Attached files

file filename
8-K - FORM 8-K - ROAN RESOURCES, INC.h75961e8vk.htm
EX-99.1 - EX-99.1 - ROAN RESOURCES, INC.h75961exv99w1.htm
Exhibit 3.1
THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED
LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT
OF
LINN ENERGY, LLC

 


 

TABLE OF CONTENTS
         
ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS
    1  
Section 1.1 Definitions
    1  
Section 1.2 Construction
    13  
 
       
ARTICLE II ORGANIZATION
    13  
Section 2.1 Formation
    13  
Section 2.2 Name
    13  
Section 2.3 Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices
    13  
Section 2.4 Purposes and Business
    13  
Section 2.5 Powers
    14  
Section 2.6 Power of Attorney
    14  
Section 2.7 Term
    16  
Section 2.8 Title to Company Assets
    16  
 
       
ARTICLE III RIGHTS OF MEMBERS
    16  
Section 3.1 Members
    16  
Section 3.2 Management of Business
    17  
Section 3.3 Outside Activities of the Members
    17  
Section 3.4 Rights of Members
    17  
 
       
ARTICLE IV CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS; TRANSFER OF INTERESTS; REDEMPTION OF INTERESTS
    18  
Section 4.1 Certificates
    18  
Section 4.2 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates
    19  
Section 4.3 Record Holders
    19  
Section 4.4 Transfer Generally
    20  
Section 4.5 Registration and Transfer of Member Interests
    20  
Section 4.6 Restrictions on Transfers
    21  
Section 4.7 Citizenship Certificates; Non-citizen Assignees
    21  
Section 4.8 Redemption of Interests of Non-citizen Assignees
    22  
 
       
ARTICLE V CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF INTERESTS
    24  
Section 5.1 Previous Capital Contributions
    24  
Section 5.2 Interest and Withdrawal
    24  
Section 5.3 Capital Accounts
    24  
Section 5.4 Issuances of Additional Company Securities
    27  
Section 5.5 Limitations on Issuance of Additional Company Securities
    28  
Section 5.6 No Preemptive Rights
    28  
Section 5.7 Splits and Combinations
    28  
Section 5.8 Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Interests
    29  
 
       
ARTICLE VI ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
    29  
Section 6.1 Allocations for Capital Account Purposes
    29  
Section 6.2 Allocations for Tax Purposes
    33  
Section 6.3 Requirement of Distributions; Distributions to Record Holders
    36  

i


 

         
Section 6.4 Distributions of Available Cash
    37  
 
       
ARTICLE VII MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS
    37  
Section 7.1 Board of Directors
    37  
Section 7.2 Certificate of Formation
    41  
Section 7.3 Restrictions on the Board of Directors’ Authority
    42  
Section 7.4 Officers
    42  
Section 7.5 Outside Activities
    44  
Section 7.6 Loans or Contributions from the Company or Group Members
    45  
Section 7.7 Indemnification
    45  
Section 7.8 Exculpation of Liability of Indemnitees
    49  
Section 7.9 Resolution of Conflicts of Interest; Standards of Conduct and Modification of Duties
    50  
Section 7.10 Duties of Officers and Directors
    51  
Section 7.11 Purchase or Sale of Company Securities
    51  
Section 7.12 Reliance by Third Parties
    51  
 
       
ARTICLE VIII BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS
    52  
Section 8.1 Records and Accounting
    52  
Section 8.2 Fiscal Year
    52  
Section 8.3 Reports
    52  
 
       
ARTICLE IX TAX MATTERS
    52  
Section 9.1 Tax Returns and Information
    52  
Section 9.2 Tax Elections
    53  
Section 9.3 Tax Controversies
    53  
Section 9.4 Withholding
    53  
 
       
ARTICLE X DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION
    54  
Section 10.1 Dissolution
    54  
Section 10.2 Liquidator
    54  
Section 10.3 Liquidation
    54  
Section 10.4 Cancellation of Certificate of Formation
    55  
Section 10.5 Return of Contributions
    55  
Section 10.6 Waiver of Partition
    55  
Section 10.7 Capital Account Restoration
    55  
 
       
ARTICLE XI AMENDMENT OF AGREEMENT; MEETINGS OF MEMBERS; RECORD DATE
    56  
Section 11.1 Amendment of Limited Liability Company Agreement
    56  
Section 11.2 Amendment Requirements
    58  
Section 11.3 Unitholder Meetings
    58  
Section 11.4 Notice of Meetings of Members
    59  
Section 11.5 Record Date
    60  
Section 11.6 Adjournment
    60  
Section 11.7 Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting
    60  
Section 11.8 Quorum; Required Vote for Member Action; Voting for Directors
    61  

ii


 

         
Section 11.9 Conduct of a Meeting; Member Lists
    61  
Section 11.10 Action Without a Meeting
    62  
Section 11.11 Voting and Other Rights
    62  
Section 11.12 Proxies and Voting
    62  
Section 11.13 Notice of Member Business and Nominations
    63  
 
       
ARTICLE XII MERGER
    66  
Section 12.1 Authority
    66  
Section 12.2 Procedure for Merger or Consolidation
    66  
Section 12.3 Approval by Members of Merger or Consolidation
    67  
Section 12.4 Certificate of Merger
    68  
Section 12.5 Effect of Merger
    68  
Section 12.6 Business Combination Limitations
    69  
 
       
ARTICLE XIII RIGHT TO ACQUIRE MEMBER INTERESTS
    69  
Section 13.1 Right to Acquire Member Interests
    69  
 
       
ARTICLE XIV GENERAL PROVISIONS
    71  
Section 14.1 Addresses and Notices
    71  
Section 14.2 Further Action
    72  
Section 14.3 Binding Effect
    72  
Section 14.4 Integration
    72  
Section 14.5 Creditors
    72  
Section 14.6 Waiver
    72  
Section 14.7 Counterparts
    72  
Section 14.8 Applicable Law
    72  
Section 14.9 Invalidity of Provisions
    72  
Section 14.10 Consent of Members
    72  

iii


 

THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
AGREEMENT OF LINN ENERGY, LLC
     This THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT OF LINN ENERGY, LLC, dated as of September 3, 2010 is entered into by and effectuated by the Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors”) of Linn Energy, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”).
     WHEREAS, the parties thereto entered into that certain Second Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement dated as of January 19, 2006 (the “2006 Agreement”);
     WHEREAS, the 2006 Agreement has been amended by Amendment Nos. 1, 2 and 3 establishing the terms of Class B Units, Class C Units and Class D Units (the 2006 Agreement, as so amended, the “Amended Agreement”);
     WHEREAS, all of the Class B Units, Class C Units and Class D Units have been converted into Units of the Company;
     WHEREAS, the Board of Directors deems it in the best interest of the Company to amend and restate the Amended Agreement to eliminate unnecessary references to the Class A Units, Class B Units and Class C Units and to make certain other amendments to the Amended Agreement;
     WHEREAS, Section 11.1(c)(iv) of the Amended Agreement provides that the Board of Directors, without the approval of any Member, may amend any provision of the Amended Agreement to reflect a change that the Board of Directors determines does not adversely affect the Members (including any particular class of Interests as compared to other classes of Interests) in any material respect, and the Board of Directors has determined that such amendments contemplated hereby do not affect the Members in any material respect;
     NOW, THEREFORE, the Amended Agreement is amended and restated to provide in its entirety
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
     Section 1.1 Definitions.
     The following definitions shall be for all purposes, unless otherwise clearly indicated to the contrary, applied to the terms used in this Agreement.
     “Additional Member” means a Member admitted as a Member of the Company pursuant to Section 4.5 and who is shown as such on the books and records of the Company.

1


 

     “Adjusted Capital Account” means the Capital Account maintained for each Member as of the end of each fiscal year of the Company, (a) increased by any amounts that such Member is obligated to restore under the standards set by Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(c) (or is deemed obligated to restore under Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(g) and 1.704-2(i)(5)) and (b) decreased by (i) the amount of all deductions in respect of depletion that, as of the end of such fiscal year are expected to be made to such Member’s Capital Account in respect of the oil and gas properties of the Company, (ii) the amount of all losses and deductions that, as of the end of such fiscal year, are reasonably expected to be allocated to such Member in subsequent years under Sections 704(e)(2) and 706(d) of the Code and Treasury Regulation Section 1.751-1(b)(2)(ii), and (iii) the amount of all distributions that, as of the end of such fiscal year, are reasonably expected to be made to such Member in subsequent years in accordance with the terms of this Agreement or otherwise to the extent they exceed offsetting increases to such Member’s Capital Account that are reasonably expected to occur during (or prior to) the year in which such distributions are reasonably expected to be made (other than increases as a result of a minimum gain chargeback pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(i) or Section 6.1(d)(ii)). The foregoing definition of Adjusted Capital Account is intended to comply with the provisions of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith. The “Adjusted Capital Account” of a Member in respect of a Unit or any other Interest shall be the amount that such Adjusted Capital Account would be if such Unit or other Interest were the only interest in the Company held by such Member from and after the date on which such Unit or other Interest was first issued.
     “Adjusted Property” means any property the Carrying Value of which has been adjusted pursuant to Section 5.3(d).
     “Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the Person in question. As used herein, the term “control” means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a Person, whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise.
     “Agreed Allocation” means any allocation, other than a Required Allocation, of an item of income, gain, loss or deduction pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.1, including, without limitation, a Curative Allocation (if appropriate to the context in which the term “Agreed Allocation” is used).
     “Agreed Value” of any Contributed Property means the fair market value of such property or other consideration at the time of contribution as determined by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall use such method as it determines to be appropriate to allocate the aggregate Agreed Value of Contributed Properties contributed to the Company in a single or integrated transaction among each separate property on a basis proportional to the fair market value of each Contributed Property.

2


 

     “Agreement” means this Third Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Linn Energy, LLC, as it may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.
     “Amended Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in the recitals to this Agreement.
     “Anniversary” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 11.13(b).
     “Associate” means, when used to indicate a relationship with any Person, (a) any corporation or organization of which such Person is a director, officer or partner or is, directly or indirectly, the owner of 20% or more of any class of voting stock or other voting interest; (b) any trust or other estate in which such Person has at least a 20% beneficial interest or as to which such Person serves as trustee or in a similar fiduciary capacity; and (c) any relative or spouse of such Person, or any relative of such spouse, who has the same principal residence as such Person.
     “Available Cash” means, with respect to any Quarter ending prior to the Liquidation Date:
          (a) the sum of:
          (i) all cash and cash equivalents of the Company Group on hand at the end of such Quarter; and
          (ii) all additional cash and cash equivalents of the Company Group on hand on the date of determination of Available Cash for such Quarter resulting from Working Capital Borrowings made subsequent to the end of such Quarter,
          (b) less the amount of any cash reserves established by the Board of Directors to:
          (i) provide for the proper conduct of the business of the Company Group (including reserves for future capital expenditures including drilling and acquisitions and for anticipated future credit needs of the Company Group),
          (ii) comply with applicable law or any loan agreement, security agreement, mortgage, debt instrument or other agreement or obligation to which any Group Member is a party or by which it is bound or its assets are subject; or
          (iii) provide funds for distributions under Section 6.4 with respect to any one or more of the next four Quarters;
provided that disbursements made by a Group Member or cash reserves established, increased or reduced after the end of such Quarter but on or before the date of determination of Available Cash with respect to such Quarter shall be

3


 

deemed to have been made, established, increased or reduced, for purposes of determining Available Cash, within such Quarter if the Board of Directors so determines.
     Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Available Cash” with respect to the Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs and any subsequent Quarter shall equal zero.
     “Board of Directors” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.1(a).
     “Book-Tax Disparity” means, with respect to any item of Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, as of the date of any determination, the difference between the Carrying Value of such Contributed Property or Adjusted Property and the adjusted basis thereof for federal income tax purposes as of such date. A Member’s share of the Company’s Book-Tax Disparities in all of its Contributed Property and Adjusted Property will be reflected by the difference between such Member’s Capital Account balance as maintained pursuant to Section 5.3 and the hypothetical balance of such Member’s Capital Account computed as if it had been maintained strictly in accordance with federal income tax accounting principles.
     “Business Day” means Monday through Friday of each week, except that a legal holiday recognized as such by the government of the United States of America or the State of Texas shall not be regarded as a Business Day.
     “Capital Account” means the capital account maintained for a Member pursuant to Section 5.3. The “Capital Account” of a Member in respect of a Unit or any other Interest shall be the amount that such Capital Account would be if such Unit or other Interest were the only interest in the Company held by such Member from and after the date on which such Unit or other Interest was first issued.
     “Capital Contribution” means any cash, cash equivalents or the Net Agreed Value of Contributed Property that a Member contributes to the Company pursuant to this Agreement.
     “Carrying Value” means (a) with respect to a Contributed Property, the Agreed Value of such property reduced (but not below zero) by all depreciation, depletion (including Simulated Depletion), amortization and cost recovery deductions charged to the Members’ Capital Accounts in respect of such Contributed Property, and (b) with respect to any other Company property, the adjusted basis of such property for federal income tax purposes, all as of the time of determination. The Carrying Value of any property shall be adjusted from time to time in accordance with Section 5.3(d) and to reflect changes, additions or other adjustments to the Carrying Value for dispositions and acquisitions of Company properties, as deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors.
     “Certificate” means a certificate (i) substantially in the form of Exhibit A to this Agreement, (ii) issued in global form in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Depositary or (iii) in such other form as may be adopted by the Board of Directors, issued by the Company evidencing ownership of one or more Units or a certificate, in such form

4


 

as may be adopted by the Board of Directors, issued by the Company evidencing ownership of one or more other Company Securities.
     “Certificate of Formation” means the Certificate of Formation of the Company filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as referenced in Section 7.2, as such Certificate of Formation may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.
     “Chairman of the Board” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.1.
     “Citizenship Certification” means a properly completed certificate in such form as may be specified by the Board of Directors by which a Member certifies that he (and if he is a nominee holding for the account of another Person, that to the best of his knowledge such other Person) is an Eligible Citizen.
     “Closing Price” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 13.1(a).
     “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and in effect from time to time. Any reference herein to a specific section or sections of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any corresponding provision of any successor law.
     “Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
     “Company” means Linn Energy, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and any successors thereto.
     “Company Group” means the Company and any Subsidiary of the Company, treated as a single consolidated entity.
     “Company Minimum Gain” means that amount of “partnership minimum gain” determined in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(b)(2) and 1.704-2(d).
     “Company Security” means any class or series of equity interest in the Company (but excluding any options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to an equity interest in the Company), including without limitation, Units.
     “Conflicts Committee” means a committee of the Board of Directors composed entirely of two or more Independent Directors who are not (a) Officers or employees of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, (b) directors or employees of any Affiliate of the Company or (c) holders of any ownership interest in the Company Group other than Units.
     “Contributed Property” means each property or other asset, in such form as may be permitted by the Delaware Act, but excluding cash, contributed to the Company. Once the Carrying Value of a Contributed Property is adjusted pursuant to Section 5.3(d), such property shall no longer constitute a Contributed Property, but shall be deemed an Adjusted Property.

5


 

     “Curative Allocation” means any allocation of an item of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.1(d)(x).
     “Current Market Price” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 13.1(a).
     “Delaware Act” means the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, 6 Del. C. Section 18-101, et seq., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and any successor to such statute.
     “Depositary” means, with respect to any Units issued in global form, The Depository Trust Company and its successors and permitted assigns.
     “DGCL” means the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, 8 Del. C. Section 101, et seq., as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and any successor to such statute.
     “Director” means a member of the Board of Directors of the Company.
     “Economic Risk of Loss” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-2(a).
     “Eligible Citizen” means a Person qualified to own interests in real property in jurisdictions in which any Group Member does business or proposes to do business from time to time, and whose status as a Member does not or would not subject such Group Member to a significant risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any of its properties or any interest therein.
     “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
     “Final Adjudication” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.7(e).
     “Gross Liability Value” means, with respect to any liability of the Company described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-7(b)(3)(i), the amount of cash that a willing assignor would pay to a willing assignee to assume such liability in an arm’s-length transaction.
     “Group” means a Person that with or through any of its Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except voting pursuant to a revocable proxy or consent given to such Person in response to a proxy or consent solicitation made to 10 or more Persons) or disposing of any Company Securities with any other Person that beneficially owns, or whose Affiliates or Associates beneficially own, directly or indirectly, Company Securities.
     “Group Member” means a member of the Company Group.
     “Group Member Agreement” means the partnership agreement of any Group Member that is a limited or general partnership, the limited liability company agreement of any Group Member, other than the Company, that is a limited liability company, the

6


 

certificate of incorporation and bylaws or similar organizational documents of any Group Member that is a corporation, the joint venture agreement or similar governing document of any Group Member that is a joint venture and the governing or organizational or similar documents of any other Group Member that is a Person other than a limited or general partnership, limited liability company, corporation or joint venture, as such may be amended, supplemented or restated from time to time.
     “Indemnitee” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.7(a).
     “Independent Director” means a Director who meets the then current independence and other standards required of audit committee members by the Commission and the National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading.
     “Interest” means the ownership interest of a Member in the Company, which may be evidenced by Units or other Company Securities or a combination thereof or interest therein, and includes any and all benefits to which such Member is entitled as provided in this Agreement, together with all obligations of such Member to comply with the terms and provisions of this Agreement.
     “Liquidation Date” means the date on which an event giving rise to the dissolution of the Company occurs.
     “Liquidator” means one or more Persons selected by the Board of Directors to perform the functions described in Section 10.2 as liquidating trustee of the Company within the meaning of the Delaware Act.
     “Member” means, unless the context otherwise requires, each Initial Member, each Substituted Member, and each Additional Member.
     “Member Nonrecourse Debt” has the meaning ascribed to the term “partner nonrecourse debt” in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b)(4).
     “Member Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain” has the meaning ascribed to the term “partner nonrecourse debt minimum gain” in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(2).
     “Member Nonrecourse Deductions” means any and all items of loss, deduction, expenditure (including, without limitation, any expenditure described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code), Simulated Depletion or Simulated Loss that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i) with respect to “partner nonrecourse deductions,” are attributable to a Member Nonrecourse Debt.
     “Merger Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 12.1.
     “National Securities Exchange” means an exchange registered with the Commission under Section 6(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time, and any successor to such statute.

