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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
August 14, 1998
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(Date of Report; Date of Earliest Event Reported)
Raytel Medical Corporation
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(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
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(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
0-27186 94-2787342
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(Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.)
2755 Campus Drive, Suite 200, San Mateo, CA 94403
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(address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(415) 349-0800
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(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
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ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS.
(a) Adoption of Rights Agreement.
On August 14, 1998, the Board of Directors of Raytel Medical Corporation
(the "Company") declared a dividend distribution of one Preferred Stock Purchase
Right (each a "Right" and collectively the "Rights") for each outstanding share
of Common Stock, $0.001 par value ("Common Stock"), of the Company. The
distribution was paid as of September 2, 1998 (the "Record Date"), to
stockholders of record on that date. Each Right entitles the registered holder
to purchase from the Company one one-hundredth of a share of the Company's
Series A Preferred Stock, $0.001 par value (the "Preferred Stock"), at a price
of $30.00 per Right (the "Purchase Price"). The description and terms of the
Rights are set forth in the Rights Agreement dated as of August 14, 1998 (the
"Rights Agreement"), between the Company and BankBoston, N.A. (the "Rights
Agent").
Until the earlier to occur of (i) the tenth day following the first date of
public announcement by the Company or by a person or group of affiliated or
associated persons ("Acquiring Person") other than the Company or any subsidiary
of the Company or any employee benefit plan or employee stock plan of the
Company including, without limitation, in its fiduciary capacity, any subsidiary
of the Company individual, firm, corporation, or any partnership, trust or other
entity (a "Person") organized, appointed, established or holding Common Stock
for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan or any Person funding other
employee benefits for employees of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company
(an "Exempt Person"), that such an Acquiring Person has acquired, or obtained
the right to acquire, without approval of the Board of Directors or good faith
determination of the Board of Directors that such a person or group of
affiliated or associated persons has inadvertently become an Acquiring Person,
beneficial ownership of 15% or more of the Company's outstanding Common Stock
(other than solely as a result of a reduction in the outstanding shares of the
Common Stock of the Company) or such earlier date as a majority of the Board of
Directors shall become aware of such acquisition of the Common Stock (the "Stock
Acquisition Date") (or, if the tenth day after the Stock Acquisition Date occurs
before the Record Date, the close of business on the Record Date) or (ii) the
tenth business day (subject to extension by the Board prior to the time a person
becomes an Acquiring Person) following the commencement of, or public
announcement of an intention to commence, a tender or exchange offer by any
person (other than by an Exempt Person), the consummation of which would result
in the beneficial ownership of 15% or more of the outstanding Common Stock by
such person, together with its affiliates and associates (the earlier of such
dates being called the "Distribution Date"), the Rights will be evidenced, with
respect to all shares of Common Stock that are issued after the Record Date
prior to the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration of the
Rights), by certificates representing such shares of Common Stock together with
the Summary of Rights attached thereto.
The Rights Agreement provides that, until the Distribution Date (or earlier
redemption or expiration of the Rights), the Rights will be represented by and
transferred with, and only with, the Common Stock. Until the Distribution Date
(or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), new certificates issued for
Common Stock (including, without limitation, certificates
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issued upon transfer or exchange of Common Stock) after the Record Date, will
contain a legend incorporating the Rights Agreement by reference. Until the
Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), the
surrender for transfer of any of the Company's Common Stock certificates, with
or without the aforesaid legend or the Summary of Rights attached thereto, will
also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Stock
represented by such certificate. As soon as practicable following the
Distribution Date, separate certificates evidencing the Rights ("Right
Certificates") will be mailed to holders of record of the Company's Common Stock
as of the close of business on the Distribution Date, and such separate
certificates alone will evidence the Rights from and after the Distribution
Date.
The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. The Rights will
expire upon the earlier of (i) ten years after the date of issuance, or August
13, 2008 or (ii) redemption or exchange by the Company.
The Purchase Price payable, and the number of shares of Preferred Stock or
other securities or property issuable, upon exercise of the Rights are subject
to adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution (i) in the event of a stock
dividend on, or a subdivision, combination or reclassification of the Preferred
Stock, (ii) upon the grant to holders of the Preferred Stock of certain rights
or warrants to subscribe for Preferred Stock or convertible securities at less
than the current market price of the Preferred Stock or (iii) upon the
distribution to holders of the Preferred Stock of evidences of indebtedness or
assets (excluding dividends payable in Preferred Stock) or of subscription
rights or warrants (other than those referred to above). The number of Rights
associated with each share of Common Stock is also subject to adjustment in the
event of a stock split of the Common Stock or a stock dividend on the Common
Stock payable in Common Stock or subdivisions, consolidations or combinations of
the Common Stock occurring, in any such case, prior to the Distribution Date.
The Preferred Stock purchasable upon exercise of the Rights will be
nonredeemable and junior to any other series of preferred stock the Company may
issue (unless otherwise provided in the terms of such other series). Each share
of Preferred Stock will have a preferential cumulative quarterly dividend in an
amount equal to the greater of (a) $75.00 or (b) 100 times the dividend declared
on each share of Common Stock. In the event of liquidation, the holders of
Preferred Stock will receive a preferred liquidation payment equal to the
greater of (a) $3,000 per share, plus accrued dividends to the date of
distribution whether or not earned or declared, or (b) an amount per share equal
to 100 times the aggregate payment to be distributed per share of Common Stock.
Each share of Preferred Stock will have 100 votes, voting together with the
shares of Common Stock. In the event of any merger, consolidation or other
transaction in which shares of Common Stock are exchanged for or changed into
other securities, cash and/or other property, each share of Preferred Stock will
be entitled to receive 100 times the amount and type of consideration received
per share of Common Stock. The rights of the Preferred Stock as to dividends,
liquidation and voting, and in the event of mergers and consolidations, are
protected by customary anti-dilution provisions. Fractional shares (in integral
multiples of one one-hundredth) of Preferred Stock will be issuable; however,
the Company may elect to distribute depositary receipts in lieu of such
fractional shares. In lieu of fractional shares other than fractions that are
multiples of one one-hundredth of a share, an adjustment in cash will be made
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based on the market price of the Preferred Stock on the last trading date prior
to the date of exercise. Because of the nature of the Preferred Stock's
dividend, liquidation and voting rights, the value of one one-hundredth of a
share of Preferred Stock purchasable upon exercise of each Right should
approximate the value of one share of Common Stock.
In the event (i) any person becomes an Acquiring Person or (ii) any
Acquiring Person or any of its Affiliates or Associates, directly or indirectly,
(1) consolidates with or merges into the Company or any of its subsidiaries or
otherwise combines with the Company or any of its subsidiaries in a transaction
in which the Company or such subsidiary is the continuing or surviving
corporation of such merger or combination and the Common Stock of the Company
remains outstanding and no shares thereof shall be changed into or exchanged for
stock or other securities of any other person or of the Company or cash or any
other property, (2) transfers, in on one or more transactions, any assets to the
Company or any of its subsidiaries in exchange for capital stock of the Company
or any of its subsidiaries or for securities exercisable for or convertible into
capital stock of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or otherwise obtains
from the Company or any of its subsidiaries, with or without consideration, any
capital stock of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or securities
exercisable for or convertible into capital stock of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries (other than as part of a pro rata offer or distribution to all
holders of such stock), (3) sells, purchases, leases, exchanges, mortgages,
pledges, transfers or otherwise disposes to, from or with the Company or any of
its subsidiaries, as the case may be, assets on terms and conditions less
favorable to the Company or such subsidiary than the Company or such subsidiary
would be able to obtain in arm's-length negotiation with an unaffiliated third
party, (4) receives any compensation from the Company or any of its subsidiaries
for services other than compensation for employment as a regular or part-time
employee, or fees for serving as a director at rates in accordance with the
Company's (or its subsidiary's) past practice, (5) receives the benefit (except
proportionately as a stockholder) of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or
other financial assistance or tax credit or advantage, or (6) engages in any
transaction with the Company (or any of its subsidiaries) involving the sale,
license, transfer or grant of any right in, or disclosure of, any patents,
copyrights, trade secrets, trademarks or know-how (or any other intellectual or
industrial property rights recognized under any country's intellectual property
rights laws) which the Company (including its subsidiaries) owns or has the
right to use on terms and conditions not approved by the Board of Directors of
the Company, or (iii) while there is an Acquiring Person, there shall occur any
reclassification of securities (including any reverse stock split), any
recapitalization of the Company, or any merger or consolidation of the Company
with any of its subsidiaries or any other transaction or transactions involving
the Company or any of its subsidiaries (whether or not involving the Acquiring
Person) which have the effect of increasing by more than 1% the proportionate
share of the outstanding shares of any class of equity securities of the Company
or any of its subsidiaries which is directly or indirectly owned or controlled
by the Acquiring Person (such events are collectively referred to herein as the
"Flip-In Events"), then, and in each such case, each holder of record of a
Right, other than the Acquiring Person, will thereafter have the right to
receive, upon payment of the then current Purchase Price, in lieu of one
one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock per outstanding Right, that number
of shares of Common Stock having a market value at the time of the transaction
equal to the Purchase Price (as adjusted to the Purchase Price in effect
immediately prior to the Flip-In Event multiplied by the number of one
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one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock for which a Right was exercisable
immediately prior to such Flip-In Event) divided by one-half the average of the
daily closing prices per share of the Common Stock for the thirty consecutive
trading days ("Current Market Price") on the date of such Flip-In Event.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, Rights held by the Acquiring Person or any
Associate or Affiliate thereof or certain transferees will be null and void and
no longer be transferable.
The Company may at its option substitute for a share of Common Stock
issuable upon the exercise of Rights in accordance with this paragraph such
number or fractions of shares of Preferred Stock having an aggregate current
market value equal to the Current Market Price of a share of Common Stock. In
the event that insufficient shares of Common Stock are available to permit the
exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with the foregoing paragraph, the
Board of Directors shall, to the extent permitted by applicable law and any
material agreements then in effect to which the Company is a party, (A)
determine the excess (such excess, the "Spread") of (1) the value of the shares
of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of a Right in accordance with this
paragraph (the "Current Value") over (2) the Purchase Price, and (B) with
respect to each Right (other than Rights which have become void pursuant to the
foregoing paragraph), make adequate provision to substitute for the shares of
Common Stock issuable in accordance with this paragraph upon exercise of the
Right and payment of the Purchase Price, (1) cash, (2) a reduction in such
Purchase Price, (3) shares of Preferred Stock or other equity securities of the
Company (including, without limitation, shares or fractions of shares of
preferred stock which, by virtue of having dividend, voting and liquidation
rights substantially comparable to those of the shares of Common Stock, are
deemed in good faith by the Board of Directors to have substantially the same
value as the shares of Common Stock, (4) debt securities of the Company, (5)
other assets, or (6) any combination of the foregoing, having a value which,
when added to the value of the shares of Common Stock actually issued upon
exercise of such Right, shall have an aggregate value equal to the Current Value
(less the amount of any reduction in such Purchase Price); provided, however,
that if the Company shall not make adequate provision to deliver value pursuant
to clause (B) above within thirty (30) days following the Flip-In Event, then
the Company shall be obligated to deliver, to the extent permitted by applicable
law and any material agreements then in effect to which the Company is a party,
upon the surrender for exercise of a Right and without requiring payment of such
Purchase Price, shares of Common Stock (to the extent available), and then, if
necessary, such number or fractions of shares of Preferred Stock (to the extent
available) and then, if necessary, cash, which shares and/or cash have an
aggregate value equal to the Spread. Rights are not exercisable following the
occurrence of the events set forth in the foregoing paragraph until the
expiration of the period during which the Rights may be redeemed as described
below.
Unless the Rights are earlier redeemed, in the event that following the
first occurrence of a Flip-In Event, the Company were to be acquired in a merger
or other business combination in which any shares of the Company's Common Stock
are exchanged or converted for other securities or assets (other than a merger
or other business combination in which the voting power represented by the
Company's securities outstanding immediately prior thereto continues to
represent all of the voting power represented by the securities of the Company
thereafter and the holders of such securities have not changed as a result of
such transaction), or 50% or more of
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the assets or earning power of the Company and its subsidiaries (taken as a
whole) were to be sold or transferred in one or a series of related transactions
(such transactions being collectively referred to herein as the "Flip-Over
Events"), the Rights Agreement provides that proper provision shall be made so
that each holder of record of a Right (other than an Acquiring Person, or
affiliates or associates thereof) will from and after such date have the right
to receive, upon payment of the then current Purchase Price, that number of
shares of common stock of the acquiring company having a market value at the
time of such transaction equal to the Purchase Price divided by one-half the
Current Market Price of such common stock.
No fractional shares of Common Stock will be issued upon exercise of the
Rights and, in lieu thereof, a payment in cash will be made to the holder of
such Rights equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a share of
Common Stock.
At any time until the occurrence of a Flip-In Event, the Board may redeem
the Rights in whole, but not in part, at a price of $.001 per Right. Immediately
upon the action of the Board of Directors of the Company authorizing redemption
of the Rights, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate, and the only
right of the holders of Rights will be to receive the Redemption Price without
any interest thereon.
At any time after the occurrence of a Flip-In Event and prior to the
earlier of a Flip-Over Event or such time as any Person (other than an Exempt
Person), together with all Affiliates and Associates, becomes the Beneficial
Owner of more than 50% of the Common Stock outstanding, the Board of Directors
of the Company may, at its option, exchange all or any portion of the
outstanding Rights (other than Rights held by any Acquiring Person which have
become void) for shares of Common Stock on a pro rata basis, at an exchange
ratio of one share of Common Stock or one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred
Stock (or of a share of a class or series of the Company's Preferred Stock
having equivalent rights, preferences and privileges) per Right. Immediately
upon the ordering of such exchange and without any notice, the right to exercise
such Rights shall terminate and the only right thereafter of a holder of such
Rights shall be to receive shares of Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents
pursuant to the exchange. In the event there are insufficient shares of Common
Stock issued but not outstanding or authorized but unissued to permit any
exchange of Rights, the Company shall take all actions necessary to authorize
additional shares.
Until the Rights become nonredeemable the Company may, except with respect
to the redemption price of the Rights, amend the Rights Agreement in any manner.
After the Rights become nonredeemable, the Company may amend the Rights
Agreement to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision which
may be defective or inconsistent with any other provisions, to shorten or
lengthen any time period under the Rights Agreement, or to arrange or supplement
the provisions hereunder in any manner which the Company may deem necessary or
desirable, provided that no such amendment may adversely affect the interests of
the holders of the Rights (other than the Acquiring Person or its affiliates or
associates) or cause the Rights to again be redeemable or the Agreement to again
be freely amendable.
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Until a Right is exercised, the holder, as such, will have no rights as a
stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to vote or
to receive dividends.
The issuance of the Rights is not taxable to the Company or to stockholders
under presently existing federal income tax law, and will not change the way in
which stockholders can presently trade the Company's shares of Common Stock. If
the Rights should become exercisable, stockholders, depending on then existing
circumstances, may recognize taxable income.
The Rights have certain anti-takeover effects. Under certain circumstances
the Rights could cause substantial dilution to a person or group who attempts to
acquire the Company on terms not approved by the Company's Board of Directors.
However, the Rights should not interfere with any merger or other business
combination approved by the Board.
The form of Rights Agreement between the Company and the Rights Agent
(including as Exhibit A the form of Certificate of Designation, Preferences and
Rights of the Terms of the Series A Preferred Stock, as Exhibit B the form of
Right Certificate, and as Exhibit C the Summary of Terms of Rights Agreement),
the Company's press release dated August 17, 1998 and a form of letter to the
Company's stockholders dated September 5, 1998 are attached hereto as Exhibit 1
, Exhibit 2 and Exhibit 3, respectively, and incorporated herein by reference.
The foregoing description of the Rights is qualified in its entirety by
reference to such exhibits.
Item 6. Amendment of Bylaws.
On August 14, 1998, the Board of Directors amended and restated the Bylaws
of the Company to (i) provide that a special meeting of stockholders may by
called only by the Board of Directors, the Chairman of the Board or the
President, (ii) set forth provisions regulating the conduct of stockholders'
meetings, and (iii) provide for advance notice for stockholder nominations of
director candidates. The Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company are attached
hereto as Exhibit 4 and incorporated herein by reference.
Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
The form of Rights Agreement between the Company and the Rights Agent
(including as Exhibit A the form of Certificate of Designation, Preferences and
Rights of the Terms of the Series A Preferred Stock, as Exhibit B the form of
Right Certificate, and as Exhibit C the Summary of Terms of Rights Agreement),
the Company's press release dated August 17, 1998 and a form of letter to the
Company's stockholders dated September 5, 1998 are attached hereto as Exhibit 1,
Exhibit 2 and Exhibit 3, respectively, and incorporated herein by reference.
The Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company are attached hereto as
Exhibit 4.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
RAYTEL MEDICAL CORPORATION
Date: October 22, 1998 By: /s/ E. Payson Smith, Jr.
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E. Payson Smith, Jr.
Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
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EXHIBIT INDEX
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Exhibit Description
- ------- -----------
<S> <C>
1 Form of Rights Agreement between the Company and BankBoston,
N.A., as Rights Agent (including as Exhibit A the form of
Certificate of Designation, Preferences and Rights of the
Terms of the Series A Preferred Stock, as Exhibit B the form
of Right Certificate, and as Exhibit C the Summary of Terms of
Rights Agreement).
2 Press Release, dated August 17, 1998.
3 Form of Letter to Raytel Medical Corporation stockholders,
dated September 5, 1998.
4 Amended and Restated Bylaws.
</TABLE>
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RAYTEL MEDICAL CORPORATION
AND
BANKBOSTON, N.A.
Rights Agent
RIGHTS AGREEMENT
Dated as of August 14, 1998
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RIGHTS AGREEMENT
This Rights Agreement ("Rights Agreement"), is dated as of August 14,
1998, between Raytel Medical Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), and BankBoston, N.A. (the "Rights Agent").
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company on August 14, 1998 (i)
authorized the issuance and declared a dividend of one right ("Right") for each
share of the common stock of the Company ("Common Stock") outstanding as of the
Close of Business (as such term is hereinafter defined) on September 2, 1998
(the "Record Date"), each Right representing the right to purchase one
one-hundredth of a share of Series A Preferred Stock of the Company having the
rights, powers and preferences set forth in the form of Certificate of
Designation attached hereto as Exhibit A upon the terms and subject to the
conditions hereinafter set forth, and (ii) further authorized the issuance of
one Right with respect to each share of Common Stock of the Company that shall
become outstanding between September 2, 1998, and the Distribution Date (as such
term is hereinafter defined);
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual
agreements herein set forth, the parties agree as follows:
1. Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement the following
terms shall have the meanings indicated:
(a) "Acquiring Person" shall mean any Person (as such term is
hereinafter defined) who or which, together with all Affiliates (as such term is
hereinafter defined) and Associates (as such term is hereinafter defined) of
such Person, without the prior approval of the Board of Directors, shall be the
Beneficial Owner (as such term is hereinafter defined) of fifteen percent (15%)
or more of the outstanding Common Stock; provided, however, that in no event
shall a Person who or which, together with all Affiliates and Associates of such
Person, is the Beneficial Owner of less than 15% of the Company's outstanding
shares of Common Stock, become an Acquiring Person solely as a result of a
reduction of the number of shares of outstanding Common Stock, including
repurchases of outstanding shares of Common Stock by the Company, which
reduction increases the percentage of outstanding shares of Common Stock
beneficially owned by such Person, provided, however, that if a Person shall
become the Beneficial Owner of 15% or more of the Company's outstanding shares
of Common Stock then outstanding solely by reason of a reduction of the number
of shares of outstanding Common Stock, and shall thereafter become the
Beneficial Owner of any additional shares of Common Stock of the Company, then
such Person shall be deemed to be an "Acquiring Person" unless upon the
consummation of the acquisition of such additional shares of Common Stock such
person does not own fifteen percent (15%) or more of the shares of Common Stock
then outstanding, and provided further, that an Acquiring Person shall not
include an Exempt Person (as such term is hereinafter defined). Notwithstanding
the foregoing, if the Board of Directors of the Company determines in good faith
that a Person who would otherwise be an "Acquiring Person," as defined pursuant
to the foregoing provisions of this paragraph (a), has become such inadvertently
(including, without limitation, because (i) such Person was unaware that it
beneficially owned a percentage of Common Stock that would otherwise cause such
Person to be an "Acquiring Person" or (ii) such Person was aware of the extent
of its Beneficial Ownership but had no actual knowledge of the consequences of
such Beneficial Ownership under this Agreement) and without any intention of
changing or influencing control of the Company, and such
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Person divests as promptly as practicable a sufficient number of shares of
Common Stock so that such Person would no longer be an "Acquiring Person," as
defined pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this paragraph (a), then such
Person shall not be deemed to be or to have become an "Acquiring Person" for any
purposes of this Agreement.
