Exhibit 10.5
EXHIBIT A
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT, dated as of May 31, 2000, between
Suerez Enterprises Limited ("Purchaser") and First Priority Group, Inc. (the
"Company").
WHEREAS, simultaneously with the execution and delivery of this
Agreement, pursuant to a Common Stock Purchase Agreement dated the date hereof
(the "Purchase Agreement") the Purchaser has committed to purchase up to
$10,000,000 worth of the Company's Common Stock (terms not defined herein shall
have the meanings ascribed to them in the Purchase Agreement); and
WHEREAS, the Company desires to grant to the Purchaser the registration
rights set forth herein with respect to the Shares and the Shares issuable upon
exercise of the Warrants from time to time (the "Warrant Shares") (hereinafter
referred to collectively as the "Stock" or "Securities" of the Company).
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto mutually agree as follows:
Section 1. Registrable Securities. As used herein the term "Registrable
Security" means the Securities until (i) all Securities have been disposed of
pursuant to the Registration Statement, (ii) all Securities have been sold under
circumstances under which all of the applicable conditions of Rule 144 (or any
similar provision then in force) under the Securities Act ("Rule 144") are met,
(iii) all Securities have been otherwise transferred to persons who may trade
such Securities without restriction under the Securities Act, and the Company
has delivered a new certificate or other evidence of ownership for such
Securities not bearing a restrictive legend or (iv) such time as, in the opinion
of counsel to the Company, all Securities may be sold without any time, volume
or manner limitations pursuant to Rule 144(k) (or any similar provision then in
effect) under the Securities Act. The term "Registrable Securities" means any
and/or all of the securities falling within the foregoing definition of a
"Registrable Security." In the event of any merger, reorganization,
consolidation, recapitalization or other change in corporate structure affecting
the Common Stock, such adjustment shall be deemed to be made in the definition
of "Registrable Security" as is appropriate in order to prevent any dilution or
enlargement of the rights granted pursuant to this Agreement.
Section 2. Restrictions on Transfer. The Purchaser acknowledges and
understands that in the absence of an effective Registration Statement
authorizing the resale of the Securities as provided herein, the Securities are
"restricted securities" as defined in Rule 144 promulgated under the Act. The
Purchaser understands that no disposition or transfer of the Securities may be
made by Purchaser in the absence of (i) an opinion of counsel to the Purchaser,
in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company, that such transfer
may be made without registration under the Securities Act or (ii) such
registration.
With a view to making available to the Purchaser the benefits of Rule
144 under the Securities Act or any other similar rule or regulation of the
Commission that may at any time permit the Purchaser to sell securities of the
Company to the public without registration ("Rule 144"), the Company agrees to:
(a) comply with the provisions of paragraph (c)(1) of Rule 144;
and
(b) file with the Commission in a timely manner all reports and
other documents required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Section 13 or
15(d) under the Exchange Act; and, if at any time it is not required to file
such reports but in the past had been required to or did file such reports, it
will, upon the request of any Purchaser, make available other information as
required by, and so long as necessary to permit sales of, its Registrable
Securities pursuant to Rule 144.
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Section 3. Registration Rights With Respect to the Securities.
(a) The Company agrees that it will prepare and file with the
Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission"), within forty-five (45) days
after the date hereof, a registration statement (on Form S-3 and/or S-1, or
other appropriate form of registration statement) under the Securities Act (the
"Registration Statement"), at the sole expense of the Company (except as
provided in Section 3(c) hereof), in respect of Purchaser, so as to permit a
public offering and resale of the Securities under the Act by Purchaser.
The Company shall use its best efforts to cause the Registration
Statement to become effective within five (5) days of SEC clearance and will
within said five (5) days request acceleration of effectiveness. If the
Registration Statement is not declared effective by September 30, 2000 this
Agreement and the Purchase Agreement shall terminate. The Company will notify
Purchaser of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement within one Trading
Day of such event.