7


 

     “Net Agreed Value” means, (a) in the case of any Contributed Property, the Agreed Value of such property reduced by any liabilities either assumed by the Company upon such contribution or to which such property is subject when contributed, and (b) in the case of any property distributed to a Member by the Company, the Company’s Carrying Value of such property (as adjusted pursuant to Section 5.3(d)(ii)) at the time such property is distributed, reduced by any indebtedness either assumed by such Member upon such distribution or to which such property is subject at the time of distribution, in either case, as determined under Section 752 of the Code.
     “Net Income” means, for any taxable year, the excess, if any, of the Company’s items of income and gain (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable year over the Company’s items of loss and deduction (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable year. The items included in the calculation of Net Income shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.3(b) and shall include Simulated Gains, Simulated Losses, and Simulated Depletion, but shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(d).
     “Net Loss” means, for any taxable year, the excess, if any, of the Company’s items of loss and deduction (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable year over the Company’s items of income and gain (other than those items taken into account in the computation of Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss) for such taxable year. The items included in the calculation of Net Loss shall be determined in accordance with Section 5.3(b) and shall include Simulated Gains, Simulated Losses, and Simulated Depletion, but shall not include any items specially allocated under Section 6.1(d).
     “Net Termination Gain” means, for any taxable year, the sum, if positive, of all items of income, gain, loss or deduction (determined in accordance with Section 5.3(b)) that are (a) recognized (i) after the Liquidation Date or (ii) upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company Group, taken as a whole, in a single transaction or a series of related transactions (excluding any disposition to a member of the Company Group), or (b) deemed recognized by the Company pursuant to Section 5.3(d); provided, however, the items included in the determination of Net Termination Gain shall include Simulated Gains, Simulated Losses and Simulated Depletion, but shall not include any items of income, gain or loss specially allocated under Section 6.1(d).
     “Net Termination Loss” means, for any taxable year, the sum, if negative, of all items of income, gain, loss or deduction (determined in accordance with Section 5.3(b)) that are (a) recognized (i) after the Liquidation Date or (ii) upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company Group, taken as a whole, in a single transaction or a series of related transactions (excluding any disposition to a member of the Company Group), or (b) deemed recognized by the Company pursuant to Section 5.3(d); provided, however, the items included in the determination of Net Termination Loss shall include Simulated Gains, Simulated Losses and Simulated

8


 

Depletion, but shall not include any items of income, gain or loss specially allocated under Section 6.1(d).
     “Non-citizen Assignee” means a Person whom the Board of Directors has determined does not constitute an Eligible Citizen and as to whose Interest the Board of Directors has become the Substituted Member, pursuant to Section 4.7.
     “Nonrecourse Built-in Gain” means with respect to any Contributed Properties or Adjusted Properties that are subject to a mortgage or pledge securing a Nonrecourse Liability, the amount of any taxable gain that would be allocated to the Members pursuant to Section 6.2(c)(iii), Section 6.2(d)(i)(A), Section 6.2(d)(ii)(A) and Section 6.2(d)(iii) if such properties were disposed of in a taxable transaction in full satisfaction of such liabilities and for no other consideration.
     “Nonrecourse Deductions” means any and all items of loss, deduction, expenditure (including, without limitation, any expenditure described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code), Simulated Depletion or Simulated Loss that, in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b), are attributable to a Nonrecourse Liability.
     “Nonrecourse Liability” has the meaning set forth in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-1(a)(2).
     “Notice of Election to Purchase” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 13.1(b).
     “Officer” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.4(a).
     “Operating Companies” means any current or future operating Subsidiaries of the Company and any successors thereto.
     “Opinion of Counsel” means a written opinion of counsel (who may be regular counsel to the Company or any of its Affiliates) acceptable to the Board of Directors.
     “Outstanding” means, with respect to Interests, all Interests that are issued by the Company and reflected as outstanding on the Company’s books and records as of the date of determination; provided, however, that no Interests held by the Company (other than Interests representing Interests held by the Company on behalf of Non-Citizen Assignees) or any other Group Member shall be considered Outstanding.
     “Percentage Interest” means, as of any date of determination (a) as to any Unitholder holding Units, the product obtained by multiplying (i) 100% less the percentage applicable to paragraph (b) by (ii) the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the number of Units held by such Unitholder by (B) the total number of all Outstanding Units, and (b) as to the holders of other Company Securities issued by the Company in accordance with Section 5.4, the percentage established as part of such issuance.

9


 

     “Person” means an individual or a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, unincorporated organization or other enterprise (including an employee benefit plan), association, government agency or political subdivision thereof or other entity.
     “Prime Rate” means the prime rate of interest as quoted from time to time by the Wall Street Journal or another source reasonably selected by the Company.
     “Pro Rata” means (a) when modifying Units or any other Company Securities or any class thereof, apportioned equally among all designated Units, other Company Securities, or any class thereof, as the case may be, in accordance with their relative Percentage Interests in such class, and (b) when modifying Members, Record Holders or Unitholders, apportioned among all Members, Record Holders or Unitholders in accordance with their relative Percentage Interests.
     “Purchase Date” means the date determined by the Board of Directors as the date for purchase of all Outstanding Units of a certain class pursuant to Article XIII.
     “Quarter” means, unless the context requires otherwise, a fiscal quarter of the Company.
     “Recapture Income” means any gain recognized by the Company (computed without regard to any adjustment required by Section 734 or Section 743 of the Code) upon the disposition of any property or asset of the Company, which gain is characterized as ordinary income because it represents the recapture of deductions previously taken with respect to such property or asset.
     “Record Date” means the date established by the Company for determining (a) the identity of the Record Holders entitled to notice of, or to vote at, any meeting of Members or entitled to exercise rights in respect of any lawful action of Members or (b) the identity of Record Holders entitled to receive any report or distribution or to participate in any offer.
     “Record Holder” means the Person in whose name a Unit is registered on the books of the Transfer Agent as of the opening of business on a particular Business Day, or with respect to other Company Securities, the Person in whose name any such other Company Security is registered on the books that the Company has caused to be kept as of the opening of business on such Business Day.
     “Redeemable Interests” means any Interests for which a redemption notice has been given, and has not been withdrawn, pursuant to Section 4.8.
     “Registration Statement” means the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-125501) as it has been or as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, filed by the Company with the Commission under the Securities Act to register the initial public offering and sale of the Units.

10


 

     “Required Allocations” means (a) any limitation imposed on any allocation of Net Losses or Net Termination Losses under Section 6.1(b) and (b) any allocation of an item of income, gain, loss, deduction, Simulated Depletion or Simulated Loss pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(i), 6.1(d)(ii), 6.1(d)(iv), 6.1(d)(vii) or 6.1(d)(ix).
     “Residual Gain” or “Residual Loss” means any item of gain or loss or Simulated Gain or Simulated Loss, as the case may be, of the Company recognized for federal income tax purposes resulting from a sale, exchange or other disposition of a Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, to the extent such item of gain or loss or Simulated Gain or Simulated Loss is not allocated pursuant to Section 6.2(d)(i)(A) or 6.2(d)(ii)(A), respectively, to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities.
     “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time and any successor to such statute.
     “Simulated Basis” means the Carrying Value of any oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code).
     “Simulated Depletion” means, with respect to an oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code), a depletion allowance computed in accordance with federal income tax principles (as if the Simulated Basis of the property were its adjusted tax basis) and in the manner specified in Treasury Regulation §1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(k)(2). For purposes of computing Simulated Depletion with respect to any property, the Simulated Basis of such property shall be deemed to be the Carrying Value of such property, and in no event shall such allowance for Simulated Depletion, in the aggregate, exceed such Simulated Basis.
     “Simulated Gain” means the excess of the amount realized from the sale or other disposition of an oil or gas property over the Carrying Value of such property.
     “Simulated Loss” means the excess of the Carrying Value of an oil or gas property over the amount realized from the sale or other disposition of such property.
     “Solicitation Notice” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 11.13(c).
     “Special Approval” means approval by a majority of the members of the Conflicts Committee.
     “Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, (a) a corporation of which more than 50% of the voting power of shares entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors or other governing body of such corporation is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person or a combination thereof, (b) a partnership (whether general or limited) in which such Person or a Subsidiary of such Person is, at the date of determination, a general or limited partner of such partnership, but only if more than 50% of the partnership interests of such partnership (considering all of the partnership interests of the partnership as a single class) is owned, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, by such Person, by one or more Subsidiaries of such Person,

11


 

or a combination thereof, or (c) any other Person (other than a corporation or a partnership) in which such Person, one or more Subsidiaries of such Person, or a combination thereof, directly or indirectly, at the date of determination, has (i) at least a majority ownership interest or (ii) the power to elect or direct the election of a majority of the directors or other governing body of such Person.
     “Substituted Member” means a Person who is admitted as a Member of the Company pursuant to Sections 4.5 or 4.7 in place of and with all rights of a Member and who is shown as a Member on the books and records of the Company.
     “Surviving Business Entity” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 12.2(b).
     “Tax Matters Partner” means the Tax Matters Partner as defined in the Code.
     “Trading Day” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 13.1(a).
     “Transfer” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 4.4.
     “Transfer Agent” means such bank, trust company or other Person (including the Company or one of its Affiliates) as shall be appointed from time to time by the Company to act as registrar and transfer agent for the Units or as may be appointed to act as registrar and transfer agent for any other Company Securities; provided that if no Transfer Agent is specifically designated for any other Company Securities, the Company shall act in such capacity.
     “Unit” means a Company Security representing a fractional part of the Interests of all Members, and having the rights and obligations specified with respect to Units in this Agreement.
     “Unit Majority” means a majority of the Outstanding Units.
     “Unitholders” means the holders of Units.
     “Unrealized Gain” attributable to any item of Company property means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the fair market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.3(d)) over (b) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.3(d) as of such date).
     “Unrealized Loss” attributable to any item of Company property means, as of any date of determination, the excess, if any, of (a) the Carrying Value of such property as of such date (prior to any adjustment to be made pursuant to Section 5.3(d) as of such date) over (b) the fair market value of such property as of such date (as determined under Section 5.3(c)).
     “U.S. GAAP” means United States generally accepted accounting principles consistently applied.

12


 

     “Working Capital Borrowings” means borrowings used solely for working capital purposes or to pay distributions to Members made pursuant to a credit facility or other arrangement to the extent such borrowings are required to be reduced to a relatively small amount each year for an economically meaningful period of time.
     Section 1.2 Construction. Unless the context requires otherwise: (a) any pronoun used in this Agreement shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms, and the singular form of nouns, pronouns and verbs shall include the plural and vice versa; (b) references to Articles and Sections refer to Articles and Sections of this Agreement; and (c) the term “include” or “includes” means includes, without limitation, and “including” means including, without limitation.
ARTICLE II
ORGANIZATION
     Section 2.1 Formation. The Members have previously formed the Company as a limited liability company pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act and hereby amend and restate the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement in its entirety. This amendment and restatement shall become effective on the date of this Agreement. Except as expressly provided to the contrary in this Agreement, the rights, duties (including fiduciary duties), liabilities and obligations of the Members and the administration, dissolution and termination of the Company shall be governed by the Delaware Act. All Interests shall constitute personal property of the owner thereof for all purposes.
     Section 2.2 Name. The name of the Company shall be Linn Energy, LLC. The Company’s business may be conducted under any other name or names, as determined by the Board of Directors. The words “Limited Liability Company,” “LLC,” or similar words or letters shall be included in the Company’s name where necessary for the purpose of complying with the laws of any jurisdiction that so requires. The Board of Directors may change the name of the Company at any time and from time to time and shall notify the Members of such change in the next regular communication to the Members.
     Section 2.3 Registered Office; Registered Agent; Principal Office; Other Offices. Unless and until changed by the Board of Directors, the registered office of the Company in the State of Delaware shall be located at 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801, and the registered agent for service of process on the Company in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be The Corporation Trust Company. The principal office of the Company shall be located at 600 Travis, Suite 5100, Houston, Texas 77002 or such other place as the Board of Directors may from time to time designate by notice to the Members. The Company may maintain offices at such other place or places within or outside the State of Delaware as the Board of Directors determines to be necessary or appropriate.
     Section 2.4 Purposes and Business. The purpose and nature of the business to be conducted by the Company shall be to (a) serve as a member or stockholder, as the

13


 

case may be, of the Operating Companies and, in connection therewith, to exercise all the rights and powers conferred upon the Company as a member or stockholder, as the case may be, of such entities, (b) engage directly in, or enter into or form any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other arrangement to engage indirectly in, any business activity that the Operating Companies are permitted to engage in or that their subsidiaries are permitted to engage in by their organizational documents or agreements and, in connection therewith, to exercise all of the rights and powers conferred upon the Company pursuant to the agreements relating to such business activity, (c) engage directly in, or enter into or form any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other arrangement to engage indirectly in, any business activity that is approved by the Board of Directors and that lawfully may be conducted by a limited liability company organized pursuant to the Delaware Act and, in connection therewith, to exercise all of the rights and powers conferred upon the Company pursuant to the agreements relating to such business activity; and (d) do anything necessary or appropriate to the foregoing, including the making of capital contributions or loans to a Group Member; provided, however, that the Company shall not engage, directly or indirectly, in any business activity that the Board of Directors determines would cause the Company to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxable as an entity for federal income tax purposes. The Board of Directors has no obligation or duty to the Company or the Members to propose or approve, and may decline to propose or approve, the conduct by the Company of any business.
     Section 2.5 Powers. The Company shall be empowered to do any and all acts and things necessary and appropriate for the furtherance and accomplishment of the purposes and business described in Section 2.4 and for the protection and benefit of the Company.
     Section 2.6 Power of Attorney. Each Member hereby constitutes and appoints each of the Chief Executive Officer, the President and the Secretary and, if a Liquidator shall have been selected pursuant to Section 10.2, the Liquidator (and any successor to the Liquidator by merger, transfer, assignment, election or otherwise) and each of their authorized officers and attorneys-in-fact, as the case may be, with full power of substitution, as his true and lawful agent and attorney-in-fact, with full power and authority in his name, place and stead, to:
          (a) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record in the appropriate public offices:
          (i) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including this Agreement and the Certificate of Formation and all amendments or restatements hereof or thereof) that the Chief Executive Officer, President or Secretary, or the Liquidator, determines to be necessary or appropriate to form, qualify or continue the existence or qualification of the Company as a limited liability company in the State of Delaware and in all other jurisdictions in which the Company may conduct business or own property;

14


 

          (ii) all certificates, documents and other instruments that the Chief Executive Officer, President or Secretary, or the Liquidator, determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect, in accordance with its terms, any amendment, change, modification or restatement of this Agreement;
          (iii) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including conveyances and a certificate of cancellation) that the Board of Directors or the Liquidator determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect the dissolution and liquidation of the Company pursuant to the terms of this Agreement;
          (iv) all certificates, documents and other instruments relating to the admission, withdrawal, removal or substitution of any Member pursuant to, or other events described in, Articles IV or X;
          (v) all certificates, documents and other instruments relating to the determination of the rights, preferences and privileges of any class or series of Company Securities issued pursuant to Section 5.4; and
          (vi) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including agreements and a certificate of merger) relating to a merger, consolidation or conversion of the Company pursuant to Article XII.
          (b) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record all ballots, consents, approvals, waivers, certificates, documents and other instruments that the Board of Directors or the Liquidator determines to be necessary or appropriate to (i) make, evidence, give, confirm or ratify any vote, consent, approval, agreement or other action that is made or given by the Members hereunder or is consistent with the terms of this Agreement or (ii) effectuate the terms or intent of this Agreement; provided, that when required by Section 11.2 or any other provision of this Agreement that establishes a percentage of the Members or of the Members of any class or series required to take any action, the Chief Executive Officer, President or Secretary, or the Liquidator, may exercise the power of attorney made in this Section 2.6(b) only after the necessary vote, consent or approval of the Members or of the Members of such class or series, as applicable.
     Nothing contained in this Section 2.6 shall be construed as authorizing the Chief Executive Officer, President or Secretary, or the Liquidator, to amend this Agreement except in accordance with Article XI or as may be otherwise expressly provided for in this Agreement.
          (c) The foregoing power of attorney is hereby declared to be irrevocable and a power coupled with an interest, and it shall survive and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, not be affected by the subsequent death, incompetency, disability, incapacity, dissolution, bankruptcy or termination of any Member and the transfer of all or any portion of such Member’s Interest and shall extend to such Member’s heirs, successors, assigns and personal representatives. Each such Member hereby agrees to be bound by any representation made by the Chief Executive

15


 

Officer, President or Secretary, or the Liquidator, acting in good faith pursuant to such power of attorney; and each such Member, to the maximum extent permitted by law, hereby waives any and all defenses that may be available to contest, negate or disaffirm the action of the Chief Executive Officer, President or Secretary, or the Liquidator, taken in good faith under such power of attorney. Each Member shall execute and deliver to the Chief Executive Officer, President or Secretary, or the Liquidator, within 15 days after receipt of the request therefor, such further designation, powers of attorney and other instruments as any of such Officers or the Liquidator, determines to be necessary or appropriate to effectuate this Agreement and the purposes of the Company.
     Section 2.7 Term. The Company’s existence shall be perpetual, unless and until it is dissolved in accordance with the provisions of Article X. The existence of the Company as a separate legal entity shall continue until the cancellation of the Certificate of Formation as provided in the Delaware Act.
     Section 2.8 Title to Company Assets. Title to Company assets, whether real, personal or mixed and whether tangible or intangible, shall be deemed to be owned by the Company as an entity, and no Member, Director or Officer, individually or collectively, shall have any ownership interest in such Company assets or any portion thereof. Title to any or all of the Company assets may be held in the name of the Company or one or more nominees, as the Board of Directors may determine. The Company hereby declares and warrants that any Company assets for which record title is held in the name of one or more of its Affiliates or one or more nominees shall be held by such Affiliates or nominees for the use and benefit of the Company in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement; provided, however, that the Board of Directors shall use reasonable efforts to cause record title to such assets (other than those assets in respect of which the Board of Directors determines that the expense and difficulty of conveyancing makes transfer of record title to the Company impracticable) to be vested in the Company as soon as reasonably practicable. All Company assets shall be recorded as the property of the Company in its books and records, irrespective of the name in which record title to such Company assets is held.
ARTICLE III
RIGHTS OF MEMBERS
     Section 3.1 Members.
          (a) A Person shall be admitted as a Member and shall become bound by the terms of this Agreement if such Person purchases or otherwise lawfully acquires any Interest and becomes the Record Holder of such Interests in accordance with the provisions of Article IV hereof. A Person may become a Record Holder without the consent or approval of any of the Members. A Person may not become a Member without acquiring an Interest. The rights and obligations of a Person who is a Non-citizen Assignee shall be determined in accordance with Section 4.7 hereof.
          (b) The name and mailing address of each Member shall be listed on the books and records of the Company maintained for such purpose by the Company or

16


 

the Transfer Agent. The Secretary of the Company shall update the books and records of the Company from time to time as necessary to reflect accurately the information therein (or shall cause the Transfer Agent to do so, as applicable). A Member’s Interest may be represented by a Certificate, as provided in Section 4.1 hereof.
          (c) As provided in Section 18-303 of the Delaware Act, the debts, obligations and liabilities of the Company, whether arising in contract, tort or otherwise, shall be solely the debts, obligations and liabilities of the Company. The Members shall have no liability under this Agreement, or for any such debt, obligation or liability of the Company, in their capacity as a Member, except as expressly required in this Agreement or the Delaware Act.
          (d) Members may not be expelled from or removed as Members of the Company. Members shall not have any right to withdraw from the Company; provided, that when a transferee of a Member’s Interest becomes a Record Holder of such Interest, such transferring Member shall cease to be a Member with respect to the Interest so transferred.
     Section 3.2 Management of Business. No Member, in its capacity as such, shall participate in the operation or management of the Company’s business, transact any business in the Company’s name or have the power to sign documents for or otherwise bind the Company by reason of being a Member.
     Section 3.3 Outside Activities of the Members. Any Member shall be entitled to and may have business interests and engage in business activities in addition to those relating to the Company, including business interests and activities in direct competition with the Company Group. Neither the Company nor any of the other Members shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement in any business ventures of any Member.
     Section 3.4 Rights of Members.
          (a) In addition to other rights provided by this Agreement or by applicable law, and except as limited by Section 3.4(b), each Member shall have the right, for a lawful purpose reasonably related to such Member’s Interest as a Member in the Company, upon reasonable written demand containing a statement of such purposes and at such Member’s own expense:
          (i) to obtain true and full information regarding the status of the business and financial condition of the Company;
          (ii) promptly after becoming available, to obtain a copy of the Company’s federal, state and local income tax returns for each year;
          (iii) to have furnished to him a current list of the name and last known business, residence or mailing address of each Member;
          (iv) to have furnished to him a copy of this Agreement and the Certificate of Formation and all amendments thereto, together with copies of the

17


 

executed copies of all powers of attorney pursuant to which this Agreement, the Certificate of Formation and all amendments thereto have been executed;
          (v) to obtain true and full information regarding the amount of cash and a description and statement of the Net Agreed Value of any other Capital Contribution by each Member and that each Member has agreed to contribute in the future, and the date on which each became a Member; and
          (vi) to obtain such other information regarding the affairs of the Company as is just and reasonable and consistent with the stated purposes of the written demand.
          (b) The Board of Directors may keep confidential from the Members, for such period of time as the Board of Directors determines, (i) any information that the Board of Directors determines to be in the nature of trade secrets or (ii) other information the disclosure of which the Board of Directors determines (A) is not in the best interests of the Company Group, (B) could damage the Company Group or (C) that any Group Member is required by law, by the rules of any National Securities Exchange on which any Company Security is listed for trading, or by agreement with any third party to keep confidential (other than agreements with Affiliates of the Company the primary purpose of which is to circumvent the obligations set forth in this Section 3.4).
ARTICLE IV
CERTIFICATES; RECORD HOLDERS;
TRANSFER OF INTERESTS; REDEMPTION OF INTERESTS
     Section 4.1 Certificates. Upon the Company’s issuance of Units to any Person, the Company may issue one or more Certificates in the name of such Person evidencing the number of such Units being so issued. In addition, upon the request of any Person owning any other Company Securities other than Units, the Company shall issue to such Person one or more Certificates evidencing such other Company Securities. Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company by the Chairman of the Board, President or any Vice President and the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary. No Unit Certificate shall be valid for any purpose until it has been countersigned by the Transfer Agent; provided, however, that, notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Section 4.1 or elsewhere in this Agreement, the Units may be certificated or uncertificated as provided in the Delaware Act; and provided, further, that if the Board of Directors elects to issue Units in global form, the Unit Certificates shall be valid upon receipt of a certificate from the Transfer Agent certifying that the Units have been duly registered in accordance with the directions of the Company. Any or all of the signatures required on a Certificate may be by facsimile. If any Officer or Transfer Agent who shall have signed or whose facsimile signature shall have been placed upon any such Certificate shall have ceased to be such Officer or Transfer Agent before such Certificate is issued by the Company, such Certificate may nevertheless be issued by the Company with the same effect as if such Person were such Officer or Transfer Agent at the date of issue. Certificates shall be consecutively numbered and shall be entered on the books and

