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8-K - 8-K - SARATOGA RESOURCES INC /TXsara8k112912.htm
EX-99 - EXHIBIT 99.1 - SARATOGA RESOURCES INC /TXexhibit991.htm



Exhibit 10.1

$25,000,000

SARATOGA RESOURCES, INC.


12½% Senior Secured Notes due 2016



PURCHASE AGREEMENT


November 29, 2012

IMPERIAL CAPITAL, LLC

2000 Avenue of the Stars

9th Floor, South Tower

Los Angeles, California 90067

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Saratoga Resources, Inc., a Texas corporation (the “Company”), and each of the Guarantors (as hereinafter defined) hereby agree with you as follows:

1.

Issuance of Notes.  Subject to the terms and conditions herein contained, the Company proposes to issue and sell to Imperial Capital, LLC (the “Initial Purchaser”) $25,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 12½% Senior Secured Notes due 2016 (the “Notes”).  The Company previously issued $127,500,000 aggregate principal amount of 12½% Senior Secured Notes due 2016.  The Notes will be issued pursuant to that certain indenture (the “Base Indenture”), dated as of July 12, 2011, to be amended by the First Supplemental Indenture, to be dated as of December 4, 2012 (the “First Supplemental Indenture” and, together with the Base Indenture, the “Indenture”), each by and among the Company, the Guarantors party thereto and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the “Trustee”).  Capitalized terms used, but not defined herein, shall have the meanings set forth in the “Description of Notes” section of the Final Offering Circular (as hereinafter defined).

The Notes will be offered and sold to the Initial Purchaser pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), including without limitation exemption under Rule 144A and Regulation S. Upon original issuance thereof, and until such time as the same is no longer required under the applicable requirements of the Securities Act, the Notes shall bear the legends set forth in the final offering circular, dated the date hereof  (the “Final Offering Circular”).  The Company has prepared (i) a preliminary offering circular, dated November 14, 2012 (the “Preliminary Offering Circular”), (ii) a pricing term sheet, dated the date hereof, attached hereto as Schedule I, which includes pricing terms and other information with respect to the Notes (the “Pricing Supplement”), and (iii) the Final Offering Circular, in each case, relating to the offer and sale of the Notes (the “Offering”).  All references in this Agreement to the Preliminary Offering Circular, the Time of Sale Document or the Final Offering Circular include, unless expressly stated otherwise, (i) all amendments or supplements thereto, (ii) all documents, financial statements and schedules and other information contained or incorporated by reference therein (and references in this Agreement to such information being “contained,” “included” or “stated” (and other references of like import) in the Preliminary Offering Circular, the Time of Sale Document or the Final Offering Circular shall be deemed to mean all such information contained or incorporated by reference therein), (iii) any electronic Time of Sale Document or Final Offering Circular and (iv) any offering circular “wrapper” to be used in connection with offers to sell, solicitations of offers to buy or sales of the Notes in non-U.S. jurisdictions.  The Preliminary Offering Circular as supplemented by the Pricing Supplement are collectively referred to herein as the “Time of Sale Document.”







2.

Terms of Offering.  The Initial Purchaser has advised the Company, and the Company understands, that the Initial Purchaser will make offers to sell some or all of the Notes purchased by the Initial Purchaser hereunder on the terms set forth in the Final Offering Circular to persons (the “Subsequent Purchasers”) whom the Initial Purchaser reasonably believes (i) are “qualified institutional buyers” (“QIBs”) (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act), or (ii) are not “U.S. persons” (as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) and in compliance with the laws applicable to such persons in jurisdictions outside of the United States, with the Notes being offered and sold to the Subsequent Purchasers pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act (the “Exempt Resales”).

Holders of the Notes (including Subsequent Purchasers) will have the registration rights set forth in the registration rights agreement applicable to the Notes (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) to be executed on and dated as of the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined). Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, the Company will agree, among other things, to file with the SEC (a) a registration statement under the Securities Act (the “Exchange Offer Registration Statement”) relating to notes to be offered in exchange for the Notes (the “Exchange Notes”) which shall be identical to the Notes, except that the Exchange Notes shall have been registered pursuant to the Exchange Offer Registration Statement and will not be subject to restrictions on transfer or contain additional interest provisions, (such offer to exchange being referred to as the “Exchange Offer”), and/or (b) under certain circumstances, a shelf registration statement pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act (the “Shelf Registration Statement”) relating to the resale by certain holders of the Notes.  If the Company fails to satisfy its obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement, it will be required to pay additional interest to the holders of the Notes under certain circumstances to be set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.

The payment of principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior secured basis, jointly and severally, by (i) the entities listed on the signature pages hereof as “Guarantors” and (ii) any subsidiary of the Company formed or acquired after the Closing Date that executes an additional guarantee in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, and their respective successors and assigns (collectively, the “Guarantors”), pursuant to their guarantees (the “Guarantees”). The Notes and the Guarantees attached thereto are herein collectively referred to as the “Securities”; and the Exchange Notes and the Guarantees attached thereto (the “Exchange Guarantees”) are herein collectively referred to as the “Exchange Securities.”

The Securities and the Exchange Securities will be secured, subject to Permitted Liens (as defined in the Indenture), by liens on the Collateral (as defined in the Security Documents (as defined below)) as more particularly described in the Time of Sale Document and documented by that certain security agreement, dated as of July 12, 2011 (the “Security Agreement”), and other instruments evidencing or creating a security interest (collectively, with the Security Agreement, the “Security Documents”) in favor of The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. as collateral agent (in such capacity, the “Collateral Agent”), for its benefit and the benefit of the Trustee and the holders of the Notes.

This Agreement, the Indenture (including the First Supplemental Indenture), the Security Agreement, the Security Documents, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Notes, the Guarantees, the Engagement Letter dated November 12, 2012 (the “Engagement Letter”) between the Company and the Initial Purchaser, the Exchange Notes and the Exchange Guarantees are collectively referred to herein as the “Documents.”  The issuance and the sale of the Securities, the issuance of the Exchange Securities and the Exchange Guarantees and the payment of transaction costs and all other transactions contemplated hereby and by the Time of Sale Document are collectively referred to herein as the “Transactions.”  Nothing in this Agreement should be read to limit or otherwise modify the terms and provisions of the Engagement Letter, provided that, in the event any terms of the Engagement Letter are inconsistent with or contradict any terms of this Agreement, this Agreement shall govern.

3.

Purchase, Sale and Delivery.  On the basis of the representations, warranties, agreements and covenants herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the Initial Purchaser, and the Initial Purchaser agrees to purchase from the Company, the Securities at a purchase price of 95.58% of the principal amount thereof.  Delivery to the Initial Purchaser of and payment for the Securities shall be made at a closing (the “Closing”) to be held at 10:00 a.m., New York time, on December 4, 2012 (the “Closing Date”) at the New York offices of Proskauer Rose LLP, Eleven Times Square, New York, New York 10036 (or such other place as shall be reasonably acceptable to the Initial Purchaser); provided, however, that if the Closing has not taken place on the Closing Date because of a failure to satisfy one or more of the conditions



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specified in Section 7 hereof and this Agreement has not otherwise been terminated by the Initial Purchaser in accordance with its terms, “Closing Date” shall mean 10:00 a.m. New York time on the first business day following the satisfaction (or waiver) of all such conditions after notification by the Company to the Initial Purchaser of the satisfaction (or waiver) of such conditions.

The Company shall deliver to the Initial Purchaser one or more certificates representing the Securities, registered in such names and denominations as the Initial Purchaser may request, against payment by the Initial Purchaser of the purchase price therefor by immediately available federal funds bank wire transfer to such bank account or accounts as the Company shall designate to the Initial Purchaser at least two business days prior to the Closing.  The certificates representing the Securities shall be made available to the Initial Purchaser for inspection at the New York offices of Proskauer Rose LLP, Eleven Times Square, New York, New York 10036 (or such other place as shall be reasonably acceptable to the Initial Purchaser) not later than 10:00 a.m. New York time one business day immediately preceding the Closing Date.  Securities to be represented by one or more global securities in book-entry form will be deposited on the Closing Date, by or on behalf of the Company, with The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its designated custodian, and registered in the name of Cede & Co.

4.

Representations and Warranties of the Company and the Guarantors.  The Company and the Guarantors jointly and severally represent and warrant to, and agree with, the Initial Purchaser that, as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date (except to the extent expressly made as of a specified date, in which case as of such date):

(a)

Limitation on Offering Materials.  The Company has not prepared, made, used, authorized, approved or distributed and will not, and will not cause or allow its agents or representatives to, prepare, make, use, authorize, approve or distribute any written communication that constitutes an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Securities, or otherwise is prepared to market the Securities, other than (i) the Time of Sale Document, (ii) the Final Offering Circular and (iii) any marketing materials (including any roadshow or investor presentation materials) or other written communications, in each case used in accordance with Section 5(c) hereof (each such communication by the Company or its agents or representatives described in this clause (iii), a “Company Additional Written Communication”).