(b) "Affiliate" and "Associate" shall have the respective meanings
ascribed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("Exchange Act"), as in effect
on the date of this Agreement.
(c) A Person shall be deemed the "Beneficial Owner" of any
securities
(i) which such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates beneficially owns, directly or indirectly;
(ii) which such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates, directly or indirectly, has (A) the right to acquire (whether such
right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time) pursuant to
any agreement, arrangement or understanding (other than customary agreements
with and between underwriters and selling group members with respect to a bona
fide public offering of securities), whether or not in writing, or upon the
exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, rights (other than the Rights),
warrants or options, or otherwise; provided, however, that a Person shall not be
deemed the "Beneficial Owner" of, or to "beneficially own," securities tendered
pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made by such Person or any of such
Person's Affiliates or Associates until such tendered securities are accepted
for purchase or exchange; or (B) the right to vote or dispose of or has
"beneficial ownership" of (as determined pursuant to Rule 13d-3 of the General
Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act, or any comparable or successor
rule), including pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding
(whether or not in writing); provided, however, that a Person shall not be
deemed the "Beneficial Owner" of, or to "beneficially own," any securities if
the agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote such security (1) arises
solely from a revocable proxy or consent given in response to a public proxy or
consent solicitation made pursuant to, and in accordance with, the applicable
rules and regulations of the Exchange Act and (2) is not also then reportable by
such Person on Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act (or any comparable or
successor report); or
(iii) which are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly,
by any other Person with which such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in
writing) for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting except as described in
the proviso to clause (B) of subparagraph (ii) of this Section 1(c) or disposing
of any securities of the Company; provided, however, that no Person who is an
officer, director or employee of an Exempt Person shall be deemed, solely by
reason of such Person's status or authority as such, to be the "Beneficial
Owner" of, to have "Beneficial Ownership" of or to "beneficially own" any
securities that are "beneficially owned" (as defined in this Section 1(c)),
including, without limitation, in a fiduciary capacity, by an Exempt Person or
by any other such officer, director or employee of an Exempt Person.
For all purposes of this Agreement, any calculation of the number of
shares of Common Stock outstanding at any particular time, including for
purposes of determining the particular percentage of such outstanding shares of
Common Stock of which any Person is the Beneficial Owner, shall be made in
accordance with the last sentence of Rule 13d-3(d)(1)(i) of the General Rules
and Regulations under the Exchange Act as in effect on the date hereof.
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(d) "Business Day" shall mean any day other than a Saturday,
Sunday, or a day on which banking institutions in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
(e) "Close of Business" on any given date shall mean 5:00 P.M.,
Boston time, on such date; provided, however, that if such date is not a
Business Day it shall mean 5:00 P.M., Boston time, on the next succeeding
Business Day.
(f) "Common Stock" when used with reference to the Company shall
mean the common stock of the Company. "Common Stock" when used with reference to
any Person other than the Company which shall be organized in corporate form
shall mean the capital stock or other equity security with the greatest per
share voting power of such Person or, if such Person is a Subsidiary of or is
controlled by another Person, the Person which ultimately controls such
first-mentioned Person. "Common Stock" when used with reference to any Person
other than the Company which shall not be organized in corporate form shall mean
units of beneficial interest which shall represent the right to participate in
profits, losses, deductions and credits of such Person and which shall be
entitled to exercise the greatest voting power per unit of such Person.
(g) "Common Stock Equivalents" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.
(h) "Current Market Price" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 11(d) hereof.
(i) "Current Value" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
11(a)(iii) hereof.
(j) "Distribution Date" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 3(a) hereof.
(k) "Equivalent Preferred Stock" shall have the meaning set forth
in Section 11(b) hereof.
(l) "Exchange Act" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 1
hereof.
(m) "Exempt Person" shall mean the Company or any Subsidiary of
the Company, including, without limitation, in its fiduciary capacity, any
employee benefit plan or employee stock plan of the Company or of any Subsidiary
of the Company, or any Person, organized, appointed, established or holding
Common Stock for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan or any Person funding
other employee benefits for employees of the Company or any Subsidiary of the
Company.
(n) "Final Expiration Date" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 7(a) hereof.
(o) "Flip-In Event" shall mean any event described in Section
11(a)(ii)(A), 11(a)(ii)(B) or 11(a)(ii)(C) hereof.
(p) "Flip-In Exercise Payment" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.
(q) "Flip-In Trigger Date" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.
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<PAGE> 5
(r) "Flip-Over Event" shall mean any event described in clause
(x), (y) or (z) of Section 13(a) hereof.
(s) "Flip-Over Exercise Payment" shall have the meaning set forth
in Section 13(a) hereof.
(t) "NASDAQ" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 9(b)
hereof.
(u) "Person" shall mean any individual, firm, corporation,
partnership, trust or other entity.
(v) "Preferred Stock" shall mean the Series A Preferred Stock,
$.001 par value of the Company having the rights, powers and preferences set
forth in Exhibit A hereto, and, to the extent that there is not a sufficient
number of shares of Series A Preferred Stock authorized to permit the full
exercise of the Rights, any other series of Preferred Stock, $.001 par value, of
the Company designated for such purpose containing terms substantially similar
to the terms of the Series A Preferred Stock.
(w) "Principal Party" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
13(b) hereof.
(x) "Purchase Price" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
4(a) hereof.
(y) "Record Date" shall have the meaning set forth in the WHEREAS
clause at the beginning of the Agreement.
(z) "Redemption Date" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
7(a) hereof.
(aa) "Redemption Price" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 23(a) hereof.
(bb) "Right Certificate" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 3(a) hereof.
(cc) "Securities Act" shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended.
(dd) "Stock Acquisition Date" shall mean the first date of public
announcement by the Company or an Acquiring Person that an Acquiring Person has
become such or such earlier date as a majority of the directors shall become
aware of the existence of an Acquiring Person.
(ee) "Substitution Period" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.
(ff) "Subsidiary" of a Person shall mean any corporation or other
entity of which securities or other ownership interests having ordinary voting
power sufficient to elect a majority of the board of directors or other persons
performing similar functions are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by
such Person and any corporation or other entity that is otherwise controlled by
such Person.
(gg) "Summary of Rights" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 3(b) hereof.
(hh) "Trading Day" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
11(d) hereof.
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<PAGE> 6
(ii) "Triggering Event" shall mean any event described in Section
11(a)(ii)(A), 11(a)(ii)(B) or 11(a)(ii)(C) or Section 13 hereof.
(jj) "Voting Power" shall mean the voting power of all securities
of the Company then outstanding and generally entitled to vote for the election
of directors of the Company.
Any determination required by the definitions contained in this Section
1 shall be made by the Board of Directors of the Company in its good faith
judgment, which determination shall be binding on the Rights Agent and the
holders of the Rights.
2. Appointment of Rights Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Rights
Agent to act as agent for the Company in accordance with the terms and
conditions hereof, and the Rights Agent hereby accepts such appointment. The
Company may from time to time appoint such Co-Rights Agents as it may deem
necessary or desirable upon ten (10) days' prior written notice to the Rights
Agent. The Rights Agent shall have no duty to supervise and shall in no event be
liable for the acts or omissions of any such Co-Rights Agent. In the event the
Company appoints one or more Co-Rights Agents, the respective duties of the
Rights Agents and any Co-Rights Agents shall be as the Company shall determine.
3. Issuance of Right Certificates.
(a) Until the earlier of (i) the tenth day after the Stock
Acquisition Date (or, if the tenth day after the Stock Acquisition Date occurs
before the Record Date, the Close of Business on the Record Date) or (ii) the
tenth business day (or such later date as may be determined by action of the
Board of Directors prior to such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person)
after the date of the commencement by any Person (other than an Exempt Person)
of, or of the first public announcement of the intent of any Person (other than
an Exempt Person) to commence (which intention to commence remains in effect for
five business days after such announcement), a tender or exchange offer upon the
successful consummation of which such Person, together with its Affiliates and
Associates, would be the Beneficial Owner of 15% or more of the outstanding
Common Stock (irrespective of whether any shares are actually purchased pursuant
to any such offer) (including any such date which is after the date of this
Agreement and prior to the issuance of the Rights; the earlier of such dates
being herein referred to as the "Distribution Date"), (x) the Rights will be
evidenced (subject to the provisions of Section 3(c) hereof) by the certificates
for the Common Stock registered in the names of the holders of the Common Stock
and not by separate Right Certificates, and (y) each Right will be transferable
only in connection with the transfer of a share (subject to adjustment as
hereinafter provided) of Common Stock. As soon as practicable after the
Distribution Date, the Rights Agent will mail, by first-class, postage prepaid
mail, to each record holder of the Common Stock as of the Close of Business on
the Distribution Date, as shown by the records of the Company, to the address of
such holder shown on such records, a Right certificate in substantially the form
of Exhibit B hereto ("Right Certificate") evidencing one Right for each share of
Common Stock so held. As of and after the Distribution Date the Rights will be
evidenced solely by such Right Certificates.
(b) On the Record Date, or as soon as practicable thereafter, the
Company will send a copy of a Summary of Rights to Purchase Preferred Stock,
substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit C ("Summary of Rights"), by
first-class, postage prepaid mail, to each record holder of Common Stock as of
the Close of Business on the Record Date, at the address of such holder shown on
the records of the Company.
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<PAGE> 7
(c) Rights shall be issued in respect of all shares of Common
Stock that are issued (either as an original issuance or from the Company's
treasury) after the Record Date prior to the earlier of the Distribution Date or
the Expiration Date. With respect to certificates representing such shares of
Common Stock, the Rights will be evidenced by such certificates for Common Stock
registered in the names of the holders thereof together with the Summary of
Rights. Until the Distribution Date (or, if earlier, the Expiration Date), the
surrender for transfer of any certificate for Common Stock outstanding on the
Record Date (with or without a copy of the Summary of Rights attached thereto),
shall also constitute the surrender for transfer of the Rights associated with
the Common Stock represented thereby.
(d) Certificates issued for Common Stock (including, without
limitation, certificates issued upon transfer or exchange of Common Stock) after
the Record Date but prior to the earlier of the Distribution Date or the
Expiration Date shall have impressed on, printed on, written on or otherwise
affixed to them the following legend:
This certificate also evidences and entitles the holder hereof to
certain Rights as set forth in the Rights Agreement between Raytel
Medical Corporation and BankBoston, N.A., as Rights Agent, dated as of
August 14, 1998, as the same may be amended from time to time (the
"Rights Agreement"), the terms of which are incorporated herein by
reference and a copy of which is on file at the principal executive
office of Raytel Medical Corporation. Under certain circumstances, as
set forth in the Rights Agreement, such Rights will be evidenced by
separate certificates and will no longer be evidenced by this
certificate. Raytel Medical Corporation will mail to the holder of this
certificate a copy of the Rights Agreement without charge after receipt
by it of a written request therefor. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES AS
PROVIDED IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT, RIGHTS ISSUED TO, BENEFICIALLY OWNED
BY OR TRANSFERRED TO ANY PERSON WHO IS OR BECOMES AN ACQUIRING PERSON
(AS DEFINED IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT) OR AN ASSOCIATE OR AFFILIATE (AS
DEFINED IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT) THEREOF AND CERTAIN TRANSFEREES
THEREOF WILL BE NULL AND VOID AND WILL NO LONGER BE TRANSFERABLE.
With respect to such certificates containing the foregoing legend, the Rights
associated with the Common Stock represented by such certificates shall, until
the Distribution Date, be evidenced by such certificates alone, and registered
holders of Common Stock shall also be the registered holders of the associated
Rights, and the surrender for transfer of any such certificate shall also
constitute the surrender for transfer of the Rights associated with the Common
Stock represented thereby. In the event that the Company purchases or acquires
any shares of Common Stock after the Record Date but prior to the earlier of the
Distribution Date, the Redemption Date or the Expiration Date, any Rights
associated with such shares of Common Stock shall be deemed canceled and retired
so that the Company shall not be entitled to exercise any Rights associated with
the shares of Common Stock no longer outstanding.
Notwithstanding this paragraph (d), the omission of a legend shall not
affect the enforceability of any part of this Agreement or the rights of any
holder of the Rights.
4. Form of Right Certificates.
(a) The Right Certificates (and the forms of election to purchase
shares and of assignment to be printed on the reverse thereof), when, as and if
issued, shall be substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit B hereto and may
have such marks of identification or designation and such legends, summaries or
endorsements printed thereon as the Company may deem appropriate and as are not
inconsistent with the provisions of this Rights Agreement, or as may be required
to comply with any law
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<PAGE> 8
or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or
regulation of any stock exchange on which the Rights may from time to time be
listed, or to conform to usage. Subject to the provisions of Sections 11, 13 and
22 hereof, the Right Certificates evidencing the Rights issued on the Record
Date whenever such certificates are issued, shall be dated as of the Record Date
and the Right Certificates evidencing Rights to holders of record of Common
Stock issued after the Record Date shall be dated as of the Record Date but
shall also be dated to reflect the date of issuance of such Right Certificate.
On their face, Right Certificates shall entitle the holders thereof to purchase,
for each Right, one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock, or other
securities or property as provided herein, as the same may from time to time be
adjusted as provided herein, at the price of $30.00, as the same may from time
to time be adjusted as provided herein (the "Purchase Price").
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Rights Agreement,
any Right Certificate that represents Rights that are or were at any time on or
after the earlier of the Stock Acquisition Date or the Distribution Date
beneficially owned by an Acquiring Person or any Affiliate or Associate thereof
(or any transferee of such Rights) shall have impressed on, printed on, written
on or otherwise affixed to it (if the Company or the Rights Agent has knowledge
that such Person is an Acquiring Person or an Associate or Affiliate thereof or
transferee of such Persons or a nominee of any of the foregoing) the following
legend:
The beneficial owner of the Rights represented by this Right
Certificate is an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate (as
defined in the Rights Agreement) of an Acquiring Person or a subsequent
holder of such Right Certificates beneficially owned by such Persons.
Accordingly, this Right Certificate and the Rights represented hereby
are null and void and will no longer be transferable as provided in the
Rights Agreement.
The provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) and Section 24 of this Rights Agreement
shall be operative whether or not the foregoing legend is contained on any such
Right Certificates.
5. Countersignature and Registration.
(a) The Right Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the
Company by its Chief Executive Officer, its President or any Vice President,
either manually or by facsimile signature, and have affixed thereto the
Company's seal or a facsimile thereof which shall be attested by the Secretary
or an Assistant Secretary of the Company, either manually or by facsimile
signature. The Right Certificates shall be countersigned, either manually or by
facsimile, by the Rights Agent and shall not be valid for any purpose unless so
countersigned. In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed any of
the Right Certificates shall cease to be such officer of the Company before
countersignature by the Rights Agent and issuance and delivery by the Company,
such Right Certificates, nevertheless, may be countersigned by the Rights Agent,
issued and delivered with the same force and effect as though the person who
signed such Right Certificates had not ceased to be such officer of the Company;
and any Right Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Company by any person
who, at the actual date of the execution of such Right Certificate, shall be a
proper officer of the Company to sign such Right Certificate, although at the
date of the execution of this Rights Agreement any such person was not such an
officer.
(b) Following the Distribution Date, the Rights Agent will keep or
cause to be kept, at one of its offices designated for such purposes, records
for registration and transfer of the Right Certificates issued hereunder. Such
records shall show the names and addresses of the respective holders
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<PAGE> 9
of the Right Certificates, the number of Rights evidenced on its face by each of
the Right Certificates, the date of each of the Right Certificates and the
certificate numbers for each of the Right Certificates.
6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange of Right Certificates;
Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Right Certificates.
(a) Subject to the provisions of Sections 7(e), 11(a)(ii) and 14
hereof, at any time after the Close of Business on the Distribution Date and at
or prior to the Close of Business on the Expiration Date, any Right Certificate
or Certificates (other than Right Certificates representing Rights that have
become void pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof or that have been exchanged
pursuant to Section 24 hereof) may be (i) transferred or (ii) split up, combined
or exchanged for another Right Certificate or Right Certificates, entitling the
registered holder to purchase a like number of shares of Preferred Stock or
other securities as the Right Certificate or Right Certificates surrendered then
entitled such holder to purchase. Any registered holder desiring to transfer any
Right Certificate shall surrender the Right Certificate at the office of the
Rights Agent designated for such purposes with the form of assignment on the
reverse side thereof duly endorsed (or enclose with such Right Certificate a
written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the
Rights Agent), duly executed by the registered holder thereof or his attorney
duly authorized in writing, and with such signature guaranteed by a member of a
securities approved medallion program. Any registered holder desiring to split
up, combine or exchange any Right Certificate shall make such request in writing
delivered to the Rights Agent, and shall surrender the Right Certificate or
Right Certificates to be split up, combined or exchanged at the principal office
of the Rights Agent. Thereupon the Rights Agent shall, subject to Sections 4(b),
7(e), 11 and 14 hereof, countersign (by manual or facsimile signature) and
deliver to the person entitled thereto a Right Certificate or Right
Certificates, as the case may be, as so requested. The Company may require
payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or governmental charge that may be
imposed in connection with any transfer, split up, combination or exchange of
Right Certificates.
(b) Subject to the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, upon
receipt by the Company and the Rights Agent of evidence reasonably satisfactory
to them of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of a Right Certificate,
and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably
satisfactory to them, and, if requested by the Company, reimbursement to the
Company of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon surrender to the
Rights Agent and cancellation of the Right Certificate if mutilated, the Company
will execute and deliver a new Right Certificate of like tenor to the Rights
Agent for delivery to the registered owner in lieu of the Right Certificate so
lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.
7. Exercise of Rights; Purchase Price; Expiration Date of Rights.
(a) Subject to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, the Rights shall become
exercisable, and may be exercised to purchase Preferred Stock, except as
otherwise provided herein, in whole or in part at any time after the
Distribution Date upon surrender of the Right Certificate, with the form of
election to purchase on the reverse side thereof duly executed (with such
signature duly guaranteed), to the Rights Agent c/o Boston EquiServe Limited
Partnership, 150 Royall Street, Canton, MA 02021, together with payment of the
Purchase Price with respect to each Right exercised, subject to adjustment as
hereinafter provided, at or prior to the Close of Business on the earlier of (i)
August 13, 2008 (the "Final Expiration Date"), (ii) the time at which the Rights
are redeemed as provided in Section 23 hereof (such date being herein referred
to as the "Redemption Date") or (iii) the time at which all such Rights are
exchanged as provided in Section 24 hereof (the earliest of (i), (ii) and (iii)
being herein referred to as the "Expiration Date").
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<PAGE> 10
(b) The Purchase Price and the number of shares of Preferred Stock
or other securities or consideration to be acquired upon exercise of a Right
shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in Sections 11 and
13 hereof. The Purchase Price shall be payable in lawful money of the United
States of America, in accordance with Section 7(c) hereof.
(c) Except as provided in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, upon receipt
of a Right Certificate with the form of election to purchase duly executed,
accompanied by payment of the Purchase Price (as such amount may be reduced
pursuant to Section 11(a)(iii) hereof) or so much thereof as is necessary for
the shares to be purchased and an amount equal to any applicable transfer tax,
by cash, certified check or official bank check payable to the order of the
Company or the Rights Agent, the Rights Agent shall, subject to Section 20(k),
thereupon promptly (i) requisition from any transfer agent of the Preferred
Stock (or make available if the Rights Agent is the transfer agent) certificates
for the number of shares of Preferred Stock so elected to be purchased and the
Company will comply and hereby authorizes and directs such transfer agent to
comply with all such requests, (ii) requisition from the Company the amount of
cash to be paid in lieu of issuance of fractional shares in accordance with
Section 14(b) hereof, and (iii) promptly after receipt of such Preferred Stock
certificates cause the same to be delivered to or upon the order of the
registered holder of such Right Certificate, registered in such name or names as
may be designated by such holder, and, when appropriate, after receipt promptly
deliver such cash to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Right
Certificate. In the event of a purchase of securities, other than Preferred
Stock, pursuant to Section 11(a) or Section 13 hereof, the Rights Agent shall
promptly take the appropriate actions corresponding to the foregoing clauses (i)
through (iii). In the event that the Company is obligated to issue other
securities of the Company, pay cash and/or distribute other property pursuant to
Section 11(a) hereof, the Company will make all arrangements necessary so that
such other securities, cash and/or other property are available for distribution
by the Rights Agent, if and when appropriate.
(d) Except as otherwise provided herein, in case the registered
holder of any Right Certificate shall exercise less than all the Rights
evidenced thereby, a new Right Certificate evidencing Rights equivalent to the
Rights remaining unexercised shall be issued by the Rights Agent to the
registered holder of such Right Certificate or to his duly authorized assigns,
subject to the provisions of Section 14 hereof.