(b) The Company will maintain the Registration Statement or
post-effective amendment filed under this Section 3 hereof effective under the
Securities Act until the earlier of (i) the date that none of the Securities are
or may become issued and outstanding, (ii) the date that all of the Securities
have been sold pursuant to the Registration Statement, (iii) the date the
holders thereof receive an opinion of counsel to the Company, which counsel
shall be reasonably acceptable to the Purchaser, that the Securities may be sold
under the provisions of Rule 144 without limitation as to volume, (iv) all
Securities have been otherwise transferred to persons who may trade such shares
without restriction under the Securities Act, and the Company has delivered a
new certificate or other evidence of ownership for such securities not bearing a
restrictive legend, or (v) all Securities may be sold without any time, volume
or manner limitations pursuant to Rule 144(k) or any similar provision then in
effect under the Securities Act in the opinion of counsel to the Company, which
counsel shall be reasonably acceptable to the Purchaser (the "Effectiveness
Period").
(c) All fees, disbursements and out-of-pocket expenses and costs
incurred by the Company in connection with the preparation and filing of the
Registration Statement under subparagraph 3(a) and in complying with applicable
securities and Blue Sky laws (including, without limitation, all attorneys' fees
of the Company) shall be borne by the Company. The Purchaser shall bear the cost
of underwriting and/or brokerage discounts, fees and commissions, if any,
applicable to the Securities being registered and the fees and expenses of its
counsel. The Purchaser and its counsel shall have a reasonable period, not to
exceed seven (7) Trading Days, to review the proposed Registration Statement or
any amendment thereto, prior to filing with the Commission, and the Company
shall provide each Purchaser with copies of any comment letters received from
the Commission with respect thereto within two (2) Trading Days of receipt
thereof. The Company shall make reasonably available for inspection by
Purchaser, any underwriter participating in any disposition pursuant to the
Registration Statement, and any attorney, accountant or other agent retained by
such Purchaser or any such underwriter all relevant financial and other records,
pertinent corporate documents and properties of the Company and its
subsidiaries, and cause the Company's officers, directors and employees to
supply all information reasonably requested by such Purchaser or any such
underwriter, attorney, accountant or agent in connection with the Registration
Statement, in each case, as is customary for similar due diligence examinations;
provided, however, that all records, information and documents that are
designated in writing by the Company, in good faith, as confidential,
proprietary or containing any material non-public information shall be kept
confidential by such Purchaser and any such underwriter, attorney, accountant or
agent (pursuant to an appropriate confidentiality agreement in the case of any
such Purchaser or agent), unless such disclosure is made pursuant to judicial
process in a court proceeding (after first giving the Company an opportunity
promptly to seek a protective order or otherwise limit the scope of the
information sought to be disclosed) or is required by law, or such records,
information or documents become available to the public generally or through a
third party not in violation of an accompanying obligation of confidentiality;
and provided further that, if the foregoing inspection and information gathering
would otherwise disrupt the Company's conduct of its business, such inspection
and information gathering shall, to the maximum extent possible, be coordinated
on behalf of the Purchaser and the other parties entitled thereto by one firm of
counsel designed by and on behalf of the majority in interest of Purchaser and
other parties. The Company shall qualify any
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of the securities for sale in such states as such Purchaser reasonably
designates and shall furnish indemnification in the manner provided in Section 6
hereof. However, the Company shall not be required to qualify in any state which
will require an escrow or other restriction relating to the Company and/or the
sellers, or which will require the Company to qualify to do business in such
state or require the Company to file therein any general consent to service of
process. The Company at its expense will supply the Purchaser with copies of the
Registration Statement and the prospectus included therein and other related
documents in such quantities as may be reasonably requested by the Purchaser.
(d) The Company shall not be required by this Section 3 to
include a Purchaser's Securities in any Registration Statement which is to be
filed if, in the opinion of counsel for both the Purchaser and the Company (or,
should they not agree, in the opinion of another counsel experienced in
securities law matters acceptable to counsel for the Purchaser and the Company)
the proposed offering or other transfer as to which such registration is
requested is exempt from applicable federal and state securities laws and would
result in all purchasers or transferees obtaining securities which are not
"restricted securities", as defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act.
