CROSSCOMM CORP
S-8, 1996-06-06
COMPUTER COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT
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     AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON JUNE 6, 1996
                              REGISTRATION NO. 333-

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8

                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                              CROSSCOMM CORPORATION
               (Exact name of issuer as specified in its charter)

          Delaware                                52-1513201
(State or other jurisdiction of       (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
incorporation or organization)

450 Donald Lynch Boulevard, Marlborough, MA          01752
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)          (Zip Code)

                             1996 STOCK OPTION PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

                   Philip P. Rossetti, Esq., c/o Hale and Dorr
                  60 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109
                     (Name and address of agent for service)

                                 (617) 526-6000
          (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

                                                  Proposed
 Title of                         Proposed        Maximum
Securities         Amount to       Maximum       Aggregate     Amount of
   to be              be       Offering Price    Offering     Registration
Registered        Registered    Per Share (1)    Price (1)      Fee (1)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock,    700,000 Shares  $11.1796875   $7,825,781.25   $2,698.55
$.01 par value
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

        (1) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration
fee in accordance with Rule 457(c) and (h) of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, and based on the average of the high and low prices of the Common
Stock on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation
System's National Market System on June 3, 1996.


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PART I.  INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

     Item 1. Plan Information.

          The information required by Part I is included in documents sent or
     given to participants in the 1996 Stock Option Plan of CrossComm
     Corporation (the "Registrant"), pursuant to Rule 428(b)(1) of the
     Securities Act of 1933 (as amended, the "Securities Act").

PART II.  INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

     Item 3. Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.

          The Registrant is subject to the informational and reporting
     requirements of Sections 13(a), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
     of 1934 (as amended, the "Exchange Act"), and in accordance therewith files
     reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and
     Exchange Commission. The following documents, which are on file with the
     Securities and Exchange Commission, are incorporated in this Registration
     Statement by reference:

               (a) The Registrant's latest annual report filed pursuant to
          Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or the latest prospectus
          filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act that contains
          audited financial statements for the Registrant's latest fiscal year
          for which such statements have been filed.

               (b) All other reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of
          the Exchange Act since the end of the fiscal year covered by the
          Registrant document referred to in (a) above.

               (c) The description of the Common Stock, par value $.01 per share
          ("Common Stock"), contained in a registration statement filed under
          the Exchange Act, including any amendment or report filed for the
          purpose of updating such description.

          All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to
     Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the filing
     of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered
     hereby have been sold or which deregisters all such securities then
     remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein
     and to be part hereof from the date of the filing of such documents. Any
     statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be 
     incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or 
     superseded for purposes

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     of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained
     herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is
     deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such
     statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed,
     except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this
     Registration Statement.

          Item 4. Description of Securities.

          Not applicable.

          Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

          The validity of the authorization and issuance of the Common Stock
     offered hereby will be passed upon for the Registrant by Hale and Dorr,
     Boston, Massachusetts. Philip P. Rossetti, Secretary of the Company, is a
     partner in the law firm of Hale and Dorr.

          Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

          Section 102(b)(7) of the Delaware General Corporation Law enables a
     Delaware corporation to provide in its certificate of incorporation, and
     the Registrant has so provided in its Amended and Restated Certificate of
     Incorporation, for the elimination or limitation of the personal liability
     of a director to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages
     for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, provided, however, that a
     director's liability is not eliminated or limited: (1) for any breach of
     the director's duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders; (2)
     for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve an intentional
     misconduct or a knowing violation of law; (3) pursuant to Section 174 of
     the Delaware General Corporation Law (which imposes liability on directors
     for unlawful payment of dividends or unlawful stock purchases or
     redemptions); or (4) for any transaction from which the director derived an
     improper personal benefit. The Amended and Restated Certificate of
     Incorporation further provides that if the Delaware General Corporation Law
     is amended to authorize the further elimination or limitation of the
     liability of directors, then the liability of a director shall be
     eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware
     General Corporation Law, as amended.

          Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law empowers a
     corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or witness 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 or she is or was a director, 
     officer, employee or agent of the 


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     corporation or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a
     director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or enterprise.
     Depending on the character of the proceeding, a corporation may indemnify
     against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts
     paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such
     action, suit or proceeding if the person indemnified acted in good faith
     and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to
     the best interests of the corporation and, with respect to any criminal
     action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct
     was unlawful. If the person indemnified is not wholly successful in such
     action, suit or proceeding, but is successful, on the merits or otherwise,
     in one or more but less than all claims, issues or matters in such
     proceeding, he or she may be indemnified against expenses actually and
     reasonably incurred in connection with each successfully resolved claim,
     issue or matter. In the case of an action or suit by or in the right of the
     corporation, no indemnification may be made in respect to 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 Court of Chancery or
     the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine that
     despite the adjudication of liability such person is fairly and reasonably
     entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the court shall deem proper.
     Section 145 provides that to the extent a director, officer, employee or
     agent of a corporation has been successful in the defense of any action,
     suit or proceeding referred to above or in the defense of any claim, issue
     or manner therein, he or she shall be indemnified against expenses
     (including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him or her
     in connection therewith.

          The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the
     Registrant provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware
     General Corporation Law, the Registrant shall indemnify any person who was
     or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any action, suit or
     proceeding of the type described above by reason of the fact that he or she
     is or was a director or officer of the Registrant or is or was serving at
     the request of the Registrant as a director, officer, employee or agent of
     another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise.
     No expenses will be paid in advance, except as authorized by the Board of
     Directors for expenses incurred while a director or officer was acting in
     his or her capacity as a director or officer and upon the condition that
     such director or officer previously delivered an undertaking to the
     corporation to repay all amounts advanced if it should be later determined
     that he or she was not entitled to indemnification. The Amended and
     Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant further provides
     that the above rights of indemnification are not 

<PAGE>   5

     exclusive of any other rights of indemnification that a director or officer
     may be entitled to from any other source.

          Article TENTH of the Registrant's Amended and Restated Certificate of
     Incorporation sets forth the extent to which officers and directors of the
     Registrant may be indemnified against liabilities which they may incur in
     their capacities as directors or officers of the Registrant. Article TENTH
     provides that the Registrant 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 rights
     of the Registrant) by reason of the fact that he is or was a director or
     officer of the Registrant, or is or was serving at the request of the
     Registrant as a director, officer, or trustee of another corporation,
     partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise (including any
     employee benefit plan) against expenses (including attorney's fees),
     judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably
     incurred by him in connection with such action, suit 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 the Registrant, and, with respect to any
     criminal action or proceedings, had no reasonable cause to believe his
     conduct was unlawful. Such indemnification extends to suits brought by or
     in the name of Registrant, except that no indemnification shall be
     provided, in such case, with respect to any matter in which such person
     shall have been adjudged to be liable, unless a court of appropriate
     jurisdiction makes a determination that, despite the adjudication of
     liability, in view of the circumstances, such person would be entitled to
     be indemnified.

          Article TENTH also provides that the Registrant may purchase and
     maintain insurance on behalf of any director, officer, employee or agent of
     the Registrant, or any person serving at the request of the Registrant as a
     director, officer, employee or agent of another enterprise, against any
     liability asserted against such person in such capacity, whether or not the
     Registrant would have the power to indemnify such person. The
     aforementioned indemnification and insurance provisions have been restated
     in Article V of the Registrant's By-laws.

          Article EIGHTH of the Registrant's Amended and Restated Certificate of
     Incorporation provides that no director of the Registrant shall be liable
     for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty, except for a breach of
     any such director's duty of loyalty to the Registrant or its stockholders,
     or for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve inventional
     misconduct or a knowing violation of law, or for acts prohibited under
     Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or for 



<PAGE>   6


     any transaction which such director derived an improper personal benefit.