(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary,
neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to undertake any
action with respect to a registered holder upon the occurrence of any purported
exercise as set forth in this Section 7 unless such registered holder shall have
(i) completed and signed the certificate contained in the form of election to
purchase set forth on the reverse side of the Right Certificate surrendered for
such exercise and (ii) provided such additional evidence of the identity of the
Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) or Affiliates or Associates
thereof as the Company shall reasonably request.
8. Cancellation and Destruction of Right Certificates. All Right
Certificates surrendered for the purpose of exercise. transfer, split up,
combination or exchange shall, if surrendered to the Company or to any of its
agents, be delivered to the Rights Agent for cancellation or in canceled form,
or, if surrendered to the Rights Agent, shall be canceled by it, and no Right
Certificates shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly permitted by
any of the provisions of this Rights Agreement. The Company shall deliver to the
Rights Agent for cancellation and retirement, and the Rights Agent shall so
cancel and retire, any Right Certificate purchased or acquired by the Company
otherwise than upon the exercise thereof. The Rights Agent shall deliver all
canceled Right Certificates to the Company, or shall,
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<PAGE> 11
at the written request of the Company, destroy such canceled Right Certificates,
and in such case shall deliver a certificate of destruction thereof to the
Company.
9. Reservation and Availability of Shares of Preferred Stock.
(a) The Company covenants and agrees that at all times it will
cause to be reserved and kept available, out of and to the extent of its
authorized and unissued shares of Preferred Stock not reserved for another
purpose (and, following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, other securities)
or held in its treasury, the number of shares of Preferred Stock (and, following
the occurrence of a Triggering Event, other securities) that, as provided in
this Agreement, including Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, will be sufficient to
permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Rights, provided, however, that
the Company shall not be required to reserve and keep available shares of
Preferred Stock or other securities sufficient to permit the exercise in full of
all outstanding Rights pursuant to the adjustments set forth in Section
11(a)(ii), Section 11(a)(iii) or Section 13 hereof unless, and only to the
extent that, the Rights become exercisable pursuant to such adjustments.
(b) The Company shall (i) use its best efforts to cause, from and
after such time as the Rights become exercisable, the Rights and all shares of
Preferred Stock (and following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, other
securities) issued or reserved for issuance upon exercise thereof to be reported
by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. Automated Quotations
System ("NASDAQ") or such other system then in use, and if the Preferred Stock
shall become listed on any national securities exchange, to cause, from and
after such time as the Rights become exercisable, the Rights and all shares of
Preferred Stock (and, following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, other
securities) issued or reserved for issuance upon exercise thereof to be listed
on such exchange upon official notice of issuance upon such exercise and (ii) if
then necessary, to permit the offer and issuance of such shares of Preferred
Stock (and, following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, other securities),
register and qualify such share of Preferred Stock (and, following the
occurrence of a Triggering Event, other securities) under the Securities Act and
any applicable state securities or "blue sky" laws (to the extent exemptions
therefrom are not available), cause such registration statement and
qualifications to become effective as soon as possible after such filing and
keep such registration and qualifications effective until the Expiration Date of
the Rights. The Company may temporarily suspend, for a period of time not to
exceed ninety (90) days, the exercisability of the Rights in order to prepare
and file a registration statement under the Securities Act and permit it to
become effective. Upon any such suspension, the Company shall issue a public
announcement stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily
suspended, as well as a public announcement at such time as the suspension is no
longer in effect. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the
contrary, the Rights shall not be exercisable in any jurisdiction unless the
requisite qualification in such jurisdiction shall have been obtained and until
a registration statement under the Securities Act (if required) shall have been
declared effective.
(c) The Company covenants and agrees that it will take all such
action as may be necessary to ensure that all shares of Preferred Stock (and
following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, other securities) delivered upon
exercise of Rights shall, at the time of delivery of the certificates for such
shares (subject to payment of the Purchase Price in respect thereof), be duly
and validly authorized and issued and fully paid and nonassessable shares in
accordance with applicable law.
(d) The Company further covenants and agrees that it will pay when
due and payable any and all federal and state transfer taxes which may be
payable in respect of the issuance or delivery of the Right Certificates or of
any shares of Preferred Stock (or other securities, as the case may
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<PAGE> 12
be) upon the exercise of Rights. The Company shall not, however, be required to
pay any transfer tax which may be payable in respect of any transfer or delivery
of Right Certificates to a Person other than, or the issuance or delivery of
certificates for Preferred Stock (or other securities, as the case may be) upon
exercise of Rights in a name other than that of, the registered holder of the
Right Certificate, and the Company shall not be required to issue or deliver a
Right Certificate or certificate for Preferred Stock (or other securities, as
the case may be) to a person other than such registered holder until any such
tax shall have been paid (any such tax being payable by the holder of such Right
Certificate at the time of surrender) or until it has been established to the
Company's satisfaction that no such tax is due.
10. Preferred Stock Record Date. Each Person in whose name any
certificate for shares of Preferred Stock (or other securities, as the case may
be) is issued upon the exercise of Rights shall for all purposes be deemed to
have become the holder of record of the shares of Preferred Stock (or other
securities, as the case may be) represented thereby on, and such certificate
shall be dated, the date upon which the Right Certificate evidencing such Rights
was duly surrendered and payment of the Purchase Price (and any applicable
transfer taxes) was made. Prior to the exercise of the Rights evidenced thereby,
the holder of a Right Certificate, as such, shall not be entitled to any rights
of a stockholder of the Company with respect to the shares for which the Rights
shall be exercisable, including, without limitation, the right to vote, to
receive dividends or other distributions or to exercise any preemptive rights,
and shall not be entitled to receive any notice of any proceedings of the
Company, except as provided herein.
11. Adjustments to Number and Kind of Shares, Number of Rights or
Purchase Price. The number and kind of shares subject to purchase upon the
exercise of each Right, the number of Rights outstanding and the Purchase Price
are subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in this Section 11.
(a) (i) In the event the Company shall at any time after the date
of this Rights Agreement (A) declare or pay any dividend on Preferred Stock
payable in shares of Preferred Stock, (B) subdivide or split the outstanding
shares of Preferred Stock into a greater number of shares, (C) combine or
consolidate the outstanding shares of Preferred Stock into a smaller number of
shares or effect a reverse split of the outstanding shares of Preferred Stock,
or (D) issue any shares of its capital stock in a reclassification of the
Preferred Stock (including any such reclassification in connection with a
consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving
corporation), except as otherwise provided in this Section 11(a), the Purchase
Price in effect at the time of the record date for such dividend or of the
effective date of such subdivision, combination or reclassification, and the
number and kind of shares of Preferred Stock or capital stock, as the case may
be, issuable on such date, shall be proportionately adjusted so that the holder
of any Right exercised after such time shall be entitled to receive, upon
payment of the Purchase Price then in effect, the aggregate number and kind of
shares of capital stock or other securities, which, if such Right had been
exercised immediately prior to such date, the holder thereof would have owned
upon such exercise and been entitled to receive by virtue of such dividend,
subdivision, combination or reclassification. If an event occurs which would
require an adjustment under both this Section 11(a)(i) and Section 11(a)(ii)
hereof, the adjustment provided for in this Section 11(a)(i) shall be in
addition to, and shall be made prior to, any adjustment required pursuant to
Section 11(a)(ii).
(ii) Subject to Section 24, in the event
(A) any Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate
of any Acquiring Person, at any time after the date of this Agreement, directly
or indirectly, (1) shall
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<PAGE> 13
consolidate with or merge with and into the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
or otherwise combine with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and the Company
or such Subsidiary shall be the continuing or surviving corporation of such
consolidation, merger or combination and the Common Stock of the Company shall
remain outstanding and no shares thereof shall be changed into or exchanged for
stock or other securities of the Company or of any other Person or cash or any
other property, or (2) shall, in one or more transactions, other than in
connection with the exercise of a Right or Rights and other than in connection
with the exercise or conversion of securities exercisable for or convertible
into securities of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company, transfer any
assets or property to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in exchange (in
whole or in part) for any shares of any class of capital stock of the Company or
any of its Subsidiaries or any securities exercisable for or convertible into
shares of any class of capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries,
or otherwise obtain from the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, with or without
consideration, any additional shares of any class of capital stock of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any securities exercisable for or
convertible into shares of any class of capital stock of the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries (other than as part of a pro rata offer or distribution by the
Company or such Subsidiary to all holders of such shares), or (3) shall sell,
purchase, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or otherwise acquire
(other than as a pro rata dividend) or dispose, to, from or with, as the case
may be, in one transaction or a series of transactions, the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries, assets (including securities) on terms and conditions less
favorable to the Company or such Subsidiary than the Company or such Subsidiary
would be able to obtain in arm's-length negotiation with an unaffiliated third
party, or (4) shall receive any compensation from the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries for services other than compensation for employment as a regular or
part-time employee, or fees for serving as a director, at rates in accordance
with the Company's (or its Subsidiary's) past practices, or (5) shall receive
the benefit, directly or indirectly (except proportionately as a stockholder),
of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial assistance or any
tax credits or tax advantage provided by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries,
or (6) shall engage in any transaction with the Company (or any of its
Subsidiaries) involving the sale, license, transfer or grant of any right in, or
disclosure of, any patents, copyrights, trade secrets, trademarks, know-how or
any other intellectual or industrial property rights recognized under any
country's intellectual property laws which the Company (including its
Subsidiaries) owns or has the right to use on terms and conditions not approved
by the Board; or
(B) any Person, alone or together with its Affiliates
and Associates, shall become an Acquiring Person; or
(C) during such time as there is an Acquiring Person,
there shall be any reclassification of securities (including any reverse stock
split), or any recapitalization of the Company, or any merger or consolidation
of the Company with any of its Subsidiaries or any other transaction or series
of transactions involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (whether or not
with or into or otherwise involving an Acquiring Person or any Affiliate or
Associate of such Acquiring Person) which has the effect, directly or
indirectly, of increasing by more than 1% the proportionate share of the
outstanding shares of any class of equity securities of the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries, or securities exercisable for or convertible into equity
securities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, which is directly or
indirectly beneficially owned by any Acquiring Person or any Affiliate or
Associate of any Acquiring Person (any of (A), (B) or (C) being referred to
herein as a "Flip-In Event"), then upon the first occurrence of such Flip-In
Event (A) the Purchase Price shall be adjusted to be the Purchase Price in
effect immediately prior to the Flip-In Event multiplied by the number of
one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock for which a Right was exercisable
immediately prior to such Flip-In Event, whether or not such Right was then
exercisable, and (B) each holder of a Right, except as otherwise provided in
this Section 11(a)(ii) and Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, shall thereafter
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<PAGE> 14
have the right to receive, upon exercise thereof at a price equal to the
Purchase Price (as so adjusted), in accordance with the terms of this Agreement
and in lieu of shares of Preferred Stock, such number of shares of Common Stock
as shall equal the result obtained by dividing the Purchase Price (as so
adjusted) by 50% of the Current Market Price per share of the Common Stock
(determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) on the date of such Flip-In Event;
provided, however, that the Purchase Price (as so adjusted) and the number of
shares of Common Stock so receivable upon the exercise of a Right shall,
following the Flip-In Event, be subject to further adjustment as appropriate in
accordance with Section 11(f) hereof. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement
to the contrary, however, from and after the Flip-In Event, any Rights that are
beneficially owned by (x) any Acquiring Person (or any Affiliate or Associate of
any Acquiring Person), (y) a transferee of any Acquiring Person (or any such
Affiliate or Associate) who becomes a transferee after the Flip-In Event or (z)
a transferee of any Acquiring Person (or any such Affiliate or Associate) who
became a transferee prior to or concurrently with the Flip-In Event pursuant to
either (I) a transfer from the Acquiring Person to holders of its equity
securities or to any Person with whom it has any continuing agreement,
arrangement or understanding regarding the transferred Rights or (II) a transfer
which the Board of Directors has determined is part of a plan, arrangement or
understanding which has the purpose or effect of avoiding the provisions of this
paragraph, and subsequent transferees of such Persons, shall be void without any
further action and any holder of such Rights shall thereafter have no rights
whatsoever with respect to such Rights under any provision of this Agreement.
The Company shall use all reasonable efforts to ensure that the provisions of
this Section 11(a)(ii) are complied with, but shall have no liability to any
holder of Right Certificates or other Person as a result of its failure to make
any determinations with respect to an Acquiring Person or its Affiliates,
Associates or transferees hereunder. From and after the Flip-In Event, no Right
Certificate shall be issued pursuant to Section 3 or Section 6 hereof that
represents Rights that are or have become void pursuant to the provisions of
this paragraph, and any Right Certificate delivered to the Rights Agent that
represents Rights that are or have become void pursuant to the provisions of
this paragraph shall be canceled.
(iii) The Company may at its option substitute for a share of
Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of Rights in accordance with the
foregoing subparagraph (ii) such number or fractions of shares of Preferred
Stock having an aggregate current market value equal to the Current Market Price
of a share of Common Stock. In the event that there shall not be sufficient
shares of Common Stock issued but not outstanding or authorized but unissued to
permit the exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with the foregoing
subparagraph (ii), the Board of Directors shall, to the extent permitted by
applicable law and any material agreements then in effect to which the Company
is a party (A) determine the excess (such excess, the "Spread") of (1) the value
of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of a Right in
accordance with the foregoing subparagraph (ii) (the "Current Value") over (2)
the Purchase Price (as adjusted in accordance with the foregoing subparagraph
(ii)), and (B) with respect to each Right (other than Rights which have become
void pursuant to the foregoing subparagraph (ii)), make adequate provision to
substitute for the shares of Common Stock issuable in accordance with the
foregoing paragraph (ii) upon exercise of the Right and payment of the Purchase
Price (as adjusted in accordance therewith), (1) cash, (2) a reduction in such
Purchase Price, (3) shares of Preferred Stock or other equity securities of the
Company, including, without limitation, shares or fractions of shares of
preferred stock which, by virtue of having dividend, voting and liquidation
rights substantially comparable to those of the shares of Common Stock, are
deemed in good faith by the Board of Directors to have substantially the same
value as the shares of Common Stock (such shares of Preferred Stock and shares
or fractions of shares of preferred stock being hereinafter referred to as
"Common Stock Equivalents"), (4) debt securities of the Company, (5) other
assets, or (6) any combination of the foregoing, having a value which, when
added to the value of the shares of Common Stock actually issued upon exercise
of such Right, shall have an aggregate value equal to the Current
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<PAGE> 15
Value (less the amount of any reduction in such Purchase Price), where such
aggregate value has been determined by the Board of Directors upon the advice of
a nationally recognized investment banking firm selected in good faith by the
Board of Directors; provided, however, that if the Company shall not make
adequate provision to deliver value pursuant to clause (B) above within thirty
(30) days following the date of the Flip-In Event (the "Flip-in Trigger Date"),
then the Company shall be obligated to deliver, to the extent permitted by
applicable law and any material agreements then in effect to which the Company
is a party, upon the surrender for exercise of a Right and without requiring
payment of such Purchase Price, shares of Common Stock (to the extent
available), and then, if necessary, such number or fractions of shares of
Preferred Stock (to the extent available) and then, if necessary, cash, which
shares and/or cash have an aggregate value equal to the Spread. If the Board of
Directors of the Company shall determine in good faith that it is likely that
sufficient additional shares of Common Stock and/or Common Stock Equivalents
could be authorized for issuance upon exercise in full of the Rights, the thirty
(30) day period set forth above may be extended to the extent necessary, but not
more than ninety (90) days after the Flip-In Trigger Date, in order that the
Company may seek stockholder approval for the authorization of such additional
shares or Common Stock Equivalents (such thirty (30) day period, as it may be
extended, being hereinafter referred to as the "Substitution Period"). To the
extent that the Company determines that some action need be taken pursuant to
the second and/or third sentence of this Section 11(a)(iii), the Company (x)
shall provide, subject to the last sentence of Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, that
such action shall apply uniformly to all outstanding Rights, and (y) may suspend
the exercisability of the Rights until the expiration of the Substitution Period
in order to seek any authorization of additional shares and/or to decide the
appropriate form of distribution to be made pursuant to the first sentence of
Section 11(a)(iii) and to determine the value thereof. In the event of any such
suspension, the Company shall issue a public announcement stating that the
exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended, as well as a public
announcement at such time as the suspension is no longer in effect. For purposes
of this Section 11(a)(iii), the value of the Common Stock shall be the Current
Market Price per share of the Common Stock on the Flip-In Trigger Date and the
per share or per unit value of any Common Stock Equivalent shall be deemed to
equal the Current Market Price per share of the Common Stock on such date. The
Board of Directors may, but shall not be required to, establish procedures to
allocate the right to receive Common Stock upon the exercise of the Rights among
holders of Rights pursuant to this Section 11(a)(iii).
(b) In case the Company shall fix a record date for the issuance
of rights (other than the Rights), options or warrants to all holders of
Preferred Stock entitling them to subscribe for or purchase (for a period
expiring within forty-five calendar days after such record date) Preferred
Stock, shares having the same rights, privileges and preferences as the
Preferred Stock ("equivalent preferred stock") or securities convertible into
Preferred Stock or equivalent preferred stock at a price per share of Preferred
Stock or equivalent preferred stock (or having a conversion price per share, if
a security convertible into Preferred Stock or equivalent preferred stock) less
than the Current Market Price per share of Preferred Stock on such record date,
the Purchase Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by
multiplying the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such record date
by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Preferred
Stock outstanding on such record date, plus the number of shares of Preferred
Stock which the aggregate offering price of the total number of shares of
Preferred Stock and/or equivalent preferred stock (and/or the aggregate initial
conversion price of the convertible securities so to be offered) would purchase
at such Current Market Price, and the denominator of which shall be the number
of shares of Preferred Stock outstanding on such record date, plus the number of
additional shares of Preferred Stock and/or equivalent preferred stock to be
offered for subscription or purchase (or into which the convertible securities
so to be offered are initially convertible). In case such subscription price may
be paid by delivery of consideration part or all of which may be in a form other
than cash, the value of such non-cash consideration shall be as
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<PAGE> 16
determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose
determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent.
Shares of Preferred Stock owned by or held for the account of the Company shall
not be deemed outstanding for the purpose of any such computation. Such
adjustment shall be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed, and
in the event that such rights or warrants are not so issued, the Purchase Price
shall be adjusted to be the Purchase Price which would then be in effect if such
record date had not been fixed.
(c) In case the Company shall fix a record date for a distribution
to all holders of Preferred Stock (including any such distribution made in
connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing
corporation) of evidences of indebtedness, cash, assets (other than a dividend
payable in Preferred Stock, but including any dividend payable in stock other
than Preferred Stock) or subscription rights or warrants (excluding those
referred to in Section 11(b) hereof), the Purchase Price to be in effect after
such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Purchase Price in effect
immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which
shall be the Current Market Price per share of Preferred Stock on such record
date, less the fair market value (as determined in good faith by the Board of
Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a statement
filed with the Rights Agent) of the portion of the cash, assets or evidences of
indebtedness to be distributed or of such subscription rights or warrants
applicable to a share of Preferred Stock and the denominator of which shall be
such Current Market Price per share of Preferred Stock. Such adjustments shall
be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed, and in the event that
such distribution is not so made, the Purchase Price shall be adjusted to be the
Purchase Price which would have been in effect if such record date had not been
fixed.
(d) (i) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, other than
computations made pursuant to Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, the "Current Market
Price" per share of Common Stock on any date shall be deemed to be the average
of the daily closing prices per share of the Common Stock for the thirty
consecutive Trading Days (as such term is hereinafter defined) immediately prior
to such date, and for purpose of computations made pursuant to Section
11(a)(iii) hereof, the "Current Market Price" per share of the Common Stock on
any date shall be deemed to be the average of the daily closing prices per share
of the Common Stock for the ten consecutive Trading Days immediately following
such date; provided, however, that in the event that the Current Market Price
per share of the Common Stock is determined during a period following the
announcement by the issuer of the Common Stock of (i) any dividend or
distribution on the Common Stock (other than a regular quarterly cash dividend
and other than the Rights), (ii) any subdivision, combination or
reclassification of the Common Stock, and prior to the expiration of the
requisite thirty Trading Day or ten Trading Day period, as set forth above,
after the ex-dividend date for such dividend or distribution, or the record date
for such subdivision, combination or reclassification occurs, then, and in each
such case, the Current Market Price shall be properly adjusted to take into
account ex-dividend trading. The closing price for each day shall be the last
sale price, regular way, or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the
average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, in either case as
reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect
to securities listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or,
if the shares of Common Stock are not listed or admitted to trading on the New
York Stock Exchange, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction
reporting system with respect to securities listed on the principal national
securities exchange on which the shares of Common Stock are listed or admitted
to trading or, if the shares of Common Stock are not listed or admitted to
trading on any national securities exchange, the last quoted sale price or, if
not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices in the
over-the-counter market, as reported by NASDAQ or such other system then in use,
or, if on any such date the shares of Common Stock are not quoted by any such
organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a
professional market maker making a market in the
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<PAGE> 17
Common Stock selected by the Board of Directors of the Company. If on any such
date no market maker is making a market in the Common Stock, the fair value of
such shares on such date as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors
of the Company shall be used and shall be binding on the Rights Agent. The term
"Trading Day" shall mean a day on which the principal national securities
exchange on which the shares of Common Stock are listed or admitted to trading
is open for the transaction of business or, if the shares of Common Stock are
not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, a
Business Day. If the Common Stock is not publicly held or not so listed or
traded, "Current Market Price" per share shall mean the fair value per share as
determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose
determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and
shall be conclusive for all purposes.