(b)

No Material Misstatement or Omission.  (i) The Time of Sale Document, as of the date thereof, did not and, at all times subsequent thereto through the Closing Date, will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (ii) the Final Offering Circular, as of the date thereof, did not and, at the time of the sale of the Securities and at the Closing Date, will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and (iii) each such Company Additional Written Communication, when taken together with the Time of Sale Document, did not, and, at the Closing Date, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except in each case that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph do not apply to statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to the Initial Purchaser and furnished to the Company in writing by the Initial Purchaser expressly for use in the Time of Sale Document or the Final Offering Circular as set forth in Section 12.  No injunction or order has been issued that either (i) asserts that any of the Transactions is subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act or (ii) would prevent or suspend the issuance or sale of any of the Securities or the use of the Time of Sale Document or the Final Offering Circular in any jurisdiction. No statement of material fact included in the Final Offering Circular has been omitted from the Time of Sale Document, and no statement of material fact included in the Time of Sale Document has been omitted from the Final Offering Circular.

(c)

Reporting Compliance.  The Company is subject to, and is in full compliance in all material respects with, the reporting requirements of Section 13 and Section 15(d), as applicable, of the Exchange Act.



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(d)

Preparation of the Financial Statements.  The audited consolidated financial statements and related notes and supporting schedules of the Company and the Subsidiaries contained in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular (the “Financial Statements”) present fairly the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries, as of the respective dates and for the respective periods to which they apply and have been prepared in accordance with GAAP applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved and the requirements of Regulation S-X. The financial data set forth under the caption “Summary Historical Consolidated and Combined Financial and Other Data” in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular has been prepared on a basis consistent with that of the Financial Statements and present fairly the financial position and results of operations of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of the respective dates and for the respective periods indicated.  All other financial, statistical and market and industry data and forward-looking statements (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular are fairly and accurately presented, are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate and are presented on a reasonable basis.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this subsection, with respect to all statistical and industry data and forward-looking statements, the Company and the Subsidiaries only warrant that such information was prepared based on assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time.

(e)

Disclosure Controls and Procedures.  The Company and the Subsidiaries maintain an effective system of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that is designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.  The Company and the Subsidiaries have carried out evaluations of the effectiveness of their disclosure controls and procedures as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act.  The statements relating to disclosure controls and procedures made by the principal executive officers (or their equivalents) and principal financial officers (or their equivalents) of the Company in the certifications required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith are materially complete and correct.

(f)

Independent Accountants.  MaloneBailey, LLP, who have certified and expressed their opinion with respect to the financial statements including the related notes thereto and supporting schedules contained in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular, are (i) an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and the Subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the SEC and as required by the Securities Act, (ii) in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Regulation S-X and (iii) a registered public accounting firm as defined by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) whose registration has not been suspended or revoked and who has not requested such registration to be withdrawn.

(g)

No Material Adverse Change.  Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is contained in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular, except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular, (i) neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has incurred any liabilities, direct or contingent, including without limitation any losses or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood, earthquakes, accident or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any strike, labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, that are material, individually or in the aggregate, to the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or has entered into any transactions not in the ordinary course of business, (ii) there has not been any material decrease in the capital stock or any material increase in any short-term or long-term indebtedness of the Company or the Subsidiaries, or any payment of or declaration to pay any dividends or any other distribution with respect to the Company and (iii) there has not been any material adverse change in the properties, business, prospects, operations, earnings, assets, liabilities or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole (each of clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), a “Material Adverse Change”). To the Company’s knowledge, there is no event that is reasonably likely to occur, which if it were to occur, would,



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individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect (as hereinafter defined) except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular.

(h)

Rating Agencies.  No “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as defined in Rule 436(g)(2) under the Securities Act) (i) has imposed (or has informed the Company that it is considering imposing) any condition (financial or otherwise) to retain any rating assigned to the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or to any securities of  the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or (ii) has notified the Company that it is considering (A) the downgrading, suspension, or withdrawal of, or any review (or of any potential or intended review) for a possible change in, any rating so assigned (including, without limitation, the placing of any of the foregoing ratings on credit watch with negative or developing implications or under review with an uncertain direction) or (B) any adverse or negative change in the outlook for any rating of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or any securities of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries.

(i)

Subsidiaries. Each corporation, partnership or other entity in which the Company, directly or indirectly through any of its subsidiaries, owns more than fifty percent (50%) of any class of equity securities or interests is listed on Schedule II attached hereto (the “Subsidiaries”).

(j)

Incorporation and Good Standing of the Company and its Subsidiaries; MAE.  The Company and each of the Subsidiaries (i) has been duly organized or formed, as the case may be, is validly existing and is in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of organization, (ii) has all requisite power and authority to carry on its business and to own, lease and operate its properties and assets as described in the Time of Sale Document and in the Final Offering Circular and (iii) is duly qualified or licensed to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation, partnership or other entity as the case may be, authorized to do business in each jurisdiction in which the nature of such businesses or the ownership or leasing of such properties requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on (A) the properties, business, prospects, operations, earnings, assets, liabilities or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (B) the ability of the Company or any Subsidiary to perform its obligations in all material respects under any Document, (C) the enforceability of any Security Document or the attachment, perfection or priority of any of the liens or security interests intended to be created thereby, (D) the validity or enforceability of any of the Documents, or (E) the consummation of any of the Transactions (each, a “Material Adverse Effect”).

(k)

Capitalization and Other Capital Stock Matters.  All of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company and each of the Subsidiaries have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and nonassessable and were not issued in violation of, and are not subject to, any preemptive or similar rights.  The table under the caption “Capitalization” in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular (including the footnotes thereto) sets forth, as of its date, the capitalization of the Company other than subsequent issuances, if any, pursuant to employee benefit plans or upon exercise of outstanding options or warrants as described in the Final Offering Circular.  All of the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each of the Subsidiaries are owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company, free and clear of all liens, security interests, mortgages, pledges, charges, equities, claims or restrictions on transferability or encumbrances of any kind (collectively, “Liens), other than those Permitted Liens and those imposed by the Securities Act and the securities or “Blue Sky” laws of certain U.S. state or non-U.S. jurisdictions. Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular, there are no outstanding (A) options, warrants or other rights to purchase from the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, (B) agreements, contracts, arrangements or other obligations of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries to issue or (C) other rights to convert any obligation into or exchange any securities for, in the case of each of clauses (A) through (C), shares of capital stock of or other ownership or equity interests in the Company or any of the Subsidiaries.

(l)

Legal Power and Authority.  Each of the Company and the Guarantors has all necessary corporate or limited liability company (as applicable) power and authority to execute, deliver and perform their respective obligations under the Documents to which they are a party and to consummate the Transactions.



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(m)

This Agreement, the Base Indenture, the First Supplemental Indenture, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Security Agreement and the Security Documents.  This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Guarantors.  Each of the Base Indenture, the First Supplemental Indenture, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Security Agreement and the Security Documents has been duly and validly authorized by the Company and the Guarantors.  Each of the First Supplemental Indenture and the Registration Rights Agreement, when executed and delivered by the Company and the Guarantors, will constitute a legal, valid and binding obligation of each of the Company and Guarantors, enforceable against each of the Company and the Guarantors in accordance with its terms, except that the enforcement thereof may be subject to (i) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer or other similar laws now or hereafter in effect relating to creditors’ rights generally, (ii) general principles of equity (whether applied by a court of law or equity) and the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought and (iii) with respect to the Registration Rights Agreement, rights to indemnity or contribution thereunder, federal and state securities laws and public policy considerations.  When executed and delivered, this Agreement, the First Supplemental Indenture and the Registration Rights Agreement will conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular. When the First Supplemental Indenture is executed and delivered by the Company and the Guarantors, the Indenture will meet the requirements for qualification under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder (collectively, the “TIA”).

(n)

Notes.  The Notes and the Exchange Notes have each been duly and validly authorized by the Company and, in the case of the Notes, when executed and authenticated in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture and delivered to and paid for by the Initial Purchaser in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the Indenture, will constitute legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company, entitled to the benefit of the Indenture, the Security Agreement, the other Security Documents and the Registration Rights Agreement, and enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except that the enforcement thereof may be subject to (i) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer or other similar laws now or hereafter in effect relating to creditors’ rights generally and (ii) general principles of equity (whether applied by a court of law or equity) and the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.  When executed and delivered, the Notes will conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular and will be in the form contemplated by the Indenture.

(o)

Guarantees.  The Guarantees and the Exchange Guarantees have been duly and validly authorized by the Guarantors and, when issued and executed by the Guarantors, will have been duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered and, when the Notes and the Exchange Notes (as applicable) have been issued, executed and authenticated in accordance with the terms of the Indenture and delivered to and paid for by the Initial Purchaser in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will constitute legal, valid and binding obligations of the Guarantors, entitled to the benefit of the Indenture, the Security Agreement, the other Security Documents and the Registration Rights Agreement, and enforceable against the Guarantors in accordance with their terms, except that the enforcement thereof may be subject to (i) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer or other similar laws now or hereafter in effect relating to creditors’ rights generally and (ii) general principles of equity (whether applied by a court of law or equity) and the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.  When executed and delivered, the Guarantees will conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular.



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(p)

Collateral.

