 Redemption of Partnership Interests of Non-citizen Assignees.
(a) If at any time a Limited Partner or Assignee fails to furnish
a Citizenship Certification or other information requested within the 30-day
period specified in Section 4.9(a), or if upon receipt of such Citizenship
Certification or other information the General Partner determines, with the
advice of counsel, that a Limited Partner or Assignee is not an Eligible
Citizen, the Partnership may, unless the Limited Partner or Assignee establishes
to the satisfaction of the General Partner that such Limited Partner or Assignee
is an Eligible Citizen or has transferred his Partnership Interests to a Person
who is an Eligible Citizen and who furnishes a Citizenship Certification to the
General Partner prior to the date fixed for redemption as provided below, redeem
the Partnership Interest of such Limited Partner or Assignee as follows:
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(i) The General Partner shall, not later than the 30th day
before the date fixed for redemption, give notice of redemption to the
Limited Partner or Assignee, at his last address designated on the
records of the Partnership or the Transfer Agent, by registered or
certified mail, postage prepaid. The notice shall be deemed to have
been given when so mailed. The notice shall specify the Redeemable
Interests, the date fixed for redemption, the place of payment, that
payment of the redemption price will be made upon surrender of the
Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Interests and that on and after
the date fixed for redemption no further allocations or distributions
to which the Limited Partner or Assignee would otherwise be entitled in
respect of the Redeemable Interests will accrue or be made.
(ii) The aggregate redemption price for Redeemable Interests
shall be an amount equal to the Current Market Price (the date of
determination of which shall be the date fixed for redemption) of
Limited Partner Interests of the class to be so redeemed multiplied by
the number of Limited Partner Interests of each such class included
among the Redeemable Interests. The redemption price shall be paid, in
the discretion of the General Partner, in cash or by delivery of a
promissory note of the Partnership in the principal amount of the
redemption price, bearing interest at the rate of 10% annually and
payable in three equal annual installments of principal together with
accrued interest, commencing one year after the redemption date.
(iii) Upon surrender by or on behalf of the Limited Partner or
Assignee, at the place specified in the notice of redemption, of the
Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Interests, duly endorsed in blank
or accompanied by an assignment duly executed in blank, the Limited
Partner or Assignee or his duly authorized representative shall be
entitled to receive the payment therefor.
(iv) After the redemption date, Redeemable Interests shall no
longer constitute issued and Outstanding Limited Partner Interests.
(b) The provisions of this Section 4.10 shall also be applicable
to Limited Partner Interests held by a Limited Partner or Assignee as nominee of
a Person determined to be other than an Eligible Citizen.
(c) Nothing in this Section 4.10 shall prevent the recipient of a
notice of redemption from transferring his Limited Partner Interest before the
redemption date if such transfer is otherwise permitted under this Agreement.
Upon receipt of notice of such a transfer, the General Partner shall withdraw
the notice of redemption, provided the transferee of such Limited Partner
Interest certifies to the satisfaction of the General Partner in a Citizenship
Certification delivered in connection with the Transfer Application that he is
an Eligible Citizen. If the transferee fails to make such certification, such
redemption shall be effected from the transferee on the original redemption
date.
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ARTICLE V CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS
SECTION 5.1 Organizational Contributions.
In connection with the formation of the Partnership under the Delaware
Act, the General Partner made an initial Capital Contribution to the Partnership
in the amount of $10, for a certain interest in the Partnership and was admitted
as the General Partner and as a Limited Partner of the Partnership, and the
Organizational Limited Partner made an initial Capital Contribution to the
Partnership in the amount of $990 for an interest in the Partnership and was
admitted as a Limited Partner of the Partnership. As of the Initial Closing
Date, the interest of the Organizational Limited Partner was redeemed as
provided in the Contribution and Conveyance Agreement; the initial Capital
Contributions of each Partner were thereupon refunded; and the Organizational
Limited Partner ceased to be a Limited Partner of the Partnership. One percent
of any interest or other profit that may have resulted from the investment or
other use of such initial Capital Contributions was allocated and distributed to
the Organizational Limited Partner, and the balance thereof was allocated and
distributed to the General Partner.
SECTION 5.2 Contributions by the General Partner and Its Affiliates.
(a) On the Initial Closing Date and pursuant to the Contribution and
Conveyance Agreement, the General Partner contributed to the Partnership, as a
Capital Contribution, all but 1.0101% of its general partnership interest in the
Operating Partnership in exchange for (A) the continuation of its 1.0101%
General Partner Interest, subject to all of the rights, privileges and duties of
the General Partner under this Agreement, (B) $16,636,000 in cash, (C) the
Subordinated Units and (D) the Incentive Distribution Rights.
(b) Upon the issuance of any additional Limited Partner Interests by
the Partnership (other than the issuance of the Common Units issued in the
Initial Offering), the General Partner shall be required to make additional
Capital Contributions equal to 1/99th of any amount contributed to the
Partnership by the Limited Partners in exchange for such additional Limited
Partner Interests.
SECTION 5.3 Contributions by Initial Limited Partners and Reimbursement of the
General Partner.
(a) On the Initial Closing Date and pursuant to the Underwriting
Agreement, each Underwriter contributed to the Partnership cash in an amount
equal to the Issue Price per Initial Common Unit, multiplied by the number of
Common Units specified in the Underwriting Agreement to be purchased by such
Underwriter at the Initial Closing Date. In exchange for such Capital
Contributions by the Underwriters, the Partnership issued Common Units to each
Underwriter on whose behalf such Capital Contribution was made in an amount
equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the cash contribution to the
Partnership by or on behalf of such Underwriter by (ii) the Issue Price per
Initial Common Unit.
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(b) No Limited Partner Interests were issued at the Initial Closing
Date other than (i) the Common Units issuable pursuant to Section 5.3(a) in
aggregate number equal to 1,500,000, (ii) the 1,641,026 Subordinated Units
issuable to the General Partner or its Affiliates pursuant to Section 5.2(a),
and (iii) the Incentive Distribution Rights.
SECTION 5.4 Interest and Withdrawal.
No interest shall be paid by the Partnership on Capital Contributions.
No Partner or Assignee shall be entitled to the withdrawal or return of its
Capital Contribution, except to the extent, if any, that distributions made
pursuant to this Agreement or upon termination of the Partnership may be
considered as such by law and then only to the extent provided for in this
Agreement. Except to the extent expressly provided in this Agreement, no Partner
or Assignee shall have priority over any other Partner or Assignee either as to
the return of Capital Contributions or as to profits, losses or distributions.
Any such return shall be a compromise to which all Partners and Assignees agree
within the meaning of 17-502(b) of the Delaware Act.
SECTION 5.5 Capital Accounts.
(a) The Partnership shall maintain for each Partner (or a beneficial
owner of Partnership Interests held by a nominee in any case in which the
nominee has furnished the identity of such owner to the Partnership in
accordance with Section 6031(c) of the Code or any other method acceptable to
the General Partner in its sole discretion) owning a Partnership Interest a
separate Capital Account with respect to such Partnership Interest in accordance
with the rules of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv). Such Capital
Account shall be increased by (i) the amount of all Capital Contributions made
to the Partnership with respect to such Partnership Interest pursuant to this
Agreement and (ii) all items of Partnership income and gain (including, without
limitation, income and gain exempt from tax) computed in accordance with Section
5.5(b) and allocated with respect to such Partnership Interest pursuant to
Section 6.1, and decreased by (x) the amount of cash or Net Agreed Value of all
actual and deemed distributions of cash or property made with respect to such
Partnership Interest pursuant to this Agreement and (y) all items of Partnership
deduction and loss computed in accordance with Section 5.5(b) and allocated with
respect to such Partnership Interest pursuant to Section 6.1.
(b) For purposes of computing the amount of any item of income, gain,
loss or deduction which is to be allocated pursuant to Article VI and is to be
reflected in the Partners' Capital Accounts, the determination, recognition and
classification of any such item shall be the same as its determination,
recognition and classification for federal income tax purposes (including,
without limitation, any method of depreciation, cost recovery or amortization
used for that purpose), provided, that:
(i) Solely for purposes of this Section 5.5, the Partnership
shall be treated as owning directly its proportionate share (as
determined by the General Partner based upon the provisions of the
Operating Partnership Agreement) of all property owned by the Operating
Partnership or any other Subsidiary that is classified as a partnership
for federal income tax purposes.
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(ii) All fees and other expenses incurred by the Partnership
to promote the sale of (or to sell) a Partnership Interest that can
neither be deducted nor amortized under Section 709 of the Code, if
any, shall, for purposes of Capital Account maintenance, be treated as
an item of deduction at the time such fees and other expenses are
incurred and shall be allocated among the Partners pursuant to Section
6.1.
(iii) Except as otherwise provided in Treasury Regulation
Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), the computation of all items of income,
gain, loss and deduction shall be made without regard to any election
under Section 754 of the Code which may be made by the Partnership and,
as to those items described in Section 705(a)(1)(B) or 705(a)(2)(B) of
the Code, without regard to the fact that such items are not includable
in gross income or are neither currently deductible nor capitalized for
federal income tax purposes. To the extent an adjustment to the
adjusted tax basis of any Partnership asset pursuant to Section 734(b)
or 743(b) of the Code is required, pursuant to Treasury Regulation
Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), to be taken into account in determining
Capital Accounts, the amount of such adjustment in the Capital Accounts
shall be treated as an item of gain or loss.
(iv) Any income, gain or loss attributable to the taxable
disposition of any Partnership property shall be determined as if the
adjusted basis of such property as of such date of disposition were
equal in amount to the Partnership's Carrying Value with respect to
such property as of such date.
(v) In accordance with the requirements of Section 704(b) of
the Code, any deductions for depreciation, cost recovery or
amortization attributable to any Contributed Property shall be
determined as if the adjusted basis of such property on the date it was
acquired by the Partnership were equal to the Agreed Value of such
property. Upon an adjustment pursuant to Section 5.5(d) to the Carrying
Value of any Partnership property subject to depreciation, cost
recovery or amortization, any further deductions for such depreciation,
cost recovery or amortization attributable to such property shall be
determined (A) as if the adjusted basis of such property were equal to
the Carrying Value of such property immediately following such
adjustment and (B) using a rate of depreciation, cost recovery or
amortization derived from the same method and useful life (or, if
applicable, the remaining useful life) as is applied for federal income
tax purposes; provided, however, that, if the asset has a zero adjusted
basis for federal income tax purposes, depreciation, cost recovery or
amortization deductions shall be determined using any reasonable method
that the General Partner may adopt.
(vi) If the Partnership's adjusted basis in a depreciable or
cost recovery property is reduced for federal income tax purposes
pursuant to Section 48(q)(1) or 48(q)(3) of the Code, the amount of
such reduction shall, solely for purposes hereof, be deemed to be an
additional depreciation or cost recovery deduction in the year such
property is placed in service and shall be allocated among the Partners
pursuant to Section 6.1. Any restoration of such basis pursuant to
Section 48(q)(2) of the Code shall, to the extent possible, be
allocated in the same manner to the Partners to whom such deemed
deduction was allocated.
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(c) (i) A transferee of a Partnership Interest shall succeed to a pro
rata portion of the Capital Account of the transferor relating to the
Partnership Interest so transferred.
(ii) Immediately prior to the transfer of a Subordinated Unit
or of a Subordinated Unit that has converted into a Common Unit
pursuant to Section 5.8 by a holder thereof (other than a transfer to
an Affiliate unless the General Partner elects to have this
subparagraph 5.5(c)(ii) apply), the Capital Account maintained for such
Person with respect to its Subordinated Units or converted Subordinated
Units will (A) first, be allocated to the Subordinated Units or
converted Subordinated Units to be transferred in an amount equal to
the product of (x) the number of such Subordinated Units or converted
Subordinated Units to be transferred and (y) the Per Unit Capital
Amount for a Common Unit, and (B) second, any remaining balance in such
Capital Account will be retained by the transferor, regardless of
whether it has retained any Subordinated Units or converted
Subordinated Units. Following any such allocation, the transferor's
Capital Account, if any, maintained with respect to the retained
Subordinated Units or converted Subordinated Units, if any, will have a
balance equal to the amount allocated under clause (B) hereinabove, and
the transferee's Capital Account established with respect to the
transferred Subordinated Units or converted Subordinated Units will
have a balance equal to the amount allocated under clause (A)
hereinabove.
(d) (i) In accordance with Treasury Regulation Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), on an issuance of additional Partnership
Interests for cash or Contributed Property or the conversion of the
General Partner's Combined Interest to Common Units pursuant to Section
11.3(b), the Capital Account of all Partners and the Carrying Value of
each Partnership property immediately prior to such issuance shall be
adjusted upward or downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or
Unrealized Loss attributable to such Partnership property, as if such
Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss had been recognized on an actual
sale of each such property immediately prior to such issuance and had
been allocated to the Partners at such time pursuant to Section 6.1 in
the same manner as any item of gain or loss actually recognized during
such period would have been allocated. In determining such Unrealized
Gain or Unrealized Loss, the aggregate cash amount and fair market
value of all Partnership assets (including, without limitation, cash or
cash equivalents) immediately prior to the issuance of additional
Partnership Interests shall be determined by the General Partner using
such reasonable method of valuation as it may adopt; provided, however,
that the General Partner, in arriving at such valuation, must take
fully into account the fair market value of the Partnership Interests
of all Partners at such time. The General Partner shall allocate such
aggregate value among the assets of the Partnership (in such manner as
it determines in its discretion to be reasonable) to arrive at a fair
market value for individual properties.
36
(ii) In accordance with Treasury Regulation Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), immediately prior to any actual or deemed
distribution to a Partner of any Partnership property (other than a
distribution of cash that is not in redemption or retirement of a
Partnership Interest), the Capital Accounts of all Partners and the
Carrying Value of all Partnership property shall be adjusted upward or
downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable
to such Partnership property, as if such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized
Loss had been recognized in a sale of such property immediately prior
to such distribution for an amount equal to its fair market value, and
had been allocated to the Partners, at such time, pursuant to Section
6.1 in the same manner as any item of gain or loss actually recognized
during such period would have been allocated. In determining such
Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss the aggregate cash amount and fair
market value of all Partnership assets (including, without limitation,
cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to a distribution shall (A)
in the case of an actual distribution which is not made pursuant to
Section 12.4 or in the case of a deemed distribution, be determined and
allocated in the same manner as that provided in Section 5.5(d)(i) or
(B) in the case of a liquidating distribution pursuant to Section 12.4,
be determined and allocated by the Liquidator using such reasonable
method of valuation as it may adopt.
SECTION 5.6 Issuances of Additional Partnership Securities.
(a) Subject to Section 5.7, the Partnership may issue additional
Partnership Securities and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights
relating to the Partnership Securities for any Partnership purpose at any time
and from time to time to such Persons for such consideration and on such terms
and conditions as shall be established by the General Partner in its sole
discretion, all without the approval of any Limited Partners.
(b) Each additional Partnership Security authorized to be issued
by the Partnership pursuant to Section 5.6(a) may be issued in one or more
classes, or one or more series of any such classes, with such designations,
preferences, rights, powers and duties (which may be senior to existing classes
and series of Partnership Securities), as shall be fixed by the General Partner
in the exercise of its sole discretion, including (i) the right to share
Partnership profits and losses or items thereof; (ii) the right to share in
Partnership distributions; (iii) the rights upon dissolution and liquidation of
the Partnership; (iv) whether, and the terms and conditions upon which, the
Partnership may redeem the Partnership Security; (v) whether such Partnership
Security is issued with the privilege of conversion or exchange and, if so, the
terms and conditions of such conversion or exchange; (vi) the terms and
conditions upon which each Partnership Security will be issued, evidenced by
certificates and assigned or transferred; and (vii) the right, if any, of each
such Partnership Security to vote on Partnership matters, including matters
relating to the relative rights, preferences and privileges of such Partnership
Security.
(c) The General Partner is hereby authorized and directed to take
all actions that it deems necessary or appropriate in connection with (i) each
issuance of Partnership Securities and options, rights, warrants and
appreciation rights relating to Partnership Securities pursuant to this Section
5.6, (ii) the conversion of the Combined Interest into Common Units pursuant to
the terms of this Agreement, (iii) the admission of Additional Limited Partners
and (iv) all additional issuances of Partnership Securities. The General Partner
is further authorized and directed to specify the relative rights, powers and
duties of the holders of the Units or other Partnership Securities being so
issued. The General Partner shall do all things necessary to comply with the
Delaware Act and is authorized and directed to do all things it deems to be
necessary or advisable in connection with any future issuance of Partnership
Securities or in connection with the conversion of the General Partner Interest
and Incentive Distribution Rights into Common Units pursuant to the terms of
this Agreement, including compliance with any statute, rule, regulation or
guideline of any federal, state or other governmental agency or any National
Securities Exchange on which the Units or other Partnership Securities are
listed for trading.
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SECTION 5.7 Limitations on Issuance of Additional Partnership Securities.
The issuance of Partnership Securities pursuant to Section 5.6 shall be
subject to the following restrictions and limitations:
(a) During the Subordination Period, the Partnership shall not
issue (and shall not issue any options, rights, warrants or appreciation rights
relating to) additional Partnership Securities having rights to distributions or
in liquidation ranking prior or senior to the Common Units without the prior
approval of the holders of a Unit Majority.
(b) No fractional Units shall be issued by the Partnership.
SECTION 5.8 Conversion of Subordinated Units.
(a) All of the Outstanding Subordinated Units will convert into
Common Units on a one-for-one basis on the first day after the Record Date for
distribution in respect of any Quarter ending on or after December 31, 2004, in
respect of which:
(i) distributions under Section 6.4 in respect of all
Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units with respect to each of
the twelve consecutive Quarter periods immediately preceding such date
equaled or exceeded the sum of the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on
all of the Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units during such
periods;
(ii) the Adjusted Operating Surplus generated during each of
the twelve consecutive Quarter periods immediately preceding such date
equaled or exceeded the sum of the Minimum Quarterly Distribution on
all of the Common Units and Subordinated Units that were Outstanding
during such periods on a fully-diluted basis (i.e. taking into account
for purposes of such determination all Outstanding Common Units, all
Outstanding Subordinated Units, all Common Units and Subordinated Units
issuable upon exercise of employee options that have, as of the date of
determination, already vested or are scheduled to vest prior to the end
of the Quarter immediately following the Quarter with respect to which
such determination is made, and all Common Units and Subordinated Units
that have, as of the date of determination, been earned by but not yet
issued to management of the Partnership in respect of incentive
compensation), plus the related distribution on the General Partner
Interest in the Partnership and the Operating Partnership, during such
periods; and
(iii) the Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage on all of the
Common Units is zero.
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(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, all the then
Outstanding Subordinated Units will automatically convert into Common Units on a
one-for-one basis as set forth in, and pursuant to the terms of, Section 11.4.
(c) A Subordinated Unit that has converted into a Common Unit shall be
subject to the provisions of Section 6.7(b).
(d) For purposes of determining whether the test in Section 5.8(a)(ii)
has been satisfied, Adjusted Operating Surplus will be adjusted upwards or
downwards if the Conflicts Committee determines in good faith that the amount of
Estimated Maintenance Capital Expenditure used in the determination of Adjusted
Operating Surplus in Section 5.8(a)(ii) was materially incorrect, based on
circumstances prevailing at the time of original determination of Estimated
Maintenance Capital Expenditures, for any one or more of the preceding twelve
consecutive Quarter periods.
SECTION 5.9 Limited Preemptive Right.
Except as provided in this Section 5.9 and in Section 5.2, no Person
shall have any preemptive, preferential or other similar right with respect to
the issuance of any Partnership Security, whether unissued, held in the treasury
or hereafter created. The General Partner shall have the right, which it may
from time to time assign in whole or in part to any of its Affiliates, to
purchase Partnership Securities from the Partnership whenever, and on the same
terms that, the Partnership issues Partnership Securities to Persons other than
the General Partner and its Affiliates, to the extent necessary to maintain the
Percentage Interests of the General Partner and its Affiliates equal to that
which existed immediately prior to the issuance of such Partnership Securities.
SECTION 5.10 Splits and Combinations.
