PLACEMENT AGENCY AGREEMENT
April 16, 2012
Roth Capital Partners, LLC
24 Corporate Plaza
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Lucas Energy, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions herein, to issue and sell an aggregate of up to 2,950,000 shares (the “Shares”) of its common stock, $0.001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), and (ii) 1,032,500 warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock (the “Warrants), to certain investors (each an “Investor” and, collectively, the “Investors”), in an offering under its registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-179980). The shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants are hereinafter referred to as the "Warrant Shares" and the Shares, the Warrants and the Warrant Shares are hereinafter referred to as the "Securities." The Securities are more fully described in the Prospectus (as defined below). The Company desires to engage Roth Capital Partners, LLC in connection with such issuance and sale of the Securities.
The Company hereby confirms its agreement with you as follows:
Section 1. Agreement to Act as Placement Agent.
(a) On the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements of the Company herein contained, and subject to all the terms and conditions of this Agreement between the Company and you, Roth Capital Partners, LLC shall be the Company’s exclusive placement agent (in such capacity, the “Placement Agent”), on a reasonable efforts basis, in connection with the issuance and sale by the Company of the Securities to the Investors in a proposed takedown under the Registration Statement (as defined below), with the terms of each offering to be subject to market conditions and negotiations between the Company, the Placement Agent and the prospective Investors (such takedown shall be referred to herein as the “Offering”). As compensation for services rendered, and provided that any of the Securities are sold to Investors in the Offering, on the Closing Date (as defined below) of the Offering, the Company shall pay to the Placement Agent an amount equal to 6.0% of the gross proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the Securities to all Investors except for the “December 2010 Investors”, for which no fees shall be due under this Agreement (the “Placement Fee”). The “December 2010 Investors” are the investors that previously purchased shares of Company equity securities pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement dated as of December 26, 2010 by and among the Company and such investors as listed in the Schedule of Buyers therein. The sale of the Securities shall be made pursuant to subscription agreements in the form included as Exhibit A hereto (the “Subscription Agreements”) on the terms described on Exhibit B hereto. The Company shall have the sole right to accept offers to purchase the Securities and may reject any such offer in whole or in part. Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is understood and agreed that the Placement Agent or any of their respective affiliates may, solely at their discretion and without any obligation to do so, purchase Securities as principal; provided, however, that any such purchases by the Placement Agent (or their respective affiliates) shall be fully disclosed to the Company and approved by the Company in accordance with the previous sentence.
(b) This Agreement shall not give rise to any commitment by the Placement Agent to purchase any of the Securities, and the Placement Agent shall have no authority to bind the Company. The Placement Agent shall act on a reasonable efforts basis and does not guarantee that it will be able to raise new capital in the Offering. The Placement Agent may retain other brokers or dealers to act as sub-agents on its behalf in connection with the Offering, the fees of which shall be paid out of the Placement Fee. Prior to the earlier of (i) the date on which this Agreement is terminated and (ii) the Closing Date (as defined below), the Company shall not, without the prior written consent of the Placement Agent, solicit or accept offers to purchase Securities of the Company (other than pursuant to the grant of options or restricted stock awards under the Company's equity compensation plans or the exercise of options or warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock that are outstanding at the date hereof) otherwise than through the Placement Agent in accordance herewith.
(c) The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Placement Agent shall act as an independent contractor, and not as a fiduciary, and any duties of the Placement Agent with respect to investment banking services to the Company, including the offering of the Securities contemplated hereby (including in connection with determining the terms of the Offering), shall be contractual in nature, as expressly set forth herein, and shall be owed solely to the Company. Each party disclaims any intention to impose any fiduciary or similar duty on the other. Additionally, the Placement Agent has not advised, nor is advising, the Company or any other person as to any legal, tax, investment, accounting or regulatory matters in any jurisdiction with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company shall consult with its own advisors concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated hereby, and the Placement Agent shall have no responsibility or liability to the Company with respect thereto. Any review by the Placement Agent of the Company, the transactions contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions has been and will be performed solely for the benefit of the Placement Agent and has not been and shall not be on behalf of the Company or any other person. It is understood that the Placement Agent has not and will not be rendering an opinion to the Company as to the fairness of the terms of the Offering. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company acknowledges that the Placement Agent may have financial interests in the success of the Offering contemplated hereby that are not limited to the Placement Fee. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Placement Agent with respect to any breach or alleged breach of fiduciary duty.
(d) Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of, the Securities shall be made at a closing (the “Closing”) at the offices of LKP Global Law, LLC, counsel for the Placement Agent, located at 1901 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 480, Los Angeles, California at 10:00 a.m., local time, as soon as practicable after the determination of the public offering price of the Securities, but not later than on April 12, 2012 (such date of payment and delivery being herein called the “Closing Date”). All such actions taken at the Closing shall be deemed to have occurred simultaneously. No Securities which the Company has agreed to sell pursuant to this Agreement and the Subscription Agreements shall be deemed to have been purchased and paid for, or sold by the Company, until such Securities shall have been delivered to the Investor thereof against payment therefore by such Investor. If the Company shall default in its obligations to deliver Securities to an Investor whose offer it has accepted, the Company shall indemnify and hold the Placement Agent harmless against any loss, claim or damage incurred by the Placement Agent arising from or as a result of such default by the Company.
(e) On the Closing Date, (i) the Investors will wire the purchase price for their respective Securities to the Company pursuant to the terms of the Subscription Agreements and the Company will wire the amounts owed to the Placement Agent as provided in this Agreement and (ii) the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered the Securities to the Investors, with the delivery of the Shares to be made, if possible, through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company's DWAC system, and the delivery of the Warrants to be made by mail to the Investors to the addresses set forth on the applicable Subscription Agreement.
(f) The Securities shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as the Placement Agent shall request by written notice to the Company.
Section 2. Representations, Warranties and Agreements of the Company.
The Company hereby represents, warrants and covenants to the Placement Agent as of the date hereof, and as of the Closing Date of the Offering, as follows:
(a) Registration Statement. (i) The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-179980) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), and such amendments to such registration statement as may have been required to the date of this Agreement. Such registration statement has been declared effective by the Commission. Each part of such registration statement, at any given time, including amendments thereto at such time, the exhibits and any schedules thereto at such time, the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act at such time and the documents and information otherwise deemed to be a part thereof or included therein by Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act or otherwise pursuant to the Securities Act at such time, is herein called the “Registration Statement.” Any registration statement filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act is called the “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement” and, from and after the date and time of filing of the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, the term “Registration Statement” shall include the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. The Company and the transactions contemplated by this Agreement meet the requirements and comply with the conditions for the use of Form S-3 under the Securities Act. The offering of the Securities by the Company complies with the applicable requirements of Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Company has complied with all requests of the Commission for additional or supplemental information.
(ii) No stop order preventing or suspending use of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, has been issued by the Commission, and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, are contemplated or threatened by the Commission.
