UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
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Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement
On June 20, 2023, Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. (the “Company”) and Chicago Atlantic REIT Manager LLC (the “Manager”) entered into separate at-the-market sales agreements (each a “Sales Agreement” and together, the “Sales Agreements”) with BTIG, LLC, Compass Point Research & Trading LLC, and Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. (each a “Sales Agent” and together, the “Sales Agents”). Under the Sales Agreements, the Company may, but has no obligation to, issue and sell, from time to time, up to $75,000,000 in aggregate offering price of shares of its common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Shares”), through the Sales Agents, or to them, as principals for their own accounts. The Company intends to use the net proceeds, if any, from this “at-the-market” offering to fund the Company’s loan pipeline, pay down borrowings on the Company’s revolving credit facility and for general corporate purposes.
Sales of the Shares, if any, will be made under the prospectus supplement, dated June 20, 2023 (the “Prospectus Supplement”), as it may be supplemented from time to time, and the accompanying prospectus, dated January 19, 2023 (together with the Prospectus Supplement, including any documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein, the “Prospectus”) by any method that is deemed to be part of an “at-the-market” offering as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including, without limitation, sales made directly on the Nasdaq Global Market, on any other existing trading market for our common stock, in block trades or to or through a market maker or through an electronic communications network.
Under the terms of the Sales Agreements, the Sales Agents will receive a commission from the Company in an amount up to 3.0% of the gross sales price of any Shares sold through the Sales Agents under the Sales Agreements and reimbursement of certain expenses. The Sales Agreements contain customary representations, warranties and agreements of the Company and the Manager, indemnification rights and obligations of the parties, and termination provisions.
The Shares, if any, will be offered, issued and sold pursuant to the Company’s shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-268920) and the Prospectus.
The foregoing description of the Sales Agreements is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Form of Sales Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 1.1 and is incorporated herein by reference. A copy of the opinion of Venable LLP relating to the legality of the issuance and sale of the Shares is attached as Exhibit 5.1 hereto.
Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
The Company held its 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders on June 15, 2023 and submitted two (2) matters to the vote of stockholders. A summary of the matters voted upon by the stockholders is set forth below.
Election of Directors:
Stockholders of the Company elected nine nominees for director, each to serve for a one-year term to expire at the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders based on the following votes:
| Nominee | Total Votes For | Total Votes Withheld | Broker Non-Votes | |||||||||
| Andreas Bodmeier | 3,827,939 | 155,969 | 8,406,390 | |||||||||
| John Mazarakis | 3,827,550 | 156,358 | 8,406,390 | |||||||||
| Anthony Cappell | 3,943,564 | 40,344 | 8,406,390 | |||||||||
| Peter Sack | 3,814,319 | 169,589 | 8,406,390 | |||||||||
| Jason Papastavrou | 2,346,045 | 1,637,863 | 8,406,390 | |||||||||
| Frederick C. Herbst | 3,938,889 | 45,019 | 8,406,390 | |||||||||
| Donald E. Gulbrandsen | 3,058,670 | 925,238 | 8,406,390 | |||||||||
| Brandon Konigsberg | 3,900,240 | 83,668 | 8,406,390 | |||||||||
| Michael L. Steiner | 3,058,660 | 925,248 | 8,406,390 | |||||||||
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Ratification of the Appointment of BDO USA LLP to serve as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023:
Stockholders of the Company ratified the appointment of BDO USA LLP to serve as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023 based on the following votes:
| Votes For | Votes Against | Abstentions/ Withheld | Broker Non-Votes | |||||||||||||
| All Stockholders | 12,168,943 | 94,041 | 127,314 | 0 | ||||||||||||
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits
(d) Exhibits
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 1.1 | Form of At-the-Market Sales Agreement dated as of June 20, 2023, between the Company, the Manager and each Sales Agent | |
| 5.1 | Opinion of Venable LLP | |
| 23.1 | Consent of Venable LLP (Included in Exhibit 5.1) | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
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SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Current Report on Form 8-K to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
CHICAGO ATLANTIC REAL ESTATE FINANCE, INC. | |||
| Date: June 20, 2023 | By: | /s/ Anthony Cappell | |
| Name: | Anthony Cappell | ||
| Title: | Chief Executive Officer | ||
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Exhibit 1.1
Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc.
UP TO $75,000,000 OF COMMON STOCK
(par value $0.01 per share)
At-the-market SALES AGREEMENT
June 20, 2023
[●]
[●]
[●]
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), and Chicago Atlantic REIT Manager, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Manager”), confirm their respective agreements (this “Agreement”) with [●] (in its capacity as sales agent for the Company “Agent” and, together with the Company, the “Parties”), as follows:
1. Issuance and Sale of Shares. The Company agrees that, from time to time during the term of this Agreement, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, it may issue and sell to or through Agent, as sales agent and/or principal, up to that number of shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), having an aggregate offering price of $75,000,000 (the “Shares”); provided, however, that in no event shall the Company issue or sell to or through Agent such number of Shares that would (a) cause the Company not to satisfy the eligibility requirements for use of Form S-3 (including, if and so long as applicable, General Instruction I.B.6. of Form S-3), (b) exceed the number or amount of shares of Common Stock then available for offer and sale under the currently effective Registration Statement (as defined below) pursuant to which the offering hereunder and under any Terms Agreement is being made or (c) exceed the number of authorized but unissued shares of the Company’s Common Stock (the lesser of (a), (b) and (c), the “Maximum Amount”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Parties acknowledge and agree that compliance with the limitations set forth in this Section 1 on the Maximum Amount of Shares that may be issued and sold under this Agreement and any Terms Agreement (as defined below) shall be the sole responsibility of the Company, and that Agent shall have no obligation in connection with such compliance. The Company agrees that whenever it determines to sell Shares directly to Agent, as principal, it will enter into a separate agreement (each, a “Terms Agreement”) in a form to be agreed upon by the Company and Agent relating to such sale in accordance with Section 2(b) of this Agreement (each such transaction being referred to as a “Principal Transaction”). Each transaction pursuant to this Agreement in which the Company determines to sell Shares through Agent, as sales agent, is hereinafter referred to as an “Agency Transaction”. The issuance and sale of Shares to or through Agent will be effected pursuant to the Registration Statement (as defined below) filed by the Company and which was declared effective under the Securities Act (as defined below) by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”).
The Company has prepared and filed, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), with the Commission, not earlier than three years prior to the date hereof, a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-268920), including a base prospectus, with respect to offerings of certain securities of the Company, including the Shares, and which incorporates by reference documents that the Company has filed or will file in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”). The Company has prepared a prospectus supplement to the base prospectus included as part of such registration statement at the time it became effective specifically relating to the offering of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement (the “Prospectus Supplement”). The Company will furnish to Agent, for use by Agent, copies of the base prospectus included as part of such registration statement at the time it became effective, as supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement. Except where the context otherwise requires, such registration statement, as declared effective by the Commission, including the information, if any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430B or 430C under the Securities Act, as applicable, to be part of the registration statement at the time of its effectiveness and all documents filed as part thereof or incorporated by reference therein, and including any information contained in the Prospectus (as defined below) subsequently filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, collectively, are herein called the “Registration Statement,” and the base prospectus included in the registration statement at the time it became effective, including all documents incorporated therein by reference to the extent such information has not been superseded or modified in accordance with Rule 412 under the Securities Act (as qualified by Rule 430B(g) of the Securities Act), as it may be supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement, in the form filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, together with any “issuer free writing prospectus”, as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act (“Rule 433”), relating to the Shares that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company or (ii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i), in each case, in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g), is herein called the “Prospectus.” If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement to register additional securities of the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, then any reference to the Registration Statement in this Agreement shall also be deemed to include such abbreviated registration statement filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act. Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein, and any reference herein to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing after the execution hereof of any document with the Commission deemed to be incorporated by reference therein (such documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference are herein called the “Incorporated Documents”). For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or to any amendment or supplement thereto shall be deemed to include any copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval system, or if applicable, the Interactive Data Electronic Applications system when used by the Commission (collectively, “EDGAR”).
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The Company and the Manager have also entered into separate sales agreements (collectively, the “Separate Sales Agreements”), dated as of even date herewith, with [●] and [●] (and, as applicable, their respective affiliates) (each, in its capacity as agent and/or principal thereunder, a “Separate Agent”), for the issuance and sale from time to time through the applicable Separate Agents on the terms set forth in the applicable Separate Sales Agreements. The Company and the Manager may also in the future enter into additional at-the-market sales agreements (if any, the “Additional Sales Agreements” and together with the Separate Sales Agreements, the “Alternative Sales Agreements”) with one or more additional agents and/or principals. The aggregate offering price of the Shares that may be sold pursuant to this Agreement and the Alternative Sales Agreements shall not exceed the Maximum Amount.
2. Placements; Principal Transactions.
(a) Each time that the Company wishes to issue and sell Shares hereunder in an Agency Transaction (each, a “Placement” and Shares sold thereunder, “Placement Shares”), it will notify Agent by email notice (or other method mutually agreed to in writing by the Parties) of the amount of Shares requested to be sold or the gross proceeds to be raised in a given time period, the time period during which sales are requested to be made, any limitation on the amount of Shares that may be sold in any single day, any minimum price below which sales may not be made or any minimum price requested for sales in a given time period and any other instructions relevant to such requested sales (a “Placement Notice”), the form of which is attached hereto as Schedule 1. A Placement Notice shall originate from any of the individual representatives of the Company set forth on Schedule 3, and shall be addressed to each of the individual representatives of Agent set forth on Schedule 3, as such Schedule 3 may be amended from time to time. Provided the Company is otherwise in compliance with the terms of this Agreement, the Placement Notice shall be effective unless and until (i) Agent, in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, declines to accept the terms contained therein for any reason, in its sole discretion (which shall not be deemed a breach of Agent’s agreement herein), (ii) the entire amount of the Shares thereunder have been sold or the aggregate Shares sold under this Agreement and all Terms Agreements equals the Maximum Amount, whichever occurs first, (iii) the Company, in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, suspends or terminates the Placement Notice or sales thereunder, (iv) Agent, in accordance with the notice requirements set forth in Section 4, suspends sales under the Placement Notice, (v) the Company issues a subsequent Placement Notice with parameters superseding those on the earlier dated Placement Notice or (vi) this Agreement has been terminated under the provisions of Section 14. The amount of any commission to be paid by the Company to Agent in connection with the sale of the Shares effected through Agent, as agent, in an Agency Transaction shall be calculated in accordance with the terms set forth in Schedule 2. It is expressly acknowledged and agreed that neither the Company nor Agent will have any obligation whatsoever with respect to a Placement or any Shares unless and until the Company delivers a Placement Notice to Agent and Agent does not decline such Placement Notice pursuant to the terms set forth above, and then only upon the terms specified therein and herein. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of a Placement Notice, the terms of the Placement Notice will control.
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(b) If the Company wishes to issue and sell Shares hereunder in a Principal Transaction, it will notify Agent by email notice (or other method mutually agreed to in writing by the Parties) of the proposed terms of the Principal Transaction. If Agent, acting as principal, wishes to accept such proposed terms (which it may decline to do for any reason in its sole discretion) or, following discussions with the Company, wishes to accept amended terms, the Company and Agent shall enter into a Terms Agreement setting forth the terms of such Principal Transaction. Neither the Company nor Agent shall have any obligation to enter into a Principal Transaction. The terms set forth in a Terms Agreement shall not be binding on the Company or Agent, unless and until the Company and Agent have each executed such Terms Agreement accepting all of the terms of such Terms Agreement. Any such Terms Agreement shall specify the number or amount of Shares to be sold by the Company to and purchased by Agent pursuant thereto, the per share purchase price to be paid to the Company for such Shares (specifying and giving effect to all market price discounts applicable to such Principal Transaction), all other compensation and/or other fees or expenses payable by the Company to or for the benefit of Agent in connection with such Principal Transaction, the Net Proceeds (as defined below) payable to the Company, the time, date and place of delivery of and payment for such Shares (to the extent the settlement terms for sales of such Shares are intended to differ from those set forth in Section 5 hereof), and the other terms upon which such sale is to occur. A Terms Agreement may also specify certain provisions relating to the reoffering of such Shares by Agent. Each of the Parties acknowledges and agrees that such Principal Transaction shall be based on compensation that is mutually agreeable to both the Company and Agent. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of a Terms Agreement, the terms of the Terms Agreement will control. The commitment of Agent to purchase the Shares as principal pursuant to any Terms Agreement shall be deemed to have been made on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements of the Company contained in this Agreement and shall be subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth. Each of the Parties acknowledges and agrees that, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement or any Terms Agreement, Agent may engage in sales and other transactions in respect of a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the number of Shares deliverable to Agent pursuant to a Terms Agreement, whether or not Agent has taken possession of such Shares at the time of such sales or other transactions, and nothing contained in this Agreement or any Terms Agreement shall limit or be deemed to limit Agent’s ability to engage in such sales or other transactions.
(c) The Company agrees that any offer to sell, any solicitation of an offer to buy or any sales of Shares shall only be effected by or through only one of the Agent or the respective Separate Agent on any single given day, but in no event more than one, and the Company shall in no event request that the Agent and one or more of the Separate Agents sell Shares on the same day; provided, however, that (x) the foregoing limitation shall not apply to (A) exercise of any option, warrant, right or any conversion privilege set forth in the instrument governing such security or (B) sales solely to employees or security holders of the Company or its subsidiaries, or to a trustee or other person acquiring such securities for the accounts of such persons, (y) such limitation shall not apply on any day during which no sales are made pursuant to this Agreement and (z) such limitation shall not apply if, prior to any such request to sell Shares, all Shares the Company has previously requested the Agent or any Separate Agents to sell have been sold.