18


 

records of the Transfer Agent as they are issued and shall exhibit the holder’s name and number and type of Company Securities represented thereby.
     Section 4.2 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates. If any mutilated Certificate is surrendered to the Transfer Agent, the appropriate Officers on behalf of the Company shall execute, and the Transfer Agent shall countersign and deliver in exchange therefor, a new Certificate, or shall deliver other evidence of the issuance of uncertificated Company Securities, evidencing the same number and type of Company Securities as the Certificate so surrendered.
          (a) The appropriate Officers on behalf of the Company shall execute and deliver, and the Transfer Agent shall countersign a new Certificate, or shall deliver other evidence of the issuance of uncertificated Company Securities, in place of any Certificate previously issued if the Record Holder of the Certificate:
          (i) makes proof by affidavit, in form and substance satisfactory to the Company, that a previously issued Certificate has been lost, destroyed or stolen;
          (ii) requests the issuance of a new Certificate, or other evidence of the issuance of uncertificated Company Securities, before the Company has notice that the Certificate has been acquired by a purchaser for value in good faith and without notice of an adverse claim;
          (iii) if requested by the Company, delivers to the Company a bond, in form and substance satisfactory to the Company, with surety or sureties and with fixed or open penalty as the Company may direct to indemnify the Company and the Transfer Agent against any claim that may be made on account of the alleged loss, destruction or theft of the Certificate; and
          (iv) satisfies any other reasonable requirements imposed by the Company.
     If a Member fails to notify the Company within a reasonable time after he has notice of the loss, destruction or theft of a Certificate, and a transfer of the Interests represented by the Certificate is registered before the Company or the Transfer Agent receives such notification, the Member shall be precluded from making any claim against the Company or the Transfer Agent for such transfer or for a new Certificate or other evidence of the issuance of uncertificated Company Securities.
          (b) As a condition to the issuance of any new Certificate, or other evidence of the issuance of uncertificated Company Securities, under this Section 4.2, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Transfer Agent) reasonably connected therewith.
     Section 4.3 Record Holders. The Company shall be entitled to recognize the Record Holder as the owner of an Interest and, accordingly, shall not be bound to

19


 

recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such Interest on the part of any other Person, regardless of whether the Company shall have actual or other notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by law or any applicable rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which such Interests are listed for trading. Without limiting the foregoing, when a Person (such as a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation or an agent of any of the foregoing) is acting as nominee, agent or in some other representative capacity for another Person in acquiring and/or holding Interests, as between the Company on the one hand, and such other Persons on the other, such representative Person shall be the Record Holder of such Interest.
     Section 4.4 Transfer Generally. The term “transfer,” when used in this Agreement with respect to an Interest, shall be deemed to refer to a transaction by which the holder of an Interest assigns such Interest to another Person who is or becomes a Member, and includes a sale, assignment, gift, exchange or any other disposition by law or otherwise, including any transfer upon foreclosure of any pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation or mortgage. No Interest shall be transferred, in whole or in part, except in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Article IV. Any transfer or purported transfer of an Interest not made in accordance with this Article IV shall be null and void.
     Section 4.5 Registration and Transfer of Member Interests.
          (a) The Company shall keep or cause to be kept on behalf of the Company a register that, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe and subject to the provisions of Section 4.5(b), will provide for the registration and transfer of Interests. The Transfer Agent is hereby appointed registrar and transfer agent for the purpose of registering Units and transfers of such Units as herein provided. The Company shall not recognize transfers of Certificates evidencing Interests unless such transfers are effected in the manner described in this Section 4.5. Upon surrender of a Certificate for registration of transfer of any Interests evidenced by a Certificate, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.5(b), the appropriate Officers of the Company shall execute and deliver, and in the case of Units, the Transfer Agent shall countersign and deliver, in the name of the holder or the designated transferee or transferees, as required pursuant to the Record Holder’s instructions, one or more new Certificates, or shall deliver other evidence of the issuance of uncertificated Company Securities, evidencing the same aggregate number and type of Interests as were evidenced by the Certificate so surrendered.
          (b) Except as provided in Section 4.7, the Company shall not recognize any transfer of Interests until the Certificates evidencing such Interests are surrendered for registration of transfer or such other documentation as may be required to transfer uncertificated Interests is delivered. No charge shall be imposed by the Company for such transfer; provided, that as a condition to the issuance of any new Certificate, or other evidence of the issuance of uncertificated Interests, under this Section 4.5(b), the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed with respect thereto.

20


 

          (c) By acceptance of the transfer of any Interest in accordance with this Section 4.5 and except as provided in Section 4.7, each transferee of an Interest (including any nominee holder or an agent or representative acquiring such Interests for the account of another Person) (i) shall be admitted to the Company as a Member with respect to the Interests so transferred to such Person when any such transfer or admission is reflected in the books and records of the Company, with or without execution of this Agreement, (ii) shall be deemed to agree to be bound by the terms of, and shall be deemed to have executed, this Agreement, (iii) shall become the Record Holder of the Interests so transferred, (iv) represents that the transferee has the capacity, power and authority to enter into this Agreement, (v) grants powers of attorney to the Officers of the Company and any Liquidator of the Company and (vi) makes the consents and waivers contained in this Agreement. The transfer of any Interests and the admission of any new Member shall not constitute an amendment to this Agreement.
          (d) Subject to (i) the foregoing provisions of this Section 4.5, (ii) Section 4.3, (iii) Section 4.6, (iv) with respect to any series of Interests, the provisions of any statement of designations establishing such series, (v) any contractual provision binding on any Member and (vi) provisions of applicable law including the Securities Act, Interests shall be freely transferable to any Person.
     Section 4.6 Restrictions on Transfers.
          (a) The Company may impose restrictions on the transfer of Interests if it receives an Opinion of Counsel providing that such restrictions are necessary to (i) avoid a significant risk of any Group Member becoming taxable as a corporation or otherwise becoming taxable as an entity for federal income tax purposes or (ii) preserve uniformity of the Interests (or any class or classes thereof). The Board of Directors may impose such restrictions by amending this Agreement in accordance with Article XI; provided, however, that any amendment that would result in the delisting or suspension of trading of any class of Interests on the principal National Securities Exchange on which such class of Interests is then traded must be approved, prior to such amendment being effected, by the holders of at least a majority of the Outstanding Interests of such class. Notwithstanding Section 11.10, such approval may be obtained through a written consent of such holders.
          (b) Nothing contained in this Article IV, or elsewhere in this Agreement, shall preclude the settlement of any transactions involving Interests entered into through the facilities of any National Securities Exchange on which such Interests are listed for trading.
     Section 4.7 Citizenship Certificates; Non-citizen Assignees.
          (a) If any Group Member is or becomes subject to any federal, state or local law or regulation that the Board of Directors determines would create a substantial risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any property in which the Group Member has an interest based on the nationality, citizenship or other related status of a Member, the Board of Directors may request any Member to furnish to the Company, within 30 days

21


 

after receipt of such request, an executed Citizenship Certification or such other information concerning his nationality, citizenship or other related status (or, if the Member is a nominee holding for the account of another Person, the nationality, citizenship or other related status of such Person) as the Company may request. If a Member fails to furnish to the Company, within the aforementioned 30-day period, such Citizenship Certification or other requested information or if upon receipt of such Citizenship Certification or other requested information the Board of Directors determines that a Member is not an Eligible Citizen, the Interests owned by such Member shall be subject to redemption in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.8. In addition, the Board of Directors may require that the status of any such Member be changed to that of a Non-citizen Assignee and, thereupon, the Company shall be substituted for such Non-citizen Assignee as the Member in respect of the Non-citizen Assignee’s Interests.
          (b) The Company shall, in exercising voting rights in respect of Interests held by the Company on behalf of Non-citizen Assignees, distribute the votes in the same ratios or for the same candidates for election as Directors as the votes of Members in respect of Interests other than those of Non-citizen Assignees are cast, either for, against or abstaining as to the matter or election.
          (c) Upon dissolution of the Company, a Non-citizen Assignee shall have no right to receive a distribution in kind pursuant to Section 10.3, but shall be entitled to the cash equivalent thereof, and the Company shall provide cash in exchange for an assignment of the Non-citizen Assignee’s share of any distribution in kind. Such payment and assignment shall be treated for Company purposes as a purchase by the Company from the Non-citizen Assignee of his Member Interest (representing his right to receive his share of such distribution in kind).
          (d) At any time after he can and does certify that he has become an Eligible Citizen, a Non-citizen Assignee may, upon application to the Board of Directors, request that, with respect to any Interests of such Non-citizen Assignee not redeemed pursuant to Section 4.8, such Non-citizen Assignee be admitted as a Member, and upon approval of the Board of Directors, such Non-citizen Assignee shall be admitted as a Member and shall no longer constitute a Non-citizen Assignee and the Company shall cease to be deemed to be the Member in respect of such Interests.
     Section 4.8 Redemption of Interests of Non-citizen Assignees.
          (a) If at any time a Member fails to furnish a Citizenship Certification or other information requested within the 30-day period specified in Section 4.7(a), or, if upon receipt of such Citizenship Certification or other information the Board of Directors determines, with the advice of counsel, that a Member is not an Eligible Citizen, the Company may, unless the Member establishes to the satisfaction of the Board of Directors that such Member is an Eligible Citizen or has transferred his Interests to a Person who is an Eligible Citizen and who furnishes a Citizenship Certification to the Board of Directors prior to the date fixed for redemption as provided below, redeem the Interest of such Member as follows:

22


 

          (i) The Board of Directors shall, not later than the 30th day before the date fixed for redemption, give notice of redemption to the Member, at his last address designated on the records of the Company or the Transfer Agent, by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid. The notice shall be deemed to have been given when so mailed. The notice shall specify the Redeemable Interests, the date fixed for redemption, the place of payment, that payment of the redemption price will be made upon surrender of the Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Interests, or delivery of such other documentation as may be required to transfer uncertificated Redeemable Interests, and that on and after the date fixed for redemption no further allocations or distributions to which the Member would otherwise be entitled in respect of the Redeemable Interests will accrue or be made.
          (ii) The aggregate redemption price for Redeemable Interests shall be an amount equal to the Current Market Price (the date of determination of which shall be the date fixed for redemption) of Interests of the class to be so redeemed multiplied by the number of Interests of each such class included among the Redeemable Interests. The redemption price shall be paid, as determined by the Board of Directors, in cash or by delivery of a promissory note of the Company in the principal amount of the redemption price, bearing interest at the Prime Rate annually and payable in three equal annual installments of principal together with accrued interest, commencing one year after the redemption date.
          (iii) Upon surrender by or on behalf of the Member, at the place specified in the notice of redemption, of the Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Interests, duly endorsed in blank or accompanied by an assignment duly executed in blank, or such other documentation as may be required to transfer uncertificated Redeemable Interests, the Member or his duly authorized representative shall be entitled to receive the payment therefor.
          (iv) After the redemption date, Redeemable Interests shall no longer constitute issued and Outstanding Member Interests.
          (b) The provisions of this Section 4.8 shall also be applicable to Interests held by a Member as nominee of a Person determined to be other than an Eligible Citizen.
          (c) Nothing in this Section 4.8 shall prevent the recipient of a notice of redemption from transferring his Interest before the redemption date if such transfer is otherwise permitted under this Agreement. Upon receipt of notice of such a transfer, the Board of Directors shall withdraw the notice of redemption, provided the transferee of such Interest certifies to the satisfaction of the Board of Directors in a Citizenship Certification that he is an Eligible Citizen. If the transferee fails to make such certification, such redemption shall be effected from the transferee on the original redemption date.

23


 

ARTICLE V
CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND ISSUANCE OF INTERESTS
     Section 5.1 Previous Capital Contributions. The Members (or their predecessors) have heretofore made Capital Contributions to the Company as provided in the Amended Agreement.
     Section 5.2 Interest and Withdrawal. No interest shall be paid by the Company on Capital Contributions. No Member shall be entitled to the withdrawal or return of its Capital Contribution, except to the extent, if any, that distributions made pursuant to this Agreement or upon termination of the Company may be considered as such by law and then only to the extent provided for in this Agreement. Except to the extent expressly provided in this Agreement, no Member shall have priority over any other Member either as to the return of Capital Contributions or as to profits, losses or distributions. Any such return shall be a compromise to which all Members agree within the meaning of Section 18-502(b) of the Delaware Act.
     Section 5.3 Capital Accounts.
          (a) The Company shall maintain for each Member (or a beneficial owner of Interests held by a nominee in any case in which the nominee has furnished the identity of such owner to the Company in accordance with Section 6031(c) of the Code or any other method acceptable to the Company) owning an Interest a separate Capital Account with respect to such Interest in accordance with the rules of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv). Such Capital Account shall be increased by (i) the amount of all Capital Contributions made to the Company with respect to such Interest pursuant to this Agreement and (ii) all items of Company income and gain (including, without limitation, Simulated Gain and income and gain exempt from tax) computed in accordance with Section 5.3(b) and allocated with respect to such Interest pursuant to Section 6.1, and decreased by (x) the amount of cash or Net Agreed Value of all actual and deemed distributions of cash or property made with respect to such Interest pursuant to this Agreement and (y) all items of Company deduction and loss (including Simulated Depletion and Simulated Loss) computed in accordance with Section 5.3(b) and allocated with respect to such Interest pursuant to Section 6.1.
          (b) For purposes of computing the amount of any item of income, gain, loss or deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain or Simulated Loss which is to be allocated pursuant to Article VI and is to be reflected in the Members’ Capital Accounts, the determination, recognition and classification of any such item shall be the same as its determination, recognition and classification for federal income tax purposes (including, without limitation, any method of depreciation, cost recovery or amortization used for that purpose), provided, that:
          (i) Solely for purposes of this Section 5.3, the Company shall be treated as owning directly its proportionate share (as determined by the Board of Directors based upon the provisions of the applicable Group Member Agreement) of all property owned by (x) any other Group Member that is

24


 

classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes and (y) any other partnership, limited liability company, unincorporated business or other entity classified as a partnership for federal income tax purposes of which a Group Member is, directly or indirectly, a partner, member or other equityholder.
          (ii) All fees and other expenses incurred by the Company to promote the sale of (or to sell) an Interest that can neither be deducted nor amortized under Section 709 of the Code, if any, shall, for purposes of Capital Account maintenance, be treated as an item of deduction at the time such fees and other expenses are incurred and shall be allocated among the Members pursuant to Section 6.1.
          (iii) Except as otherwise provided in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), the computation of all items of income, gain, loss, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain and Simulated Loss shall be made without regard to any election under Section 754 of the Code which may be made by the Company and, as to those items described in Section 705(a)(1)(B) or 705(a)(2)(B) of the Code, without regard to the fact that such items are not includable in gross income or are neither currently deductible nor capitalized for federal income tax purposes. To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Company asset pursuant to Section 734(b) or 743(b) of the Code is required, pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts, the amount of such adjustment in the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain or loss.
          (iv) Any income, gain, loss, Simulated Gain or Simulated Loss attributable to the taxable disposition of any Company property shall be determined as if the adjusted basis of such property as of such date of disposition were equal in amount to the Company’s Carrying Value with respect to such property as of such date.
          (v) In accordance with the requirements of Section 704(b) of the Code, any deductions for depreciation, cost recovery, amortization or Simulated Depletion attributable to any Contributed Property shall be determined as if the adjusted basis of such property on the date it was acquired by the Company were equal to the Agreed Value of such property. Upon an adjustment pursuant to Section 5.3(d) to the Carrying Value of any Company property subject to depreciation, cost recovery, amortization or Simulated Depletion, any further deductions for such depreciation, cost recovery, amortization or Simulated Depletion attributable to such property shall be determined (under the rules prescribed by Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-3(d)(2)) as if the adjusted basis of such property were equal to the Carrying Value of such property immediately following such adjustment.
          (vi) If the Company’s adjusted basis in a depreciable or cost recovery property is reduced for federal income tax purposes pursuant to Section 50(c)(1) or 50(c)(3) of the Code, the amount of such reduction shall,

25


 

solely for purposes hereof, be deemed to be an additional depreciation or cost recovery deduction in the year such property is placed in service and shall be allocated among the Members pursuant to Section 6.1. Any restoration of such basis pursuant to Section 48(q)(2) of the Code shall, to the extent possible, be allocated in the same manner to the Members to whom such deemed deduction was allocated.
          (vii) The Gross Liability Value of each liability of the Company described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-7(b)(3)(i) shall be adjusted at such times as provided in this Agreement for an adjustment to Carrying Values. The amount of any such adjustment shall be treated for purposes hereof as an item of loss (if the adjustment increases the Carrying Value of such liability of the Company) or an item of gain (if the adjustment decreases the Carrying Value of such Liability of the Company).
          (c) A transferee of an Interest shall succeed to a pro rata portion of the Capital Account of the transferor relating to the Interest so transferred.
          (d) (i) In accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), on an issuance of additional Interests for cash or Contributed Property and the issuance of Interests as consideration for the provision of services, the Capital Account of all Members and the Carrying Value of each Company property immediately prior to such issuance shall be adjusted upward or downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such Company property, as if such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss had been recognized on an actual sale of each such property immediately prior to such issuance and had been allocated to the Members at such time pursuant to Section 6.1(c) in the same manner as any item of gain, loss, Simulated Gain or Simulated Loss actually recognized following an event giving rise to the liquidation of the Company would have been allocated; provided, however, that in the event of an issuance of Interests for a de minimis amount of cash or Contributed Property, or in the event of an issuance of a de minimis amount of Interests as consideration for the provision of services, the Board of Directors may determine that such adjustments are unnecessary for the proper administration of the Company. In determining such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss, the aggregate cash amount and fair market value of all Company assets (including, without limitation, cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to the issuance of additional Interests shall be determined by the Board of Directors using such method of valuation as it may adopt; provided, however, that the Board of Directors, in arriving at such valuation, must take fully into account the fair market value of the Interests of all Members at such time. The Board of Directors shall allocate such aggregate value among the assets of the Company (in such manner as it determines) to arrive at a fair market value for individual properties.
          (ii) In accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), immediately prior to any actual or deemed distribution to a Member of any Company property (other than a distribution of cash that is not in redemption or retirement of an Interest), the Capital Accounts of all Members and the Carrying Value of all Company property shall be adjusted upward or