(iii) The Company proposes to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act a final prospectus supplement relating to the Securities to a form of prospectus included in the Registration Statement relating to the Securities in the form heretofore delivered to the Placement Agent. Such prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective by the Commission or in the form in which it has been most recently filed with the Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement is hereinafter called the “Base Prospectus.” Such prospectus supplement, in the form in which it shall be filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) (including the Base Prospectus as so supplemented) is hereinafter called the “Prospectus.” Any preliminary form of Prospectus which is filed or used prior to filing of the Prospectus is hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus.” Any reference herein to the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or to any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include any documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act as of the date of such prospectus, and, in the case of any reference herein to the Prospectus, also shall be deemed to include any documents incorporated by reference therein, and any supplements or amendments thereto, filed with the Commission after the date of filing of the Prospectus under Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, and prior to the termination of the offering of the Securities by the Placement Agent.
(iv) For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”). All references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include the subsequent filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (collectively with the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, the “Exchange Act”)) and which is deemed to be incorporated therein by reference therein or otherwise deemed to be a part thereof.
(b) Compliance with Registration Requirements. As of the time of filing of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto, at the time it became effective (including each deemed effective date with respect to the Placement Agent pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act) and as of the Closing Date, the Registration Statement complied and will comply, in all material respects, with the requirements of the Securities Act and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. Each Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, at the time of filing or the time of first use and as of the Closing Date, complied and will comply, in all material respects, with the requirements of the Securities Act and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, that the Company makes no representations or warranty in this paragraph with respect to any Placement Agent Information (as defined in Section 7).
(c) Disclosure Package. As of the Time of Sale (as defined below) and as of the Closing Date, neither (A) the Issuer General Free Writing Prospectus(es) (as defined below) issued at or prior to the Time of Sale, the Prospectus or any Preliminary Prospectus (as amended or supplemented as of the Time of Sale) and the information included on Exhibit C hereto, all considered together (collectively, the “Disclosure Package”), nor (B) any individual Issuer Limited-Use Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below), when considered together with the Disclosure Package, included or will include any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, that the Company makes no representations or warranty in this paragraph with respect to any Placement Agent Information. No statement of material fact included in the Prospectus has been omitted from the Disclosure Package and no statement of material fact included in the Disclosure Package that is required to be included in the Prospectus has been omitted therefrom. As used in this paragraph and elsewhere in this Agreement:
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(1)
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“Time of Sale” with respect to any Investor, means the time of receipt and acceptance of an executed Subscription Agreement from such Investor.
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(2)
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“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus,” as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act (“Rule 433”), relating to the Securities in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g) under the Securities Act.
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(3)
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“Issuer General Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors as identified on Schedule I hereto, and does not include a “bona fide electronic road show” as defined in Rule 433.
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(4)
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“Issuer Limited-Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not an Issuer General Free Writing Prospectus, including any “bona fide electronic road show” as defined in Rule 433, that is made available without restriction pursuant to Rule 433(d)(8)(ii), even though not required to be filed with the Commission.
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(d) Conflict with Registration Statement. Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the offering and sale of the Securities or until any earlier date that the Company notified or notifies the Placement Agent, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus including any document incorporated by reference therein and any prospectus supplement deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified; provided, that the Company makes no representations or warranty in this paragraph with respect to any Placement Agent Information.
(e) Distributed Materials. The Company has not, directly or indirectly, distributed and will not distribute any prospectus or other offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities other than any Preliminary Prospectus, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, and other materials, if any, permitted under the Securities Act to be distributed and consistent with Section 3(d) below. The Company will file with the Commission all Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses in the time required under Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act. The Company has satisfied or will satisfy the conditions in Rule 433 under the Securities Act to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic road show. The parties hereto agree and understand that the content of any and all “road shows” related to the offering of the Securities contemplated hereby is solely the property of the Company.
(f) Not an Ineligible Issuer. (1) At the time of filing the Registration Statement and (2) at the date hereof and at the Closing Date, the Company was not, is not and will not be an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an ineligible issuer including, without limitation, for purposes of Rules 164 and 433 under the Securities Act with respect to the offering of the Securities as contemplated by the Registration Statement.
(g) Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated by reference in the Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus, when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and were filed on a timely basis with the Commission and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(h) Due Incorporation. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Nevada, with the corporate power and authority to own its properties and to conduct its business as currently being carried on and as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. Each of the subsidiaries of the Company, which currently consists only of LEI Alcalde Properties LLC (collectively, the “Subsidiaries”), has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, with corporate power and authority to own or lease its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package. The Company and each Subsidiary is duly qualified to transact business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which its ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified and in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in any material adverse effect upon, or material adverse change in, the general affairs, business, operations, prospects, properties, financial condition, or results of operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries (as defined below) taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Effect”).
(i) Subsidiaries. The Company has no subsidiaries, direct or indirect, other than LEI Alcalde Properties LLC.
(j) Capitalization. The Company has duly and validly authorized capital stock as set forth in each of the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; all outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company conform, or when issued will conform, to the description thereof in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and have been, or, when issued and paid for in the manner described herein will be, duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; and except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the issuance of the Securities, including without limitation, issuance of the Warrant Shares upon exercise, to be purchased from the Company hereunder is not subject to preemptive or other similar rights, or any restriction upon the voting or transfer thereof pursuant to applicable law or the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws or governing documents or any agreement to which the Company is a party or by which it may be bound, other than the December 2010 Investors’ right of first refusal to purchase up to 25% of the Shares sold in the Offering.
(k) Authorization, Issuance. All corporate action required to be taken by the Company for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Securities has, or will have, been duly and validly taken prior to the Closing Date. The Shares and the Warrant Shares have, or will have, been duly and validly authorized prior to the Closing Date. When the Shares and the Warrant Shares have been issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein and in the Warrant, as the case may be, the Shares, when so issued and sold, and the Warrant Shares, when issued upon exercise of the Warrants, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and the Investors or other persons in whose names Shares or Warrant Shares are registered will acquire good and valid title to such Shares or Warrant Shares, in each case, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities, preemptive rights and other claims. The Shares and the Warrant Shares will conform in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. No further approval or authority of the shareholders or the Board of Directors of the Company will be required for the issuance and sale of the Shares, the Warrants or the Warrant Shares as contemplated herein and in the Subscription Agreements. The Warrants conform, or when issued will conform, to the description thereof contained in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and have been duly and validly authorized by the Company and upon delivery to the Investors at the Closing Date will be valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors generally or subject to general principles of equity. Except as disclosed in each of the Disclosure Package and Prospectus, or incorporated by reference therein, there are no outstanding subscriptions, rights, warrants, options, calls, convertible securities, commitments of sale or rights related to or entitling any person to purchase or otherwise to acquire any shares of, or any security convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, the capital stock of, or other ownership interest in, the Company, except for such options or rights as may have been granted by the Company to employees, directors or consultants pursuant to its stock option or stock purchase plans.