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3. Sale of Shares by Agent. On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, upon the Company’s issuance of a Placement Notice in an Agency Transaction, and unless the sale of the Shares described therein has been declined, suspended or otherwise terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, Agent, as sales agent for the Company, will use its commercially reasonable efforts, consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations and the rules of The NASDAQ Global Market (the “Exchange”), for the period specified in the Placement Notice to sell such Shares up to the amount specified by the Company in, and otherwise in accordance with the terms of, such Placement Notice. If acting as sales agent in an Agency Transaction, Agent will provide written confirmation to the Company no later than the opening of the Trading Day (as defined below) next following the Trading Day on which it has made sales of Shares hereunder, setting forth the number of Shares sold on such day, the compensation payable by the Company to Agent with respect to such sales pursuant to Section 2 (it being hereby acknowledged and agreed that such compensation shall not apply when Agent acts as principal, in which case such compensation, discounts or other fees shall be set forth in the applicable Terms Agreement), and the Net Proceeds (as defined below) payable to the Company, with an itemization of the deductions made by Agent (as set forth in Section 5(a)) from the gross proceeds for the Shares that it receives from such sales. Agent may sell Shares, as sales agent in an Agency Transaction, by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at-the-market” offering as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act, including, without limitation, sales made directly on the Exchange, on any other existing trading market for the Common Stock or to or through a market maker or through an electronic communications network. After consultation with the Company and subject to the terms of a Placement Notice, Agent may also sell Shares, as sales agent in an Agency Transaction, in privately negotiated transactions, including, without limitation, in block trades. During the term of this Agreement and notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, Agent agrees that in no event will it or any of its affiliates engage in any market making, bidding, stabilization or other trading activity with regard to the Common Stock if such activity would be prohibited under Regulation M or other anti-manipulation rules under the Exchange Act. Each of the Company and the Manager acknowledge and agree that (i) there can be no assurance that Agent will be successful in selling Shares in any Agency Transaction hereunder, (ii) Agent will incur no liability or obligation to the Company, the Manager or any other person or entity if it does not sell Shares in any Agency Transaction for any reason other than a failure by Agent to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell such Shares as required under this Section 3, and (iii) Agent shall be under no obligation to purchase Shares on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement, except as may otherwise be specifically agreed by each of Agent and the Company pursuant to a Terms Agreement, and then only to the extent permitted by applicable law and the rules and regulations of the Exchange. For the purposes hereof, “Trading Day” means any day on which Common Stock is purchased and sold on the principal market on which the Common Stock is listed or quoted.
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4. Suspension of Sales.
(a) The Company or Agent may, upon notice to the other party in writing (including by email correspondence to each of the individual representatives of the other party set forth on Schedule 3, if receipt of such correspondence is actually acknowledged by any of the individuals to whom the notice is sent, other than via auto-reply) or by telephone (confirmed immediately by verifiable facsimile transmission or email correspondence to each of the individual representatives of the other party set forth on Schedule 3) (a “Suspension Notice”), suspend this offering and any sale of Shares in an Agency Transaction for a period of time (a “Suspension Period”); provided, however, that such suspension shall not affect or impair either party’s obligations with respect to any Shares sold hereunder prior to the receipt of such notice. Each of the Parties agrees that no such notice under this Section 4 shall be effective against the other unless it is made to one of the individuals named on Schedule 3 hereto, as such Schedule may be amended from time to time. During a Suspension Period, the Company shall not issue any Placement Notices and Agent shall not sell any Shares hereunder. The party that issued a Suspension Notice shall notify the other party in writing of the Trading Day on which the Suspension Period shall expire not later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to such Trading Day.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or any Terms Agreement, the Company shall not offer or sell, or request the offer or sale of, any Shares and, by notice to Agent given by telephone (confirmed promptly by verifiable facsimile transmission or email), shall cancel any instructions for the offer or sale of any Shares, and Agent shall not be obligated to offer or sell any Shares, (i) during any period in which the Company is, or may be deemed to be, in possession of material non-public information or (ii) except as expressly provided in Section 4(c) below, at any time from and including the date (each, an “Announcement Date”) on which the Company shall issue a press release containing, or shall otherwise publicly announce, its earnings, revenues or other results of operations (each, an “Earnings Announcement”) through and including the time that is 24 hours after the time that the Company files (a “Filing Time”) a quarterly report on Form 10-Q or an annual report on Form 10-K that includes consolidated financial statements as of and for the same period or periods, as the case may be, covered by such Earnings Announcement.
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(c) If the Company wishes to offer, sell or deliver Shares at any time during the period from and including an Announcement Date through and including the time that is 24 hours after the corresponding Filing Time, the Company shall, as conditions to the giving or continuation of any Placement Notice with respect to an Agency Transaction or the execution by Agent of any Terms Agreement with respect to a Principal Transaction, (i) prepare and deliver to Agent (with a copy to counsel to Agent) a report on Form 8-K which shall include substantially the same financial and related information as was set forth in the relevant Earnings Announcement (other than any earnings or other projections, similar forward-looking data and officers’ quotations) (each, an “Earnings 8-K”), in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Agent and its counsel, (ii) provide Agent with the officer’s certificate called for by Section 8(m), dated the date of the Placement Notice for such Agency Transaction or the Settlement Date (as defined below) of such Principal Transaction, as applicable, which certificate shall be deemed to remain in effect during the applicable period unless withdrawn by the Company, and the opinion of Company Counsel (as defined below), opinion of Company Tax Counsel (as defined below), opinion of Company Maryland Counsel (as defined below) and Comfort Letter (as defined below) and certificate of the Principal Financial Officer of the Company called for by Sections 8(n), 8(o), and 8(p) respectively, dated the date of the Placement Notice for such Agency Transaction or the Settlement Date of such Principal Transaction, as applicable, (iii) afford Agent the opportunity to conduct a due diligence review in accordance with Section 8(k) hereof and (iv) file such Earnings 8-K with the Commission (so that it is deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act). The provisions of clause (ii) of Section 4(b) shall not be applicable for the period from and after the time at which the conditions set forth in the immediately preceding sentence shall have been satisfied (or, if later, the time that is 24 hours after the time that the relevant Earnings Announcement was first publicly released) through and including the time that is 24 hours after the Filing Time of the relevant Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Annual Report on Form 10-K, as the case may be. For purposes of clarity, the Parties agree that (A) the delivery of any officers’ certificate, opinion of Company Counsel and Comfort Letter pursuant to this Section 4(c) shall not relieve the Company from any of its obligations under this Agreement with respect to any quarterly report on Form 10-Q, annual report on Form 10-K, or report on Form 8-K, as the case may be, including, without limitation, the obligation to deliver the officers’ certificate, opinion of Company Counsel, opinion of Company Tax Counsel, opinion of Company Maryland counsel, Comfort Letter and certificate of the Principal Financial Officer called for by Sections 8(m), 8(n), 8(o) and 8(p), respectively, which Sections shall have independent application, and (B) this Section 4(c) shall in no way affect or limit the operation of the provisions of clause (i) of Section 4(b), which shall have independent application.
5. Settlement.
(a) Settlement of Placement Shares. Unless otherwise specified in the applicable Placement Notice or Terms Agreement (as applicable), settlement for sales of Placement Shares will occur on the second (2nd) Trading Day (or such earlier day as is industry practice for regular-way trading) following the date on which such sales are made (each, a “Settlement Date”). The amount of proceeds to be delivered to the Company on a Settlement Date against receipt of the Placement Shares sold (the “Net Proceeds”) will be equal to the aggregate sales price received by Agent for the Placement Shares, after deduction for (i) Agent’s commission for such sales payable by the Company pursuant to Section 2 hereof in an Agency Transaction, or Agent’s compensation, discounts or other fees pursuant to the terms of the applicable Terms Agreement in a Principal Transaction, as applicable, (ii) any other amounts due and payable by the Company to Agent hereunder and under any Terms Agreement, as applicable, pursuant to Section 8(g) (Expenses) hereof and (iii) any transaction fees imposed by any governmental or self-regulatory organization in respect of such sales.
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(b) Delivery of Placement Shares. On or before each Settlement Date, the Company will, or will cause its transfer agent to, issue and electronically transfer the Placement Shares being sold by crediting Agent’s or its designee’s (provided Agent shall have given the Company written notice of such designee prior to the Settlement Date) account at The Depository Trust Company through its Deposit and Withdrawal at Custodian System or by such other means of delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the Parties, which Placement Shares in all cases shall be freely tradeable, transferable, registered shares in good deliverable form. On each Settlement Date, Agent will deliver the related Net Proceeds in same day funds to an account designated by the Company prior to the Settlement Date. The Company agrees that if the Company, or its transfer agent, defaults in its obligation to deliver Placement Shares on a Settlement Date pursuant to the terms of any Agency Transaction or Terms Agreement, in addition to and in no way limiting the rights and obligations set forth in Section 12(a) (Indemnification by the Company), the Company will (i) hold Agent, its directors, officers, members, partners, employees and agents of Agent and each person, if any, who (A) controls Agent within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or (B) is controlled by or is under common control with Agent (other than the Company and its Subsidiaries (as defined below)) (an “Agent Affiliate”), harmless against any loss, claim, damage, or expense (including reasonable legal fees and expenses), as incurred, arising out of or in connection with such default by the Company or its transfer agent (if applicable) and (ii) pay to Agent any commission or other compensation (including the value of any market price discounts in any applicable Principal Transaction) to which it would otherwise have been entitled absent such default.
(c) Limitations on Offering Size. With respect to each Trading Day during which sales are requested to be made pursuant to a Placement Notice in an Agency Transaction, under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Shares pursuant to this Agreement on, or over the course of, such Trading Day in excess of 15% of the average daily trading volume (as such term is used in Rule 10b-18 of the Exchange Act) in the Common Stock on the Exchange for the thirty (30) Trading Days immediately preceding the date of delivery of the Placement Notice, or as otherwise agreed between the Company and Agent and documented in the applicable Placement Notice. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement or any Terms Agreement (i) if, after giving effect to the sale of such Placement Shares, the aggregate number of Placement Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement and all Terms Agreements would exceed the lesser of (A) the Maximum Amount and (B) the number or amount authorized from time to time to be issued and sold under this Agreement by the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”), a duly authorized committee thereof or a duly authorized executive committee, and notified to Agent in writing, or (ii) at a price lower than the minimum price therefor authorized from time to time by the Board, a duly authorized committee thereof or a duly authorized executive committee, and notified to Agent in writing. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Shares in any Agency Transaction pursuant to this Agreement or cause the offer or sale to Agent of any Shares in any Principal Transaction pursuant to this Agreement and any Terms Agreement, in each case, at a price lower than the minimum price therefor authorized from time to time by the Board, a duly authorized committee thereof or a duly authorized executive committee, and notified to Agent in writing. Under no circumstances shall the aggregate number of Placement Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement and all Terms Agreements exceed the Maximum Amount. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Parties acknowledge and agree that compliance with the limitations set forth in this Section 5(c) on the number or amount of Placement Shares that may be issued and sold under this Agreement and any Terms Agreement shall be the sole responsibility of the Company, and that Agent shall have no obligation in connection with such compliance.
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6. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, Agent that as of (i) the date of this Agreement, (ii) each Representation Date (as defined in Section 8(m)) on which a certificate is required to be delivered pursuant to Section 8(m), (iii) the date on which any Placement Notice is delivered by the Company hereunder, (iv) the date on which any Terms Agreement is executed by the Company and Agent and (v) each time of sale of Shares pursuant to this Agreement or any Terms Agreement (each such time of sale, an “Applicable Time”), as the case may be:
(a) Registration Statement and Prospectus. All of the conditions to the use of Form S-3 in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares as contemplated hereby have been satisfied. The Registration Statement meets, and the offering and sale of Shares as contemplated hereby comply with, the requirements of Rule 415(a)(1)(x) under the Securities Act. The Registration Statement was declared effective under the Securities Act by the Commission on January 19, 2023, and any post-effective amendment thereto has also been declared effective or became effective upon filing. The Company has not received from the Commission any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(1) under the Securities Act objecting to the use of the shelf registration statement form. No stop order of the Commission preventing or suspending the use of the base prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus, or the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, has been issued, and no proceedings for such purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, are contemplated by the Commission. At the time of the initial filing of the Registration Statement, the Company paid the required Commission filing fees relating to the Shares in accordance with Rules 456(a) and 457(o) under the Securities Act. Copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, and any such amendments or supplements and all documents incorporated by reference therein that were filed with the Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement have been delivered, or are available through EDGAR, to Agent and its counsel.
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(b) No Material Misstatement or Omission. At the respective times the Registration Statement and each post-effective amendment thereto became effective, at each deemed effective date with respect to Agent pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) under the Securities Act, and at each Settlement Date, as the case may be, the Registration Statement complied, complies and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act (including Rule 415(a)(1)(x) under the Securities Act), and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading. The Prospectus, when so filed with the Commission under Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, complied, complies and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act, and each Prospectus furnished to Agent for use in connection with the offering of the Shares was identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T. Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto, at the time the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement was filed, as of the date hereof, at each Representation Date, and at each Applicable Time, as the case may be, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by Agent expressly for use therein.