26


 

downward to reflect any Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such Company property, as if such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss had been recognized in a sale of such property immediately prior to such distribution for an amount equal to its fair market value, and had been allocated to the Members, at such time, pursuant to Section 6.1 in the same manner as any item of gain, loss, Simulated Gain or Simulated Loss actually recognized during such period would have been allocated. In determining such Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss the aggregate cash amount and fair market value of all Company assets (including, without limitation, cash or cash equivalents) immediately prior to a distribution shall (A) in the case of an actual distribution that is not made pursuant to Section 10.3 or in the case of a deemed distribution, be determined and allocated in the same manner as that provided in Section 5.3(c)(i) or (B) in the case of a liquidating distribution pursuant to Section 10.3, be determined and allocated by the Liquidator using such method of valuation as it may adopt.
     Section 5.4 Issuances of Additional Company Securities.
          (a) Subject to Section 5.5, the Company may issue additional Company Securities, and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to the Company Securities for any Company purpose at any time and from time to time to such Persons for such consideration and on such terms and conditions as the Board of Directors shall determine, all without the approval of any Members.
          (b) Each additional Company Security authorized to be issued by the Company pursuant to Section 5.4(a) may be issued in one or more classes, or one or more series of any such classes, with such designations, preferences, rights, powers and duties (which may be senior to existing classes and series of Company Securities), as shall be fixed by the Board of Directors, including (i) the right to share Company profits and losses or items thereof; (ii) the right to share in Company distributions; (iii) the rights upon dissolution and liquidation of the Company; (iv) whether, and the terms and conditions upon which, the Company may redeem the Company Security; (v) whether such Company Security is issued with the privilege of conversion or exchange and, if so, the terms and conditions of such conversion or exchange; (vi) the terms and conditions upon which each Company Security will be issued, evidenced by Certificates, or other evidence of the issuance of uncertificated Company Securities, and assigned or transferred; (vii) the method for determining the Percentage Interest as to such Company Security; and (viii) the right, if any, of each such Company Security to vote on Company matters, including matters relating to the relative rights, preferences and privileges of such Company Security.
          (c) The Board of Directors shall take all actions that it determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection with (i) each issuance of Company Securities and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to Company Securities pursuant to this Section 5.4, (ii) the admission of Additional Members and (iii) all additional issuances of Company Securities. The Board of Directors shall determine the relative designations, preferences, rights, powers and duties of the holders of the Units or other Company Securities being so issued. The Board of Directors shall do all things

27


 

necessary to comply with the Delaware Act and is authorized and directed to do all things that it determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection with any future issuance of Company Securities pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, including compliance with any statute, rule, regulation or guideline of any federal, state or other governmental agency or any National Securities Exchange on which the Units or other Company Securities are listed for trading.
     Section 5.5 Limitations on Issuance of Additional Company Securities. The issuance of Company Securities pursuant to Section 5.4 shall be subject to the following restrictions and limitations: No fractional Units shall be issued by the Company.
     Section 5.6 No Preemptive Rights. No Person shall have any preemptive, preferential or other similar right with respect to the issuance of any Company Security, whether unissued, held in the treasury or hereafter created.
     Section 5.7 Splits and Combinations.
          (a) Subject to Section 5.7(d), the Company may make a Pro Rata distribution of Company Securities to all Record Holders or may effect a subdivision or combination of Company Securities so long as, after any such event, each Member shall have the same Percentage Interest in the Company as before such event, and any amounts calculated on a per Unit basis or stated as a number of Units are proportionately adjusted retroactive to the date of formation of the Company.
          (b) Whenever such a distribution, subdivision or combination of Company Securities is declared, the Board of Directors shall select a Record Date as of which the distribution, subdivision or combination shall be effective and shall send notice thereof at least 20 days prior to such Record Date to each Record Holder as of a date not less than 10 days prior to the date of such notice. The Board of Directors also may cause a firm of independent public accountants selected by it to calculate the number of Company Securities to be held by each Record Holder after giving effect to such distribution, subdivision or combination. The Board of Directors shall be entitled to rely on any certificate provided by such firm as conclusive evidence of the accuracy of such calculation.
          (c) Promptly following any such distribution, subdivision or combination, the Company may issue Certificates, or shall deliver other evidence of the issuance of uncertificated Company Securities, to the Record Holders of Company Securities as of the applicable Record Date representing the new number of Company Securities held by such Record Holders, or the Board of Directors may adopt such other procedures that it determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect such changes. If any such combination results in a smaller total number of Company Securities Outstanding, the Company shall require, as a condition to the delivery to a Record Holder of such new Certificate, or other evidence of the issuance of uncertificated Company Securities, the surrender of any Certificate held by such Record Holder, or the delivery of such other documentation as may be required to transfer uncertificated Company Securities, immediately prior to such Record Date.

28


 

          (d) The Company shall not issue fractional Units upon any distribution, subdivision or combination of Units. If a distribution, subdivision or combination of Units would result in the issuance of fractional Units but for the provisions of Section 5.5 and this Section 5.7(d), each fractional Unit shall be rounded to the nearest whole Unit (and a 0.5 Unit shall be rounded to the next higher Unit).
     Section 5.8 Fully Paid and Non-Assessable Nature of Interests. All Member Interests issued pursuant to, and in accordance with the requirements of, this Article V shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable Interests in the Company, except as such non-assessability may be affected by Sections 18-607 or 18-804 of the Delaware Act and except to the extent otherwise provided in this Agreement.
ARTICLE VI
ALLOCATIONS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
     Section 6.1 Allocations for Capital Account Purposes. For purposes of maintaining the Capital Accounts and in determining the rights of the Members among themselves, the Company’s items of income, gain, loss, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain and Simulated Loss (computed in accordance with Section 5.3(b)) shall be allocated among the Members in each taxable year (or portion thereof) as provided herein below.
          (a) Net Income. After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 6.1(d), Net Income for each taxable year and all items of income, gain, loss, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain and Simulated Loss taken into account in computing Net Income for such taxable year shall be allocated to the Unitholders, Pro Rata.
          (b) Net Losses. After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 6.1(d), Net Losses for each taxable period and all items of income, gain, loss, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain and Simulated Loss taken into account in computing Net Losses for such taxable period shall be allocated to the Unitholders, Pro Rata; provided that Net Losses shall not be allocated pursuant to this Section 6.1(b) to the extent that such allocation would cause any Unitholder to have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account at the end of such taxable year (or increase any existing deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account).
          (c) Net Termination Gains and Losses. After giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Section 6.1(d), all items of income, gain, loss, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain and Simulated Loss taken into account in computing Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss for such taxable period shall be allocated in the same manner as such Net Termination Gain or Net Termination Loss is allocated hereunder. All allocations under this Section 6.1(c) shall be made after Capital Account balances have been adjusted by all other allocations provided under this Section 6.1 and after all distributions of Available Cash provided under Section 6.4 have been made; provided, however, that solely for purposes of this Section 6.1(c), Capital Accounts shall not be adjusted for distributions made pursuant to Section 10.3.

29


 

          (i) If a Net Termination Gain is recognized (or deemed recognized pursuant to Section 5.3(d)), such Net Termination Gain shall be allocated among the Members in the following manner (and the Capital Accounts of the Members shall be increased by the amount so allocated in each of the following subclauses, in the order listed, before an allocation is made pursuant to the next succeeding subclause):
          (A) First, to each Member having a deficit balance in its Capital Account, in the proportion that such deficit balance bears to the total deficit balances in the Capital Accounts of all Members, until each such Member has been allocated Net Termination Gain equal to any such deficit balance in its Capital Account; and
          (B) Second, 100% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata.
          (ii) If a Net Termination Loss is recognized (or deemed recognized pursuant to Section 5.3(d)), such Net Termination Loss shall be allocated among the Members in the following manner:
          (A) First, to the Unitholders, Pro Rata, until the Capital Account in respect of each Unit then Outstanding has been reduced to zero; and
          (B) Second, the balance, if any, 100% to all Unitholders, Pro Rata.
          (d) Special Allocations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1, the following special allocations shall be made for such taxable period:
          (i) Company Minimum Gain Chargeback. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1, if there is a net decrease in Company Minimum Gain during any Company taxable period, each Member shall be allocated items of Company income, gain and Simulated Gain for such period (and, if necessary, subsequent periods) in the manner and amounts provided in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(f)(6), 1.704-2(g)(2) and 1.704-2(j)(2)(i), or any successor provision. For purposes of this Section 6.1(d), each Member’s Adjusted Capital Account balance shall be determined, and the allocation of income, gain and Simulated Gain required hereunder shall be effected, prior to the application of any other allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d) with respect to such taxable period (other than an allocation pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(v) and 6.1(d)(vii)). This Section 6.1(d)(i) is intended to comply with the Company Minimum Gain chargeback requirement in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(f) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.
          (ii) Chargeback of Member Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Section 6.1 (other than Section 6.1(d)(i)), except as provided in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(4), if there is a net decrease in Member Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain

30


 

during any Company taxable period, any Member with a share of Member Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain at the beginning of such taxable period shall be allocated items of Company income, gain and Simulated Gain for such period (and, if necessary, subsequent periods) in the manner and amounts provided in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(i)(4) and 1.704-2(j)(2)(ii), or any successor provisions. For purposes of this Section 6.1(d), each Member’s Adjusted Capital Account balance shall be determined, and the allocation of income, gain and Simulated Gain required hereunder shall be effected, prior to the application of any other allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d), other than Section 6.1(d)(i) and other than an allocation pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(v) and 6.1(d)(vi), with respect to such taxable period. This Section 6.1(d)(ii) is intended to comply with the chargeback of items of income and gain requirement in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(4) and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.
          (iii) [Reserved.]
          (iv) Qualified Income Offset. In the event any Member unexpectedly receives any adjustments, allocations or distributions described in Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5), or 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6), items of Company income, gain and Simulated Gain shall be specially allocated to such Member in an amount and manner sufficient to eliminate, to the extent required by the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b) of the Code, the deficit balance, if any, in its Adjusted Capital Account created by such adjustments, allocations or distributions as quickly as possible unless such deficit balance is otherwise eliminated pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(i) or (ii), provided that an allocation pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(iv) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Member would have a deficit balance in its Adjusted Capital Account as adjusted after all other allocations provided for in this Section 6.1 have been tentatively made as if this Section 6.1(d)(iv) were not in this Agreement.
          (v) Gross Income Allocations. In the event any Member has a deficit balance in its Capital Account at the end of any Company taxable period in excess of the sum of (A) the amount such Member is required to restore pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement and (B) the amount such Member is deemed obligated to restore pursuant to Treasury Regulation Sections 1.704-2(g) and 1.704-2(i)(5), such Member shall be specially allocated items of Company gross income, gain and Simulated Gain in the amount of such excess as quickly as possible; provided, that an allocation pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(v) shall be made only if and to the extent that such Member would have a deficit balance in its Capital Account as adjusted after all other allocations provided for in this Section 6.1 have been tentatively made as if Section 6.1(d)(ix) and this Section 6.1(d)(v) were not in this Agreement.
          (vi) Nonrecourse Deductions. Nonrecourse Deductions for any taxable period shall be allocated to the Members, Pro Rata. If the Board of Directors determines that the Company’s Nonrecourse Deductions should be

31


 

allocated in a different ratio to satisfy the safe harbor requirements of the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 704(b) of the Code, the Board of Directors is authorized, upon notice to the other Members, to revise the prescribed ratio to the numerically closest ratio that does satisfy such requirements.
          (vii) Member Nonrecourse Deductions. Member Nonrecourse Deductions for any taxable period shall be allocated 100% to the Member that bears the Economic Risk of Loss with respect to the Member Nonrecourse Debt to which such Member Nonrecourse Deductions are attributable in accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i). If more than one Member bears the Economic Risk of Loss with respect to a Member Nonrecourse Debt, such Member Nonrecourse Deductions attributable thereto shall be allocated between or among such Members in accordance with the ratios in which they share such Economic Risk of Loss.
          (viii) Nonrecourse Liabilities. For purposes of Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-3(a)(3), the Members agree that Nonrecourse Liabilities of the Company in excess of the sum of (A) the amount of Company Minimum Gain and (B) the total amount of Nonrecourse Built-in Gain shall be allocated among the Members, Pro Rata.
          (ix) Code Section 754 Adjustments. To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Company asset pursuant to Section 734(b) or 743(b) of the Code is required, pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts, the amount of such adjustment to the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain or Simulated Gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or loss or Simulated Loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis), and such item of gain or loss shall be specially allocated to the Members in a manner consistent with the manner in which their Capital Accounts are required to be adjusted pursuant to such Section of the Treasury Regulations.
          (x) Curative Allocation.
          (A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 6.1, other than the Required Allocations, the Required Allocations shall be taken into account in making the Agreed Allocations so that, to the extent possible, the net amount of items of income, gain, loss, deduction, Simulated Depletion, Simulated Gain or Simulated Loss allocated to each Member pursuant to the Required Allocations and the Agreed Allocations, together, shall be equal to the net amount of such items that would have been allocated to each such Member under the Agreed Allocations had the Required Allocations and the related Curative Allocation not otherwise been provided in this Section 6.1. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, Required Allocations relating to (1) Nonrecourse Deductions shall not be taken into account except to the extent that there has been a decrease in Company Minimum Gain and (2)

32


 

Member Nonrecourse Deductions shall not be taken into account except to the extent that there has been a decrease in Member Nonrecourse Debt Minimum Gain. Allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(x)(A) shall only be made with respect to Required Allocations to the extent the Board of Directors reasonably determines that such allocations will otherwise be inconsistent with the economic agreement among the Members. Further, allocations pursuant to this Section 6.1(d)(x)(A) shall be deferred with respect to allocations pursuant to clauses (1) and (2) hereof to the extent the Board of Directors determines that such allocations are likely to be offset by subsequent Required Allocations.
          (B) The Board of Directors shall, with respect to each taxable period, (1) apply the provisions of Section 6.1(d)(x)(A) in whatever order is most likely to minimize the economic distortions that might otherwise result from the Required Allocations, and (2) divide all allocations pursuant to Section 6.1(d)(x)(A) among the Members in a manner that is likely to minimize such economic distortions.
     Section 6.2 Allocations for Tax Purposes.
          (a) Except as otherwise provided herein, for federal income tax purposes, each item of income, gain, loss and deduction shall be allocated among the Members in the same manner as its correlative item of “book” income, gain, loss or deduction is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1.
          (b) The deduction for depletion with respect to each separate oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code) shall be computed for federal income tax purposes separately by the Members rather than by the Company in accordance with Section 613A(c)(7)(D) of the Code. Except as provided in Section 6.2(c)(iii), for purposes of such computation (before taking into account any adjustments resulting from an election made by the Company under Section 754 of the Code), the adjusted tax basis of each oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code) shall be allocated among the Members in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.
          Each Member shall separately keep records of his share of the adjusted tax basis in each oil and gas property, allocated as provided above, adjust such share of the adjusted tax basis for any cost or percentage depletion allowable with respect to such property, and use such adjusted tax basis in the computation of its cost depletion or in the computation of his gain or loss on the disposition of such property by the Company.
          (c) Except as provided in Section 6.2(c)(iii), for the purposes of the separate computation of gain or loss by each Member on the sale or disposition of each separate oil and gas property (as defined in Section 614 of the Code), the Company’s allocable share of the “amount realized” (as such term is defined in Section 1001(b) of the Code) from such sale or disposition shall be allocated for federal income tax purposes among the Members as follows:

33


 

          (i) first, to the extent such amount realized constitutes a recovery of the Simulated Basis of the property, to the Members in the same proportion as the depletable basis of such property was allocated to the Members pursuant to Section 6.2(b) (without regard to any special allocation of basis under Section 6.2(c)(iii));
          (ii) second, the remainder of such amount realized, if any, to the Members so that, to the maximum extent possible, the amount realized allocated to each Member under this Section 6.2(c)(ii) will equal such Member’s share of the Simulated Gain recognized by the Company from such sale or disposition.
          (iii) The Members recognize that with respect to Contributed Property and Adjusted Property there will be a difference between the Carrying Value of such property at the time of contribution or revaluation, as the case may be, and the adjusted tax basis of such property at that time. All items of tax depreciation, cost recovery, amortization, adjusted tax basis of depletable properties, amount realized and gain or loss with respect to such Contributed Property and Adjusted Property shall be allocated among the Members to take into account the disparities between the Carrying Values and the adjusted tax basis with respect to such properties in accordance with the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-3(d).
          (iv) Any elections or other decisions relating to such allocations shall be made by the Board of Directors in any manner that reasonably reflects the purpose and intention of the Agreement.
          (d) In an attempt to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities attributable to a Contributed Property or Adjusted Property, other than an oil and gas property pursuant to Section 6.2(c), items of income, gain, loss, depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions shall be allocated for federal income tax purposes among the Members as follows:
          (i) (A) In the case of a Contributed Property, such items attributable thereto shall be allocated among the Members in the manner provided under Section 704(c) of the Code that takes into account the variation between the Agreed Value of such property and its adjusted basis at the time of contribution; and (B) any item of Residual Gain or Residual Loss attributable to a Contributed Property shall be allocated among the Members in the same manner as its correlative item of “book” gain or loss is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1.
          (ii) (A) In the case of an Adjusted Property, such items shall (1) first, be allocated among the Members in a manner consistent with the principles of Section 704(c) of the Code to take into account the Unrealized Gain or Unrealized Loss attributable to such property and the allocations thereof pursuant to Section 5.3(d), and (2) second, in the event such property was originally a Contributed Property, be allocated among the Members in a manner

34


 

consistent with Section 6.2(d)(i)(A); and (B) any item of Residual Gain or Residual Loss attributable to an Adjusted Property shall be allocated among the Members in the same manner as its correlative item of “book” gain or loss is allocated pursuant to Section 6.1.
          (iii) The Board of Directors shall apply the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-3(d) to eliminate Book-Tax Disparities.
          (e) For the proper administration of the Company and for the preservation of uniformity of the Units (or any class or classes thereof), the Board of Directors shall (i) adopt such conventions as it deems appropriate in determining the amount of depreciation, amortization and cost recovery deductions; (ii) make special allocations for federal income tax purposes of income (including, without limitation, gross income) or deductions; and (iii) amend the provisions of this Agreement as appropriate (x) to reflect the proposal or promulgation of Treasury Regulations under Section 704(b) or Section 704(c) of the Code or (y) otherwise to preserve or achieve uniformity of the Units (or any class or classes thereof). The Board of Directors may adopt such conventions, make such allocations and make such amendments to this Agreement as provided in this Section 6.2(e) only if such conventions, allocations or amendments would not have a material adverse effect on the Members, the holders of any class or classes of Units issued and Outstanding or the Company, and if such allocations are consistent with the principles of Section 704 of the Code.
          (f) The Board of Directors may determine to depreciate or amortize the portion of an adjustment under Section 743(b) of the Code attributable to unrealized appreciation in any Adjusted Property (to the extent of the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity) using a predetermined rate derived from the depreciation or amortization method and useful life applied to the unamortized Book-Tax Disparity of such property, despite any inconsistency of such approach with Treasury Regulation Section 1.167(c)-l(a)(6) or any successor regulations thereto. If the Board of Directors determines that such reporting position cannot be taken, the Board of Directors may adopt depreciation and amortization conventions under which all purchasers acquiring Units in the same month would receive depreciation and amortization deductions, based upon the same applicable rate as if they had purchased a direct interest in the Company’s property. If the Board of Directors chooses not to utilize such aggregate method, the Board of Directors may use any other depreciation and amortization conventions to preserve the uniformity of the intrinsic tax characteristics of any Member Interests, so long as such conventions would not have a material adverse effect on the Members or the Record Holders of any class or classes of Units.
          (g) Any gain allocated to the Members upon the sale or other taxable disposition of any Company asset shall, to the extent possible, after taking into account other required allocations of gain pursuant to this Section 6.2, be characterized as Recapture Income in the same proportions and to the same extent as such Members (or their predecessors in interest) have been allocated any deductions directly or indirectly giving rise to the treatment of such gains as Recapture Income.

35


 

          (h) All items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit recognized by the Company for federal income tax purposes and allocated to the Members in accordance with the provisions hereof shall be determined without regard to any election under Section 754 of the Code that may be made by the Company; provided, however, that such allocations, once made, shall be adjusted (in the manner determined by the Board of Directors) to take into account those adjustments permitted or required by Sections 734 and 743 of the Code.
          (i) Each item of Company income, gain, loss and deduction shall, for federal income tax purposes, be determined on an annual basis and prorated on a monthly basis and shall be allocated to the Members as of the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on the first Business Day of each month; provided, however, that gain or loss on a sale or other disposition of any assets of the Company or any other extraordinary item of income or loss realized and recognized other than in the ordinary course of business, as determined by the Board of Directors, shall be allocated to the Members as of the opening of the New York Stock Exchange on the first Business Day of the month in which such gain or loss is recognized for federal income tax purposes. The Board of Directors may revise, alter or otherwise modify such methods of allocation to the extent permitted or required by Section 706 of the Code and the regulations or rulings promulgated thereunder.
          (j) Allocations that would otherwise be made to a Member under the provisions of this Article VI shall instead be made to the beneficial owner of Units held by a nominee in any case in which the nominee has furnished the identity of such owner to the Company in accordance with Section 6031(c) of the Code or any other method determined by the Board of Directors.
     Section 6.3 Requirement of Distributions; Distributions to Record Holders.
          (a) Within 45 days following the end of each Quarter commencing with the Quarter ending on March 31, 2006, an amount equal to 100% of Available Cash with respect to such Quarter shall, subject to Section 18-607 of the Delaware Act, be distributed in accordance with this Article VI by the Company to the Members as of the Record Date selected by the Board of Directors. All distributions required to be made under this Agreement shall be made subject to Sections 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware Act.
          (b) Notwithstanding Section 6.3(a), in the event of the dissolution and liquidation of the Company, all receipts received during or after the Quarter in which the Liquidation Date occurs, other than from borrowings described in (a)(ii) of the definition of Available Cash, shall be applied and distributed solely in accordance with, and subject to the terms and conditions of, Section 10.3(a).
          (c) The Board of Directors may treat taxes paid by the Company on behalf of, or amounts withheld with respect to, all or less than all of the Members, as a distribution of Available Cash to such Members.