(l) No Registration Rights. Neither the filing of the Registration Statement nor the offering or sale of the Securities as contemplated by this Agreement gives rise to any rights, other than those which have been waived or satisfied, for or relating to the registration of any shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company.
(m) Due Authorization and Enforceability. This Agreement and each Subscription Agreement has been, or will have been, duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company prior to the Closing Date, and will constitute a valid, legal and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as rights to indemnity hereunder may be limited by federal or state securities laws and except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting the rights of creditors generally and subject to general principles of equity.
(n) No Violation. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is in breach or violation of or in default (nor has any event occurred which with notice, lapse of time or both would result in any breach or violation of, or constitute a default) (i) under the provisions of its Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws or other governing documents or (ii) in the performance or observance of any term, covenant, obligation, agreement or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bank loan or credit agreement or other evidence of indebtedness, or any license, lease, contract or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them or any of their properties may be bound or affected, or (iii) in the performance or observance of any statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, judgment, order or decree of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company, the Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties (including, without limitation, those administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) or by any foreign, federal, state or local regulatory authority performing functions similar to those performed by the EPA), except, with respect to clauses (ii) and (iii) above, to the extent any such contravention would not result in a Material Adverse Effect. The Company is not in violation of any of the rules, regulations or requirements of the NYSE Amex and has no knowledge of any facts or circumstances that would reasonably lead to delisting or suspension of the Common Stock by the NYSE Amex in the foreseeable future.
(o) No Conflict. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, each Subscription Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated, including the issuance and sale by the Company of the Securities, will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under (nor constitute any event which with notice, lapse of time or both would result in any breach or violation of or constitute a default under) (i) the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws or other governing documents of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, (ii) any material indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bank loan or credit agreement or other evidence of indebtedness, or any material license, lease, contract (including without limitation, any engagement agreement or arrangement with any other broker-dealer) or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them or any of their respective properties may be bound or affected, or (iii) any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule or any decree, judgment or order applicable to the Company or any of the Subsidiaries.
(p) No Consents Required. No approval, authorization, consent or order of or filing with any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, or with any self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority (including, without limitation, the NYSE Amex Equities (“NYSE Amex”), or approval of the shareholders of the Company (including as may be required pursuant to the rules and regulations of the NYSE Amex)), is required in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby other than (i) as may be required under the Securities Act, (ii) under the rules and regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) and (iii) the filing of an additional listing application with the NYSE Amex. The Company has full power and authority to enter into this Agreement and each Subscription Agreement and to authorize, issue and sell the Securities as contemplated by this Agreement and each Subscription Agreement.
(q) Absence of Material Changes. Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Disclosure Package, (a) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, or entered into any material transaction not in the ordinary course of business; (b) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has purchased any of the Company's outstanding capital stock, or declared, paid or otherwise made any dividend or distribution of any kind on the Company's capital stock; (c) there has not been any change in the capital stock (other than a change in the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock due to the issuance of such shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants, pursuant to the terms of employment agreements outstanding prior to the date of the Disclosure Package, or issuable upon the conversion of the Company’s convertible preferred stock), or material change in the short−term debt or long−term debt of the Company and its Subsidiaries or any issue of options, warrants, convertible securities or other rights to purchase the capital stock (other than grants of stock options under the Company’s stock option plans existing on the date hereof) of the Company, or (d) there has not been any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the business, properties, management, financial condition or results of operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Disclosure Package (exclusive of any amendments or supplements thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement).
(r) Permits. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries possess all necessary licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals and have made all necessary filings required under any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule (including, without limitation, those from the EPA and any other foreign, federal, state or local government or regulatory authorities performing functions similar to those performed by the EPA) in order to conduct its business. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is in violation of, or in default under, or has received notice of any proceedings relating to revocation or modification of, any such license, authorization, consent or approval. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries is in compliance in all material respects with all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, regulations, orders or decrees.
(s) Legal Proceedings. There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened or contemplated to which the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is or would be a party or of which any of their respective properties is or would be subject at law or in equity, before or by any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, or before or by any self-regulatory organization or other non-governmental regulatory authority (including, without limitation, FINRA and NYSE Amex), except (i) as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (ii) any such proceeding, which if resolved adversely to the Company or any Subsidiary, would not result in a judgment, decree or order having, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect or (iii) any such proceeding that would not prevent or materially and adversely affect the ability of the Company to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby. The Disclosure Package contains in all material respects the same description of the foregoing matters contained in the Prospectus.
(t) Statutes; Contracts. There are no statutes or regulations applicable to the Company or contracts or other documents of the Company which are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement by the Securities Act which have not been so described or filed.
(u) Independent Accountants. GBH CPAs, PC, who has audited the financial statements of the Company and the Subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm (as defined in Section 2(a)(12) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”)) with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).
(v) Financial Statements. The financial statements of the Company, together with the related schedules and notes thereto, set forth or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and present fairly in all material respects (i) the financial condition of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, as of the dates indicated and (ii) the consolidated results of operations, shareholders’ equity and changes in cash flows of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, for the periods therein specified; and such financial statements and related schedules and notes thereto have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as in effect in the United States, consistently applied throughout the periods involved (except as otherwise stated therein and subject, in the case of unaudited financial statements, to the absence of footnotes and normal year-end adjustments). There are no other financial statements (historical or pro forma) that are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and the Company and the Subsidiaries do not have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), not disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and all disclosures contained in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus regarding “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission), if any, comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10(e) of Regulation S-K of the Commission, to the extent applicable, and present fairly the information shown therein and the Company’s basis for using such measures.
(w) Not an Investment Company. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is or, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus, will be required to register as an “investment company” as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(x) Good Title to Property. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries has good and valid title to all property (whether real or personal) described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as being owned by each of them, in each case free and clear of all liens, claims, security interests, other encumbrances or defects except such as are described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and those that would not, individually or in the aggregate materially and adversely affect the value of such property and do not materially and adversely interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries. All of the property described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as being held under lease by the Company or a Subsidiary is held thereby under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases, without any liens, restrictions, encumbrances or claims, except those that, individually or in the aggregate, are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries.
(y) Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and the Subsidiaries own, or have obtained valid and enforceable licenses for, or other rights to use, the inventions, patent applications, patents, trademarks (both registered and unregistered), tradenames, copyrights, trade secrets and other proprietary information described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as being owned or licensed by them or which are necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses (collectively, “Intellectual Property”), except where the failure to own, license or have such rights would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (i) there are no third parties who have or, to the Company’s knowledge, will be able to establish rights to any Intellectual Property, except for the ownership rights of the owners of the Intellectual Property which is licensed to the Company; (ii) to the Company’s knowledge, there is no infringement by third parties of any Intellectual Property; (iii) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others challenging the Company’s rights in or to, or the validity, enforceability, or scope of, any Intellectual Property owned by or licensed to the Company, and the Company is unaware of any facts which could form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (iv) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company or any of the Subsidiaries infringes or otherwise violates any patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of others, and the Company is unaware of any facts which could form a reasonable basis for any such claim; (v) to the Company’s knowledge, there is no patent or patent application that contains claims that interfere with the issued or pending claims of any of the Intellectual Property; and (vi) to the Company’s knowledge, there is no prior art that may render any patent owned by the Company invalid, nor is there any prior art known to the Company that may render any patent application owned by the Company unpatentable.