(a) Subject to Sections 5.10(d), 6.6 and 6.9 (dealing with adjustments
of distribution levels), the Partnership may make a Pro Rata distribution of
Partnership Securities to all Record Holders or may effect a subdivision or
combination of Partnership Securities so long as, after any such event, each
Partner shall have the same Percentage Interest in the Partnership as before
such event, and any amounts calculated on a per Unit basis (including any Common
Unit Arrearage or Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage) or stated as a number of
Units (including the number of Subordinated Units that may convert prior to the
end of the Subordination Period) are proportionately adjusted retroactive to the
beginning of the Partnership.
(b) Whenever such a distribution, subdivision or combination of
Partnership Securities is declared, the General Partner shall select a Record
Date as of which the distribution, subdivision or combination shall be effective
and shall send notice thereof at least 20 days prior to such Record Date to each
Record Holder as of a date not less than 10 days prior to the date of such
notice. The General Partner also may cause a firm of independent public
accountants selected by it to calculate the number of Partnership Securities to
be held by each Record Holder after giving effect to such distribution,
subdivision or combination. The General Partner shall be entitled to rely on any
certificate provided by such firm as conclusive evidence of the accuracy of such
calculation.
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(c) Promptly following any such distribution, subdivision or
combination, the Partnership may issue Certificates to the Record Holders of
Partnership Securities as of the applicable Record Date representing the new
number of Partnership Securities held by such Record Holders, or the General
Partner may adopt such other procedures as it may deem appropriate to reflect
such changes. If any such combination results in a smaller total number of
Partnership Securities Outstanding, the Partnership shall require, as a
condition to the delivery to a Record Holder of such new Certificate, the
surrender of any Certificate held by such Record Holder immediately prior to
such Record Date.
(d) The Partnership shall not issue fractional Units upon any
distribution, subdivision or combination of Units. If a distribution,
subdivision or combination of Units would result in the issuance of fractional
Units but for the provisions of Section 5.7(b) and this Section 5.10(d), each
fractional Unit shall be rounded to the nearest whole Unit (and a 0.5 Unit shall
be rounded to the next higher Unit).
SECTION 5.11 Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Limited Partner Interests.
All Limited Partner Interests issued pursuant to, and in accordance
with the requirements of, this Article V shall be fully paid and non-assessable
Limited Partner Interests in the Partnership, except as such non-assessability
may be affected by Section 17-607 of the Delaware Act.
ARTICLE VI ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
SECTION 6.1 Allocations for Capital Account Purposes.
For purposes of maintaining the Capital Accounts and in determining the
rights of the Partners among themselves, the Partnership's items of income,
gain, loss and deduction (computed in accordance with Section 5.5(b)) shall be
allocated among the Partners in each taxable year (or portion thereof) as
provided herein below.
(a) Net Income. After giving effect to the special allocations set
forth in Section 6.1(d), Net Income for each taxable year and all items of
income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net Income for
such taxable year shall be allocated as follows:
(i) First, 100% to the General Partner in an amount equal to
the aggregate Net Losses allocated to the General Partner pursuant to
Section 6.1(b)(iii) for all previous taxable years until the aggregate
Net Income allocated to the General Partner pursuant to this Section
6.1(a)(i) for the current taxable year and all previous taxable years
is equal to the aggregate Net Losses allocated to the General Partner
pursuant to Section 6.1(b)(iii) for all previous taxable years;
(ii) Second, 1.0101% to the General Partner in an amount equal
to the aggregate Net Losses allocated to the General Partner pursuant
to Section 6.1(b)(ii) for all previous taxable years and 98.9899% to
the Unitholders, in accordance with their respective Percentage
Interests, until the aggregate Net Income allocated to such Partners
pursuant to this Section 6.1(a)(ii) for the current taxable year and
all previous taxable years is equal to the aggregate Net Losses
allocated to such Partners pursuant to Section 6.1(b)(ii) for all
previous taxable years; and
40
(iii) Third, the balance, if any, 100% to the General Partner
and the Unitholders in accordance with their respective Percentage
Interests.
(b) Net Losses. After giving effect to the special allocations set
forth in Section 6.1(d), Net Losses for each taxable period and all items of
income, gain, loss and deduction taken into account in computing Net Losses for
such taxable period shall be allocated as follows:
(i) First, 1.0101% to the General Partner and 98.9899% to the
Unitholders, Pro Rata, until the aggregate Net Losses allocated
pursuant to this Section 6.1(b)(i) for the current taxable year and all
previous taxable years is equal to the aggregate Net Income allocated
to such Partners pursuant to Section 6.1(a)(iii) for all previous
taxable years, provided that the Net Losses shall not be allocated
pursuant to this Section 6.1(b)(i) to the extent that such allocation
would cause any Unitholder to have a deficit balance in its Adjusted
Capital Account at the end of such taxable year (or increase any
existing deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account);
(ii) Second, 1.0101% to the General Partner and 98.9899% to
the Unitholders, Pro Rata; provided, that Net Losses shall not be
allocated pursuant to this Section 6.1(b)(ii) to the extent that such
allocation would cause any Unitholder to have a deficit balance in its
Adjusted Capital Account at the end of such taxable year (or increase
any existing deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account); and
(iii) Third, the balance, if any, 100% to the General Partner.
(c) Net Termination Gains and Losses. After giving effect to the
special allocations set forth in Section 6.1(d), all items of income, gain, loss
and deduction taken into account in computing Net Termination Gain or Net
Termination Loss for such taxable period shall be allocated in the same manner
as such Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss is allocated hereunder. All
allocations under this Section 6.1(c) shall be made after Capital Account
balances have been adjusted by all other allocations provided under this Section
6.1 and after all distributions of Available Cash provided under Sections 6.4
and 6.5 have been made; provided, however, that solely for purposes of this
Section 6.1(c), Capital Accounts shall not be adjusted for distributions made
pursuant to Section 12.4.
(i) If a Net Termination Gain is recognized (or deemed
recognized pursuant to Section 5.5(d)), such Net Termination Gain shall
be allocated among the Partners in the following manner (and the
Capital Accounts of the Partners shall be increased by the amount so
allocated in each of the following subclauses, in the order listed,
before an allocation is made pursuant to the next succeeding
subclause):
41
(A) First, to each Partner having a deficit balance
in its Capital Account, in the proportion that such deficit
balance bears to the total deficit balances in the Capital
Accounts of all Partners, until each such Partner has been
allocated Net Termination Gain equal to any such deficit
balance in its Capital Account;
(B) Second, 98.9899% to all Unitholders holding
Common Units, Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to the General Partner
until the Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit then
Outstanding is equal to the sum of (1) its Unrecovered Capital
plus (2) the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for the Quarter
during which the Liquidation Date occurs, reduced by any
distribution pursuant to Section 6.4(a)(i) or (b)(i) with
respect to such Common Unit for such Quarter (the amount
determined pursuant to this clause (2) is hereinafter defined
as the "Unpaid MQD") plus (3) any then existing Cumulative
Common Unit Arrearage;
(C) Third, if such Net Termination Gain is recognized
(or is deemed to be recognized) prior to the expiration of the
Subordination Period, 98.9899% to all Unitholders holding
Subordinated Units, Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to the General
Partner until the Capital Account in respect of each
Subordinated Unit then Outstanding equals the sum of (1) its
Unrecovered Capital, determined for the taxable year (or
portion thereof) to which this allocation of gain relates,
plus (2) the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for the Quarter
during which the Liquidation Date (or the date on which the
Carrying Value of Partnership property is adjusted pursuant to
Section 5.6(d)) occurs, reduced by any distribution pursuant
to Section 6.4(a)(iii) with respect to such Subordinated Unit
for such Quarter;
(D) Fourth, 85% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, and
13.9899% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights,
Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to the General Partner until the Capital
Account in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding is
equal to the sum of (1) its Unrecovered Capital, plus (2) the
Unpaid MQD, plus (3) any then existing Cumulative Common Unit
Arrearage, plus (4) the excess of (aa) the First Target
Distribution less the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for each
Quarter of the Partnership's existence over (bb) the
cumulative per Unit amount of any distributions of Operating
Surplus that was distributed pursuant to Sections 6.4(a)(iv)
and 6.4(b)(ii) (the sum of (1) plus (2) plus (3) plus (4) is
hereinafter defined as the "First Liquidation Target Amount");
(E) Fifth, 75% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, and
23.9899% to the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights,
Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to the General Partner until the Capital
Account in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding is
equal to the sum of (1) the First Liquidation Target Amount,
plus (2) the excess of (aa) the Second Target Distribution
less the First Target Distribution for each Quarter of the
Partnership's existence over (bb) the cumulative per Unit
amount of any distributions of Operating Surplus that was
distributed pursuant to Sections 6.4(a)(v) and 6.4(b)(iii)
(the sum of (1) plus (2) is hereinafter defined as the "Second
Liquidation Target Amount"); and
42
(F) Finally, any remaining amount 50% to all
Unitholders, Pro Rata, 48.9899% to the holders of the
Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to the
General Partner.
(ii) If a Net Termination Loss is recognized (or deemed
recognized pursuant to Section 5.5(d)), such Net Termination Loss shall
be allocated among the Partners in the following manner:
(A) First, to the extent that Net Termination Gain
has been allocated pursuant to Sections 6.1(c)(i)(B)-(F) and
not previously offset by allocations of Net Termination Loss
pursuant to this Section 6.1(c)(ii)(A), to the Unitholders and
holders of Incentive Distribution Rights in the reverse order
and the same ratios as such prior allocations of Net
Termination Gain;
(B) Second, if such Net Termination Loss is
recognized (or is deemed to be recognized) prior to the
conversion of the last Outstanding Subordinated Unit, 98.9899%
to the Unitholders holding Subordinated Units, Pro Rata, and
1.0101% to the General Partner until the Capital Account in
respect of each Subordinated Unit then Outstanding has been
reduced to zero;
(C) Third, 98.9899% to all Unitholders holding Common
Units, Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to the General Partner until the
Capital Account in respect of each Common Unit then
Outstanding has been reduced to zero; and
(D) Fourth, the balance, if any, 100% to the General
Partner.
(d) Special Allocations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Section 6.1, the following special allocations shall be made for such taxable
period:
(i) Partnership Minimum Gain Chargeback. Notwithstanding any
other provision of this Section 6.1, if there is a net decrease in
Partnership Minimum Gain during any Partnership taxable period, each
Partner shall be allocated items of Partnership income and gain for
such period (and, if necessary, subsequent periods) in the manner and
amounts provided in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(f)(6),
1.704-2(g)(2) and 1.704-2(j)(2)(i), or any successor provision. For
purposes of this Section 6.1(d), each Partner's Adjusted Capital
Account balance shall be determined, and the allocation of income or
gain required hereunder shall be effected, prior to the application of
any other allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d) with respect to
such taxable period (other than an allocation pursuant to Sections
6.1(d)(vi) and 6.1(d)(vii)). This Section 6.1(d)(i) is intended to
comply with the Partnership Minimum Gain chargeback requirement in
Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(f) and shall be interpreted
consistently therewith.
43
(ii) Chargeback of Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain.
Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 6.1 (other than
Section 6.1(d)(i)), except as provided in Treasury Regulation Section
1.704-2(i)(4), if there is a net decrease in Partner Nonrecourse Debt
Minimum Gain during any Partnership taxable period, any Partner with a
share of Partner Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain at the beginning of such
taxable period shall be allocated items of Partnership income and gain
for such period (and, if necessary, subsequent periods) in the manner
and amounts provided in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(i)(4) and
1.704-2(j)(2)(ii), or any successor provisions. For purposes of this
Section 6.1(d), each Partner's Adjusted Capital Account balance shall
be determined, and the allocation of income or gain required hereunder
shall be effected, prior to the application of any other allocations
pursuant to this Section 6.1(d), other than Section 6.1(d)(i) and other
than an allocation pursuant to Sections 6.1(d)(vi) and 6.1(d)(vii),
with respect to such taxable period. This Section 6.1(d)(ii) is
intended to comply with the chargeback of items of income and gain
requirement in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(4) and shall be
interpreted consistently therewith.
(iii) Priority Allocations.
(A) If the amount of cash or the Net Agreed Value of
any property distributed (except cash or property distributed
pursuant to Section 12.4) to any Unitholder with respect to
its Units for a taxable year is greater (on a per Unit basis)
than the amount of cash or the Net Agreed Value of property
distributed to the other Unitholders with respect to their
Units (on a per Unit basis), then (1) each Unitholder
receiving such greater cash or property distribution shall be
allocated gross income in an amount equal to the product of
(aa) the amount by which the distribution (on a per Unit
basis) to such Unitholder exceeds the distribution (on a per
Unit basis) to the Unitholders receiving the smallest
distribution and (bb) the number of Units owned by the
Unitholder receiving the greater distribution; and (2) the
General Partner shall be allocated gross income in an
aggregate amount equal to 1/99th of the sum of the amounts
allocated in clause (1) above.
(B) After the application of Section 6.1(d)(iii)(A),
all or any portion of the remaining items of Partnership gross
income or gain for the taxable period, if any, shall be
allocated 100% to the holders of Incentive Distribution
Rights, Pro Rata, until the aggregate amount of such items
allocated to the holders of Incentive Distribution Rights
pursuant to this paragraph 6.1(d)(iii)(B) for the current
taxable year and all previous taxable years is equal to the
cumulative amount of all Incentive Distributions made to the
holders of Incentive Distribution Rights from the Initial
Closing Date to a date 45 days after the end of the current
taxable year.
44
(iv) Qualified Income Offset. In the event any Partner
unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or distributions
described in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4),
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5), or 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6), items of
Partnership income and gain shall be specially allocated to such
Partner in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent
required by the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b)
of the Code, the deficit balance, if any, in its Adjusted Capital
Account created by such adjustments, allocations or distributions as
quickly as possible unless such deficit balance is otherwise eliminated
pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(i) or (ii).
(v) Gross Income Allocations. In the event any Partner has a
deficit balance in its Capital Account at the end of any Partnership
taxable period in excess of the sum of (A) the amount such Partner is
required to restore pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement and
(B) the amount such Partner is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to
Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(g) and 1.704-2(i)(5), such Partner
shall be specially allocated items of Partnership gross income and gain
in the amount of such excess as quickly as possible; provided, that an
allocation pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(v) shall be made only if and
to the extent that such Partner would have a deficit balance in its
Capital Account as adjusted after all other allocations provided for in
this Section 6.1 have been tentatively made as if this Section
6.1(d)(v) were not in this Agreement.
(vi) Nonrecourse Deductions. Nonrecourse Deductions for any
taxable period shall be allocated to the Partners in accordance with
their respective Percentage Interests. If the General Partner
determines in its good faith discretion that the Partnership's
Nonrecourse Deductions must be allocated in a different ratio to
satisfy the safe harbor requirements of the Treasury Regulations
promulgated under Section 704(b) of the Code, the General Partner is
authorized, upon notice to the other Partners, to revise the prescribed
ratio to the numerically closest ratio that does satisfy such
requirements.
(vii) Partner Nonrecourse Deductions. Partner Nonrecourse
Deductions for any taxable period shall be allocated 100% to the
Partner that bears the Economic Risk of Loss with respect to the
Partner Nonrecourse Debt to which such Partner Nonrecourse Deductions
are attributable in accordance with Treasury Regulation Section
1.704-2(i). If more than one Partner bears the Economic Risk of Loss
with respect to a Partner Nonrecourse Debt, such Partner Nonrecourse
Deductions attributable thereto shall be allocated between or among
such Partners in accordance with the ratios in which they share such
Economic Risk of Loss.
(viii) Nonrecourse Liabilities. For purposes of Treasury
Regulation Section 1.752-3(a)(3), the Partners agree that Nonrecourse
Liabilities of the Partnership in excess of the sum of (A) the amount
of Partnership Minimum Gain and (B) the total amount of Nonrecourse
Built-in Gain shall be allocated among the Partners in accordance with
their respective Percentage Interests.
(ix) Code Section 754 Adjustments. To the extent an adjustment
to the adjusted tax basis of any Partnership asset pursuant to Section
734(b) or 743(c) of the Code is required, pursuant to Treasury
Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), to be taken into account in
determining Capital Accounts, the amount of such adjustment to the
Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment
increases the basis of the asset) or loss (if the adjustment decreases
such basis), and such item of gain or loss shall be specially allocated
to the Partners in a manner consistent with the manner in which their
Capital Accounts are required to be adjusted pursuant to such Section
of the Treasury Regulations.
45
(x) Economic Uniformity. At the election of the General
Partner with respect to any taxable period ending upon, or after, the
termination of the Subordination Period, all or a portion of the
remaining items of Partnership gross income or gain for such taxable
period, after taking into account allocations pursuant to Section
6.1(d)(iii), shall be allocated 100% to each Partner holding
Subordinated Units that are Outstanding as of the termination of the
Subordination Period ("Final Subordinated Units") in the proportion of
the number of Final Subordinated Units held by such Partner to the
total number of Final Subordinated Units then Outstanding, until each
such Partner has been allocated an amount of gross income or gain which
increases the Capital Account maintained with respect to such Final
Subordinated Units to an amount equal to the product of (A) the number
of Final Subordinated Units held by such Partner and (B) the Per Unit
Capital Amount for a Common Unit. The purpose of this allocation is to
establish uniformity between the Capital Accounts underlying Final
Subordinated Units and the Capital Accounts underlying Common Units
held by Persons other than the General Partner and its Affiliates
immediately prior to the conversion of such Final Subordinated Units
into Common Units. This allocation method for establishing such
economic uniformity will only be available to the General Partner if
the method for allocating the Capital Account maintained with respect
to the Subordinated Units between the transferred and retained
Subordinated Units pursuant to Section 5.5(c)(ii) does not otherwise
provide such economic uniformity to the Final Subordinated Units.
(xi) Curative Allocation.
(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Section 6.1, other than the Required Allocations, the Required
Allocations shall be taken into account in making the Agreed
Allocations so that, to the extent possible, the net amount of
items of income, gain, loss and deduction allocated to each
Partner pursuant to the Required Allocations and the Agreed
Allocations, together, shall be equal to the net amount of
such items that would have been allocated to each such Partner
under the Agreed Allocations had the Required Allocations and
the related Curative Allocation not otherwise been provided in
this Section 6.1. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence,
Required Allocations relating to (1) Nonrecourse Deductions
shall not be taken into account except to the extent that
there has been a decrease in Partnership Minimum Gain and (2)
Partner Nonrecourse Deductions shall not be taken into account
except to the extent that there has been a decrease in Partner
Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain. Allocations pursuant to this
Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A) shall only be made with respect to
Required Allocations to the extent the General Partner
reasonably determines that such allocations will otherwise be
inconsistent with the economic agreement among the Partners.
Further, allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A)
shall be deferred with respect to allocations pursuant to
clauses (1) and (2) hereof to the extent the General Partner
reasonably determines that such allocations are likely to be
offset by subsequent Required Allocations.
46
(B) The General Partner shall have reasonable
discretion, with respect to each taxable period, to (1) apply
the provisions of Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A) in whatever order is
most likely to minimize the economic distortions that might
otherwise result from the Required Allocations, and (2) divide
all allocations pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(xi)(A) among the
Partners in a manner that is likely to minimize such economic
distortions.
(xii) Corrective Allocations. In the event of any allocation
of Additional Book Basis Derivative Items or any Book-Down Event or any
recognition of a Net Termination Loss, the following rules shall apply:
(A) In the case of any allocation of Additional Book
Basis Derivative Items (other than an allocation of Unrealized
Gain or Unrealized Loss under Section 5.5(d) hereof), the
General Partner shall allocate additional items of gross
income and gain away from the holders of Incentive
Distribution Rights to the Unitholders and the General
Partner, or additional items of deduction and loss away from
the Unitholders and the General Partner to the holders of
Incentive Distribution Rights, to the extent that the
Additional Book Basis Derivative Items allocated to the
Unitholders or the General Partner exceed their Share of
Additional Book Basis Derivative Items. For this purpose, the
Unitholders and the General Partner shall be treated as being
allocated Additional Book Basis Derivative Items to the extent
that such Additional Book Basis Derivative Items have reduced
the amount of income that would otherwise have been allocated
to the Unitholders or the General Partner under the
Partnership Agreement (e.g., Additional Book Basis Derivative
Items taken into account in computing cost of goods sold would
reduce the amount of book income otherwise available for
allocation among the Partners). Any allocation made pursuant
to this Section 6.1(d)(xii)(A) shall be made after all of the
other Agreed Allocations have been made as if this Section
6.1(d)(xii) were not in this Agreement and, to the extent
necessary, shall require the reallocation of items that have
been allocated pursuant to such other Agreed Allocations.