(e) If at any time or from time to time after the effective date
of the Registration Statement, the Company notifies the Purchaser in writing of
the existence of a Potential Material Event (as defined in Section 3(f) below),
the Purchaser shall not offer or sell any Securities or engage in any other
transaction involving or relating to Securities, from the time of the giving of
notice with respect to a Potential Material Event until such Purchaser receives
written notice from the Company that such Potential Material Event either has
been disclosed to the public or no longer constitutes a Potential Material
Event; provided, however, that if the Company so suspends the right to such
holders of Securities for more than twenty (20) days in the aggregate during any
twelve month period, during the periods the Registration Statement is required
to be in effect then the Company must compensate the Purchaser for any decline
in market value of the Securities held by Purchaser at the beginning of such
suspension through the end of such suspension. If a Potential Material Event
shall occur prior to the date the Registration Statement is filed, then the
Company's obligation to file the Registration Statement shall be delayed without
penalty for not more than thirty (30) days (and the September 30, 2000 deadline
shall be commensurately extended). The Company must give Purchaser notice in
writing at least two (2) Trading Days prior to the first day of the blackout
period, if lawful to do so.
(f) "Potential Material Event" means any of the following: (a)
the possession by the Company of material information that is not ripe for
disclosure in a registration statement, as determined in good faith by the Chief
Executive Officer or the Board of Directors of the Company or that disclosure of
such information in the Registration Statement would be detrimental to the
business and affairs of the Company; or (b) any material engagement or activity
by the Company which would, in the good faith determination of the Chief
Executive Officer or the Board of Directors of the Company, be adversely
affected by disclosure in a registration statement at such time, which
determination shall be accompanied by a good faith determination by the Chief
Executive Officer or the Board of Directors of the Company that the Registration
Statement would be materially misleading absent the inclusion of such
information.
Section 4. Cooperation with Company. Purchaser will cooperate with the
Company in all respects in connection with this Agreement, including timely
supplying all information reasonably requested by the Company (which shall
include all information regarding the Purchaser and proposed manner of sale of
the Registrable Securities required to be disclosed in the Registration
Statement) and executing and returning all documents reasonably requested in
connection with the registration and sale of the Registrable Securities and
entering into and performing its obligations under any underwriting agreement,
if the offering is an underwritten offering, in usual and customary form, with
the managing underwriter or underwriters of such underwritten offering. The
Purchaser shall consent to be named as an underwriter in the Registration
Statement. Purchaser acknowledges that in accordance with current Commission
policy, the Purchaser will be named as the underwriter of the Securities in the
Registration Statement.
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Section 5. Registration Procedures. If and whenever the Company is
required by any of the provisions of this Agreement to effect the registration
of any of the Registrable Securities under the Act, the Company shall (except as
otherwise provided in this Agreement), as expeditiously as possible, subject to
the Purchaser's assistance and cooperation as reasonably required:
(a) prepare and file with the Commission such amendments and
supplements to the Registration Statement and the prospectus used in connection
therewith as may be necessary to keep such registration statement effective and
to comply with the provisions of the Act with respect to the sale or other
disposition of all securities covered by such registration statement whenever
the Purchaser of such Registrable Securities shall desire to sell or otherwise
dispose of the same (including prospectus supplements with respect to the sales
of securities from time to time in connection with a registration statement
pursuant to Rule 415 promulgated under the Act) and (ii) take all lawful action
such that each of (A) the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto does
not, when it becomes effective, contain an untrue statement of a material fact
or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein, not misleading and (B) the Prospectus forming part
of the Registration Statement, and any amendment or supplement thereto, does not
at any time during the Registration Period include an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading.