(z) Taxes. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries has timely filed all material federal, state, local and foreign income and franchise tax returns (or timely filed applicable extensions therefore) that have been required to be filed and are not in default in the payment of any taxes which were payable pursuant to said returns or any assessments with respect thereto, other than any which the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is contesting in good faith and for which adequate reserves have been provided and reflected in the Company’s financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has any tax deficiency that has been or, to the knowledge of the Company, might be asserted or threatened against it that would result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(aa) Insurance. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries maintains insurance in such amounts and covering such risks as is adequate for the conduct of its business and the value of its properties and as is customary for companies engaged in similar businesses in similar industries. All such insurance is fully in force on the date hereof and will be fully in force as of the Closing Date. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not have a Material Adverse Effect.
(bb) Accounting Controls. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as in effect in the United States and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.
(cc) Disclosure Controls. The Company has established, maintains and evaluates “disclosure controls and procedures” (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act), which (i) are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and its principal financial officer by others within those entities, particularly during the periods in which the periodic reports required under the Exchange Act are being prepared, (ii) have been evaluated for effectiveness as of the end of the last fiscal period covered by the Registration Statement; and (iii) such disclosure controls and procedures are effective to perform the functions for which they were established. There are no significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial data to management and the Board of Directors. The Company is not aware of any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a role in the Company’s internal controls; and since the date of the most recent evaluation of such disclosure controls and procedures, there have been no significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.
(dd) Corrupt Practices. Neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company, including without limitation any director, officer, agent or employee of the Company or its Subsidiaries has, directly or indirectly, while acting on behalf of the Company or its Subsidiaries (i) used any corporate funds for unlawful contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to foreign or domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii) violated any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended or (iv) made any other unlawful payment.
(ee) No Price Stabilization. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any of their respective officers, directors, affiliates or controlling persons has taken or will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or result in, or which has constituted or which might reasonably be expected to constitute the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(ff) No Undisclosed Relationships. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company on the one hand and the directors, officers, shareholders, customers or suppliers of the Company on the other hand which is required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus which has not been so described. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any member of their respective immediate families, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The Company has not, in violation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, directly or indirectly, extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit, or renewed an extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan to or for any director or executive officer of the Company.
(gg) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company, and to its knowledge after due inquiry, all of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, are in compliance in all material respects with all applicable effective provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and any related rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission and the NYSE Amex.
(hh) Brokers Fees. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement or any other agreement with Roth Capital Partners, LLC) that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or the Subsidiaries or the Placement Agent for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities, except the Company may pay brokers fees in connection with any investments made by the December 2010 Investors.
(ii) Exchange Act Requirements. The Company has filed in a timely manner all reports required to be filed pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(e), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the preceding 12 months. The Company’s Common Stock is listed and trades on the NYSE Amex and no stop order or notice of suspension of trading of its Common Stock on the NYSE Amex has been received from or threatened by any person.
(jj) FINRA Affiliations. To the Company’s knowledge, there are no affiliations or associations between (i) any member of FINRA and (ii) the Company or any of the Company’s officers, directors or 5% or greater securityholders or any beneficial owner of the Company’s unregistered equity securities that were acquired at any time on or after the one hundred eightieth (180th) day immediately preceding the date the Registration Statement was initially filed with the Commission, except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(kk) Compliance with Environmental Laws. The Company and the Subsidiaries (a) are in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws, orders, rules, regulations, directives, decrees and judgments relating to the protection of human health and safety, the environment or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (b) have received all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (c) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval, except where such noncompliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals or failure to comply with the terms and conditions of such permits, licenses or approvals would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. There are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties) which would, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(ll) No Labor Disputes. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is engaged in any unfair labor practice; except for matters that would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. There is (A) no unfair labor practice complaint pending or, to the Company’s knowledge after due inquiry, threatened against the Company or any Subsidiary before the National Labor Relations Board, and no grievance or arbitration proceeding arising out of or under collective bargaining agreements is pending or threatened, (B) no strike, labor dispute, slowdown or stoppage pending or, to the Company’s knowledge after due inquiry, threatened against the Company or any Subsidiary and (C) no union representation dispute currently existing concerning the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary, and (ii) to the Company’s knowledge (A) no union organizing activities are currently taking place concerning the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary and (B) there has been no violation of any federal, state, local or foreign law relating to discrimination in the hiring, promotion or pay of employees or any applicable wage or hour laws concerning the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary.
(mm) ERISA. The Company is in compliance in all material respects with all presently applicable provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (“ERISA”); no “reportable event” (as defined in ERISA) has occurred with respect to any “pension plan” (as defined in ERISA) for which the Company would have any liability; the Company has not incurred and does not expect to incur liability under (i) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “pension plan” or (ii) Sections 412 or 4971 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, including the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (the “Code”); and each “pension plan” for which the Company would have any liability that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified in all material respects and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification.
(nn) NYSE; Exchange Act Registration. The Common Stock is registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and accepted for listing on the NYSE Amex, the Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act or delisting the Common Stock from the NYSE Amex, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or NYSE Amex is contemplating terminating such registration or listing. The Company has complied in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the NYSE Amex for maintenance of listing of the Common Stock thereon.
(oo) PFIC Status. The Company is not, for the taxable year ended December 31, 2011, and upon consummation of the transactions described hereby and the application of the proceeds as described in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus is not expected to become, a Passive Foreign Investment Company within the meaning of Section 1297 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended.
(pp) Statistical or Market-Related Data. Any statistical, industry-related and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes to be reliable and accurate, and such data agrees with the sources from which they are derived.
(qq) Descriptions of Documents. The statements set forth in each of the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus describing the Securities and this Agreement, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair in all material respects.
(rr) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in compliance in all material respects with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending, or to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(ss) OFAC. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity that, to the Company’s knowledge, will use such proceeds, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.
Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or a Subsidiary and delivered to the Placement Agent or to counsel for the Placement Agent in connection with the offering of the Securities shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company (and not such officer in an individual capacity) to the Placement Agent and the Investors as to the matters covered thereby.
Section 3. Covenants.