(c) Incorporated Documents. Each Incorporated Document heretofore filed, when it was filed (or, if any amendment with respect to any such document was filed, when such amendment was filed), conformed in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act, and any further Incorporated Documents so filed and incorporated after the date of this Agreement will, when they are filed, conform in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act; no such Incorporated Document when it was filed (or, if an amendment with respect to any such document was filed, when such amendment was filed), contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and no such Incorporated Document, when it is filed, will contain an untrue statement of a material fact or will omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(d) Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company has not distributed and will not distribute any “prospectus” (within the meaning of the Securities Act) or offering material in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares other than the then most recent Prospectus Supplement and any “issuer free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 433) reviewed and consented to by Agent, in each case accompanied by the then most recent base prospectus. Each issuer free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 433), as of its issue date and as of each Applicable Time, did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any Incorporated Document deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified. The foregoing sentence does not apply to any statements in or omissions from any issuer free writing prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by Agent expressly for use in such issuer free writing prospectus. The Company is not disqualified, by reason of subsection (f) or (g) of Rule 164 under the Securities Act, from using, in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares, issuer free writing prospectuses pursuant to Rules 164 and 433 under the Securities Act. The Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act at the times specified in Rules 164 and 433 under the Securities Act in connection with the offering of the Shares. Any issuer free writing prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433 has been, or will be, timely filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of Rule 433. Each issuer free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433 or that was prepared by or on behalf of or used by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act.
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(e) Capitalization. The Company has an authorized and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as of the dates referred to therein (subject, in each case, to the issuance of shares of Common Stock under this Agreement or any Terms Agreement, the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of stock options and warrants disclosed as outstanding in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the grant of options under existing stock option plans described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus). All of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock, including the Common Stock, of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable, have been issued in compliance, in all material respects, with all federal and state securities laws and were not issued in violation of any preemptive right or similar right. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there are no outstanding (i) securities or obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (as defined below) convertible into or exchangeable for any equity interests of the Company or any such Subsidiary, (ii) warrants, rights or options to subscribe for or purchase from the Company or any such Subsidiary any such equity interests or any such convertible or exchangeable securities or obligations or (iii) obligations of the Company or any such Subsidiary to issue any equity interests, any such convertible or exchangeable securities or obligation, or any such warrants, rights or options. The Company’s Common Stock has been registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and is authorized for trading on the Exchange, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock from the Exchange, nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission or the Exchange is contemplating terminating such registration or listing. The Company is in compliance with the current listing standards of the Exchange. The Company has filed a Notification of Listing of Additional Shares with the Exchange with respect to the Shares.
(f) Organization of the Company. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Maryland, with the corporate power and authority to acquire, own, lease and operate its properties, and to lease the same to others, and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, to execute and deliver this Agreement and each Terms Agreement and to issue and sell the Shares as contemplated herein and therein; and the Company is in compliance in all respects with the laws, orders, rules, regulations and directives issued or administered by such jurisdictions, except where the failure to be in compliance would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect (as defined below).
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(g) Management Agreement. The Management Agreement between the Company and the Manager (as amended, the “Management Agreement”) has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by, and is a valid and legally binding agreement of, the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except to the extent that enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general equitable principles.
(h) Foreign Qualification of the Company. The Company is duly qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in each jurisdiction where the ownership or leasing of its properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified and in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, either (i) have or reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the business, operations, properties, financial condition, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (ii) prevent, materially interfere with or materially delay consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or in any Terms Agreement (the effects described in the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii) being herein referred to as a “Material Adverse Effect”).
(i) Subsidiaries. Each subsidiary of the Company (each a “Subsidiary” and collectively, the “Subsidiaries”) that is a significant subsidiary, as defined in Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X of the Exchange Act (each a “Significant Subsidiary” and collectively, the “Significant Subsidiaries”), has been duly incorporated or organized and is validly existing as a corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership, as the case may be, in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation, limited liability company or limited partnership, as the case may be, to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure to so qualify would not have a Material Adverse Effect. All of the issued and outstanding capital stock of, or other ownership interests in, each such Significant Subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and, except for directors’ qualifying shares, is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity; and attached hereto as Schedule 4 is an accurate and complete list of the Significant Subsidiaries. At the filing date of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, the Company did not have any Significant Subsidiary not listed on Exhibit 21 to the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K which was required to be so listed.
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(j) Validity of Shares. The Shares have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor as provided herein, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and free of preemptive rights and similar rights. No further approval or authority of the stockholders or the Board are required for the issuance and sale of the Shares.
(k) Description of Shares. The capital stock of the Company, including the Common Stock, conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and the holders of the Shares will not be subject to personal liability solely by reason of being such holders.
(l) Authorization. This Agreement and each Terms Agreement, at the time such Terms Agreement is entered into, has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity. This Agreement and each Terms Agreement, at the time such Terms Agreement is entered into, conforms in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(m) Absence of Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any Significant Subsidiary is (i) in breach or violation of its certificate or articles of incorporation, charter, bylaws, limited liability company agreement, certificate or agreement of limited or general partnership, memorandum and articles of association, or other similar organizational documents, as the case may be, of such entity, (ii) in breach of or in default (or, with the giving of notice or lapse of time or both, would be in default) (“Default”) under any indenture, mortgage, loan or credit agreement, deed of trust, note, contract, franchise, lease or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries is subject (each, an “Existing Instrument”), or (iii) in violation of any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries or any of their properties, as applicable, except, with respect to clauses (ii) and (iii) only, for such breaches, violations or Defaults that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and each Terms Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or by the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (including the issuance and sale of the Shares and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares as described in the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) (i) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action, and will not result in any breach or violation of the certificate or articles of incorporation, charter, bylaws, limited liability company agreement, certificate or agreement of limited or general partnership, memorandum and articles of association, or other similar organizational documents, as the case may be, of the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries, (ii) will not conflict with or constitute a breach of, or Default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge, claim or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries pursuant to, or require the consent of any other party to, any Existing Instrument, and (iii) will not result in any violation of any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable to the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries or any of its or their properties, as applicable, except, with respect to clauses (ii) and (iii) only, for such conflicts, breaches, Defaults, Debt Repayment Triggering Events or violations that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. As used herein, a “Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition which gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time or both would give, the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf), issued by the Company, the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries.
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(n) Absence of Further Requirements. No consent, approval, license, permit, qualification, authorization or other order or decree of, or registration or filing with, any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or agency is required for the Company’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and each Terms Agreement or consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or by the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (including the issuance and sale of the Shares hereunder or under any Terms Agreement), except such as have been already obtained or made or as may be required under the Securities Act, applicable state securities or Blue Sky laws, the rules of the Exchange, or the rules and regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).
(o) No Preferential Rights; No Commissions. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (i) no person (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X promulgated under the Securities Act) has the right, contractual or otherwise, to cause the Company to issue or sell to such person any Common Stock or shares of any other capital stock or other securities of the Company, (ii) no person (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X promulgated under the Securities Act) has any preemptive rights, resale rights, rights of first refusal, or any other rights (whether pursuant to a “poison pill” provision or otherwise) to purchase any Common Stock or shares of any other capital stock or other securities of the Company, (iii) no person (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X promulgated under the Securities Act) has the right to act as an underwriter or as a financial advisor to the Company in connection with the offer and sale of the Shares hereunder or under any Terms Agreement, whether as a result of the filing or effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the sale of the Shares as contemplated thereby or otherwise, and (iv) no person (as such term is defined in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X promulgated under the Securities Act) has the right, contractual or otherwise, to cause the Company to register under the Securities Act any shares of Common Stock or shares of any other capital stock or other securities of the Company, or to include any such shares or other securities in the Registration Statement or the offering contemplated thereby. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than as contemplated by this Agreement or any Terms Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Agent for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares by Agent under this Agreement or any Terms Agreement.
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(p) Intellectual Property. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company or its Significant Subsidiaries own or possess a valid right to use all material patents, trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights, patentable inventions, trade secrets, know-how and other intellectual property (collectively, the “Intellectual Property”) used by the Company or its Significant Subsidiaries in, and material to, the conduct of the Company’s or its Significant Subsidiaries’ business as now conducted or as proposed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus to be conducted. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there is no material infringement by third parties of any of the Intellectual Property and there are no legal or governmental actions, suits, proceedings or claims pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened, against the Company (i) challenging the Company’s rights in or to any Intellectual Property, (ii) challenging the validity or scope of any Intellectual Property owned by the Company, or (iii) alleging that the operation of the Company’s business as now conducted infringes or otherwise violates any patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or other proprietary rights of a third party, where any such action, suit, proceeding or claim would, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(q) Possession of Licenses and Permits. Each of the Company and its Significant Subsidiaries has all necessary licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals and has made all necessary filings required under any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule, and has obtained all necessary licenses, certificates, authorizations, orders, permits, consents and approvals from other persons, in order to acquire and own, lease or sublease, lease to others and conduct its respective business as described in the Registration Statement or Prospectus, except where the failure to have or obtain such licenses, permits, authorizations, consents and approvals and to make such filings would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. All of such license, permit, authorization, consent or approval are valid and in full force and effect, except where the invalidity of such license, permit, authorization, consent or approval to be in full force and effect would not have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any of its Significant Subsidiaries is in violation of, or in default under, or has received notice of any proceedings relating to revocation or modification of, any such license, permit, authorization, consent or approval (or has any reason to believe that any such license, permit, authorization, consent or approval will not be renewed in the ordinary course) or any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule or any decree, order or judgment applicable to the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries, except where such violation, default, revocation or modification would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(r) Contracts and Agreements. There are no contracts, agreements, instruments or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any Incorporated Documents or to be filed as exhibits thereto which have not been so described in all material respects and filed as required by Item 601(b) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act. The copies of all contracts, agreements, instruments and other documents (including governmental licenses, authorizations, permits, consents and approvals and all amendments or waivers relating to any of the foregoing) that have been furnished to Agent or its counsel are complete and genuine and include all material collateral and supplemental agreements thereto. All contracts and agreements between the Company and third parties expressly referenced in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus are legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except as enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity.
(s) Absence of Proceedings. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, there are no actions, suits, claims, investigations or proceedings pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened to which the Company or any of the Subsidiaries is or would be a party, or of which any of the respective properties or assets of the Company and the Subsidiaries is or would be subject, at law or in equity, before any court or arbitral body or by or before any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, which are required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or which would reasonably be expected to result in a judgment, decree or order having, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect, or which could materially and adversely affect the respective properties or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. The aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or of which any of their respective properties or assets is the subject which are not described in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business of the Company, would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(t) Independent Accountants. BDO USA, LLP, whose report on the consolidated financial statements of the Company and the Subsidiaries is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company as required by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the “PCAOB”). BDO USA, LLP has not been engaged by the Company to perform any “prohibited activities” (as defined in Section 10A of the Exchange Act).
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(u) Financial Statements. The financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, together with the related notes and schedules, present fairly the consolidated financial position of the Company and the Subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the consolidated results of operations and cash flows of the Company and the Subsidiaries for the periods specified and have been prepared in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Act and Exchange Act and in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as of and at the dates indicated. Any pro forma financial statements or data included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply with the requirements of Regulation S-X of the Securities Act, including, without limitation, Article 11 thereof, and the assumptions used in the preparation of such pro forma financial statements and data are reasonable, the pro forma adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect to the circumstances referred to therein and the pro forma adjustments have been properly applied to the historical amounts in the compilation of those statements and data. The other financial data set forth or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus is accurately presented and prepared on a basis consistent with the financial statements and books and records of the Company. The Company and the Subsidiaries do not have any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations or any “variable interest entities” as that term is used in Accounting Standards Codification Paragraph 810-10-25-20), not disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. All disclosures contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including the Incorporated Documents, that contain “non-GAAP financial measures” (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) comply, in all material respects, with Regulation G under the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, to the extent applicable.
(v) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there has not been (i) any material adverse change in the business, operations, properties, financial condition, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (ii) any transaction, other than in the ordinary course, which is material to the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (iii) any obligation, direct or contingent (including any off-balance sheet obligations), incurred by the Company or any Subsidiary, which is material to the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (iv) any change in the authorized capital stock of the Company, or (v) except for regular quarterly dividends or special dividends made in the ordinary course on the Common Stock, any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made on the capital stock of the Company.
(w) Investment Company Act. The Company is not, and after receipt of payment for the Shares and the application of the proceeds thereof as contemplated under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will not be, required to be registered as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively, the “Investment Company Act”).