(B) In the case of any negative adjustments to the
Capital Accounts of the Partners resulting from a Book-Down
Event or from the recognition of a Net Termination Loss, such
negative adjustment (1) shall first be allocated, to the
extent of the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive Adjustments, in
such a manner, as reasonably determined by the General
Partner, that to the extent possible the aggregate Capital
Accounts of the Partners will equal the amount which would
have been the Capital Account balance of the Partners if no
prior Book-Up Events had occurred, and (2) any negative
adjustment in excess of the Aggregate Remaining Net Positive
Adjustments shall be allocated pursuant to Section 6.1(c)
hereof.
(C) In making the allocations required under this
Section 6.1(d)(xii), the General Partner, in its sole
discretion, may apply whatever conventions or other
methodology it deems reasonable to satisfy the purpose of this
Section 6.1(d)(xii).
47
SECTION 6.2 Allocations for Tax Purposes.
(a) Except as otherwise provided herein, for federal income tax
purposes, each item of income, gain, loss and deduction shall be allocated among
the Partners in the same manner as its correlative item of "book" income, gain,
loss or deduction is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1.
(b) In an attempt to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities attributable to a
Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, items of income, gain, loss,
depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions shall be allocated for
federal income tax purposes among the Partners as follows:
(i) (A) In the case of a Contributed Property, such items
attributable thereto shall be allocated among the Partners in the
manner provided under Section 704(c) of the Code that takes into
account the variation between the Agreed Value of such property and its
adjusted basis at the time of contribution; and (B) any item of
Residual Gain or Residual Loss attributable to a Contributed Property
shall be allocated among the Partners in the same manner as its
correlative item of "book" gain or loss is allocated pursuant to
Section 6.1.
(ii) (A) In the case of an Adjusted Property, such items shall
(1) first, be allocated among the Partners in a manner consistent with
the principles of Section 704(c) of the Code to take into account the
Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such property and
the allocations thereof pursuant to Section 5.5(d)(i) or 5.5(d)(ii),
and (2) second, in the event such property was originally a Contributed
Property, be allocated among the Partners in a manner consistent with
Section 6.2(b)(i)(A); and (B) any item of Residual Gain or Residual
Loss attributable to an Adjusted Property shall be allocated among the
Partners in the same manner as its correlative item of "book" gain or
loss is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1.
(iii) The General Partner shall apply the principles of
Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-3(d) to eliminate Book-Tax
Disparities.
(c) For the proper administration of the Partnership and for the
preservation of uniformity of the Limited Partner Interests (or any class or
classes thereof), the General Partner shall have sole discretion to (i) adopt
such conventions as it deems appropriate in determining the amount of
depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions; (ii) make special
allocations for federal income tax purposes of income (including, without
limitation, gross income) or deductions; and (iii) amend the provisions of this
Agreement as appropriate (x) to reflect the proposal or promulgation of Treasury
Regulations under Section 704(b) or Section 704(c) of the Code or (y) otherwise
to preserve or achieve uniformity of the Limited Partner Interests (or any class
or classes thereof). The General Partner may adopt such conventions, make such
allocations and make such amendments to this Agreement as provided in this
Section 6.2(c) only if such conventions, allocations or amendments would not
have a material adverse effect on the Partners, the holders of any class or
classes of Limited Partner Interests issued and Outstanding or the Partnership,
and if such allocations are consistent with the principles of Section 704 of the
Code.
48
(d) The General Partner in its discretion may determine to depreciate
or amortize the portion of an adjustment under Section 743(b) of the Code
attributable to unrealized appreciation in any Adjusted Property (to the extent
of the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity) using a predetermined rate derived from
the depreciation or amortization method and useful life applied to the
Partnership's common basis of such property, despite any inconsistency of such
approach with Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-l(a)(6), Proposed Treasury
Regulation 1.197-2(g)(3), or any successor regulations thereto. If the General
Partner determines that such reporting position cannot reasonably be taken, the
General Partner may adopt depreciation and amortization conventions under which
all purchasers acquiring Limited Partner Interests in the same month would
receive depreciation and amortization deductions, based upon the same applicable
rate as if they had purchased a direct interest in the Partnership's property.
If the General Partner chooses not to utilize such aggregate method, the General
Partner may use any other reasonable depreciation and amortization conventions
to preserve the uniformity of the intrinsic tax characteristics of any Limited
Partner Interests that would not have a material adverse effect on the Limited
Partners or the Record Holders of any class or classes of Limited Partner
Interests.
(e) Any gain allocated to the Partners upon the sale or other taxable
disposition of any Partnership asset shall, to the extent possible, after taking
into account other required allocations of gain pursuant to this Section 6.2, be
characterized as Recapture Income in the same proportions and to the same extent
as such Partners (or their predecessors in interest) have been allocated any
deductions directly or indirectly giving rise to the treatment of such gains as
Recapture Income.
(f) All items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit recognized by
the Partnership for federal income tax purposes and allocated to the Partners in
accordance with the provisions hereof shall be determined without regard to any
election under Section 754 of the Code which may be made by the Partnership;
provided, however, that such allocations, once made, shall be adjusted as
necessary or appropriate to take into account those adjustments permitted or
required by Sections 734 and 743 of the Code.
(g) Each item of Partnership income, gain, loss and deduction
attributable to a transferred Partnership Interest, shall for federal income tax
purposes, be determined on an annual basis and prorated on a monthly basis and
shall be allocated to the Partners as of the opening of the New York Stock
Exchange on the first Business Day of each month; provided, however, that gain
or loss on a sale or other disposition of any assets of the Partnership other
than in the ordinary course of business shall be allocated to the Partners as of
the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on the first Business Day of the
month in which such gain or loss is recognized for federal income tax purposes.
The General Partner may revise, alter or otherwise modify such methods of
allocation as it determines necessary, to the extent permitted or required by
Section 706 of the Code and the regulations or rulings promulgated thereunder.
(h) Allocations that would otherwise be made to a Limited Partner under
the provisions of this Article VI shall instead be made to the beneficial owner
of Limited Partner Interests held by a nominee in any case in which the nominee
has furnished the identity of such owner to the Partnership in accordance with
Section 6031(c) of the Code or any other method acceptable to the General
Partner in its sole discretion.
49
SECTION 6.3 Requirement and Characterization of Distributions; Distributions to
Record Holders.
(a) Within 45 days following the end of each Quarter commencing with
the Quarter ending on March 31, 2000, an amount equal to 100% of Available Cash
with respect to such Quarter shall, subject to Section 17-607 of the Delaware
Act, be distributed in accordance with this Article VI by the Partnership to the
Partners as of the Record Date selected by the General Partner in its reasonable
discretion. All amounts of Available Cash distributed by the Partnership on any
date from any source shall be deemed to be Operating Surplus until the sum of
all amounts of Available Cash theretofore distributed by the Partnership to the
Partners pursuant to Section 6.4 equals the Operating Surplus from the Initial
Closing Date through the close of the immediately preceding Quarter. Any
remaining amounts of Available Cash distributed by the Partnership on such date
shall, except as otherwise provided in Section 6.5, be deemed to be "Capital
Surplus." All distributions required to be made under this Agreement shall be
made subject to Section 17-607 of the Delaware Act.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 6.3(a), in the event of the dissolution and
liquidation of the Partnership, all receipts received during or after the
Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs, other than from borrowings
described in (a)(ii) of the definition of Available Cash, shall be applied and
distributed solely in accordance with, and subject to the terms and conditions
of, Section 12.4.
(c) The General Partner shall have the discretion to treat taxes paid
by the Partnership on behalf of, or amounts withheld with respect to, all or
less than all of the Partners, as a distribution of Available Cash to such
Partners.
(d) Each distribution in respect of a Partnership Interest shall be
paid by the Partnership, directly or through the Transfer Agent or through any
other Person or agent, only to the Record Holder of such Partnership Interest as
of the Record Date set for such distribution. Such payment shall constitute full
payment and satisfaction of the Partnership's liability in respect of such
payment, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such
payment by reason of an assignment or otherwise.
SECTION 6.4 Distributions of Available Cash from Operating Surplus.
(a) During Subordination Period. Available Cash with respect to any
Quarter within the Subordination Period that is deemed to be Operating Surplus
pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.3 or 6.5 shall, subject to Section
17-607 of the Delaware Act, be distributed as follows, except as otherwise
required by Section 5.6(b) in respect of additional Partnership Securities
issued pursuant thereto:
(i) First, 98.9899% to the Unitholders holding Common Units,
Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to the General Partner until there has been
distributed in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount
equal to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;
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(ii) Second, 98.9899% to the Unitholders holding Common Units,
Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to the General Partner until there has been
distributed in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount
equal to the Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage existing with respect to
such Quarter;
(iii) Third, 98.9899% to the Unitholders holding Subordinated
Units, Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to the General Partner until there has
been distributed in respect of each Subordinated Unit then outstanding
an amount equal to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such quarter;
(iv) Fourth, 85% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, 13.9899% to the
holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to
the General Partner until there has been distributed in respect of each
Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the First Target
Distribution over the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;
(v) Fifth, 75% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, 23.9899% to the
holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to
the General Partner until there has been distributed in respect of each
Unit then outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the Second
Target Distribution over the First Target Distribution for such
quarter; and
(vi) Thereafter, 50% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, 48.9899% to
the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 1.0101%
to the General Partner;
provided, however, if the Minimum Quarterly Distribution, the First Target
Distribution and the Second Target Distribution have been reduced to zero
pursuant to the second sentence of Section 6.6(a), the distribution of
Available Cash that is deemed to be Operating Surplus with respect to any
Quarter will be made solely in accordance with Section 6.4(a)(vi).
(b) After Subordination Period. Available Cash with respect to any
Quarter after the Subordination Period that is deemed to be Operating Surplus
pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.3 or 6.5, subject to Section 17-607 of
the Delaware Act, shall be distributed as follows, except as otherwise required
by Section 5.6(b) in respect of additional Partnership Securities issued
pursuant thereto:
(i) First, 98.9899% to the Unitholders holding Common Units,
Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to the General Partner until there has been
distributed in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount
equal to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;
(ii) Second, 98.9899% to the Unitholders holding Common Units,
Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to the General Partner until there has been
distributed in respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount
equal to the Cumulative Common Unit Arrearage existing with respect to
such Quarter;
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(iii) Third, 85% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, 13.9899% to the
holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to
the General Partner until there has been distributed in respect of each
Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the First Target
Distribution over the Minimum Quarterly Distribution for such Quarter;
(iv) Fourth, 75% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, 23.9899% to the
holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 1.0101% to
the General Partner until there has been distributed in respect of each
Unit then outstanding an amount equal to the excess of the Second
Target Distribution over the First Target Distribution for such
quarter; and
(v) Thereafter, 50% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata, 48.9899% to
the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights, Pro Rata, and 1.0101%
to the General Partner;
provided, however, if the Minimum Quarterly Distribution, the First Target
Distribution and the Second Target Distribution have been reduced to zero
pursuant to the second sentence of Section 6.6(a), the distribution of Available
Cash that is deemed to be Operating Surplus with respect to any Quarter will be
made solely in accordance with Section 6.4(b)(v).
SECTION 6.5 Distributions of Available Cash from Capital Surplus.
Available Cash that is deemed to be Capital Surplus pursuant to the
provisions of Section 6.3(a) shall, subject to Section 17-607 of the Delaware
Act, be distributed, unless the provisions of Section 6.3 require otherwise, as
follows:
(a) First, to the General Partner in a percentage equal to the
Percentage Interest of its General Partner Interest and to the Unitholders
holding Common Units and Subordinated Units in a percentage equal to 100% less
the Percentage Interest of the General Partner Interest, Pro Rata, until a
hypothetical holder of a Common Unit acquired on the Initial Closing Date has
received with respect to such Common Unit, during the period since the Initial
Closing Date through such date, distributions of Available Cash that are deemed
to be Capital Surplus in an aggregate amount equal to the Initial Unit Price;
(b) Second, to the Unitholders holding Common Units, Pro Rata, in a
percentage equal to 100% less the Percentage Interest of the General Partner
Interest, and to the General Partner in a percentage equal to the Percentage
Interest of its General Partner Interest, until there has been distributed in
respect of each Common Unit then Outstanding an amount equal to the Cumulative
Common Unit Arrearage;
(c) Third, any remaining Available Cash shall be distributed as if it
were Operating Surplus and shall be distributed in accordance with Section 6.4.
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SECTION 6.6 Adjustment of Minimum Quarterly Distribution and Target Distribution
Levels.
(a) The Minimum Quarterly Distribution, First Target Distribution,
Second Target Distribution, Common Unit Arrearages and Cumulative Common Unit
Arrearages shall be proportionately adjusted in the event of any distribution,
combination or subdivision (whether effected by a distribution payable in Units
or otherwise) of Units or other Partnership Securities in accordance with
Section 5.10. In the event of a distribution of Available Cash that is deemed to
be from Capital Surplus, the then applicable Minimum Quarterly Distribution,
First Target Distribution and Second Target Distribution shall be adjusted
proportionately downward to equal the product obtained by multiplying the
otherwise applicable Minimum Quarterly Distribution, First Target Distribution
or Second Target Distribution, as the case may be, by a fraction of which the
numerator is the Unrecovered Capital of the Common Units immediately after
giving effect to such distribution and of which the denominator is the
Unrecovered Capital of the Common Units immediately prior to giving effect to
such distribution.
(b) The Minimum Quarterly Distribution, First Target Distribution and
Second Target Distribution shall also be subject to adjustment pursuant to
Section 6.9.
SECTION 6.7 Special Provisions Relating to the Holders of Subordinated Units.
(a) Except with respect to the right to vote on or approve matters
requiring the vote or approval of a percentage of the holders of Outstanding
Common Units and the right to participate in allocations of income, gain, loss
and deduction and distributions made with respect to Common Units, the holder of
a Subordinated Unit shall have all of the rights and obligations of a Unitholder
holding Common Units hereunder; provided, however, that immediately upon the
conversion of Subordinated Units into Common Units pursuant to Section 5.8, the
Unitholder holding a Subordinated Unit shall possess all of the rights and
obligations of a Unitholder holding Common Units hereunder, including the right
to vote as a Common Unitholder and the right to participate in allocations of
income, gain, loss and deduction and distributions made with respect to Common
Units; provided, however, that such converted Subordinated Units shall remain
subject to the provisions of Sections 5.5(c)(ii), 6.1(d)(x) and 6.7(b).
(b) The Unitholder holding a Subordinated Unit which has converted into
a Common Unit pursuant to Section 5.8 shall not be issued a Common Unit
Certificate pursuant to Section 4.1, and shall not be permitted to transfer its
converted Subordinated Units to a Person which is not an Affiliate of the holder
until such time as the General Partner determines, based on advice of counsel,
that a converted Subordinated Unit should have, as a substantive matter, like
intrinsic economic and federal income tax characteristics, in all material
respects, to the intrinsic economic and federal income tax characteristics of an
Initial Common Unit. In connection with the condition imposed by this Section
6.7(b), the General Partner may take whatever reasonable steps are required to
provide economic uniformity to the converted Subordinated Units in preparation
for a transfer of such converted Subordinated Units, including the application
of Sections 5.5(c)(ii) and 6.1(d)(x); provided, however, that no such steps may
be taken that would have a material adverse effect on the Unitholders holding
Common Units represented by Common Unit Certificates.
53
SECTION 6.8 Special Provisions Relating to the Holders of Incentive Distribution
Rights.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement,
the holders of the Incentive Distribution Rights (a) shall (i) possess the
rights and obligations provided in this Agreement with respect to a Limited
Partner pursuant to Articles III and VII and (ii) have a Capital Account as a
Partner pursuant to Section 5.5 and all other provisions related thereto and (b)
shall not (i) be entitled to vote on any matters requiring the approval or vote
of the holders of Outstanding Units, (ii) be entitled to any distributions other
than as provided in Sections 6.4(a)(iv), (v) and (vi), 6.4(b)(iii), (iv) and
(v), and 12.4 or (iii) be allocated items of income, gain, loss or deduction
other than as specified in this Article VI.
SECTION 6.9 Entity-Level Taxation.
If legislation is enacted or the interpretation of existing language is
modified by the relevant governmental authority which causes the Partnership or
the Operating Partnership to be treated as an association taxable as a
corporation or otherwise subjects the Partnership or the Operating Partnership
to entity-level taxation for federal income tax purposes, the then applicable
Minimum Quarterly Distribution, First Target Distribution and Second Target
Distribution shall be adjusted to equal the product obtained by multiplying (a)
the amount thereof by (b) one minus the sum of (i) the highest marginal federal
corporate (or other entity, as applicable) income tax rate of the Partnership or
such Operating Partnership for the taxable year of the Partnership or such
Operating Partnership in which such Quarter occurs (expressed as a percentage)
plus (ii) the effective overall state and local income tax rate (expressed as a
percentage) applicable to the Partnership or such Operating Partnership for the
calendar year next preceding the calendar year in which such Quarter occurs
(after taking into account the benefit of any deduction allowable for federal
income tax purposes with respect to the payment of state and local income
taxes), but only to the extent of the increase in such rates resulting from such
legislation or interpretation. Such effective overall state and local income tax
rate shall be determined for the taxable year next preceding the first taxable
year during which the Partnership or such Operating Partnership is taxable for
federal income tax purposes as an association taxable as a corporation or is
otherwise subject to entity-level taxation by determining such rate as if the
Partnership or such Operating Partnership had been subject to such state and
local taxes during such preceding taxable year.
ARTICLE VII MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS
SECTION 7.1 Management.