The Company covenants and agrees with the Placement Agent as follows:
(a) Reporting Obligations; Exchange Act Compliance. The Company will (i) file the Preliminary Prospectus, if any, and the Prospectus with the Commission within the time periods specified by Rule 424(b) and Rules 430A, 430B and 430C, as applicable under the Securities Act, (ii) file any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act, if applicable, (iii) file promptly all reports required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and during such period as the Prospectus would be required by law to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act or any similar rule) (the “Prospectus Delivery Period”), and (iv) furnish copies of each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, if any, (to the extent not previously delivered) to the Placement Agent prior to 11:00 a.m. Eastern time, on the second business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement in such quantities as the Placement Agent shall reasonably request.
(b) Abbreviated Registration Statement. If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, the Company shall file a registration statement under Rule 462(b) with the Commission in compliance with Rule 462(b) by 8:00 a.m., Eastern time, on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement, and the Company shall at the time of filing either pay to the Commission the filing fee for such Rule 462(b) registration statement or give irrevocable instructions for the payment of such fee pursuant to the Rules and Regulations.
(c) Amendments or Supplements. The Company will not, during the Prospectus Delivery Period in connection with the Offering contemplated by this Agreement, file any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus unless a copy thereof shall first have been submitted to the Placement Agent within a reasonable period of time prior to the filing thereof and the Placement Agent shall not have reasonably objected thereto in good faith.
(d) Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company will (i) not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an “issuer free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 433) or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) required to be filed by the Company with the Commission under Rule 433 under the Securities Act unless the Placement Agent approve its use in writing prior to first use (each, a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”); provided that the prior written consent of the Placement Agent hereto shall be deemed to have been given in respect of the Issuer Free Writing Prospectus(es) included in Schedule I hereto, (ii) treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, (iii) comply with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 under the Securities Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, including the requirements relating to timely filing with the Commission, legending and record keeping and (iv) not take any action that would result in the Placement Agent or the Company being required to file with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Placement Agent that such Placement Agent otherwise would not have been required to file thereunder. The Company will satisfy the conditions in Rule 433 under the Securities Act to avoid a requirement to file with the Commission any electronic road show.
(e) Notice to Placement Agent. During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will notify the Placement Agent promptly, and will, if requested, confirm such notification in writing: (i) the receipt of any comments of, or requests for additional information from, the Commission; (ii) the time and date of any filing of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, (iii) the time and date when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement becomes effective; (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment thereto or any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, the Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose or the threat thereof; (v) of receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to any suspension or the approval of the Shares and Warrant Shares from any securities exchange upon which it is listed for trading or included or designated for quotation, or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance or invocation of any such stop order or suspension by the Commission and, if any such stop order or suspension is so issued or invoked, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal or removal thereof.
(f) Filing of Amendments or Supplements. If, during the Prospectus Delivery Period, any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus (or, if the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, the Disclosure Package) in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or, if the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, the Disclosure Package) is delivered to an Investor, not misleading, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Placement Agent, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus (or, if the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, the Disclosure Package) to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Placement Agent, either amendments or supplements to the Prospectus (or, if the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, the Disclosure Package) so that the statements in the Prospectus (or, if the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, the Disclosure Package) as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or, if the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, the Disclosure Package) is delivered to an Investor, be misleading or so that the Prospectus (or, if the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, the Disclosure Package), as amended or supplemented, will comply with law. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement relating to the Securities or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company promptly will notify the Placement Agent and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.
(g) Delivery of Copies. The Company will deliver promptly to the Placement Agent and their counsel such number of the following documents as the Placement Agent shall reasonably request: (i) conformed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed with the Commission and each amendment thereto (in each case excluding exhibits), (ii) copies of any Preliminary Prospectus or Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, (iii) during the Prospectus Delivery Period, copies of the Prospectus (or any amendments or supplements thereto); (iii) any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus (other than any such document that is filed with the Commission electronically via EDGAR or any successor system) and (iv) all correspondence to and from, and all documents issued to and by, the Commission in connection with the registration of the Securities under the Securities Act.
(h) Earnings Statement. As soon as practicable, but in any event not later than 15 months after the end of the Company’s current fiscal quarter, the Company will make generally available to holders of its securities and deliver to the Placement Agent, an earnings statement of the Company (which need not be audited) that will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) and Rule 158 of the Securities Act.
(i) Use of Proceeds. The Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Securities in the manner set forth in the Registration Statement, Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the heading “Use of Proceeds”.
(j) Public Communications. Prior to the Closing Date, the Company will not issue any press release or other communication directly or indirectly or hold any press conference with respect to the Company, its condition, financial or otherwise, or the earnings, business, operations or prospects of any of them, or the offering of the Securities, without the prior written consent of the Placement Agent, unless in the reasonable judgment of the Company and its counsel, and after notification to the Placement Agent, such press release or communication is required by law, in which case the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to allow the Placement Agent reasonable time to comment on such release or other communication in advance of such issuance.
(k) Stabilization. The Company will not take directly or indirectly any action designed, or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, or that will constitute, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities.
(l) Transfer Agent. The Company shall engage and maintain, at its expense, a transfer agent and, if necessary under the jurisdiction of incorporation of the Company, a registrar for the Shares and Warrant Shares.
(m) Investment Company Act. The Company shall not invest, or otherwise use the proceeds received by the Company from its sale of the Securities in such a manner as would require the Company to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
(n) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company will comply with all effective applicable provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act.
(o) Periodic Reports. During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will file with the Commission such periodic and special reports as required by the Exchange Act.
(p) NYSE Amex. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to obtain approval for, and maintain the listing of the Shares and Warrant Shares on the NYSE Amex for so long as the Common Stock is listed thereon.
Section 4. Costs and Expenses.
The Company, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereunder are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, will pay or reimburse if paid by the Placement Agent all actual out-of-pocket costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement and in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including but not limited to costs and expenses of or relating to (i) the preparation, printing, filing, delivery and shipping of the Registration Statement, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, each Preliminary Prospectus, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing and the printing and furnishing of copies of each thereof to the Placement Agent and dealers (including costs of mailing and shipment), (ii) the registration, issue, sale and delivery of the Securities including any stock or transfer taxes and stamp or similar duties payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities and the printing, delivery, and shipping of the certificates representing the Securities, (iii) the fees and expenses of any transfer agent or registrar for the Shares and Warrant Shares, (iv) the filing fees required to be paid by the Placement Agent or the Company with FINRA (including all COBRADesk fees), (v) fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel to the Company, (vi) listing fees, if any, for the listing or quotation of the Shares and Warrant Shares on the NYSE Amex, (vii) reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Placement Agent, and (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company and the Placement Agent in connection with the marketing of the offering and the sale of the Securities to prospective investors including, but not limited to, those related to any presentations or meetings undertaken in connection therewith including, without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged with the written consent of the Company in connection with the road show presentations, travel, lodging and other expenses incurred by the officers of the Company and any such consultants, and the cost of any aircraft or other transportation chartered by the Company in connection with the road show. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the expenses of the Placement Agent (other than the filing fees set forth in clause (iv) above), including attorneys fees and expenses, which the Company shall be obligated to reimburse hereunder shall not exceed an amount equal to $40,000 in the aggregate without the Company’s consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld. It is understood that except as provided in this Section 4, Section 6 and Section 8(b), the Placement Agent shall pay all of their own expenses.