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(x) Property. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company and each of its Significant Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all of the properties and assets reflected as owned in the financial statements referred to in Section 6(t) above (or elsewhere in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus), in each case free and clear of any security interests, mortgages, liens, encumbrances, equities, claims and other defects, except such as do not materially and adversely affect the value of such property or assets and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such property by the Company or any Significant Subsidiary. The material real property, improvements, equipment and personal property held under lease by the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries are held under valid and enforceable leases, with such exceptions as are not material and do not materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of such real property, improvements, equipment or personal property by the Company or such Significant Subsidiary. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have such consents, easements, rights-of-way or licenses from any person (“rights-of-way”) as are necessary to enable the Company and each of its Subsidiaries to conduct its business in the manner described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, and except for such rights-of-way the lack of which would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
(y) Environmental Laws. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has been in material violation of, in connection with the ownership, use, maintenance or operation of its properties and assets, any applicable federal, state, municipal, local or foreign laws, rules, regulations, decisions, orders, policies, permits, licenses, certificates or approvals having force of law, domestic or foreign, relating to environmental, health, or safety matters or hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (collectively, “Environmental Laws”). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing and except as otherwise described in the Registration Statement and Prospectus: (i) the Company and each of its Subsidiaries has occupied its properties and has received, handled, used, stored, treated, shipped and disposed of all pollutants, contaminants, hazardous or toxic materials, controlled or dangerous substances or wastes in compliance with all applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses; (ii) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is aware of any unlawful spills, releases, discharges or disposal of any pollutants, contaminants, hazardous or toxic materials, controlled or dangerous substances or wastes that have occurred or are presently occurring on or from its properties as a result of any construction on or operation and use of its properties, (iii) there are no orders, rulings or directives issued against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and there are no orders, rulings or directives pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under or pursuant to any Environmental Laws requiring any work, repairs, construction or capital expenditures with respect to any properties or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries; and (iv) no notice with respect to any of the matters referred to in this Section 6(x), including any alleged violations by the Company or any of the Subsidiaries with respect thereto has been received by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and no writ, injunction, order or judgment is outstanding, and no legal proceeding under or pursuant to any Environmental Laws or relating to the ownership, use, maintenance or operation of the properties and assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is in progress, pending or threatened, which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and to the knowledge of the Company, there are no grounds or conditions which exist, on or under any property now or previously owned, operated or leased by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, on which any such legal proceeding might be commenced with any reasonable likelihood of success or with the passage of time, or the giving of notice or both, would give rise thereto.
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(z) Accounting Controls and Disclosure Controls. The Company and each of its Significant Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances 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 accountability for assets; (iii) receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (iv) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (v) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (A) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (B) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The Company and its Significant Subsidiaries, considered as one enterprise, have established and currently maintain disclosure controls and procedures that comply with Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act, and the Company has determined that such disclosure controls and procedures are effective in compliance with Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act.
(aa) Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with any applicable provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.
(bb) Payment of Taxes. All tax returns of the Company and its Significant Subsidiaries required by law to be filed have been timely filed and all taxes shown by such returns or otherwise assessed, which are due and payable, have been paid, except assessments against which appeals have been or will be promptly taken and as to which adequate reserves have been provided. The charges, accruals and reserves on the books of the Company in respect of any income and corporation tax liability for any years not finally determined are adequate to meet any assessments or re-assessments for additional income tax for any years not finally determined, except to the extent of any inadequacy that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.
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(cc) Stock Transfer Taxes. On each Settlement Date, all stock transfer or other taxes (other than income taxes) which are required to be paid in connection with the sale and transfer of the Shares to be sold hereunder and under any Terms Agreement, as applicable, will be, or will have been, fully paid or provided for by the Company and all laws imposing such taxes will be or will have been fully complied with.
(dd) Statistical and Market-Related Data. The statistical and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate, and the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources to the extent required.
(ee) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. None of the Company, any Subsidiary or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (collectively, the “FCPA”), including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA. The Company and the Subsidiaries have conducted their respective businesses in compliance with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.
(ff) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its 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 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 any of its Subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
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(gg) OFAC. None of the Company, its Subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or representatives of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is an individual or entity (“Person”) currently the subject or target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the United States Government, including, without limitation, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, the Crimea Region of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the net proceeds of the sale of the Shares, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such net proceeds to any Subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other Person, to fund any activities of or business with any Person, or in any country or territory, that, at the time of such funding, is the subject of Sanctions or in any other manner that will result in a violation by any Person (including any Person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions.
(hh) Related Party Transactions. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its Subsidiaries on the one hand, and the directors, officers, trustees, managers, stockholders, partners, customers or suppliers of the Company or any of the Subsidiaries on the other hand, which would be required by the Securities Act to be disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, which is not so disclosed.
(ii) REIT Status. Commencing with its initial taxable year ended 2021, the Company has been organized and operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (collectively, the “Code”), and the Company’s current and proposed method of operations as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will enable it to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code for its taxable year ended December 31, 2021 and thereafter. No transaction or other event has occurred that could cause the Company to not be able to qualify as a REIT for its taxable year ending December 31, 2023 or future taxable years. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have no intention of changing their operations or engaging in activities that would cause the Company to fail to qualify, or make economically undesirable the Company’s continued qualification, as a REIT under the Code.
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(jj) Description of Organization and Method of Operations. The description of the Company’s organization and current and proposed method of operations and its qualification and taxation as a REIT set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus is accurate and presents fairly the matters referred to therein. The Company’s conflicts of interest, operating policies, investment guidelines and operating restrictions described or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus accurately reflect the guidelines and policies of the Company with respect to the operation of its business, and no material deviation from such guidelines or policies is currently contemplated.
(kk) ERISA. (i) The Company and its Significant Subsidiaries and any “employee benefit plan” (as defined in Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (collectively, “ERISA”)) established or maintained by the Company, its Significant Subsidiaries or their ERISA Affiliates (as defined below) are in compliance in all material respects with ERISA and the Code; (ii) no “reportable event” (as defined under ERISA), other than an event for which the reporting requirement has been waived under regulations issued by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, has occurred with respect to any pension plan subject to Title IV of ERISA that is established or maintained by the Company, its Significant Subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates (“Pension Plan”); (iii) no Pension Plan’s benefit liabilities under Section 4001(a)(16) of ERISA exceed the current value of that Pension Plan’s assets, all as determined as of the most recent valuation date for the Pension Plan in accordance with the assumptions used for funding the Pension Plan pursuant to Section 412 of ERISA; (iv) none of the Company, its Significant Subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates has incurred or reasonably expects to incur any liability under (A) Title IV of ERISA with respect to termination of, or withdrawal from, any “employee benefit plan,” (B) Sections 4971 or 4975 of the Code, (C) Section 412 of the Code as a result of a failure to satisfy the minimum funding standard, or (D) Section 4980B of the Code with respect to the excise tax imposed thereunder; and (v) each “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company, its Significant Subsidiaries or any of their ERISA Affiliates that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code has received a favorable determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service and nothing has occurred, whether by action or failure to act, which is reasonably likely to cause disqualification of any such employee benefit plan under Section 401(a) of the Code, except in the case of each of clauses (i) through (v), which would not have a Material Adverse Effect. “ERISA Affiliate” means, with respect to the Company or a Significant Subsidiary, any member of any group of organizations described in Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Code, of which the Company or such Significant Subsidiary is a member.
(ll) Labor Disputes. No labor disturbance by or dispute with employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened which would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
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(mm) Market Capitalization. As of the close of trading on the Exchange on the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of this Agreement, the aggregate market value of the outstanding voting and non-voting common equity (as defined in Securities Act Rule 405) of the Company held by persons other than affiliates of the Company (within the meaning of Securities Act Rule 144) (the “Non-Affiliate Shares”), was approximately $263 million (calculated by multiplying (x) the highest price at which the common equity of the Company was last sold on the Exchange on a Trading Day within 60 days prior to the date of this Agreement times (y) the number of Non-Affiliate Shares).
(nn) No Material Defaults. Neither the Company nor any of the Subsidiaries has defaulted on any installment on indebtedness for borrowed money or on any rental on one or more long-term leases, which defaults, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has not filed a report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act since the filing of its last Annual Report on Form 10-K, indicating that it (i) has failed to pay any dividend or sinking fund installment on preferred stock or (ii) has defaulted on any installment on indebtedness for borrowed money or on any rental on one or more long-term leases, which defaults, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(oo) Absence of Manipulation. Neither the Company, nor any of its Subsidiaries, nor any of its or their respective directors, officers or, to the knowledge of the Company, controlling persons has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to stabilize or manipulate, or which has constituted or might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, the stabilization or manipulation of, the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares.
(pp) Director Independence. Each of the independent directors (or independent director nominees, once appointed, if applicable) named in the Registration Statement and Prospectus satisfies the independence standards established by the Exchange and, with respect to members of the Company’s audit committee, the enhanced independence standards contained in Rule 10A-3(b)(1) promulgated by the Commission under the Exchange Act.
(qq) Broker-Dealer Status; FINRA Matters. The Company is not required to register as a “broker” or “dealer” in accordance with the provisions of the Exchange Act and does not, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, control or have any other association with (within the meaning of Article I of the By-laws of FINRA) any member firm of FINRA. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company, on the one hand, and the directors, officers or stockholders of the Company, on the other hand, which is required by the rules of FINRA to be described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, which is not so described. The offering of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement and each Terms Agreement qualifies for the exemption from the filing requirements of FINRA Rule 5110 afforded by FINRA Rule 5110(b)(7)(C)(i).
(rr) Margin Rules. Neither the issuance, sale and delivery of the Shares nor the application of the proceeds thereof by the Company as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will violate Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any other regulation of such Board of Governors.
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(ss) Underwriter Agreements. The Company is not a party to any agreement with an agent or underwriter for any other “at-the-market” or continuous equity transaction or any “equity line” transaction except for the Alternative Sales Agreements.
(tt) No Reliance. The Company has not relied upon Agent or its legal counsel for any legal, tax or accounting advice in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares.
(uu) No Integration. Neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its affiliates (within the meaning of Securities Act Rule 144) has, prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities which could be “integrated” (within the meaning of the Securities Act) with the offer and sale of the Shares.
(vv) Cybersecurity. With such exceptions as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect: (A) there has been no security breach or incident, unauthorized access or disclosure, or other compromise of or relating to the Company’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data and databases (including the data and information of their respective tenants, customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained, processed or stored by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and any such data processed or stored by third parties on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”); (B) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has been notified of, and has no knowledge of any event or condition that would result in, any security breach or incident, unauthorized access or disclosure or other compromise to their IT Systems and Data; and (C) the Company and its Subsidiaries have implemented appropriate controls, policies, procedures and technological safeguards to maintain and protect the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of their IT Systems and Data reasonably consistent with industry standards and practices, or as required by applicable regulatory standards. The Company and its Subsidiaries are presently in material compliance with all applicable laws and statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification.
7. Representations and Warranties of the Manager. The Manager represents and warrants to, and agrees with, Agent that as of (i) the date of this Agreement, (ii) each Representation Date (as defined in Section 8(m)) on which a certificate is required to be delivered pursuant to Section 8(m), (iii) the date on which any Placement Notice is delivered by the Company hereunder, (iv) the date on which any Terms Agreement is executed by the Company and Agent and (v) each Applicable Time, as the case may be:
(a) Organization of the Manager. Manager has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a limited liability company in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with the limited liability company power and authority to acquire, own, lease and operate its properties, and to lease the same to others, and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, to execute and deliver this Agreement and each Terms Agreement and perform its obligations under this Agreement and each Terms Agreement; and the Manager is in compliance in all respects with the laws, orders, rules, regulations and directives issued or administered by such jurisdictions, except where the failure to be in compliance would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Manager Material Adverse Effect (as defined below). The Manager is duly qualified as a foreign limited liability company to transact business and in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of its business, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Manager Material Adverse Effect.
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(b) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, there has not been (i) any material adverse change in the business, operations, properties, financial condition, results of operations or prospects of the Manager or (ii) in the ability of the Manager to perform its obligations under the Management Agreement (collectively, a “Manager Material Adverse Effect”).
(c) Management Agreement. The Management Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by, and is a valid and legally binding agreement of, the Manager, enforceable against the Manager in accordance with its terms, except to the extent that enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general equitable principles.
(d) Authorization. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Manager and constitutes a valid and legally binding obligation of the Manager, enforceable against the Manager in accordance with its terms, except as enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity. This Agreement conforms in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(e) Registration as an Investment Adviser. The Manager is an exempt reporting adviser under Investment Company Act, and the Manager is not prohibited by the Investment Company Act from acting under the Management Agreement as the manager of the Company, as contemplated by the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(f) Absence of Defaults or Conflicts. The Manager is not (i) in breach or violation of its certificate of formation, operating agreement, or other similar organizational documents, (ii) in breach of or in Default under any indenture, mortgage, loan or credit agreement, deed of trust, note, contract, franchise, lease or other agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Manager is a party or by which it may be bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Manager is subject (each, a “Manager Existing Instrument”), or (iii) in violation of any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Manager or any of its properties or assets, as applicable, except, with respect to clauses (ii) and (iii) only, for such breaches, violations or Defaults that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Manager Material Adverse Effect. The Manager’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the Management Agreement and each Terms Agreement and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or by the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (including the issuance and sale of the Shares and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares as described in the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) (i) have been duly authorized by all necessary limited liability company action, and will not result in any breach or violation of the Manager’s certificate of formation, operating agreement, or other similar organizational documents, (ii) will not conflict with or constitute a breach of, or Default or a Manager Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge, claim or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Manager pursuant to, or require the consent of any other party to, any Manager Existing Instrument, and (iii) will not result in any violation of any statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree applicable to the Manager of any court, regulatory body, administrative agency, governmental body, arbitrator or other authority having jurisdiction over the Manager or any of its properties or assets, as applicable, except, with respect to clauses (ii) and (iii) only, for such conflicts, breaches, Defaults, Debt Manager Repayment Triggering Events or violations that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Manager Material Adverse Effect. As used herein, a “Manager Debt Repayment Triggering Event” means any event or condition which gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time or both would give, the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf), issued by the Manager, the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Manager.