(a) The General Partner shall conduct, direct and manage all activities
of the Partnership. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement,
all management powers over the business and affairs of the Partnership shall be
exclusively vested in the General Partner, and no Limited Partner or Assignee
shall have any management power over the business and affairs of the
Partnership. In addition to the powers now or hereafter granted a general
partner of a limited partnership under applicable law or which are granted to
the General Partner under any other provision of this Agreement, the General
Partner, subject to Section 7.3, shall have full power and authority to do all
things and on such terms as it, in its sole discretion, may deem necessary or
appropriate to conduct the business of the Partnership, to exercise all powers
set forth in Section 2.5 and to effectuate the purposes set forth in Section
2.4, including the following:
54
(i) the making of any expenditures, the lending or borrowing
of money, the assumption or guarantee of, or other contracting for,
indebtedness and other liabilities, the issuance of evidences of
indebtedness, including indebtedness that is convertible into
Partnership Securities, and the incurring of any other obligations;
(ii) the making of tax, regulatory and other filings, or
rendering of periodic or other reports to governmental or other
agencies having jurisdiction over the business or assets of the
Partnership;
(iii) the acquisition, disposition, mortgage, pledge,
encumbrance, hypothecation or exchange of any or all of the assets of
the Partnership or the merger or other combination of the Partnership
with or into another Person (the matters described in this clause (iii)
being subject, however, to any prior approval that may be required by
Section 7.3);
(iv) the use of the assets of the Partnership (including cash
on hand) for any purpose consistent with the terms of this Agreement,
including the financing of the conduct of the operations of the
Partnership Group; subject to Section 7.6(a), the lending of funds to
other Persons (including the Operating Partnership); the repayment of
obligations of the Partnership Group and the making of capital
contributions to any member of the Partnership Group;
(v) the negotiation, execution and performance of any
contracts, conveyances or other instruments (including instruments that
limit the liability of the Partnership under contractual arrangements
to all or particular assets of the Partnership, with the other party to
the contract to have no recourse against the General Partner or its
assets other than its interest in the Partnership, even if same results
in the terms of the transaction being less favorable to the Partnership
than would otherwise be the case);
(vi) the distribution of Partnership cash;
(vii) the selection and dismissal of employees (including
employees having titles such as "president," "vice president,"
"secretary" and "treasurer") and agents, outside attorneys,
accountants, consultants and contractors and the determination of their
compensation and other terms of employment or hiring;
(viii) the maintenance of such insurance for the benefit of
the Partnership Group and the Partners as it deems necessary or
appropriate;
(ix) the formation of, or acquisition of an interest in, and
the contribution of property and the making of loans to, any further
limited or general partnerships, joint ventures, corporations, limited
liability companies or other relationships (including the acquisition
of interests in, and the contributions of property to, the Operating
Partnership from time to time) subject to the restrictions set forth in
Section 2.4;
55
(x) the control of any matters affecting the rights and
obligations of the Partnership, including the bringing and defending of
actions at law or in equity and otherwise engaging in the conduct of
litigation and the incurring of legal expense and the settlement of
claims and litigation;
(xi) the indemnification of any Person against liabilities and
contingencies to the extent permitted by law;
(xii) the entering into of listing agreements with any
National Securities Exchange and the delisting of some or all of the
Limited Partner Interests from, or requesting that trading be suspended
on, any such exchange (subject to any prior approval that may be
required under Section 4.8);
(xiii) unless restricted or prohibited by Section 5.7, the
purchase, sale or other acquisition or disposition of Partnership
Securities, or the issuance of additional options, rights, warrants and
appreciation rights relating to Partnership Securities; and
(xiv) the undertaking of any action in connection with the
Partnership's participation in the Operating Partnership as a partner.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the
Operating Partnership Agreement, the Delaware Act or any applicable law, rule or
regulation, each of the Partners and the Assignees and each other Person who may
acquire an interest in Partnership Securities hereby (i) approves, ratifies and
confirms the execution, delivery and performance by the parties thereto of the
Operating Partnership Agreement, the Underwriting Agreement, the Omnibus
Agreement, the Master Natural Gas Gathering Agreement, the Contribution and
Conveyance Agreement, and the other agreements described in or filed as exhibits
to the Registration Statement that are related to the transactions contemplated
by the Registration Statement; (ii) agrees that the General Partner (on its own
or through any officer of the Partnership) is authorized to execute, deliver and
perform the agreements referred to in clause (i) of this sentence and the other
agreements, acts, transactions and matters described in or contemplated by the
Registration Statement on behalf of the Partnership without any further act,
approval or vote of the Partners or the Assignees or the other Persons who may
acquire an interest in Partnership Securities; and (iii) agrees that the
execution, delivery or performance by the General Partner, any Group Member or
any Affiliate of any of them, of this Agreement or any agreement authorized or
permitted under this Agreement (including the exercise by the General Partner or
any Affiliate of the General Partner of the rights accorded pursuant to Article
XV), shall not constitute a breach by the General Partner of any duty that the
General Partner may owe the Partnership or the Limited Partners or any other
Persons under this Agreement (or any other agreements) or of any duty stated or
implied by law or equity.
56
SECTION 7.2 Certificate of Limited Partnership.
The General Partner has caused the Certificate of Limited Partnership
to be filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as required by
the Delaware Act and shall use all reasonable efforts to cause to be filed such
other certificates or documents as may be determined by the General Partner in
its sole discretion to be reasonable and necessary or appropriate for the
formation, continuation, qualification and operation of a limited partnership
(or a partnership in which the limited partners have limited liability) in the
State of Delaware or any other state in which the Partnership may elect to do
business or own property. To the extent that such action is determined by the
General Partner in its sole discretion to be reasonable and necessary or
appropriate, the General Partner shall file amendments to and restatements of
the Certificate of Limited Partnership and do all things to maintain the
Partnership as a limited partnership (or a partnership or other entity in which
the limited partners have limited liability) under the laws of the State of
Delaware or of any other state in which the Partnership may elect to do business
or own property. Subject to the terms of Section 3.4(a), the General Partner
shall not be required, before or after filing, to deliver or mail a copy of the
Certificate of Limited Partnership, any qualification document or any amendment
thereto to any Limited Partner.
SECTION 7.3 Restrictions on General Partner's Authority.
(a) The General Partner may not, without written approval of the
specific act by holders of all of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests or
by other written instrument executed and delivered by holders of all of the
Outstanding Limited Partner Interests subsequent to the date of this Agreement,
take any action in contravention of this Agreement, including, except as
otherwise provided in this Agreement, (i) committing any act that would make it
impossible to carry on the ordinary business of the Partnership; (ii) possessing
Partnership property, or assigning any rights in specific Partnership property,
for other than a Partnership purpose; (iii) admitting a Person as a Partner;
(iv) amending this Agreement in any manner; or (v) transferring its interest as
general partner of the Partnership.
(b) Except as provided in Articles XII and XIV, the General Partner may
not sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the
Partnership's assets in a single transaction or a series of related transactions
(including by way of merger, consolidation or other combination) or approve on
behalf of the Partnership the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or
substantially all of the assets of the Operating Partnership, taken as a whole,
without the approval of holders of a Unit Majority; provided however that this
provision shall not preclude or limit the General Partner's ability to mortgage,
pledge, hypothecate or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of
the assets of the Partnership or Operating Partnership and shall not apply to
any forced sale of any or all of the assets of the Partnership or Operating
Partnership pursuant to the foreclosure of, or other realization upon, any such
encumbrance. Without the approval of holders of a Unit Majority, the General
Partner shall not, on behalf of the Partnership, (i) consent to any amendment to
either Operating Partnership Agreement or, except as expressly permitted by
Section 7.10(d), take any action permitted to be taken by a partner of the
Operating Partnership, in either case, that would have a material adverse effect
on the Partnership as a partner of the Operating Partnership or (ii) except as
permitted under Sections 4.6, 11.1 and 11.2, elect or cause the Partnership to
elect a successor general partner of the Partnership or a successor general
partner of the Operating Partnership.
57
SECTION 7.4 Reimbursement of the General Partner.
(a) Except as provided in this Section 7.4 and elsewhere in this
Agreement or in the Operating Partnership Agreement, the General Partner shall
not be compensated for its services as general partner of any Group Member.
(b) The General Partner shall be reimbursed on a monthly basis, or such
other reasonable basis as the General Partner may determine in its sole
discretion, for (i) all direct and indirect expenses it incurs or payments it
makes on behalf of the Partnership (including salary, bonus, incentive
compensation and other amounts paid to any Person including Affiliates of the
General Partner to perform services for the Partnership or for the General
Partner in the discharge of its duties to the Partnership), and (ii) all other
necessary or appropriate expenses allocable to the Partnership or otherwise
reasonably incurred by the General Partner in connection with operating the
Partnership's business (including expenses allocated to the General Partner by
its Affiliates). The General Partner shall determine the expenses that are
allocable to the Partnership in any reasonable manner determined by the General
Partner in its sole discretion. Reimbursements pursuant to this Section 7.4
shall be in addition to any reimbursement to the General Partner as a result of
indemnification pursuant to Section 7.8.
SECTION 7.5 Outside Activities.
(a) After the Initial Closing Date, the General Partner, for so long as
it is the General Partner of the Partnership (i) agrees that its sole business
will be to act as the general partner of the Partnership, the Operating
Partnership, and any other partnership of which the Partnership or the Operating
Partnership is, directly or indirectly, a partner and to undertake activities
that are ancillary or related thereto (including being a limited partner in the
Partnership), and (ii) shall not engage in any business or activity or incur any
debts or liabilities except in connection with or incidental to (A) its
performance as general partner of one or more Group Members or as described in
or contemplated by the Registration Statement or (B) the acquiring, owning or
disposing of debt or equity securities in any Group Member.
(b) Except as specifically restricted by Section 7.5(a) and the Omnibus
Agreement, each Indemnitee (other than the General Partner) shall have the right
to engage in businesses of every type and description and other activities for
profit and to engage in and possess an interest in other business ventures of
any and every type or description, whether in businesses engaged in or
anticipated to be engaged in by any Group Member, independently or with others,
including business interests and activities in direct competition with the
business and activities of any Group Member, and none of the same shall
constitute a breach of this Agreement or any duty express or implied by law to
any Group Member or any Partner or Assignee. Neither any Group Member, any
Limited Partner nor any other Person shall have any rights by virtue of this
Agreement, either Operating Partnership Agreement or the partnership
relationship established hereby or thereby in any business ventures of any
Indemnitee.
58
(c) Subject to the terms of Section 7.5(a) and Section 7.5(b), but
otherwise notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, (i) the
engaging in competitive activities by any Indemnitees (other than the General
Partner) in accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.5 is hereby
approved by the Partnership and all Partners, (ii) it shall be deemed not to be
a breach of the General Partner's fiduciary duty or any other obligation of any
type whatsoever of the General Partner for the Indemnitees (other than the
General Partner) to engage in such business interests and activities in
preference to or to the exclusion of the Partnership and (iii) the General
Partner and the Indemnitees shall have no obligation to present business
opportunities to the Partnership, except as required by the Omnibus Agreement.
(d) The General Partner and any of its Affiliates may acquire Units or
other Partnership Securities in addition to those acquired on the Initial
Closing Date and, except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, shall be
entitled to exercise all rights of the General Partner or Limited Partner, as
applicable, relating to such Units or Partnership Securities.
(e) The term "Affiliates" when used in Section 7.5(a) and Section
7.5(d) with respect to the General Partner shall not include any Group Member or
any Subsidiary of the Group Member.
(f) Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, to the
extent that provisions of Sections 7.8, 7.9, 7.10, 7.11 or other Sections of
this Agreement purport or are interpreted to have the effect of restricting the
fiduciary duties that might otherwise, as a result of Delaware or other
applicable law, be owed by the General Partner to the Partnership and its
Limited Partners, or to constitute a waiver or consent by the Limited Partners
to any such restriction, such provisions shall be inapplicable and have no
effect in determining whether the General Partner has complied with its
fiduciary duties in connection with determinations made by it under this Section
7.5.
SECTION 7.6 Loans from the General Partner; Loans or Contributions from the
Partnership; Contracts with Affiliates; Certain Restrictions on
the General Partner.
(a) The General Partner or its Affiliates may lend to any Group Member,
and any Group Member may borrow from the General Partner or any of its
Affiliates, funds needed or desired by the Group Member for such periods of time
and in such amounts as the General Partner may determine; provided, however,
that in any such case the lending party may not charge the borrowing party
interest at a rate greater than the rate that would be charged the borrowing
party or impose terms less favorable to the borrowing party than would be
charged or imposed on the borrowing party by unrelated lenders on comparable
loans made on an arm's-length basis (without reference to the lending party's
financial abilities or guarantees). The borrowing party shall reimburse the
lending party for any costs (other than any additional interest costs) incurred
by the lending party in connection with the borrowing of such funds. For
purposes of this Section 7.6(a) and Section 7.6(b), the term "Group Member"
shall include any Affiliate of a Group Member that is controlled by the Group
Member. No Group Member may lend funds to the General Partner or any of its
Affiliates (other than another Group Member).
59
(b) The Partnership may lend or contribute to any Group Member, and any
Group Member may borrow from the Partnership, funds on terms and conditions
established in the sole discretion of the General Partner; provided, however,
that the Partnership may not charge the Group Member interest at a rate less
than the rate that would be charged to the Group Member (without reference to
the General Partner's financial abilities or guarantees) by unrelated lenders on
comparable loans. The foregoing authority shall be exercised by the General
Partner in its sole discretion and shall not create any right or benefit in
favor of any Group Member or any other Person.
(c) The General Partner may itself, or may enter into an agreement with
any of its Affiliates to, render services to a Group Member or to the General
Partner in the discharge of its duties as general partner of the Partnership.
Any services rendered to a Group Member by the General Partner or any of its
Affiliates shall be on terms that are fair and reasonable to the Partnership;
provided, however, that the requirements of this Section 7.6(c) shall be deemed
satisfied as to (i) any transaction approved by Special Approval, (ii) any
transaction, the terms of which are no less favorable to the Partnership Group
than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties
or (iii) any transaction that, taking into account the totality of the
relationships between the parties involved (including other transactions that
may be particularly favorable or advantageous to the Partnership Group), is
equitable to the Partnership Group. The provisions of Section 7.4 shall apply to
the rendering of services described in this Section 7.6(c).
(d) The Partnership Group may transfer assets to joint ventures, other
partnerships, corporations, limited liability companies or other business
entities in which it is or thereby becomes a participant upon such terms and
subject to such conditions as are consistent with this Agreement and applicable
law.
(e) Neither the General Partner nor any of its Affiliates shall sell,
transfer or convey any property to, or purchase any property from, the
Partnership, directly or indirectly, except pursuant to transactions that are
fair and reasonable to the Partnership; provided, however, that the requirements
of this Section 7.6(e) shall be deemed to be satisfied as to (i) the
transactions effected pursuant to Sections 5.2 and 5.3, the Contribution and
Conveyance Agreement and any other transactions described in or contemplated by
the Registration Statement, (ii) any transaction approved by Special Approval,
(iii) any transaction, the terms of which are no less favorable to the
Partnership than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated
third parties, or (iv) any transaction that, taking into account the totality of
the relationships between the parties involved (including other transactions
that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to the Partnership), is
equitable to the Partnership. With respect to any contribution of assets to the
Partnership in exchange for Partnership Securities, the Conflicts Committee, in
determining whether the appropriate number of Partnership Securities are being
issued, may take into account, among other things, the fair market value of the
assets, the liquidated and contingent liabilities assumed, the tax basis in the
assets, the extent to which tax-only allocations to the transferor will protect
the existing partners of the Partnership against a low tax basis, and such other
factors as the Conflicts Committee deems relevant under the circumstances.
60
(f) The General Partner and its Affiliates will have no obligation to
permit any Group Member to use any facilities or assets of the General Partner
and its Affiliates, except as may be provided in contracts entered into from
time to time specifically dealing with such use, nor shall there be any
obligation on the part of the General Partner or its Affiliates to enter into
such contracts.
(g) Without limitation of Sections 7.6(a) through 7.6(f), and
notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the existence of the
conflicts of interest described in the Registration Statement are hereby
approved by all Partners.
SECTION 7.7 RESERVED.
SECTION 7.8 Indemnification.
(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law but subject to the
limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, all Indemnitees shall be
indemnified and held harmless by the Partnership from and against any and all
losses, claims, damages, liabilities, joint or several, expenses (including
legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, penalties, interest, settlements or
other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or
proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, in which
any Indemnitee may be involved, or is threatened to be involved, as a party or
otherwise, by reason of its status as an Indemnitee in connection with the
Partnership's business affairs; provided, that in each case the Indemnitee acted
in good faith and in a manner that such Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in,
or (in the case of a Person other than the General Partner) not opposed to, the
best interests of the Partnership and, with respect to any criminal proceeding,
had no reasonable cause to believe its conduct was unlawful; provided, further,
no indemnification pursuant to this Section 7.8 shall be available to the
General Partner with respect to its obligations incurred pursuant to the
Underwriting Agreement or the Contribution and Conveyance Agreement (other than
obligations incurred by the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership or any
Operating Partnership). The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by
judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere, or
its equivalent, shall not create a presumption that the Indemnitee acted in a
manner contrary to that specified above. Any indemnification pursuant to this
Section 7.8 shall be made only out of the assets of the Partnership, it being
agreed that the General Partner shall not be personally liable for such
indemnification and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or
property to the Partnership to enable it to effectuate such indemnification.
(b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, expenses (including legal
fees and expenses) incurred by an Indemnitee who is indemnified pursuant to
Section 7.8(a) in defending any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding shall,
from time to time, be advanced by the Partnership prior to the final disposition
of such claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding upon receipt by the
Partnership of any undertaking by or on behalf of the Indemnitee to repay such
amount if it shall be determined that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be
indemnified as authorized in this Section 7.8.
(c) The indemnification provided by this Section 7.8 shall be in
addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any
agreement, pursuant to any vote of the holders of Outstanding Limited Partner
Interests, as a matter of law or otherwise, both as to actions in the
Indemnitee's capacity as an Indemnitee and as to actions in any other capacity
(including any capacity under the Underwriting Agreement), and shall continue as
to an Indemnitee who has ceased to serve in such capacity and shall inure to the
benefit of the heirs, successors, assigns and administrators of the Indemnitee.
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(d) The Partnership may purchase and maintain (or reimburse the General
Partner or its Affiliates for the cost of) insurance, on behalf of the General
Partner, its Affiliates and such other Persons as the General Partner shall
determine, against any liability that may be asserted against or expense that
may be incurred by such Person in connection with the Partnership's activities
or such Person's activities on behalf of the Partnership, regardless of whether
the Partnership would have the power to indemnify such Person against such
liability under the provisions of this Agreement.
(e) For purposes of this Section 7.8, the Partnership shall be deemed
to have requested an Indemnitee to serve as fiduciary of an employee benefit
plan whenever the performance by it of its duties to the Partnership also
imposes duties on, or otherwise involves services by, it to the plan or
participants or beneficiaries of the plan; excise taxes assessed on an
Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan pursuant to applicable law
shall constitute "fines" within the meaning of Section 7.8(a); and action taken
or omitted by it with respect to any employee benefit plan in the performance of
its duties for a purpose reasonably believed by it to be in the interest of the
participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose
which is in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Partnership.
(f) In no event may an Indemnitee subject the Limited Partners to
personal liability by reason of the indemnification provisions set forth in this
Agreement.
(g) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in
part under this Section 7.8 because the Indemnitee had an interest in the
transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies if the transaction
was otherwise permitted by the terms of this Agreement.
(h) The provisions of this Section 7.8 are for the benefit of the
Indemnitees, their heirs, successors, assigns and administrators and shall not
be deemed to create any rights for the benefit of any other Persons.
(i) No amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.8 or any
provision hereof shall in any manner terminate, reduce or impair the right of
any past, present or future Indemnitee to be indemnified by the Partnership, nor
the obligations of the Partnership to indemnify any such Indemnitee under and in
accordance with the provisions of this Section 7.8 as in effect immediately
prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising
from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such
amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or
be asserted.
SECTION 7.9 Liability of Indemnitees.
(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this
Agreement, no Indemnitee shall be liable for monetary damages to the
Partnership, the Limited Partners, the Assignees or any other Persons who have
acquired interests in the Partnership Securities, for losses sustained or
liabilities incurred as a result of any act or omission if such Indemnitee acted
in good faith.
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(b) Subject to its obligations and duties as General Partner set forth
in Section 7.1(a), the General Partner may exercise any of the powers granted to
it by this Agreement and perform any of the duties imposed upon it hereunder
either directly or by or through its agents, and the General Partner shall not
be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such agent
appointed by the General Partner in good faith.
(c) To the extent that, at law or in equity, an Indemnitee has duties
(including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Partnership
or to the Partners, the General Partner and any other Indemnitee acting in
connection with the Partnership's business or affairs shall not be liable to the
Partnership or to any Partner for its good faith reliance on the provisions of
this Agreement. The provisions of this Agreement, to the extent that they
restrict or otherwise modify the duties and liabilities of an Indemnitee
otherwise existing at law or in equity, are agreed by the Partners to replace
such other duties and liabilities of such Indemnitee.
(d) Any amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.9 or any
provision hereof shall be prospective only and shall not in any way affect the
limitations on the liability to the Partnership, the Limited Partners, the
General Partner, and the Partnership's and General Partner's directors, officers
and employees under this Section 7.9 as in effect immediately prior to such
amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or
relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment,
modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.
SECTION 7.10 Resolution of Conflicts of Interest.