Section 5. Conditions of Placement Agent’s Obligations.
The obligations of the Placement Agent hereunder are subject to the following conditions:
(a) Filings with the Commission. The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act at or before 5:30 p.m., Eastern time, within five full business days of the date of this Agreement (or such earlier time as may be required under the Securities Act).
(b) Abbreviated Registration Statement. If the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b), the registration statement filed under Rule 462(b) shall have become effective under the Securities Act by 8:00 a.m., Eastern time, on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement.
(c) No Stop Orders. Prior to the Closing: (i) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued under the Securities Act and no proceedings initiated under Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the Securities Act for that purpose shall be pending or threatened by the Commission, and (ii) any request for additional information on the part of the Commission (to be included in the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or otherwise) shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Placement Agent.
(d) Action Preventing Issuance. No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any governmental agency or body which would, as of the Closing Date, prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities; and no injunction, restraining order or order of any other nature by any federal or state court of competent jurisdiction shall have been issued as of the Closing Date which would prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities.
(e) Objection of Placement Agent. No Prospectus or amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement shall have been filed to which the Placement Agent shall have objected in writing, which objection shall not be unreasonable. The Placement Agent shall not have advised the Company that the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus contains an untrue statement of fact which, in their opinion, is material, or omits to state a fact which, in their opinion, is material and is required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(f) No Material Adverse Change. (i) Prior to the Closing, there shall not have occurred any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company from that set forth in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus that, in the Placement Agent’s judgment, is material and adverse and that makes it, in the Placement Agent’s judgment, impracticable to market the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Disclosure Package.
(ii) There shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE Amex, the NASDAQ Stock Market, NASDAQ Global Select Market, the NASDAQ Global Market, the NASDAQ Capital Market or the over the counter market or the establishing on such exchanges or market by the SEC or by such exchanges or markets of minimum or maximum prices that are not in force and effect on the date hereof; (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company’s securities on the NYSE Amex or any other exchange or market or the establishing on any such market or exchange by the SEC or by such market of minimum or maximum prices that are not in force and effect on the date hereof; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities declared by either federal or any state authorities; (iv) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States or the declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war, which in the Placement Agent’s sole judgment makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Securities in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus; or (v) any calamity or crisis, change in national, international or world affairs, act of God, change in the international or domestic markets, or change in the existing financial, political or economic conditions in the United States or elsewhere, that in the Placement Agent’s judgment makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Securities in the manner contemplated in each of the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(g) Representations and Warranties. Each of the representations and warranties of the Company contained herein shall be true and correct in all material respects when made and on and as of the Closing Date, as if made on such date (except that those representations and warranties that address matters only as of a particular date shall remain true and correct in all material respects as of such date), and all covenants and agreements herein contained to be performed on the part of the Company and all conditions herein contained to be fulfilled or complied with by the Company at or prior to the Closing Date shall have been duly performed, fulfilled or complied with.
(h) Officer’s Certificate. The Placement Agent shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate, addressed to the Placement Agent and dated the Closing Date, of the chief executive or chief operating officer and the chief financial officer or chief accounting officer of the Company to the effect that:
(i) each of the representations, warranties and agreements of the Company in this Agreement were true and correct in all material respects when originally made and are true and correct in all material respects as of the Time of Sale and the Closing Date (except that those representations and warranties that address matters only as of a particular date shall remain true and correct in all material respects as of such date); and the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part required under this Agreement to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Date;
(ii) subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Disclosure Package, there has not been (A) a material adverse change or any development involving a prospective material adverse change in the general affairs, business, properties, management, financial condition or results of operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (B) any transaction that is material to the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, except transactions entered into in the ordinary course of business, (C) any obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, incurred by the Company or the Subsidiaries, except obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business, (D) except as disclosed in the Disclosure Package and in the Prospectus, any change in the capital stock (other than a change in the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock due to the issuance of shares upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants, pursuant to the terms of employment agreements outstanding prior to the date of the Disclosure Package, or issuable upon the conversion of the Company’s convertible preferred stock) or any material change in the short term or long term indebtedness of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (E) any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made on the capital stock of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or (F) any loss or damage (whether or not insured) to the property of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which has been sustained or will have been sustained which has had or is reasonably likely to result in a Material Adverse Effect;
(iii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof or any amendment thereof or the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale, nor suspending or preventing the use of the Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been issued, and no proceedings for that purpose shall be pending or to their knowledge, threatened by the Commission or any state or regulatory body; and
(iv) the signers of said certificate have reviewed the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, and any amendments thereof or supplements thereto (and any documents filed under the Exchange Act and deemed to be incorporated by reference into the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus), and (A) (i) each part of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereof do not and did not contain when the Registration Statement (or such amendment) became effective, any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state, and did not omit to state when the Registration Statement (or such amendment) became effective, any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and (ii) as of the Time of Sale, neither the Disclosure Package nor any individual Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the Disclosure Package, contained any untrue statement of material fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and (iii) the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, does not and did not contain, as of its issue date and as of the Closing Date, any untrue statement of material fact or omit to state and did not omit to state as of such date, a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and (B) since the Time of Sale, there has occurred no event required to be set forth in an amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus which has not been so set forth and there has been no document required to be filed under the Exchange Act that upon such filing would be deemed to be incorporated by reference in to the Disclosure Package and into the Prospectus that has not been so filed.
(i) Secretary’s Certificate. On the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Placement Agent a Secretary’s Certificate of the Company.
(j) Other Filings with the Commission. The Company shall have prepared and filed with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby, including as an exhibit thereto this Agreement and any other documents relating thereto.
(k) No FINRA Objection. FINRA shall not have raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the placement agency terms and arrangements relating to the issuance and sale of the Securities; provided that if any such objection is raised, the Company and the Placement Agent shall negotiate promptly and in good faith appropriate modifications to such placement agency terms and arrangements in order to satisfy such objections.
(l) NYSE Amex. The Shares and the Warrant Shares shall have been approved for listing on the NYSE Amex, subject to official notice of issuance.
(m) Additional Documents. Prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Placement Agent such further information, certificates or documents as the Placement Agent shall have reasonably requested for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as contemplated herein, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations and warranties, or the satisfaction of any of the conditions or agreements, herein contained.
All opinions, letters, evidence and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Placement Agent.
If any condition specified in this Section 5 is not satisfied when and as required to be satisfied, this Agreement may be terminated by the Placement Agent by notice to the Company at any time prior to the Closing Date, which termination shall be without liability on the part of any party to any other party, except that Section 4, Section 6 and Section 8 shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.