(b) prior to the filing with the Commission of any Registration
Statement (including any amendments thereto) and the distribution or delivery of
any prospectus (including any supplements thereto), provide draft copies thereof
to the Purchasers and reflect in such documents all such comments as the
Purchasers (and their counsel) reasonably may propose and (ii) furnish to each
Purchaser such numbers of copies of a prospectus including a preliminary
prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any prospectus, as applicable, in
conformity with the requirements of the Act, and such other documents, as such
Purchaser may reasonably request in order to facilitate the public sale or other
disposition of the securities owned by such Purchaser;
(c) register and qualify the Registrable Securities covered by
the Registration Statement under New York blue sky laws (subject to the
limitations set forth in Section 3(d) above), and do any and all other acts and
things which may be reasonably necessary or advisable to enable each Purchaser
to consummate the public sale or other disposition in such jurisdiction of the
securities owned by such Purchaser, except that the Company shall not for any
such purpose be required to qualify to do business as a foreign corporation in
any jurisdiction wherein it is not so qualified or to file therein any general
consent to service of process;
(d) list such Registrable Securities on the Principal Market, and
any other exchange on which the Common Stock of the Company is then listed, if
the listing of such Registrable Securities is then permitted under the rules of
such exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market;
(e) notify each Purchaser at any time when a prospectus relating
thereto covered by the Registration Statement is required to be delivered under
the Act, of the happening of any event of which it has knowledge as a result of
which the prospectus included in the Registration Statement, as then in effect,
includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein
not misleading in the light of the circumstances then existing, and the Company
shall prepare and file a curative amendment under Section 5(a) as quickly as
commercially possible;
(f) as promptly as practicable after becoming aware of such
event, notify each Purchaser who holds Registrable Securities being sold (or, in
the event of an underwritten offering, the managing underwriters) of the
issuance by the Commission or any state authority of any stop order or other
suspension of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement at the earliest
possible time and take all lawful action to effect the withdrawal, recession or
removal of such stop order or other suspension;
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(g) cooperate with the Purchasers to facilitate the timely
preparation and delivery of certificates for the Registrable Securities to be
offered pursuant to the Registration Statement and enable such certificates for
the Registrable Securities to be in such denominations or amounts, as the case
may be, as the Purchasers reasonably may request and registered in such names as
the Purchaser may request; and, within three (3) Trading Days after a
Registration Statement which includes Registrable Securities is declared
effective by the Commission, deliver and cause legal counsel selected by the
Company to deliver to the transfer agent for the Registrable Securities (with
copies to the Purchasers whose Registrable Securities are included in such
Registration Statement) an appropriate instruction and, to the extent necessary,
an opinion of such counsel;
(h) take all such other lawful actions reasonably necessary to
expedite and facilitate the disposition by the Purchasers of their Registrable
Securities in accordance with the intended methods therefor provided in the
prospectus which are customary for issuers to perform under the circumstances;
(i) in the event of an underwritten offering, promptly include or
incorporate in a Prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the
Registration Statement such information as the managers reasonably agree should
be included therein and to which the Company does not reasonably object and make
all required filings of such Prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment
as soon as practicable after it is notified of the matters to be included or
incorporated in such Prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment; and
(j) maintain a transfer agent for its Common Stock.
Section 6. Indemnification.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the
Purchaser and each person, if any, who controls the Purchaser within the meaning
of the Securities Act ("Distributing Purchaser") against any losses, claims,
damages or liabilities, joint or several (which shall, for all purposes of this
Agreement, include, but not be limited to, all reasonable costs of defense and
investigation and all reasonable attorneys' fees), to which the Distributing
Purchaser may become subject, under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as
such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof)
arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement
of any material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any related
preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or amendment or supplement thereto, or
arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein
a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that the Company will not
be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or
liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement,
preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or amendment or supplement thereto in
reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information furnished to the
Company by the Distributing Purchaser, specifically for use in the preparation
thereof. This Section 6(a) shall not inure to the benefit of any Distributing
Purchaser with respect to any person asserting such loss, claim, damage or
liability who purchased the Registrable Securities which are the subject thereof
if the Distributing Purchaser failed to send or give (in violation of the
Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder) a copy of
the prospectus contained in such Registration Statement to such person at or
prior to the written confirmation to such person of the sale of such Registrable
Securities, where the Distributing Purchaser was obligated to do so under the
Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. This
indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which the Company may
otherwise have.
(b) Each Distributing Purchaser agrees that it will indemnify and
hold harmless the Company, and each officer, director of the Company or person,
if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act,
against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (which shall, for all
purposes of this Agreement, include, but not be limited to, all reasonable costs
of defense and investigation and all reasonable attorneys' fees) to which the
Company or any such officer, director or controlling person may become subject
under the Securities Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims,
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damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based
upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact
contained in the Registration Statement, or any related preliminary prospectus,
final prospectus or amendment or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are
based upon the omission or the alleged omission to state therein a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, but in each case only to the extent that such untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the
Registration Statement, preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or amendment or
supplement thereto in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information
furnished to the Company by such Distributing Purchaser, specifically for use in
the preparation thereof. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any
liability which the Distributing Purchaser may otherwise have. Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary herein, the Distributing Investor shall not be liable
under this Section 6(b) for any amount in excess of the net proceeds to such
Distributing Investor as a result of the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant
to the Registration Statement.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this
Section 6 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party
will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party
under this Section 6, notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof;
but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party will not relieve the
indemnifying party from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party
except to the extent of actual prejudice demonstrated by the indemnifying party.