(a) Unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement or the
Operating Partnership Agreement, whenever a potential conflict of interest
exists or arises between the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, on the
one hand, and the Partnership, the Operating Partnership, any Partner or any
Assignee, on the other, any resolution or course of action by the General
Partner or its Affiliates in respect of such conflict of interest shall be
permitted and deemed approved by all Partners, and shall not constitute a breach
of this Agreement, of any Operating Partnership Agreement, of any agreement
contemplated herein or therein, or of any duty stated or implied by law or
equity, if the resolution or course of action is, or by operation of this
Agreement is deemed to be, fair and reasonable to the Partnership. The General
Partner shall be authorized but not required in connection with its resolution
of such conflict of interest to seek Special Approval of such resolution. Any
conflict of interest and any resolution of such conflict of interest shall be
conclusively deemed fair and reasonable to the Partnership if such conflict of
interest or resolution is (i) approved by Special Approval (as long as the
material facts known to the General Partner or any of its Affiliates regarding
any proposed transaction were disclosed to the Conflicts Committee at the time
it gave its approval), (ii) on terms no less favorable to the Partnership than
those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties or
(iii) fair to the Partnership, taking into account the totality of the
relationships between the parties involved (including other transactions that
may be particularly favorable or advantageous to the Partnership). The General
Partner may also adopt a resolution or course of action that has not received
Special Approval. The General Partner (including the Conflicts Committee in
connection with Special Approval) shall be authorized in connection with its
determination of what is "fair and reasonable" to the Partnership and in
connection with its resolution of any conflict of interest to consider (A) the
relative interests of any party to such conflict, agreement, transaction or
situation and the benefits and burdens relating to such interest; (B) any
customary or accepted industry practices and any customary or historical
dealings with a particular Person; (c) any applicable generally accepted
accounting practices or principles; and (D) such additional factors as the
General Partner (including the Conflicts Committee) determines in its sole
discretion to be relevant, reasonable or appropriate under the circumstances.
Nothing contained in this Agreement, however, is intended to nor shall it be
construed to require the General Partner (including the Conflicts Committee) to
consider the interests of any Person other than the Partnership. In the absence
of bad faith by the General Partner, the resolution, action or terms so made,
taken or provided by the General Partner with respect to such matter shall not
constitute a breach of this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein
or a breach of any standard of care or duty imposed herein or therein or, to the
extent permitted by law, under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or
regulation.
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(b) Whenever this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby
provides that the General Partner or any of its Affiliates is permitted or
required to make a decision (i) in its "sole discretion" or "discretion," that
it deems "necessary or appropriate" or "necessary or advisable" or under a grant
of similar authority or latitude, except as otherwise provided herein, the
General Partner or such Affiliate shall be entitled to consider only such
interests and factors as it desires and shall have no duty or obligation to give
any consideration to any interest of, or factors affecting, the Partnership, any
Operating Partnership, any Limited Partner or any Assignee, (ii) it may make
such decision in its sole discretion (regardless of whether there is a reference
to "sole discretion" or "discretion") unless another express standard is
provided for, or (iii) in "good faith" or under another express standard, the
General Partner or such Affiliate shall act under such express standard and
shall not be subject to any other or different standards imposed by this
Agreement, any Operating Partnership Agreement, any other agreement contemplated
hereby or under the Delaware Act or any other law, rule or regulation. In
addition, any actions taken by the General Partner or such Affiliate consistent
with the standards of "reasonable discretion" set forth in the definitions of
Available Cash or Operating Surplus shall not constitute a breach of any duty of
the General Partner to the Partnership or the Limited Partners. The General
Partner shall have no duty, express or implied, to sell or otherwise dispose of
any asset of the Partnership Group other than in the ordinary course of
business. No borrowing by any Group Member or the approval thereof by the
General Partner shall be deemed to constitute a breach of any duty of the
General Partner to the Partnership or the Limited Partners by reason of the fact
that the purpose or effect of such borrowing is directly or indirectly to (A)
enable distributions to the General Partner or its Affiliates (including in
their capacities as Limited Partners) to exceed 1% of the total amount
distributed to all Partners or (B) hasten the expiration of the Subordination
Period or the conversion of any Subordinated Units into Common Units.
(c) Whenever a particular transaction, arrangement or resolution of a
conflict of interest is required under this Agreement to be "fair and
reasonable" to any Person, the fair and reasonable nature of such transaction,
arrangement or resolution shall be considered in the context of all similar or
related transactions.
(d) The Unitholders hereby authorize the General Partner, on behalf of
the Partnership as a partner of a Group Member, to approve of actions by the
general partner of such Group Member similar to those actions permitted to be
taken by the General Partner pursuant to this Section 7.10.
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SECTION 7.11 Other Matters Concerning the General Partner.
(a) The General Partner may rely and shall be protected in acting or
refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument,
opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, bond, debenture or other paper
or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by
the proper party or parties.
(b) The General Partner may consult with legal counsel, accountants,
appraisers, management consultants, investment bankers and other consultants and
advisers selected by it, and any act taken or omitted to be taken in reliance
upon the opinion (including an Opinion of Counsel) of such Persons as to matters
that the General Partner reasonably believes to be within such Person's
professional or expert competence shall be conclusively presumed to have been
done or omitted in good faith and in accordance with such opinion.
(c) The General Partner shall have the right, in respect of any of its
powers or obligations hereunder, to act through any of its duly authorized
officers, a duly appointed attorney or attorneys-in-fact or the duly authorized
officers of the Partnership.
(d) Any standard of care and duty imposed by this Agreement or under
the Delaware Act or any applicable law, rule or regulation shall be modified,
waived or limited, to the extent permitted by law, as required to permit the
General Partner to act under this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated
by this Agreement and to make any decision pursuant to the authority prescribed
in this Agreement, so long as such action is reasonably believed by the General
Partner to be in, or not inconsistent with, the best interests of the
Partnership.
SECTION 7.12 Purchase or Sale of Partnership Securities.
The General Partner may cause the Partnership to purchase or otherwise
acquire Partnership Securities; provided that, except as permitted pursuant to
Section 4.10, the General Partner may not cause any Group Member to purchase
Subordinated Units during the Subordination Period. As long as Partnership
Securities are held by any Group Member, such Partnership Securities shall not
be considered Outstanding for any purpose, except as otherwise provided herein.
The General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner may also purchase or
otherwise acquire and sell or otherwise dispose of Partnership Securities for
its own account, subject to the provisions of Articles IV and X.
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SECTION 7.13 Registration Rights of the General Partner and Its Affiliates.
(a) If (i) the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General Partner
(including for purposes of this Section 7.13, any Person that is an Affiliate of
the General Partner at the date hereof notwithstanding that it may later cease
to be an Affiliate of the General Partner) holds Partnership Securities that it
desires to sell and (ii) Rule 144 of the Securities Act (or any successor rule
or regulation to Rule 144) or another exemption from registration is not
available to enable such holder of Partnership Securities (the "Holder") to
dispose of the number of Partnership Securities it desires to sell at the time
it desires to do so without registration under the Securities Act, then upon the
request of the General Partner or any of its Affiliates, the Partnership shall
file with the Commission as promptly as practicable after receiving such
request, and use all reasonable efforts to cause to become effective and remain
effective for a period of not less than six months following its effective date
or such shorter period as shall terminate when all Partnership Securities
covered by such registration statement have been sold, a registration statement
under the Securities Act registering the offering and sale of the number of
Partnership Securities specified by the Holder; provided, however, that the
Partnership shall not be required to effect more than three registrations
pursuant to this Section 7.13(a); and provided further, however, that if the
Conflicts Committee determines in its good faith judgment that a postponement of
the requested registration for up to six months would be in the best interests
of the Partnership and its Partners due to a pending transaction, investigation
or other event, the filing of such registration statement or the effectiveness
thereof may be deferred for up to six months, but not thereafter. In connection
with any registration pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence, the
Partnership shall promptly prepare and file (x) such documents as may be
necessary to register or qualify the securities subject to such registration
under the securities laws of such states as the Holder shall reasonably request;
provided, however, that no such qualification shall be required in any
jurisdiction where, as a result thereof, the Partnership would become subject to
general service of process or to taxation or qualification to do business as a
foreign corporation or partnership doing business in such jurisdiction solely as
a result of such registration, and (y) such documents as may be necessary to
apply for listing or to list the Partnership Securities subject to such
registration on such National Securities Exchange as the Holder shall reasonably
request, and do any and all other acts and things that may reasonably be
necessary or advisable to enable the Holder to consummate a public sale of such
Partnership Securities in such states. Except as set forth in Section 7.13(c),
all costs and expenses of any such registration and offering (other than the
underwriting discounts and commissions) shall be paid by the Partnership,
without reimbursement by the Holder.
(b) If the Partnership shall at any time propose to file a registration
statement under the Securities Act for an offering of equity securities of the
Partnership for cash (other than an offering relating solely to an employee
benefit plan), the Partnership shall use all reasonable efforts to include such
number or amount of securities held by the Holder in such registration statement
as the Holder shall request. If the proposed offering pursuant to this Section
7.13(b) shall be an underwritten offering, then, in the event that the managing
underwriter or managing underwriters of such offering advise the Partnership and
the Holder in writing that in their opinion the inclusion of all or some of the
Holder's Partnership Securities would adversely and materially affect the
success of the offering, the Partnership shall include in such offering only
that number or amount, if any, of securities held by the Holder which, in the
opinion of the managing underwriter or managing underwriters, will not so
adversely and materially affect the offering. Except as set forth in Section
7.13(c), all costs and expenses of any such registration and offering (other
than the underwriting discounts and commissions) shall be paid by the
Partnership, without reimbursement by the Holder.
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(c) If underwriters are engaged in connection with any registration
referred to in this Section 7.13, the Partnership shall provide indemnification,
representations, covenants, opinions and other assurance to the underwriters in
form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such underwriters. Further, in
addition to and not in limitation of the Partnership's obligation under Section
7.8, the Partnership shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, indemnify,
defend and hold harmless the Holder, its officers, directors and each Person who
controls the Holder (within the meaning of the Securities Act) and any agent
thereof (collectively, "Indemnified Persons") against any losses, claims,
demands, actions, causes of action, assessments, damages, liabilities (joint or
several), costs and expenses (including interest, penalties and reasonable
attorneys' fees and disbursements), resulting to, imposed upon, or incurred by
the Indemnified Persons, directly or indirectly, under the Securities Act or
otherwise (hereinafter referred to in this Section 7.13(c) as a "claim" and in
the plural as "claims") based upon, arising out of or resulting from any untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any
registration statement under which any Partnership Securities were registered
under the Securities Act or any state securities or Blue Sky laws, in any
preliminary prospectus (if used prior to the effective date of such registration
statement), or in any summary or final prospectus or in any amendment or
supplement thereto (if used during the period the Partnership is required to
keep the registration statement current), or arising out of, based upon or
resulting from the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements made therein
not misleading; provided, however, that the Partnership shall not be liable to
any Indemnified Person to the extent that any such claim arises out of, is based
upon or results from an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission
or alleged omission made in such registration statement, such preliminary,
summary or final prospectus or such amendment or supplement, in reliance upon
and in conformity with written information furnished to the Partnership by or on
behalf of such Indemnified Person specifically for use in the preparation
thereof.
(d) The provisions of Section 7.13(a) and 7.13(b) shall continue to be
applicable with respect to the General Partner (and any of the General Partner's
Affiliates) after it ceases to be a Partner of the Partnership, during a period
of two years subsequent to the effective date of such cessation and for so long
thereafter as is required for the Holder to sell all of the Partnership
Securities with respect to which it has requested during such two-year period
inclusion in a registration statement otherwise filed or that a registration
statement be filed; provided, however, that the Partnership shall not be
required to file successive registration statements covering the same
Partnership Securities for which registration was demanded during such two-year
period. The provisions of Section 7.13(c) shall continue in effect thereafter.
(e) Any request to register Partnership Securities pursuant to this
Section 7.13 shall (i) specify the Partnership Securities intended to be offered
and sold by the Person making the request, (ii) express such Person's present
intent to offer such shares for distribution, (iii) describe the nature or
method of the proposed offer and sale of Partnership Securities, and (iv)
contain the undertaking of such Person to provide all such information and
materials and take all action as may be required in order to permit the
Partnership to comply with all applicable requirements in connection with the
registration of such Partnership Securities.
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SECTION 7.14 Reliance by Third Parties.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any Person
dealing with the Partnership shall be entitled to assume that the General
Partner and any officer of the General Partner authorized by the General Partner
to act on behalf of and in the name of the Partnership has full power and
authority to encumber, sell or otherwise use in any manner any and all assets of
the Partnership and to enter into any authorized contracts on behalf of the
Partnership, and such Person shall be entitled to deal with the General Partner
or any such officer as if it were the Partnership's sole party in interest, both
legally and beneficially. Each Limited Partner hereby waives any and all
defenses or other remedies that may be available against such Person to contest,
negate or disaffirm any action of the General Partner or any such officer in
connection with any such dealing. In no event shall any Person dealing with the
General Partner or any such officer or its representatives be obligated to
ascertain that the terms of the Agreement have been complied with or to inquire
into the necessity or expedience of any act or action of the General Partner or
any such officer or its representatives. Each and every certificate, document or
other instrument executed on behalf of the Partnership by the General Partner or
its representatives shall be conclusive evidence in favor of any and every
Person relying thereon or claiming thereunder that (a) at the time of the
execution and delivery of such certificate, document or instrument, this
Agreement was in full force and effect, (b) the Person executing and delivering
such certificate, document or instrument was duly authorized and empowered to do
so for and on behalf of the Partnership and (c) such certificate, document or
instrument was duly executed and delivered in accordance with the terms and
provisions of this Agreement and is binding upon the Partnership.
ARTICLE VIII BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS
SECTION 8.1 Records and Accounting.
The General Partner shall keep or cause to be kept at the principal
office of the Partnership appropriate books and records with respect to the
Partnership's business, including all books and records necessary to provide to
the Limited Partners any information required to be provided pursuant to Section
3.4(a). Any books and records maintained by or on behalf of the Partnership in
the regular course of its business, including the record of the Record Holders
and Assignees of Units or other Partnership Securities, books of account and
records of Partnership proceedings, may be kept on, or be in the form of,
computer disks, hard drives, punch cards, magnetic tape, photographs,
micrographics or any other information storage device; provided, that the books
and records so maintained are convertible into clearly legible written form
within a reasonable period of time. The books of the Partnership shall be
maintained, for financial reporting purposes, on an accrual basis in accordance
with U.S. GAAP.
SECTION 8.2 Fiscal Year.
The fiscal year of the Partnership shall be a fiscal year ending
December 31.
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SECTION 8.3 Reports.
(a) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 120 days after
the close of each fiscal year of the Partnership, the General Partner shall
cause to be mailed or furnished to each Record Holder of a Unit as of a date
selected by the General Partner in its discretion, an annual report containing
financial statements of the Partnership for such fiscal year of the Partnership,
presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, including a balance sheet and statements
of operations, Partnership equity and cash flows, such statements to be audited
by a firm of independent public accountants selected by the General Partner.
(b) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 90 days after
the close of each Quarter except the last Quarter of each fiscal year, the
General Partner shall cause to be mailed or furnished to each Record Holder of a
Unit, as of a date selected by the General Partner in its discretion, a report
containing unaudited financial statements of the Partnership and such other
information as may be required by applicable law, regulation or rule of any
National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading, or as
the General Partner determines to be necessary or appropriate.
ARTICLE IX TAX MATTERS
SECTION 9.1 Tax Returns and Information.
The Partnership shall timely file all returns of the Partnership that
are required for federal, state and local income tax purposes on the basis of
the accrual method and a taxable year ending on December 31. The tax information
reasonably required by Record Holders for federal and state income tax reporting
purposes with respect to a taxable year shall be furnished to them within 90
days of the close of the calendar year in which the Partnership's taxable year
ends. The classification, realization and recognition of income, gain, losses
and deductions and other items shall be on the accrual method of accounting for
federal income tax purposes.
SECTION 9.2 Tax Elections.
(a) The Partnership shall make the election under Section 754 of the
Code in accordance with applicable regulations thereunder, subject to the
reservation of the right to seek to revoke any such election upon the General
Partner's determination that such revocation is in the best interests of the
Limited Partners. Notwithstanding any other provision herein contained, for the
purposes of computing the adjustments under Section 743(b) of the Code, the
General Partner shall be authorized (but not required) to adopt a convention
whereby the price paid by a transferee of a Limited Partner Interest will be
deemed to be the lowest quoted closing price of the Limited Partner Interests on
any National Securities Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests are
traded during the calendar month in which such transfer is deemed to occur
pursuant to Section 6.2(g) without regard to the actual price paid by such
transferee.
(b) The Partnership shall elect to deduct expenses incurred in
organizing the Partnership ratably over a sixty-month period as provided in
Section 709 of the Code.
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(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, the General Partner shall
determine whether the Partnership should make any other elections permitted by
the Code.
SECTION 9.3 Tax Controversies.
Subject to the provisions hereof, the General Partner is designated as
the Tax Matters Partner (as defined in the Code) and is authorized and required
to represent the Partnership (at the Partnership's expense) in connection with
all examinations of the Partnership's affairs by tax authorities, including
resulting administrative and judicial proceedings, and to expend Partnership
funds for professional services and costs associated therewith. Each Partner
agrees to cooperate with the General Partner and to do or refrain from doing any
or all things reasonably required by the General Partner to conduct such
proceedings.
SECTION 9.4 Withholding.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the General
Partner is authorized to take any action that it determines in its discretion to
be necessary or appropriate to cause the Partnership and the Operating
Partnership to comply with any withholding requirements established under the
Code or any other federal, state or local law including, without limitation,
pursuant to Sections 1441, 1442, 1445 and 1446 of the Code. To the extent that
the Partnership is required or elects to withhold and pay over to any taxing
authority any amount resulting from the allocation or distribution of income to
any Partner or Assignee (including, without limitation, by reason of Section
1446 of the Code), the amount withheld may at the discretion of the General
Partner be treated by the Partnership as a distribution of cash pursuant to
Section 6.3 in the amount of such withholding from such Partner.
ARTICLE X ADMISSION OF PARTNERS
SECTION 10.1 Admission of Initial Limited Partners.
Upon the issuance by the Partnership of the Subordinated Units and
Incentive Distribution Rights to the General Partner as described in Section
5.2, the General Partner was deemed to have been admitted to the Partnership as
a Limited Partner in respect of the Subordinated Units and Incentive
Distribution Rights issued to it. Upon the issuance by the Partnership of Common
Units to the Underwriters as described in Section 5.3 in connection with the
Initial Offering and the execution by each Underwriter of a Transfer
Application, the General Partner admitted the Underwriters to the Partnership as
Initial Limited Partners in respect of the Common Units purchased by them.
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SECTION 10.2 Admission of Substituted Limited Partner.
By transfer of a Limited Partner Interest in accordance with Article
IV, the transferor shall be deemed to have given the transferee the right to
seek admission as a Substituted Limited Partner subject to the conditions of,
and in the manner permitted under, this Agreement. A transferor of a Certificate
representing a Limited Partner Interest shall, however, only have the authority
to convey to a purchaser or other transferee who does not execute and deliver a
Transfer Application (a) the right to negotiate such Certificate to a purchaser
or other transferee and (b) the right to transfer the right to request admission
as a Substituted Limited Partner to such purchaser or other transferee in
respect of the transferred Limited Partner Interests. Each transferee of a
Limited Partner Interest (including any nominee holder or an agent acquiring
such Limited Partner Interest for the account of another Person) who executes
and delivers a Transfer Application shall, by virtue of such execution and
delivery, be an Assignee and be deemed to have applied to become a Substituted
Limited Partner with respect to the Limited Partner Interests so transferred to
such Person. Such Assignee shall become a Substituted Limited Partner (x) at
such time as the General Partner consents thereto, which consent may be given or
withheld in the General Partner's discretion, and (y) when any such admission is
shown on the books and records of the Partnership. If such consent is withheld,
such transferee shall be an Assignee. An Assignee shall have an interest in the
Partnership equivalent to that of a Limited Partner with respect to allocations
and distributions, including liquidating distributions, of the Partnership. With
respect to voting rights attributable to Limited Partner Interests that are held
by Assignees, the General Partner shall be deemed to be the Limited Partner with
respect thereto and shall, in exercising the voting rights in respect of such
Limited Partner Interests on any matter, vote such Limited Partner Interests at
the written direction of the Assignee who is the Record Holder of such Limited
Partner Interests. If no such written direction is received, such Limited
Partner Interests will not be voted. An Assignee shall have no other rights of a
Limited Partner.