Section 6. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) Indemnification of the Placement Agent. The Company agrees to indemnify, defend and hold harmless each of the Placement Agent, its respective directors and officers, and each person, if any, who controls such Placement Agent within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and the successors and assigns of all of the foregoing persons, from and against any loss, damage, claim or liability, which, jointly or severally, such Placement Agent or any such person may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, the common law or otherwise, (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company), insofar as such loss, damage, claim or liability (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon: (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and, in the case of (i) and (ii) above, to reimburse such Placement Agent and each such controlling person for any and all reasonable expenses (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) as such expenses are incurred by such Placement Agent or such controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the foregoing indemnity shall not apply to any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense to the extent, but only to the extent, it arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in or omitted from, and in conformity with information concerning such Placement Agent furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Placement Agent to the Company expressly for use therein, which information the parties hereto agree is limited to the Placement Agent Information (as defined in Section 7), (iii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement made by the Company in Section 3 hereof or the failure by the Company to perform when and as required any agreement or covenant contained herein, (iv) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in any audio or visual materials provided to Investors by or with the approval of the Company or based upon written information furnished by or on behalf of the Company with its approval including, without limitation, slides, videos, films or tape recordings used in any road show or investor presentations made to investors by the Company (whether in person or electronically) or in connection with the marketing of the Securities or (v) any breach of the Company’s representations, warranties or covenants under this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company will not be liable to the Placement Agent pursuant to this Section 6(a) to the extent that any such loss, damage, claim or liability is found in a final, non-appealable judgment by a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted from the Placement Agent’s willful misconduct or gross negligence.
(b) Indemnification of the Company. The Placement Agent will indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Company, its directors and officers, and any person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and the successors and assigns of all of the foregoing persons, from and against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense, as incurred to which, jointly or severally, the Company or any such person may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, the common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of such Placement Agent), insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions in respect thereof as contemplated below) arises out of or is based upon (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in the case of each of (i) and (ii) above, to the extent but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with information concerning such Placement Agent furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Placement Agent to the Company expressly for use therein and to reimburse the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person for any legal and other expense reasonably incurred by the Company, or any such director, officer or controlling person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided, that the parties hereto hereby agree that such written information provided by the Placement Agent consists solely of the Placement Agent Information. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 6(b), in no event shall any indemnity by any Placement Agent under this Section 6(b) exceed its pro rata share of the Placement Fee.
(c) Notice and Procedures. If any action, suit or proceeding (each, a “Proceeding”) is brought against a person (an “indemnified party”) in respect of which indemnity may be sought against the Company or any Placement Agent (as applicable, the “indemnifying party”) pursuant to subsection (a) or (b), respectively, of this Section 6, such indemnified party shall promptly notify such indemnifying party in writing of the institution of such Proceeding and such indemnifying party shall assume the defense of such Proceeding, including the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party and payment of all fees and expenses; provided, however, that the omission to so notify such indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability which such indemnifying party may have to any indemnified party or otherwise, except to the extent the indemnifying party does not otherwise learn of the Proceeding and such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights or defenses. The indemnified party or parties shall have the right to employ its or their own counsel in any such case, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party or parties unless (i) the employment of such counsel shall have been authorized in writing by the indemnifying party in connection with the defense of such Proceeding, (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have, within a reasonable period of time in light of the circumstances, employed counsel to defend such Proceeding or (iii) such indemnified party or parties shall have reasonably concluded that there may be defenses available to it or them which are different from, additional to or in conflict with those available to such indemnifying party, in any of which events such reasonable fees and expenses shall be borne by such indemnifying party and paid as incurred (it being understood, however, that such indemnifying party shall not be liable for the expenses of more than one separate counsel (in addition to any local counsel) in any one Proceeding or series of related Proceedings in the same jurisdiction representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such Proceeding). An indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any Proceeding (including by consent to the entry of any judgment) effected without its written consent but, if settled with its written consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, such indemnifying party agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the indemnified party or parties from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel (which fees and expenses shall be reasonably documented) as contemplated by the second sentence of this Section 6(c), then the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any Proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 90 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have fully reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement and (iii) such indemnified party shall have given the indemnifying party at least 30 days’ prior notice of its intention to settle. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened Proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such Proceeding and does not include an admission of fault or culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of such indemnified party.
(d) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in this Section 6 is unavailable to an indemnified party under subsections (a) or (b) of this Section 6 or insufficient to hold an indemnified party harmless in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to therein, then each applicable indemnifying party shall, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to in subsection (a) or (b) above, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Placement Agent on the other from the offering of the Securities or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties on the one hand and the indemnified party or parties on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Placement Agent on the other hand shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the Placement Fee received by the Placement Agent, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate public offering price of the Securities. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Placement Agent on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company, on the one hand, or by the Placement Agent, on the other hand, and the parties’ relevant intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The Company and the Placement Agent agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection (d) were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in the first sentence of this Section 6(d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in the first sentence of this Section 6(d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending against any action or claim which is the subject of this Section 6(d). Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 6(d), no Placement Agent shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the Placement Fee. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
(e) Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery. The obligations of the Company under this Section 6 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have. The indemnity and contribution agreements of the parties contained in this Section 6 and the covenants, warranties and representations of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Placement Agent, any person who controls any Placement Agent within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or any affiliate of any Placement Agent, or by or on behalf of the Company, its directors or officers or any person who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and (iii) the issuance and delivery of the Securities. The Company and each of the Placement Agent agree promptly to notify each other of the commencement of any Proceeding against it and, in the case of the Company, against any of the Company’s officers or directors in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities, or in connection with the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package or the Prospectus.
Section 7. Information Furnished by Placement Agent.
The Company acknowledges that the statements set forth in the third paragraph under the heading “Plan of Distribution” in the Prospectus (the “Placement Agent Information”) constitute the only information relating to the Placement Agent furnished in writing to the Company by the Placement Agent as such information is referred to in Sections 2 and 6 hereof.
Section 8. Termination.
(a) The Placement Agent shall have the right to terminate this Agreement by giving notice as hereinafter specified at any time at or prior to the Closing Date, without liability on the part of the Placement Agent to the Company, if (i) prior to delivery and payment for the Securities (A) trading in securities generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on or by the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ Stock Market, the NASDAQ Global Select Market, the NASDAQ Global Market, the NASDAQ Capital Market or the NYSE Amex (each, a “Trading Market”), (B) trading in the shares of Common Stock of the Company shall have been suspended or materially limited on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market, (C) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by federal or New York state authorities, (D) there shall have occurred any outbreak or material escalation of hostilities or acts of terrorism involving the United States or there shall have been a declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war, (E) there shall have occurred any other calamity or crisis or any material change in general economic, political or financial conditions in the United States or elsewhere, if the effect of any such event specified in clause (D) or (E), in the judgment of the Placement Agent, makes it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the completion of the sale of and payment for the Securities on the Closing Date on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, or (ii) since the time of execution of this Agreement or the earlier respective dates as of which information is given in the Disclosure Package, there has been (A) any Material Adverse Effect or (B) the Company shall have sustained a loss by strike, fire, flood, earthquake, accident or other calamity of such character that in the judgment of the Placement Agent would, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect and which would, in the judgment of the Placement Agent, make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or the delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Disclosure Package. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 4, Section 6, Section 8(b) and Section 11 hereof shall at all times be effective notwithstanding such termination.