          The Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with
     certain of its directors. The indemnification agreements provide that the
     Registrant shall indemnify and hold harmless the indemnitee to the fullest
     extent permitted or authorized by applicable law. Indemnification under the
     agreement extends to acts or omissions by the indemnitee while acting on
     behalf of or at the request of the Registrant. Indemnification is required
     to be made against any and all judgments, fines, amounts paid in settlement
     and reasonable expenses (including attorneys' fees) actually incurred by
     the indemnitee. Indemnification does not apply to any suit for an
     accounting of profits made from the purchase or sale by the indemnitee of
     securities of the Registrant pursuant to Section 16(b) of the Securities
     Exchange Act of 1934 or similar provisions of any other federal, state or
     other local law; or for conduct which is finally adjudged by a court of
     appropriate jurisdiction to have been knowingly fraudulent, deliberately
     dishonest or willful misconduct; or for actions of the indemnitee which
     were outside the scope of the authority vested in the indemnitee by the
     Registrant. The Registrant will advance expenses (including attorneys'
     fees) incurred by the indemnitee in defending any proceeding and any
     judgment, fine or amount to be paid in settlement of any proceeding upon
     request form the indemnitee and receipt by the Registrant of an undertaking
     give by the indemnitee providing that such indemnitee will repay the sums
     advanced if it is ultimately determined the indemnitee was not entitled to
     indemnification.

          Item 7. Exemption From Registration Claimed.

          Not applicable.

          Item 8. Exhibits.

          The Exhibit Index immediately preceding the exhibits is incorporated
     herein by reference.

          Item 9. Undertakings.

          1. The Registrant hereby undertakes:

               (a) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being
          made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

                    (i) To include any prospectus required by section 
               10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

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                    (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
               arising after the effective date of the registration statement
               (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which,
               individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change
               in the information set forth in the registration statement;

                    (iii) To include any material information with respect to
               the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this
               Registration Statement or any material change to such information
               in this Registration Statement;

          Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(i) and (a)(ii) of this
          section do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3,
          Form S-8 or Form F-3, and the information required to be included in a
          post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic
          reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant
          pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
          of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration
          statement.

               (b) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the
          Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to
          be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered
          therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be
          deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

               (c) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective
          amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold
          at the termination of the offering.

          2. The Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining
     any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant's
     annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange
     Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's
     annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is
     incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to
     be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein,
     and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be in
     the initial bona fide offering thereof.

         3. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
    Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling 
    persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions,
    or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in 


<PAGE>   8

     the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification
     is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is,
     therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
     against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of
     expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of
     the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding)
     is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection
     with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the
     opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling
     precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question
     whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in
     the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such
     issue.



<PAGE>   9

                                   SIGNATURES

          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the Registrant
     certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of
     the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this
     Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
     thereunto duly authorized, in the town of Marlborough, Massachusetts, on
     this 5th day of June, 1996.

                             CROSSCOMM CORPORATION

                             By: /s/ William R. Johnson
                                 --------------------------------
                                 William R. Johnson, President
                                 and Chief Executive Officer

                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

          We, the undersigned officers and directors of CrossComm Corporation
     hereby severally constitute and appoint William R. Johnson, Allan M. Kline
     and Philip P. Rossetti, and each of them singly, our true and lawful
     attorneys with full power to them, and each of them singly, to sign for us
     and in our names, in the capacities indicated below, the Registration
     Statement on Form S-8 filed herewith and any and all amendments to said
     Registration Statement and generally to do all such things in our name and
     behalf in our capacities as officers and directors to enable CrossComm
     Corporation to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act, and all
     requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying
     and confirming our signatures as they may be signed by our said attorneys,
     or any of them, to said Registration Statement and any and all amendments
     thereto.


<PAGE>   10

          WITNESS our hands and common seal on the date set forth below.

          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration
     Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on
     the date indicated.