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(g) Absence of Further Requirements. No consent, approval, license, permit, qualification, authorization or other order or decree of, or registration or filing with, any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or agency is required for the Manager’s execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the Management Agreement and each Terms Agreement or consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or by the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (including the issuance and sale of the Shares hereunder or under any Terms Agreement), except such as have been already obtained or made or as may be required under the Securities Act, applicable state securities or Blue Sky laws, the rules of the Exchange, or the rules and regulations of FINRA.
(h) Absence of Proceedings. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, there are no actions, suits, claims, investigations or proceedings pending or, to the Manager’s knowledge, threatened to which the Manager is or would be a party, or of which any of the respective properties or assets of the Manager is or would be subject, at law or in equity, before any court or arbitral body or by or before any federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory commission, board, body, authority or agency, which are required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or which would reasonably be expected to result in a judgment, decree or order having, individually or in the aggregate, a Manager Material Adverse Effect, or which could materially and adversely affect the respective properties or assets of the Manager. The aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Manager is a party or of which any of its properties or assets is the subject which are not described in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business of the Manager, would not, individually or in the aggregate, result in a Manager Material Adverse Effect.
(i) Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Manager has all necessary licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals and has made all necessary filings required under any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule, and has obtained all necessary licenses, certificates, authorizations, orders, permits, consents and approvals from other persons, in order to acquire and own, lease or sublease, lease to others and conduct its respective business as described in the Registration Statement or Prospectus, except where the failure to have or obtain such licenses, permits, authorizations, consents and approvals and to make such filings would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Manager Material Adverse Effect. All of such license, permit, authorization, consent or approval are valid and in full force and effect, except where the invalidity of such license, permit, authorization, consent or approval to be in full force and effect would not have a Manager Material Adverse Effect. The Manager is not in violation of, or in default under, or has received notice of any proceedings relating to revocation or modification of, any such license, permit, authorization, consent or approval (or has any reason to believe that any such license, permit, authorization, consent or approval will not be renewed in the ordinary course) or any federal, state, local or foreign law, regulation or rule or any decree, order or judgment applicable to the Manager, except where such violation, default, revocation or modification would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Manager Material Adverse Effect.
(j) Internal Controls. The Manager operates under the Company’s system of internal accounting controls in order to provide reasonable assurance that (A) transactions effectuated by the Manager on behalf of the Company pursuant to the Manager’s duties set forth in the Management Agreement are executed in accordance with its management’s general or specific authorization, and (B) access to assets of the Company is permitted only in accordance with its management’s general or specific authorization.
(k) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Neither the Manager, nor, to the knowledge of the Manager, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Manager, is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the FCPA, including, without limitation, making use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce corruptly in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay or authorization of the payment of any money, or other property, gift, promise to give, or authorization of the giving of anything of value to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the FCPA) or any foreign political party or official thereof or any candidate for foreign political office, in contravention of the FCPA. The Manager has conducted its businesses in compliance with the FCPA and has instituted and maintained policies and procedures designed to ensure, and which are reasonably expected to continue to ensure, continued compliance therewith.
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(l) Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Manager are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with 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 Manager with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of Manager, threatened.
(m) OFAC. Neither the Manager, nor, to the knowledge of the Manager, any director, officer, agent, employee, affiliate or representatives of the Manager is an individual or entity (“Management Person”) currently the subject or target of any Sanctions, nor is the Manager located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, the Crimea Region of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria); and the Manager will not directly or indirectly use the net proceeds of the sale of the Shares, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such net proceeds to any Subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other Management Person, to fund any activities of or business with any Management Person, or in any country or territory, that, at the time of such funding, is the subject of Sanctions or in any other manner that will result in a violation by any Management Person (including any Management Person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions.
(n) Absence of Manipulation. Neither the Manager, nor its directors, officers or, to the knowledge of the Manager, controlling persons has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to stabilize or manipulate, or which has constituted or might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, the stabilization or manipulation of, the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares.
(o) Key Employees. To the Manager’s knowledge, none of its executives or key personnel is subject to any non-compete, non-disclosure, confidentiality, employment, consulting or similar agreement that would be violated by the Manager’s business activities as described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, except, in each case, as would not reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Manager Material Adverse Effect.
Any certificate signed by an officer of the Company and/or the Manager and delivered to Agent or to counsel for Agent pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement or any Terms Agreement shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Company and/or the Manager to Agent as to the matters set forth therein as of the date or dates indicated therein.
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8. Covenants of the Company . The Company covenants and agrees with Agent that:
(a) Registration Statement Amendments. After the date of this Agreement and during any period in which a Prospectus relating to any Shares is required to be delivered by Agent under the Securities Act (without regard to the effects of Rules 153, 172 and 173 under the Securities Act) (the “Prospectus Delivery Period”), (i) the Company will notify Agent promptly of the time when any subsequent post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, other than the Incorporated Documents, has been filed with the Commission and/or has become effective or any subsequent supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and of any request by the Commission for any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information, (ii) the Company will prepare and file with the Commission, promptly upon Agent’s request, any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that, in Agent’s reasonable judgment, may be necessary or advisable in connection with the distribution of the Shares by Agent (provided, however, that the failure of Agent to make such request shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder and under any Terms Agreement, as applicable, or affect Agent’s right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company and the Manager in this Agreement); (iii) the Company will not file any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus relating to the Shares (except for the Incorporated Documents) unless a copy thereof has been submitted to Agent a reasonable period of time before the filing and Agent has not reasonably objected thereto (provided, however, (A) that the failure of Agent to make such objection shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder and under any Terms Agreement, as applicable, or affect Agent’s right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company and the Manager in this Agreement, (B) that, if Agent objects thereto, Agent may cease making sales of Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement and/or may terminate any Terms Agreement and (C) that the Company has no obligation to provide Agent any advance copy of such filing or to provide Agent an opportunity to object to such filing if such filing does not name Agent or does not relate to the transactions contemplated hereunder or under any Terms Agreement); (iv) the Company will furnish to Agent at the time of filing thereof a copy of any document that upon filing is deemed to be incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement or Prospectus, except for those documents available via EDGAR; and (v) the Company will cause each amendment or supplement to the Prospectus to be filed with the Commission as required pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) of the Securities Act) or, in the case of any Incorporated Document, to be filed with the Commission as required pursuant to the Exchange Act, within the time period prescribed (the determination to file or not file any amendment or supplement with the Commission under this Section 8(a), based on the Company’s reasonable opinion or reasonable objections, shall be made exclusively by the Company).
(b) Notice of Commission Stop Orders. During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will advise Agent, promptly after it receives notice or obtains knowledge thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to, or other order preventing or suspending the use of, the Prospectus, of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation of any proceeding for any such purpose or any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of the Securities Act, or if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act in connection with the offering of the Shares; and it will promptly use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or to obtain its withdrawal if such a stop order should be issued. Until such time as any stop order is lifted, Agent may cease making offers and sales under this Agreement or any Terms Agreement.
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(c) Delivery of Prospectus; Subsequent Changes. During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act, as from time to time in force, and to file on or before their respective due dates all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, 15(d) or any other provision of or under the Exchange Act. If the Company has omitted any information from the Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act, it will use its best efforts to comply with the provisions of and make all requisite filings with the Commission pursuant to said Rule 430A and to notify Agent promptly of all such filings. If during the Prospectus Delivery Period any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an 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 then existing, not misleading, or if during such period it is necessary to amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act, the Company will promptly notify Agent to suspend the offering of Placement Shares during such period, and the Company will promptly amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus (at the expense of the Company) so as to correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance.
(d) Listing of Placement Shares. During the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Placement Shares to be listed on the Exchange. The Company will timely file with the Exchange all material documents and notices required by the Exchange of companies that have or will issue securities that are traded on the Exchange.
(e) Delivery of Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Company will furnish to Agent and its counsel (at the expense of the Company) copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (including all Incorporated Documents) and all amendments and supplements to the Registration Statement or Prospectus that are filed with the Commission during the Prospectus Delivery Period, including all documents filed with the Commission during such period that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein, in each case, as soon as reasonably practicable via e-mail in “.pdf” format to an e-mail account designated by Agent and, at Agent’s request, will also furnish copies of the Prospectus to each exchange or market on which sales of the Placement Shares may be made; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to furnish any document (other than the Prospectus) to Agent to the extent such document is available on EDGAR.
(f) Earnings Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than 16 months after the effective date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Securities Act), an earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be audited) complying with Section 11(a) and Rule 158 of the Securities Act. The terms “earnings statement” and “make generally available to its security holders” shall have the meanings set forth in Rule 158 under the Securities Act.
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(g) Expenses. The Company, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereunder or under any Terms Agreement are consummated or this Agreement or any Terms Agreement is terminated in accordance with the provisions of Section 14 hereunder, will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder and under each Terms Agreement, including, but not limited to, expenses relating to: (i) the preparation, printing, filing and delivery to Agent of the Registration Statement and each amendment and supplement thereto, of each Prospectus and of each amendment and supplement thereto, and of this Agreement and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offer, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Shares; (ii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the Placement Shares, including any stock or other transfer taxes and any stamp or other duties payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Shares to Agent; (iii) the fees and disbursements of the counsel, accountants and other advisors to the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and any Terms Agreement; (iv) the reimbursement for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Agent, including the fees and disbursements of counsel to Agent, in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, in an amount not to exceed $100,000; provided, however, that the Company shall reimburse Agent for all such reasonable documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with each Representation Date (as defined below), other than a 10-K Representation Date (as defined below) in an amount not to exceed an additional $15,000 per such Representation Date; provided further, that the Company shall reimburse Agent for all such reasonable documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with each 10-K Representation Date in an amount not to exceed an additional $25,000 per such 10-K Representation Date ; (v) the qualification of the Placement Shares under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 8(x), including filing fees, if any; (vi) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing or qualification of the Placement Shares for trading on the Exchange; (vii) the fees and expenses of the transfer agent or registrar for the Common Stock; (viii) filing fees and expenses, if any, of the Commission and FINRA and (ix) the reimbursement for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Agent, including fees and disbursements of counsel to Agent, in an amount not to exceed $25,000 for each program “refresh” in connection with the expansion, reduction or other change in size or amount of Common Stock available pursuant to this Agreement.
(h) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the Net Proceeds from the sale of the Shares as described in the Prospectus in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds.”
(i) Other Sales. Without the prior written consent of Agent, the Company will not, directly or indirectly, offer to sell, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to sell or otherwise dispose of any Common Stock (other than the Shares offered pursuant to this Agreement) or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock, warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire, Common Stock during the period beginning on the fifth (5th) Trading Day immediately prior to the date on which any Placement Notice is delivered to Agent hereunder and ending on the fifth (5th) Trading Day immediately following the final Settlement Date with respect to Shares sold pursuant to such Placement Notice (or, if the Placement Notice has been terminated or suspended prior to the sale of all Shares covered by a Placement Notice, the date of such suspension or termination); and will not directly or indirectly in any other “at-the-market” or continuous equity transaction offer to sell, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to sell or otherwise dispose of any Common Stock (other than the Shares offered pursuant to this Agreement) or securities convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock, warrants or any rights to purchase or acquire, Common Stock prior to the later of the termination of this Agreement and the twentieth (20th) day immediately following the final Settlement Date with respect to Shares sold pursuant to such Placement Notice; provided, however, that such restrictions will not be required in connection with the Company’s issuance or sale of (i) Common Stock, options to purchase Common Stock, other equity awards to acquire Common Stock, or Common Stock issuable upon the exercise or vesting of options or other equity awards, pursuant to any employee or director equity awards or benefits plan, stock ownership plan or dividend reinvestment plan (but not Common Stock subject to a waiver to exceed plan limits in its dividend reinvestment plan) of the Company whether now in effect or hereafter implemented, (ii) Common Stock issuable upon conversion of securities or the exercise or vesting of warrants, options or other rights in effect or outstanding, and disclosed in filings by the Company available on EDGAR or otherwise in writing to Agent and (iii) Common Stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Common Stock as consideration for mergers, acquisitions, other business combinations or strategic alliances, or offered and sold in a privately negotiated transaction to vendors, customers, lenders, investors, strategic partners or potential strategic partners, occurring after the date of this Agreement which are not issued primarily for capital raising purposes.
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(j) Change of Circumstances. The Company will, at any time during the term of this Agreement, advise Agent promptly after it shall have received notice or obtained knowledge of any information or fact that would alter or affect in any material respect any opinion, certificate, letter or other document required to be provided to Agent pursuant to this Agreement.
(k) Due Diligence Cooperation. The Company will cooperate with any reasonable due diligence review conducted by Agent or its agents in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby or any Terms Agreement, including, without limitation, providing information and making available documents and senior corporate officers, during regular business hours and at the Company’s principal offices, as Agent may reasonably request.