(b) If (1) this Agreement shall be terminated by the Placement Agent pursuant to Section 5, Section 8(a)(i)(B) or Section 8(a)(ii)(A) or (2) the sale of the Securities to Investors is not consummated because of any failure, refusal or inability on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or perform any agreement or obligation of this Agreement or any Subscription Agreement, other than by reason of a default by the Placement Agent, the Company will, in addition to paying the amounts described in Section 4 hereof, reimburse the Placement Agent for all of their reasonable and actual out-of-pocket disbursements (including, but not limited to, the reasonable fees and disbursements of its counsel). If the Offering is not completed, then during the 12 months following the termination of the Engagement Letter (as defined below), any person or entity to whom Placement Agent introduced the Company, or with whom there have been discussions or negotiations about an investment in the Company during the term of the Placement Agent’s engagement on behalf of the Company, purchases securities from the Company, the Company agrees to pay Placement Agent upon the closing of such transaction a cash fee in the amount that would otherwise have been payable to Placement Agent if such transaction occurred during the term of the Engagement Letter.
Section 9. Notices.
All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing or by facsimile, and:
(a) if to the Placement Agent, shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to:
Roth Capital Partners, LLC
24 Corporate Plaza
Newport Beach, California 92660
Attention: Managing Director
Facsimile No.: (949) 720-7223
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
LKP Global Law LLP
1901 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 480
Los Angeles, California 90067
Attention: Ryan S. Hong
Facsimile No.: (424) 239-1882
(b) if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to:
Lucas Energy, Inc.
3555 Timmons Lane, Suite 1550
Houston, Texas 77027
Attention: Andrew Lai, Chief Financial Officer
Facsimile No.: (713) 337-1510
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
The Loev Law Firm, PC
6300 West Loop South, Suite 280
Bellaire, Texas 77401
Facsimile No.: (713) 524-4122
Attention: David M. Loev
Any such notice shall be effective only upon receipt. Any party to this Agreement may change such address for notices by sending to the parties to this Agreement written notice of a new address for such purpose.
Section 10. Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement.
This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and shall be binding upon the Placement Agent, the Company and their respective successors and assigns and the controlling persons, officers and directors referred to in Section 6. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give to any other person, firm or corporation, other than the persons, firms or corporations mentioned in the preceding sentence, any legal or equitable remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement, or any provision herein contained. The term “successors and assigns” as herein used shall not include any purchaser of the Securities by reason merely of such purchase.
Section 11. Governing Law.
This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to the conflicts of laws provisions thereof.
Section 12. No Fiduciary Relationship.
The Company hereby acknowledges that the Placement Agent is acting solely as Placement Agent in connection with the offering of the Company’s securities. The Company further acknowledges that the Placement Agent is acting pursuant to a contractual relationship created solely by this Agreement entered into on an arm’s length basis and in no event do the parties intend that the Placement Agent act or be responsible as a fiduciary to the Company, its management, shareholders, creditors or any other person in connection with any activity that the Placement Agent may undertake or have undertaken in furtherance of the offering of the Company’s securities, either before or after the date hereof. The Placement Agent hereby expressly disclaims any fiduciary or similar obligations to the Company, either in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions, and the Company hereby confirms its understanding and agreement to that effect. The Company and the Placement Agent agree that they are each responsible for making their own independent judgments with respect to any such transactions, and that any opinions or views expressed by the Placement Agent to the Company regarding such transactions, including but not limited to any opinions or views with respect to the price or market for the Company’s securities, do not constitute advice or recommendations to the Company. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Placement Agent with respect to any breach or alleged breach of any fiduciary or similar duty to the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions.
Section 13. Entire Agreement.
This Agreement, together with the schedule and exhibits attached hereto and as the same may be amended from time to time in accordance with the terms hereof, contains the entire agreement among the parties hereto relating to the subject matter hereof and there are no other or further agreements outstanding not specifically mentioned herein. Notwithstanding anything contained herein or in the engagement letter between the Company and the Placement Agent dated March 5, 2012 (the "Engagement Letter"), the Engagement Letter shall remain in full force and effect following the closing of the Offering.
Section 14. Headings.
The Section headings in this Agreement have been inserted as a matter of convenience of reference and are not a part of this Agreement.
Section 15. Amendments and Waivers.
No supplement, modification or waiver of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by the party to be bound thereby. The failure of a party to exercise any right or remedy shall not be deemed or constitute a waiver of such right or remedy in the future. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provision hereof (regardless of whether similar), nor shall any such waiver constitute a continuing waiver unless otherwise expressly provided.
Section 16. Submission to Jurisdiction.
Except as set forth below, no Proceeding may be commenced, prosecuted or continued in any court other than the courts of the State of New York located in the City and County of New York or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, which courts shall have jurisdiction over the adjudication of such matters, and the Company hereby consents to the jurisdiction of such courts and personal service with respect thereto. The Company hereby consents to personal jurisdiction, service and venue in any court in which any Proceeding arising out of or in any way relating to this Agreement is brought by any third party against the Placement Agent. The Company hereby waives all right to trial by jury in any Proceeding (whether based upon contract, tort or otherwise) in any way arising out of or relating to this Agreement. The Company agrees that a final judgment in any such Proceeding brought in any such court shall be conclusive and binding upon the Company and may be enforced in any other courts in the jurisdiction of which the Company is or may be subject, by suit upon such judgment.
Section 17. Counterparts.
This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts and, if executed in more than one counterpart, the executed counterparts shall each be deemed to be an original and all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed counterpart by facsimile shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart thereof.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of the agreement between the Company and the Placement Agent, kindly indicate your acceptance in the space provided for that purpose below.
Very truly yours,
Accepted as of
the date first above written:
ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC
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Name:
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John M. Dalfonsi |
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Managing Director |
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Schedules and Exhibits
Schedule I: Issuer General Free Writing Prospectuses
Exhibit A: Form of Subscription Agreement
Exhibit B: Pricing Information
Exhibit C: Disclosure Materials
Schedule I
Issuer General Free Writing Prospectuses
None.
Exhibit A
Form of Subscription Agreement
Exhibit B
Pricing Information
Number of Shares to be Sold:
Number of Warrants to be Sold:
Offering Price:
Exercise Price of Warrants:
Aggregate Placement Agency Fees:
Exhibit C
Disclosure Materials
None.