(i)

The Liens granted on the Collateral pursuant to the Security Documents constitute valid and enforceable perfected Liens on the Collateral securing the Obligations under the Notes and the Guarantees, in each case prior and superior in right to any other Person therein (other than any Person holding a Permitted Lien), except that the enforcement thereof may be subject to (i) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer or other similar laws now or hereafter in effect relating to creditors’ rights generally and (ii) general principles of equity (whether applied by a court of law or equity) and the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.

(ii)

As of the Closing Date, there will be no currently effective financing statement, security agreement, chattel mortgage, real estate mortgage or other document filed or recorded with any filing records, registry, or other public office, that purports to cover, affect or give notice of any present or future Lien on any assets or property of the Company, any Guarantor or any Subsidiary or any rights thereunder, except for Permitted Liens.

(iii)

All the information certified by an officer of the Company in the perfection certificate dated as of the Closing Date and delivered by such officer on behalf of the Company is true and correct in all material respects as of the Closing Date.

(q)

Compliance with Existing Instruments.  Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its certificate of incorporation, by-laws or other organizational documents (the “Charter Documents”); (ii) in violation of, to the extent applicable to any of them or any of their respective properties, any U.S. federal, state or local statute, law (including, without limitation, common law) or ordinance, or any judgment, decree, rule, regulation, order or injunction (collectively, “Applicable Law”) of any U.S. federal, state, local or other governmental or regulatory authority, governmental or regulatory agency or body, court, arbitrator or self-regulatory organization (each, a “Governmental Authority”); or (iii) in breach of or default under any bond, debenture, note, loan or other evidence of indebtedness, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, lease or any other agreement or instrument to which any of them is a party or by which any of them or their respective property is bound (collectively, the “Applicable Agreements”), except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), for such violations, breaches or defaults that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.  All Applicable Agreements are in full force and effect and are legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company and/or the Subsidiaries, as the case may be, other than as disclosed in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular, except that the enforcement thereof may be subject to (i) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer or other similar laws now or hereafter in effect relating to creditors’ rights generally and (ii) general principles of equity (whether applied by a court of law or equity) and the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought. To the knowledge of the Company and the Subsidiaries, there exists no condition that, with the passage of time or otherwise, would constitute (a) a violation of such Charter Documents or Applicable Laws, (b) a breach of or default by the Company or the Subsidiaries under any Applicable Agreement, except for such breaches or defaults that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, or a “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” (as defined below) under any Applicable Agreement or (c) result in the imposition of any penalty of a material nature or the acceleration of any indebtedness of a material nature. As used herein, a “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition that gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give, the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties.

(r)

No Conflicts.  Neither the execution, delivery or performance of the Documents nor the consummation of any of the Transactions will conflict with, violate, constitute a breach of or a default (with the passage of time or otherwise) or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event under, or result in the imposition of a Lien on any assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (except for Permitted Liens pursuant to the Indenture), the imposition of any penalty or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event under or pursuant to (i) the Charter



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Documents, (ii) any Applicable Agreement, (iii) any Applicable Law or (iv) any order, writ, judgment, injunction, decree, determination or award binding upon or affecting the Company and the Guarantors, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Upon consummation of the Offering and the Transactions, no Default or Event of Default will exist.

(s)

No Consents.  No consent, approval, authorization, order, filing or registration of or with any Governmental Authority or third party is required for execution, delivery or performance of the Documents or the consummation of the Transactions by the Company or the Subsidiaries under Applicable Law, except (i) those that have been official or made, as the case may be, that are in full force and effect, (ii) as may be required under the securities or “Blue Sky” laws of U.S. state or non-U.S. jurisdictions or other non-U.S. laws applicable to the purchase of the Securities outside the U.S. in connection with the Transactions, (iii) those contemplated by the Registration Rights Agreement and the Security Documents or (iv) the filing of a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC as may be required under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as the case may be, regarding the Documents and the Transactions.

(t)

No Material Applicable Laws or Proceedings.  There is no action, claim, suit, demand, hearing, notice of violation or deficiency, or proceeding pending or, to the knowledge of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, threatened or contemplated by Governmental Authorities or threatened by others (collectively, “Proceedings”) that would, (A) as of the date hereof and at the Closing Date, restrain, enjoin, prevent or interfere with the consummation of the Offering or any of the Transactions or (B) individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

(u)

All Necessary Permits.  Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries possess all licenses, permits, certificates, consents, orders, approvals and other authorizations from, and has made all declarations and filings with, all Governmental Authorities, presently required or necessary to own or lease, as the case may be, and to operate its properties and to carry on its businesses as now or proposed to be conducted as described in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular (“Permits”), except where the failure to possess such Permits would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; each of the Company and the Subsidiaries has fulfilled and performed all of its obligations with respect to such Permits, except where the failure to so fulfill and perform would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; to the knowledge of the Company and the Subsidiaries, no event has occurred which allows, or after notice or lapse of time would allow, revocation or termination of any such Permit or has resulted, or after notice or lapse of time would result, in any other material impairment of the rights of the holder of any such Permit; and none of the Company or the Subsidiaries has received or has any reason to believe it will receive any notice of any proceeding relating to revocation or modification of any such Permit, except as described in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular or except where such revocation or modification would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

(v)

Title to Properties.  Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries has good, marketable and valid title to all real property owned by it and good title to all personal property owned by it and good and valid title to all leasehold estates in real and personal property being leased by it and, as of the Closing Date, will be free and clear of all Liens other than Permitted Liens. All Applicable Agreements to which the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them is bound are valid and enforceable against each of the Company or such Subsidiary, as applicable, and, to the knowledge of the Company and the Subsidiaries, are valid and enforceable against the other party or parties thereto and are in full force and effect with only such exceptions as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; provided, however, that the enforcement thereof may be subject to (i) bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, moratorium, fraudulent conveyance, fraudulent transfer or other similar laws now or hereafter in effect relating to creditors’ rights generally and (ii) general principles of equity (whether applied by a court of law or equity) and the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.



8



(w)

Tax Law Compliance.  All Tax (as hereinafter defined) returns required to be filed by the Company and each of the Subsidiaries have been filed and all such returns are true, complete and correct in all material respects.  All material Taxes that are due from the Company and the Subsidiaries have been paid other than those (i) currently payable without penalty or interest or (ii) being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate accruals have been established in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of the United States, applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved (“GAAP”). To the knowledge of the Company, there are no actual or proposed Tax assessments against the Company or any of the Subsidiaries that would, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. The accruals on the books and records of the Company and the Subsidiaries in respect of any material Tax liability for any period not finally determined are adequate to meet any assessments of Tax for any such period. For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Tax” and “Taxes” shall mean all U.S. and non-U.S. federal, state, local and taxes, and other assessments of a similar nature (whether imposed directly or through withholding), including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.

(x)

Intellectual Property Rights.  Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries owns, or is licensed under, and has the right to use, all patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, domain names and trade names (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) necessary for the conduct of its businesses as presently carried out and described in the Final Offering Circular, and, as of the Closing Date, the Intellectual Property will be free and clear of all Liens, other than Permitted Liens.  The Company is not a party to, or bound by, any options, licenses or agreements with respect to the intellectual property rights of any other person or entity that are necessary to be described in the Time of Sale Document or the Final Offering Circular to avoid a material misstatement or omission and are not described therein.  No claims or notices of any potential claim have been received by the Company or any Subsidiary challenging the use of any such Intellectual Property by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or questioning the validity or effectiveness of any Intellectual Property or any license or agreement related thereto, other than any claims that, if successful, would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.  None of the intellectual property used by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries has been obtained or is hereby used by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries in violation of any contractual obligation binding on the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or, to the Company or any of the Subsidiaries’ knowledge, its officers, directors or employees or otherwise in violation of the rights of any person.

(y)

ERISA Matters.  Each of the Company, the Subsidiaries and each ERISA Affiliate (as hereinafter defined) has fulfilled its obligations, if any, under the minimum funding standards of Section 302 of the United States Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), with respect to each “pension plan” (as defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA), subject to Section 302 of ERISA, which the Company, the Subsidiaries or any ERISA Affiliate sponsors or maintains, or with respect to which it has (or within the last three years had) any obligation to make contributions, and each such plan is in compliance in all material respects with the presently applicable provisions of ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).  None of the Company, the Subsidiaries or any ERISA Affiliate has incurred any unpaid liability to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (other than for the payment of premiums in the ordinary course) or to any such plan under Title IV of ERISA.  “ERISA Affiliate” means a corporation, trade or business that is, along with the Company or any Subsidiary, a member of a controlled group of corporations or a controlled group of trades or businesses, as described in Section 414 of the Code or Section 4001 of ERISA.