(ii) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, the "Current
Market Price" per share (or one one-hundredth of a share) of Preferred Stock
shall be determined in the same manner as set forth above for the Common Stock
in clause (i) of this Section 11(d) (other than the last sentence thereof). If
the Current Market Price per share (or one one-hundredth of a share) of
Preferred Stock cannot be determined in the manner provided above or if the
Preferred Stock is not publicly held or listed or traded in a manner described
in clause (i) of this Section 11(d), the "Current Market Price" per share of
Preferred Stock shall be conclusively deemed to be an amount equal to 100 (as
such number may be appropriately adjusted for such events as stock splits, stock
dividends and recapitalizations with respect to the Common Stock occurring after
the date of this Agreement) multiplied by the Current Market Price per share of
the Common Stock, and the "Current Market Price" per one one-hundredth of a
share of Preferred Stock shall be equal to the Current Market Price per share of
the Common Stock (as appropriately adjusted). If neither the Common Stock nor
the Preferred Stock is publicly held or so listed or traded, "Current Market
Price" per shall mean the fair value per share as determined in good faith by
the Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in
a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be conclusive for all
purposes.
(e) Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, no adjustment
in the Purchase Price shall be required unless such adjustment would require an
increase or decrease of at least one percent in the Purchase Price; provided,
however, that any adjustments which by reason of this Section 11(e) are not
required to be made shall be carried forward and taken into account in any
subsequent adjustment. All calculations under this Section 11 shall be made to
the nearest cent or to the nearest ten-thousandth of a share of Common Stock or
other share or one-hundred-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock, as the case
may be. Notwithstanding the first sentence of this Section 11(e), any adjustment
required by this Section 11 shall be made no later than the earlier of (i) three
years from the date of the transaction which mandates such adjustment, or (ii)
the Expiration Date.
(f) If as a result of an adjustment made pursuant to Section
11(a)(ii) or Section 13(a) hereof, the holder of any Right thereafter exercised
shall become entitled to receive any shares of capital stock other than
Preferred Stock, thereafter the number of such other shares so receivable upon
exercise of any Right and the Purchase Price thereof shall be subject to
adjustment from time to time in a manner and on terms as nearly equivalent as
practicable to the provisions with respect to the shares of Preferred Stock
contained in Section 11(a), (b), (c), (e), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k) and (m)
hereof, and the provisions of Sections 7, 9, 10, 13 and 14 hereof with respect
to the Preferred Stock shall apply on like terms to any such other shares.
(g) All Rights originally issued by the Company subsequent to any
adjustment made to the Purchase Price hereunder shall evidence the right to
purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, the
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<PAGE> 18
number of shares of Preferred Stock purchasable from time to time hereunder upon
exercise of the Rights, all subject to further adjustment as provided herein.
(h) Unless the Company shall have exercised its election as
provided in Section 11(i), upon each adjustment of the Purchase Price as a
result of the calculations made in Sections 11(b) and (c), each Right
outstanding immediately prior to the making of such adjustment shall thereafter
evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, that number of
one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock (calculated to the nearest
one-hundred-thousandth) obtained by (i) multiplying (x) the number of
one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock covered by a Right immediately
prior to this adjustment, by (y) the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior
to such adjustment of the Purchase Price, and (ii) dividing the product so
obtained by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after such adjustment of
the Purchase Price.
(i) The Company may elect on or after the date of any adjustment
of the Purchase Price or any adjustment to the number of shares of Preferred
Stock for which a Right may be exercised made pursuant to Sections 11(a)(i),
11(b) or 11(c), to adjust the number of Rights in lieu of any adjustment in the
number of shares of Preferred Stock purchasable upon the exercise of a Right.
Each of the Rights outstanding after the adjustment in the number of Rights
shall be exercisable for the number of shares of Preferred Stock for which a
Right was exercisable immediately prior to such adjustment. Each Right held of
record prior to such adjustment of the number of Rights shall become that number
of Rights (calculated to the nearest one hundred-thousandth) obtained by
dividing the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to adjustment of the
Purchase Price by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after adjustment of
the Purchase Price. The Company shall make a public announcement of its election
to adjust the number of Rights, indicating the record date for the adjustment,
and, if known at the time, the amount of the adjustment to be made. This record
date may be the date on which the Purchase Price is adjusted or any day
thereafter, but, if the Right Certificates have been issued, shall be at least
ten days later than the date of the public announcement. If Right Certificates
have been issued, upon each adjustment of the number of Rights pursuant to this
Section 11(i), the Company shall, as promptly as practicable, cause to be
distributed to holders of record of Right Certificates on such record date Right
Certificates evidencing, subject to Section 14 hereof, the additional Rights to
which such holders shall be entitled as a result of such adjustment, or, at the
option of the Company, shall cause to be distributed to such holders of record
in substitution and replacement for the Right Certificates held by such holders
prior to the date of adjustment, and upon surrender thereof, if required by the
Company, new Right Certificates evidencing all the Rights to which such holders
shall be entitled after such adjustment. Right Certificates so to be distributed
shall be issued, executed and countersigned in the manner provided for herein
(and may bear, at the option of the Company, the adjusted Purchase Price) and
shall be registered in the names of the holders of record of Right Certificates
on the record date specified in the public announcement.
(j) Irrespective of any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price
or the number of shares of Preferred Stock issuable upon the exercise of the
Rights, the Right Certificates theretofore and thereafter issued may continue to
express the Purchase Price per share and the number of shares which were
expressed in the initial Right Certificate issued hereunder.
(k) Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment
reducing the Purchase Price below the then par value, if any, of the shares of
Common Stock, Preferred Stock or other capital stock issuable upon exercise of
the Rights, the Company shall take any corporate action, including using its
best efforts to obtain any required stockholder approvals, which may, in the
opinion of its counsel, be necessary in order that the Company may validly and
legally issue fully paid and nonassessable shares of
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<PAGE> 19
Common Stock, Preferred Stock or other capital stock at such adjusted Purchase
Price. If upon any exercise of the Rights, a holder is to receive a combination
of Common Stock and Common Stock Equivalents, a portion of the consideration
paid upon such exercise, equal to at least the then par value of a share of
Common Stock of the Company, shall be allocated as the payment for each share of
Common Stock of the Company so received.
(l) In any case in which this Section 11 shall require that an
adjustment in the Purchase Price be made effective as of a record date for a
specified event, the Company may elect to defer until the occurrence of such
event the issuance to the holder of any Right exercised after such record date
the shares of Preferred Stock and other capital stock or securities of the
Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise over and above the shares of
Preferred Stock and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any,
issuable upon such exercise on the basis of the Purchase Price in effect prior
to such adjustment; provided, however, that the Company shall deliver to such
holder a due bill or other appropriate instrument evidencing such holder's right
to receive such additional shares of Preferred Stock and other capital stock or
securities upon the occurrence of the event requiring such adjustment.
(m) Anything in this Section 11 to the contrary notwithstanding,
the Company shall be entitled to make such reductions in the Purchase Price, in
addition to those adjustments expressly required by this Section 11, as and to
the extent that in their good faith judgment the Board of Directors of the
Company shall determine to be advisable in order that any (i) consolidation or
subdivision of the Preferred Stock, (ii) issuance for cash of any shares of
Preferred Stock at less than the Current Market Price, (iii) issuance for cash
of shares of Preferred Stock or securities which by their terms are convertible
into or exchangeable for shares of Preferred Stock, (iv) stock dividends or (v)
issuance of rights, options or warrants referred to in this Section 11,
hereafter made by the Company to holders of its Preferred Stock shall not be
taxable to such stockholders.
(n) The Company covenants and agrees that it shall not, at any
time after the Distribution Date, (i) consolidate with any other Person, (ii)
merge with or into any other Person, or (iii) sell or transfer (or permit any
Subsidiary to sell or transfer), in one transaction or a series of related
transactions, assets or earning power aggregating more than 50% of the assets or
earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to, any
other Person or Persons, if (x) at the time of or immediately after such
consolidation, merger or sale there are any charter or by-law provisions or any
rights, warrants or other instruments or securities outstanding or agreements in
effect which substantially diminish or otherwise eliminate the benefits intended
to be afforded by the Rights or (y) prior to, simultaneously with or immediately
after such consolidation, merger or sale, the stockholders of the Person who
constitutes, or would constitute, the "Principal Party" for purposes of Section
13(a) hereof shall have received a distribution of Rights previously owned by
such Person or any of its Affiliates and Associates. The Company shall not
consummate any such consolidation, merger or sale unless prior thereto the
Company and such other Person shall have executed and delivered to the Rights
Agent a supplemental agreement evidencing compliance with this subsection.
(o) The Company covenants and agrees that, after the Distribution
Date, it will not, except as permitted by Section 23, Section 24 or Section 27
hereof, take (or permit any Subsidiary to take) any action if at the time such
action is taken it is reasonably foreseeable that such action will diminish
substantially or eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights.
(p) Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, in
the event that the Company shall at any time after the Record Date and prior to
the Distribution Date (i) declare or pay any dividend on the outstanding shares
of Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, (ii) subdivide
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<PAGE> 20
the outstanding shares of Common Stock, or (iii) combine the outstanding shares
of Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, the number of Rights associated
with each share of Common Stock then outstanding, or issued or delivered
thereafter, shall be proportionately adjusted so that the number of Rights
thereafter associated with each share of Common Stock following any such event
equals the result obtained by multiplying the number of Rights associated with
each share of Common Stock immediately prior to such event by a fraction, the
numerator or which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding
immediately prior to the occurrence of such event and the denominator of which
shall be the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately following
the occurrence of such event.
12. Certification of Adjustments. Whenever an adjustment is made as
provided in Sections 11 and 13 hereof, the Company shall (a) promptly prepare a
certificate signed by its Chief Executive Officer, its President or any Vice
President and by the Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer or the Secretary or
any Assistant Secretary of the Company setting forth such adjustment and a brief
statement of the facts giving rise to such adjustment, (b) promptly file with
the Rights Agent and with each transfer agent for the Preferred Stock and the
Common Stock a copy of such certificate and (c) mail a brief summary thereof to
each holder of a Right Certificate (or, if prior to the Distribution Date, to
each holder of a certificate representing shares of Common Stock) in accordance
with Section 26 hereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, the failure of
the Company to give such notice shall not affect the validity of or the force or
effect of or the requirement for such adjustment. The Rights Agent shall be
fully protected in relying on any certificate prepared by the Company pursuant
to Sections 11 and 13 and on any adjustment therein contained and shall not be
deemed to have knowledge of any such adjustment unless and until it shall have
received such certificate. Any adjustment to be made pursuant to Sections 11 and
13 of this Rights Agreement shall be effective as of the date of the event
giving rise to such adjustment.
13. Consolidation, Merger or Sale or Transfer of Assets or Earning
Power.
(a) In the event that following the first occurrence of a Flip-In
Event, directly or indirectly, (x) the Company shall consolidate with, or merge
with and into, any other Person or Persons and the Company shall not be the
surviving or continuing corporation of such consolidation or merger, or (y) any
Person or Persons shall consolidate with, or merge with and into, the Company,
and the Company shall be the continuing or surviving corporation of such
consolidation or merger and, in connection with such consolidation or merger,
all or part of the outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be changed into or
exchanged for stock or other securities of any other Person or of the Company or
cash or any other property, other than, in the case of the transactions
described in subparagraphs (x) or (y), a merger or consolidation which would
result in all of the Voting Power represented by the securities of the Company
outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by
remaining outstanding or by being converted into securities of the surviving
entity) all of the Voting Power represented by the securities of the Company or
such surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation
and the holders of such securities not having changed as a result of such
transactions, or (z) the Company or one or more of its Subsidiaries shall sell,
mortgage or otherwise transfer to any other Person or any Affiliate or Associate
of such Person, in one transaction, or a series of related transactions, assets
or earning power aggregating more than 50% of the assets or earning power of the
Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole), then, on the first occurrence
of any such event (a "Flip-Over Event"), proper provision shall be made so that
(i) each holder of a Right (other than Rights which have become void pursuant to
Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon the
exercise thereof at the Purchase Price (as theretofore adjusted in accordance
with Section 11(a)(ii) hereof), in accordance with the terms of this Agreement
and in lieu of shares of Preferred Stock or Common Stock of the Company, such
number of validly authorized and issued, fully paid, non-assessable and freely
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<PAGE> 21
tradeable shares of Common Stock of the Principal Party (as such term is
hereinafter defined), not subject to any liens, encumbrances, rights of first
refusal or other adverse claims, as shall equal the result obtained by dividing
the Purchase Price (as theretofore adjusted in accordance with Section 11(a)(ii)
hereof) by 50% of the Current Market Price per share of the Common Stock of such
Principal Party (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) on the date of
consummation of such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer; provided, however,
that the Purchase Price (as theretofore adjusted in accordance with Section
11(a)(ii) hereof) and the number of shares of Common Stock of such Principal
Party so receivable upon exercise of a Right shall be subject to further
adjustment as appropriate in accordance with Section 11(f) hereof to reflect any
events occurring in respect of the Common Stock of such Principal Party after
the occurrence of such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer; (ii) such
Principal Party shall thereafter be liable for, and shall assume, by virtue of
such Flip-Over Event, all the obligations and duties of the Company pursuant to
this Rights Agreement; (iii) the term "Company" for all purposes of this Rights
Agreement shall thereafter be deemed to refer to such Principal Party, it being
specifically intended that the provisions of Section 11 hereof shall only apply
to such Principal Party following the first occurrence of a Flip-Over Event; and
(iv) such Principal Party shall take such steps (including, but not limited to,
the reservation of a sufficient number of shares of its Common Stock in
accordance with Section 9 hereof) in connection with the consummation of any
such transaction as may be necessary to assure that the provisions hereof shall
thereafter be applicable, as nearly as reasonably may be, in relation to its
shares of Common Stock thereafter deliverable upon the exercise of the Rights;
provided, however, that, upon the subsequent occurrence of any merger,
consolidation, sale of all or substantially all assets, recapitalization,
reclassification of shares, reorganization or other extraordinary transaction in
respect of such Principal Party, each holder of a Right shall thereupon be
entitled to receive, upon exercise of a Right, such cash, shares, rights,
warrants and other property which such holder would have been entitled to
receive had he, at the time of such transaction, owned the shares of Common
Stock of the Principal Party purchasable upon the exercise of a Right, and such
Principal Party shall take such steps (including, but not limited to,
reservation of shares of stock) as may necessary to permit the subsequent
exercise of the Rights in accordance with the terms hereof for such cash,
shares, rights, warrants and other property.
(b) "Principal Party" shall mean:
(i) in the case of any transaction described in (x) or (y) of
the first sentence of Section 13(a) hereof, (A) the Person that is the issuer of
the securities into which shares of Common Stock of the Company are converted in
such merger or consolidation, or, if there is more than one such issuer, the
issuer the Common Stock of which has the greatest aggregate market value or (B)
if no securities are so issued, (x) the Person that is the other party to the
merger or consolidation and that survives said merger or consolidation, or, if
there is more than one such Person, the Person the Common Stock of which has the
greatest market value or (y) if the Person that is the other party to the merger
or consolidation does not survive the merger or consolidation, the Person that
does survive the merger or consolidation (including the Company if it survives);
and
(ii) in the case of any transaction described in (z) of the
first sentence in Section 13(a) hereof, the Person that is the party receiving
the greatest portion of the assets or earning power transferred pursuant to such
transaction or transactions, or, if each Person that is a party to such
transaction or transactions receives the same portion of the assets or earning
power so transferred or if the Person receiving the greatest portion of the
assets or earning power cannot be determined, whichever of such Persons as is
the issuer of Common Stock having the greatest aggregate market value of shares
outstanding;
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provided, however, that in any such case described in the foregoing paragraphs
(b)(i) or (b)(ii), (1) if the Common Stock of such Person is not at such time
and has not been continuously over the preceding 12-month period registered
under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, and such Person is a direct or indirect
Subsidiary of another Person the Common Stock of which is and has been so
registered, the term "Principal Party" shall refer to such other Person, or (2)
if such Person is a Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, of more than one Person,
the Common Stocks of all of which are and have been so registered, the term
"Principal Party" shall refer to whichever of such Persons is the issuer of the
Common Stock having the greatest market value of shares outstanding, or (3) if
such Person is owned, directly or indirectly, by a joint venture formed by two
or more Persons that are not owned, directly or indirectly, by the same Person,
the rules set forth in clauses (1) and (2) above shall apply to each of the
owners having an interest in the joint venture as if the Person owned by the
joint venture was a Subsidiary of both or all of such joint venturers, and the
Principal Party in each such case shall bear the obligations set forth in this
Section 13 in the same ratio as its interest in such Person bears to the total
of such interests.
(c) The Company shall not consummate any consolidation, merger,
sale or transfer referred to in Section 13(a) unless the Principal Party shall
have a sufficient number of authorized shares of its Common Stock that have not
been issued or reserved for issuance to permit the exercise in full of the
Rights in accordance with this Section 13 and unless prior thereto the Company
and the Principal Party involved therein shall have executed and delivered to
the Rights Agent an agreement confirming that the requirements of Sections 13(a)
and (b) hereof shall promptly be performed in accordance with their terms and
that such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer of assets shall not result in
a default by the Principal Party under this Rights Agreement as the same shall
have been assumed by the Principal Party pursuant to Sections 13(a) and (b)
hereof and further providing that, as soon as practicable after executing such
agreement pursuant to this Section 13, the Principal Party at its own expense
shall:
(i) prepare and file a registration statement under the
Securities Act, if necessary, with respect to the Rights and the securities
purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, use its best
efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective as soon as
practicable after such filing and use its best efforts to cause such
registration statement to remain effective (with a prospectus at all times
meeting the requirements of the Act) until the date of expiration of the Rights,
and similarly comply with applicable state securities laws;
(ii) use its best efforts, if the Common Stock of the
Principal Party shall become listed on a national securities exchange, to list
(or continue the listing of) the Rights and the securities purchasable upon
exercise of the Rights on such securities exchange and, if the Common Stock of
the Principal Party shall not be listed on a national securities exchange, to
cause the Rights and the securities purchased upon exercise of the Rights to be
reported by NASDAQ or such other system then in use;
(iii) deliver to holders of the Rights historical financial
statements for the Principal Party which comply in all respects with the
requirements for registration on Form 10 (or any successor form) under the
Exchange Act; and
(iv) obtain waivers of any rights of first refusal or
preemptive rights in respect of the shares of Common Stock of the Principal
Party subject to purchase upon exercise of outstanding Rights.
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<PAGE> 23
In the event that any of the transactions described in Section 13(a)
hereof shall occur at any time after the occurrence of a transaction described
in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, the Rights which have not theretofore been
exercised shall thereafter be exercisable in the manner described in Section
13(a).
(d) Furthermore, in case the Principal Party which is to be a
party to a transaction referred to in this Section 13 has a provision in any of
its authorized securities or in its Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws or
other instrument governing its corporate affairs, which provision would have the
effect of (i) causing such Principal Party to issue, in connection with, or as a
consequence of, the consummation of a transaction referred to in this Section
13, shares of Common Stock of such Principal Party at less than the then Current
Market Price per share (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) or
securities exercisable for, or convertible into, Common Stock of such Principal
Party at less than such then current market price (other than to holders of
Rights pursuant to this Section 13) or (ii) providing for any special payment,
tax or similar provisions in connection with the issuance of the Common Stock of
such Principal Party pursuant to the provisions of Section 13; then, in such
event, the Company hereby agrees with each holder of Rights that it shall not
consummate any such transaction unless prior thereto the Company and such
Principal Party shall have executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a
supplemental agreement providing that the provision in question of such
Principal Party shall have been canceled, waived or amended, or that the
authorized securities shall be redeemed, so that the applicable provision will
have no effect in connection with, or as a consequence of, the consummation of
the proposed transaction.
14. Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares.
(a) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Rights
or to distribute Right Certificates which evidence fractional Rights. In lieu of
such fractional Rights, there shall be paid to the holders of record of the
Right Certificates with regard to which such fractional Rights would otherwise
be issuable, an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the then current
market value of a whole Right. For the purposes of this Section 14(a), the then
current market value of a Right shall be determined in the same manner as the
Current Market Price of a share of Common Stock shall be determined pursuant to
Section 11(d) hereof.
