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Exhibit 10.1

 

INDEMNITY AGREEMENT

 

This Indemnity Agreement (“ Agreement ”) is made as of             , 2009 by and between STR Holdings, Inc. a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), and [          ] (“ Indemnitee ”).

 

RECITALS

 

WHEREAS, highly competent persons have become more reluctant to serve publicly-held corporations as directors, officers or in other capacities unless they are provided with adequate protection through insurance or adequate indemnification against inordinate risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their service to and activities on behalf of the corporation.

 

WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company (the “ Board ”) has determined that, in order to attract and retain qualified individuals, the Company will maintain on an ongoing basis, at its sole expense, liability insurance to protect persons serving the Company and its subsidiaries from certain liabilities.  The Certificate of Incorporation (the “ Charter ”) of the Company and the Bylaws (the “ Bylaws ”) of the Company provide for indemnification of the officers and directors of the Company.  Indemnitee may also be entitled to indemnification pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law (“ DGCL ”).  The Charter, Bylaws and the DGCL expressly provide that the indemnification provisions set forth therein are not exclusive, and thereby contemplate that contracts may be entered into between the Company and members of the board of directors, officers and other persons with respect to indemnification.

 

WHEREAS, the uncertainties relating to such insurance and to indemnification have increased the difficulty of attracting and retaining such persons.

 

WHEREAS, the Board has determined that the increased difficulty in attracting and retaining such persons is detrimental to the best interests of the Company’s stockholders and that the Company should act to assure such persons that there will be increased certainty of such protection in the future.

 

WHEREAS, it is reasonable, prudent and necessary for the Company contractually to obligate itself to indemnify, and to advance expenses on behalf of, such persons to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law so that they will serve or continue to serve the Company free from undue concern that they will not be so indemnified.

 

WHEREAS, this Agreement is a supplement to and in furtherance of the Charter and Bylaws and any resolutions adopted pursuant thereto, and shall not be deemed a substitute therefor, nor to diminish or abrogate any rights of Indemnitee thereunder.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the covenants contained herein, the Company and Indemnitee do hereby covenant and agree as follows:

 



 

1.              Services to the Company .  Indemnitee will serve as a director and/or officer of the Company or Enterprise for so long as Indemnitee is duly elected or appointed or until Indemnitee tenders his resignation or is terminated.

 

2.              Definitions.   For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

(a)            “Corporate Status” describes the status of a person who is or was a director, officer, trustee, partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of the Company or of any other Enterprise which such person is or was serving at the request of the Company.

 

(b)            “Disinterested Director” shall mean a director of the Company who is not and was not a party to the Proceeding in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.

 

(c)            “Enterprise” shall mean the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company and any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other Enterprise of which Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, trustee, partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent.

 

(d)            “Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

(e)            “Expenses” shall include attorneys’ fees and costs, retainers, court costs, transcript costs, fees of experts, witness fees, travel expenses, duplicating costs, printing and binding costs, telephone charges, postage, delivery service fees, and all other disbursements or expenses in connection with prosecuting, defending, preparing to prosecute or defend, investigating, being or preparing to be a witness in, or otherwise participating in, a Proceeding.  Expenses also shall include Expenses incurred in connection with any appeal resulting from any Proceeding, including without limitation, the premium, security for, and other costs relating to any cost bond, supersedeas bond, or other appeal bond or its equivalent.

 

(f)             “Independent Counsel” shall mean a law firm, or a member of a law firm, that is experienced in matters of corporation law and neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent:  (i) the Company or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party (other than with respect to matters concerning the Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under similar indemnification agreements), or (ii) any other party to the Proceeding giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement.

 

(g)            “Person” shall have the meaning as set forth in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act; provided, however, that Person shall exclude (i) the Company, (ii) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company, and (iii) 

 

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any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company.

 

(h)            The term “Proceeding” shall include any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, claim, arbitration, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, inquiry, administrative hearing or any other actual, threatened or completed proceeding, whether brought in the right of the Company or otherwise and whether of a civil (including intentional or unintentional tort claims), criminal, administrative or investigative nature, in which Indemnitee was, is or will be involved as a party or otherwise by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, by reason of any action taken by him or of any inaction on his part while acting as director or officer of the Company, or by reason of the fact that he is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of any other Enterprise, in each case whether or not serving in such capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which indemnification, reimbursement, or advancement of expenses can be provided under this Agreement.

 

(i)             “Subsidiary” shall mean, in respect of any Person, any corporation, association, limited liability company, partnership or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting power of shares of capital stock or other interests (including partnership or membership interests) entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by (i) such Person, (ii) such Person and one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or (iii) one or more Subsidiaries of such Person.

 

(j)             References to “fines” shall include any excise tax assessed with respect to any employee benefit plan; references to “serving at the request of the Company” shall include any service as a director, officer, trustee, partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of the Company or which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, trustee, partner, managing member, fiduciary, 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 best interests 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 Company” as such terms are referred to in this Agreement and used in the DGCL.

 

3.              Indemnity in Third-Party Proceedings.   The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3 if Indemnitee is made, or is threatened to be made, a party to or a participant in (as a witness or otherwise) any Proceeding, other than a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor.  Pursuant to this Section 3 , Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Expenses, judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (including, without limitation, all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of any of the foregoing) (collectively, “ Losses ”) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on his or her behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any action, discovery event, claim, issue or matter therein or related thereto, if Indemnitee acted in good faith, for a purpose which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company and, in the case of a criminal Proceeding, in addition, had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful.

 

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4.              Indemnity in Proceedings by or in the Right of the Company.   The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 4 if Indemnitee was, is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or a participant (as a witness or otherwise) in any Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor.  Pursuant to this Section 4 , Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company.  No indemnification for Expenses shall be made under this Section 4 in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been finally adjudged by a court in a non-appealable decision to be liable to the Company, unless and only to the extent that any court in which the Proceeding was brought or the Delaware Court (as defined below) shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification.

 

5.              Indemnification for Expenses of a Party Who is Wholly or Partly Successful.  Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Agreement, to the extent that Indemnitee is a party to (or a participant in) and is successful, on the merits or otherwise, in any Proceeding or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, in whole or in part, the Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection therewith.  If Indemnitee is not wholly successful in such Proceeding but is successful, on the merits or otherwise, as to one or more but less than all claims, issues or matters in such Proceeding, the Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or on his behalf in connection with each successfully resolved claim, issue or matter.  If the Indemnitee is not wholly successful in such Proceeding, the Company also shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee against all Expenses reasonably incurred in connection with a claim, issue or matter related to any claim, issue, or matter on which the Indemnitee was successful.  For purposes of this Section 5 and without limitation, the ter


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