In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party, and it
notifies the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying
party will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it may wish,
jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, assume the defense
thereof, subject to the provisions herein stated and after notice from the
indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the
defense thereof, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified
party under this Section 6 for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred
by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other than
reasonable costs of investigation, unless the indemnifying party shall not
pursue the action to its final conclusion. The indemnified party shall have the
right to employ separate counsel in any such action and to participate in the
defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall not be at the
expense of the indemnifying party if the indemnifying party has assumed the
defense of the action with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified
party; provided that if the indemnified party is the Distributing Purchaser, the
fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying
party if (i) the employment of such counsel has been specifically authorized in
writing by the indemnifying party, or (ii) the named parties to any such action
(including any impleaded parties) include both the Distributing Purchaser and
the indemnifying party and the Distributing Purchaser shall have been advised by
such counsel that there may be one or more legal defenses available to the
indemnifying party different from or in conflict with any legal defenses which
may be available to the Distributing Purchaser (in which case the indemnifying
party shall not have the right to assume the defense of such action on behalf of
the Distributing Purchaser, it being understood, however, that the indemnifying
party shall, in connection with any one such action or separate but
substantially similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of
the same general allegations or circumstances, be liable only for the reasonable
fees and expenses of one separate firm of attorneys for the Distributing
Purchaser, which firm shall be designated in writing by the Distributing
Purchaser). No settlement of any action against an indemnified party shall be
made without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, which consent
shall not be unreasonably withheld.
All fees and expenses of the indemnified party (including
reasonable costs of defense and investigation in a manner not inconsistent with
this Section and all reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses) shall be paid to
the indemnified party, as incurred, within ten (10) Trading Days of written
notice thereof to the indemnifying party (regardless of whether it is ultimately
determined that an indemnified party is not entitled to indemnification
hereunder; provided, that the indemnifying party may require such indemnified
party to undertake to reimburse all such fees and expenses to the extent it is
finally judicially determined that such indemnified party is not entitled to
indemnification hereunder).
Section 7. Contribution. In order to provide for just and equitable
contribution under the Securities Act in any case in which (i) the indemnified
party makes a claim for indemnification pursuant to Section 6 hereof but is
judicially determined (by the entry of a final judgment or decree by a court of
competent jurisdiction and the expiration of time to appeal or the denial of the
last right of appeal) that such
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indemnification may not be enforced in such case notwithstanding the fact that
the express provisions of Section 6 hereof provide for indemnification in such
case, or (ii) contribution under the Securities Act may be required on the part
of any indemnified party, then the Company and the applicable Distributing
Purchaser shall contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages or
liabilities to which they may be subject (which shall, for all purposes of this
Agreement, include, but not be limited to, all reasonable costs of defense and
investigation and all reasonable attorneys' fees), in either such case (after
contribution from others) on the basis of relative fault as well as any other
relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault shall be determined by
reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement
of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact
relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the applicable
Distributing Purchaser on the other hand, and the parties' relative intent,
knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such
statement or omission. The Company and the Distributing Purchaser agree that it
would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were
determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which
does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this
Section 7. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the
losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred
to above in this Section 7 shall be deemed to include any legal or other
expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with
investigating or defending any such action or claim. No person guilty of
fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the
Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not
guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 7, in no event
shall any (i) Purchaser be required to undertake liability to any person under
this Section 7 for any amounts in excess of the dollar amount of the net
proceeds to be received by such Purchaser from the sale of such Purchaser's
Registrable Securities (after deducting any fees, discounts and commissions
applicable thereto) pursuant to any Registration Statement under which such
Registrable Securities are to be registered under the Securities Act and (ii)
underwriter be required to undertake liability to any person hereunder for any
amounts in excess of the aggregate discount, commission or other compensation
payable to such underwriter with respect to the Registrable Securities
underwritten by it and distributed pursuant to the Registration Statement.
Section 8. Notices. All notices, demands, requests, consents,
approvals, and other communications required or permitted hereunder shall be in
writing and, unless otherwise specified herein, shall be delivered as set forth
in the Purchase Agreement.