SECTION 10.3 Admission of Successor General Partner.
A successor General Partner approved pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2
or the transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner Interest
pursuant to Section 4.6 who is proposed to be admitted as a successor General
Partner shall be admitted to the Partnership as the General Partner, effective
immediately prior to the withdrawal or removal of the predecessor or
transferring General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2 or the transfer of
the General Partner Interest pursuant to Section 4.6, provided, however, that no
such successor shall be admitted to the Partnership until compliance with the
terms of Section 4.6 has occurred and such successor has executed and delivered
such other documents or instruments as may be required to effect such admission.
Any such successor shall, subject to the terms hereof, carry on the business of
the members of the Partnership Group without dissolution.
SECTION 10.4 Admission of Additional Limited Partners.
(a) A Person (other than the General Partner, an Initial Limited
Partner or a Substituted Limited Partner) who makes a Capital Contribution to
the Partnership in accordance with this Agreement shall be admitted to the
Partnership as an Additional Limited Partner only upon furnishing to the General
Partner (i) evidence of acceptance in form satisfactory to the General Partner
of all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including the power of
attorney granted in Section 2.6, and (ii) such other documents or instruments as
may be required in the discretion of the General Partner to effect such Person's
admission as an Additional Limited Partner.
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(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 10.4, no
Person shall be admitted as an Additional Limited Partner without the consent of
the General Partner, which consent may be given or withheld in the General
Partner's discretion. The admission of any Person as an Additional Limited
Partner shall become effective on the date upon which the name of such Person is
recorded as such in the books and records of the Partnership, following the
consent of the General Partner to such admission.
SECTION 10.5 Amendment of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership.
To effect the admission to the Partnership of any Partner, the General
Partner shall take all steps necessary and appropriate under the Delaware Act to
amend the records of the Partnership to reflect such admission and, if
necessary, to prepare as soon as practicable an amendment to this Agreement and,
if required by law, the General Partner shall prepare and file an amendment to
the Certificate of Limited Partnership, and the General Partner may for this
purpose, among others, exercise the power of attorney granted pursuant to
Section 2.6.
ARTICLE XI WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS
SECTION 11.1 Withdrawal of the General Partner.
(a) The General Partner shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the
Partnership upon the occurrence of any one of the following events (each such
event herein referred to as an "Event of Withdrawal");
(i) The General Partner voluntarily withdraws from the
Partnership by giving written notice to the other Partners (and it
shall be deemed that the General Partner has withdrawn pursuant to this
Section 11.1(a)(i) if the General Partner voluntarily withdraws as
general partner of the Operating Partnership);
(ii) The General Partner transfers all of its rights as
General Partner pursuant to Section 4.6;
(iii) The General Partner is removed pursuant to Section 11.2;
(iv) The General Partner (A) makes a general assignment for
the benefit of creditors; (B) files a voluntary bankruptcy petition for
relief under Chapter 7 of the United States Bankruptcy Code; (C) files
a petition or answer seeking for itself a liquidation, dissolution or
similar relief (but not a reorganization) under any law; (D) files an
answer or other pleading admitting or failing to contest the material
allegations of a petition filed against the General Partner in a
proceeding of the type described in clauses (A)-(C) of this Section
11.1(a)(iv); or (E) seeks, consents to or acquiesces in the appointment
of a trustee (but not a debtor-in-possession), receiver or liquidator
of the General Partner or of all or any substantial part of its
properties;
(v) A final and non-appealable order of relief under Chapter 7
of the United States Bankruptcy Code is entered by a court with
appropriate jurisdiction pursuant to a voluntary or involuntary
petition by or against the General Partner; or
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(vi) (A) in the event the General Partner is a corporation, a
certificate of dissolution or its equivalent is filed for the General
Partner, or 90 days expire after the date of notice to the General
Partner of revocation of its charter without a reinstatement of its
charter, under the laws of its state of incorporation; (B) in the event
the General Partner is a partnership or a limited liability company,
the dissolution and commencement of winding up of the General Partner;
(C) in the event the General Partner is acting in such capacity by
virtue of being a trustee of a trust, the termination of the trust; (D)
in the event the General Partner is a natural person, his death or
adjudication of incompetency; and (E) otherwise in the event of the
termination of the General Partner.
If an Event of Withdrawal specified in Section 11.1(a)(iv),
(v) or (vi)(A), (B), (C) or (E) occurs, the withdrawing General Partner
shall give notice to the Limited Partners within 30 days after such
occurrence. The Partners hereby agree that only the Events of
Withdrawal described in this Section 11.1 shall result in the
withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership.
(b) Withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership upon the
occurrence of an Event of Withdrawal shall not constitute a breach of this
Agreement under the following circumstances: (i) at any time during the period
beginning on the Initial Closing Date and ending at 12:00 midnight, Philadelphia
Time, on the last day of the Subordination Period, the General Partner
voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days' advance notice of its
intention to withdraw to the Limited Partners; provided that prior to the
effective date of such withdrawal, the withdrawal is approved by Unitholders
holding at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units (excluding Common
Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates) and the General Partner
delivers to the Partnership an Opinion of Counsel ("Withdrawal Opinion of
Counsel") that such withdrawal (following the selection of the successor General
Partner) would not result in the loss of the limited liability of any Limited
Partner or of the limited partner of the Operating Partnership or cause the
Partnership or the Operating Partnership to be treated as an association taxable
as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax
purposes (to the extent not previously treated as such); (ii) at any time after
12:00 midnight, Philadelphia Time, on the last day of the Subordination Period,
the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days' advance
notice to the Unitholders, such withdrawal to take effect on the date specified
in such notice; (iii) at any time that the General Partner ceases to be the
General Partner pursuant to Section 11.1(a)(ii) or is removed pursuant to
Section 11.2; or (iv) notwithstanding clause (i) of this sentence, at any time
that the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days'
advance notice of its intention to withdraw to the Limited Partners, such
withdrawal to take effect on the date specified in the notice, if at the time
such notice is given one Person and its Affiliates (other than the General
Partner and its Affiliates) own beneficially or of record or control at least
50% of the Outstanding Units. The withdrawal of the General Partner from the
Partnership upon the occurrence of an Event of Withdrawal shall also constitute
the withdrawal of the General Partner as general partner of the other Group
Members. If the General Partner gives a notice of withdrawal pursuant to Section
11.1(a)(i), the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units
(excluding Common Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates), may,
prior to the effective date of such withdrawal, elect a successor General
Partner. The Person so elected as successor General Partner shall automatically
become the successor general partner of the other Group Members of which the
General Partner is a general partner. If, prior to the effective date of the
General Partner's withdrawal, a successor is not selected by the Unitholders as
provided herein or the Partnership does not receive a Withdrawal Opinion of
Counsel, the Partnership shall be dissolved in accordance with Section 12.1. Any
successor General Partner elected in accordance with the terms of this Section
11.1 shall be subject to the provisions of Section 10.3.
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SECTION 11.2 Removal of the General Partner.
The General Partner may be removed if such removal is approved by the
Unitholders holding at least 66 2/3% of the Outstanding Common Units (excluding
Common Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates). Any such action by
such holders for removal of the General Partner must also provide for the
election of a successor General Partner by at least a majority of the
Outstanding Common Units (excluding Common Units held by the General Partner and
its Affiliates). Such removal shall be effective immediately following the
admission of a successor General Partner pursuant to Section 10.3. The removal
of the General Partner shall also automatically constitute the removal of the
General Partner as general partner of the other Group Members of which the
General Partner is a general partner. If a Person is elected as a successor
General Partner in accordance with the terms of this Section 11.2, such Person
shall, upon admission pursuant to Section 10.3, automatically become a successor
general partner of the other Group Members of which the General Partner is a
general partner. The right of the holders of Outstanding Common Units to remove
the General Partner shall not exist or be exercised unless the Partnership has
received an opinion opining as to the matters covered by a Withdrawal Opinion of
Counsel. Any successor General Partner elected in accordance with the terms of
this Section 11.2 shall be subject to the provisions of Section 10.3.
SECTION 11.3 Interest of Departing Partner and Successor General Partner.
(a) In the event of (i) withdrawal of the General Partner under
circumstances where such withdrawal does not violate this Agreement or (ii)
removal of the General Partner under the circumstances set forth in Section
11.4, if a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the terms of
Section 11.1 or 11.2, the Departing Partner shall have the option exercisable
prior to the effective date of the departure of such Departing Partner to
require its successor to purchase its General Partner Interest (or equivalent
interest), its general partnership interest in the other Group Members and all
of its Incentive Distribution Rights (collectively, the "Combined Interest") in
exchange for an amount in cash equal to the fair market value of such Combined
Interest, such amount to be determined and payable as of the effective date of
its departure. If the General Partner is removed by the Unitholders under
circumstances where Cause exists or if the General Partner withdraws under
circumstances where such withdrawal violates this Agreement or the Operating
Partnership Agreement, and if a successor General Partner is elected in
accordance with the terms of Section 11.1 or 11.2, such successor shall have the
option, exercisable prior to the effective date of the departure of such
Departing Partner, to purchase the Combined Interest for such fair market value
of such Combined Interest. In either event, the Departing Partner shall be
entitled to receive all reimbursements due such Departing Partner pursuant to
Section 7.4, including any employee-related liabilities (including severance
liabilities), incurred in connection with the termination of any employees
employed by the General Partner for the benefit of the Partnership or the other
Group Members.
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For purposes of this Section 11.3(a), the fair market value of the
Combined Interest shall be determined by agreement between the Departing Partner
and its successor or, failing agreement within 30 days after the effective date
of such Departing Partner's departure, by an independent investment banking firm
or other independent expert selected by the Departing Partner and its successor,
which, in turn, may rely on other experts, and the determination of which shall
be conclusive as to such matter. If such parties cannot agree upon one
independent investment banking firm or other independent expert within 45 days
after the effective date of such departure, then the Departing Partner shall
designate an independent investment banking firm or other independent expert,
the Departing Partner's successor shall designate an independent investment
banking firm or other independent expert, and such firms or experts shall
mutually select a third independent investment banking firm or independent
expert, which third independent investment banking firm or other independent
expert shall determine the fair market value of the Combined Interest. In making
its determination, such third independent investment banking firm or other
independent expert may consider the then current trading price of Units on any
National Securities Exchange on which Units are then listed, the value of the
Partnership's assets, the rights and obligations of the Departing Partner and
other factors it may deem relevant.
(b) If the Combined Interest is not purchased in the manner set forth
in Section 11.3(a), the Departing Partner (or its transferee) shall become a
Limited Partner and its Combined Interest shall be converted into Common Units
pursuant to a valuation made by an investment banking firm or other independent
expert selected pursuant to Section 11.3(a), without reduction in such
Partnership Interest (but subject to proportionate dilution by reason of the
admission of its successor). Any successor General Partner shall indemnify the
Departing Partner (or its transferee) as to all debts and liabilities of the
Partnership arising on or after the date on which the Departing Partner (or its
transferee) becomes a Limited Partner. For purposes of this Agreement,
conversion of the Combined Interest to Common Units will be characterized as if
the General Partner (or its transferee) contributed its Combined Interest to the
Partnership in exchange for the newly issued Common Units.
(c) If a successor General Partner is elected in accordance with the
terms of Section 11.1 or 11.2 and the option described in Section 11.3(a) is not
exercised by the party entitled to do so, the successor General Partner shall,
at the effective date of its admission to the Partnership, contribute to the
capital of the Partnership cash in an amount such that its Capital Account,
after giving effect to such contribution and any adjustments made to the Capital
Accounts of all Partners pursuant to Section 5.5(d)(i), shall be equal to that
percentage of the Capital Accounts of all Partners that is equal to its
Percentage Interest as the General Partner. In such event, such successor
General Partner shall be entitled to such Percentage Interest of all Partnership
allocations and distributions and any other allocations and distributions to
which the Departing Partner was entitled in its capacity as the General Partner.
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SECTION 11.4 Termination of Subordination Period, Conversion of
Subordinated Units and Extinguishment of Cumulative Common
Unit Arrearages.
Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement, if the General Partner
is removed as general partner of the Partnership under circumstances where Cause
does not exist and the General Partner does not consent to such removal, (i) the
Subordination Period will end and all Outstanding Subordinated Units will
immediately and automatically convert into Common Units on a one-for-one basis,
(ii) all Cumulative Common Unit Arrearages on the Common Units will be
extinguished and (iii) the Combined Interest held by the General Partner shall
be converted to Common Units at the option of the General Partner.
SECTION 11.5 Withdrawal of Limited Partners.
No Limited Partner shall have any right to withdraw from the
Partnership; provided, however, that when a transferee of a Limited Partner's
Limited Partner Interest becomes a Record Holder of the Limited Partner Interest
so transferred, such transferring Limited Partner shall cease to be a Limited
Partner with respect to the Limited Partner Interest so transferred.
ARTICLE XII DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION
SECTION 12.1 Dissolution.
The Partnership shall not be dissolved by the admission of Substituted
Limited Partners or Additional Limited Partners or by the admission of a
successor General Partner in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. Upon
the removal or withdrawal of the General Partner, if a successor General Partner
is elected pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2, the Partnership shall not be
dissolved and such successor General Partner shall continue the business of the
Partnership. The Partnership shall dissolve, and (subject to Section 12.2) its
affairs shall be wound up, upon:
(a) the expiration of its term as provided in Section 2.7;
(b) an Event of Withdrawal of the General Partner as provided in
Section 11.1(a) (other than Section 11.1(a)(ii)), unless a successor is elected
and an Opinion of Counsel is received as provided in Section 11.1(b) or 11.2 and
such successor is admitted to the Partnership pursuant to Section 10.3;
(c) an election to dissolve the Partnership by the General Partner that
is approved by the holders of a Unit Majority;
(d) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Partnership
pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act; or
(e) the sale of all or substantially all of the assets and properties
of the Partnership Group.
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SECTION 12.2 Continuation of the Business of the Partnership After Dissolution.
Upon (a) dissolution of the Partnership following an Event of
Withdrawal caused by the withdrawal or removal of the General Partner as
provided in Section 11.1(a)(i) or (iii) and the failure of the Partners to
select a successor to such Departing Partner pursuant to Section 11.1 or 11.2,
then within 90 days thereafter, or (b) dissolution of the Partnership upon an
event constituting an Event of Withdrawal as defined in Section 11.1(a)(iv), (v)
or (vi), then, to the maximum extent permitted by law, within 180 days
thereafter, the holders of a Unit Majority may elect to reconstitute the
Partnership and continue its business on the same terms and conditions set forth
in this Agreement by forming a new limited partnership on terms identical to
those set forth in this Agreement and having as the successor general partner a
Person approved by the holders of a Unit Majority. Unless such an election is
made within the applicable time period as set forth above, the Partnership shall
conduct only activities necessary to wind up its affairs. If such an election is
so made, then:
(i) the reconstituted Partnership shall continue until the end
of the term set forth in Section 2.7 unless earlier dissolved in
accordance with this Article XII;
(ii) if the successor General Partner is not the former
General Partner, then the interest of the former General Partner shall
be treated in the manner provided in Section 11.3; and
(iii) all necessary steps shall be taken to cancel this
Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and to enter into
and, as necessary, to file a new partnership agreement and certificate
of limited partnership, and the successor general partner may for this
purpose exercise the powers of attorney granted the General Partner
pursuant to Section 2.6; provided, that the right of the holders of a
Unit Majority to approve a successor General Partner and to
reconstitute and to continue the business of the Partnership shall not
exist and may not be exercised unless the Partnership has received an
Opinion of Counsel that (x) the exercise of the right would not result
in the loss of limited liability of any Limited Partner and (y) neither
the Partnership, the reconstituted limited partnership nor the
Operating Partnership would be treated as an association taxable as a
corporation or otherwise be taxable as an entity for federal income tax
purposes upon the exercise of such right to continue.
SECTION 12.3 Liquidator.
Upon dissolution of the Partnership, unless the Partnership is
continued under an election to reconstitute and continue the Partnership
pursuant to Section 12.2, the General Partner shall select one or more Persons
to act as Liquidator. The Liquidator (if other than the General Partner) shall
be entitled to receive such compensation for its services as may be approved by
holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated
Units voting as a single class. The Liquidator (if other than the General
Partner) shall agree not to resign at any time without 15 days' prior notice and
may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by notice of removal approved
by holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Common Units and
Subordinated Units voting as a single class. Upon dissolution, removal or
resignation of the Liquidator, a successor and substitute Liquidator (who shall
have and succeed to all rights, powers and duties of the original Liquidator)
shall within 30 days thereafter be approved by holders of at least a majority of
the Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units voting as a single class.
The right to approve a successor or substitute Liquidator in the manner provided
herein shall be deemed to refer also to any such successor or substitute
Liquidator approved in the manner herein provided. Except as expressly provided
in this Article XII, the Liquidator approved in the manner provided herein shall
have and may exercise, without further authorization or consent of any of the
parties hereto, all of the powers conferred upon the General Partner under the
terms of this Agreement (but subject to all of the applicable limitations,
contractual and otherwise, upon the exercise of such powers, other than the
limitation on sale set forth in Section 7.3(b)) to the extent necessary or
desirable in the good faith judgment of the Liquidator to carry out the duties
and functions of the Liquidator hereunder for and during such period of time as
shall be reasonably required in the good faith judgment of the Liquidator to
complete the winding up and liquidation of the Partnership as provided for
herein.
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SECTION 12.4 Liquidation.
The Liquidator shall proceed to dispose of the assets of the
Partnership, discharge its liabilities, and otherwise wind up its affairs in
such manner and over such period as the Liquidator determines to be in the best
interest of the Partners, subject to Section 17-804 of the Delaware Act and the
following:
(a) Disposition of Assets. The assets may be disposed of by public or
private sale or by distribution in kind to one or more Partners on such terms as
the Liquidator and such Partner or Partners may agree. If any property is
distributed in kind, the Partner receiving the property shall be deemed for
purposes of Section 12.4(c) to have received cash equal to its fair market
value; and contemporaneously therewith, appropriate cash distributions must be
made to the other Partners. The Liquidator may, in its absolute discretion,
defer liquidation or distribution of the Partnership's assets for a reasonable
time if it determines that an immediate sale or distribution of all or some of
the Partnership's assets would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the
Partners. The Liquidator may, in its absolute discretion, distribute the
Partnership's assets, in whole or in part, in kind if it determines that a sale
would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the Partners.
(b) Discharge of Liabilities. Liabilities of the Partnership include
amounts owed to Partners otherwise than in respect of their distribution rights
under Article VI. With respect to any liability that is contingent, conditional
or unmatured or is otherwise not yet due and payable, the Liquidator shall
either settle such claim for such amount as it thinks appropriate or establish a
reserve of cash or other assets to provide for its payment. When paid, any
unused portion of the reserve shall be distributed as additional liquidation
proceeds.
(c) Liquidation Distributions. All property and all cash in excess of
that required to discharge liabilities as provided in Section 12.4(b) shall be
distributed to the Partners in accordance with, and to the extent of, the
positive balances in their respective Capital Accounts, as determined after
taking into account all Capital Account adjustments (other than those made by
reason of distributions pursuant to this Section 12.4(c)) for the taxable year
of the Partnership during which the liquidation of the Partnership occurs (with
such date of occurrence being determined pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section
1.704-1(b) (2)(ii)(g)), and such distribution shall be made by the end of such
taxable year (or, if later, within 90 days after said date of such occurrence).
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SECTION 12.5 Cancellation of Certificate of Limited Partnership.
Upon the completion of the distribution of Partnership cash and
property as provided in Section 12.4 in connection with the liquidation of the
Partnership, the Partnership shall be terminated and the Certificate of Limited
Partnership and all qualifications of the Partnership as a foreign limited
partnership in jurisdictions other than the State of Delaware shall be canceled
and such other actions as may be necessary to terminate the Partnership shall be
taken.
SECTION 12.6 Return of Contributions.
The General Partner shall not be personally liable for, and shall have
no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Partnership to
enable it to effectuate, the return of the Capital Contributions of the Limited
Partners or Unitholders, or any portion thereof, it being expressly understood
that any such return shall be made solely from Partnership assets.