36


 

          (d) Each distribution in respect of an Interest shall be paid by the Company, directly or through the Transfer Agent or through any other Person or agent, only to the Record Holder of such Interest as of the Record Date set for such distribution. Such payment shall constitute full payment and satisfaction of the Company’s liability in respect of such payment, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such payment by reason of an assignment or otherwise.
     Section 6.4 Distributions of Available Cash. Available Cash with respect to any Quarter, subject to Section 18-607 of the Delaware Act and except as otherwise required by Section 5.5(b) in respect of other Company Securities issued pursuant thereto, shall be distributed 100% to all Unitholders in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.
ARTICLE VII
MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF BUSINESS
     Section 7.1 Board of Directors.
          (a) Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, the business and affairs of the Company shall be managed by or under the direction of a Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors”). As provided in Section 7.4, the Board of Directors shall have the power and authority to appoint Officers of the Company. The Directors and Officers shall constitute “managers” within the meaning of the Delaware Act. No Member, by virtue of its status as such, shall have any management power over the business and affairs of the Company or actual or apparent authority to enter into, execute or deliver contracts on behalf of, or to otherwise bind, the Company. Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Agreement, the authority and functions of the Board of Directors, on the one hand, and of the Officers, on the other, shall be identical to the authority and functions of the board of directors and officers, respectively, of a corporation organized under the DGCL. In addition to the powers that now or hereafter can be granted to managers under the Delaware Act and to all other powers granted under any other provision of this Agreement subject to Section 7.3, the Board of Directors shall have full power and authority to do, and to direct the Officers to do, all things and on such terms as it determines to be necessary or appropriate to conduct the business of the Company, to exercise all powers set forth in Section 2.5 and to effectuate the purposes set forth in Section 2.4, including the following:
          (i) the making of any expenditures, the lending or borrowing of money, the assumption or guarantee of, or other contracting for, indebtedness and other liabilities, the issuance of evidences of indebtedness, including indebtedness that is convertible into Company Securities, and the incurring of any other obligations;
          (ii) the making of tax, regulatory and other filings, or rendering of periodic or other reports to governmental or other agencies having jurisdiction over the business or assets of the Company;

37


 

          (iii) the acquisition, disposition, mortgage, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation or exchange of any or all of the assets of the Company or the merger or other combination of the Company with or into another Person (the matters described in this clause (iii) being subject, however, to any prior approval that may be required by Section 7.3);
          (iv) the use of the assets of the Company (including cash on hand) for any purpose consistent with the terms of this Agreement, including the financing of the conduct of the operations of the Company Group; subject to Section 7.6(a), the lending of funds to other Persons (including other Group Members); the repayment of obligations of the Company Group and the making of capital contributions to any member of the Company Group;
          (v) the negotiation, execution and performance of any contracts, conveyances or other instruments (including instruments that limit the liability of the Company under contractual arrangements to all or particular assets of the Company);
          (vi) the distribution of Company cash;
          (vii) the selection and dismissal of officers, employees, agents, outside attorneys, accountants, consultants and contractors and the determination of their compensation and other terms of employment or hiring, the creation and operation of employee benefit plans, employee programs and employee practices;
          (viii) the maintenance of insurance for the benefit of the Company Group and the Members;
          (ix) the formation of, or acquisition of an interest in, and the contribution of property and the making of loans to, any limited or general partnerships, joint ventures, corporations, limited liability companies or other relationships (including the acquisition of interests in, and the contributions of property to, any Group Member from time to time) subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 2.4;
          (x) the control of any matters affecting the rights and obligations of the Company, including the bringing and defending of actions at law or in equity and otherwise engaging in the conduct of litigation, arbitration or remediation, and the incurring of legal expense and the settlement of claims and litigation;
          (xi) the indemnification of any Person against liabilities and contingencies to the extent permitted by law;
          (xii) the entering into of listing agreements with any National Securities Exchange and the delisting of some or all of the Interests from, or requesting that trading be suspended on, any such exchange (subject to any prior approval that may be required under Section 4.6);

38


 

          (xiii) unless restricted or prohibited by Section 5.6, the purchase, sale or other acquisition or disposition of Company Securities, or the issuance of additional options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to Company Securities;
          (xiv) the undertaking of any action in connection with the Company’s participation in any Group Member; and
          (xv) the entering into of agreements with any of its Affiliates to render services to a Group Member.
          (b) The Board of Directors shall consist of not fewer than three nor more than 11 natural Persons. Each Director shall be elected as provided in Section 7.1(c) and shall serve in such capacity until his successor has been duly elected and qualified or until such Director dies, resigns or is removed. A Director may resign at any time upon written notice to the Company. The Board of Directors may from time to time determine the number of Directors then constituting the whole Board of Directors, but the Board of Directors shall not decrease the number of Persons that constitute the whole Board of Directors if such decrease would shorten the term of any Director.
          (c) Directors shall be elected at each annual meeting of Members to serve for a term expiring at the next annual meeting of Members. The nomination of Persons to serve as Directors and the election of the Board of Directors shall be in accordance with Article XI hereof.
          (d) Subject to applicable law and the rights of the holders of any series of Interests, vacancies existing on the Board of Directors (including a vacancy created by virtue of an increase in the size of the Board of Directors) may be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Directors then serving, even if less than a quorum. Any Director chosen to fill a vacancy shall hold office until the next annual meeting of Members and until his successor has been duly elected and qualified or until such Director’s earlier resignation or removal. Subject to the rights of the holders of any series of Interests, any Director, and the entire Board of Directors, may be removed from office at any time by the affirmative vote of Members holding a majority of the Percentage Interest of all Members entitled to vote; provided, however, that no Director may be removed (whether voting on the removal of an individual Director or the removal of the entire Board of Directors) without cause if the votes cast against such Director’s removal would be sufficient to elect such Director if then cumulatively voted at an election of the entire Board of Directors.
          (e) Directors need not be Members. The Board of Directors may, from time to time and by the adoption of resolutions, establish qualifications for Directors.
          (f) Unless otherwise required by the Delaware Act, other law or the provisions hereof,
          (i) each member of the Board of Directors shall have one vote;

39


 

          (ii) the presence at a meeting of the Board of Directors of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum at any such meeting for the transaction of business; and
          (iii) the act of a majority of the members of the Board of Directors present at a meeting of the Board of Directors at which a quorum is present shall be deemed to constitute the act of the Board of Directors.
          (g) Regular meetings of the Board of Directors and any committee thereof shall be held at such times and places as shall be designated from time to time by resolution of the Board of Directors or such committee. Notice of such regular meetings shall not be required. Special meetings of the Board of Directors or meetings of any committee thereof may be called by the Chairman of the Board or the chair of such committee, as applicable, or on the written request of any three Directors or committee members, as applicable, to the Secretary, in each case on at least twenty-four hours personal, written, facsimile, electronic, telegraphic, cable or wireless notice to each Director or committee member, which notice may be waived by any Director. Any such notice, or waiver thereof, need not state the purpose of such meeting except as may otherwise be required by law. Attendance of a Director at a meeting (including pursuant to the last sentence of this Section 7.1(g)) shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except where such Director attends the meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business on the ground that the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Board of Directors, or any committee thereof, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote if a consent or consents in writing of by electronic transmission, setting forth the action so taken, are provided by all members of the Board of Directors or committee. Members of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof may participate in and hold a meeting by means of conference telephone, video conference or similar communications equipment by means of which all Persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, and participation in such meetings shall constitute presence in Person at the meeting.
          (h) The Board of Directors may, by resolution of a majority of the full Board of Directors, designate one or more committees, each committee to consist of one or more of the Directors. The Board of Directors may designate one or more Directors as alternate members of any committee, who may replace any absent or disqualified Director at any meeting of such committee. Any such committee, to the extent provided in the resolution of the Board of Directors or in this Agreement, shall have and may exercise all powers and authority of the Board of Directors in the management of the business and affairs of the Company; but no such committee shall have the power or authority in reference to the following matters: approving or adopting, or recommending to the Members, any action or matter expressly required by this Agreement or the Delaware Act to be submitted to the Members for approval or adopting, amending or repealing any provision of this Agreement. Unless specified by resolution of the Board of Directors, any committee designated pursuant to this Section 7.1(h) shall choose its own chairman, shall keep regular minutes of its proceedings and report the same to the Board of Directors when requested, and, subject to Section 7.1(g), shall fix its own rules

40


 

or procedures and shall meet at such times and at such place or places as may be provided by such rules. At every meeting of any such committee, the presence of a majority of all the members thereof shall constitute a quorum and the affirmative vote of a majority of the members present at a meeting if which a quorum is present shall be necessary for the adoption by the committee of any resolution.
          (i) The Board of Directors may elect one of its members as Chairman of the Board (the “Chairman of the Board”). The Chairman of the Board, if any, and if present and acting, shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and of Members, unless otherwise directed by the Board of Directors. If the Board of Directors does not elect a Chairman or if the Chairman is absent from the meeting, the Chief Executive Offer, if present and a Director, or any other Director chosen by the Board of Directors, shall preside. In the absence of a Secretary, the chairman of the meeting may appoint any Person to serve as Secretary of the meeting.
          (j) Unless otherwise restricted by law, the Board of Directors shall have the authority to fix the compensation of the Directors. The Directors may be paid their expenses, if any, of attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors and may be paid a fixed sum for attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors or paid a stated salary or paid other compensation as Director. No such payment shall preclude any Director from serving the Company in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefor. Members of special or standing committees may also be paid their expenses, if any, of and allowed compensation for attending committee meetings.
          (k) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, any Group Member Agreement, the Delaware Act or any applicable law, rule or regulation, each of the Members and each other Person who may acquire an interest in Company Securities hereby (i) approves, ratifies and confirms the execution, delivery and performance by the parties thereto of this Agreement and the Group Member Agreement of each other Group Member and the other agreements described in or filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are related to the transactions contemplated by the Registration Statement; (ii) agrees that the Board of Directors (on its own or through any Officer of the Company) is authorized to execute, deliver and perform the agreements referred to in clause (i) of this sentence and the other agreements, acts, transactions and matters described in or contemplated by the Registration Statement on behalf of the Company without any further act, approval or vote of the Members or the other Persons who may acquire an interest in Company Securities; and (iii) agrees that the execution, delivery or performance by the Company, any Group Member or any Affiliate of any of them of this Agreement or any agreement authorized or permitted under this Agreement shall not constitute a breach by the Board of Directors or any Officer of any duty that the Board of Directors or any Officer may owe the Company or the Members or any other Persons under this Agreement (or any other agreements) or of any duty stated or implied by law or equity.
     Section 7.2 Certificate of Formation. The Certificate of Formation has been filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as required by the Delaware Act. The Board of Directors shall use all reasonable efforts to cause to be filed such

41


 

other certificates or documents that it determines to be necessary or appropriate for the formation, continuation, qualification and operation of a limited liability company in the State of Delaware or any other state in which the Company may elect to do business or own property. To the extent that the Board of Directors determines such action to be necessary or appropriate, the Board of Directors shall direct the appropriate Officers of the Company to file amendments to and restatements of the Certificate of Formation and do all things to maintain the Company as a limited liability company under the laws of the State of Delaware or of any other state in which the Company may elect to do business or own property. Subject to the terms of Section 3.4(a), the Company shall not be required, before or after filing, to deliver or mail a copy of the Certificate of Formation, any qualification document or any amendment thereto to any Member.
     Section 7.3 Restrictions on the Board of Directors’ Authority.
          (a) Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, the Board of Directors may not, without written approval of the specific act by holders of all of the Outstanding Member Interests or by other written instrument executed and delivered by holders of all of the Outstanding Member Interests subsequent to the date of this Agreement, take any action in contravention of this Agreement.
          (b) Except as provided in Articles X and XII, the Board of Directors may not sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company Group, taken as a whole, in a single transaction or a series of related transactions (including by way of merger, consolidation or other combination) without the approval of holders of a Unit Majority; provided, however, that this provision shall not preclude or limit the Board of Directors’ ability to mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of the assets of the Company Group and shall not apply to any forced sale of any or all of the assets of the Company Group pursuant to the foreclosure of, or other realization upon, any such encumbrance.
     Section 7.4 Officers.
          (a) The Board of Directors shall have the power and authority to appoint such officers with such titles, authority and duties as determined by the Board of Directors. Such Persons so designated by the Board of Directors shall be referred to as “Officers.” Unless provided otherwise by resolution of the Board of Directors, the Officers shall have the titles, power, authority and duties described below in this Section 7.4.
          (b) The Officers of the Company shall include a Chairman of the Board, a Chief Executive Officer, a President, and a Secretary, and may also include a Vice Chairman, Chief Operating Officer, Treasurer, one or more Vice Presidents (who may be further classified by such descriptions as “executive,” “senior,” “assistant” or otherwise, as the Board of Directors shall determine), one or more Assistant Secretaries and one or more Assistant Treasurers. Officers shall be elected by the Board of Directors, which shall consider that subject at its first meeting after every annual meeting of Members and as necessary to fill vacancies. Each Officer shall hold office until his or

42


 

her successor is elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation or removal. Any number of offices may be held by the same Person. The compensation of Officers elected by the Board of Directors shall be fixed from time to time by the Board of Directors or by such Officers as may be designated by resolution of the Board of Directors.
          (c) Any Officer may resign at any time upon written notice to the Company. Any Officer, agent or employee of the Company may be removed by the Board of Directors with or without cause at any time. The Board of Directors may delegate the power of removal as to officers, agents and employees who have not been appointed by the Board of Directors. Such removal shall be without prejudice to a Person’s contract rights, if any, but the appointment of any Person as an Officer, agent or employee of the Company shall not of itself create contract rights.
          (d) The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Company unless the Board of Directors designates the Chairman of the Board as Chief Executive Officer. Subject to the control of the Board of Directors and the executive committee (if any), the Chief Executive Officer shall have general executive charge, management and control of the properties, business and operations of the Company with all such powers as may be reasonably incident to such responsibilities; he may employ and discharge employees and agents of the Company except such as shall be appointed by the Board of Directors, and he may delegate these powers; he may agree upon and execute all leases, contracts, evidences of indebtedness and other obligations in the name of the Company, and shall have such other powers and duties as designated in accordance with this Agreement and as from time to time may be assigned to him by the Board of Directors.
          (e) If elected, the Chairman of the Board shall preside at all meetings of the Members and of the Board of Directors; and shall have such other powers and duties as designated in this Agreement and as from time to time may be assigned to him by the Board of Directors.
          (f) Unless the Board of Directors otherwise determines, the President shall have the authority to agree upon and execute all leases, contracts, evidences of indebtedness and other obligations in the name of the Company; and, unless the Board of Directors otherwise determines, shall, in the absence of the Chairman of the Board or if there be no Chairman of the Board, preside at all meetings of the Members and (should he be a Director) of the Board of Directors; and he shall have such other powers and duties as designated in accordance with this Agreement and as from time to time may be assigned to him by the Board of Directors.
          (g) In the absence of the President, or in the event of his inability or refusal to act, a Vice President designated by the Board of Directors shall perform the duties of the President, and when so acting shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the President. In the absence of a designation by the Board of Directors of a Vice President to perform the duties of the President, or in the event of his absence or inability or refusal to act, the Vice President who is present and who is senior in terms of uninterrupted time as a Vice President of the Company shall so act. The Vice

43


 

President shall perform such other duties and have such other powers as the Board of Directors may from time to time prescribe. Unless otherwise provided by the Board of Directors, each Vice President will have authority to act within his or her respective areas and to sign contracts relating thereto.
          (h) The Treasurer shall have responsibility for the custody and control of all the funds and securities of the Company and shall have such other powers and duties as designated in this Agreement and as from time to time may be assigned to the Treasurer by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall perform all acts incident to the position of Treasurer, subject to the control of the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors. Each Assistant Treasurer shall have the usual powers and duties pertaining to his office, together with such other powers and duties as designated in this Agreement and as from time to time may be assigned to him by the Chief Executive Officer or the Board of Directors. The Assistant Treasurers shall exercise the powers of the Treasurer during that Officer’s absence or inability or refusal to act. An Assistant Treasurer shall also perform such other duties as the Treasurer or the Board of Directors may assign to him.
          (i) The Secretary shall issue all authorized notices for, and shall keep minutes of, all meetings of the Members and the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall have charge of the corporate books and shall perform such other duties as the Board of Directors may from time to time prescribe. In the absence or inability to act of the Secretary, any Assistant Secretary may perform all the duties and exercise all the powers of the Secretary. The performance of any such duty shall, in respect of any other Person dealing with the Company, be conclusive evidence of his power to act. An Assistant Secretary shall also perform such other duties as the Secretary or the Board of Directors may assign to him.
          (j) The Board of Directors may from time to time delegate the powers or duties of any Officer to any other Officers or agents, notwithstanding any provision hereof.
          (k) Unless otherwise directed by the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, the President or any Officer of the Company authorized by the Chief Executive Officer shall have power to vote and otherwise act on behalf of the Company, in person or by proxy, at any meeting of Members of or with respect to any action of equity holders of any other entity in which the Company may hold securities and otherwise to exercise any and all rights and powers which the Company may possess by reason of its ownership of securities in such other entities.
     Section 7.5 Outside Activities. (a) It shall be deemed not to be a breach of any duty (including any fiduciary duty) or any other obligation of any type whatsoever of any Director for Affiliates of such Director to engage in outside business interests and activities in preference to or to the exclusion of the Company or in direct competition with the Company; provided such Affiliate does not engage in such business or activity as a result of or using confidential information provided by or on behalf of the Company to such Director and (b) Directors shall have no obligation hereunder or as a result of any

44


 

duty expressed or implied by law to present business opportunities to the Company that may become available to Affiliates of such Director. None of any Group Member, any Member or any other Person shall have any rights by virtue of a Director’s duties as a Director, this Agreement or any Group Member Agreement in any business ventures of any Director.
     Section 7.6 Loans or Contributions from the Company or Group Members.
          (a) The Company may lend or contribute to any Group Member, and any Group Member may borrow from the Company, funds on terms and conditions determined by the Board of Directors.
          (b) No borrowing by any Group Member or the approval thereof by the Board of Directors shall be deemed to constitute a breach of any duty (including any fiduciary duty), expressed or implied, of the Board of Directors to the Company or the Members by reason of the fact that the purpose or effect of such borrowing is directly or indirectly to enable distributions to the Members.
     Section 7.7 Indemnification.
          (a) To the fullest extent permitted by law as it currently exists and to such greater extent as applicable law hereafter may permit, but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, the Company shall indemnify any Person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to, or otherwise requires representation of counsel in connection with, 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 Company) by reason of the fact that such Person is or was a Director or Officer of the Company, or, while serving as a Director or Officer of the Company, is or was serving as a Tax Matters Partner or, at the request of the Company, as a director, officer, tax matters partner, employee, partner, manager, fiduciary or trustee of any Group Member or any other Person (each an “Indemnitee”) or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against losses, expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, damages, penalties, interest, liabilities and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the Person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the Person acted in good faith and in a manner the Person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that such Person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the Person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the Person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that the Person’s conduct was unlawful.
          (b) To the fullest extent permitted by law, but subject to the limitations expressly provided in this Agreement, the Company shall indemnify any Person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to, or otherwise requires representation of