(z)

Labor Matters.  (i) Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries is party to or bound by any collective bargaining agreement with any labor organization; (ii) there is no union representation question existing with respect to the employees of the Company or the Subsidiaries, and, to the knowledge of the Company, no union organizing activities are taking place that, could, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; (iii) to the knowledge of the Company, no union organizing or decertification efforts are underway or threatened against the Company or the Subsidiaries; (iv) no labor strike, work stoppage, slowdown or other material labor dispute is pending against the Company or the Subsidiaries, or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against the Company or the Subsidiaries; (iv) there is no worker’s



9



compensation liability, experience or matter that could be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; (v) to the knowledge of the Company, there is no threatened or pending liability against the Company or the Subsidiaries pursuant to the Worker Adjustment Retraining and Notification Act of 1988, as amended (“WARN”), or any similar state or local law; (vi) there is no employment-related charge, complaint, grievance, investigation, unfair labor practice claim or inquiry of any kind, pending against the Company or the Subsidiaries that could, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; (vii) to the knowledge of the Company and the Subsidiaries, no employee or agent of the Company or the Subsidiaries has committed any act or omission giving rise to liability for any violation identified in subsection (v) and (vi) above, other than such acts or omissions that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and (viii) no term or condition of employment exists through arbitration awards, settlement agreements or side agreement that is contrary to the express terms of any applicable collective bargaining agreement.

(aa)

Compliance with Environmental Laws.  Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries is (i) in compliance with any and all applicable U.S. or non-U.S. federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to health and safety, or the pollution or the protection of the environment or hazardous or toxic substances of wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (ii) has received and is in compliance with all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct its respective businesses and (iii) has not received notice of, and is not aware of, any actual or potential liability for damages to natural resources or the investigation or remediation of any disposal, release or existence of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants, in each case except where such non-compliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive and comply with required permits, licenses or other approvals, or liability would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.  Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has been named as a “potentially responsible party” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, or any similar U.S. or non-U.S. state or local Environmental Laws or regulation requiring the Company or any of the Subsidiaries to investigate or remediate any pollutants or contaminants, except where such requirements would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business.  In the ordinary course of its business, the Company periodically reviews the effects of Environmental Laws on the business, operations and properties of the Company and the Subsidiaries, in the course of which it identifies and evaluates associated costs and liabilities (including, without limitation, any capital or operating expenditures required for clean-up, closure of properties or compliance with Environmental Laws, or any permit, license or approval, any related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to third parties).  On the basis of such review, the Company has reasonably concluded that such associated costs would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

(bb)

Insurance.  Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which they are engaged.  All policies of insurance insuring the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or their respective businesses, assets, employees, officers and directors are in full force and effect.  The Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms of such policies and instruments in all material respects, and there are no claims by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries under any such policy or instrument as to which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause.  Neither the Company nor any such Subsidiary has been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for, and neither the Company nor any such Subsidiary has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business at a cost that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

(cc)

Accounting System.  The Company and each of the Subsidiaries make and keep accurate books and records and maintain a system of internal accounting controls and procedures sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP, and to maintain asset accountability, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization and (iv) the recorded accountability for



10



assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any material differences. The Company’s independent auditors and board of directors have been advised of: (i) all “material weaknesses” and “significant deficiencies” (each, as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act), if any, in the design or operation of internal controls which could adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data and (ii) all fraud, if any, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a role in the Company’s internal controls (whether or not remediated); all such material weaknesses and significant deficiencies, if any, have been disclosed in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular in all material respects; and since the date of the most recent evaluation of such disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls, there have been no significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

(dd)

Use of Proceeds; Solvency; Going Concern.  All indebtedness represented by the Securities is being incurred for proper purposes and in good faith. On the Closing Date, after giving pro forma effect to the Offering and the use of proceeds therefrom described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Time of Sale Document and Final Offering Circular, the Company and each Guarantor will be Solvent (as hereinafter defined).  As used in this paragraph, the term “Solvent” means, with respect to a particular date, that on such date (i) the present fair market value (or present fair saleable value) of the assets of  the Company and each Guarantor is not less than the total amount required to pay the liabilities of the Company and each Guarantor on its total existing debts and liabilities (including contingent liabilities) as they become absolute and matured; (ii) the Company and each Guarantor is able to pay its debts and other liabilities, contingent obligations and commitments as they mature and become due in the normal course of business; (iii) assuming consummation of the issuance of the Securities as contemplated by this Agreement and the Time of Sale Document and Final Offering Circular, neither the Company nor any Guarantor is incurring debts or liabilities beyond its ability to pay as such debts and liabilities mature; (iv) neither the Company nor any Guarantor is engaged in any business or transaction, and does not propose to engage in any business or transaction, for which its property would constitute unreasonably small capital after giving due consideration to the prevailing practice in the industry in which the Company or any Guarantor is engaged; and (v) neither the Company nor any Guarantor is otherwise insolvent under the standards set forth in Applicable Laws.

(ee)

No Price Stabilization or Manipulation.  Neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates has and, to the Company’s knowledge, no one acting on its behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in, or that has constituted or which might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Securities or otherwise, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or paid anyone any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Securities, or (iii) except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular, paid or agreed to pay to any person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company.

(ff)

No Registration Required Under the Securities Act or Qualification Under the TIA.  Without limiting any provision herein, no registration under the Securities Act and no qualification of the Indenture under the TIA is required for the offer or sale of the Securities to the Initial Purchaser as contemplated hereby or for the Exempt Resales, assuming (i) that the purchasers in the Exempt Resales are QIBs or are not “U.S. persons” (as defined under Regulation S of the Securities Act) and (ii) the accuracy of the Initial Purchaser’s representations contained herein regarding the absence of general solicitation in connection with the sale of the Securities to the Initial Purchaser and in the Exempt Resales.

(gg)

No Integration.  The Securities will be, upon issuance, eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act and no other securities of the Company are of the same class (within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act) as the Securities and listed on a national securities exchange registered under Section 6 of the Exchange Act, or quoted in a U.S. automated inter-dealer quotation system.  No securities of the Company of the same class as the Securities have been offered, issued or sold by the Company or any of its Affiliates within the six-month period immediately prior to the date hereof; and the Company does not have any intention of making, and will not make, an offer or sale of such securities of



11



the Company of the same class as the Securities, for a period of six months after the date of this Agreement, except for the offering of the Securities as contemplated by this Agreement or the Registration Rights Agreement or any offering of Additional Notes (as defined in the Indenture).  As used in this paragraph, the terms “offer” and “sale” have the meanings specified in Section 2(a)(3) of the Securities Act.

(hh)

No Directed Selling Efforts.  None of the Company, any of its Affiliates or other person acting on behalf of the Company has, with respect to Securities sold outside the United States, offered the Securities to buyers qualifying as “U.S. persons” (as defined in Rule 902 under the Securities Act) or engaged in any directed selling efforts within the meaning of Rule 902 under the Securities Act; the Company, any Affiliate of the Company and any person acting on behalf of the Company have complied with and will implement the “offering restrictions” within the meaning of such Rule 902; and neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates has entered or will enter into any arrangement or agreement with respect to the distribution of the Securities, except for this Agreement; provided that no representation is made in this paragraph with respect to the actions of the Initial Purchaser.

(ii)

No Applicable Registration or Other Similar Rights.  There are no persons with registration or other similar rights to have any equity or debt securities of the Company or any “Affiliate” registered for sale under a registration statement, except for rights (i) contained in the Registration Rights Agreement or (ii) as have been duly waived.

(jj)

Margin Requirements.  None of the Transactions or the application of the proceeds of the Securities will violate or result in a violation of Section 7 of the Exchange Act (including, without limitation, Regulation T (12 C.F.R. Part 220), Regulation U (12 C.F.R. Part 221) or Regulation X (12 C.F.R. Part 224) of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System).

(kk)

Investment Company Act.  The Company has been informed of, and understands, the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder (collectively, the “Investment Company Act”); as of the date hereof and, after giving effect to the Offering and the use of proceeds of the Offering, each of the Company and its Subsidiaries is not and will not be, individually or on a consolidated basis, an “investment company” that is required to be registered under the Investment Company Act; and following the Closing, the Company and its Subsidiaries will conduct their businesses in a manner so as not to be required to register under the Investment Company Act.

(ll)

No Brokers.  Neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates has engaged any broker, finder, commission agent or other person (other than the Initial Purchaser) in connection with the Offering or any of the Transactions, and neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates is under any obligation to pay any broker’s fee or commission in connection with such Transactions (other than commissions or fees to the Initial Purchaser).

(mm)

No Restrictions on Payments of Dividends.  As of the Closing Date, except as otherwise disclosed in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular there will be no encumbrances or restrictions on the ability of any Subsidiary of the Company (x) to pay dividends or make other distributions on such Subsidiary’s capital stock or to pay any indebtedness to the Company or any other Subsidiary of the Company, (y) to make loans or advances or pay any indebtedness to, or investments in, the Company or any other Subsidiary or (z) to transfer any of its property or assets to the Company or any other Subsidiary of the Company.

(nn)

Sarbanes-Oxley.  There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company and the Subsidiaries or any of the officers and directors of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries, in their capacities as such, to comply with the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith.



12



(oo)

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.  None of the Company or any Subsidiary or any director, officer, employee or, to the knowledge of the Company or any Subsidiary, any agent or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary has, in the course of its actions for, or on behalf of, the Company or any Subsidiary (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expenses relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any domestic government official, “foreign official” (as defined in the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “FCPA”) or employee from corporate funds; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the FCPA or any applicable non-U.S. anti-bribery statute or regulation; or (iv) made any unlawful bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment to any domestic government official, such foreign official or employee.

