Exhibit 10.15
MICROVISION, INC.
CHANGE OF CONTROL SEVERANCE PLAN
The Compensation Committee (the "Committee") of the Board of Directors of Microvision, Inc. (the "Board") recognizes that the possibility of a Change of Control of the Company, and the uncertainty it creates, may result in the loss or distraction of key employees of the Company to the detriment of the Company and its shareholders.
The Board and the Committee consider the avoidance of such loss and distraction to be essential to protecting and enhancing the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. The Board and the Committee also believe that, when a Change of Control is perceived as imminent or is occurring, the Board should be able to receive and rely on disinterested service from key employees regarding the best interests of the Company and its shareholders without concern that employees might be distracted or concerned by the personal uncertainties and risks created by the perception of an imminent or occurring Change of Control.
In addition, the Board and the Committee believe that it is consistent with the Company's employment practices and policies and in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to treat fairly certain key employees whose employment terminates in connection with or following a Change of Control.
Accordingly, the Committee has determined that appropriate steps should be taken to assure the Company of the continued employment and attention and dedication to duty of certain key employees and to seek to ensure the availability of their continued service, notwithstanding the possibility or occurrence of a Change of Control.
Affiliate. "Affiliate" means any parent and subsidiaries of the Company and any entities directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Company, where control may be by either management authority or equity interest.
Base Salary. "Base Salary" means the annual base rate of compensation payable to a Participant by the Company.
Board. "Board" means the Board of Directors of the Company.
Cause. The following, as determined by the Board in its reasonable judgment, shall constitute "Cause" for termination: (i) a Participant's repeated willful failure to perform, or gross negligence in the performance of, his or her duties and responsibilities to the Company or any of its Affiliates; (ii) fraud, embezzlement or other dishonesty with respect to the Company or any of its Affiliates; (iii) breach of any agreement entered into between the Participant and the Company and one of its Affiliates relating to confidential information, the assignment of rights to intellectual property, non-solicitation, non-competition and participation in certain other outside activities or (iv) commission of a felony.
Change of Control. "Change of Control" means the occurrence of any of the following events after the Effective Date:
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immediately prior to such Corporate Transaction, (B) no Person (excluding any corporation resulting from such Corporate Transaction or any employee benefit plan (or related trust) of the Company of such corporation resulting from such Corporate Transaction) ultimately beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the then outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors of the Company or the corporation resulting from or surviving such Corporate Transaction (or the ultimate parent of the Company or such corporation after such Corporate Transaction) except to the extent that such ownership existed prior to the Corporate Transaction; and (C) at least a majority of the members of the board of directors of the corporation resulting from such Corporate Transaction were members of the Incumbent Board at the time of the execution of the initial agreement, or of the action of the Board, providing for such Corporate Transaction; or
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a Change of Control occurs, no subsequent event or condition shall constitute a Change of Control hereunder.
For purposes of this definition of "Change of Control," securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors that are issuable upon the exercise of an exercise, conversion or exchange right shall be deemed to be outstanding. In addition, for purposes of this definition of Change of Control, the following terms have the meanings set forth below:
A "Corporate Transaction" means a reorganization, recapitalization, merger or consolidation of the Company.
A Person shall be deemed to be the "owner" of any securities of which such Person would be the "beneficial owner," as such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act.
"Person" has the meaning used in Rule 13d of the Exchange Act, except that "Person" does not include (i) the Participant, a Participant-Related Party, or any group of which the Participant or Participant-Related Party is a member, or (ii) the Company or a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company or an employee benefit plan (or related trust) of the Company or of a wholly-owned subsidiary.
A "Participant-Related Party" means any affiliate or associate of the Participant other than the Company or a subsidiary of the Company. The terms "affiliate" and "associate" have the meanings given in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act; the term "registrant" in the definition of "associate" means, in this case, the Company.
Code. "Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
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Committee. "Committee" means the Compensation Committee of the Board, or such other Committee as may be appointed and constituted from time to time under Section 4 of the Plan.
Company. "Company" means Microvision, Inc. and any successor thereto and, if applicable, the ultimate parent of any such successor.