(b) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of shares
of Preferred Stock (other than fractions which are integral multiples of one
one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock) upon exercise of the Rights or to
distribute certificates which evidence fractional shares of Preferred Stock
(other fractions which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a share of
Preferred Stock). Fractions of shares of Preferred Stock in integral multiples
of one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock may, at the election of the
Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts, pursuant to an appropriate
agreement between the Company and a depositary selected by it, provided that
such agreement shall provide that the holders of such depositary receipts shall
have all the rights, privileges and preferences to which they are entitled as
beneficial owners of the shares of Preferred Stock represented by such
depositary receipts. In lieu of fractional shares of Preferred Stock that are
not integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock, the
Company may pay to the registered holders of Right Certificates at the time such
Rights are exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same
fraction of the current market value of one one-hundredth of a share of
Preferred Stock. For purposes of this Section 14(b), the current market value of
one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock shall be the Current Market
Price of a share of Common Stock (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d)(ii)
hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such exercise.
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<PAGE> 24
(c) Following the occurrence of a Flip-In Event, the Company shall
not be required to issue fractions of shares or units of Common Stock or Common
Stock Equivalents or other securities upon exercise of the Rights or to
distribute certificates which evidence fractional shares of such Common Stock or
Common Stock Equivalents or other securities. In lieu of fractional shares or
units of such Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents or other securities, the
Company may pay to the registered holders of Right Certificates at the time such
Rights are exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same
fraction of the Current Market Value of a share or unit of such Common Stock or
Common Stock Equivalent or other securities. For purposes of this Section 14(c),
the Current Market Value shall be determined in the manner set forth in Section
11(d) hereof for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such exercise
and, if such Common Stock Equivalent is not traded, each such Common Stock
Equivalent shall have the value of one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred
Stock.
(d) The holder of a Right by the acceptance of a Right expressly
waives his right to receive any fractional Right or any fractional shares upon
exercise of a Right.
15. Rights of Action. All rights of action in respect of this
Agreement, other than any rights of action vested in the Rights Agent pursuant
to Sections 18 and 20 below, are vested in the respective holders of record of
the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the holders of
record of the Common Stock); and any holder of record of any Right Certificate
(or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Stock), without the consent
of the Rights Agent or of the holder of any other Right Certificate (or, prior
to the Distribution Date, of the Common Stock), may, in his own behalf and for
his own benefit, enforce, and may institute and maintain any suit, action or
proceeding against the Company or any other Person to enforce, or otherwise act
in respect of, his right to exercise the Rights evidenced by such Right
Certificate in the manner provided in such Right Certificate and in this
Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing or any remedies available to the
holders of Rights, it is specifically acknowledged that the holders of Rights
would not have an adequate remedy at law for any breach of this Agreement and,
accordingly, that they will be entitled to specific performance of the
obligations under, and injunctive relief against actual or threatened violations
of, the obligations of any Person subject to this Agreement. Holders of Rights
shall be entitled to recover the reasonable costs and expenses, including
attorneys' fees, incurred by them in any action to enforce the provisions of
this Agreement.
16. Agreement of Right Holders. Every holder of a Right by accepting
the same consents and agrees with the Company and the Rights Agent and with
every other holder of a Right that:
(a) prior to the Distribution Date, the Rights will not be
evidenced by a Right Certificate and will be transferable only in connection
with the transfer of Common Stock;
(b) after the Distribution Date, the Right Certificates will be
transferable only on the registry books of the Rights Agent if surrendered at
the office of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, duly endorsed or
accompanied by a proper instrument of transfer;
(c) the Company and the Rights Agent may deem and treat the person
in whose name the Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, the
associated Common Stock certificate) is registered as the absolute owner thereof
and of the Rights evidenced thereby (notwithstanding any notations of ownership
or writing on the Right Certificate or the associated Common Stock certificate
made by anyone other than the Company or the Rights Agent or the transfer agent
of the Common Stock) for all purposes whatsoever, and neither the Company nor
the Rights Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary; and
23
<PAGE> 25
(d) notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary,
neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall have any liability to any holder
of a Right or other Person as a result of its inability to perform any of its
obligations under this Agreement by reason of any preliminary or permanent
injunction or other order, decree or ruling issued by a court of competent
jurisdiction or by a governmental, regulatory or administrative agency or
commission, or any statute, rule, regulation or executive order promulgated or
enacted by any governmental authority, prohibiting or otherwise restraining
performance of such obligation; provided, however, that the Company must use its
best efforts to have any such order, decree or ruling lifted or otherwise
overturned as soon as possible.
17. Right Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Stockholder. No holder of a
Right, as such, shall be entitled to vote, receive dividends in respect of or be
deemed for any purpose to be the holder of Common Stock or any other securities
of the Company which may at any time be issuable upon the exercise of the
Rights, nor shall anything contained herein or in any Right Certificate be
construed to confer upon the holder of any Right Certificate, as such, any of
the rights of a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote in the election
of directors or upon any matter submitted to stockholders at any meeting
thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive
notice of meetings or other actions affecting stockholders (except as provided
in Section 25 hereof), or to receive dividends or subscription rights in respect
of any such stock or securities, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights
evidenced by such Right Certificate shall have been exercised in accordance with
the provisions hereof.
18. Concerning the Rights Agent.
(a) The Company agrees to pay to the Rights Agent reasonable
compensation for all service rendered by it hereunder and, from time to time, on
demand of the Rights Agent, its reasonable expenses and counsel fees and other
disbursements incurred in the administration and execution of this Rights
Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder. The Company
also agrees to indemnify the Rights Agent for, and to hold it harmless against,
any loss, liability or expense incurred without gross negligence, bad faith or
willful misconduct on the part of the Rights Agent for any thing done or omitted
to be done by the Rights Agent in connection with the acceptance and
administration of this Rights Agreement, including the cost and expenses of
defending against any claim of liability in the premises. The indemnity provided
herein shall survive the expiration of the Rights and the termination of this
Rights Agreement. Anything in this agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, in
no event shall the Rights Agent be liable for special, indirect or consequential
loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost
profits), even if the Rights Agent has been advised of the likelihood of such
loss damage and regardless of the form of action.
(b) The Rights Agent shall be protected and shall incur no
liability for or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in
connection with its administration of this Rights Agreement in reliance upon any
Right Certificate, certificate for Common Stock or other securities of the
Company, instrument of assignment or transfer, power of attorney, endorsement,
affidavit, letter, notice, direction, consent, certificate, statement or other
paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to be signed, executed and,
where necessary, guaranteed, verified or acknowledged, by the proper Person or
Persons.
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<PAGE> 26
19. Merger or Consolidation or Changed Name of Rights Agent.
(a) Any corporation into which the Rights Agent or any successor
Rights Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated, or any
corporation resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Rights Agent
or any successor Rights Agent shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to
the corporate trust or stock transfer business of the Rights Agent or any
successor Rights Agent, shall be the successor to the Rights Agent under this
Agreement without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the
part of any of the parties hereto, provided that such corporation would be
eligible for appointment as a successor Rights Agent under the provisions of
Section 21 hereof. In case at the time such successor Rights Agent shall succeed
to the agency created by this Agreement, any of the Right Certificates shall
have been countersigned but not delivered, any such successor Rights Agent may
adopt the countersignature of the predecessor Rights Agent and deliver such
Right Certificates so countersigned; and, in case at that time any of the Right
Certificates shall not have been countersigned, any successor Rights Agent may
countersign such Right Certificates either in the name of the predecessor Rights
Agent or in the name of the successor Rights Agent; and in all such cases such
Right Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Right Certificates
and in this Agreement.
(b) In case at any time the name of the Rights Agent shall be
changed and at such time any of the Right Certificates shall have been
countersigned but not delivered, the Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature
under its prior name and deliver such Right Certificates so countersigned; and
in case at that time any of the Right Certificates shall not have been
countersigned, the Rights Agent may countersign such Right Certificates either
in its prior name or in its changed name; and in all such cases such Right
Certificate shall have the full force provided in the Right Certificates and in
this Rights Agreement.
20. Duties of Rights Agent. The Rights Agent undertakes the duties and
obligations imposed by this Rights Agreement upon the following terms and
conditions, by all of which the Company and the holders of Right Certificates,
by their acceptance thereof, shall be bound;
(a) The Rights Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be
legal counsel for the Company), and the opinion of such counsel shall be full
and complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent as to any action
taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith and in accordance with such
opinion.
(b) Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Rights
Agreement the Rights Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or
matter (including, without limitation, the identity of any Acquiring Person and
the determination of "Current Market Price") be proved or established by the
Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter
(unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may
be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by certificate signed by the
President or any Vice President and by the Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer
or the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary of the Company and delivered to the
Rights Agent; and such certificate shall be full authorization to the Rights
Agent for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it under the provisions
of this Rights Agreement in reliance upon such certificate.
(c) The Rights Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own
gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct.
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<PAGE> 27
(d) The Rights Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of any
of the statements of fact or recitals contained in this Rights Agreement or in
the Right Certificates (except its countersignature thereof) or be required to
verify the same, but all such statements and recitals are and shall be deemed to
have been made by the Company only.
(e) The Rights Agent shall not be under any responsibility in
respect of the validity of this Rights Agreement or the execution and delivery
hereof (except the due execution hereof by the Rights Agent) or in respect of
the validity or execution of any Right Certificate (except its countersignature
thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any
covenant or condition contained in this Rights Agreement or in any Right
Certificate; nor shall it be responsible for any adjustment required under the
provisions of Sections 11, 13, 23 or 24 hereof or responsible for the manner,
method or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of
facts that would require any such adjustment (except with respect to the
exercise of Rights evidenced by Right Certificates after receipt of a
Certificate furnished pursuant to Section 12 describing any such adjustment);
nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or
warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock to
be issued pursuant to this Rights Agreement or any Right Certificate or as to
whether any shares of Common Stock will, when issued, be validly authorized and
issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
(f) The Company agrees that it will perform, execute, acknowledge
and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and delivered all
such further and other acts, instruments and assurances as may reasonably be
required by the Rights Agent for the carrying out or performing by the Rights
Agent of the provisions of this Rights Agreement.
(g) The Rights Agent is hereby authorized and directed to accept
instructions with respect to the performance of its duties hereunder from the
Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President or any Vice
President or the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary or the Treasurer or any
Assistant Treasurer of the Company, and to apply to such officers for advice or
instructions in connection with its duties, and it shall not be liable for any
action taken or suffered to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with
instructions of any such officer. Any application by the Rights Agent for
written instructions from the Company may, at the option of the Rights Agent,
set forth in writing any action proposed to be taken or omitted by the Rights
Agent under this Rights Agreement and the date on and/or after which such action
shall be taken or such omission shall be effective. Subject to Section 20(c)
hereof, the Rights Agent shall not be liable for any action taken by, or
omission of, the Rights Agent in accordance with a proposal included in any such
application on or after the date specified in such application (which date shall
not be less than five Business Days after the date any officer of the Company
actually receives such application, unless any such officer shall have consented
in writing to an earlier date) unless, prior to taking any such action (or the
effective date in the case of an omission), the Rights Agent shall have received
written instructions in response to such application specifying the action to be
taken or omitted.
(h) The Rights Agent and any stockholder, director, officer or
employee of the Rights Agent may buy, sell or deal in any of the Rights or other
securities of the Company or become pecuniarily interested in any transaction in
which the Company may be interested, or contract with or lend money to the
Company or otherwise act as fully and freely as though it were not the Rights
Agent under this Rights Agreement. Nothing herein shall preclude the Rights
Agent from acting in any other capacity for the Company or for any other entity.
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<PAGE> 28
(i) The Rights Agent may execute and exercise any of the rights or
powers hereby vested in it or perform any duty hereunder either itself or by or
through its attorneys or agents, and the Rights Agent shall not be answerable or
accountable for any act, default, neglect or misconduct of any such attorneys or
agents or for any loss to the Company resulting from any such act, default,
neglect or misconduct, provided reasonable care was exercised in the selection
and continued employment thereof.
(j) No provision of this Agreement shall require the Rights Agent
to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in
the performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise of its rights
if there shall be reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds
or adequate indemnification against such risk or liability is not reasonably
assured to it.
(k) If, with respect to any Right Certificate surrendered to the
Rights Agent for exercise or transfer, the certificate contained in the form of
assignment or the form of election to purchase set forth on the reverse thereof,
as the case may be, has either not been completed or indicates an affirmative
response to clause 1 and/or 2 thereof, the Rights Agent shall not take any
further action with respect to such requested exercise of transfer without first
consulting with the Company.
21. Change of Rights Agent. The Rights Agent or any successor Rights
Agent may resign and be discharged from its duties under this Rights Agreement
upon 30 days' notice in writing, or such earlier period as shall be agreed to in
writing, mailed to the Company and to each transfer agent of the Common Stock by
registered or certified mail, and to the holders of the Right Certificates by
first-class mail. The Company may remove the Rights Agent or any successor
Rights Agent (with or without cause) upon 30 days' notice in writing, or such
earlier period as shall be agreed to in writing, mailed to the Rights Agent or
successor Rights Agent, as the case may be, and to each transfer agent of the
Common Stock by registered or certified mail, and to the holders of the Right
Certificates by first-class mail. If the Rights Agent shall resign or be removed
or shall otherwise become incapable of acting, the Company shall appoint a
successor to the Rights Agent. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this
Section 21, in no event shall the resignation or removal of a Rights Agent be
effective until a successor Rights Agent shall have been appointed and have
accepted such appointment. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment
within a period of 30 days after such removal or after it has been notified in
writing of such resignation or incapacity by the resigning or incapacitated
Rights Agent or by the holder of a Right Certificate (who shall, with such
notice, submit his Right Certificate for inspection by the Company), then the
incumbent Rights Agent or the holder of record of any Right Certificate may
apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a new Rights
Agent. Any successor Rights Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such a
court, shall be (a) a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of
the United States or any State thereof, in good standing, which is authorized
under such laws to exercise corporate trust or stock transfer powers and is
subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority and which
has at the time of its appointment as Rights Agent a combined capital and
surplus of at least $50,000,000 or (b) an Affiliate controlled by a corporation
described in clause (a) of this sentence. After appointment, the successor
Rights Agent shall be vested with the same powers, rights, duties and
responsibilities as if it had been originally named as Rights Agent without
further act or deed; but the predecessor Rights Agent shall deliver and transfer
to the successor Rights Agent any property at the time held by it hereunder, and
execute and deliver any further assurance, conveyance, act or deed necessary for
the purpose. Not later than the effective date of any such appointment the
Company shall file notice thereof in writing with the predecessor Rights Agent
and each transfer agent of the Common Stock, and mail a notice thereof in
writing to the registered holders of the Right Certificates. Failure to give any
notice provided for in this Section 21, however, or any defect therein, shall
not affect the legality or validity of the resignation or removal of the Rights
Agent or the appointment of the successor Rights Agent, as the case may be.
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<PAGE> 29
22. Issuance of New Right Certificates. Notwithstanding any of the
provisions of this Rights Agreement or of the Rights to the contrary, the
Company may, at its option, issue new Right Certificates evidencing Rights in
such form as may be approved by its Board of Directors to reflect any adjustment
or change in the Purchase Price per share and the number or kind or class of
shares of stock or other securities or property purchasable under the Right
Certificates made in accordance with the provisions of this Rights Agreement. In
addition, in connection with the issuance or sale of shares of Common Stock
following the Distribution Date and prior to the redemption or expiration of the
Rights, the Company shall, with respect to shares of Common Stock so issued or
sold pursuant to the exercise of stock options or under any employee plan or
arrangement, or upon the exercise, conversion or exchange of securities
hereinafter issued by the Company, in each case existing prior to the
Distribution Date, issue Right Certificates representing the appropriate number
of Rights in connection with such issuance or sale; provided, however, that (i)
no such Right Certificate shall be issued if, and to the extent that, the
Company shall be advised by counsel that such issuance would create a
significant risk of material adverse tax consequences to the Company or the
Person to whom such Right Certificate would be issued, and (ii) no such Right
Certificate shall be issued, if, and to the extent that, appropriate adjustment
shall otherwise have been made in lieu of the issuance thereof.
23. Redemption.
(a) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at
any time prior to the earlier of (x) the first occurrence of a Flip-In Event or
(y) the Close of Business on the Expiration Date, redeem all but not less than
all the then outstanding Rights at a redemption price of $0.001 per Right, as
such amount may be appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock
dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof (such redemption
price being hereinafter referred to as the "Redemption Price").
(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the
Company ordering the redemption of the Rights (or at such later time as the
Board of Directors may establish for the effectiveness of such redemption), and
without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise the
Rights will terminate and the only right thereafter of the holders of Rights
shall be to receive the Redemption Price. The Company shall promptly give public
notice of any such redemption; provided, however, that the failure to give, or
any defect in, any such notice shall not affect the validity of such redemption.
Within (10) days after such action of the Board of Directors ordering the
redemption of the Rights (or such later time as the Board of Directors may
establish for the effectiveness of such redemption), the Company shall mail a
notice of redemption to all the holders of the then outstanding Rights at their
last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent or,
prior to the Distribution Date, on the registry books of the transfer agent for
the Common Stock. Any notice which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall
be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice
of redemption shall state the method by which the payment of the Redemption
Price will be made. The failure to give notice required by this Section 23(b) or
any defect therein shall not affect the legality or validity of the action taken
by the Company.
(c) In the case of a redemption permitted under Section 23(a), the
Company may, at its option, discharge all of its obligations with respect to the
Rights by (i) issuing a press release announcing the manner of redemption of the
Rights and (ii) mailing payment of the Redemption Price to the registered
holders of the Rights at their last addresses as they appear on the registry
books of the Rights Agent or, prior to the Distribution Date, on the registry
books of the transfer agent of the
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<PAGE> 30
Common Stock, and upon such action, all outstanding Right Certificates shall be
null and void without any further action by the Company.
24. Exchange of Rights for Common Stock.
(a) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at
any time after the occurrence of a Flip-In Event, exchange all or part of the
then outstanding and exercisable Rights (which (i) shall not include Rights that
have become void pursuant to the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) and (ii) shall
include, without limitation, any Rights issued after the Distribution Date in
accordance with Section 22) for shares of Common Stock at an exchange ratio of
one share of Common Stock per Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock
split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof
(such exchange ratio being hereinafter referred to as the "Exchange Ratio").
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of Directors shall not be empowered to
effect such exchange at any time after any Person (other than an Exempt Person),
together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, becomes the
Beneficial Owner of shares of Common Stock aggregating 50% or more of the shares
of Common Stock then outstanding. From and after the occurrence of an event
specified in Section 13(a) hereof, any Rights that theretofore have not been
exchanged pursuant to this Section 24(a) shall thereafter be exercisable only in
accordance with Section 13 and may not be exchanged pursuant to this Section
24(a).
(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the
Company ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to subsection (a) of this
Section 24 and without any further action and without any notice, the right to
exercise such Rights shall terminate and the only right thereafter of a holder
of such Rights shall be to receive that number of shares of Common Stock equal
to the number of such Rights held by such holder multiplied by the Exchange
Ratio. The Company shall promptly give public notice of any such exchange;
provided, however, that the failure to give, or any defect in, such notice shall
not affect the validity of such exchange. The Company promptly shall mail a
notice of any such exchange to all of the holders of such Rights at their last
addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent. Any notice
which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or
not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of exchange will state the
method by which the exchange of the shares of Common Stock for Rights will be
effected and, in the event of any partial exchange, the number of Rights which
will be exchanged. Any partial exchange shall be effected pro rata based on the
number of Rights (other than Rights which have become void pursuant to the
provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) held by each holder of Rights.
(c) In any exchange pursuant to this Section 24, the Company, at
its option, may substitute, and, in the event that there shall not be sufficient
shares of Common Stock issued but not outstanding or authorized but unissued to
permit any exchange of Rights as contemplated in accordance with this Section
24, the Company shall substitute to the extent of such insufficiency, for each
share of Common Stock that would otherwise be issuable upon exchange of a Right,
a number of shares of Preferred Stock or fractions thereof (or equivalent
preferred shares, as such term is defined in Section 11(b)) having an aggregate
current per share market price (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof)
equal to the current per share market price of one share of Common Stock
(determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) as of the date of the Flip-In
Event.
(d) In the event that there shall not be sufficient shares of
Common Stock issued but not outstanding or authorized but unissued to permit any
exchange of Rights as contemplated in accordance with this Section 24, the
Company shall take all such action as may be necessary to authorize additional
shares of Common Stock for issuance upon exchange of the Rights.