(l) Required Filings Relating to Placement of Placement Shares. The Company agrees that (i) as promptly as practicable after the close of each of the Company’s fiscal quarters, or on such other dates as required under the Securities Act or under interpretations by the Commission thereof, the Company shall prepare a prospectus supplement, which will set forth the number of Placement Shares sold to or through Agent during such quarterly period (or other relevant period), the Net Proceeds to the Company and the compensation paid or payable by the Company to Agent with respect to such sales of Placement Shares and shall file such prospectus supplement pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act (and within the time periods required by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act, as applicable) and shall file any issuer free writing prospectus that is required to be filed with the Commission within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 433 of the Securities Act or (ii) if such prospectus supplement is not so filed with respect to a particular fiscal quarter, the Company shall disclose the information referred to in clause (i) above in its annual report on Form 10-K or its quarterly report on Form 10-Q, as applicable, in respect of such quarterly period and shall file such report with the Commission within the applicable time period prescribed for such report under the Exchange Act. The Company shall not file any such prospectus supplement or issuer free writing prospectus relating to such sales, and shall not file any report containing disclosure relating to such sales, unless a copy of such prospectus supplement or issuer free writing prospectus or disclosure relating to such sales to be included in a Form 10-K or Form 10-Q (it being acknowledged and agreed that the Company shall not submit any portion of any Form 10-K or Form 10-Q other than the specific disclosure relating to any sales of Placement Shares), as applicable, has been submitted to Agent a reasonable period of time before the filing and Agent has not reasonably objected thereto (provided, however, (A) that the failure of Agent to make such objection shall not relieve the Company of any obligation or liability hereunder and under any Terms Agreement, or affect Agent’s right to rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company and the Manager in this Agreement, and (B) that, if Agent objects thereto, Agent may cease making sales of Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement or any Terms Agreement). The Company shall provide copies of the Prospectus and such prospectus supplement and any issuer free writing prospectus to Agent via e-mail in “.pdf” format on such filing date to an e-mail account designated by Agent and shall also furnish copies of the Prospectus and such prospectus supplement to each exchange or market on which sales of the Placement Shares may be made as may be required by the rules or regulations of such exchange or market.
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(m) Representation Dates; Certificate. On or prior to the date the first Placement Notice is given pursuant to this Agreement, each time Shares are delivered to Agent as principal on a Settlement Date with respect to a Principal Transaction and each time the Company (i) files the Prospectus relating to the Shares or amends or supplements the Registration Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Shares (other than (A) a prospectus supplement filed in accordance with Section 8(l) or (B) a supplement or amendment that relates to an offering of securities other than the Shares) by means of a post-effective amendment, sticker, or supplement, but not by means of incorporation of document(s) by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus relating to the Shares; (ii) files an annual report on Form 10-K under the Exchange Act (including any Form 10-K/A containing amended financial information or a material amendment to the previously filed Form 10-K) (a “10-K Representation Date”); (iii) files a quarterly report on Form 10-Q under the Exchange Act; (iv) files a report on Form 8-K containing amended financial information (other than information “furnished” pursuant to Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K or to provide disclosure pursuant to Item 8.01 of Form 8-K relating to the reclassifications of certain properties as discontinued operations in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 144) under the Exchange Act; or (v) at any other time reasonably requested by Agent (each date of filing of one or more of the documents referred to in clauses (i) through (iv) and at any time as reasonably requested by Agent pursuant to clause (v) shall be a “Representation Date”); the Company shall furnish Agent within two (2) Trading Days after each Representation Date (but in the case of clause (iv) above only if Agent reasonably determines that the information contained in such Form 8-K is material) with the certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 8(m). The requirement to provide the certificate under this Section 8(m) shall be automatically waived for any Representation Date occurring at a time at which no Placement Notice or Terms Agreement is pending, which waiver shall continue until the earlier to occur of the date the Company delivers a Placement Notice hereunder (which for such calendar quarter shall be considered a Representation Date), Shares are delivered to Agent as principal on a Settlement Date with respect to a Principal Transaction and the next occurring Representation Date; provided, however, that such waiver shall not apply for any 10-K Representation Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company subsequently decides to sell Shares following a Representation Date when the Company relied on such waiver and did not provide Agent with a certificate under this Section 8(m), then before the Company delivers the Placement Notice or Agent sells any Shares in an Agency Transaction, or on the applicable Settlement Date with respect to a Principal Transaction, the Company shall provide Agent with a certificate, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 8(m), dated the date of the Placement Notice for such Agency Transaction or the Settlement Date of such Principal Transaction, as applicable.
(n) Legal Opinions. On or prior to the earlier of (i) the date the first Placement Notice is given pursuant to this Agreement and (ii) Shares are delivered to Agent as principal on a Settlement Date with respect to the first Principal Transaction pursuant to the first Terms Agreement and this Agreement, the Company shall cause to be furnished to Agent the written opinion and 10b-5 statement of Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP, or other counsel reasonably satisfactory to Agent, to the effect set forth in Exhibit 8(n)-1, as issuer’s counsel to the Company, dated the date that the opinion and 10b-5 statement are required to be delivered, (“Company Counsel”), the written opinion of Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP, or other tax counsel reasonably satisfactory to Agent, to the effect set forth in Exhibit 8(n)-2, in its capacity as tax counsel for the Company (“Company Tax Counsel”), dated the date that the opinion is required to be delivered, , the written opinion of Venable LLP, or other Maryland counsel reasonably satisfactory to Agent, in its capacity as Maryland counsel for the Company (“Company Maryland Counsel”), to the effect set forth in Exhibit 8(n)-3, dated the date that the opinion is required to be delivered, and the written opinion of DLA Piper LLP (US), counsel for Agent (“Agent Counsel”), dated the date the opinion is required to be delivered. Thereafter, each time Shares are delivered to Agent as principal on a Settlement Date with respect to a Principal Transaction and within two (2) Trading Days after each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver the certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 8(m) for which no waiver is applicable pursuant to Section 8(m), and not more than once per calendar quarter, the Company shall cause to be furnished to Agent the written opinion and 10b-5 statement of Company Counsel, the written opinion of Company Tax Counsel, the written opinion of Company Maryland Counsel, and the written opinion of Agent Counsel substantially in the form previously agreed between the Parties, modified, as necessary, to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented.
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(o) Comfort Letter. On or prior to the date the first Placement Notice is given pursuant to this Agreement, each time Shares are delivered to Agent as principal on a Settlement Date with respect to a Principal Transaction and within two (2) Trading Days after each Representation Date with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 8(m) for which no waiver is applicable pursuant to Section 8(m), the Company shall cause BDO USA, LLP to furnish Agent a letter, dated as of such date (the “Comfort Letter”), in form and substance satisfactory to Agent, (i) confirming that they are an independent registered public accounting firm within the meaning of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the PCAOB and are in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X of the Commission, (ii) stating, as of such date, the conclusions and findings of such firm with respect to the financial information and other matters ordinarily covered by accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters in connection with registered public offerings (the first such letter, the “Initial Comfort Letter”) and (iii) updating the Initial Comfort Letter with any information that would have been included in the Initial Comfort Letter had it been given on such date and modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended and supplemented to the date of such letter.
(p) Certificate of Principal Financial Officer. On or prior to the date the first Placement Notice is given pursuant to this Agreement, each time Shares are delivered to Agent as principal on a Settlement Date with respect to a Principal Transaction and within two (2) Trading Days after each Representation Date, with respect to which the Company is obligated to deliver a certificate in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 8(m) for which no waiver is applicable pursuant to Section 8(m), the Company shall furnish Agent with a certificate of the Principal Financial Officer of the Company, dated as of such date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, to the effect set forth in Exhibit 8(p).
(q) Market Activities. The Company shall not, and shall cause its Subsidiaries and its and their respective directors, officers and controlling persons not to, directly or indirectly, (i) take any action designed to stabilize or manipulate, or which constitutes or might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, the stabilization or manipulation of, the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares or (ii) sell, bid for, or purchase the Shares to be issued and sold pursuant to this Agreement, or pay anyone any compensation for soliciting the purchases of the Shares, other than Agent.
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(r) Compliance with Laws. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries shall maintain, or cause to be maintained, all material permits, licenses and other authorizations required by federal, state and local law in order to conduct their businesses as described in the Prospectus, and the Company and each of its Subsidiaries shall conduct their businesses, or cause their businesses to be conducted, in substantial compliance with such permits, licenses and authorizations and with applicable laws, except where the failure to maintain or be in compliance with such permits, licenses and authorizations could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(s) REIT Treatment. The Company will use its best efforts to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code for subsequent tax years that include any portion of the term of this Agreement, unless the Board in good faith determines by resolution that it is no longer in the Company’s best interests to so qualify.
(t) Securities Act and Exchange Act. The Company will comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Securities Act and the Exchange Act as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of, or dealings in, the Shares as contemplated by the provisions hereof and any Terms Agreement and the Prospectus. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, during the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act within the time periods required by the Exchange Act (giving effect to permissible extensions in accordance with Rule 12b-25 under the Exchange Act).
(u) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company, and each of the Significant Subsidiaries, will maintain a system of internal accounting controls 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 accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded book value for assets is compared with the fair market value of such assets (computed in accordance with GAAP) at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. The Company will comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission and the Exchange promulgated thereunder.
(v) No Offer To Sell. Other than a free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) approved in advance in writing by the Company and Agent in its capacity as agent hereunder or as principal hereunder and under any Terms Agreement, neither Agent nor the Company (including its agents and representatives other than Agent in its capacity as such) will, directly or indirectly, make, use, prepare, authorize, approve or refer to any free writing prospectus relating to the Shares to be sold by Agent as agent hereunder or as principal hereunder and under any Terms Agreement.
(w) Investment Company Act. The Company shall conduct its affairs in such a manner so as to reasonably ensure that neither it nor any of its Subsidiaries will be or become, at any time prior to the termination of this Agreement, an “investment company,” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act.
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(x) Transfer Agent. The Company shall maintain, at its sole expense, a registrar and transfer agent for the Common Stock.
(y) Blue Sky and Other Qualifications. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts, in cooperation with Agent, to qualify the Placement Shares for offering and sale, or to obtain an exemption for the Placement Shares to be offered and sold, under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as Agent may designate and to maintain such qualifications and exemptions in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Placement Shares (but in no event for less than one year from the date of this Agreement); provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject. In each jurisdiction in which the Placement Shares have been so qualified or exempt, the Company will file such statements and reports as may be required by the laws of such jurisdiction to continue such qualification or exemption, as the case may be, in effect for so long as required for the distribution of the Placement Shares (but in no event for less than one year from the date of this Agreement).
(z) Renewal of Registration Statement. If, immediately prior to the third (3rd) anniversary of the initial effective date of the Registration Statement (the “Renewal Date”), any of the Shares remain unsold and this Agreement has not been terminated for any reason, the Company will, prior to the Renewal Date, file a new shelf registration statement or, if applicable, an automatic shelf registration statement relating to the Shares, in a form satisfactory to Agent and its counsel, and, if such registration statement is not an automatic shelf registration statement, will use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to be declared effective within 180 days after the Renewal Date. The Company will take all other reasonable actions necessary or appropriate to permit the public offer and sale of the Shares to continue as contemplated in the expired registration statement relating to the Shares. From and after the effective date thereof, references herein to the “Registration Statement” shall include such new shelf registration statement or such new automatic shelf registration statement, as the case may be.
(aa) Consent to Agent Purchases. The Company acknowledges and agrees that Agent may, to the extent permitted under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act (including, without limitation, Regulation M promulgated thereunder), purchase and sell shares of Common Stock for its own account and for the account of its clients while this Agreement is in effect, including, without limitation, at the same time any Placement Notice is in effect or any sales of Shares occur pursuant to this Agreement or any Terms Agreement; provided that Agent acknowledges and agrees that, except pursuant to a Terms Agreement, any such transactions are not being, and shall not be deemed to have been, undertaken at the request or direction of, or for the account of, the Company, and that the Company has and shall have no control over any decision by Agent and its affiliates to enter into any such transactions.
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9. Covenants of the Manager.
(a) The Manager covenants with the Agent and with the Company that, so long as this Agreement is in effect, it shall promptly notify the Agent and the Company of the occurrence of any Manager Material Adverse Change and the Manager will forthwith supply such information to the Company as shall be necessary in the opinion of counsel to the Company and the Agent for the Company to prepare any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus so that, as so amended or supplemented, the same will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein (except in the case of the Registration Statement, in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser) not misleading.
(b) The Manager covenants with the Agent and the Company that so long as this agreement is in effect, it shall promptly notify Agent and the Company in the event that any of its executives or any of its key personnel plans to terminate employment with the Manager.
10. Representations and Covenants of Agent. Agent represents and warrants that it is duly registered as a broker-dealer under FINRA, the Exchange Act and the applicable statutes and regulations of each state in which the Placement Shares will be offered and sold, except such states in which Agent is exempt from registration or such registration is not otherwise required. Agent shall continue, for the term of this Agreement, to be duly registered as a broker-dealer under FINRA, the Exchange Act and the applicable statutes and regulations of each state in which the Placement Shares will be offered and sold, except in such states in which Agent is exempt from registration or such registration is not otherwise required, during the terms of this Agreement. Agent will comply with all applicable laws and regulations in connection with the sale of Placement Shares pursuant to this Agreement and any Terms Agreement, including, but not limited to, Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
11. Conditions to Agent’s Obligations. The obligations of Agent hereunder with respect to a Placement in any Agency Transaction, and the obligations of Agent with respect to a Principal Transaction pursuant to any Terms Agreement and this Agreement, will in each case be subject to the continuing accuracy and completeness of the representations and warranties made by the Company and the Manager herein, to the due performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and under any Terms Agreement, as applicable, to the completion by Agent of a due diligence review satisfactory to Agent in its reasonable judgment, and to the continuing satisfaction (or waiver by Agent in its sole discretion) of the following additional conditions:
(a) Registration Statement Effective. The Registration Statement shall be effective and shall be available for the offer and sale of all Placement Shares that have been issued or are contemplated to be issued pursuant to all Placement Notices that have been delivered to Agent by the Company and all Terms Agreements that have been executed by the Parties.