Section 9. Assignment. Neither this Agreement nor any rights of the
Purchaser or the Company hereunder may be assigned by either party to any other
person. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (a) the provisions of this Agreement
shall inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable by, any transferee of any of
the Common Stock purchased by the Purchaser pursuant to the Purchase Agreement
other than through open-market sales, and (b) upon the prior written consent of
the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed in the
case of an assignment to an affiliate of the Purchaser, the Purchaser's interest
in this Agreement may be assigned at any time, in whole or in part, to any other
person or entity (including any affiliate of the Purchaser) who agrees to be
bound hereby.
Section 10. Counterparts/Facsimile. This Agreement may be executed in
two or more counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original, but all of
which, when together shall constitute but one and the same instrument, and shall
become effective when one or more counterparts have been signed by each party
hereto and delivered to the other party. In lieu of the original, a facsimile
transmission or copy of the original shall be as effective and enforceable as
the original.
Section 11. Remedies. The remedies provided in this Agreement are
cumulative and not exclusive of any remedies provided by law. If any term,
provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of
competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the
remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions set forth herein
shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired
or invalidated, and the parties hereto shall use their best efforts to find and
employ an alternative means to achieve the same or substantially the same result
as that contemplated by such term, provision, covenant or restriction. It is
hereby stipulated and declared to be the intention of the parties that they
would have executed the remaining terms, provisions, covenants and
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restrictions without including any of such that may be hereafter declared
invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable.
Section 12. Conflicting Agreements. The Company shall not enter into
any agreement with respect to its securities that is inconsistent with the
rights granted to the holders of Registrable Securities in this Agreement or
otherwise prevents the Company from complying with all of its obligations
hereunder.
Section 13. Headings. The headings in this Agreement are for reference
purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of
this Agreement.
Section 14. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to
contracts made in New York by persons domiciled in New York City and without
regard to its principles of conflicts of laws. Any action may be brought as set
forth in the Purchase Agreement. Any party shall have the right to seek
injunctive relief from any court of competent jurisdiction in any case where
such relief is available. Any dispute under this Agreement shall be submitted to
arbitration under the American Arbitration Association (the "AAA") in New York
City, New York, and shall be finally and conclusively determined by the decision
of a board of arbitration consisting of three (3) members (hereinafter referred
to as the "Board of Arbitration") selected as according to the rules governing
the AAA. The Board of Arbitration shall meet on consecutive business days in New
York City, New York, and shall reach and render a decision in writing (concurred
in by a majority of the members of the Board of Arbitration) with respect to the
amount, if any, which the losing party is required to pay to the other party in
respect of a claim filed. In connection with rendering its decisions, the Board
of Arbitration shall adopt and follow the laws of the State of New York. To the
extent practical, decisions of the Board of Arbitration shall be rendered no
more than thirty (30) calendar days following commencement of proceedings with
respect thereto. The Board of Arbitration shall cause its written decision to be
delivered to all parties involved in the dispute. The Board of Arbitration shall
be authorized and is directed to enter a default judgment against any party
refusing to participate in the arbitration proceeding with thirty days of any
deadline for such participation. Any decision made by the Board of Arbitration
(either prior to or after the expiration of such thirty (30) calendar day
period) shall be final, binding and conclusive on the parties to the dispute,
and entitled to be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law and entered
in any court of competent jurisdiction. The prevailing party shall be awarded
its costs, including attorneys' fees, from the non-prevailing party as part of
the arbitration award. Any party shall have the right to seek injunctive relief
from any court of competent jurisdiction in any case where such relief is
available. The prevailing party in such injunctive action shall be awarded its
costs, including attorney's fees, from the non-prevailing party.
Section 15. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement shall for
any reason be held invalid or unenforceable, such invalidity or unenforceablity
shall not affect any other provision hereof and this Agreement shall be
construed as if such invalid or unenforceable provision had never been contained
herein. Terms not otherwise defined herein shall be defined in accordance with
the Purchase Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Registration
Rights Agreement to be duly executed, on this ___ day of May, 2000.
First Priority Group, Inc.
By: /s/ Barry Siegel
-----------------------------
Barry Siegel, Chairman & CEO
Suerez Enterprises Limited
By: /s/ Hans Gassner
-----------------------------
Hans Gassner, Authorized
Signatory
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