(pp)

Money Laundering.  The operations of the Company and the Subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or the Subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, after due inquiry, threatened.

(qq)

OFAC.  Neither the Company nor the Subsidiaries nor, to the Company’s knowledge, after due inquiry, any director, officer, agent, employee or Affiliate of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or other person acting on their behalf is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the Offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.

(rr)

Stamp Taxes.  Under the laws of the State of Texas, there are no stamp or other issuance or transfer taxes or duties or other similar fees or charges required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance or sale of the Securities other than, to the extent applicable, usual and customary recording fees and taxes for recording the Mortgages and Security Documents and/or financing statements related thereto.

(ss)

Financial Services and Market Act.  The Company has not taken or omitted to take any action and will not take any action or omit to take any action (such as issuing any press release or making any other public announcement referring to the Offering without an appropriate stabilization legend) which may result in the loss by the Initial Purchaser of the ability to rely on any stabilization safe harbour provided by the Financial Services Authority of the United Kingdom under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the “FSMA”).  The Company has been informed of the guidance relating to stabilization provided by the Financial Services Authority of the United Kingdom, in particular the guidance contained in Section MAR 2 of the Financial Services Handbook.

(tt)

Certificates.  Each certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries and delivered to the Initial Purchaser shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company or any such Subsidiary (and not individually by such officer) to the Initial Purchaser with respect to the matters covered thereby.

(ww)

Oil and Gas Information.  The information set forth in the Time of Sale Document as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date and set forth in the Final Offering Circular, as of the Closing Date, relating to oil and natural gas reserves and any other oil and natural gas related information has been prepared by the Company in accordance with methods generally applied in the oil and natural gas industry and conforms, in all material respects, to the requirements of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder as of the date hereof.



13



(xx)

Reserve Estimates.  The oil and gas reserve estimates of the Company contained in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular (i) are derived from certain reports that have been prepared by Collarini Associates, summaries of which are attached to the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular, (ii) to the Company’s knowledge, such reserve estimates fairly reflect the oil and gas reserves of the Company at the dates indicated therein and (iii) have been prepared in accordance with the guidelines described therein.

(zz)

Independent Engineers. Collarini Associates has represented to the Company that they are, and the Company believes them to be, independent petroleum engineers with respect to the Company and its Subsidiaries for the periods set forth in the Time of Sale Information.

5.

Covenants of the Company and the Guarantors.  Each of the Company and the Guarantors jointly and severally agrees:

(a)

Securities Law Compliance.  To (i) advise the Initial Purchaser promptly after obtaining knowledge (and, if requested by the Initial Purchaser, confirm such advice in writing) of (A) the issuance by any U.S. or non-U.S. federal or state securities commission of any stop order suspending the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Securities for offer or sale in any jurisdiction, or the initiation of any proceeding for such purpose by any U.S. or non-U.S. federal or state securities commission or other regulatory authority, or (B) the happening of any event that makes any statement of a material fact made in the Time of Sale Document, any Company Additional Written Communication or the Final Offering Circular, untrue or that requires the making of any additions to or changes in the Time of Sale Document, any Company Additional Written Communication, or the Final Offering Circular, to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (ii) use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or order suspending the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Securities under any securities or “Blue Sky” laws of U.S. state or non-U.S. jurisdictions and (iii) if, at any time, any U.S. or non-U.S. federal or state securities commission or other regulatory authority shall issue an order suspending the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Securities under any such laws, use its reasonable best efforts to obtain the withdrawal or lifting of such order at the earliest possible time.

(b)

Offering Documents.  To (i) furnish the Initial Purchaser, without charge, as many copies of the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular, and any amendments or supplements thereto, as the Initial Purchaser may reasonably request, and (ii) promptly prepare, upon the Initial Purchaser’s reasonable request, any amendment or supplement to the Time of Sale Document or Final Offering Circular that the Initial Purchaser, upon advice of legal counsel, determines may be necessary in connection with Exempt Resales (and the Company and the Guarantors hereby consent to the use of the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular, and any amendments and supplements thereto, by the Initial Purchaser in connection with Exempt Resales).

(c)

Consent to Amendments and Supplements.  Not to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Document or the Final Offering Circular prior to the Closing Date, or at any time prior to the completion of the resale by the Initial Purchaser of all the Securities purchased by the Initial Purchaser, unless the Initial Purchaser shall previously have been advised and has not reasonably objected thereto. Before making, preparing, using, authorizing, approving or referring to any Company Additional Written Communications, the Company will furnish to the Initial Purchaser and counsel for the Initial Purchaser a copy of such written communication for review and will not make, prepare, use, authorize, approve or refer to any such written communication to which the Initial Purchaser reasonably objects.  The Company and the Guarantors consent to the use by the Initial Purchaser of a Company Additional Written Communication that contains (A) information describing the preliminary terms of the Securities or their offering or (B) information that describes the final terms of the Securities or their offering and that is included in or is subsequently included in the Final Offering Circular, including by means of the Pricing Supplement.



14



(d)

Preparation of Amendments and Supplements to Offering Documents.  So long as the Initial Purchaser shall hold any of the Securities, (i) if any event shall occur as a result of which, in the reasonable judgment of the Company or the Initial Purchaser, it becomes necessary or advisable to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Document or the Final Offering Circular to correct any untrue statement of a material fact or omission to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Document or the Final Offering Circular to comply with any Applicable Law, to prepare, at the expense of the Company, an appropriate amendment or supplement to the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Initial Purchaser) so that (A) as so amended or supplemented, the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular will not include an untrue statement of material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and (B) the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular will comply with Applicable Law and (ii) if in the reasonable judgment of the Company it becomes necessary or advisable to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Document or the Final Offering Circular so that the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular will contain all of the information specified in, and meet the requirements of, Rule 144A(d)(4) of the Securities Act, to prepare an appropriate amendment or supplement to the Time of Sale Document or the Final Offering Circular (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Initial Purchaser) so that the Time of Sale Document or the Final Offering Circular, as so amended or supplemented, will contain the information specified in, and meet the requirements of, such Rule.

(e)

“Blue Sky” Law Compliance.  To cooperate with the Initial Purchaser and the Initial Purchaser’s counsel in connection with the qualification of the Securities under the securities or “Blue Sky” laws of U.S. state or non-U.S. jurisdictions as the Initial Purchaser may request and continue such qualification in effect so long as reasonably required for Exempt Resales.  The Company will advise the Initial Purchaser promptly of the suspension of any such exemption relating to the Securities for offering, sale or trading in any jurisdiction or any initiation or threat of any proceeding for any such purpose, and in the event of the issuance of any order suspending such exemption, the Company shall use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal thereof at the earliest possible moment.

(f)

Payment of Expenses.  Whether or not any of the Offering or the Transactions are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, to pay (i) all costs, expenses, fees and taxes incident to and in connection with: (A) the preparation, printing and distribution of the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular and all amendments and supplements thereto (including, without limitation, financial statements and exhibits), and all other agreements, memoranda, correspondence and other documents prepared and delivered in connection herewith, (B) the negotiation, printing, processing and distribution (including, without limitation, word processing and duplication costs) and delivery of, each of the Documents, (C) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the Securities, (D) the qualification of the Securities for offer and sale under the securities or “Blue Sky” laws of U.S. state or non-U.S. jurisdictions (including, without limitation, the fees and disbursements of the Initial Purchaser’s counsel relating to such registration or qualification), (E) furnishing such copies of the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular, and all amendments and supplements thereto, as may reasonably be requested for use by the Initial Purchaser and (F) the performance of the obligations of the Company and the Guarantors obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement, including but not limited to the Exchange Offer, the Exchange Offer Registration Statement and any Shelf Registration Statement, (ii) all fees and expenses of the counsel, accountants and any other experts or advisors retained by the Company or the Guarantors, (iii) all fees and expenses (including fees and expenses of counsel) of the Company or the Guarantors in connection with approval of the Securities by DTC for “book-entry” transfer, (iv) all fees charged by rating agencies in connection with the rating of the Securities, if any, (v) all fees and expenses (including reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) of the Trustee and all collateral agents, (vi) all costs and expenses in connection with the creation and perfection of the security interest to be created and perfected pursuant to the Security Documents (including without limitation, filing and recording fees, search fees, taxes and costs of title policies) and (vii) all other fees, disbursements and out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Initial Purchaser including (A) in connection with its services to be rendered hereunder, including, without limitation, the fees and disbursements of Proskauer Rose LLP, counsel to the Initial Purchaser, travel and lodging expenses, chartering of airplanes, roadshow or investor presentation expenses, word processing charges, the



15



costs of printing or producing any investor presentation materials, messenger and duplicating service expenses, facsimile expenses and other customary expenditures; provided, however, that neither the Company nor the Guarantors shall be required to pay any fees, expenses or disbursements of Proskauer Rose LLP, counsel to the Initial Purchaser, in excess of $210,000 in the aggregate.

(g)

Use of Proceeds.  To use the proceeds of the Offering in the manner described in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular under the caption “Use of Proceeds.”