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(b) Prospectus Supplement. The Company shall have filed with the Commission the Prospectus Supplement pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second (2nd) Business Day (as defined below) following the date of this Agreement.
(c) No Material Notices. None of the following events shall have occurred and be continuing: (i) receipt by the Company of any request for additional information from the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority during the period of effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the response to which would require any post-effective amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus; (ii) the issuance by the Commission or any other federal or state governmental authority of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or other order preventing or suspending the use of the Prospectus or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose; (iii) receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the Placement Shares for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; or (iv) the occurrence of any event that makes any material statement made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any material document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference untrue in any material respect or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement, related Prospectus or documents so that, in the case of the Registration Statement, it will not contain any materially untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading and, that in the case of the Prospectus, it will not contain any materially untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(d) No Amendments or Supplements. No prospectus or amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any issuer free writing Prospectus shall be filed to which the Agent shall have reasonably objected in writing.
(e) No Misstatement or Material Omission. Agent shall not have advised the Company that the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, contains an untrue statement of fact that in Agent’s reasonable opinion is material, or omits to state a fact that in Agent’s opinion is material and is required to be stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
(f) Material Changes. Except as contemplated in the Prospectus, or disclosed in the Company’s reports filed with the Commission, there shall not have been any material adverse change, on a consolidated basis, in the authorized capital stock of the Company or any Material Adverse Effect, or any development that could reasonably be expected to cause a Material Adverse Effect, or a downgrading in or withdrawal of the rating assigned to any of the Company’s securities by any rating organization or a public announcement by any rating organization that it has under surveillance or review its rating of any of the Company’s securities, the effect of which, in the case of any such action by a rating organization described above, in the reasonable judgment of Agent (without relieving the Company of any obligation or liability it may otherwise have), is so material as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering of the Shares on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement or any Terms Agreement, as the case may be, and the Prospectus.
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(g) Legal Opinions. Agent shall have received the opinions and 10b-5 statements required to be delivered pursuant to Section 8(n) on or before the date on which such delivery of such opinions are required pursuant to Section 8(n).
(h) Comfort Letter. Agent shall have received the Comfort Letter required to be delivered pursuant to Section 8(o) on or before the date on which such delivery of such Comfort Letter is required pursuant to Section 8(o).
(i) Representation Certificate. Agent shall have received the certificate required to be delivered pursuant to Section 8(m) on or before the date on which delivery of such certificate is required pursuant to Section 8(m).
(j) Certificate of the Principal Financial Officer. Agent shall have received the certificate required to be delivered pursuant to Section 8(p) on or before the date on which delivery of such certificate is required pursuant to Section 8(p).
(k) No Suspension. Trading in the Common Stock shall not have been suspended on the Exchange and the Common Stock shall not have been delisted from the Exchange.
(l) Other Materials. On each date on which the Company is required to deliver a certificate pursuant to Section 8(m), the Company shall have furnished to Agent such appropriate further information, certificates and documents as Agent may have reasonably requested. All such opinions, certificates, letters and other documents will be in compliance with the provisions hereof. The Company shall have furnished Agent with such conformed copies of such opinions, certificates, letters and other documents as Agent shall have reasonably requested.
(m) Securities Act Filings Made. All filings with the Commission required by Rule 424(b) and Rule 433 under the Securities Act to have been filed prior to the issuance of any Placement Notice hereunder or the Settlement Date with respect to any Principal Transaction under any Terms Agreement, as applicable shall have been made within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) of the Securities Act) and Rule 433.
(n) Approval for Listing. The Placement Shares shall have been approved for listing on the Exchange, subject only to notice of issuance.
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(o) No Termination Event. There shall not have occurred any event that would permit Agent to terminate this Agreement pursuant to Section 14(a).
(p) FINRA. FINRA shall have confirmed that it has not raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the terms and arrangements relating to the sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement and any Terms Agreement, as applicable.
12. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) Indemnification by the Company. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Agent, its directors, officers, members, partners, employees and agents and each Agent Affiliate, if any, as follows:
(i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any “issuer free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
(ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company, which consent shall not unreasonably be delayed or withheld; and
(iii) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by Agent), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above;
provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission, or alleged untrue statement or omission, made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to Agent that has been furnished in writing to the Company by Agent expressly for inclusion in any document described in clause (i) of this Section 12(a). This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Company might otherwise have.
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(b) Indemnification by Agent. Agent agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its directors and each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who (i) controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act or (ii) is controlled by or is under common control with the Company against any and all losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses described in the indemnity contained in Section 12(a), as and when incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), any “issuer free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with written information relating to Agent that has been furnished to the Company by Agent expressly for inclusion in any document as described in clause (i) of Section 12(a).
(c) Procedure. Any indemnified party that proposes to assert the right to be indemnified under this Section 12 will, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim is to be made against an indemnifying party or parties under this Section 12, notify each such indemnifying party of the commencement of such action, enclosing a copy of all papers served, but the omission so to notify such indemnifying party will not relieve the indemnifying party from (i) any liability that it might have to any indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 12 and (ii) any liability that it may have to any indemnified party under the foregoing provision of this Section 12 unless, and only to the extent that, such omission results in the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses by the indemnifying party. If any such action is brought against any indemnified party and it notifies the indemnifying party of its commencement, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in and, to the extent that it elects by delivering written notice to the indemnified party promptly after receiving notice of the commencement of the action from the indemnified party, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense of the action, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party, and after notice from the indemnifying party to the indemnified party of its election to assume the defense, the indemnifying party will not be liable to the indemnified party for any legal or other expenses except as provided below and except for the reasonable costs of investigation subsequently incurred by the indemnified party in connection with the defense. The indemnified party will have the right to employ its own counsel in any such action, but the fees, expenses and other charges of such counsel will be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (1) the employment of counsel by the indemnified party has been authorized in writing by the indemnifying party, (2) the indemnified party has reasonably concluded (based on advice of counsel to the indemnified party) that there may be legal defenses available to it or other indemnified parties that are different from or in addition to those available to the indemnifying party, (3) a conflict or potential conflict exists (based on advice of counsel to the indemnified party) between the indemnified party and the indemnifying party (in which case the indemnifying party will not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party) or (4) the indemnifying party has not in fact employed counsel to assume the defense of such action within a reasonable time after receiving notice of the commencement of the action, in each of which cases the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel will be at the expense of the indemnifying party or parties. It is understood that the indemnifying party or parties shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the reasonable fees, disbursements and other charges of more than one separate firm admitted to practice in such jurisdiction at any one time for all such indemnified party or parties. All such fees, disbursements and other charges will be reimbursed by the indemnifying party promptly as they are incurred. An indemnifying party will not, in any event, be liable for any settlement of any action or claim effected without its written consent. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of each indemnified party, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in any pending or threatened claim, action or proceeding relating to the matters contemplated by this Section 12 (whether or not any indemnified party is a party thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (1) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising or that may arise out of such claim, action or proceeding and (2) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
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(d) Contribution. In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for in the foregoing paragraphs of this Section 12 is applicable in accordance with its terms but for any reason is held to be unavailable from the Company or Agent, the Company and Agent will contribute to the total losses, claims, liabilities, expenses and damages (including any investigative, legal and other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with, and any amount paid in settlement of, any action, suit or proceeding or any claim asserted) to which the Company and Agent may be subject in such proportion as shall be appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and Agent on the other. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and Agent on the other hand shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the sale of the Shares (net of commissions to Agent but before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total compensation received by Agent from the sale of Shares on behalf of the Company. If, but only if, the allocation provided by the foregoing sentence is not permitted by applicable law, the allocation of contribution shall be made in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in the foregoing sentence but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and Agent, on the other, with respect to the statements or omission that resulted in such loss, claim, liability, expense or damage, or action in respect thereof, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations with respect to such offering. Such relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or Agent, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and Agent agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this Section 12(d) were to be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to herein. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the loss, claim, liability, expense, or damage, or action in respect thereof, referred to above in this Section 12(d) shall be deemed to include, for the purpose of this Section 12(d), any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim to the extent consistent with Section 12(c) hereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 12(d), Agent shall not be required to contribute any amount in excess of the commissions received by it under this Agreement and no person found guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) will be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 12(d), any person who controls a party to this Agreement within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any officers, directors, members, partners, employees or agents of Agent, will have the same rights to contribution as that party, and each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement will have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the provisions hereof. Any party entitled to contribution, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action against such party in respect of which a claim for contribution may be made under this Section 12(d), will notify any such party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but the omission to so notify will not relieve that party or parties from whom contribution may be sought from any other obligation it or they may have under this Section 12(d) except to the extent that the failure to so notify such other party materially prejudiced the substantive rights or defenses of the party from whom contribution is sought. Except for a settlement entered into pursuant to the last sentence of Section 12(c) hereof, no party will be liable for contribution with respect to any action or claim settled without its written consent if such consent is required pursuant to Section 12(c) hereof.
13. Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery. The indemnity and contribution agreements contained in Section 12 of this Agreement and all representations and warranties of the Company and the Manager herein or in certificates delivered pursuant hereto shall survive, as of their respective dates, regardless of (i) any investigation made by or on behalf of Agent, any controlling persons, or the Company (or any of their respective officers, directors or controlling persons), (ii) delivery and acceptance of the Placement Shares and payment therefor or (iii) any termination of this Agreement.
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14. Termination.
(a) Agent shall have the right, by giving notice as hereinafter specified in Section 15, at any time to terminate this Agreement and/or any Terms Agreement (including at any time at or prior to the Settlement Date with respect to the Shares to be sold under such Terms Agreement) if: (i) any Material Adverse Effect, or any development that has actually occurred and that would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, has occurred that, in the reasonable judgment of Agent, may materially impair the ability of Agent to sell the Shares hereunder or as contemplated in any Terms Agreement or the Prospectus; (ii) there has occurred any (A) material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, (B) outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or (C) change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which, in the reasonable judgment of Agent, may materially impair the ability of Agent to sell the Shares hereunder or as contemplated in any Terms Agreement or the Prospectus; (iii) trading in the Common Stock has been suspended or limited by the Commission or the Exchange, or if trading generally on the Exchange has been suspended or limited (including automatic halt in trading pursuant to market-decline triggers other than those in which solely program trading is temporarily halted), or minimum prices for trading have been fixed on the Exchange; (iv) any suspension of trading of any securities of the Company on any exchange or in the over-the-counter market shall have occurred and be continuing; (v) a major disruption of securities settlements or clearance services in the United States shall have occurred and be continuing; or (vi) a banking moratorium has been declared by either U.S. Federal or New York authorities. The Company may not terminate any Terms Agreement without the prior written consent of Agent. Any such termination pursuant to this Section 14(a) shall be without liability of any party to any other party, except that the provisions of Section 8(g) (Expenses), Section 12 (Indemnification), Section 13 (Survival of Representations), Section 14(f), Section 19 (Applicable Law; Waiver of Jury Trial) and Section 20 (Consent to Jurisdiction) hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
(b) The Company shall have the right, by giving five (5) days notice as hereinafter specified in Section 15, to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party, except that the provisions of Section 8(g), Section 12, Section 13, Section 14(f), Section 19 and Section 20 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
(c) Agent shall have the right, by giving five (5) days notice as hereinafter specified in Section 15, to terminate this Agreement in its sole discretion at any time after the date of this Agreement. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Section 8(g), Section 12, Section 13, Section 14(f), Section 19 and Section 20 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
(d) Unless earlier terminated pursuant to this Section 14, this Agreement shall automatically terminate upon the issuance and sale of all of the Shares to or through Agent on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein and any Terms Agreement; provided that the provisions of Section 8(g), Section 12, Section 13, Section 14(f), Section 19 and Section 20 hereof shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
(e) This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect unless terminated pursuant to Sections 14(a), (b), (c), or (d) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the Parties; provided, however, that any such termination by mutual agreement shall in all cases be deemed to provide that Section 8(g), Section 12, Section 13, Section 14(f), Section 19 and Section 20 shall remain in full force and effect.
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(f) Any termination of this Agreement or any Terms Agreement shall be effective on the date specified in such notice of termination; provided, however, that such termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of receipt of such notice by Agent or the Company, as the case may be. If such termination, other than a termination of any Terms Agreement pursuant to Section 14(a) above, shall occur prior to the Settlement Date for any sale of Shares, such termination shall not become effective until the close of business on such Settlement Date and such Shares shall settle in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement (it being hereby acknowledged and agreed that a termination of any Terms Agreement pursuant to Section 14(a) above shall become effective in accordance with the first sentence of this Section 14(f) and shall relieve the Parties of their respective obligations under such Terms Agreement, including, without limitation, with respect to the settlement of the Shares subject to such Terms Agreement).