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<PAGE> 31
(e) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of shares
of Common Stock or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional shares
of Common Stock. In lieu of such fractional shares of Common Stock, the Company
shall pay to the registered holders of the Right Certificates with regard to
which such fractional shares of Common Stock would otherwise be issuable an
amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole
share of Common Stock. For the purposes of this paragraph (d), the current
market value of a whole share of Common Stock shall be the Current Market Price
of a share of Common Stock (as defined in Section 11(d) hereof for the purposes
of computations made other than pursuant to Section 11(a)(iii)) for the Trading
Day immediately prior to the date of exchange pursuant to this Section 24.
25. Notice of Proposed Actions.
(a) In case the Company, after the Distribution Date, shall
propose (i) to effect any of the transactions referred to in Section 11(a)(i) or
to pay any dividend to the holders of record of its Preferred Stock payable in
stock of any class or to make any other distribution to the holders of record of
its Preferred Stock (other than a regular periodic cash dividend), or (ii) to
offer to the holders of record of its Preferred Stock or options, warrants, or
other rights to subscribe for or to purchase shares of Preferred Stock
(including any security convertible into or exchangeable for Preferred Stock) or
shares of stock of any other class or any other securities, options, warrants,
convertible or exchangeable securities or other rights, or (iii) to effect any
reclassification of its Preferred Stock or any recapitalization or
reorganization of the Company, or (iv) to effect any consolidation or merger
with or into, or to effect any sale or other transfer (or to permit one or more
of its Subsidiaries to effect any sale or other transfer), in one or more
transactions, of more than 50% of the assets or earning power of the Company and
its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to, any other Person or Persons, or (v) to
effect the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, then, in each
such case, the Company shall give to each holder of record of a Right
Certificate, in accordance with Section 26 hereof, notice of such proposed
action, which shall specify the record date for the purposes of such transaction
referred to in Section 11(a)(i), or such dividend or distribution, or the date
on which such reclassification, recapitalization, reorganization, consolidation,
merger, sale or transfer of assets, liquidation, dissolution or winding up is to
take place and the record date for determining participation therein by the
holders of record of Preferred Stock, if any such date is to be fixed, and such
notice shall be so given in the case of any action covered by clause (i) or (ii)
above at least 10 days prior to the record date for determining holders of
record of the Preferred Stock for purposes of such action, and in the case of
any such other action, at least 10 days prior to the date of the taking of such
proposed action or the date of participation therein by the holders of record of
Preferred Stock, whichever shall be the earlier.
(b) In case any of the transactions referred to in Section
11(a)(ii) or Section 13 of this Rights Agreement are proposed, then, in any such
case, the Company shall give to each holder of Rights, in accordance with
Section 26 hereof, notice of the proposal of such transaction at least 10 days
prior to consummating such transaction, which notice shall specify the proposed
event and the consequences of the event to holders of Rights under Section
11(a)(ii) or Section 13 hereof, as the case may be, and, upon consummating such
transaction, shall similarly give notice thereof to each holder of Rights.
(c) The failure to give notice required by this Section 25 or any
defect therein shall not affect the legality or validity of the action taken by
the Company or the vote upon any such action.
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<PAGE> 32
26. Notices. Notices or demands authorized by this Rights Agreement to
be given or made by the Rights Agent or by the holder of record of any Right
Certificate or Right to or on behalf of the Company shall be sufficiently given
or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another
address is filed in writing with the Rights Agent) as follows:
Raytel Medical Corporation
2755 Campus Drive, Suite 200
San Mateo, CA 94403
Attention: Mr. Michael Kokesh
Subject to the provisions of Section 20 hereof, any notice or demand authorized
by this Rights Agreement to be given or made by the Company or by the holder of
record of any Right Certificate or Right to or on the Rights Agent shall be
sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid,
addressed (until another address is filed in writing with the Company) as
follows:
BankBoston, N.A.
c/o Boston EquiServe Limited Partnership
150 Royall Street
Canton, MA 02021
Attention: Client Administration
Notices or demands authorized by this Rights Agreement to be given or made by
the Company or the Rights Agent to the holder of record of any Right Certificate
or Right shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail,
postage prepaid, addressed to such holder at the address of such holder as it
appears upon the registry books of the Rights Agent or, prior to the
Distribution Date, on the registry books of the Transfer Agent.
27. Supplements and Amendments. Except as provided in the penultimate
sentence of this Section 27, for so long as the Rights are then redeemable, the
Company may in its sole and absolute discretion, and the Rights Agent shall if
the Company so directs, supplement or amend any provision of this Agreement in
any respect without the approval of any holders of the Rights. At any time when
the Rights are no longer redeemable, except as provided in the penultimate
sentence of this Section 27, the Company may, and the Rights Agent shall, if the
Company so directs, supplement or amend this Agreement without the approval of
any holders of Right Certificates in order to (i) cure any ambiguity, (ii)
correct or supplement any provision contained herein which may be defective or
inconsistent with any other provisions herein, (iii) shorten or lengthen any
time period hereunder, or (iv) change or supplement the provisions hereunder in
any manner which the Company may deem necessary or desirable; provided that no
such supplement or amendment shall adversely affect the interests of the holders
of Rights as such (other than an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate
of an Acquiring Person), and no such amendment may cause the Rights again to
become redeemable or cause the Agreement again to become amendable other than in
accordance with this sentence. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Rights
Agreement to the contrary, no supplement or amendment shall be made which
changes the Redemption Price. Prior to the Distribution Date, the interests of
the holders of Rights shall be deemed coincident with the interests of the
holders of Common Stock.
28. Successors. All of the covenants and provisions of this Rights
Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Rights Agent shall bind
and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.
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<PAGE> 33
29. Benefits of this Rights Agreement. Nothing in this Rights Agreement
shall be construed to give to any person or corporation other than the Company,
the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Right Certificates (and,
prior to the Distribution Date, the Common Stock) any legal or equitable right,
remedy or claim under this Rights Agreement; but this Rights Agreement shall be
for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Company, the Rights Agent and the
holders of record of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution
Date, the Common Stock).
30. Governing Law. This Rights Agreement and each Right Certificate
issued hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the
State of Delaware and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of such state applicable to contracts to be made solely
by residents of such state and performed entirely within such state.
31. Counterparts. This Rights Agreement may be executed in any number
of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed
to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one
and the same instrument.
32. Descriptive Headings. Descriptive headings of the several sections
of this Rights Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not control
or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof.
33. Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of
this Rights Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other
authority to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms,
provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Rights Agreement shall remain in
full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated.
32
<PAGE> 34
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Rights
Agreement to be duly executed, and their seals affixed and attested, all as of
the date and year first above written.
[SEAL]
ATTEST: RAYTEL MEDICAL CORPORATION
By:__________________________________ By:__________________________________
Name: Name:
Title: Title:
[SEAL]
ATTEST:
BANKBOSTON, N.A.
By:__________________________________ By:__________________________________
Name: Name:
Title: Title:
33
<PAGE> 35
<TABLE>
<S> <C>
Certain Definitions .................................................................................... 1
Appointment of Rights Agent ............................................................................ 5
Issuance of Right Certificates ......................................................................... 5
Form of Right Certificates ............................................................................. 6
Countersignature and Registration ...................................................................... 7
Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange of Right Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed,
Lost or Stolen Right Certificates ............................................................. 8
Exercise of Rights; Purchase Price; Expiration Date of Rights .......................................... 8
Cancellation and Destruction of Right Certificates ..................................................... 9
Reservation and Availability of Shares of Preferred Stock .............................................. 10
Preferred Stock Record Date ............................................................................ 11
Adjustments to Number and Kind of Shares, Number of Rights or Purchase Price ........................... 11
Certification of Adjustments ........................................................................... 19
Consolidation, Merger or Sale or Transfer of Assets or Earning Power ................................... 19
Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares ................................................................ 22
Rights of Action ....................................................................................... 23
Agreement of Right Holders ............................................................................. 23
Right Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Stockholder ...................................................... 24
Concerning the Rights Agent ............................................................................ 24
Merger or Consolidation or Changed Name of Rights Agent ................................................ 25
Duties of Rights Agent ................................................................................. 25
Change of Rights Agent ................................................................................. 27
Issuance of New Right Certificates ..................................................................... 28
Redemption ............................................................................................. 28
Exchange of Rights for Common Stock .................................................................... 29
Notice of Proposed Actions ............................................................................. 30
</TABLE>
<PAGE> 36
<TABLE>
<S> <C>
Notices ................................................................................................ 31
Supplements and Amendments ............................................................................. 31
Successors ............................................................................................. 31
Benefits of this Rights Agreement ...................................................................... 32
Governing Law .......................................................................................... 32
Counterparts ........................................................................................... 32
Descriptive Headings ................................................................................... 32
Severability ........................................................................................... 32
</TABLE>
<PAGE> 1
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RAYTEL MEDICAL CORPORATION
ADOPTS SHAREHOLDERS RIGHTS PLAN
San Mateo, California, August 17, 1998 -- Raytel Medical Corporation
(Nasdaq: RTEL) announced today that, based on the recommendation of a special
committee of nonemployee directors, its Board of Directors has adopted a
Preferred Stock Purchase Rights Plan designed to enable all Raytel stockholders
to realize the full value of their investment and to provide for fair and equal
treatment for all Raytel stockholders in the event that an unsolicited attempt
is made to acquire Raytel. The adoption of the Plan is intended as a means to
guard against any potential use of takeover tactics designed to gain control of
Raytel without paying all stockholders full and fair value. The distribution of
the Rights is not in response to any proposal to acquire Raytel. The Board is
not aware of any such effort.
Under the plan, stockholders will receive one Right to purchase one
one-hundredth of a share of a new series of Preferred Stock for each outstanding
share of Raytel Common Stock held of record at the close of business on
September 2, 1998.
The Rights, which will initially trade with the Common Stock, become
exercisable to purchase one one-hundredth of a share of the new Preferred Stock,
at $30.00 per Right, when someone acquires 15 percent or more of Raytel's Common
Stock or announces a tender offer which could result in such person owning 15
percent or more of the Common Stock. Each one one-hundredth of a share of the
new Preferred Stock has terms designed to make it substantially the economic
equivalent of one share of Common Stock. Prior to someone acquiring 15 percent,
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<PAGE> 2
the Rights can be redeemed for $0.001 each by action of the Board. Under certain
circumstances, if someone acquires 15 percent or more of the Common Stock, the
Rights permit Raytel stockholders other than the acquiror to purchase Raytel
Common Stock having a market value of twice the exercise price of the Rights, in
lieu of the Preferred Stock. In addition, in the event of certain business
combinations, the Rights permit purchase of the Common Stock of an acquiror at a
50 percent discount. Rights held by the acquiror will become null and void in
both cases.
The rights expire on August 13, 2008. The Rights distribution will not
be taxable to stockholders and will be payable to stockholders of record on
September 2, 1998.
[Raytel tag line]
2
<PAGE> 1
September 4, 1998
Dear Fellow Stockholders:
The Board of Directors of Raytel Medical Corporation has adopted a
Shareholder Rights Plan (the "Plan"). The Plan has not been adopted in response
to any known effort to acquire control of the Company.
The Board of Directors believes the Plan protects your interests in the
event the Company is confronted with an unsolicited takeover attempt. The Plan
contains provisions designed to deter unsolicited offers that do not treat all
stockholders equally, acquisitions of significant blocks of shares in the open
market without paying a control premium and other coercive takeover tactics
which may impair the Board's ability to represent your interests fully. We
consider the Plan to be an effective tool in protecting your equity investment,
while not preventing a fair acquisition offer.
We have enclosed a summary of the principal terms of the Plan and we
urge you to read it carefully.
You are not required to take any action at this time. We recommend,
however, that you read the enclosed summary of the many features of the Plan,
and retain the summary with your Raytel stock certificates or records. If you
should require further information, a copy of the Plan is available from the
Company's Secretary.
Very truly yours,
Richard F. Bader
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
<PAGE> 1
AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS OF
RAYTEL MEDICAL CORPORATION
<PAGE> 2
AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS OF
RAYTEL MEDICAL CORPORATION
ARTICLE I
CORPORATE OFFICES
Section 1.1 Registered Office.
The registered office of the corporation shall be in the City of
Wilmington, County of New Castle, State of Delaware. The name of the registered
agent of the corporation at such location is The Corporation Trust Company.
Section 1.2 Other Offices.
The board of directors may at any time establish other offices at
any place or places where the corporation is qualified to do business.
ARTICLE II
MEETINGS OF STOCKHOLDERS
Section 2.1 Place of Meetings.
Meetings of stockholders shall be held at any place, within or
outside the State of Delaware, designated by the board of directors. In the
absence of any such designation, stockholders' meetings shall be held at the
registered office of the corporation.
Section 2.2 Annual Meetings.
The annual meeting of the stockholders shall be held each year on
a date at a time designated by the board of directors. At the meeting, directors
shall be elected and any other proper business may be transacted.
Section 2.3 Special Meetings.
A special meeting of the stockholders may be called at any time by
the board of directors, or by the chairman of the board, or by the president.
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<PAGE> 3
Section 2.4 Notice of Stockholders' Meetings.
All notices of meetings of stockholders shall be in writing and
shall be sent or otherwise given in accordance with Section 2.5 of these by-laws
not less than ten (10) nor more than sixty (60) days before the date of the
meeting to each stockholder entitled to vote at such meeting. The notice shall
specify the place, date, and hour of the meeting, and in the case of a special
meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called.
Section 2.5 Manner of Giving Notice, Affidavit of Notice.
Written notice of any meeting of stockholders, if mailed, is given
when deposited in the United States mail, postage prepaid, directed to the
stockholder at his address as it appears on the records of the corporation. An
affidavit of the secretary or an assistant secretary or of the transfer agent of
the corporation that the notice has been given shall, in the absence of fraud,
be prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein.
Section 2.6 Quorum.
The holders of a majority of the stock issued and outstanding and
entitled to vote thereat, present in person or represented by proxy, shall
constitute a quorum at all meetings of the stockholders for the transaction of
business except as otherwise provided by statute or by the certificate of
incorporation. If, however, such quorum is not present or represented at any
meeting of the stockholders, then either (i) the chairman of the meeting or (ii)
the stockholders entitled to vote thereat, present in person or represented by
proxy, shall have power to adjourn the meeting from time to time, without notice
other than announcement at the meeting, until a quorum is present or
represented. At such adjourned meeting at which a quorum is present or
represented, any business may be transacted that might have been transacted at
the meeting as originally noticed.
Section 2.7 Adjourned Meeting; Notice.
When a meeting is adjourned to another time or place, unless these
by-laws otherwise require, notice need not be given of the adjourned meeting if
the time and place thereof are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment
is taken. At the adjourned meeting the corporation may transact any business
that might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is
for more than thirty (30) days, or if after the adjournment a new record date is
fixed for the adjourned meeting, a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be
given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at the meeting.
Section 2.8 Conduct of Stockholders' Meeting.
At every meeting of the stockholders, the Chairman of the Board,
if there is such an officer, or if not, the person appointed by the Board of
Directors, shall act as Chairman. The Secretary of the corporation or a person
designated by the Chairman of the meeting shall act as Secretary of the meeting.
Unless otherwise approved by the Chairman of the meeting,
2
<PAGE> 4
attendance at the stockholders' meeting is restricted to stockholders of record,
persons authorized in accordance with Section 2.13 of these By-laws to act by
proxy, and officers of the corporation.
The Chairman of the meeting shall call the meeting to order,
establish the agenda, and conduct the business of the meeting in accordance
therewith or, at the Chairman's discretion, it may be conducted otherwise in
accordance with the wishes of the stockholders in attendance. The date and time
of the opening and closing of the polls for each matter upon which the
stockholders will vote at the meeting shall be announced at the meeting.
The Chairman shall also conduct the meeting in an orderly manner,
rule on the precedence of, and procedure on, motions and other procedural
matters, and exercise discretion with respect to such procedural matters with
fairness and good faith toward all those entitled to take part. The Chairman may
impose reasonable limits on the amount of time taken up at the meeting on
discussion in general or on remarks by any one stockholder. Should any person in
attendance become unruly or obstruct the meeting proceedings, the Chairman shall
have the power to have such person removed from participation. Notwithstanding
anything in the By-laws to the contrary, no business shall be conducted at a
meeting except in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 2.8.
The Chairman of a meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine and declare to
the meeting that any proposed item of business was not brought before the
meeting in accordance with the provisions of this Section 2.8, and if he should
so determine, he shall so declare to the meeting and any such business not
properly brought before the meeting shall not be transacted.
Section 2.9 Voting.
The stockholders entitled to vote at any meeting of stockholders
shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.12 of these
bylaws, subject to the provisions of Sections 217 and 218 of the General
Corporation Law of Delaware (relating to voting rights of fiduciaries, pledgors
and joint owners of stock and to voting trusts and other voting agreements).
Except as provided in the last paragraph of this Section 2.9, or
as may be otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation, each
stockholder shall be entitled to one vote for each share of capital stock held
by such stockholder.
At a stockholders' meeting at which directors are to be elected,
each stockholder shall be entitled to cumulate votes (i.e., cast for any
candidate a number of votes greater than the number of votes which such
stockholder normally is entitled to cast) if the candidates' names have been
properly placed in nomination (in accordance with these bylaws) prior to
commencement of the voting and the stockholder requesting cumulative voting or
any other stockholder voting at the meeting in person or by proxy has given
notice prior to commencement of the voting of the stockholders' intention to
cumulate votes. If cumulative voting is properly requested, each holder of
stock, or of any class or classes or of a series or series thereof, who elects
to cumulate votes shall be entitled to as many votes as equals the number of
votes which (absent this provision as to cumulative voting) he would be entitled
to cast for the election of
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<PAGE> 5
directors with respect to his shares of stock multiplied by the number of,
directors to be elected by him, and he may cast all of such votes for a single
director or may distribute them among the number to be voted for, or for any two
or more of them, as he may see fit.
Section 2.10 Waiver of Notice.
Whenever notice is required to be given under any provision of the
General Corporation Law of Delaware or of the certificate of incorporation or
these bylaws, a written waiver thereof, signed by the person entitled to notice,
whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent to
notice. Attendance of a person at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice
of such meeting, except when the person attends a meeting for the express
purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any
business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Neither the
business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any regular or special meeting
of the stockholders need be specified in any written waiver of notice unless so
required by the certificate of incorporation or these by-laws.
Section 2.11 Stockholder Action by Written Consent Without a Meeting.
Unless otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation, any
action required by this article to be taken at any annual or special meeting of
stockholders of the corporation, or any action that may be taken at any annual
or special meeting of such stockholders, may be taken without a meeting, without
prior notice, and without a vote if a consent in writing, setting forth the
action so taken, is signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less
than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take
such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were
present and voted.
Prompt notice of the taking of the corporate action without a
meeting by less than unanimous written consent shall be given to those
stockholders who have not consented in writing. If the action which is consented
to is such as would have required the filing of a certificate under any section
of the General Corporation Law of Delaware if such action had been voted on by
stockholders at a meeting thereof, then the certificate filed under such section
shall state, in lieu of any statement required by such section concerning any
vote of stockholders, that written notice and written consent have been given as
provided in Section 228 of the General Corporation Law of Delaware.
Section 2.12 Record Date for Stockholder Notice: Voting; Giving
Consents.
In order that the corporation may determine the stockholders
entitled to notice of or to vote at any meeting of stockholders or any
adjournment thereof, or entitled to express consent to corporate action in
writing without a meeting, or entitled to receive payment of any dividend or
other distribution or allotment of any rights, or entitled to exercise any
rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of stock or for the
purpose of any other lawful action, the board of directors may fix, in advance,
a record date, which shall not be more than sixty (60) more less than ten (10)
days before the date of such meeting, nor more than sixty (60) days prior to any
other action.
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<PAGE> 6
If the board of directors does not so fix a record date:
(a) The record date for determining stockholders entitled to
notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall be at the close of
business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given, or, if
notice is waived, at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on
which the meeting was held.
(b) The record date for determining stockholders entitled to
express consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting, when no prior
action by the board of directors is necessary, shall be the day on which the
first written consent is expressed.
(c) The record date for determining stockholders for any other
purpose shall be at the close of business an the day on which the board of
directors adopts the resolution relating thereto.
A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or
to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the
meeting; provided, however, that the board of directors may fix a new record
date for the adjourned meeting.
Section 2.13 Proxies.
Each stockholder entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders or
to express consent or dissent to corporate action in writing without a meeting
may authorize another person or persons to act for him by a written proxy,
signed by the stockholder and filed with the secretary of the corporation, but
no such proxy shall be voted or acted upon after three (3) years from its date,
unless the proxy provides for a longer period. A proxy shall be deemed signed if
the stockholder's name is placed on the proxy (whether by manual signature,
typewriting, telegraphic transmission or otherwise) by the stockholder or the
stockholder's attorney-in-fact. The revocability of a proxy that states on its
face that it is irrevocable shall be governed by the provisions of Section
212(c) of the General Corporation Law of Delaware.
Section 2.14 List of Stockholders Entitled to Vote.