      Signature                   Title                     Date

 /s/ William R. Johnson    President and Chief       ) June 5, 1996
 ------------------------  Executive Officer         )
 William R. Johnson                                  )
 (Principal Executive                                )
  Officer)                                           )
                                                     )
                                                     )
 /s/ Allan M. Kline        Senior Vice President and ) June 5, 1996
 ------------------------  Chief Financial Officer   )
 Allan M. Kline                                      )
 (Principal Financial                                )
  Officer and Principal                              )
  Accounting Officer)                                )

                                                     )
                                                     )
 /s/ Nancy Casey           Director                  ) June 5, 1996
 ------------------------
 Nancy Casey                                         )
                                                     )
                                                     )
                                                     )
 /s/ Alexander M. Levine   Director                  ) June 5, 1996
 ------------------------
 Alexander M. Levine                                 )
                                                     )
                                                     )

 /s/ Michael C. Ruettgers  Director                  ) June 5, 1996
 ------------------------
 Michael C. Ruettgers                                )
                                                     )
                                                     )

 /s/ Tadeusz Witkowicz     Director                  ) June 5, 1996
 ------------------------
 Tadeusz Witkowicz                                   )



                           
<PAGE>   11


                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

    Exhibit                                                
    Number                                                 

    4.1     Amended and Restated Certificate of
            Incorporation of the Registrant
            (filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant's
            Registration Statement on Form S-8
            (File No. 33-82476) and incorporated
            herein by reference.

    4.2     By-Laws, as amended, of the Registrant
            (filed as Exhibit 3.3 to the Registrant's
            Registration Statement on Form S-1
            (File No. 33-47321 and incorporated
            herein by reference)

    5.1     Opinion of Hale and Dorr                            

    23.1    Consent of Hale and Dorr (included in               
            Exhibit 5.1)

    23.2    Consent of Ernst & Young LLP                        

    24.1    Power of Attorney (included in the                  
            signature pages of this Registration
            Statement)


<PAGE>   1










                                                      Exhibit 5.1

                                  June 5, 1996

    CrossComm Corporation
    450 Donald Lynch Boulevard
    Marlborough, MA  01752

    Ladies and Gentlemen:

         We have assisted in the preparation of a Registration Statement on Form
    S-8 (the "Registration Statement") to be filed with the Securities and
    Exchange Commission relating to 700,000 shares of Common Stock, $.01 par
    value per share (the "Shares"), of CrossComm Corporation, a Delaware
    corporation (the "Company"), issuable under the Company's 1996 Stock Option
    Plan (the "Plan").

         We have examined the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
    and the By-Laws of the Company, and all amendments thereto, the Registration
    Statement and originals, or copies certified to our satisfaction of such
    records of meetings, written actions in lieu of meetings, or resolutions
    adopted at meetings, of the directors of the Company, and such other
    documents and instruments as in our judgment are necessary or appropriate to
    enable us to render the opinions expressed below.

         In our examination of the foregoing documents, we have assumed the
    genuineness of all signatures and the authenticity of all documents
    submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all
    documents submitted to us as copies, and the authenticity of the originals
    of all such documents.

         Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the
    Shares covered by the Registration Statement to be issued under the Plan
    have been duly and validly authorized for issuance, and when issued and paid
    for in accordance with the terms of the Plan, will be legally issued, fully
    paid and nonassessable.

         We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Securities and
    Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to the Registration Statement.

                                  Very truly yours,

                                  /s/ Hale and Dorr

                                  HALE AND DORR



<PAGE>   1




                                                                Exhibit 23.2

                       Consent of Independent Auditors

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement (Form
S-8) pertaining to the 1996 Stock Option Plan of CrossComm Corporation of our
report dated January 31, 1996, with respect to the consolidated financial
statements and schedule of CrossComm Corporation included in its Annual Report
(Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 1995, filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
 


                                             ERNST & YOUNG LLP

Boston, Massachusetts
May 31, 1996


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