SECTION 12.7 Waiver of Partition.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, each Partner hereby waives any
right to partition of the Partnership property.
SECTION 12.8 Capital Account Restoration.
No Limited Partner shall have any obligation to restore any negative
balance in its Capital Account upon liquidation of the Partnership. The General
Partner shall be obligated to restore any negative balance in its Capital
Account upon liquidation of its interest in the Partnership by the end of the
taxable year of the Partnership during which such liquidation occurs, or, if
later, within 90 days after the date of such liquidation.
ARTICLE XIII AMENDMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT; MEETINGS; RECORD DATE
SECTION 13.1 Amendment to Be Adopted Solely by the General Partner.
Each Partner agrees that the General Partner, without the approval of
any Partner or Assignee, may amend any provision of this Agreement and execute,
swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record whatever documents may be
required in connection therewith, to reflect:
(a) a change in the name of the Partnership, the location of the
principal place of business of the Partnership, the registered agent of the
Partnership or the registered office of the Partnership;
(b) admission, substitution, withdrawal or removal of Partners in
accordance with this Agreement;
(c) a change that, in the sole discretion of the General Partner, is
necessary or advisable to qualify or continue the qualification of the
Partnership as a limited partnership or a partnership in which the Limited
Partners have limited liability under the laws of any state or to ensure that
the Partnership and the Operating Partnership will not be treated as an
association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxed as an entity for federal
income tax purposes;
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(d) a change that, in the discretion of the General Partner, (i) does
not adversely affect the Limited Partners in any material respect, (ii) is
necessary or advisable to (A) satisfy any requirements, conditions or guidelines
contained in any opinion, directive, order, ruling or regulation of any federal
or state agency or judicial authority or contained in any federal or state
statute (including the Delaware Act) or (B) facilitate the trading of the
Limited Partner Interests (including the division of any class or classes of
Outstanding Limited Partner Interests into different classes to facilitate
uniformity of tax consequences within such classes of Limited Partner Interests)
or comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National
Securities Exchange on which the Limited Partner Interests are or will be listed
for trading, compliance with any of which the General Partner determines in its
discretion to be in the best interests of the Partnership and the Limited
Partners, (iii) is necessary or advisable in connection with action taken by the
General Partner pursuant to Section 5.10 or (iv) is required to effect the
intent expressed in the Registration Statement or the intent of the provisions
of this Agreement or is otherwise contemplated by this Agreement;
(e) a change in the fiscal year or taxable year of the Partnership and
any changes that, in the discretion of the General Partner, are necessary or
advisable as a result of a change in the fiscal year or taxable year of the
Partnership including, if the General Partner shall so determine, a change in
the definition of "Quarter" and the dates on which distributions are to be made
by the Partnership;
(f) an amendment that is necessary, in the Opinion of Counsel, to
prevent the Partnership, or the General Partner or its directors, officers,
trustees or agents from in any manner being subjected to the provisions of the
Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940,
as amended, or "plan asset" regulations adopted under the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, regardless of whether such are
substantially similar to plan asset regulations currently applied or proposed by
the United States Department of Labor;
(g) subject to the terms of Section 5.7, an amendment that, in the
discretion of the General Partner, is necessary or advisable in connection with
the authorization of issuance of any class or series of Partnership Securities
pursuant to Section 5.6;
(h) any amendment expressly permitted in this Agreement to be made by
the General Partner acting alone;
(i) an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by a Merger
Agreement approved in accordance with Section 14.3;
(j) an amendment that, in the discretion of the General Partner, is
necessary or advisable to reflect, account for and deal with appropriately the
formation by the Partnership of, or investment by the Partnership in, any
corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other
entity, in connection with the conduct by the Partnership of activities
permitted by the terms of Section 2.4;
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(k) a merger or conveyance pursuant to Section 14.3(d); or
(l) any other amendments substantially similar to the foregoing.
SECTION 13.2 Amendment Procedures.
Except as provided in Sections 13.1 and 13.3, all amendments to this
Agreement shall be made in accordance with the following requirements.
Amendments to this Agreement may be proposed only by or with the consent of the
General Partner which consent may be given or withheld in its sole discretion. A
proposed amendment shall be effective upon its approval by the holders of a Unit
Majority, unless a greater or different percentage is required under this
Agreement or by Delaware law. Each proposed amendment that requires the approval
of the holders of a specified percentage of Outstanding Units shall be set forth
in a writing that contains the text of the proposed amendment. If such an
amendment is proposed, the General Partner shall seek the written approval of
the requisite percentage of Outstanding Units or call a meeting of the
Unitholders to consider and vote on such proposed amendment. The General Partner
shall notify all Record Holders upon final adoption of any such proposed
amendments.
SECTION 13.3 Amendment Requirements.
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 13.1 and 13.2, no
provision of this Agreement that establishes a percentage of Outstanding Units
(including Units deemed owned by the General Partner) required to take any
action shall be amended, altered, changed, repealed or rescinded in any respect
that would have the effect of reducing such voting percentage unless such
amendment is approved by the written consent or the affirmative vote of holders
of Outstanding Units whose aggregate Outstanding Units constitute not less than
the voting requirement sought to be reduced.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 13.1 and 13.2, no
amendment to this Agreement may (i) enlarge the obligations of any Limited
Partner without its consent, unless such shall be deemed to have occurred as a
result of an amendment approved pursuant to Section 13.3(c), (ii) enlarge the
obligations of, restrict in any way any action by or rights of, or reduce in any
way the amounts distributable, reimbursable or otherwise payable to, the General
Partner or any of its Affiliates without its consent, which consent may be given
or withheld in its sole discretion, (iii) change Section 12.1(a) or 12.1(c), or
(iv) change the term of the Partnership or, except as set forth in Section
12.1(c), give any Person the right to dissolve the Partnership.
(c) Except as provided in Section 14.3, and except as otherwise
provided, and without limitation of the General Partner's authority to adopt
amendments to this Agreement as contemplated in Section 13.1, any amendment that
would have a material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of any class
of Partnership Interests in relation to other classes of Partnership Interests
must be approved by the holders of not less than a majority of the Outstanding
Partnership Interests of the class affected.
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(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, except for
amendments pursuant to Section 13.1 and except as otherwise provided by Section
14.3(b), no amendments shall become effective without the approval of the
holders of at least 90% of the Outstanding Common Units and Subordinated Units
voting as a single class unless the Partnership obtains an Opinion of Counsel to
the effect that such amendment will not affect the limited liability of any
Limited Partner under applicable law.
(e) Except as provided in Section 13.1, this Section 13.3 shall only be
amended with the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the Outstanding
Units.
SECTION 13.4 Special Meetings.
All acts of Limited Partners to be taken pursuant to this Agreement
shall be taken in the manner provided in this Article XIII. Special meetings of
the Limited Partners may be called by the General Partner or by Limited Partners
owning 20% or more of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests of the class or
classes for which a meeting is proposed. Limited Partners shall call a special
meeting by delivering to the General Partner one or more requests in writing
stating that the signing Limited Partners wish to call a special meeting and
indicating the general or specific purposes for which the special meeting is to
be called. Within 60 days after receipt of such a call from Limited Partners or
within such greater time as may be reasonably necessary for the Partnership to
comply with any statutes, rules, regulations, listing agreements or similar
requirements governing the holding of a meeting or the solicitation of proxies
for use at such a meeting, the General Partner shall send a notice of the
meeting to the Limited Partners either directly or indirectly through the
Transfer Agent. A meeting shall be held at a time and place determined by the
General Partner on a date not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days after the
mailing of notice of the meeting. Limited Partners shall not vote on matters
that would cause the Limited Partners to be deemed to be taking part in the
management and control of the business and affairs of the Partnership so as to
jeopardize the Limited Partners' limited liability under the Delaware Act or the
law of any other state in which the Partnership is qualified to do business.
SECTION 13.5 Notice of a Meeting.
Notice of a meeting called pursuant to Section 13.4 shall be given to
the Record Holders of the class or classes of Limited Partner Interests for
which a meeting is proposed in writing by mail or other means of written
communication in accordance with Section 16.1. The notice shall be deemed to
have been given at the time when deposited in the mail or sent by other means of
written communication.
SECTION 13.6 Record Date.
For purposes of determining the Limited Partners entitled to notice of
or to vote at a meeting of the Limited Partners or to give approvals without a
meeting as provided in Section 13.11 the General Partner may set a Record Date,
which shall not be less than 10 nor more than 60 days before (a) the date of the
meeting (unless such requirement conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline
or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Limited Partner
Interests are listed for trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline
or requirement of such exchange shall govern) or (b) in the event that approvals
are sought without a meeting, the date by which Limited Partners are requested
in writing by the General Partner to give such approvals.
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SECTION 13.7 Adjournment.
When a meeting is adjourned to another time or place, notice need not be
given of the adjourned meeting and a new Record Date need not be fixed, if the
time and place thereof are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is
taken, unless such adjournment shall be for more than 45 days. At the adjourned
meeting, the Partnership may transact any business which might have been
transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than 45 days
or if a new Record Date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, a notice of the
adjourned meeting shall be given in accordance with this Article XIII.
SECTION 13.8 Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting; Approval of Minutes.
The transactions of any meeting of Limited Partners, however called and
noticed, and whenever held, shall be as valid as if it had occurred at a meeting
duly held after regular call and notice, if a quorum is present either in person
or by proxy, and if, either before or after the meeting, Limited Partners
representing such quorum who were present in person or by proxy and entitled to
vote, sign a written waiver of notice or an approval of the holding of the
meeting or an approval of the minutes thereof. All waivers and approvals shall
be filed with the Partnership records or made a part of the minutes of the
meeting. Attendance of a Limited Partner at a meeting shall constitute a waiver
of notice of the meeting, except when the Limited Partner does not approve, at
the beginning of the meeting, of the transaction of any business because the
meeting is not lawfully called or convened; and except that attendance at a
meeting is not a waiver of any right to disapprove the consideration of matters
required to be included in the notice of the meeting, but not so included, if
the disapproval is expressly made at the meeting.
SECTION 13.9 Quorum.
The holders of a majority of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests
of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called (including Limited
Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) represented in person or
by proxy shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of Limited Partners of such
class or classes unless any such action by the Limited Partners requires
approval by holders of a greater percentage of such Limited Partner Interests,
in which case the quorum shall be such greater percentage. At any meeting of the
Limited Partners duly called and held in accordance with this Agreement at which
a quorum is present, the act of Limited Partners holding Outstanding Limited
Partner Interests that in the aggregate represent a majority of the Outstanding
Limited Partner Interests entitled to vote and be present in person or by proxy
at such meeting shall be deemed to constitute the act of all Limited Partners,
unless a greater or different percentage is required with respect to such action
under the provisions of this Agreement, in which case the act of the Limited
Partners holding Outstanding Limited Partner Interests that in the aggregate
represent at least such greater or different percentage shall be required. The
Limited Partners present at a duly called or held meeting at which a quorum is
present may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the
withdrawal of enough Limited Partners to leave less than a quorum, if any action
taken (other than adjournment) is approved by the required percentage of
Outstanding Limited Partner Interests specified in this Agreement (including
Limited Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner). In the absence
of a quorum any meeting of Limited Partners may be adjourned from time to time
by the affirmative vote of holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding
Limited Partner Interests entitled to vote at such meeting (including Limited
Partner Interests deemed owned by the General Partner) represented either in
person or by proxy, but no other business may be transacted, except as provided
in Section 13.7.
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SECTION 13.10 Conduct of a Meeting.
The General Partner shall have full power and authority concerning the
manner of conducting any meeting of the Limited Partners or solicitation of
approvals in writing, including the determination of Persons entitled to vote,
the existence of a quorum, the satisfaction of the requirements of Section 13.4,
the conduct of voting, the validity and effect of any proxies and the
determination of any controversies, votes or challenges arising in connection
with or during the meeting or voting. The General Partner shall designate a
Person to serve as chairman of any meeting and shall further designate a Person
to take the minutes of any meeting. All minutes shall be kept with the records
of the Partnership maintained by the General Partner. The General Partner may
make such other regulations consistent with applicable law and this Agreement as
it may deem advisable concerning the conduct of any meeting of the Limited
Partners or solicitation of approvals in writing, including regulations in
regard to the appointment of proxies, the appointment and duties of inspectors
of votes and approvals, the submission and examination of proxies and other
evidence of the right to vote, and the revocation of approvals in writing.
SECTION 13.11 Action Without a Meeting.
If authorized by the General Partner, any action that may be taken at a
meeting of the Limited Partners may be taken without a meeting if an approval in
writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by Limited Partners owning
not less than the minimum percentage of the Outstanding Limited Partner
Interests (including Limited Partner Interests deemed owned by the General
Partner) that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting
at which all the Limited Partners were present and voted (unless such provision
conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National
Securities Exchange on which the Limited Partner Interests are listed for
trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such
exchange shall govern). Prompt notice of the taking of action without a meeting
shall be given to the Limited Partners who have not approved in writing. The
General Partner may specify that any written ballot submitted to Limited
Partners for the purpose of taking any action without a meeting shall be
returned to the Partnership within the time period, which shall be not less than
20 days, specified by the General Partner. If a ballot returned to the
Partnership does not vote all of the Limited Partner Interests held by the
Limited Partners the Partnership shall be deemed to have failed to receive a
ballot for the Limited Partner Interests that were not voted. If approval of the
taking of any action by the Limited Partners is solicited by any Person other
than by or on behalf of the General Partner, the written approvals shall have no
force and effect unless and until (a) they are deposited with the Partnership in
care of the General Partner, (b) approvals sufficient to take the action
proposed are dated as of a date not more than 90 days prior to the date
sufficient approvals are deposited with the Partnership and (c) an Opinion of
Counsel is delivered to the General Partner to the effect that the exercise of
such right and the action proposed to be taken with respect to any particular
matter (i) will not cause the Limited Partners to be deemed to be taking part in
the management and control of the business and affairs of the Partnership so as
to jeopardize the Limited Partners' limited liability, and (ii) is otherwise
permissible under the state statutes then governing the rights, duties and
liabilities of the Partnership and the Partners.
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SECTION 13.12 Voting and Other Rights.
(a) Only those Record Holders of the Limited Partner Interests on the
Record Date set pursuant to Section 13.6 (and also subject to the limitations
contained in the definition of "Outstanding") shall be entitled to notice of,
and to vote at, a meeting of Limited Partners or to act with respect to matters
as to which the holders of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests have the
right to vote or to act. All references in this Agreement to votes of, or other
acts that may be taken by, the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests shall be
deemed to be references to the votes or acts of the Record Holders of such
Outstanding Limited Partner Interests.
(b) With respect to Limited Partner Interests that are held for a
Person's account by another Person (such as a broker, dealer, bank, trust
company or clearing corporation, or an agent of any of the foregoing), in whose
name such Limited Partner Interests are registered, such other Person shall, in
exercising the voting rights in respect of such Limited Partner Interests on any
matter, and unless the arrangement between such Persons provides otherwise, vote
such Limited Partner Interests in favor of, and at the direction of, the Person
who is the beneficial owner, and the Partnership shall be entitled to assume it
is so acting without further inquiry. The provisions of this Section 13.12(b)
(as well as all other provisions of this Agreement) are subject to the
provisions of Section 4.3.
ARTICLE XIV MERGER
SECTION 14.1 Authority.
The Partnership may merge or consolidate with one or more corporations,
limited liability companies, business trusts or associations, real estate
investment trusts, common law trusts or unincorporated businesses, including a
general partnership or limited partnership, formed under the laws of the State
of Delaware or any other state of the United States of America, pursuant to a
written agreement of merger or consolidation ("Merger Agreement") in accordance
with this Article XIV.
SECTION 14.2 Procedure for Merger or Consolidation.
Merger or consolidation of the Partnership pursuant to this Article XIV
requires the prior approval of the General Partner. If the General Partner shall
determine, in the exercise of its discretion, to consent to the merger or
consolidation, the General Partner shall approve the Merger Agreement, which
shall set forth:
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(a) The names and jurisdictions of formation or organization of each of
the business entities proposing to merge or consolidate;
(b) The name and jurisdiction of formation or organization of the
business entity that is to survive the proposed merger or consolidation (the
"Surviving Business Entity");
(c) The terms and conditions of the proposed merger or consolidation;
(d) The manner and basis of exchanging or converting the equity
securities of each constituent business entity for, or into, cash, property or
general or limited partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of the
Surviving Business Entity; and (i) if any general or limited partner interests,
securities or rights of any constituent business entity are not to be exchanged
or converted solely for, or into, cash, property or general or limited partner
interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business Entity,
the cash, property or general or limited partner interests, rights, securities
or obligations of any limited partnership, corporation, trust or other entity
(other than the Surviving Business Entity) which the holders of such general or
limited partner interests, securities or rights are to receive in exchange for,
or upon conversion of their general or limited partner interests, securities or
rights, and (ii) in the case of securities represented by certificates, upon the
surrender of such certificates, which cash, property or general or limited
partner interests, rights, securities or obligations of the Surviving Business
Entity or any general or limited partnership, corporation, trust or other entity
(other than the Surviving Business Entity), or evidences thereof, are to be
delivered;
(e) A statement of any changes in the constituent documents or the
adoption of new constituent documents (the articles or certificate of
incorporation, articles of trust, declaration of trust, certificate or agreement
of limited partnership or other similar charter or governing document) of the
Surviving Business Entity to be effected by such merger or consolidation;
(f) The effective time of the merger, which may be the date of the
filing of the certificate of merger pursuant to Section 14.4 or a later date
specified in or determinable in accordance with the Merger Agreement (provided,
that if the effective time of the merger is to be later than the date of the
filing of the certificate of merger, the effective time shall be fixed no later
than the time of the filing of the certificate of merger and stated therein);
and
(g) Such other provisions with respect to the proposed merger or
consolidation as are deemed necessary or appropriate by the General Partner.
SECTION 14.3 Approval by Limited Partners of Merger or Consolidation.
(a) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d), the General Partner, upon
its approval of the Merger Agreement, shall direct that the Merger Agreement be
submitted to a vote of Limited Partners, whether at a special meeting or by
written consent, in either case in accordance with the requirements of Article
XIII. A copy or a summary of the Merger Agreement shall be included in or
enclosed with the notice of a special meeting or the written consent.
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(b) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d), the Merger Agreement shall
be approved upon receiving the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of a
Unit Majority unless the Merger Agreement contains any provision that, if
contained in an amendment to this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement or
the Delaware Act would require for its approval the vote or consent of a greater
percentage of the Outstanding Limited Partner Interests or of any class of
Limited Partners, in which case such greater percentage vote or consent shall be
required for approval of the Merger Agreement.
(c) Except as provided in Section 14.3(d), after such approval by vote
or consent of the Limited Partners, and at any time prior to the filing of the
certificate of merger pursuant to Section 14.4, the merger or consolidation may
be abandoned pursuant to provisions therefor, if any, set forth in the Merger
Agreement.
(d) Notwithstanding anything else contained in this Article XIV or in
this Agreement, the General Partner is permitted, in its discretion, without
Limited Partner approval, to merge the Partnership or any Group Member into, or
convey all of the Partnership's assets to, another limited liability entity
which shall be newly formed and shall have no assets, liabilities or operations
at the time of such Merger other than those it receives from the Partnership or
other Group Member if (i) the General Partner has received an Opinion of Counsel
that the merger or conveyance, as the case may be, would not result in the loss
of the limited liability of any Limited Partner or any partner in the Operating
Partnership or cause the Partnership or Operating Partnership to be treated as
an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity
for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not previously treated as such),
(ii) the sole purpose of such merger or conveyance is to effect a mere change in
the legal form of the Partnership into another limited liability entity and
(iii) the governing instruments of the new entity provide the Limited Partners
and the General Partner with the same rights and obligations as are herein
contained.
SECTION 14.4 Certificate of Merger.
Upon the required approval by the General Partner and the Unitholders
of a Merger Agreement, a certificate of merger shall be executed and filed with
the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in conformity with the
requirements of the Delaware Act.
SECTION 14.5 Effect of Merger.