(h)

Transaction Documents.  To do and perform all things required to be done and performed under the Documents prior to and after the Closing Date.

(i)

Integration.  Not to, and to ensure that no Affiliate of the Company will, sell, offer for sale or solicit offers to buy or otherwise negotiate in respect of any “security” (as defined in the Securities Act) that would be integrated with the sale of the Securities in a manner that would require the registration under the Securities Act of the sale to the Initial Purchaser or to the Subsequent Purchasers of the Securities.

(j)

Stabilization or Manipulation.  Not to take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might be reasonably expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Securities or any other reference security, whether to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities or otherwise.

(k)

DTC.  To comply with the representation letter of the Company to DTC relating to the approval of the Securities by DTC for “book-entry” transfer.

(l)

Rule 144(A) Information.  For so long as any of the Securities remain outstanding, during any period in which the Company is not subject to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, to make available, upon request, to any owner of the Securities in connection with any sale thereof and any prospective Subsequent Purchasers of such Securities from such owner, the information required by Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act.

(m)

Furnish Trustee and Noteholder Reports.  For so long as any of the Securities remain outstanding, to furnish to the Initial Purchaser copies of all reports and other communications (financial or otherwise) furnished by the Company to the Trustee or to the holders of the Securities and, as soon as available, copies of any reports or financial statements furnished to or filed by the Company with the SEC or any national securities exchange on which any class of securities of the Company may be listed.

(n)

Additional Offering Materials.  Except in connection with the Exchange Offer or the filing of the Shelf Registration Statement, not to, and not to authorize or permit any person acting on its behalf to, (i) distribute any offering material in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities other than the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular and any amendments and supplements to the Preliminary Offering Circular or the Final Offering Circular prepared in compliance with this Agreement, (ii) solicit any offer to buy or offer to sell the Securities by means of any form of general solicitation or general advertising (including, without limitation, as such terms are used in Regulation D under the Securities Act) or in any manner involving a public offering within the meaning of Section 4(2) of the Securities Act or (iii) engage in any directed selling efforts within the meaning of Regulation S, and all such persons will comply with the offering restrictions requirement of Regulation S.

(o)

Sale of Restricted Securities.  During the one year period after the Closing Date (or such shorter period as may be provided for in Rule 144 under the Securities Act, as the same may be in effect from time to time), to not, and to not permit any current or future Subsidiaries of either the Company or any other Affiliates controlled by the Company to, resell any of the Securities which constitute “restricted securities” under Rule 144 that have been reacquired by the Company, any current or future Subsidiaries or any other Affiliates controlled by the Company, except pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act.



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(p)

Stamp Taxes.  To pay all stamp or other issuance or transfer taxes or duties other similar fees or charges which may be imposed by any governmental or regulatory authority in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance or sale of the Securities.

(q)

Security Interests.  Subject to clause (t) below, to complete on or prior to the Closing Date all filings and other similar actions required in connection with the perfection of security interests as and to the extent contemplated by the Security Documents.

(r)

Investment Company.  The Company and its Subsidiaries will conduct their businesses in a manner so as to not be required to register under the Investment Company Act.

(s)

Clear Market.  During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing until the date that is 90 days after the Closing Date, not to offer, sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of, except as provided hereunder, any securities of the Company that are substantially similar to the Securities without the prior written consent of Imperial Capital, LLC.

6.

Representations and Warranties of the Initial Purchaser.  The Initial Purchaser represents and warrants as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date that:

(a)

Initial Purchaser Status, Resale Terms.  The Notes are being acquired by the Initial Purchaser pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. It is a “QIB” (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act) and it will offer the Securities for resale only upon the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement and in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular.

(b)

Sale of Restricted Exchange Securities.  It will solicit offers to buy the Securities only from, and will offer and sell the Securities only to, persons reasonably believed by the Initial Purchaser (A) to be QIBs or (B) to not be “U.S. persons” (as defined under Regulation S under the Securities Act) and in compliance with laws applicable to such persons in jurisdictions outside of the United States; provided, however, that in purchasing such Securities, such persons are deemed to have represented and agreed as provided under the caption “Notice to Investors” contained in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular.

(c)

General Solicitation.  No form of general solicitation or general advertising in violation of the Securities Act has been or will be used nor will any offers in any manner involving a public offering within the meaning of Section 4(2) of the Securities Act or, with respect to Securities to be sold in reliance on Regulation S, by means of any directed selling efforts be made by such Initial Purchaser or any of its representatives in connection with the offer and sale of any of the Securities.

7.

Conditions.  The obligations of the Initial Purchaser to purchase the Securities under this Agreement are subject to the performance by each of the Company and the Guarantors of their respective covenants and obligations hereunder and the satisfaction of each of the following conditions:

(a)

Representations, Warranties and Agreements.  All the representations and warranties of the Company and the Guarantors contained in this Agreement and in each of the other Documents shall be true and correct as of the date hereof and at the Closing Date (except to the extent expressly made as of a specified date, in which case as of such date).  On or prior to the Closing Date, the Company and each other party to the Documents (other than the Initial Purchaser) shall have performed or complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all conditions on their respective parts to be performed, complied with or satisfied pursuant to the Documents (other than conditions to be satisfied by such other parties, which the failure to so satisfy would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect).  It is understood and agreed that, for purposes of this Agreement, in the event that the Initial Purchaser determines that a Material Adverse Effect or a Material Adverse Change has occurred and the Company or a Guarantor seeks to dispute such determination, the Company or such Guarantor shall bear the burden of proof to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that a Material Adverse Effect or a Material Adverse Change, as applicable, has not occurred.



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(b)

Closing Deliverables.  The Initial Purchaser shall have received on the Closing Date:

(i)

Officers’ Certificate.  A certificate dated the Closing Date, signed by (1) the Chief Executive Officer and (2) the principal financial or accounting officer of the Company and the Guarantors, on behalf of the Company and the Guarantors, to the effect that (a) the representations and warranties set forth in Section 4 hereof, in each of the Documents and the Perfection Certificate are true and correct in all material respects with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Date, (b) the Company and the Guarantors have performed and complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions in all material respects on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Date, (c) at the Closing Date, since the date hereof or since the date of the most recent financial statements in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto after the date hereof), no event or events have occurred, no information has become known nor does any condition exist that, individually or in the aggregate, would have a Material Adverse Effect, (d) since the date of the most recent financial statements in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto after the date hereof), other than as described in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular or contemplated hereby, neither the Company, the Guarantors nor any other Subsidiary has incurred any liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent, not in the ordinary course of business, that are material to the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or entered into any transactions not in the ordinary course of business that are material to the business, condition (financial or otherwise) or results of operations or prospects of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and there has not been any change in the capital stock or long-term indebtedness of the Company, the Guarantors or any other Subsidiary of the Company that is material to the business, condition (financial or otherwise) or results of operations or prospects of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and (e) the sale of the Securities has not been enjoined (temporarily or permanently).

(ii)

Secretary’s Certificate.  A certificate, dated the Closing Date, executed by the Secretary of the Company and each Guarantor, certifying such matters as the Initial Purchaser may reasonably request.

(iii)

Good Standing Certificates.  A certificate evidencing (A) the good standing of the Company and the Guarantors from the Secretaries of State in their respective jurisdictions of organization or formation, as applicable, and (B) the qualification by such entity as a foreign corporation in good standing from the Secretaries of State (or comparable office) of each of the jurisdictions in which each of the Company and the Guarantors operates as of a date within five days prior to the Closing Date.

(iv)

Solvency Certificate.  A certificate of solvency, dated the Closing Date, executed by the principal financial or accounting officer of the Company in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto.

(v)

Company Counsel Opinion.  The opinion of Adams and Reese LLP, counsel to the Company, dated the Closing Date, substantially in the form of Exhibit B attached hereto.

(vi)

Initial Purchaser Counsel Opinion.  An opinion, dated the Closing Date, of Proskauer Rose LLP, counsel to the Initial Purchaser, in form satisfactory to the Initial Purchaser covering such matters as are customarily covered in such opinions.

(vii)

Comfort Letters.  The Initial Purchaser shall have received from MaloneBailey, LLP, the registered public or certified public accountants of the Company, (A) a customary initial comfort letter delivered according to Statement of Auditing Standards No. 72 (or any successor bulletin), dated the date hereof, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Initial Purchaser and its counsel, with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular, and (B) a customary “bring-down” comfort letter, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Initial Purchaser and its counsel, to the effect that MaloneBailey, LLP, which includes among other



18



things, a reaffirmation of the statements made in its initial letter furnished pursuant to clause (A) with respect to such financial statements and financial information contained in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular.

(viii)

Consent Letter. The Initial Purchaser shall have received a consent letter from Collarini Associates, independent reserve engineers, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Initial Purchaser.

(c)

Executed Documents.  The Initial Purchaser shall have received fully executed originals of each Document to be executed on the Closing Date (each of which shall be in full force and effect on terms reasonably satisfactory to the Initial Purchaser), and each opinion, certificate, letter and other document to be delivered in connection with the Offering or any other Transaction.

(d)

Collateral.