45


 

counsel in connection with, any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that such Person was serving as an Indemnitee, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against losses, expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines, damages, penalties, interest, liabilities and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the Person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the Person acted in good faith and in a manner the Person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such Person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Company unless and only to the extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such Person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Delaware Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.
          (c) To the extent an Indemnitee has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in Section 7.7(a) or Section 7.7(b), or in the defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such Person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such Person in connection therewith.
          (d) Any indemnification under Section 7.7(a) or Section 7.7(b) (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the Company only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the Indemnitee is proper in the circumstances because the Person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in such section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a Person who is a Director or Officer at the time of such determination, (i) by a majority vote of the Directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, (ii) by a committee of such Directors designated by majority vote of such Directors, even though less than a quorum, (iii) if there are no such Directors, or if such Directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in an Opinion of Counsel, or (iv) by the Members.
          (e) Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an Indemnitee in defending any action, suit or proceeding referred to in Section 7.7(a) or Section 7.7(b) shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding and in advance of any determination that such Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified, upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Indemnitee to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal (a “Final Adjudication”) that such Person is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company as authorized in this Section 7.7.
          (f) The indemnification, advancement of expenses and other provisions of this Section 7.7 shall be in addition to any other rights to which an Indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement, pursuant to any vote of the holders of Outstanding Interests, as a matter of law or otherwise, both as to actions in the

46


 

Indemnitee’s capacity as an Indemnitee and as to actions in any other capacity (including any capacity under the Underwriting Agreement), and shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to serve in such capacity and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, successors, assigns and administrators of the Indemnitee.
          (g) The Company may purchase and maintain insurance, on behalf of its Directors and Officers, and such other Persons as the Board of Directors shall determine, against any liability that may be asserted against or expense that may be incurred by such Person in connection with the Company’s activities or such Person’s activities on behalf of the Company, regardless of whether the Company would have the power to indemnify such Person against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement.
          (h) For purposes of the definition of Indemnitee in Section 7.7(a), the Company shall be deemed to have requested a Person to serve as fiduciary of an employee benefit plan whenever the performance by such Person of his duties to the Company also imposes duties on, or otherwise involves services by, such Person to the plan or participants or beneficiaries of the plan; excise taxes assessed on an Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan pursuant to applicable law shall constitute “fines” within the meaning of Section 7.7(a); and action taken or omitted by such Person with respect to any employee benefit plan in the performance of such Person’s duties for a purpose reasonably believed by him to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of the plan shall be deemed to be for a purpose that is in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company.
          (i) Any indemnification pursuant to this Section 7.7 shall be made only out of the assets of the Company, it being agreed that the Members shall not be personally liable for such indemnification and shall have no obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Company to enable it to effectuate such indemnification.
          (j) An Indemnitee shall not be denied indemnification in whole or in part under this Section 7.7 because the Indemnitee had an interest in the transaction with respect to which the indemnification applies if the transaction was otherwise permitted by the terms of this Agreement.
          (k) If a claim under Section 7.7 of this Agreement is not paid in full by the Company within 60 days after a written claim has been received by the Company, except in the case of a claim for an advancement of expenses, in which case the applicable period shall be 20 days, the Indemnitee may at any time thereafter bring suit against the Company to recover the unpaid amount of the claim. If successful in whole or in part in any such suit, or in a suit brought by the Company to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid also the reasonable expenses of prosecuting or defending such suit. In (i) any suit brought by the Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification hereunder (but not in a suit brought by the Indemnitee to enforce a right to an advancement of expenses) it shall be a defense that, and (ii) in any suit brought by the Company to recover an

47


 

advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Company shall be entitled to recover such expenses upon a Final Adjudication that, the Indemnitee has not met any applicable standard for indemnification set forth in this Agreement. Neither the failure of the Company (including its Directors who are not parties to such action, a committee of such Directors, independent legal counsel, or its Members) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such suit that indemnification of the Indemnitee is proper in the circumstances because the Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in this Agreement, nor an actual determination by the Company (including its Directors who are not parties to such action, a committee of such Directors, independent legal counsel, or its Members) that the Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct shall create a presumption that the Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct, or, in the case of such a suit brought by the Indemnitee, be a defense to such suit. In any suit brought by the Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification or to an advancement of expenses hereunder, or brought by the Company to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the burden of proving that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified or to such advancement of expenses, under this Section 7.7 or otherwise shall be on the Company.
          (l) The Company may 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 (whether or not an action by or in the right of the Company) by reason of the fact that the Person is or was an employee (other than an Officer) or agent of the Company, or, while serving as an employee (other than an Officer) or agent of the Company is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, partner, fiduciary, trustee or agent of another Group Member or another Person to the extent (i) permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware as from time to time in effect, and (ii) authorized by the Board of Directors. The Company may, to the extent permitted by Delaware law and authorized by the Board of Directors, pay expenses (including attorneys’ fees) reasonably incurred by any such employee or agent in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding, upon such terms and conditions as the Board of Directors determine. The provisions of this Section 7.7(l) shall not constitute a contract right for any such employee or agent.
          (m) The indemnification, advancement of expenses and other provisions of this Section 7.7 are for the benefit of the Indemnitees, their heirs, successors, assigns and administrators and shall not be deemed to create any rights for the benefit of any other Persons.
          (n) Except to the extent otherwise provided in Section 7.7(l), the right to be indemnified and to receive advancement of expenses in this Section 7.7 shall be a contract right. No amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.7 or any provision hereof shall in any manner terminate, reduce or impair the right of any past, present or future Indemnitee to be indemnified by the Company, nor the obligations of the Company to indemnify any such Indemnitee under and in accordance with the provisions of this

48


 

Section 7.7 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.
          (o) The Board of Directors, acting alone and without the approval of any Member, in the event of any amendment to Section 145 of the DGCL or the amendment or addition of any other provision of the DGCL relating to indemnification by Delaware corporations of Persons of the type referenced in this Section 7.7, may amend this Agreement to, entirely or in part, reflect such amendment or addition in the indemnification provisions of this Agreement.
     Section 7.8 Exculpation of Liability of Indemnitees.
          (a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, no Director shall be liable to the Company or the Members for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a Director, except
     (i) for a breach of the Director’s duty of loyalty to the Company or the Members;
     (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; or
     (iii) for any transaction from which the Director derived an improper personal benefit.
     If the DGCL is amended after the date of this Agreement to authorize Delaware corporations to further eliminate or limit the personal liability of directors of Delaware corporations beyond that permitted under Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, then the liability of a Director to the Company or the Members, in addition to the personal liability limitation provided herein, shall be further limited to the fullest extent permitted under the DGCL as so amended.
          (b) Subject to its obligations and duties as Board of Directors set forth in this Article VII, the Board of Directors may exercise any of the powers granted to it by this Agreement and perform any of the duties imposed upon it hereunder either directly or by or through its agents, and the Board of Directors shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such agent appointed by the Board of Directors in good faith.
          (c) To the extent that, at law or in equity, an Indemnitee has duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities relating thereto to the Company or to the Members, the Directors and any other Indemnitee acting in connection with the Company’s business or affairs shall not be liable to the Company or to any Member for its good faith reliance on the provisions of this Agreement. The provisions of this Agreement, to the extent that they restrict or eliminate or otherwise modify the duties (including fiduciary duties) and liabilities of an Indemnitee otherwise existing at law or in

49


 

equity, are agreed by the Members to replace such other duties and liabilities of such Indemnitee.
          (d) Any amendment, modification or repeal of this Section 7.8 or any provision hereof shall be prospective only and shall not in any way affect the limitations on the liability of any Indemnitee under this Section 7.8 as in effect immediately prior to such amendment, modification or repeal with respect to claims arising from or relating to matters occurring, in whole or in part, prior to such amendment, modification or repeal, regardless of when such claims may arise or be asserted.
     Section 7.9 Resolution of Conflicts of Interest; Standards of Conduct and Modification of Duties.
          (a) Unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement or any Group Member Agreement, whenever a potential conflict of interest exists or arises between one or more Directors or their respective Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Company or any Group Member, on the other, any resolution or course of action by the Board of Directors or its Affiliates in respect of such conflict of interest shall be permitted and deemed approved by all Members, and shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement, of any Group Member Agreement, of any agreement contemplated herein or therein, or of any duty stated or implied by law or equity, including any fiduciary duty, if the resolution or course of action in respect of such conflict of interest is (i) approved by Special Approval, (ii) approved by the vote of a majority of the Outstanding Units held by disinterested parties, (iii) on terms no less favorable to the Company than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties or (iv) fair and reasonable to the Company, taking into account the totality of the relationships between the parties involved (including other transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to the Company). The Board of Directors shall be authorized but not required in connection with its resolution of such conflict of interest to seek Special Approval of such resolution, and the Board of Directors may also adopt a resolution or course of action that has not received Special Approval. If Special Approval is not sought and the Board of Directors determines that the resolution or course of action taken with respect to a conflict of interest is on terms no less favorable to the Company than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties or that the resolution or course of action taken with respect to a conflict of interest is fair and reasonable to the Company, then such resolution or course of action shall be permitted and deemed approved by all the Members, and shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement, of any Group Member Agreement, of any agreement contemplated herein or therein, or of any duty stated or implied by law or equity, including any fiduciary duty. In connection with any such approval by the Board of Directors, it shall be presumed that, in making its decision, the Board of Directors acted in good faith, and in any proceeding brought by any Member or by or on behalf of such Member or any other Member or the Company challenging such approval, the Person bringing or prosecuting such proceeding shall have the burden of overcoming such presumption. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the existence of the conflicts of interest described in the Registration Statement are hereby approved by all Members.

50


 

          (b) The Members hereby authorize the Board of Directors, on behalf of the Company as a partner or member of a Group Member, to approve of actions by the Board of Directors or managing member of such Group Member similar to those actions permitted to be taken by the Board of Directors pursuant to this Section 7.9.
     Section 7.10 Duties of Officers and Directors.
          (a) Except as otherwise expressly provided in Section 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8 and 7.9 or elsewhere in this Agreement, the duties and obligations owed to the Company and to the Members by the Officers and Directors, shall be the same as the respective duties and obligations owed to a corporation organized under DGCL by its officers and directors, respectively.
          (b) A Director shall, in the performance of his duties, be fully protected in relying in good faith upon the records of the Company and on such information, opinions, reports or statements presented to the Company by any of the Company’s Officers or employees, or committees of the Board of Directors, or by any other Person as to matters the Director reasonably believes are within such other Person’s professional or expert competence and who has been selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Company.
          (c) The Board of Directors shall have the right, in respect of any of its powers or obligations hereunder, to act through a duly appointed attorney or attorneys-in-fact or the duly authorized Officers of the Company.
     Section 7.11 Purchase or Sale of Company Securities. The Board of Directors may cause the Company to purchase or otherwise acquire Company Securities.
     Section 7.12 Reliance by Third Parties.
     Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any Person dealing with the Company shall be entitled to assume that the Board of Directors and any Officer authorized by the Board of Directors to act on behalf of and in the name of the Company has full power and authority to encumber, sell or otherwise use in any manner any and all assets of the Company and to enter into any authorized contracts on behalf of the Company, and such Person shall be entitled to deal with the Board of Directors or any Officer as if it were the Company’s sole party in interest, both legally and beneficially. Each Member hereby waives any and all defenses or other remedies that may be available against such Person to contest, negate or disaffirm any action of the Board of Directors or any Officer in connection with any such dealing. In no event shall any Person dealing with the Board of Directors or any Officer or its representatives be obligated to ascertain that the terms of this Agreement have been complied with or to inquire into the necessity or expedience of any act or action of the Board of Directors or any Officer or its representatives. Each and every certificate, document or other instrument executed on behalf of the Company by the Board of Directors or any Officer or its representatives shall be conclusive evidence in favor of any and every Person relying thereon or claiming thereunder that (a) at the time of the execution and delivery of such certificate, document

51


 

or instrument, this Agreement was in full force and effect, (b) the Person executing and delivering such certificate, document or instrument was duly authorized and empowered to do so for and on behalf of the Company and (c) such certificate, document or instrument was duly executed and delivered in accordance with the terms and provisions of this Agreement and is binding upon the Company.
ARTICLE VIII
BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS
     Section 8.1 Records and Accounting. The Board of Directors shall keep or cause to be kept at the principal office of the Company appropriate books and records with respect to the Company’s business, including all books and records necessary to provide to the Members any information required to be provided pursuant to this Agreement. Any books and records maintained by or on behalf of the Company in the regular course of its business, including the record of the Record Holders of Units or other Company Securities, books of account and records of Company proceedings, may be kept on, or be in the form of, computer disks, hard drives, punch cards, magnetic tape, photographs, micrographics or any other information storage device; provided, that the books and records so maintained are convertible into clearly legible written form within a reasonable period of time. The books of the Company shall be maintained, for financial reporting purposes, on an accrual basis in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
     Section 8.2 Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Company shall be a fiscal year ending December 31.
     Section 8.3 Reports.
          (a) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 120 days after the close of each fiscal year of the Company, the Board of Directors shall cause to be mailed or made available to each Record Holder of a Unit as of a date selected by the Board of Directors, an annual report containing financial statements of the Company for such fiscal year of the Company, presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, including a balance sheet and statements of operations, equity and cash flows, such statements to be audited by a registered public accounting firm selected by the Board of Directors.
          (b) As soon as practicable, but in no event later than 90 days after the close of each Quarter except the last Quarter of each fiscal year, the Board of Directors shall cause to be mailed or made available to each Record Holder of a Unit, as of a date selected by the Board of Directors, a report containing unaudited financial statements of the Company and such other information as may be required by applicable law, regulation or rule of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading, or as the Board of Directors determines to be necessary or appropriate.
ARTICLE IX
TAX MATTERS
     Section 9.1 Tax Returns and Information. The Company shall timely file all returns of the Company that are required for federal, state and local income tax purposes

52


 

on the basis of the accrual method and a taxable year ending on December 31. The tax information reasonably required by Record Holders for federal and state income tax reporting purposes with respect to a taxable year shall be furnished to them within 90 days of the close of the calendar year in which the Company’s taxable year ends. The classification, realization and recognition of income, gain, losses and deductions and other items shall be on the accrual method of accounting for federal income tax purposes.
     Section 9.2 Tax Elections.
          (a) The Company shall make the election under Section 754 of the Code in accordance with applicable regulations thereunder, subject to the reservation of the right to seek to revoke any such election upon the Board of Directors’ determination that such revocation is in the best interests of the Members. Notwithstanding any other provision herein contained, for the purposes of computing the adjustments under Section 743(b) of the Code, the Board of Directors shall be authorized (but not required) to adopt a convention whereby the price paid by a transferee of a Member Interest will be deemed to be the lowest quoted closing price of the Member Interests on any National Securities Exchange on which such Member Interests are traded during the calendar month in which such transfer is deemed to occur pursuant to Section 6.2(i) without regard to the actual price paid by such transferee.
          (b) The Company shall elect to deduct expenses incurred in organizing the Company as provided in Section 709 of the Code.
          (c) Except as otherwise provided herein, the Board of Directors shall determine whether the Company should make any other elections permitted by the Code.
     Section 9.3 Tax Controversies. Subject to the provisions hereof, the Board of Directors shall designate one Officer who is a Member as the Tax Matters Partner (as defined in the Code). The Tax Matters Partner is authorized and required to represent the Company (at the Company’s expense) in connection with all examinations of the Company’s affairs by tax authorities, including resulting administrative and judicial proceedings, and to expend Company funds for professional services and costs associated therewith. Each Member agrees to cooperate with the Tax Matters Partner and to do or refrain from doing any or all things reasonably required by the Tax Matters Partner to conduct such proceedings.
     Section 9.4 Withholding. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Board of Directors is authorized to take any action that may be required to cause the Company and other Group Members to comply with any withholding requirements established under the Code or any other federal, state or local law including, without limitation, pursuant to Sections 1441, 1442, 1445 and 1446 of the Code. To the extent that the Company is required or elects to withhold and pay over to any taxing authority any amount resulting from the allocation or distribution of income to any Member (including, without limitation, by reason of Section 1446 of the Code), the Board of Directors may treat the amount withheld as a distribution of cash pursuant to Section 6.3 in the amount of such withholding from such Member.

53


 

ARTICLE X
DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION
     Section 10.1 Dissolution. The Company shall not be dissolved by the admission of Substituted Members or Additional Members. The Company shall dissolve, and its affairs shall be wound up, upon:
          (a) an election to dissolve the Company by the Board of Directors that is approved by the holders of a Unit Majority;
          (b) the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets and properties of the Company and the Company’s Subsidiaries; or
          (c) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Company pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act.
     Section 10.2 Liquidator. Upon dissolution of the Company, the Board of Directors shall select one or more Persons to act as Liquidator. The Liquidator (if other than the Board of Directors) shall be entitled to receive such compensation for its services as may be approved by holders of a Unit Majority. The Liquidator (if other than the Board of Directors) shall agree not to resign at any time without 15 days’ prior notice and may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by notice of removal approved by holders of a Unit Majority. Upon dissolution, removal or resignation of the Liquidator, a successor and substitute Liquidator (who shall have and succeed to all rights, powers and duties of the original Liquidator) shall within 30 days thereafter be approved by holders of a Unit Majority. The right to approve a successor or substitute Liquidator in the manner provided herein shall be deemed to refer also to any such successor or substitute Liquidator approved in the manner herein provided. Except as expressly provided in this Article X, the Liquidator approved in the manner provided herein shall have and may exercise, without further authorization or consent of any of the parties hereto, all of the powers conferred upon the Board of Directors under the terms of this Agreement (but subject to all of the applicable limitations, contractual and otherwise, upon the exercise of such powers, other than the limitation on sale set forth in Section 7.3(b)) necessary or appropriate to carry out the duties and functions of the Liquidator hereunder for and during the period of time required to complete the winding up and liquidation of the Company as provided for herein.
     Section 10.3 Liquidation. The Liquidator shall proceed to dispose of the assets of the Company, discharge its liabilities, and otherwise wind up its affairs in such manner and over such period as determined by the Liquidator, subject to Section 18-804 of the Delaware Act and the following:
          (a) The assets may be disposed of by public or private sale or by distribution in kind to one or more Members on such terms as the Liquidator and such Member or Members may agree. If any property is distributed in kind, the Member receiving the property shall be deemed for purposes of Section 10.3(c) to have received cash equal to its fair market value; and contemporaneously therewith, appropriate cash

54


 

distributions must be made to the other Members. The Liquidator may defer liquidation or distribution of the Company’s assets for a reasonable time if it determines that an immediate sale or distribution of all or some of the Company’s assets would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the Members. The Liquidator may distribute the Company’s assets, in whole or in part, in kind if it determines that a sale would be impractical or would cause undue loss to the Members.
          (b) Liabilities of the Company include amounts owed to the Liquidator as compensation for serving in such capacity (subject to the terms of Section 10.2) and amounts to Members otherwise than in respect of their distribution rights under Article VI. With respect to any liability that is contingent, conditional or unmatured or is otherwise not yet due and payable, the Liquidator shall either settle such claim for such amount as it thinks appropriate or establish a reserve of cash or other assets to provide for its payment. When paid, any unused portion of the reserve shall be distributed as additional liquidation proceeds.
          (c) All property and all cash in excess of that required to discharge liabilities as provided in Section 10.3(b) shall be distributed to the Members in accordance with, and to the extent of, the positive balances in their respective Capital Accounts, as determined after taking into account all Capital Account adjustments (other than those made by reason of distributions pursuant to this Section 10.3(c)) for the taxable year of the Company during which the liquidation of the Company occurs (with such date of occurrence being determined pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g)), and such distribution shall be made by the end of such taxable year (or, if later, within 90 days after said date of such occurrence).
     Section 10.4 Cancellation of Certificate of Formation. Upon the completion of the distribution of Company cash and property as provided in Section 10.3 in connection with the liquidation of the Company, the Company shall be terminated and the Certificate of Formation and all qualifications of the Company as a foreign limited liability company in jurisdictions other than the State of Delaware shall be canceled and such other actions as may be necessary to terminate the Company shall be taken.
     Section 10.5 Return of Contributions. None of any member of the Board of Directors or any Officer of the Company will be personally liable for, or have any obligation to contribute or loan any monies or property to the Company to enable it to effectuate, the return of the Capital Contributions of the Members or Unitholders, or any portion thereof, it being expressly understood that any such return shall be made solely from Company assets.
     Section 10.6 Waiver of Partition. To the maximum extent permitted by law, each Member hereby waives any right to partition of the Company property.
     Section 10.7 Capital Account Restoration. No Member shall have any obligation to restore any negative balance in its Capital Account upon liquidation of the Company.