(a) At the effective time of the certificate of merger:
(i) all of the rights, privileges and powers of each of the
business entities that has merged or consolidated, and all property,
real, personal and mixed, and all debts due to any of those business
entities and all other things and causes of action belonging to each of
those business entities, shall be vested in the Surviving Business
Entity and after the merger or consolidation shall be the property of
the Surviving Business Entity to the extent they were of each
constituent business entity;
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(ii) the title to any real property vested by deed or
otherwise in any of those constituent business entities shall not
revert and is not in any way impaired because of the merger or
consolidation;
(iii) all rights of creditors and all liens on or security
interests in property of any of those constituent business entities
shall be preserved unimpaired; and
(iv) all debts, liabilities and duties of those constituent
business entities shall attach to the Surviving Business Entity and may
be enforced against it to the same extent as if the debts, liabilities
and duties had been incurred or contracted by it.
(b) A merger or consolidation effected pursuant to this Article shall
not be deemed to result in a transfer or assignment of assets or liabilities
from one entity to another.
ARTICLE XV RIGHT TO ACQUIRE LIMITED PARTNER INTERESTS
SECTION 15.1 Right to Acquire Limited Partner Interests.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if at any
time not more than 20% of the total Limited Partner Interests of any class then
Outstanding is held by Persons other than the General Partner and its
Affiliates, the General Partner shall then have the right, which right it may
assign and transfer in whole or in part to the Partnership or any Affiliate of
the General Partner, exercisable in its sole discretion, to purchase all, but
not less than all, of such Limited Partner Interests of such class then
Outstanding held by Persons other than the General Partner and its Affiliates,
at the greater of (x) the Current Market Price as of the date three days prior
to the date that the notice described in Section 15.1(b) is mailed and (y) the
highest price paid by the General Partner or any of its Affiliates for any such
Limited Partner Interest of such class purchased during the 90-day period
preceding the date that the notice described in Section 15.1(b) is mailed. As
used in this Agreement, (i) "Current Market Price" as of any date of any class
of Limited Partner Interests listed or admitted to trading on any National
Securities Exchange means the average of the daily Closing Prices (as
hereinafter defined) per limited partner interest of such class for the 20
consecutive Trading Days (as hereinafter defined) immediately prior to such
date; (ii) "Closing Price" for any day means the last sale price on such day,
regular way, or in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the
closing bid and asked prices on such day, regular way, in either case as
reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect
to securities listed or admitted for trading on the principal National
Securities Exchange (other than the Nasdaq Stock Market) on which such Limited
Partner Interests of such class are listed or admitted to trading or, if such
Limited Partner Interests of such class are not listed or admitted to trading on
any National Securities Exchange (other than the Nasdaq Stock Market), the last
quoted price on such day or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and
low asked prices on such day in the over-the-counter market, as reported by the
Nasdaq Stock Market or such other system then in use, or, if on any such day
such Limited Partner Interests of such class are not quoted by any such
organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices on such day as
furnished by a professional market maker making a market in such Limited Partner
Interests of such class selected by the General Partner, or if on any such day
no market maker is making a market in such Limited Partner Interests of such
class, the fair value of such Limited Partner Interests on such day as
determined reasonably and in good faith by the General Partner; and (iii)
"Trading Day" means a day on which the principal National Securities Exchange on
which such Limited Partner Interests of any class are listed or admitted to
trading is open for the transaction of business or, if Limited Partner Interests
of a class are not listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities
Exchange, a day on which banking institutions in New York City generally are
open.
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(b) If the General Partner, any Affiliate of the General Partner or the
Partnership elects to exercise the right to purchase Limited Partner Interests
granted pursuant to Section 15.1(a), the General Partner shall deliver to the
Transfer Agent notice of such election to purchase (the "Notice of Election to
Purchase") and shall cause the Transfer Agent to mail a copy of such Notice of
Election to Purchase to the Record Holders of Limited Partner Interests of such
class (as of a Record Date selected by the General Partner) at least 10, but not
more than 60, days prior to the Purchase Date. Such Notice of Election to
Purchase shall also be published for a period of at least three consecutive days
in at least two daily newspapers of general circulation printed in the English
language and published in the Borough of Manhattan, New York. The Notice of
Election to Purchase shall specify the Purchase Date and the price (determined
in accordance with Section 15.1(a)) at which Limited Partner Interests will be
purchased and state that the General Partner, its Affiliate or the Partnership,
as the case may be, elects to purchase such Limited Partner Interests, upon
surrender of Certificates representing such Limited Partner Interests in
exchange for payment, at such office or offices of the Transfer Agent as the
Transfer Agent may specify, or as may be required by any National Securities
Exchange on which such Limited Partner Interests are listed or admitted to
trading. Any such Notice of Election to Purchase mailed to a Record Holder of
Limited Partner Interests at his address as reflected in the records of the
Transfer Agent shall be conclusively presumed to have been given regardless of
whether the owner receives such notice. On or prior to the Purchase Date, the
General Partner, its Affiliate or the Partnership, as the case may be, shall
deposit with the Transfer Agent cash in an amount sufficient to pay the
aggregate purchase price of all of such Limited Partner Interests to be
purchased in accordance with this Section 15.1. If the Notice of Election to
Purchase shall have been duly given as aforesaid at least 10 days prior to the
Purchase Date, and if on or prior to the Purchase Date the deposit described in
the preceding sentence has been made for the benefit of the holders of Limited
Partner Interests subject to purchase as provided herein, then from and after
the Purchase Date, notwithstanding that any Certificate shall not have been
surrendered for purchase, all rights of the holders of such Limited Partner
Interests (including any rights pursuant to Articles IV, V, VI, and XII) shall
thereupon cease, except the right to receive the purchase price (determined in
accordance with Section 15.1(a)) for their Limited Partner Interests, without
interest, upon surrender to the Transfer Agent of the Certificates representing
such Limited Partner Interests, and such Limited Partner Interests shall
thereupon be deemed to be transferred to the General Partner, its Affiliate or
the Partnership, as the case may be, on the record books of the Transfer Agent
and the Partnership, and the General Partner or any Affiliate of the General
Partner, or the Partnership, as the case may be, shall be deemed to be the owner
of all such Limited Partner Interests from and after the Purchase Date and shall
have all rights as the owner of such Limited Partner Interests (including all
rights as owner of such Limited Partner Interests pursuant to Articles IV, V, VI
and XII).
(c) At any time from and after the Purchase Date, a holder of an
Outstanding Limited Partner Interest subject to purchase as provided in this
Section 15.1 may surrender his Certificate evidencing such Limited Partner
Interest to the Transfer Agent in exchange for payment of the amount described
in Section 15.1(a), therefor, without interest thereon.
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ARTICLE XVI GENERAL PROVISIONS
SECTION 16.1 Addresses and Notices.
Any notice, demand, request, report or proxy materials required or
permitted to be given or made to a Partner or Assignee under this Agreement
shall be in writing and shall be deemed given or made when delivered in person
or when sent by first class United States mail or by other means of written
communication to the Partner or Assignee at the address described below. Any
notice, payment or report to be given or made to a Partner or Assignee hereunder
shall be deemed conclusively to have been given or made, and the obligation to
give such notice or report or to make such payment shall be deemed conclusively
to have been fully satisfied, upon sending of such notice, payment or report to
the Record Holder of such Partnership Securities at his address as shown on the
records of the Transfer Agent or as otherwise shown on the records of the
Partnership, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in
such Partnership Securities by reason of any assignment or otherwise. An
affidavit or certificate of making of any notice, payment or report in
accordance with the provisions of this Section 16.1 executed by the General
Partner, the Transfer Agent or the mailing organization shall be prima facie
evidence of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report. If any
notice, payment or report addressed to a Record Holder at the address of such
Record Holder appearing on the books and records of the Transfer Agent or the
Partnership is returned by the United States Postal Service marked to indicate
that the United States Postal Service is unable to deliver it, such notice,
payment or report and any subsequent notices, payments and reports shall be
deemed to have been duly given or made without further mailing (until such time
as such Record Holder or another Person notifies the Transfer Agent or the
Partnership of a change in his address) if they are available for the Partner or
Assignee at the principal office of the Partnership for a period of one year
from the date of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report to the
other Partners and Assignees. Any notice to the Partnership shall be deemed
given if received by the General Partner at the principal office of the
Partnership designated pursuant to Section 2.3. The General Partner may rely and
shall be protected in relying on any notice or other document from a Partner,
Assignee or other Person if believed by it to be genuine.
SECTION 16.2 Further Action.
The parties shall execute and deliver all documents, provide all
information and take or refrain from taking action as may be necessary or
appropriate to achieve the purposes of this Agreement.
SECTION 16.3 Binding Effect.
This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the
parties hereto and their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, legal
representatives and permitted assigns.
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SECTION 16.4 Integration.
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the parties
hereto pertaining to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior
agreements and understandings pertaining thereto.
SECTION 16.5 Creditors.
None of the provisions of this Agreement shall be for the benefit of,
or shall be enforceable by, any creditor of the Partnership.
SECTION 16.6 Waiver.
No failure by any party to insist upon the strict performance of any
covenant, duty, agreement or condition of this Agreement or to exercise any
right or remedy consequent upon a breach thereof shall constitute waiver of any
such breach of any other covenant, duty, agreement or condition.
SECTION 16.7 Counterparts.
This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, all of which together
shall constitute an agreement binding on all the parties hereto, notwithstanding
that all such parties are not signatories to the original or the same
counterpart. Each party shall become bound by this Agreement immediately upon
affixing its signature hereto or, in the case of a Person acquiring a Unit, upon
accepting the certificate evidencing such Unit or executing and delivering a
Transfer Application as herein described, independently of the signature of any
other party.
SECTION 16.8 Applicable Law.
This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by
the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the principles of conflicts
of law.
SECTION 16.9 Invalidity of Provisions.
If any provision of this Agreement is or becomes invalid, illegal or
unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the
remaining provisions contained herein shall not be affected thereby.
SECTION 16.10 Consent of Partners.
Each Partner hereby expressly consents and agrees that, whenever in
this Agreement it is specified that an action may be taken upon the affirmative
vote or consent of less than all of the Partners, such action may be so taken
upon the concurrence of less than all of the Partners and each Partner shall be
bound by the results of such action.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the
date first written above.
GENERAL PARTNER:
ATLAS PIPELINE PARTNERS GP, LLC
By:______________________________
Name:
Title:
LIMITED PARTNERS:
All Limited Partners now
and hereafter admitted as
Limited Partners of the
Partnership, pursuant to
powers of attorney now and
hereafter executed in favor
of, and granted and
delivered to the General
Partner.
ATLAS PIPELINE PARTNERS GP, LLC
By:______________________________
Name:
Title:
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EXHIBIT A
to the Second Amended and
Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of
Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P.
Certificate Evidencing Common Units
Representing Limited Partner Interests in
Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P.
No. __________ __________ Common Units
In accordance with Section 4.1 of the Second Amended and Restated Agreement of
Limited Partnership of Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P., as amended, supplemented
or restated from time to time (the "Partnership Agreement"), Atlas Pipeline
Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the "Partnership"), hereby
certifies that ___________________ (the "Holder") is the registered owner of
________ Common Units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership
(the "Common Units") transferable on the books of the Partnership, in person or
by duly authorized attorney, upon surrender of this Certificate properly
endorsed and accompanied by a properly executed application for transfer of the
Common Units represented by this Certificate. The rights, preferences and
limitations of the Common Units are set forth in, and this Certificate and the
Common Units represented hereby are issued and shall in all respects be subject
to the terms and provisions of, the Partnership Agreement. Copies of the
Partnership Agreement are on file at, and will be furnished without charge on
delivery of written request to the Partnership at, the principal office of the
Partnership located at ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇.
Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meanings given them
in the Partnership Agreement.
The Holder, by accepting this Certificate, is deemed to have (i) requested
admission as, and agreed to become, a Limited Partner and to have agreed to
comply with and be bound by and to have executed the Partnership Agreement, (ii)
represented and warranted that the Holder has all right, power and authority
and, if an individual, the capacity necessary to enter into the Partnership
Agreement, (iii) granted the powers of attorney provided for in the Partnership
Agreement and (iv) made the waivers and given the consents and approvals
contained in the Partnership Agreement.
This Certificate shall not be valid for any purpose unless it has been
countersigned and registered by the Transfer Agent and Registrar.
Dated: _______________ Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P.
Countersigned and Registered by: By: Atlas Pipeline Partners GP, LLC, its
General Partner
________________________________ By:________________________________
as Transfer Agent and Registrar Name:_____________________________
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[Reverse of Certificate]
ABBREVIATIONS
The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face
of this Certificate, shall be construed as follows according to applicable laws
or regulations:
TEN COM - as tenants in common UNIF GIFT/TRANSFERS MIN ACT
TEN ENT - as tenants by the entireties ____________ Custodian ____________
(Cust) (Minor)
JT TEN - as joint tenants with right of under Uniform Gifts/Transfers to
survivorship and Minors Act________________________
not as tenants in common (State)
Additional abbreviations, though not in the above list, may also be used.
ASSIGNMENT OF COMMON UNITS
in
ATLAS PIPELINE PARTNERS, L.P.
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING INVESTOR RESPONSIBILITIES
DUE TO TAX SHELTER STATUS OF ATLAS PIPELINE PARTNERS, L.P.
You have acquired an interest in Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P., ▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, whose taxpayer identification
number is ▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇▇▇. The Internal Revenue Service has issued Atlas Pipeline
Partners, L.P. the following tax shelter registration number: 99344000008.
YOU MUST REPORT THIS REGISTRATION NUMBER TO THE INTERNAL REVENUE
SERVICE IF YOU CLAIM ANY DEDUCTION, LOSS, CREDIT OR OTHER TAX BENEFIT OR REPORT
ANY INCOME BY REASON OF YOUR INVESTMENT IN ATLAS PIPELINE PARTNERS, L.P.
You must report the registration number as well as the name and
taxpayer identification number of Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P. on Form 8271.
FORM 8271 MUST BE ATTACHED TO THE RETURN ON WHICH YOU CLAIM THE DEDUCTION, LOSS,
CREDIT OR OTHER TAX BENEFIT OR REPORT ANY INCOME BY REASON OF YOUR INVESTMENT IN
ATLAS PIPELINE PARTNERS, L.P.
If you transfer your interest in Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P. to
another person, you are required by the Internal Revenue Service to keep a list
containing (a) that person's name, address and taxpayer identification number,
(b) the date on which you transferred the interest and (c) the name, address and
tax shelter registration number of Atlas Pipeline Partners, L.P. If you do not
want to keep such a list, you must (1) send the information specified above to
the Partnership, which will keep the list for this tax shelter, and (2) give a
copy of this notice to the person to whom you transfer your interest. Your
failure to comply with any of the above-described responsibilities could result
in the imposition of a penalty under Section 6707(b) or 6708(a) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, unless such failure is shown to be due to
reasonable cause.
ISSUANCE OF A REGISTRATION NUMBER DOES NOT INDICATE THAT THIS
INVESTMENT OR THE CLAIMED TAX BENEFITS HAVE BEEN REVIEWED, EXAMINED OR APPROVED
BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE.
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FOR VALUE RECEIVED, _______________________________ hereby assigns,
conveys, sells and transfers unto
________________________________ _______________________________________
(Please print or typewrite name (Please insert Social Security or other
and address of Assignee) identifying number of Assignee)
________________ Common Units representing limited partner interests evidenced
by this Certificate, subject to the Partnership Agreement, and does hereby
irrevocably constitute and appoint ________________ as its attorney-in-fact with
full power of substitution to transfer the same on the books of Atlas Pipeline
Partners, L.P.
Date: NOTE: The signature to any endorsement hereon must
correspond with the name as written upon the face of
this Certificate in every particular, without
alteration, enlargement or change.
SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY A (Signature)
MEMBER FIRM OF THE NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF SECURITIES DEALERS, INC.
OR BY A COMMERCIAL BANK OR (Signature)
TRUST COMPANY
SIGNATURE(S) GUARANTEED
No transfer of the Common Units evidenced hereby will be registered on the books
of the Partnership, unless the Certificate evidencing the Common Units to be
transferred is surrendered for registration or transfer and an Application for
Transfer of Common Units has been executed by a transferee either (a) on the
form set forth below or (b) on a separate application that the Partnership will
furnish on request without charge. A transferor of the Common Units shall have
no duty to the transferee with respect to execution of the transfer application
in order for such transferee to obtain registration of the transfer of the
Common Units.
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APPLICATION FOR TRANSFER OF COMMON UNITS
The undersigned ("Assignee") hereby applies for transfer to the name of
the Assignee of the Common Units evidenced hereby.
The Assignee (a) requests admission as a Substituted Limited Partner
and agrees to comply with and be bound by, and hereby executes, the Second
Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Atlas Pipeline
Partners, L.P. (the "Partnership"), as amended, supplemented or restated to the
date hereof (the "Partnership Agreement"), (b) represents and warrants that the
Assignee has all right, power and authority and, if an individual, the capacity
necessary to enter into the Partnership Agreement, (c) appoints the General
Partner of the Partnership and, if a Liquidator shall be appointed, the
Liquidator of the Partnership as the Assignee's attorney-in-fact to execute,
swear to, acknowledge and file any document, including, without limitation, the
Partnership Agreement and any amendment thereto and the Certificate of Limited
Partnership of the Partnership and any amendment thereto, necessary or
appropriate for the Assignee's admission as a Substituted Limited Partner and as
a party to the Partnership Agreement, (d) gives the powers of attorney provided
for in the Partnership Agreement, and (e) makes the waivers and gives the
consents and approvals contained in the Partnership Agreement. Capitalized terms
not defined herein have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Partnership
Agreement.
Date: _________________
______________________________________________ _____________________________
Social Security or other identifying number of Signature of Assignee
Assignee
______________________________________________ _____________________________
Purchase Price including commissions, if any Name and Address of Assignee
Type of Entity (check one):
/ / Individual / / Partnership / / Corporation
/ / Trust / / Other (specify) _____________________________
Nationality (check one):
/ / U.S. Citizen, Resident or Domestic Entity
/ / Foreign Corporation / / Non-resident Alien
If the U.S. Citizen, Resident or Domestic Entity box is checked, the
following certification must be completed.
Under Section 1445(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
(the "Code"), the Partnership must withhold tax with respect to certain
transfers of property if a holder of an interest in the Partnership is a foreign
person. To inform the Partnership that no withholding is required with respect
to the undersigned interestholder's interest in it, the undersigned hereby
certifies the following (or, if applicable, certifies the following on behalf of
the interestholder).
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Complete Either A or B:
A. Individual Interestholder
1. I am not a non-resident alien for purposes of U.S. income taxation.
2. My U.S. taxpayer identification number (Social Security Number) is
___________ .
3. My home address is _________________________________ .
B. Partnership, Corporation or Other Interestholder
1. [Name of Interestholder] is not a foreign corporation, foreign
partnership, foreign trust or foreign estate (as those terms are defined in
the Code and Treasury Regulations).
2. The interestholder's U.S. employer identification number is
__________________ .
3. The interestholder's office address and place of incorporation (if
applicable) is _______________ .
The interestholder agrees to notify the Partnership within sixty (60) days
of the date the interestholder becomes a foreign person.
The interestholder understands that this certificate may be disclosed to
the Internal Revenue Service by the Partnership and that any false statement
contained herein could be punishable by fine, imprisonment or both.
Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this
certification and to the best of my knowledge and belief it is true, correct and
complete and, if applicable, I further declare that I have authority to sign
this document on behalf of:
____________________________
Name of Interestholder
____________________________
Signature and Date
____________________________
Title (if applicable)
Note: If the Assignee is a broker, dealer, bank, trust company, clearing
corporation, other nominee holder or an agent of any of the foregoing, and is
holding for the account of any other person, this application should be
completed by an officer thereof or, in the case of a broker or dealer, by a
registered representative who is a member of a registered national securities
exchange or a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.,
or, in the case of any other nominee holder, a person performing a similar
function. If the Assignee is a broker, dealer, bank, trust company, clearing
corporation, other nominee owner or an agent of any of the foregoing, the above
certification as to any person for whom the Assignee will hold the Common Units
shall be made to the best of the Assignee's knowledge.
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