(A)

The Collateral Agent shall have received on the Closing Date the following, in the form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Initial Purchaser:

(i)

certified copies of Uniform Commercial Code Requests for Information or Copies (Form UCC 11), or a similar search report certified by a party acceptable to the Collateral Agent, dated a date reasonably near to the Closing Date, listing all effective financing statements which name the Company or any Guarantor (under its present name and any previous names) as the debtor, together with copies of such financing statements (none of which shall cover any collateral described in any Security Document, other than such financing statements that evidence Permitted Liens);

(ii)

such other approvals, opinions, or documents as the Collateral Agent may reasonably request in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Collateral Agent;

(B)

The Collateral Agent and its counsel shall be satisfied that (a) the Lien granted to the Collateral Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties (as defined in the Indenture) in the Collateral is of the priority described in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular and (b) no Lien exists on any of the Collateral, other than the Lien created in favor of the Collateral Agent, for the benefit of the Secured Parties pursuant to a Security Document, in each case, subject to Permitted Liens;

(C)

All information certified by an officer of the Company in the Perfection Certificate to be dated as of December 4, 2012 and delivered by such officer on behalf of the Company is true and correct in all material respects both as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date.

(D)

The representations and warranties of the Company in the Security Documents are true and correct (if such representations and warranties are not already qualified with respect to materiality) in all material respects.

(e)

[Reserved].



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(f)

No Material Adverse Change.  Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Time of Sale Document (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto), there shall not have been any Material Adverse Change that could, in the sole judgment of the Initial Purchaser be expected to (i) make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular or (ii) materially impair the investment quality of any of the Securities.

(g)

No Hostilities.  Any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or other national or international calamity or crisis, including acts of terrorism, or material adverse change or disruption in economic conditions in, or in the financial markets of, the United States (it being understood that any such change or disruption shall be relative to such conditions and markets as in effect on the date hereof), if the effect of such outbreak, escalation, calamity, crisis, act or material adverse change in the economic conditions in, or in the financial markets of, the United States could be reasonably expected to make it, in the Initial Purchaser’s sole judgment, impracticable or inadvisable to market or proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Document and the Final Offering Circular or to enforce contracts for the sale of any of the Securities.

(h)

No Suspension in Trading; Banking Moratorium.  There shall not have been (i) a suspension in the trading of the Company’s common stock by the SEC or a suspension or limitation of trading generally in securities on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ National Market or any setting of limitations on prices for securities occurs on any such exchange or market or (ii) the declaration of a banking moratorium by any Governmental Authority or the taking of any action by any Governmental Authority after the date hereof in respect of its monetary or fiscal affairs that, which in the case of clause (i) or (ii) of this paragraph, in the Initial Purchaser’s sole judgment could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial markets in the United States or elsewhere.

(i)

Corporate Proceedings.  All corporate proceedings and other legal matters incident to the authorization, form and validity of the Documents and the Transactions and all other legal matters relating of the offering, issuance and sale of the Securities and the Transactions shall be reasonably satisfactory in all material respects to counsel to the Initial Purchaser; and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel all documents and information that they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.

(j)

Additional Documents.  On or before the Closing Date, the Initial Purchaser and counsel to the Initial Purchaser shall have received such information, documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purposes of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as contemplated herein, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations and warranties, or the satisfaction of any of the conditions or agreements, herein contained.

(k)

Offering Materials Furnished to Initial Purchaser.  The Company has delivered to the Initial Purchaser the Time of Sale Document, the Final Offering Circular and each Company Additional Written Communication (as hereinafter defined) in such quantities and at such places as the Initial Purchaser has reasonably requested.

(l)

No Material Applicable Laws or Proceedings. No Applicable Law shall have been enacted, adopted, issued or passed that would restrain, enjoin, prevent or interfere with the consummation of the Offering or any of the Transactions, no stop order suspending the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Securities in any jurisdiction shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been commenced or, to the Company’s knowledge, be pending or contemplated as of the Closing Date.



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8.

Indemnification and Contribution.

(a)

Indemnification by the Company and the Guarantors.  The Company and each of the Guarantors jointly and severally agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Initial Purchaser, its affiliates, directors, officers and employees, and each person, if any, who controls the Initial Purchaser within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities of any kind to which the Initial Purchaser, affiliate, director, officer, employee or such controlling person may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company), insofar as any such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon:

(i)

any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Time of Sale Document, any Company Additional Written Communication or the Final Offering Circular, or any amendment or supplement thereto;

(ii)

the omission to state, in the Time of Sale Document, any Company Additional Written Communication or the Final Offering Circular, or any amendment or supplement thereto, a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or

(iii)

any breach by the Company or any of the Guarantors of their respective agreements set forth herein or of Applicable Law;

and, subject to the provisions hereof, will reimburse, as incurred, the Initial Purchaser and its affiliates, directors, officers, employees and each such controlling persons for any legal or other expenses incurred by such person in connection with defending against, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action in respect thereof; provided, however, the Company and the Guarantors will not be liable in any such case to the extent (but only to the extent) that a court of competent jurisdiction shall have determined by a final, unappealable judgment that such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense resulted solely from any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Time of Sale Document, any Company Additional Written Communication or the Final Offering Circular or any amendment or supplement thereto in reliance upon and in conformity with written information concerning the Initial Purchaser furnished to the Company by the Initial Purchaser specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by the Initial Purchaser to the Company consists of the information set forth in 12.  The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section shall be in addition to any liability that the Company and the Guarantors may otherwise have to the indemnified parties.

(b)

Indemnification by the Initial Purchaser.  The Initial Purchaser agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each of the Company, each of the Guarantors and their respective directors, officers and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses to which the Company, such Guarantors or any such director, officer or controlling person may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, or other federal or state statutory law or regulation, or at common law or otherwise (including in settlement of any litigation, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Initial Purchaser), insofar as a court of competent jurisdiction shall have determined by a final, unappealable judgment that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses (or actions in respect thereof) have resulted solely from (i) any untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Time of Sale Document or the Final Offering Circular or any amendment or supplement thereto or (ii) the omission to state therein a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case to the extent (but only to the extent) that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information concerning the Initial Purchaser furnished to the Company by the Initial Purchaser specifically for use therein as set forth in Section 12; and, subject to the limitation set forth immediately preceding this clause, will reimburse, as incurred, any legal or other expenses incurred by the Company, each of the



21



Guarantors or any such director, officer or controlling person in connection with any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action in respect thereof.  The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section shall be in addition to any liability that the Initial Purchaser may otherwise have to the indemnified parties.

(c)

Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures.  As promptly as reasonably practicable after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section of notice of the commencement of any action for which such indemnified party is entitled to indemnification under this Section, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section, notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof in writing; but the omission to so notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability under Section 8(a) or (b) above unless and only to the extent it is materially prejudiced as a proximate result thereof and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in Section 8(a) and (b) above.  In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party, and it notifies the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it may elect, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified by written notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving the aforesaid notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party; provided, however, that if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the indemnifying party to represent the indemnified party would present such counsel with a conflict of interest, (ii) the defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party, and the indemnified party shall have concluded that a conflict may arise between the positions of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party in conducting the defense of any such action or that there may be one or more legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties that are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, or (iii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after receipt by the indemnifying party of notice of the institution of such action, then, in each such case, the indemnifying party shall not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties and such indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel to defend such action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties at the expense of the indemnifying party.  After notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof and approval by such indemnified party of counsel appointed to defend such action, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section for any legal or other expenses, other than reasonable costs of investigation, subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof, unless (i) the indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in accordance with the proviso to the immediately preceding sentence (it being understood, however, that in connection with such action the indemnifying party shall not be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate counsel (in addition to local counsel) in any one action or separate but substantially similar actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances, designated by the Initial Purchaser in the case of Section 8(a) or the Company in the case of Section 8(b), representing the indemnified parties under such Section 8(a) or (b), as the case may be, who are parties to such action or actions), (ii) the indemnifying party has authorized in writing the employment of counsel for the indemnified party at the expense of the indemnifying party or (iii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the action, in each of which cases the fees and expenses of counsel shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party and shall be paid as they are incurred.  After such notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party, the indemnifying party will not be liable for the costs and expenses of any settlement of such action effected by such indemnified party without the prior written consent of the indemnifying party (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), unless such indemnified party waived in writing its rights under this Section, in which case the indemnified party may effect such a settlement without such consent.



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(d)

Settlements.  No indemnifying party shall be liable under this Section for any settlement of any claim or action (or threatened claim or action) effected without its written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld, but if a claim or action settled with its written consent, or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff with respect to any such claim or action, each indemnifying party jointly and severally agrees, subject to the exceptions and limitations set forth above, to indemnify and hold harmless each indemnified party from and against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities (and legal and other expenses as set forth above) incurred by reason of such settlement or judgment.  No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), effect any settlement or compromise of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which the indemnified party is or could have been a party, or indemnity could have been sought hereunder by the indemnified party, unless such settlement (A) includes an unconditional written release of the indemnified party, in form and substance satisfactory to the indemnified party, from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (B) does not include any statement as to an admission of fault, culpability or failure to act by or on behalf of the indemnified party.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for legal or other expenses as contemplated by Section 8(c) hereof, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of such judgment.