15. Notices.
All notices or other communications required or permitted to be given by any party to any other party pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or any Terms Agreement shall be in writing, unless otherwise specified, and if sent to Agent, shall be delivered to
[•]
[•]
[•]
Attention: [•]
Email: [•]
with copies (which shall not constitute notice) to:
[•]
[•]
[•]
Attention: [•]
Email: [•]
and:
DLA Piper LLP (US)
4141 Parklake Avenue, Suite 300
Raleigh, North Carolina 27612-2350
Attention: Anna K. Spence, Esq.
Email: anna.spence@us.dlapiper.com
Facsimile: (919) 786-2027
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and if to the Company and the Manager, shall be delivered to:
Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc.
420 N. Wabash, Suite 500
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Attention: John Mazarakis
Email: jmazarakis@chicagoatlantic.com
accounting@chicagoatlantic.com
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP
700 Sixth Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
Attention: Owen J. Pinkerton, Esq.
Email: owenpinkerton@eversheds-sutherland.com
Facsimile: (202) 637-3593
Each party may change such address for notices by sending to the other party to this Agreement written notice of a new address for such purpose. Each such notice or other communication shall be deemed given (i) when delivered personally or by verifiable facsimile transmission (with an original to follow) on or before 4:30 p.m., New York City time, on a Business Day or, if such day is not a Business Day, on the next succeeding Business Day, (ii) on the next Business Day after timely delivery to a nationally-recognized overnight courier and (iii) on the Business Day actually received if deposited in the U.S. mail (certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid). For purposes of this Agreement, “Business Day” shall mean any day on which the Exchange and commercial banks in the City of New York are open for business.
An electronic communication (“Electronic Notice”) shall be deemed written notice for purposes of this Section 15 if sent to the electronic mail address specified by the receiving party under separate cover. Electronic Notice shall be deemed received at the time the party sending Electronic Notice receives confirmation of receipt by the receiving party (other than pursuant to auto-reply). Any party receiving Electronic Notice may request and shall be entitled to receive the notice on paper, in a nonelectronic form (“Nonelectronic Notice”) which shall be sent to the requesting party within ten (10) days of receipt of the written request for Nonelectronic Notice.
16. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement and any Terms Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Company, the Manager and Agent and their respective successors and permitted assigns and, as to Sections 5(b) and 10, the other indemnified parties specified therein. References to any of the Parties contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to include the successors and permitted assigns of such party. Nothing in this Agreement or any Terms Agreement, express or implied, is intended to confer upon any other person any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities under or by reason of this Agreement or any Terms Agreement, except as expressly provided in this Agreement or any Terms Agreement. Neither the Company, the Manager or Agent may assign their rights or obligations under this Agreement or any Terms Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party; provided, however, that Agent may assign its rights and obligations hereunder or under any Terms Agreement to an affiliate of Agent without obtaining the Company’s consent.
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17. Adjustments for Stock Splits. The Parties acknowledge and agree that all share-related numbers contained in this Agreement and any Terms Agreement shall be adjusted to take into account any stock split, stock dividend or similar event effected with respect to the Common Stock.
18. Entire Agreement; Amendment; Severability. This Agreement (including all schedules and exhibits attached hereto and Placement Notices and Terms Agreements issued pursuant hereto) constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all other prior and contemporaneous agreements and undertakings, both written and oral, among the Parties with regard to the subject matter hereof. Neither this Agreement nor any term hereof or any Terms Agreement may be amended except pursuant to a written instrument executed by the Company and Agent. In the event that any one or more of the terms or provisions contained herein, or the application thereof in any circumstance, is held invalid, illegal or unenforceable as written by a court of competent jurisdiction, then such provision shall be given full force and effect to the fullest possible extent that it is valid, legal and enforceable, and the remainder of the terms and provisions herein shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable term or provision was not contained herein, but only to the extent that giving effect to such term or provision and the remainder of the terms and provisions hereof shall be in accordance with the intent of the Parties as reflected in this Agreement.
19. GOVERNING LAW AND TIME; WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY TERMS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO THE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICTS OF LAWS. SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME. THE COMPANY, THE MANAGER AND AGENT EACH HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY TERMS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY.
20. CONSENT TO JURISDICTION. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY SUBMITS TO THE NON-EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF THE STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS SITTING IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, FOR THE ADJUDICATION OF ANY DISPUTE HEREUNDER OR ANY TERMS AGREEMENT OR IN CONNECTION WITH ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY, AND HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, AND AGREES NOT TO ASSERT IN ANY SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING, ANY CLAIM THAT IT IS NOT PERSONALLY SUBJECT TO THE JURISDICTION OF ANY SUCH COURT, THAT SUCH SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING IS BROUGHT IN AN INCONVENIENT FORUM OR THAT THE VENUE OF SUCH SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING IS IMPROPER. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES PERSONAL SERVICE OF PROCESS AND CONSENTS TO PROCESS BEING SERVED IN ANY SUCH SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING BY MAILING A COPY THEREOF (CERTIFIED OR REGISTERED MAIL, RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED) TO SUCH PARTY AT THE ADDRESS IN EFFECT FOR NOTICES TO IT UNDER THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY TERMS AGREEMENT AND AGREES THAT SUCH SERVICE SHALL CONSTITUTE GOOD AND SUFFICIENT SERVICE OF PROCESS AND NOTICE THEREOF. NOTHING CONTAINED HEREIN SHALL BE DEEMED TO LIMIT IN ANY WAY ANY RIGHT TO SERVE PROCESS IN ANY MANNER PERMITTED BY LAW.
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21. Absence of Fiduciary Relationship. The Company and the Manager acknowledge and agree that:
(a) Agent is acting solely as agent in connection with the sale of the Shares in an Agency Transaction contemplated by this Agreement and the process leading to such transactions, and no fiduciary or advisory relationship between the Company, the Manager or any of their respective affiliates, stockholders (or other equity holders), creditors or employees or any other party, on the one hand, and Agent, on the other hand, has been or will be created in respect of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any Terms Agreement, irrespective of whether Agent has advised or is advising the Company and/or the Manager on other matters, and Agent has no obligation to the Company or the Manager with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any Terms Agreement, except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and any Terms Agreement;
(b) the Company and the Manager are capable of evaluating and understanding, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
(c) Agent has not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any Terms Agreement, and the Company and the Manager have consulted their own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate;
(d) the Company and the Manager are aware that Agent and its affiliates are engaged in a broad range of transactions which may involve interests that differ from those of the Company and the Manager, and Agent has no obligation to disclose such interests and transactions to the Company or the Manager by virtue of any fiduciary, advisory or agency relationship or otherwise; and
(e) the Company and the Manager waive, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims they may have against Agent for breach of fiduciary duty or alleged breach of fiduciary duty and agrees that Agent shall have no liability (whether direct or indirect, in contract, tort or otherwise) to the Company and the Manager in respect of such a fiduciary duty claim or to any person asserting a fiduciary duty claim on behalf of or in right of the Company or the Manager, including stockholders, partners, employees or creditors of the Company or the Manager.
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22. Effect of Headings; Knowledge of the Company. The section and Exhibit headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof. All references in this Agreement and any Terms Agreement to the “knowledge of the Company” or the “Company’s knowledge” or similar qualifiers shall mean the actual knowledge of the directors and officers of the Company, after due inquiry.
23. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.
In the event that Agent is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from Agent of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
In the event that Agent is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate (as defined below) of Agent becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against Agent are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
For purposes of this Section 23, a “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k). “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b). “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable. “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
24. Counterparts. This Agreement and any Terms Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed Agreement or Terms Agreement by one party to the other may be made by facsimile or electronic transmission.
[Signature Page Follows]
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If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Company, the Manager and Agent, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement between the Company, the Manager and Agent.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| CHICAGO ATLANTIC REAL ESTATE FINANCE, INC. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
CHICAGO ATLANTIC REIT MANAGER, LLC | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
| ACCEPTED as of the date first-above written: | ||
[●] | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
48
SCHEDULE 1
FORM OF PLACEMENT NOTICE
| From: | [ | ] |
| Cc: | [ | ] |
| To: | [ | ] |
| Subject: | Placement Notice | |
Gentlemen:
Pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the Sales Agreement between Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc. (the “Company”), and Chicago Atlantic REIT Manager, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Manager”) and [ ] (“Agent”) dated [_______________], 2023 (the “Agreement”), I hereby request on behalf of the Company that Agent sell up to [[___] shares] [$[___] worth of shares] of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, subject to the Maximum Amount (the “Shares”), at market prices not lower than $[____] per share, during the time period beginning [month, day, time] and ending [month, day, time].
[The company may include such other sales parameters as it deems appropriate, subject to the terms and conditions of the Agreement.]
The Company and the Manager represent and warrant that each representation, warranty, covenant and other agreement of the Company and the Manager contained in the Agreement is true and correct on the date hereof, and that the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference therein, and any applicable issuer free writing prospectus, as of the date hereof, do not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
Terms used herein and not defined herein have the meanings ascribed to them in the Agreement.
SCHEDULE 1
Exhibit 5.1
June 20, 2023
Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc.
1680 Michigan Avenue, Suite 700
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
| Re: | Registration Statement on Form S-3 |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have served as Maryland counsel to Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), in connection with certain matters of Maryland law relating to the registration by the Company of shares of its common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Stock”), having an aggregate offering price of up to $75,000,000 (the “Shares”), which may be sold from time to time pursuant to At-The-Market Sales Agreements, dated as of the date hereof (each, a “Sales Agreement” and together, the “Sales Agreements”), by and among the Company, Chicago Atlantic REIT Manager, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and each of BTIG, LLC, Compass Point Research & Trading LLC and Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. This firm did not participate in the drafting or negotiation of the Sales Agreement.
In connection with our representation of the Company, and as a basis for the opinion hereinafter set forth, we have examined originals, or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the following documents (hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Documents”):
1. The Registration Statement on Form S-3 (Registration No. 333-268920) (the “Registration Statement”), in the form in which it was transmitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) for filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”);
2. The base prospectus, dated as of January 19, 2023, that forms a part of the Registration Statement and the prospectus supplement, dated as of the date hereof, in the form in which it was transmitted to the Commission for filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the General Rules and Regulations promulgated under the 1933 Act;
3. The charter of the Company (the “Charter”), certified by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland (the “SDAT”);
4. The Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company, certified as of the date hereof by an officer of the Company;
5. A certificate of the SDAT as to the good standing of the Company, dated as of a recent date;
Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc.
June 20, 2023
Page 2
6. Resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Resolutions”), relating to, among other matters, (a) the authorization of the execution and delivery by the Company of the Sales Agreements and (b) the sale and issuance of the Shares, certified as of the date hereof by an officer of the Company;
7. The Sales Agreements;
8. A certificate executed by an officer of the Company, dated as of the date hereof; and
9. Such other documents and matters as we have deemed necessary or appropriate to express the opinion set forth below, subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications stated herein.
In expressing the opinion set forth below, we have assumed the following:
1. Each individual executing any of the Documents, whether on behalf of such individual or another person, is legally competent to do so.
2. Each individual executing any of the Documents on behalf of a party (other than the Company) is duly authorized to do so.
3. Each of the parties (other than the Company) executing any of the Documents has duly and validly executed and delivered each of the Documents to which such party is a signatory, and such party’s obligations set forth therein are legal, valid and binding and are enforceable in accordance with all stated terms.
4. All Documents submitted to us as originals are authentic. The form and content of all Documents submitted to us as unexecuted drafts do not differ in any respect relevant to this opinion from the form and content of such Documents as executed and delivered. All Documents submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies conform to the original documents. All signatures on all Documents are genuine. All public records reviewed or relied upon by us or on our behalf are true and complete. All representations, warranties, statements and information contained in the Documents are true and complete. There has been no oral or written modification of, or amendment to, any of the Documents, and there has been no waiver of any provision of any of the Documents, by action or omission of the parties or otherwise.
5. The Shares will not be issued or transferred in violation of the restrictions on transfer and ownership contained in Article VII of the Charter.
6. Upon the issuance of any of the Shares, the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding will not exceed the total number of shares of Common Stock that the Company is then authorized to issue under the Charter.
Chicago Atlantic Real Estate Finance, Inc.
June 20, 2023
Page 3
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications stated herein, it is our opinion that:
1. The Company is a corporation duly incorporated and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Maryland and is in good standing with the SDAT.
2. The issuance of the Shares has been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered by the Company in accordance with the Registration Statement, Resolutions and the Sales Agreements against payment of the consideration set forth therein, the Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
The foregoing opinion is limited to the laws of the State of Maryland and we do not express any opinion herein concerning any other law. We express no opinion as to the applicability or effect of federal or state securities laws, including the securities laws of the State of Maryland, federal or state laws regarding fraudulent transfers or the laws, codes or regulations of any municipality or other jurisdiction. To the extent that any matter as to which our opinion is expressed herein would be governed by the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Maryland, we do not express any opinion on such matter. The opinion expressed herein is subject to the effect of any judicial decision which may permit the introduction of parol evidence to modify the terms or the interpretation of agreements.
The opinion expressed herein is limited to the matters specifically set forth herein and no other opinion shall be inferred beyond the matters expressly stated. We assume no obligation to supplement this opinion if any applicable law changes after the date hereof or if we become aware of any fact that might change the opinion expressed herein after the date hereof.
This opinion is being furnished to you for submission to the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the use of the name of our firm therein. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the 1933 Act.
| Very truly yours, | |
| /s/ Venable LLP |