55


 

ARTICLE XI
AMENDMENT OF AGREEMENT; MEETINGS OF MEMBERS; RECORD DATE
     Section 11.1 Amendment of Limited Liability Company Agreement.
          (a) General Amendments. Except as provided in Section 11.1(b) and Section 11.1(c), the Board of Directors may amend any of the terms of this Agreement but only in compliance with the terms, conditions and procedures set forth in this Section 11.1(a). If the Board of Directors desires to amend any provision of this Agreement other than pursuant to Section 11.1(c), then it shall first adopt a resolution setting forth the amendment proposed, declaring its advisability, and either calling a special meeting of the Members entitled to vote in respect thereof for the consideration of such amendment or directing that the amendment proposed be considered at the next annual meeting of the Members. Amendments to this Agreement may be proposed only by or with the consent of the Board of Directors. Such special or annual meeting shall be called and held upon notice in accordance with Section 11.2 and Section 11.3 of this Agreement. The notice shall set forth such amendment in full or a brief summary of the changes to be effected thereby, as the Board of Directors shall deem advisable. At the meeting, a vote of Members entitled to vote thereon shall be taken for and against the proposed amendment. A proposed amendment shall be effective upon its approval by a Unit Majority, unless a greater percentage is required under this Agreement or by Delaware law.
          (b) Super-Majority Amendments. Notwithstanding Section 11.1(a) but subject to Section 11.1(c), the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of all Outstanding Units, voting together as a single class, shall be required to alter, amend, adopt any provision inconsistent with or repeal subsection (d) of Section 7.1, this subsection (b) of Section 11.1, Section 11.2, subsection (d) of Section 11.3, subsections (b) or (c) of Section 11.8, Section 11.10 or Section 11.13.
          (c) Amendments to be Adopted Solely by the Board of Directors. Notwithstanding Section 11.1(a) and Section 11.1(b), the Board of Directors, without the approval of any Member, may amend any provision of this Agreement, and execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record whatever documents may be required in connection therewith, to reflect:
     (i) a change in the name of the Company, the location of the principal place of business of the Company, the registered agent of the Company or the registered office of the Company;
     (ii) admission, substitution, withdrawal or removal of Members in accordance with this Agreement;
     (iii) a change that the Board of Directors determines to be necessary or appropriate to qualify or continue the qualification of the Company as a limited liability company under the laws of any state or to ensure that the

56


 

Group Members will not be treated as associations taxable as corporations or otherwise taxed as entities for federal income tax purposes;
     (iv) a change that the Board of Directors determines (A) does not adversely affect the Members (including any particular class of Interests as compared to other classes of Interests) in any material respect, (B) to be necessary or appropriate to (1) satisfy any requirements, conditions or guidelines contained in any opinion, directive, order, ruling or regulation of any federal or state agency or judicial authority or contained in any federal or state statute (including the Delaware Act) or (2) facilitate the trading of the Units (including the division of any class or classes of Outstanding Units into different classes to facilitate uniformity of tax consequences within such classes of Units) or comply with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are or will be listed for trading, compliance with any of which the Board of Directors deems to be in the best interests of the Company and the Members, (C) to be necessary or appropriate in connection with action taken by the Board of Directors pursuant to Section 5.7 or (D) is required to effect the intent expressed in the Registration Statement or the intent of the provisions of this Agreement or is otherwise contemplated by this Agreement;
     (v) a change in the fiscal year or taxable year of the Company and any other changes that the Board of Directors determines to be necessary or appropriate as a result of a change in the fiscal year or taxable year of the Company including, if the Board of Directors shall so determine, a change in the definition of “Quarter” and the dates on which distributions are to be made by the Company;
     (vi) an amendment that is necessary, in the Opinion of Counsel, to prevent the Company or its Directors, Officers, trustees or agents from in any manner being subjected to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, or “plan asset” regulations adopted under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, regardless of whether such are substantially similar to plan asset regulations currently applied or proposed by the United States Department of Labor;
     (vii) subject to the terms of Section 5.5, an amendment that the Board of Directors determines to be necessary or appropriate in connection with the authorization of issuance of any class or series of Company Securities pursuant to Section 5.4;
     (viii) any amendment expressly permitted in this Agreement to be made by the Board of Directors acting alone;
     (ix) an amendment effected, necessitated or contemplated by a Merger Agreement approved in accordance with Section 12.3;

57


 

     (x) an amendment that the Board of Directors determines to be necessary or appropriate to reflect and account for the formation by the Company of, or investment by the Company in, any corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other entity, in connection with the conduct by the Company of activities permitted by the terms of Section 2.4;
     (xi) a merger or conveyance pursuant to Section 12.3(d); or
     (xii) any other amendments substantially similar to the foregoing.
     Section 11.2 Amendment Requirements.
          (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 11.1, no provision of this Agreement that establishes a percentage of Outstanding Units required to take any action shall be amended, altered, changed, repealed or rescinded in any respect that would have the effect of reducing such voting percentage unless such amendment is approved by the affirmative vote of holders of Outstanding Units whose aggregate Outstanding Units constitute not less than the voting requirement sought to be reduced.
          (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 11.1, no amendment to this Agreement may (i) enlarge the obligations of any Member without its consent, unless such shall be deemed to have occurred as a result of an amendment approved pursuant to Section 11.2(c), (ii) change Section 10.1(a), or (iii) change the term of the Company or, except as set forth in Section 10.1(a), give any Person the right to dissolve the Company.
          (c) Except as provided in Section 12.3, and without limitation of the Board of Directors’ authority to adopt amendments to this Agreement without the approval of any Members as contemplated in Section 11.1, any amendment that would have a material adverse effect on the rights or preferences of any class of Interests in relation to other classes of Interests must be approved by the holders of not less than a majority of the Outstanding Interests of the class affected.
          (d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, except for amendments pursuant to Section 11.1(c) and except as otherwise provided by Section 12.3(b), no amendments shall become effective without the approval of the holders of at least 90% of the Outstanding Units voting as a single class unless the Company obtains an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that such amendment will not affect the limited liability of any Member under applicable law.
     Section 11.3 Unitholder Meetings.
          (a) All acts of Members to be taken hereunder shall be taken in the manner provided in this Article XI. An annual meeting of the Members for the election of Directors and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting shall be held on such day and at such time and place as the Board of Directors shall specify, which date shall be within 13 months of the last annual meeting of Members. If authorized by the Board of Directors, and subject to such guidelines and

58


 

procedures as the Board of Directors may adopt, Members and proxyholders not physically present at a meeting of Members, may by means of remote communication participate in such meeting, and be deemed present in person and vote at such meeting provided that the Company shall implement reasonable measures to verify that each Person deemed present and permitted to vote at the meeting by means of remote communication is a Member or proxyholder, to provide such Members or proxyholders a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting and to record the votes or other action made by such Members or proxyholders.
          (b) A failure to hold the annual meeting of the Members at the designated time or to elect a sufficient number of Directors to conduct the business of the Company shall not affect otherwise valid acts of the Company or work a forfeiture or dissolution of the Company. If the annual meeting for election of Directors is not held on the date designated therefor, the Directors shall cause the meeting to be held as soon as is convenient. If there is a failure to hold the annual meeting for a period of 30 days after the date designated for the annual meeting, or if no date has been designated, for a period of 13 months after the latest to occur of the date of this Agreement or its last annual meeting, the Delaware Court of Chancery may summarily order a meeting to be held upon the application of any Member or Director. The Outstanding Units present at such meeting, either in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote thereat, shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of such meeting, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary. The Delaware Court of Chancery may issue such orders as may be appropriate, including orders designating the time and place of such meeting, the record date for determination of Unitholders entitled to vote, and the form of notice of such meeting.
          (c) All elections of Directors will be by written ballots; if authorized by the Board of Directors, such requirement of a written ballot shall be satisfied by a ballot submitted by electronic transmission, provided that any such electronic transmission must either set forth or be submitted with information from which it can be reasonably determined that the electronic transmission was authorized by the Member or proxyholder.
          (d) Special meetings of the Members may be called only by a majority of the Board of Directors. No Members or group of Members, acting in its or their capacity as Members, shall have the right to call a special meeting of the Members.
     Section 11.4 Notice of Meetings of Members.
          (a) Notice, stating the place, day and hour of any annual or special meeting of the Members, as determined by the Board of Directors, and (i) in the case of a special meeting of the Members, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called, as determined by the Board of Directors or (ii) in the case of an annual meeting, those matters that the Board of Directors, at the time of giving the notice, intends to present for action by the Members, shall be delivered by the Company not less than 10 calendar days nor more than 60 calendar days before the date of the meeting, in a manner and otherwise in accordance with Section 14.1 to each Record Holder who is entitled to vote at such

59


 

meeting. Such further notice shall be given as may be required by Delaware law. The notice of any meeting of the Members at which directors are to be elected shall include the name of any nominee or nominees who, at the time of the notice, the Board of Directors intends to present for election. Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of Members as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Company’s notice of meeting. Any previously scheduled meeting of the Members may be postponed, and any special meeting of the Members may be canceled, by resolution of the Board of Directors upon public notice given prior to the date previously scheduled for such meeting of the Members.
          (b) The Board of Directors shall designate the place of meeting for any annual meeting or for any special meeting of the Members. If no designation is made, the place of meeting shall be the principal office of the Company.
     Section 11.5 Record Date. For purposes of determining the Members entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the Members, the Board of Directors may set a Record Date, which shall not be less than 10 nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting (unless such requirement conflicts with any rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading, in which case the rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of such exchange shall govern). If no Record Date is fixed by the Board of Directors, the Record Date for determining Members entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of Members shall be at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given. A determination of Members of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of Members shall apply to any adjournment or postponement of the meeting; provided, however, that the Board of Directors may fix a new Record Date for the adjourned or postponed meeting.
     Section 11.6 Adjournment. When a meeting is adjourned to another time or place, notice need not be given of the adjourned meeting and a new Record Date need not be fixed, if the time and place thereof are announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken, unless such adjournment shall be for more than 30 days. At the adjourned meeting, the Company may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than 30 days or if a new Record Date is fixed for the adjourned meeting, a notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given in accordance with this Article XI.
     Section 11.7 Waiver of Notice; Approval of Meeting. Whenever notice to the Members is required to be given under this Agreement, a written waiver, signed by the Person entitled to notice, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent to notice. Attendance of a Person at any such meeting of the Members shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except when the Person attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any regular or special meeting of the Members need be specified in any written waiver of notice unless so required by

60


 

resolution of the Board of Directors. All waivers and approvals shall be filed with the Company records or made part of the minutes of the meeting.
     Section 11.8 Quorum; Required Vote for Member Action; Voting for Directors.
          (a) At any meeting of the Members, the holders of a majority of the Outstanding Units of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called represented in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum of such class or classes unless any such action by the Members requires approval by holders of a greater percentage of Outstanding Units, in which case the quorum shall be such greater percentage. The submission of matters to Members for approval and the election of Directors shall occur only at a meeting of the Members duly called and held in accordance with this Agreement at which a quorum is present; provided, however, that the Members present at a duly called or held meeting at which a quorum is present may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough Members to leave less than a quorum, if any action taken (other than adjournment) is approved by the required percentage of Interests specified in this Agreement. In the absence of a quorum any meeting of Members may be adjourned from time to time by the chairman of the meeting to another place or time.
          (b) Each Outstanding Unit shall be entitled to one vote per Unit on all matters submitted to Members for approval and in the election of Directors.
          (c) All matters (other than the election of Directors) submitted to Members for approval shall be determined by a majority of the votes cast affirmatively or negatively by Members holding Outstanding Units unless a greater percentage is required with respect to such matter under the Delaware Act, under the rules of any National Securities Exchange on which the Units are listed for trading, or under the provisions of this Agreement, in which case the approval of Members holding Outstanding Units that in the aggregate represent at least such greater percentage shall be required.
          (d) Directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast for a particular position.
     Section 11.9 Conduct of a Meeting; Member Lists.
          (a) The Board of Directors shall have full power and authority concerning the manner of conducting any meeting of the Members, including the determination of Persons entitled to vote, the existence of a quorum, the satisfaction of the requirements of this Article XI, the conduct of voting, the validity and effect of any proxies and the determination of any controversies, votes or challenges arising in connection with or during the meeting or voting. The Board of Directors shall designate a Person to serve as chairman of any meeting and shall further designate a Person to take the minutes of any meeting. All minutes shall be kept with the records of the Company maintained by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may make such other regulations consistent with applicable law and this Agreement as it may deem advisable concerning the conduct of any meeting of the Members, including regulations in regard to

61


 

the appointment of proxies, the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes, the submission and examination of proxies and other evidence of the right to vote.
          (b) A complete list of Members entitled to vote at any meeting of Members, arranged in alphabetical order for each class of Interests and showing the address of each such Member and the number of Outstanding Units registered in the name of such Member, shall be open to the examination of any Member, for any purpose germane to the meeting, during ordinary business hours, for a period of at least 10 days before the meeting, at the principal place of business of the Company. The Member list shall also be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting during the whole time thereof, and may be inspected by any Member who is present.
     Section 11.10 Action Without a Meeting. No action permitted or required to be taken at a meeting of Members may be taken by written consent or by any other means or manner than a meeting of Members called and conducted in accordance with this Agreement.
     Section 11.11 Voting and Other Rights.
          (a) Only those Record Holders of Outstanding Units on the Record Date set pursuant to Section 11.5 shall be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, a meeting of Members or to act with respect to matters as to which the holders of the Outstanding Units have the right to vote or to act. All references in this Agreement to votes of, or other acts that may be taken by, the Outstanding Units shall be deemed to be references to the votes or acts of the Record Holders of such Outstanding Units.
          (b) With respect to Outstanding Units that are held for a Person’s account by another Person (such as a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation, or an agent of any of the foregoing), in whose name such Outstanding Units are registered, such other Person shall, in exercising the voting rights in respect of such Outstanding Units on any matter, and unless the arrangement between such Persons provides otherwise, vote such Outstanding Units in favor of, and at the direction of, the Person who is the beneficial owner, and the Company shall be entitled to assume it is so acting without further inquiry. The provisions of this Section 11.11(b) (as well as all other provisions of this Agreement) are subject to the provisions of Section 4.3.
     Section 11.12 Proxies and Voting.
          (a) At any meeting of the Members, every holder of an Outstanding Unit entitled to vote may vote in person or by proxy authorized by an instrument in writing or by a transmission permitted by law filed in accordance with the procedure established for the meeting. Any copy, facsimile telecommunication or other reliable reproduction of the writing or transmission created pursuant to this paragraph may be substituted or used in lieu of the original writing or transmission for any and all purposes for which the original writing or transmission could be used, provided that such copy, facsimile telecommunication or other reproduction shall be a complete reproduction of the entire original writing or transmission.

62


 

          (b) The Company may, and to the extent required by law, shall, in advance of any meeting of Members, appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting and make a written report thereof. The Company may designate one or more alternate inspectors to replace any inspector who fails to act. If no inspector or alternate is able to act at a meeting of Members, the Person presiding at the meeting may, and to the extent required by law, shall, appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting. Each inspector, before entering upon the discharge of his or her duties, shall take and sign an oath faithfully to execute the duties of inspector with strict impartiality and according to the best of his or her ability. Every vote taken by ballots shall be counted by a duly appointed inspector or inspectors.
          (c) With respect to the use of proxies at any meeting of Members, the Company shall be governed by paragraphs (b), (c), (d) and (e) of Section 212 of the DGCL and other applicable provisions of the DGCL, as though the Company were a Delaware corporation.
          (d) With respect to any contested matter relating to any election, appointment, removal or resignation of any Director, the Company shall be governed by Section 225 of the DGCL and any other applicable provision of the DGCL, as though the Company were a Delaware corporation.
     Section 11.13 Notice of Member Business and Nominations.
          (a) Subject to Section 7.1(d) of this Agreement, nominations of Persons for election to the Board of Directors of the Company and the proposal of business to be considered by the Members may be made at an annual meeting of Members (i) pursuant to the Company’s notice of meeting delivered pursuant to Section 11.4 of this Agreement, (ii) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, (iii) for nominations to the Board of Directors only, by any holder of Outstanding Units who is entitled to vote at the meeting, who complied with the notice procedures set forth in paragraph (b) or (d) of this Section 11.13 and who was a Record Holder of a sufficient number of Outstanding Units as of the Record Date for such meeting to elect one or more members to the Board of Directors assuming that such holder cast all of the votes it is entitled to cast in such election in favor of a single candidate and such candidate received no other votes from any other holder of Outstanding Units, or (iv) by any holder of Outstanding Units who is entitled to vote at the meeting, who complied with the notice procedures set forth in paragraphs (c) or (d) of this Section 11.13 and who is a Record Holder of Outstanding Units at the time such notice is delivered to the Secretary of the Company.
          (b) For nominations to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a Unitholder pursuant to Section 11.13(a)(iii), the Unitholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Company. To be timely, a Unitholder’s notice shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Company not less than 90 or more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary (the “Anniversary”) of the date on which the Company first mailed its proxy materials for the preceding year’s annual meeting of Members; provided, however, that if the date of the

63


 

annual meeting is advanced more than 30 days prior to or delayed by more than thirty (30) days after the anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting, notice by the Unitholder to be timely must be so delivered not later than the close of business on the later of (x) the ninetieth day prior to such annual meeting or (y) the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made. Such Unitholder’s notice shall set forth: (A) as to each Person whom the Unitholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a Director all information relating to such Person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of Directors, or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, including such Person’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a Director if elected and (B) as to the Unitholder giving the notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination or proposal is made the name and address of such Unitholder, as they appear on the Company’s books, and of such beneficial owner, the class and number of Units of the Company which are owned beneficially and of record by such Unitholder and such beneficial owner. Such holder shall be entitled to nominate as many candidates for election to the Board of Directors as would be elected assuming such holder cast the precise number of votes necessary to elect each candidate and no more votes were cast by such holder or any other holder for such candidates.
          (c) For nominations or other business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a Unitholder pursuant to Section 11.13(a)(iv), (i) the Unitholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Company, (ii) such business must be a proper matter for Member action under this Agreement and the Delaware Act, (iii) if the Unitholder, or the beneficial owner on whose behalf any such proposal or nomination is made, has provided the Company with a Solicitation Notice, such Unitholder or beneficial owner must, in the case of a proposal, have delivered a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Company’s Outstanding Units required under this Agreement or Delaware law to carry any such proposal, or, in the case of a nomination or nominations, have delivered a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of a percentage of the Company’s Outstanding Units reasonably believed by such Unitholder or beneficial holder to be sufficient to elect the nominee or nominees proposed to be nominated by such Unitholder, and must, in either case, have included in such materials the Solicitation Notice and (iv) if no Solicitation Notice relating thereto has been timely provided pursuant to this Section 11.13, the Unitholder or beneficial owner proposing such business or nomination must not have solicited a number of proxies sufficient to have required the delivery of such a Solicitation Notice. To be timely, a Unitholder’s notice shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Company not less than 90 or more than 120 days prior to the first Anniversary; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting is advanced more than thirty (30) days prior to or delayed by more than thirty (30) days after the anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting, notice by the Unitholder to be timely must be so delivered not later than the close of business on the later of (x) the ninetieth day prior to such annual meeting or (y) the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made. Such Unitholder’s notice shall set forth: (A) as to each Person whom the Unitholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a Director all information