(e)

Contribution.  In circumstances in which the indemnity agreements provided for in this Section is unavailable to, or insufficient to hold harmless, an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses (or actions in respect thereof), each indemnifying party, in order to provide for just and equitable contributions, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect (i) the relative benefits received by the indemnifying party or parties, on the one hand, and the indemnified party, on the other hand, from the Offering or (ii) if the allocation provided by the foregoing clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the indemnifying party or parties, on the one hand, and the indemnified party, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions or alleged statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof).  The relative benefits received by the Company and the Guarantors, on the one hand, and the Initial Purchaser, on the other hand, shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total proceeds from the Offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total discounts and commissions received by the Initial Purchaser.  The relative fault of the parties shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company, on the one hand, or the Initial Purchaser pursuant to Section 8(b) above, on the other hand, the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission or alleged statement or omissions, and any other equitable considerations appropriate in the circumstances.

(f)

Equitable Consideration.  The Company, the Guarantors and the Initial Purchaser agree that it would not be equitable if the amount of such contribution determined pursuant to Section 8(e) were determined by pro rata or per capita allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to in Section 8(e).  The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to in Section 8(e) shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with defending any such action or claim.  Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, the Initial Purchaser shall not be obligated to make contributions hereunder that in the aggregate exceed the total discounts, commissions and other compensation received by such Initial Purchaser under this Agreement, less the aggregate amount of any damages that such Initial Purchaser has otherwise been required to pay by reason of the untrue or alleged untrue statements or the omissions or alleged omissions to state a material fact.  No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was



23



not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of Section 8(e), each director, officer and employee of the Initial Purchaser, and each person, if any, who controls the Initial Purchaser within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, shall have the same rights to contribution as the Initial Purchaser, and each director, officer and employee of the Company and the Guarantors, and each person, if any, who controls the Company or any of the Guarantors within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company and the Guarantors.

9.

Termination.  The Initial Purchaser may terminate this Agreement at any time prior to the Closing Date by written notice to the Company if any of the events described in Sections 7(f) (No Material Adverse Change), 7(g) (No Hostilities) or 7(h) (No Suspension in Trading; Banking Moratorium) shall have occurred or if the Initial Purchaser shall decline to purchase the Securities for any reason permitted by this Agreement.  Any termination pursuant to this Section shall be without liability on the part of (a) the Company or the Guarantors to the Initial Purchaser, except that the Company and the Guarantors shall be obligated to reimburse the expenses of the Initial Purchaser pursuant to Section 5(f) hereof or (b) the Initial Purchaser to the Company or the Guarantors, except, in the case of each of clauses (a) and (b), that the provisions of Sections 9 and 10 hereof shall at all times be effective and shall survive such termination.

10.

Survival.  The covenants, indemnities and contribution and expense reimbursement provisions and other agreements of the Company, the Guarantors and the Initial Purchaser to the other party set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect, and will survive, regardless of (i) the acceptance of the Securities, and payment for them hereunder and (ii) any termination of this Agreement.

11.

Relationship.  The Company and the Guarantors hereby acknowledge that the Initial Purchaser is acting as initial purchaser in connection with the purchase and sale of the Securities hereunder and otherwise is acting in accordance with the scope of engagement specified in the Engagement Letter.  The Company and the Guarantors further acknowledge that the Initial Purchaser is acting pursuant to a contractual relationship created solely by this Agreement and the Engagement Letter entered into on an arm’s-length basis, and in no event do the parties intend that the Initial Purchaser act or be responsible as a fiduciary to either the Company, the Guarantors or their respective management, stockholders or creditors or any other person in connection with any activity that the Initial Purchaser may undertake or have undertaken in furtherance of the purchase and sale of the Securities, either before or after the date hereof.  The Initial Purchaser hereby expressly disclaims any fiduciary obligations to either the Company or the Guarantors, either in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions, and the Company and the Guarantors hereby confirm their understanding and agreement to that effect. The Company, the Guarantors and the Initial Purchaser agree that they are each responsible for making their own independent judgments with respect to any such transactions. Each of the Company and the Guarantors acknowledge and agree that they are capable of evaluating and understanding, and understand and accept, the terms, risk and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.  The Company and the Guarantors hereby waive and release, to the fullest permitted by law, any claims that either of the Company or the Guarantors may have against the Initial Purchaser with respect to any breach of any fiduciary duty to the Company or the Guarantors in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions.

12.

Information Supplied by Initial Purchaser.  Each of the Company and the Guarantors hereby acknowledges that, for purposes of Section 4(c) and Section 8, the only information that the Initial Purchaser has furnished to the Company specifically for use in the Preliminary Offering Circular or the Final Offering Circular are the statements set forth in (a) the first sentence of the third paragraph, (b) the second sentence of the fourth paragraph, (c) the fifth paragraph, (d) the fifth sentence of the sixth paragraph and (e) the first sentence of the seventh paragraph, each under the caption “Plan of Distribution” in the Preliminary Offering Circular and the Final Offering Circular.



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13.

Miscellaneous.

(a)

Notices.  Notices given pursuant to any provision of this Agreement shall be addressed as follows: (i) if to the Company, to: Saratoga Resources, Inc., 7500 San Felipe, Suite 675, Houston, Texas 77063, Attention: Michael Aldridge, with a copy to: Adams and Reese LLP, Concord Center, 2100 Third Avenue North, Suite 1100, Birmingham, AL 35203, Attention: David Bowsher, Esq., and (ii) if to the Initial Purchaser, to: Imperial Capital, LLC., 2000 Avenue of the Stars, 9th Floor, South Tower, Los Angeles, California 90067, with a copy to: Proskauer Rose LLP, Eleven Times Square, New York, New York 10036, Attention: Frank Lopez, Esq., (or in any case to such other address as the person to be notified may have requested in writing).

(b)

Beneficiaries.  This Agreement has been and is made solely for the benefit of and shall be binding upon the Company, the Guarantors, the Initial Purchaser and to the extent provided in Section 8 hereof, the controlling persons, affiliates, officers, directors, partners, employees, representatives and agents referred to in Section 8 hereof and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, all as and to the extent provided in this Agreement, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. The term “successors and assigns” shall not include a purchaser of any of the Securities from the Initial Purchaser merely because of such purchase.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is expressly understood and agreed that each purchaser who purchases Securities from the Initial Purchaser is intended to be a beneficiary of the covenants of the Company and the Guarantors contained in the Registration Rights Agreement to the same extent as if the Securities were sold and those covenants were made directly to such purchaser by the Company and the Guarantors, and each such purchaser shall have the right to take action against the Company and the Guarantors to enforce, and obtain damages for any breach of, those covenants.

(c)

Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial; Venue.  This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.  Each of the Company and the Guarantors hereby expressly and irrevocably (i) submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the federal and state courts sitting in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the Transactions, and (ii) waives (a) its right to a trial by jury in any legal action or proceeding relating to this Agreement, the Transactions or any course of conduct, course of dealing, statements (whether verbal or written) or actions of the Initial Purchaser and for any counterclaim related to any of the foregoing and (b) any obligation which it may have or hereafter may have to the laying of venue of any such litigation brought in any such court referred to above and any claim that any such litigation has been brought in an inconvenient forum.

(d)

Entire Agreement; Counterparts.  This Agreement, together with the Engagement Letter, constitutes the entire agreement of the parties to this Agreement and supersedes all prior written or oral and all contemporaneous oral agreements, understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof.  This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each one of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument.

(e)

Headings.  The headings in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning hereof.

(f)

Separability.  If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions set forth herein shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated, and the parties hereto shall use their reasonable best efforts to find and employ an alternative means to achieve the same or substantially the same result as that contemplated by such term, provision, covenant or restriction. It is hereby stipulated and declared to be the intention of the parties that they would have executed the remaining terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions without including any of such that may be hereafter declared invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable.



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(g)

Amendment.  This Agreement may be amended, modified or supplemented, and waivers or consents to departures from the provisions hereof may be given, provided that the same are in writing and signed by all of the signatories hereto.

[Signature Pages Follow]




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Please confirm that the foregoing correctly sets forth the agreement between the Company, the Guarantors and the Initial Purchaser.


Very truly yours,

 

 

 

 

SARATOGA RESOURCES, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Thomas F. Cooke

 

 

Name:   Thomas F. Cooke

 

 

Title:     Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HARVEST OIL & GAS, LLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Thomas F. Cooke

 

 

Name:   Thomas F. Cooke

 

 

Title:     Operating Manager

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE HARVEST GROUP LLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Thomas F. Cooke

 

 

Name:   Thomas F. Cooke

 

 

Title:     Operating Manager

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOBO RESOURCES, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Thomas F. Cooke

 

 

Name:   Thomas F. Cooke

 

 

Title:     President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOBO OPERATING, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Thomas F. Cooke

 

 

Name:   Thomas F. Cooke

 

 

Title:      President

 









Accepted and Agreed to:

IMPERIAL CAPITAL, LLC

By:  /s/ Todd Wiench
       Name:  Todd Wiench
       Title:   General Counsel