The officer who has charge of the stock ledger of the corporation
shall prepare and make, at least ten (10) days before every meeting of
stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders entitled to vote at the
meeting, arranged in alphabetical order, and showing the address of each
stockholder and the number of shares registered in the name of each stockholder.
Such list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose
germane to the meeting, during ordinary business hours, for a period of at least
ten (10) days prior to the meeting, either at a place within the city where the
meeting is to be held, which place shall be specified in the notice of the
meeting, or, if not so specified, at the place where the meeting is to be held.
The list shall also be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting
during the whole time thereof, and may be inspected by any stockholder who is
present. Such list shall presumptively determine the identify of the
stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting and the
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<PAGE> 7
number of shares held by each of them.
Section 2.15 Notice of Stockholder Business.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these Bylaws, at an
annual or special meeting of the stockholders, only such business shall be
conducted as shall have been properly brought before the meeting. For business
to be properly brought before a meeting by a stockholder, the stockholder must
have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation.
To be timely, a stockholder proposal to be presented at an annual meeting shall
be received at the Corporation's principal executive offices not less than 120
calendar days in advance of the date that the Corporation's (or the
Corporation's predecessor's) proxy statement was released to stockholders in
connection with the previous year's annual meeting of stockholders, except that
if no annual meeting was held in the previous year or the date of the annual
meeting has been changed by more than 30 calendar days from the date
contemplated at the time of the previous year's proxy statement, or in the event
of a special meeting, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be received
not later than the close of business on the tenth day following the day on which
such notice of the date of the meeting was mailed or such public disclosure was
made. A stockholder's notice to the Secretary shall set forth as to each matter
the stockholder proposes to bring before the annual or special meeting (a) a
brief description of the business desired to be brought before the annual or
special meeting and the reasons for conducting such business at the special
meeting, (b) the name and address, as they appear on the Corporation's books, of
the stockholder proposing such business, (c) the class and number of shares of
the Corporation which are beneficially owned by the stockholder, and (d) any
material interest of the stockholder in such business.
ARTICLE III
DIRECTORS
Section 3.1 Powers.
Subject to the provisions of the General Corporation Law of
Delaware and any limitation in the certificate of incorporation or these by-laws
relating to action required to be approved by the stockholders or by the
outstanding shares, the business and affairs of the corporation shall be managed
and all corporate powers shall be exercised by or under the direction of the
board of directors.
Section 3.2 Number of Directors.
Unless otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation, the
board of directors shall consist of seven (7) persons until changed by a proper
amendment of this Section 3.2.
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Section 3.3 Election, Qualification and Term of Office of Directors.
Except as provided in Section 3.4 of these by-laws, directors
shall be elected at each annual meeting of stockholders to hold office until the
next annual meeting. Directors need not be stockholders unless so required by
the certificate of incorporation or these by-laws, wherein other qualifications
for directors may be prescribed. Each director, including a director elected to
fill a vacancy, shall hold office until his successor is elected and qualified
or until his earlier resignation or removal.
Elections of directors need not be by written ballot.
Section 3.4 Resignation and Vacancies.
Any director may resign at any time upon written notice to the
attention of the secretary of the corporation. When one or more directors so
resigns and the resignation is effective at a future date, a majority of the
directors then in office, including those who have so resigned, shall have
power to fill such vacancy or vacancies, the vote thereon to take effect when
such resignation or resignations share become effective, and each director so
chosen shall hold office as provided in this section in the filling of other
vacancies.
Unless otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation
or these by-laws:
(a) Vacancies and newly created directorships resulting from
any increase in the authorized number of directors elected by all of the
stockholders having the right to vote as a single class may be filled by a
majority of the directors then in office, although less than a quorum, or by a
sole remaining director.
(b) Whenever the holders of any class or classes of stock or
series thereof are entitled to elect one or more directors by the provisions of
the certificate of incorporation, vacancies and newly created directorships of
such class or classes or series may be filled by a majority of the directors
elected by such class or classes or series thereof then in office, or by a sole
remaining director so elected.
If at any time, by reason of death or resignation or. other
cause, the corporation should have no directors in office, then any officer or
any stockholder or any executor, administrator, trust or guardian of a
stockholder, or other fiduciary entrusted with like responsibility for the
person or estate of a stockholder, may call a special meeting of stockholders in
accordance with the provisions of the certificate of incorporation or these
by-laws, or may apply to the Court of Chancery for a decree summarily ordering
an election as provided in Section 211 of the General Corporation Law of
Delaware.
If, at the time of filling any vacancy or any newly created
directorship, the directors then in office constitute less than a majority of
the whole board (as constituted immediately prior to any such increase), then
the Court of Chancery may, upon application of any stockholder or stockholders
holding at least ten percent (10%) of the total number of the
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shares at the time outstanding having the right to vote for such directors,
summarily order an election to be held to fill any such vacancies or newly
created directorships, or to replace the directors chosen by the directors then
in office as aforesaid, which election shall be governed by the provisions of
Section 211 of the General Corporation Law of Delaware as far as applicable.
Section 3.5 Place of Meetings; Meeting by Telephone.
The board of directors of the corporation may hold meetings, both
regular and special, either within or outside the State of Delaware.
Unless otherwise restricted by the certificate of incorporation or
these by-laws, members of the board of directors, or any committee designated by
the board of directors, may participate in a meeting of the board of directors,
or any committee, by means of conference telephone or similar communications
equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear
each other, and such participation in a meeting shall constitute presence in
person at the meeting.
Section 3.6 Regular Meetings.
Regular meetings of the board of directors may be held without
notice at such time and at such place as shall from time to time be determined
by the board.
Section 3.7 Special Meetings; Notice.
Special meetings of the board of directors for any purpose or
purposes may be called at any time by the chairman of the board, the president,
any vice president, the secretary or any two (2) directors.
Notice of the time and place of special meetings shall be
delivered personally or by telephone to each director or sent by first-class
mail or telegram, charges prepaid, addressed to each director at that director's
address as it is shown on the records of the corporation. If the notice is
mailed, it shall be deposited in the United States mail at least four (4) days
before the time of the holding of the meeting. if the notice is delivered
personally or by telephone or by telegram, it shall be delivered personally or
by telephone or to the telegraph company at least forty-eight (48) hours before
the time of the holding of the meeting. Any oral notice given personally or by
telephone may be communicated either to the director or to a person at the
office of the director who the person giving the notice has reason to believe
will promptly communicate it to the director. The notice need not specify the
purpose or the place of the meeting, if the meeting is to be held at the
principal executive office of the corporation.
Section 3.8 Quorum.
At all meetings of the board of directors, a majority of the
authorized number of directors shall constitute a quorum for the-transaction of
business and the act of a majority of the directors present at any meeting at
which there is a quorum shall be the act of the board of
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directors except as may be otherwise specifically provided by statute or by the
certificate of incorporation. If a quorum is not present at any meeting of the
board of directors, then the directors present thereat may adjourn the meeting
from time to time, without notice other than announcement at the meeting, until
a quorum is present.
A meeting at which a quorum is initially present may continue to
transact business notwithstanding the withdrawal of directors, if any action
taken is approved by at least a majority of the required quorum for that
meeting.
Section 3.9 Waiver of Notice.
Whenever notice is required to be given under any provision of the
General Corporation Law of Delaware or of the certificate of incorporation or
these by-laws, a written waiver thereof, signed by the person entitled to
notice, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed
equivalent to notice. Attendance of a person at a meeting shall constitute a
waiver of notice of such meeting, except when the person attends a meeting for
the express purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to the
transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or
convened. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor other purpose of, any
regular or special meeting of the directors, or members of a committee of
directors, need be specified in any written waiver of notice unless so required
by the certificate of incorporation or these by-laws.
Section 3.10 Board Action by Written Consent Without a Meeting.
Unless otherwise restricted by the certificate of incorporation or
these by-laws, any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of
the board of directors, or of any committee thereof, may be taken without a
meeting if all members of the board or committee, as the case may be, consent
thereto in writing and the writing or writings are filed with the minutes of
proceedings of the board or committee.
Section 3.11 Fees and Compensation of Directors.
Unless otherwise restricted by the certificate of incorporation or
these by-laws, the board of directors shall have the authority to fix the
compensation of directors.
Section 3.12 Nomination of Director Candidates.
Subject to the rights of holders of any class or series of
Preferred Stock then outstanding, nominations for the election of Directors may
be made by the Board of Directors or a proxy committee appointed by the Board of
Directors or by any stockholder entitled to vote in the election of Directors
generally. However, any stockholder entitled to vote in the election of
Directors generally may nominate one or more persons for election as Directors
at a meeting only if timely notice of such stockholder's intent to make such
nomination or nominations has been given in writing to the Secretary of the
Corporation. To be timely, a stockholder nomination for a director to be elected
at an annual meeting shall be received at the Corporation's principal
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executive offices not less than 120 calendar days in advance of the date that
the Corporation's proxy statement was released to stockholders in connection
with the previous year's annual meeting of stockholders, except that if no
annual meeting was held in the previous year or the date of the annual meeting
has been advanced by more than 30 calendar days from the date contemplated at
the time of the previous year's proxy statement, notice by the stockholders to
be timely must be received not later than the close of business on the tenth day
following the day on which the public announcement of the date of such meeting
is first made. Each such notice shall set forth: (a) the name and address of the
stockholder who intends to make the nomination and of the person or persons to
be nominated; (b) a representation that the stockholder is a holder of record of
stock of the Corporation entitled to vote for the election of Directors on the
date of such notice and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting
to nominate the person or persons specified in the notice; (c) a description of
all arrangements or understandings between the stockholder and each nominee and
any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which
the nomination or nominations are to be made by the stockholder; (d) such other
information regarding each nominee proposed by such stockholder as would be
required to be included in a proxy statement filed pursuant to the proxy rules
of the Securities and Exchange Commission, had the nominee been nominated, or
intended to be nominated, by the Board of Directors; and (e) the consent of each
nominee to serve as a director of the Corporation if so elected. For purposes of
this Section 3.12, "public announcement" shall mean disclosure in a press
release reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press or comparable
national news service or in a document publicly filed by the Company with the
Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the
Exchange Act. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 3.12, a
stockholder shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange
Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set
forth in this Section 3.12. Nothing in this Section 3.12 shall be deemed to
affect any rights of stockholders to request inclusion of proposals in the
Company's proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.
In the event that a person is validly designated as a nominee in
accordance with this Section 3.12 and shall thereafter become unable or
unwilling to stand for election to the Board of Directors, the Board of
Directors or the stockholder who proposed such nominee, as the case may be, may
designate a substitute nominee upon delivery, not fewer than five days prior to
the date of the meeting for the election of such nominee, of a written notice to
the Secretary setting forth such information regarding such substitute nominee
as would have been required to be delivered to the Secretary pursuant to this
Section 3.12 had such substitute nominee been initially proposed as a nominee.
Such notice shall include a signed consent to serve as a director of the
Corporation, if elected, of each such substitute nominee.
If the chairman of the meeting for the election of Directors
determines that a nomination of any candidate for election as a Director at such
meeting was not made in accordance with the applicable provisions of this
Section 3.12, such nomination shall be void; provided, however, that nothing in
this Section 3.12 shall be deemed to limit any voting rights upon the occurrence
of dividend arrearages provided to holders of Preferred Stock pursuant to the
Preferred Stock designation for any series of Preferred Stock.
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Section 3.13 Approval of Loans to Officers.
The corporation may lend money to, or guarantee any obligation of,
or otherwise assist any officer or other employee of the corporation or of its
subsidiaries, including any officer or employee who is a director of the
corporation or its subsidiaries, whenever in the judgment of the directors, such
loan, guaranty or assistance may reasonably be expected to benefit the
corporation. The loan, guaranty or other assistance may be with or without
interest and may be unsecured, or secured in such manner as the board of
directors shall approve including, without limitation, a pledge of shares of
stock of the corporation. Nothing contained in this section shall be deemed to
deny, limit or restrict the powers of guaranty or warranty of the corporation at
common law or under any statute.
Section 3.14 Removal of Directors.
Unless otherwise restricted by statute, by the certificate of
incorporation or by these by-laws, any director or the entire board of directors
may be removed, with or without cause, by the holders of 66-2/3% of the shares
then entitled to vote at an election of directors; provided, however, that, so
long as shareholders of the corporation are entitled to cumulative voting, if
less than the entire board is to be removed, no director may be removed without
cause if the votes cast against his removal would be sufficient to elect him if
then voted cumulatively at an election of the entire board of directors.
ARTICLE IV
COMMITTEES
Section 4.1 Committees of Directors.
The board of directors may, by resolution passed by a majority of
the whole board, designate one or more committees, with each committee to
consist of one or more of the directors of the corporation. The board may
designate one or more directors as alternate members of any committee, who may
replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of the committee. In
the absence or disqualification of a member of a committee, the member or
members thereof present at any meeting are not disqualified from voting, whether
or not he or they constitute a quorum, may unanimously appoint another member of
the board of directors to act at the meeting in the place of any such absent or
disqualified member. Any such committee, to the extent provided in the
resolution of the board of directors or in the by-laws, of the corporation,
shall have and may exercise all the powers and authority of the board of
directors in the management of the business and affairs of the corporation, and
may authorize the seal of the corporation to be affixed to all papers that may
require it; but no such committee shall have the power or authority to (i) amend
the certificate of incorporation (except that a committee may, to the extent
authorized in the resolution or resolutions providing for the issuance of shares
of stock adopted by the board of directors as provided in Section 151(a) of the
General Corporation Law of Delaware, fix the designation and any of the
preferences or rights of such shares relating to
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dividends, redemption, dissolution, any distribution of assets of the
corporation or the conversion into, or the exchange of such shares for, shares
of any other class or classes or any other series of the same or any other class
or classes of stock of the corporation or fix the number of shares of any series
of stock or authorize the increase or decrease of the shares of any series),
(ii) adopt an agreement of merger or consolidation under Sections 251 or 252 of
the General Corporation Law of Delaware, (iii) recommend to the stockholders the
sale, lease or exchange of all or substantially all of the corporation's
property and assets, (iv) recommend to the stockholders a dissolution of the
corporation or a revocation of a dissolution, or (v) amend the bylaws of the
corporation; and, unless the board resolution establishing the committee, the
by-laws or the certificate of incorporation expressly so provide, no such
committee shall have the power or authority to declare a dividend, to authorize
the issuance of stock, or to adopt a certificate of ownership and merger
pursuant to Section 253 of the General Corporation Law of Delaware.
Section 4.2 Committee Minutes.
Each committee shall keep regular minutes of its meetings and
report the same to the board of directors when required.
Section 4.3 Meetings and Action of Committees.
Meetings and actions of committees shall be governed by, and held
and taken in accordance with, the provisions of Article III of these by-laws,
Section 3.5 (place of meetings and meetings by telephone), Section 3.6 (regular
meetings), Section 3.7 (special meetings and notice), Section 3.8 (quorum),
Section 3.9 (waiver of notice), and Section 3.10 (action without a meeting),
with such changes in the context of those by-laws as are necessary to substitute
the committee and its members for the board of directors and its members;
provided, however, that the time of regular meetings of committees may be
determined either by resolution of the board of directors or by resolution of
the committee, that special meetings of committees may also be called by
resolution of the board of directors and that notice of special meetings of
committees shall also be given to all alternate members, who shall have the
right to attend all meetings of the committee. The board of directors may adopt
rules for the government of any committee not inconsistent with the provisions
of these by-laws.
ARTICLE V
OFFICERS
Section 5.1 Officers.
The officers of the corporation shall be a president, a secretary,
and a chief financial officer. The corporation may also have, at the discretion
of the board of directors, a chairman of the board, one or more vice presidents,
one or more assistant vice presidents, one or more assistant secretaries, and
one or more assistant treasurers, and any such other officers as may be
appointed in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.3 of these by-laws. Any
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number of offices may be held by the same person.
Section 5.2 Appointment of Officers.
The officers of the corporation, except such officers as may be
appointed in accordance with the provisions of Sections 5.3 or 5.5 of these
by-laws, shall be appointed by the board of directors, subject to the rights, if
any, of an officer under any contract of employment.
Section 5.3 Subordinate Officers.
The board of directors may appoint, or empower the president to
appoint, such other officers and agents as the business of the corporation may
require, each of whom shall hold office for such period, have such authority,
and perform such duties as are provided in these by-laws or as the board of
directors may from time to time determine.
Section 5.4 Removal and Resignation of Officers.
Subject to the rights, if any, of an officer under any contract of
employment, any officer may be removed, either with or without cause, by an
affirmative vote of the majority of the board of directors at any regular or
special meeting of the board or, except in the case of an officer chosen by the
board of directors, by any officer upon whom such power of removal may be
conferred by the board of directors.
Any officer may resign at any time by giving written notice to the
corporation. Any resignation shall take effect at the date of the receipt of
that notice or at any later time specified in that notice; and, unless otherwise
specified in that notice, the acceptance of the resignation shall not be
necessary to make it effective. Any resignation is without prejudice to the
rights, if any, of the corporation under any contract to which the officer is a
party.
Section 5.5 Vacancies in Offices.
Any vacancy occurring in any office of the corporation shall be
filled by the board of directors.
Section 5.6 Chairman of the Board.
The chairman of the board, if such an officer be elected, shall,
if present, preside at meetings of the board of directors and exercise and
perform such other powers and duties as may from time to time be assigned to
him, by the board of directors or as may be prescribed by these by-laws. If
there is no president, then the chairman of the board shall also be the chief
executive officer of the corporation and shall have the powers and duties
prescribed in Section 5.7 of these by-laws.
Section 5.7 President.
Subject to such supervisory powers, if any, as may be given by the
board of
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directors to the chairman of the board, if there be such an officer, the
president shall be the chief executive officer of the corporation and shall,
subject to the control of the board of directors, have general supervision,
direction, and control of the business and the officers of the corporation. He
shall preside at all meetings of the stockholders and, in the absence or
nonexistence of a chairman of the board, at all meetings of the board of
directors. He shall have the general powers and duties of management usually
vested in the office of president of a corporation and shall have such other
powers and duties as may be prescribed by the board of directors or these
by-laws.
Section 5.8 Vice Presidents.
In the absence or disability of the president, the vice
presidents, if any, in order of their rank as fixed by the board of directors
or, if not ranked, a vice president designated by the board of directors, shall
perform all the duties of the president and when so acting shall have all the
powers of, and be subject to all the restrictions upon, the president. The vice
presidents shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as from
time to time may be prescribed for them respectively by the board of directors,
these by-laws, the president or the chairman of the board.
Section 5.9 Secretary.
The secretary shall keep or cause to be kept, at the principal
executive office of the corporation or such other place as the board of
directors may direct, a book of minutes of all meetings and actions of
directors, committees of directors, and stockholders. The minutes shall show the
time and place of each meeting, whether regular or special (and, if special, how
authorized and the notice given), the names of those present at directors'
meetings or committee meetings, the number of shares present or represented at
stockholders' meetings, and the proceedings thereof.
The secretary shall keep, or cause to be kept, at the principal
executive office of the corporation or at the office of the corporation's
transfer agent or registrar, as determined by resolution of the board of
directors, a share register, or a duplicate share register, showing the names of
all stockholders and their addresses, the number and classes of shares held by
each, the number and date of certificates evidencing such shares, and the number
and date of cancellation of every certificate surrendered for cancellation.
The secretary shall give, or cause to be given, notice of all
meetings of the stockholders and of the board of directors required to be given
by law or by these by-laws. He shall keep the seal of the corporation, if one be
adopted, in safe custody and shall have such other powers and perform such other
duties as may be prescribed by the board of directors or by these by-laws.
Section 5.10 Chief Financial Officer.
The chief financial officer shall keep and maintain, or cause to
be kept and
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maintained, adequate and correct books and records of accounts of the properties
and business transactions of the corporation, including accounts of its assets,
liabilities, receipts, disbursements, gains, losses, capital retained earnings,
and shares. The books of account shall at all reasonable times be open to
inspection by any director.
The chief financial officer shall deposit all moneys and other
valuables in the name and to the credit of the corporation with such
depositories as may be designated by the board of directors. He shall disburse
the funds of the corporation as may be ordered by the board of directors, shall
render to the president and directors, whenever they request it, an account of
all his transactions as chief financial officer and of the financial condition
of the corporation, and shall have other powers and perform such other duties as
may be prescribed by the board of directors or these by-laws.
The chief financial officer shall be the treasurer of the
corporation.
Section 5.11 Assistant Secretary.
The assistant secretary, or, if there is more than one, the
assistant secretaries in the order determined by the stockholders or board of
directors (or if there be no such determination, then in the order of their
election) shall, in the absence of the secretary or in the event of his or her
inability or refusal to act, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the
secretary and shall perform such other duties and have such other powers as may
be prescribed by the board of directors or these by-laws.
Section 5.12 Assistant Treasurer.