64


 

relating to such Person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of Directors, or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act, including such Person’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a Director if elected; (B) as to any other business that the Unitholder proposes to bring before the meeting, a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting, the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting and any material interest in such business of such Unitholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made; and (C) as to the Unitholder giving the notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination or proposal is made the name and address of such Unitholder, as they appear on the Company’s books, and of such beneficial owner, the class and number of Units of the Company which are owned beneficially and of record by such Unitholder and such beneficial owner, and whether either such Unitholder or beneficial owner intends to deliver a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of, in the case of a proposal, at least the percentage of the Company’s Outstanding Units required under this Agreement or Delaware law to carry the proposal or, in the case of a nomination or nominations, a sufficient number of holders of the Company’s Outstanding Units to elect such nominee or nominees (an affirmative statement of such intent, a “Solicitation Notice”).
          (d) Notwithstanding anything in the second sentence of Section 11.13(b) or the second sentence of Section 11.13(c) to the contrary, if the number of Directors to be elected to the Board of Directors is increased and there is no public announcement naming all of the nominees for Director or specifying the size of the increased Board of Directors made by the Company at least 90 days prior to the Anniversary, then a Unitholder’s notice required by this Section 11.13 shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if it shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Company not later than the close of business on the tenth day following the day on which such public announcement is first made by the Company.
          (e) Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of Members as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Company’s notice of meeting pursuant to Section 11.4 of this Agreement. Subject to Section 7.1(d) of this Agreement, nominations of Persons for election to the Board of Directors may be made at a special meeting of Members at which Directors are to be elected pursuant to the Company’s notice of meeting (i) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, (ii) by any holder of Outstanding Units who is entitled to vote at the meeting, who complied with the notice procedures set forth in paragraph (b) or (d) of this Section 11.13 and who was a Record Holder of a sufficient number of Outstanding Units as of the Record Date for such meeting to elect one or more members to the Board of Directors assuming that such holder cast all of the votes it is entitled to cast in such election in favor of a single candidate and such candidate received no other votes from any other holder of Outstanding Units, or (iii) by any holder of Outstanding Units who is entitled to vote at the meeting, who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 11.13 and who is a Record Holder of Outstanding Units at the time such notice is delivered to the Secretary of the Company. Nominations by Unitholders of Persons for election to the Board of Directors may be made at such a special meeting of Members if the

65


 

Unitholder’s notice as required by Section 11.13(b) or Section 11.13(c) shall be delivered to the Secretary of the Company not earlier than the ninetieth day prior to such special meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the seventieth day prior to such special meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement is first made of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board of Directors to be elected at such meeting. Holders of Outstanding Units making nominations pursuant to Section 11.13(d)(ii) shall be entitled to nominate the number of candidates for election at such special meeting as provided in Section 11.13(b) for an annual meeting.
          (f) Except to the extent otherwise provided in Section 7.1(d) with respect to vacancies, only Persons who are nominated in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 11.13 shall be eligible to serve as Directors and only such business shall be conducted at a meeting of Members as shall have been brought before the meeting in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 11.13. Except as otherwise provided herein or required by law, the chairman of the meeting shall have the power and duty to determine whether a nomination or any business proposed to be brought before the meeting was made in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 11.13 and, if any proposed nomination or business is not in compliance with this Section 11.13, to declare that such defective proposal or nomination shall be disregarded.
          (g) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 11.13, a Member shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth in this Section 11.13. Nothing in this Section 11.13 shall be deemed to affect any rights of Members to request inclusion of proposals in the Company’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.
ARTICLE XII
MERGER
     Section 12.1 Authority. The Company may merge or consolidate with one or more limited liability companies or “other business entities” as defined in Section 18-209 of the Delaware Act, formed under the laws of the State of Delaware or any other state of the United States of America, pursuant to a written agreement of merger or consolidation (“Merger Agreement”) in accordance with this Article XII.
     Section 12.2 Procedure for Merger or Consolidation. Merger or consolidation of the Company pursuant to this Article XII requires the prior approval of the Board of Directors. If the Board of Directors shall determine to consent to the merger or consolidation, the Board of Directors shall approve the Merger Agreement, which shall set forth:
          (a) the names and jurisdictions of formation or organization of each of the business entities proposing to merge or consolidate;

66


 

          (b) the name and jurisdiction of formation or organization of the business entity that is to survive the proposed merger or consolidation (the “Surviving Business Entity”);
          (c) the terms and conditions of the proposed merger or consolidation;
          (d) the manner and basis of exchanging or converting the rights or securities of, or interests in, each constituent business entity for, or into, cash, property, rights, or securities of or interests in, the Surviving Business Entity; and if any rights or securities of, or interests in, any constituent business entity are not to be exchanged or converted solely for, or into, cash, property, rights, or securities of or interests in, the Surviving Business Entity, the cash, property, rights, or securities of or interests in, any limited liability company or other business entity which the holders of such rights, securities or interests are to receive;
          (e) a statement of any changes in the constituent documents or the adoption of new constituent documents (the certificate of formation or limited liability company agreement, articles or certificate of incorporation, articles of trust, declaration of trust, certificate or agreement of limited partnership or other similar charter or governing document) of the Surviving Business Entity to be effected by such merger or consolidation;
          (f) the effective time of the merger, which may be the date of the filing of the certificate of merger pursuant to Section 12.4 or a later date specified in or determinable in accordance with the Merger Agreement (provided, that if the effective time of the merger is to be later than the date of the filing of the certificate of merger, the effective time shall be fixed no later than the time of the filing of the certificate of merger and stated therein); and
          (g) such other provisions with respect to the proposed merger or consolidation that the Board of Directors determines to be necessary or appropriate.
     Section 12.3 Approval by Members of Merger or Consolidation.
          (a) Except as provided in Section 12.3(d), the Board of Directors, upon its approval of the Merger Agreement, shall direct that the Merger Agreement be submitted to a vote of Members, whether at an annual meeting or a special meeting, in either case in accordance with the requirements of Article XI. A copy or a summary of the Merger Agreement shall be included in or enclosed with the notice of meeting.
          (b) Except as provided in Section 12.3(d), the Merger Agreement shall be approved upon receiving the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of a Unit Majority unless the Merger Agreement contains any provision that, if contained in an amendment to this Agreement, the provisions of this Agreement or the Delaware Act would require for its approval the vote or consent of a greater percentage of the Outstanding Units or of any class of Members, in which case such greater percentage vote or consent shall be required for approval of the Merger Agreement.

67


 

          (c) Except as provided in Section 12.3(d), after such approval by vote or consent of the Members, and at any time prior to the filing of the certificate of merger pursuant to Section 12.4, the merger or consolidation may be abandoned pursuant to provisions therefor, if any, set forth in the Merger Agreement.
          (d) Notwithstanding anything else contained in this Article XII or in this Agreement, the Board of Directors is permitted without Member approval, to convert the Company or any Group Member into a new limited liability entity, to merge the Company or any Group Member into, or convey all of the Company’s assets to, another limited liability entity which shall be newly formed and shall have no assets, liabilities or operations at the time of such conversion, merger or conveyance other than those it receives from the Company or other Group Member if (i) the Board of Directors has received an Opinion of Counsel that the conversion, merger or conveyance, as the case may be, would not result in the loss of the limited liability of any Member or any Group Member or cause the Company or any Group Member to be treated as an association taxable as a corporation or otherwise to be taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes (to the extent not previously treated as such), (ii) the sole purpose of such conversion, merger or conveyance is to effect a mere change in the legal form of the Company into another limited liability entity and (iii) the governing instruments of the new entity provide the Members and the Board of Directors with the same rights and obligations as are herein contained.
          (e) Members are not entitled to dissenters’ rights of appraisal in the event of a merger or consolidation pursuant to Section 12.1, a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company or the Company’s Subsidiaries, or any other transaction or event.
     Section 12.4 Certificate of Merger. Upon the required approval by the Board of Directors and the Unitholders of a Merger Agreement, a certificate of merger shall be executed and filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in conformity with the requirements of the Delaware Act.
     Section 12.5 Effect of Merger.
          (a) At the effective time of the certificate of merger:
          (i) all of the rights, privileges and powers of each of the business entities that has merged or consolidated, and all property, real, personal and mixed, and all debts due to any of those business entities shall be vested in the Surviving Business Entity and after the merger or consolidation shall be the property of the Surviving Business Entity and all other things and causes of action belonging to each of those business entities, shall be vested in the Surviving Business Entity to the extent they were of each constituent business entity;
          (ii) the title to any real property vested by deed or otherwise in any of those constituent business entities shall not revert and is not in any way impaired because of the merger or consolidation;

68


 

          (iii) all rights of creditors and all liens on or security interests in property of any of those constituent business entities shall be preserved unimpaired; and
          (iv) all debts, liabilities and duties of those constituent business entities shall attach to the Surviving Business Entity and may be enforced against it to the same extent as if the debts, liabilities and duties had been incurred or contracted by it.
          (b) A merger or consolidation effected pursuant to this Article XII shall not be deemed to result in a transfer or assignment of assets or liabilities from one entity to another.
     Section 12.6 Business Combination Limitations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, with respect to any “Business Combination” (as such term is defined in Section 203 of the DGCL), the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL shall be applied with respect to the Company as though the Company were a Delaware corporation.
ARTICLE XIII
RIGHT TO ACQUIRE MEMBER INTERESTS
     Section 13.1 Right to Acquire Member Interests.
          (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, if at any time any Person holds more than 90% of the total Member Interests of any class then Outstanding, such Person shall then have the right, which right it may assign and transfer in whole or in part to the Company or any of its Affiliates, exercisable at its option, to purchase all, but not less than all, of such Member Interests of such class then Outstanding held by other holders, at the greater of (x) the Current Market Price as of the date three days prior to the date that the notice described in Section 13.1(b) is mailed and (y) the highest price paid by such Person or any of its Affiliates for any such Interest of such class purchased during the 90-day period preceding the date that the notice described in Section 13.1(b) is mailed. As used in this Agreement, (i) “Current Market Price” as of any date of any class of Interests listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange means the average of the daily Closing Prices (as hereinafter defined) per Interest of such class for the 20 consecutive Trading Days (as hereinafter defined) immediately prior to such date; (ii) “Closing Price” for any day means the average of the high bid and low asked prices on such day, regular way, or in the case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices on such day, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system for securities listed or admitted for trading on the principal National Securities Exchange on which the units of that class are listed or admitted to trading, or if the units of that class are not listed or admitted for trading on any National Securities Exchange, the last quoted price on that day, or if no quoted price exists, the average of the high bid low asked price on that day in the over-the-counter market, as reported by the primary reporting system then in use, or, if on any such day such Interests of such

69


 

class are not quoted by any such organization of that type, the average of the closing bid and asked prices on such day as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in such Interests of such class selected by the Board of Directors, or if on any such day no market maker is making a market in such Interests of such class, the fair value of such Interests on such day as determined by the Board of Directors; and (iii) “Trading Day” means a day on which the principal National Securities Exchange on which such Interests of any class are listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business or, if Interests of a class are not listed or admitted to trading on any National Securities Exchange, a day on which banking institutions in New York City generally are open.
          (b) If any Person elects to exercise the right to purchase Interests granted pursuant to Section 13.1(a), the Board of Directors shall deliver to the Transfer Agent notice of such election to purchase (the “Notice of Election to Purchase”) and shall cause the Transfer Agent to mail a copy of such Notice of Election to Purchase to the Record Holders of Interests of such class (as of a Record Date selected by the Board of Directors) at least 10, but not more than 60, days prior to the Purchase Date. Such Notice of Election to Purchase shall also be published for a period of at least three consecutive days in at least two daily newspapers of general circulation printed in the English language and published in the Borough of Manhattan, New York. The Notice of Election to Purchase shall specify the Purchase Date and the price (determined in accordance with Section 13.1(a)) at which Interests will be purchased and state that such Person elects to purchase such Interests, upon surrender of Certificates representing such Interests, or the delivery of such other documentation as may be required to transfer uncertificated Interests, in exchange for payment, at such office or offices of the Transfer Agent as the Transfer Agent may specify, or as may be required by any National Securities Exchange on which such Interests are listed or admitted to trading. Any such Notice of Election to Purchase mailed to a Record Holder of Interests at his address as reflected in the records of the Transfer Agent shall be conclusively presumed to have been given regardless of whether the owner receives such notice. On or prior to the Purchase Date, the Person exercising the right to purchase hereunder shall deposit with the Transfer Agent cash in an amount sufficient to pay the aggregate purchase price of all of such Interests to be purchased in accordance with this Section 13.1. If the Notice of Election to Purchase shall have been duly given as aforesaid at least 10 days prior to the Purchase Date, and if on or prior to the Purchase Date the deposit described in the preceding sentence has been made for the benefit of the holders of Interests subject to purchase as provided herein, then from and after the Purchase Date, notwithstanding that any Certificate shall not have been surrendered for purchase, or such other documentation as may be required to transfer uncertificated Interests shall not have been delivered, all rights of the holders of such Interests (including any rights pursuant to Articles IV, V, VI, and X) shall thereupon cease, except the right to receive the purchase price (determined in accordance with Section 13.1(a)) for Interests therefor, without interest, upon surrender to the Transfer Agent of the Certificates representing such Interests, or delivery of such other documentation as may be required to transfer uncertificated Interests, and such Interests shall thereupon be deemed to be transferred to the Person exercising the right to purchase hereunder on the record books of the Transfer Agent and the Company, and such Person shall be deemed to be the owner of all such Interests from and after the Purchase Date

70


 

and shall have all rights as the owner of such Interests (including all rights as owner of such Interests pursuant to Articles IV, V, VI and X).
          (c) At any time from and after the Purchase Date, a holder of an Outstanding Interest subject to purchase as provided in this Section 13.1 may surrender his Certificate evidencing such Interest, or deliver such other documentation as may be required to transfer uncertificated Interests, to the Transfer Agent in exchange for payment of the amount described in Section 13.1(a), therefor, without interest thereon.
          (d) Upon the exercise by any Person of the right to purchase Interests granted pursuant to Section 13.1(a), no Member shall be entitled to dissenters’ rights of appraisal.
ARTICLE XIV
GENERAL PROVISIONS
     Section 14.1 Addresses and Notices. Any notice, demand, request, report or proxy materials required or permitted to be given or made to a Member under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed given or made when delivered in person or when sent by first class United States mail or by other means of written communication to the Member at the address described below. Any notice, payment or report to be given or made to a Member hereunder shall be deemed conclusively to have been given or made, and the obligation to give such notice or report or to make such payment shall be deemed conclusively to have been fully satisfied, upon sending of such notice, payment or report to the Record Holder of such Company Securities at his address as shown on the records of the Transfer Agent or as otherwise shown on the records of the Company, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an interest in such Company Securities by reason of any assignment or otherwise. An affidavit or certificate of making of any notice, payment or report in accordance with the provisions of this Section 14.1 executed by the Company, the Transfer Agent or the mailing organization shall be prima facie evidence of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report. If any notice, payment or report addressed to a Record Holder at the address of such Record Holder appearing on the books and records of the Transfer Agent or the Company is returned by the United States Postal Service marked to indicate that the United States Postal Service is unable to deliver it, such notice, payment or report and any subsequent notices, payments and reports shall be deemed to have been duly given or made without further mailing (until such time as such Record Holder or another Person notifies the Transfer Agent or the Company of a change in his address) if they are available for the Member at the principal office of the Company for a period of one year from the date of the giving or making of such notice, payment or report to the other Members. Any notice to the Company shall be deemed given if received by the Secretary at the principal office of the Company designated pursuant to Section 2.3. The Board of Directors and the Officers may rely and shall be protected in relying on any notice or other document from a Member or other Person if believed by it to be genuine.

71


 

     Section 14.2 Further Action. The parties shall execute and deliver all documents, provide all information and take or refrain from taking action as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this Agreement.
     Section 14.3 Binding Effect. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, legal representatives and permitted assigns.
     Section 14.4 Integration. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the parties hereto pertaining to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings pertaining thereto.
     Section 14.5 Creditors. None of the provisions of this Agreement shall be for the benefit of, or shall be enforceable by, any creditor of the Company.
     Section 14.6 Waiver. No failure by any party to insist upon the strict performance of any covenant, duty, agreement or condition of this Agreement or to exercise any right or remedy consequent upon a breach thereof shall constitute waiver of any such breach of any other covenant, duty, agreement or condition.
     Section 14.7 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, all of which together shall constitute an agreement binding on all the parties hereto, notwithstanding that all such parties are not signatories to the original or the same counterpart. Each party shall become bound by this Agreement immediately upon affixing its signature hereto or, in the case of a Person acquiring a Unit, upon accepting the Certificate evidencing such Unit, or upon the Transfer Agent making an entry in the Unitholder records of the Company evidencing such Unit in the case of the issuance of uncertificated Units.
     Section 14.8 Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware applicable to contracts executed and to be performed solely in such state.
     Section 14.9 Invalidity of Provisions. If any provision of this Agreement is or becomes invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein shall not be affected thereby.
     Section 14.10 Consent of Members. Each Member hereby expressly consents and agrees that, whenever in this Agreement it is specified that an action may be taken upon the affirmative vote or consent of less than all of the Members, such action may be so taken upon the concurrence of less than all of the Members and each Member shall be bound by the results of such action.
Remainder of page intentionally left blank.

72


 

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been executed as of the date first written above.
             
    LINN ENERGY, LLC    
 
           
 
  By:   /s/ Mark E. Ellis    
 
     
 
   
 
  Name:   Mark E. Ellis    
 
     
 
   
 
  Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer    
 
     
 
   
Signature Page to Third Amended and Restated
Limited Liability Company Agreement

73


 

EXHIBIT A
to the Third Amended and
Restated Agreement of Limited Liability Company of
Linn Energy, LLC
Certificate Evidencing Units
Representing Member Interests in
Linn Energy, LLC
No. [          ] [          ] Units
     In accordance with Section 4.1 of the Third Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Linn Energy, LLC, as amended, supplemented or restated from time to time (the “Company Agreement”), Linn Energy, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”), hereby certifies that [    ] (the “Holder”) is the registered owner of Units representing Interests in the Company (the “Units”) transferable on the books of the Company, in person or by duly authorized attorney, upon surrender of this Certificate properly endorsed. The rights, preferences and limitations of the Units are set forth in, and this Certificate and the Units represented hereby are issued and shall in all respects be subject to the terms and provisions of, the Company Agreement. Copies of the Company Agreement are on file at, and will be furnished without charge on delivery of written request to the Company at, the principal office of the Company located at 600 Travis, Suite 5100, Houston, Texas 77002 or such other address as may be specified by notice under the Company Agreement. Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meanings given them in the Company Agreement.
     The Holder, by accepting this Certificate, is deemed to have (i) requested admission as, and agreed to become, a Member and to have agreed to comply with and be bound by and to have executed the Company Agreement, (ii) represented and warranted that the Holder has all right, power and authority and, if an individual, the capacity necessary to enter into the Company Agreement, (iii) granted the powers of attorney provided for in the Company Agreement and (iv) made the waivers and given the consents and approvals contained in the Company Agreement.
     This Certificate shall not be valid for any purpose unless it has been countersigned and registered by the Transfer Agent and Registrar.
Date:                                         
                 
Countersigned and Registered by:       Linn Energy, LLC    
 
               
 
      By:        
 
as Transfer Agent and Registrar
      Name:  
 
   
 
         
 
   
 
      Title:        
 
         
 
   

A-1


 

Reverse of Certificate
ABBREVIATIONS
     The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this Certificate, shall be construed as follows according to applicable laws or regulations:
     Additional abbreviations, though not in the above list, may also be used.
             
TEN COM —
  as tenants in common   UNIF GIFT/TRANSFERS MIN ACT
 
           
TEN ENT —   as tenants by the entireties   Custodian
 
      (Cust)   (Minor)
 
           
JT TEN —   as joint tenants with right   under Uniform Gifts/Transfers to CD
 
  of survivorship and not as tenants in common   Minors Act   (State)
Additional abbreviations, though not in the above list, may also be used.

A-2


 

ASSIGNMENT OF UNITS
in
LINN ENERGY, LLC
     
FOR VALUE RECEIVED,
   
 
   
(Please print or typewrite name and address of Assignee)
  (Please insert Social Security or other identifying number of Assignee)
Units representing Member Interests evidenced by this Certificate, subject to the Company Agreement, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint           as its attorney-in-fact with full power of substitution to transfer the same on the books of Linn Energy, LLC.
     
Date:                                         
  NOTE: The signature to any endorsement hereon must correspond with the name as written upon the face of this Certificate in every particular, without alteration, enlargement or change.
 
   
 
   
SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY A MEMBER FIRM OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECURITIES DEALERS, INC. OR BY A COMMERCIAL BANK OR TRUST COMPANY SIGNATURE(S) GUARANTEED
  (Signature)
 
   
 
  (Signature)
No transfer of the Units evidenced hereby will be registered on the books of the Company, unless the Certificate evidencing the Units to be transferred is surrendered for registration of transfer.

A-3