Date of Termination. "Date of Termination" means the date of receipt of a notice of termination from the Company or the Participant as applicable or any later date specified in the notice of termination, which date shall not be more than 30 days after the giving of such notice. The Company and the Participant shall take all steps necessary (including with regard to any post-termination services by the Participant) to ensure that any termination under the Plan constitutes a "separation from service" within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, and notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the date on which such separation from service takes place shall be the "Date of Termination."
Designated Participant. The "Designated Participants" are (i) the Company's Chief Financial Officer, (ii) the Company's General Counsel and (iii) such other executives (including, without limitation, an executive who is already a Participant) as may be expressly designated by the Committee in writing as "Designated Participants" hereunder. None of the foregoing individuals nor any other Participant hereafter designated as a Designated Participant hereunder shall thereafter be designated by the Committee as not being a Designated Participant without his or her prior written consent.
Effective Date. "Effective Date" means November 28, 2011.
Employee Release. "Employee Release" means a general release in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A, with such changes thereto that are not materially adverse to the Participant as may be acceptable to the Committee in its sole discretion.
Final Payment. "Final Payment" means the sum of the value of (i) any earned and unpaid Base Salary, payable on the Company's next regular pay day following the Date of Termination, (ii) any vacation time earned but not used through the Date of Termination, (iii) any bonus compensation earned for the year preceding that in which the termination occurs and unpaid on the Date of Termination and (iv) any reimbursable business expenses incurred by the Participant but not yet reimbursed on the Date of Termination, provided that such expenses and required substantiation and documentation are submitted within 60 days of termination, with reimbursement being made promptly after receipt of documentation, but in any event no later than December 31 of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the expenses were incurred.
Good Reason. "Good Reason" means, without the Participant's prior written consent, (i) failure of the Company to continue the Participant in his current position; (ii) substantial diminution in the nature and scope of the Participant's responsibilities, duties, authority, and upwards reporting requirements of the Participant; provided, however, that the Company's failure to continue the Participant's appointment or election as a director or officer of one of the
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Option. "Option" means an option to acquire common stock of the Company.
Option Agreement. "Option Agreement" means an agreement between the Company and a Participant evidencing the award of Options.
Participant. "Participant" means (i) the Company's Chief Financial Officer, (ii) the Company's General Counsel, (iii) the Company's Vice President, Engineering, (iv) the Company's Vice President, Sales & Marketing and (v) such other executives as may be expressly identified by the Committee in writing as "Participants" hereunder. None of the foregoing individuals nor any other individual hereafter designated as a Participant hereunder shall thereafter be designated by the Committee as not being a Participant without his or her prior written consent.
Qualified Termination. A "Qualified Termination" means (i) in the case of a Participant other than a Designated Participant, any termination of the Participant's employment, on or during the 18-month period following a Change of Control, by the Company other than for Cause or by the Participant for Good Reason; and (ii) in the case of a Designated Participant, any termination of the Designated Participant's employment on, or during the two-year period following, a Change of Control, for any reason (and regardless of the party terminating the employment) other than by the Company for Cause.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Participant shall not be deemed to have terminated his or her employment for Good Reason hereunder unless (i) the Participant gives notice to the Company within 90 days of the initial occurrence of the event or condition constituting Good Reason, setting forth in reasonable detail the nature of such Good Reason; (ii) the Company fails to cure within 30 days following such notice; and (iii) the Participant terminates his employment within 30 days following the end of the 30-day cure period (if the Company fails to cure). In addition, for the avoidance of doubt, in no event shall a Participant whose employment is terminated prior to, or more than two years following, a Change of Control, have experienced a Qualified Termination.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no termination which is not a "separation from service" for the purposes of Section 409A of the Code shall constitute a Qualified Termination for the purposes of the Plan.
Target Bonus. The greater of (i) the target bonus amount applicable to a Participant in the year directly preceding the year in which a Change of Control occurs or (ii) the target bonus amount applicable in the year in which a termination of a Participant's employment occurs.