The assistant treasurer, or, if there is more than one, the
assistant treasurers, in the order determined by the stockholders or board of
directors (or if there be no such determination, then in the order of their
election), shall, in the absence of the chief financial officer or in the event
of his or her inability or refusal to act, perform the duties and exercise the
powers of the chief financial officer and shall perform such other duties and
have such other powers as may be prescribed by the board of directors or these
by-laws.
Section 5.13 Representation of Shares of Other Corporations.
The chairman of the board, the president, any vice president, the
chief financial officer, the secretary or assistant secretary of this
corporation, or any other person authorized by the board of directors or the
president or a vice president, is authorized to vote, represent, and exercise on
behalf of this corporation all rights incident to any and all shares of any
other corporation or corporations standing in the name of this corporation. The
authority granted herein may be exercised either by such person directly or by
any other person authorized to do so by proxy or power of attorney duly executed
by such person having the authority.
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Section 5.14 Authority and Duties of Officers.
In addition to the foregoing authority and duties, all officers of
the corporation shall respectively have such authority and perform such duties
in the management of the business of the corporation as may be designated from
time to time by the board of directors or the stockholders.
ARTICLE VI
INDEMNITY
Section 6.1 Third Party Action.
Subject to the provisions of this Article VI, the corporation
shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a
party to any threatened, pending, or completed action, suit or proceeding,
whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action
by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that he is or was a
director or officer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of
the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against
expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in
settlement (if such settlement is approved in advance by the corporation, which
approval shall not be unreasonably withheld) actually and reasonably incurred by
him in connection with such action, suite or proceeding if he acted in good
faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best
interests of corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action proceeding,
had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. The termination of
any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or
upon a plea of contenders or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a
presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which he
reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interest of the
corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had
reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
Section 6.2 Actions by or in the Right of the Corporation.
Subject to the provisions of this Article VI, the corporation,
shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a
party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right
of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that
he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or
was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee
or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other
enterprise against expenses (including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably
incurred by him in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or
suit, if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in
or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, except that no
indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to
which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation
unless and only to the extent that the
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Delaware Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought
shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but
in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and
reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Delaware Court of
Chancery or such other court shall deem proper. Notwithstanding any other
provision of this Article VI, no person shall be indemnified hereunder for any
expenses or amounts paid in settlement with respect to any action to recover
short-swing profits under Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended.
Section 6.3 Successful Defense.
To the extent that a director, officer, employee or agent of the
corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any
action, suit or proceeding referred to in Sections 6.1 and 6.2, or in defense of
any claim, issue or matter therein, he shall be indemnified against expenses
(including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him in
connection therewith.
Section 6.4 Determination of Conduct.
Any indemnification under Sections 6.1 and 6.2 (unless ordered by
a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific
case upon a determination that the indemnification of the director, officer,
employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because he has met the
applicable standard of conduct set forth in Sections 6.1 and 6.2. Such
determination shall be made (i) by the Board of Directors or the Executive
Committee by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not
parties to such action, suit or proceeding or (ii) if such quorum is not
obtainable or, even if obtainable, a quorum of disinterested directors so
directs, by independent legal counsel in a written Opinion, or (iii) by the
stockholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a director, officer, employee or
agent of the corporation shall be entitled to contest any determination that the
director, officer, employee or agent has not met the applicable standard of
conduct set forth in Sections 6.1 and 6.2 by petitioning a court of competent
jurisdiction.
Section 6.5 Payment of Expenses in Advance.
Expenses incurred in defending a civil or criminal action, suit or
proceeding,, by an individual who may be entitled to indemnification pursuant to
Section 6.1 or 6.2, shall be paid by the corporation in advance of the final
disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by
or on behalf of the director, officer, employee or agent to repay such amount if
it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by
the corporation as authorized in this Article VI.
Section 6.6 Indemnity Not Exclusive.
The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by or
granted pursuant to the other sections of this Article VI shall not be deemed
exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or
advancement of expenses may be entitled under any
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by-law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise,
both as to action in his official capacity and as to action in another capacity
while holding such office.
Section 6.7 Insurance Indemnification.
The corporation shall have the power to purchase and maintain
insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or
agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the
corporation, as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation,
partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability
asserted against him and incurred by him in any such capacity or arising out of
his status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to
indemnify him against such liability under the provisions of this Article VI.
Section 6.8 The Corporation.
For purposes of this Article references to "the corporation" shall
include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation
(including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or
merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and
authority to indemnify its directors and officers, so that any person who is or
was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or
is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director,
officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture,
trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under and subject to
the provisions of this Article VI (including, without limitation, the provisions
of Section 6.4) with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as he
would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate
existence had continued.
Section 6.9 Employee Benefit Plans.
For purposes of this Article VI, references to "other enterprises"
shall include employee benefit plans; references to "fines" shall include any
excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan; and
references to "serving at the request of the corporation". shall include any
service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which
imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee, or
agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants, or
beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner he
reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries
of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner "not
opposed to the best interests of the corporation" as referred to in this Article
VI.
Section 6.10 Indemnity Fund.
Upon resolution passed by the Board, the corporation may establish
a trust or other designated account, grant a security interest or use other
means (including, without limitation, a letter of credit), to ensure the payment
of certain of its obligations arising under this Article VI and/or agreements
which may be entered into between the corporation and its officers and directors
from time to time.
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Section 6.11 Indemnification of Other Persons.
The provisions of this Article VI shall not be deemed to preclude
the indemnification of any person who is not a director or officer of the
corporation or is not serving at the request of the corporation as a director,
officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture,
trust or other enterprise, but whom the corporation has the power or obligation
to indemnify under the provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of
Delaware or otherwise. The corporation may, in its sole discretion, indemnify an
employee, trustee or other agent as permitted by the General Corporation Law of
the State of Delaware. The corporation shall indemnify an employee, trustee or
other agent where required by law.
Section 6.12 Savings Clause.
If this Article VI or any portion thereof shall be invalidated on
any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the corporation shall
nevertheless indemnify each person entitled to indemnification hereunder against
expenses (including attorney's fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in
settlement with respect to any action, suit, proceeding or investigation,
whether civil, criminal or administrative, and whether internal or external,
including a grand jury proceeding and an action or suit brought by or in the
right of the corporation, to the extent permitted by any applicable portion of
this Article that shall not have been invalidated, or by any other applicable
law.
Section 6.13 Continuation of Indemnification and Advancement of
Expenses.
The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or
granted pursuant to, this Article VI shall, unless otherwise provided when
authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director,
officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs,
executors and administrators of such a person.
ARTICLE VII
RECORDS AND REPORTS
Section 7.1 Maintenance and Inspection of Records.
The corporation shall, either at its principal executive office or
at such place or places as designated by the board of directors, keep a record
of its stockholders listing their names and addresses and the number and class
of shares held by each stockholder, a copy of these bylaws as amended to date,
accounting books, and other records.
Any stockholder of record, in person or by attorney or other
agent, shall, upon written demand under oath stating the purpose thereof, have
the right during the usual hours for business to inspect for any proper purpose
the corporation's stock ledger, a list of its stockholders, and its other books
and records and to make copies or extracts therefrom. A proper
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purpose shall mean a purpose reasonably related to such person's interest as a
stockholder. In every instance where an attorney or other agent in the person
who seeks the right to inspection, the demand under oath shall be accompanied by
a power of attorney or such other writing that authorizes the attorney or other
agent so to act on behalf of the stockholder. The demand under oath shall be
directed to the corporation at its registered office in Delaware or at its
principal place of business.
The officer who has charge of the stock ledger of the corporation
shall prepare and make, at least ten (10) days before every meeting of
stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders entitled to vote at the
meeting, arranged in alphabetical order, showing the address of each stockholder
and the number of shares registered in the name of each stockholder. Such list
shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose germane to
the meeting, during ordinary business hours, for a period of at least ten (10)
days prior to the meeting, either at a place within the city where the meeting
is to be held, which place shall be specified in the notice of the meeting, or,
if not so specified, at the place where the meeting is to be held. The list
shall also be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting during the
whole time thereof, and may be inspected by any stockholder who is present.
Section 7.2 Inspection by Directors.
Any director shall have the right to examine the corporation's
stock ledger, a list of its stockholders, and its other books and records for a
purpose reasonably related to his position as a director. The Court of Chancery
is hereby vested with the exclusive jurisdiction to determine whether a director
is entitled to the inspection sought. The Court may summarily order the
corporation to permit the director to inspect any and all books and records,
the: stock ledger, and the stock list and to make copies or extracts therefrom.
The Court may, in its discretion, prescribe any limitations or conditions with
reference to the inspection, or award such other and further relief as the Court
may deem Dust and proper.
Section 7.3 Annual Statement to Stockholders.
The board of directors shall present at each annual meeting, and
at any special meeting of the stockholders when called for by vote of the
stockholders, a full and clear statement of the business and condition of the
corporation.
ARTICLE VIII
GENERAL MATTERS
Section 8.1 Checks.
From time to time, the board of directors shall determine by
resolution which person or persons may sign or endorse all checks, drafts, other
orders for payment of money notes or other evidences of indebtedness that are
issued in the name of or payable to the
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corporation, and only the persons so authorized shall sign or endorse those
instruments.
Section 8.2 Execution of Corporate Contracts and Instruments.
The board of directors, except as otherwise provided in these
by-laws, may authorize any officer or officers, or agent or agents, to enter
into any contract or execute any instrument in the name of and on behalf of the
corporation; such authority may be general or confined to specific instances.
Unless so authorized or ratified by the board of directors or within the agency
power of an officer, no officer, agent or employee shall have any power or
authority to bind the corporation by any contract or engagement or to pledge
credit or to render it liable for any purpose or for any amount.
Section 8.3 Stock Certificates: Partly Paid Shares.
The shares of the corporation shall be represented by
certificates, provided that board of directors of the corporation may provide by
resolution or resolutions that some or all of any or all classes or series its
stock shall be uncertificated shares. Any such resolution shall not apply to
shares represented by a certificate until such certificate is surrendered to the
corporation. Notwithstanding the adoption of such a resolution by the board of
directors, holder of stock represented by certificates and upon request every
holder of uncertificated shares shall be entitled to have a certificate signed
by, or in the name of the corporation by the chairman or vice-chairman of the
board of directors, or the president or vice president, and by the chief
financial officer or an assistant treasurer, or the secretary or an assistant
secretary of the corporation representing the number of shares registered in
certificate form. Any or all of the signatures on the certificate may be a
facsimile. In case any officer, transfer agent or registrar who has signed or
whose facsimile signature has been placed upon a certificate has ceased to be
such officer, transfer agent or registrar before such certificate is issued it
may be issued by the corporation with the same effect as if he were such
officer, transfer agent or registrar at the date of issue.
The corporation may issue the whole or any part of its shares as
partly paid and subject to call for the remainder of the consideration to be
paid therefor. Upon the face or back of each stock certificate issued to
represent any such partly paid shares, upon the books and records of the
corporation in the case of uncertificated partly paid shares, the total amount
of the consideration to be paid therefor and the amount paid thereon shall be
stated. Upon the declaration of any dividend on fully paid shares, the
corporation shall declare a dividend upon partly paid shares of the same class,
but only upon the basis of the percentage of the consideration actually paid
thereon.
Section 8.4 Special Designation on Certificates.
If the corporation is authorized to issue more than one class of
stock or more than one series of any class, then the powers, the designations,
the preferences, and the relative, participating, optional or other special
rights of each class of stock or series thereof and the qualifications,
limitations or restrictions of such preferences and/or rights shall be set forth
in full or summarized on the face of back of the certificate that the
corporation shall issue to represent
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such class or series of stock; provided, however, that, except as otherwise
provided in Section 202 of the General Corporation Law of Delaware, in lieu of
the foregoing requirements there may be set forth on the face or back of the
certificate that the corporation shall issue to represent such class or series
of stock a statement that the corporation will furnish without charge to each
stockholder who so requests the powers, the designations, the preferences, and
the relative, participating, optional or other special rights of each class of
stock or series thereof and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of
such preferences and/or rights.
Section 8.5 Lost Certificates.
Except as provided in this Section 8.5, no new certificates for
shares shall be issued to replace a previously issued certificate unless the
latter is surrendered to the corporation and canceled at the same time. The
corporation may issue a new certificate of stock or uncertificated shares in the
place of any certificate theretofore issued by it, alleged to have been lost,
stolen or destroyed, and the corporation may require the owner of the lost,
stolen or destroyed certificate, or his legal representative, to give the
corporation a bond sufficient to indemnify it against any claim that may be made
against. it on account of the alleged loss, theft or destruction of any such
certificate or the issuance of such new certificate or uncertificated shares.
Section 8.6 Construction; Definitions.
Unless the context requires otherwise, the general provisions,
rules of construction, and definitions in the Delaware General Corporation Law
shall govern the construction of these by-laws. Without limiting the generality
of this provision, the singular number includes the plural, the plural number
includes the singular, and the term "person" includes both a corporation and a
natural person.
Section 8.7 Dividends.
The directors of the corporation, subject to any restrictions
contained in (i) the General Corporation Law of Delaware or (ii) the
corporation's certificate of incorporation, may declare and pay dividends upon
the shares of its capital stock. Dividends may be paid in cash, in property, or
in shares of the corporation's capital stock.
The directors of the corporation may set apart out of any of the
funds of the corporation available for dividends a reserve or reserves for any
proper purpose and may abolish any such reserve. Such purposes shall include but
not be limited to equalizing dividends, repairing or maintaining any property of
the corporation, and meeting contingencies.
Section 8.8 Fiscal Year.
The fiscal year of the corporation shall be fixed by resolution of
the board of directors and may be changed by the board of directors.
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Section 8.9 Seal.
The corporation may adopt a corporate seal, which shall be adopted
and which may be altered by the board of directors, and may use the same by
causing it or a facsimile thereof to be impressed or affixed or in any other
manner reproduced.
Section 8.10 Transfer of Stock.
Upon surrender to the corporation or the transfer agent of the
corporation of a certificate for shares duly endorsed or accompanied by proper
evidence of succession, assignation or authority to transfer, it shall be the
duty of "he corporation to issue a new certificate to the person entitled
thereto, cancel the old certificate, and record the transaction in its books.
Section 8.11 Stock Transfer Agreements.
The corporation shall have the power to enter into and perform any
agreement with any number of stockholders of any one or more classes of stock of
the corporation to restrict the transfer of shares of stock of the corporation
of any one or more classes owned by such stockholders in any manner not
prohibited by the General Corporation Law of Delaware.
Section 8.12 Registered Stockholders.
The corporation shall be entitled to recognize the exclusive right
of a person registered on its books as the owner of shares to receive dividends
and to vote as such owner, shall be entitled to hold liable for calls and
assessments the person registered on its books as the owner of shares, and shall
not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such
share or shares on the part of another person, whether or not it shall have
express or other notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by the laws of
Delaware.
ARTICLE IX
AMENDMENTS
The by-laws of the corporation may be adopted, amended or repealed
by the stockholders entitled to vote; provided, however, that the corporation
may, in its certificate of incorporation, confer the power to adopt, amend or
repeal by-laws upon the directors. The fact that such power has been so
conferred upon the directors shall not divest the stockholders of the power, nor
limit their power to adopt, amend or repeal by-laws.
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CERTIFICATE OF BY-LAWS
OF
RAYTEL MEDICAL CORPORATION
Certificate by Secretary of Adoption by Board of Directors
The undersigned hereby certifies that he is the duly elected,
qualified, and acting Secretary of Raytel Medical Corporation and that the
foregoing By-Laws are the By-Laws of the corporation as of ____________, 1998,
by the Board of Directors of the corporation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has hereunto set his hand and
affixed the corporate seal as of ______________, 1998.
Michael Kokesh, Secretary
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ARTICLE I CORPORATE OFFICES .............................................................. 1
Section 1.1 Registered Office ................................................... 1
Section 1.2 Other Offices ....................................................... 1
ARTICLE II MEETINGS OF STOCKHOLDERS ...................................................... 1
Section 2.1 Place of Meetings ................................................... 1
Section 2.2 Annual Meetings ..................................................... 1
Section 2.3 Special Meetings .................................................... 1
Section 2.4 Notice of Stockholders' Meetings .................................... 2
Section 2.5 Manner of Giving Notice, Affidavit of Notice ........................ 2
Section 2.6 Quorum .............................................................. 2
Section 2.7 Adjourned Meeting; Notice ........................................... 2
Section 2.8 Conduct of Stockholders' Meeting .................................... 3
Section 2.9 Voting .............................................................. 3
Section 2.10 Waiver of Notice ................................................... 4
Section 2.11 Stockholder Action by Written Consent Without a Meeting ............ 4
Section 2.12 Record Date for Stockholder Notice: Voting; Giving Consents ........ 5
Section 2.13 Proxies ............................................................ 5
Section 2.14 List of Stockholders Entitled to Vote .............................. 6
Section 2.15 Notice of Stockholder Business ..................................... 6
ARTICLE III DIRECTORS .................................................................... 7
Section 3.1 Powers .............................................................. 7
Section 3.2 Number of Directors ................................................. 7
Section 3.3 Election, Qualification and Term of Office of Directors ............. 7
Section 3.4 Resignation and Vacancies ........................................... 7
Section 3.5 Place of Meetings; Meeting by Telephone ............................. 8
Section 3.6 Regular Meetings .................................................... 8
Section 3.7 Special Meetings; Notice ............................................ 8
Section 3.8 Quorum .............................................................. 9
Section 3.9 Waiver of Notice .................................................... 9
Section 3.10 Board Action by Written Consent Without a Meeting .................. 9
Section 3.11 Fees and Compensation of Directors ................................. 10
Section 3.12 Nomination of Director Candidates .................................. 10
Section 3.13 Approval of Loans to Officers ...................................... 11
Section 3.14 Removal of Directors ............................................... 11
ARTICLE IV COMMITTEES .................................................................... 12
Section 4.1 Committees of Directors ............................................. 12
Section 4.2 Committee Minutes ................................................... 12
Section 4.3 Meetings and Action of Committees ................................... 12
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
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ARTICLE V OFFICERS ....................................................................... 13
Section 5.1 Officers ............................................................ 13
Section 5.2 Appointment of Officers ............................................. 13
Section 5.3 Subordinate Officers ................................................ 13
Section 5.4 Removal and Resignation of Officers ................................. 13
Section 5.5 Vacancies in Offices ................................................ 14
Section 5.6 Chairman of the Board ............................................... 14
Section 5.7 President ........................................................... 14
Section 5.8 Vice Presidents ..................................................... 14
Section 5.9 Secretary ........................................................... 14
Section 5.10 Chief Financial Officer ............................................ 15
Section 5.11 Assistant Secretary ................................................ 15
Section 5.12 Assistant Treasurer ................................................ 16
Section 5.13 Representation of Shares of Other Corporations ..................... 16
Section 5.14 Authority and Duties of Officers ................................... 16
ARTICLE VI INDEMNITY ..................................................................... 16
Section 6.1 Third Party Action .................................................. 16
Section 6.2 Actions by or in the Right of the Corporation ....................... 17
Section 6.3 Successful Defense .................................................. 17
Section 6.4 Determination of Conduct ............................................ 17
Section 6.5 Payment of Expenses in Advance ...................................... 18
Section 6.6 Indemnity Not Exclusive ............................................. 18
Section 6.7 Insurance Indemnification ........................................... 18
Section 6.8 The Corporation ..................................................... 18
Section 6.9 Employee Benefit Plans .............................................. 19
Section 6.10 Indemnity Fund ..................................................... 19
Section 6.11 Indemnification of Other Persons ................................... 19
Section 6.12 Savings Clause ..................................................... 19
Section 6.13 Continuation of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses ........ 19
ARTICLE VII RECORDS AND REPORTS .......................................................... 20
Section 7.1 Maintenance and Inspection of Records ............................... 20
Section 7.2 Inspection by Directors ............................................. 20
Section 7.3 Annual Statement to Stockholders .................................... 21
ARTICLE VIII GENERAL MATTERS ............................................................. 21
Section 8.1 Checks .............................................................. 21
Section 8.2 Execution of Corporate Contracts and Instruments .................... 21
Section 8.3 Stock Certificates: Partly Paid Shares .............................. 21
Section 8.4 Special Designation on Certificates ................................. 22
Section 8.5 Lost Certificates ................................................... 22
Section 8.6 Construction; Definitions ........................................... 22
Section 8.7 Dividends ........................................................... 23
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(continued)
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Section 8.8 Fiscal Year ......................................................... 23
Section 8.9 Seal ................................................................ 23
Section 8.10 Transfer of Stock .................................................. 23
Section 8.11 Stock Transfer Agreements .......................................... 23
Section 8.12 Registered Stockholders ............................................ 23
ARTICLE IX AMENDMENTS .................................................................... 24
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