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its interpretations to be accorded the maximum deference provided by law, and (ii) the Committee's determinations shall be final and binding on all parties. If and to the extent applicable, no member of the Committee may act as to matters under the Plan specifically relating to such member. The Committee shall have the full authority to employ and rely on such legal counsel, actuaries and accountants (which may also be those of the Employer), and other agents, designees and delegatees, as it may deem advisable to assist in the administration of the Plan.
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EXHIBIT A
RELEASE OF CLAIMS
FOR AND IN CONSIDERATION OF the benefits to be provided me in connection with the termination of my employment, as set forth in The Microvision, Inc. Change of Control Severance Plan, dated as of [____________] (the "Plan"), which are conditioned on my signing this Release of Claims and to which I am not otherwise entitled, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, I, on my own behalf and on behalf of my heirs, executives, administrators, beneficiaries, representatives and assigns, and all others connected with me, hereby release and forever discharge MICROVISION, INC. (the "Company"), its subsidiaries and other affiliates and all of their respective past, present and future officers, directors, trustees, shareholders, employees, agents, general and limited partners, members, managers, joint venturers, representatives, successors and assigns, and all others connected with any of them, both individually and in their official capacities, from any and all causes of action, rights and claims of any type or description, known or unknown, which I have had in the past, now have, or might now have, through the date of my signing of this Release of Claims, in any way resulting from, arising out of or connected with my employment by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or other affiliates or the termination of that employment or pursuant to any federal, state or local law, regulation or other requirement (including without limitation Washington Law Against Discrimination (RCW 49.60), the Washington Prohibited Employment Practices Law (RCW 49.44), the Washington Minimum Wage Act (RCW 49.46), Washington's Little Norris-LaGuardia Act (RCW 49.32), the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (including Title VII of that Act), the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), and the fair employment practices laws of the state or states in which I have been employed by the Company or any of the subsidiaries or other affiliates, each as amended from time to time).
Excluded from the scope of this Release of Claims is (i) the Final Payment (as defined in the Agreement) owed to the Participant pursuant to the Plan, (ii) any claim arising under the terms of the Plan after the effective date of this Release of Claims, (iii) any right of indemnification or contribution that I have pursuant to the Articles of Incorporation or By-Laws of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or other affiliates and (iv) any non-forfeitable rights to accrued benefits, if any, arising under any applicable employee benefit plans.
I agree that I have no right to obtain or receive any monetary damages or other relief of any kind as a result of any action or proceeding by me or by anyone else on my behalf regarding any claims covered by the above general release and, to the extent permitted by law, I agree that I will not seek or accept any monetary damages or other relief of any kind in any such action or proceeding. In addition, without limiting the scope of the foregoing, I expressly (i) agree not to be a class representative or be part of a class regarding any action under ERISA, or otherwise to bring an action under ERISA on behalf of a plan or trust for relief for such plan or trust under
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ERISA, and (ii) to the extent permitted by law, agree not to retain the benefits of any decision, judgment or settlement in any such action.
In signing this Release of Claims, I acknowledge my understanding that I may not sign it prior to the termination of my employment, but that I may consider the terms of this Release of Claims for up to 21 days (or such longer period as the Company may specify) from the later of the date my employment with the Company terminates or the date I receive this Release of Claims. I also acknowledge that I am advised by the Company and its subsidiaries and other affiliates to seek the advice of an attorney prior to signing this Release of Claims; that I have had sufficient time to consider this Release of Claims and to consult with an attorney, if I wished to do so, or to consult with any other person of my choosing before signing; and that I am signing this Release of Claims voluntarily and with a full understanding of its terms.
I further acknowledge that, in signing this Release of Claims, I have not relied on any promises or representations, express or implied, that are not set forth expressly in the Plan. I understand that I may revoke this Release of Claims at any time within seven days of the date of my signing by written notice to the [Director, Human Resources] of the Company and that this Release of Claims will take effect only upon the expiration of such seven-day revocation period and only if I have not timely revoked it.
Intending to be legally bound, I have signed this Release of Claims under seal as of the date written below.
Signature: _____________________________________________
Name (please print): ____________________________________
Date Signed: ___________________________________________
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