0001104659-23-085816.txt : 20230731 0001104659-23-085816.hdr.sgml : 20230731 20230731160541 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001104659-23-085816 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: S-3ASR PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 9 FILED AS OF DATE: 20230731 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20230731 EFFECTIVENESS DATE: 20230731 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001541401 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS [6798] IRS NUMBER: 371645259 STATE OF INCORPORATION: MD FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3ASR SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-273535 FILM NUMBER: 231127427 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 111 WEST 33RD STREET, 12TH FL CITY: NEW YORK STATE: NY ZIP: 10120 BUSINESS PHONE: 212-850-2600 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 111 WEST 33RD STREET, 12TH FL CITY: NEW YORK STATE: NY ZIP: 10120 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: Empire State Realty OP, L.P. CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001553079 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS [6798] IRS NUMBER: 454685158 FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3ASR SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-273535-01 FILM NUMBER: 231127428 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 111 WEST 33RD STREET, 12TH FL CITY: NEW YORK STATE: NY ZIP: 10120 BUSINESS PHONE: 212-850-2600 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 111 WEST 33RD STREET, 12TH FL CITY: NEW YORK STATE: NY ZIP: 10120 S-3ASR 1 tm2319500-1_s3asr.htm S-3ASR tm2319500-1_s3asr - none - 6.9687817s
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 31, 2023
Registration Statement No. 333-    
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST, INC.
EMPIRE STATE REALTY OP, L.P.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Maryland (Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.)
Delaware (Empire State Realty OP, L.P.)
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
37-1645259
45-4685158
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
111 West 33rd Street, 12th Floor
New York, New York 10120
(212) 687-8700
(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrants’ Principal Executive Offices)
Anthony E. Malkin
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
c/o Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.
111 West 33rd Street, 12th Floor
New York, New York 10120
(212) 687-8700
(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service)
With copies to:
David J. Goldschmidt, Esq.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
One Manhattan West
New York, NY 10001
Tel: (212) 735-3000
Fax: (212) 735-2000
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after this registration statement becomes effective.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.
Large accelerated filer
Accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer
Smaller reporting company
Emerging growth company
Empire State Realty OP, L.P.
Large accelerated filer
Accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer
Smaller reporting company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. ☐
Empire State Realty OP, L.P. ☐

PROSPECTUS
[MISSING IMAGE: lg_empirestaterealty-4c.jpg]
EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST, INC.
Class A Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Depositary Shares
Guarantees
Warrants
EMPIRE STATE REALTY OP, L.P.
Debt Securities
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. may offer to sell from time to time Class A common stock, preferred stock, depositary receipts representing fractional shares of our preferred stock, which are called depositary shares, guarantees and warrants. The preferred stock of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. may be convertible into Class A common stock or preferred stock of another series. Empire State Realty OP, L.P. may offer to sell from time to time debt securities, which may be exchangeable for Class A common stock or for preferred stock of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. and may be guaranteed by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. Selling security holders may from time to time offer to sell Class A common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares and warrants of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. under this prospectus.
The Class A common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares and warrants of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. and the debt securities of Empire State Realty OP, L.P. may be offered separately or together, in multiple series, in amounts, at prices and on terms that will be set forth in one or more prospectus supplements to this prospectus. Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. may guarantee the payment of principal of and premium, if any, and interest on debt securities issued by Empire State Realty OP, L.P. to the extent and on the terms described herein and in the applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus.
This prospectus describes some of the general terms that may apply to these securities and the general manner in which they may be offered. Each time any of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., Empire State Realty OP, L.P. or selling security holders sells securities, a prospectus supplement will be provided that will contain specific information about the terms of any securities offered and the specific manner in which the securities will be offered and the identity of any selling security holders. The prospectus supplement will also contain information, where appropriate, about certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to, and any listing on a securities exchange of, the securities covered by the prospectus supplement. The prospectus supplement may add to, update or change the information in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement carefully before you invest in our securities.
This prospectus may not be used to sell securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
Investing in our securities involves various risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 3 of this prospectus as well as the risk factors contained in documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., Empire State Realty OP, L.P. or selling security holders may offer the securities directly to investors, through agents designated from time to time by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. or Empire State Realty OP, L.P., or to or through underwriters or dealers. If any agents, underwriters, or dealers are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names, and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement with, between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in an accompanying prospectus supplement. For more detailed information, see “Plan of Distribution” on page 78. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of securities by the selling security holders.
The Class A common stock of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), under the symbol “ESRT.” On July 28, 2023, the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock on the NYSE was $8.84 per share.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is July 31, 2023.

 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
About this Prospectus
This prospectus is part of an “automatic shelf” registration statement that we have filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). By using a shelf registration statement, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. and/or selling security holders are registering an unspecified amount of Class A common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares and warrants, and may sell such securities, at any time and from time to time, in one or more offerings. By using a shelf registration statement, Empire State Realty OP, L.P. is registering an unspecified amount of debt securities and may sell such debt securities, at any time and from time to time, in one or more offerings. The registration statement also registers the possible guarantee by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. of debt securities to be issued by Empire State Realty OP, L.P.
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement or incorporated by reference in these documents. No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the accompanying prospectus supplement. If anyone provides you with different, inconsistent or unauthorized information or representations, you must not rely on them. This prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement are an offer to sell only the securities offered by these documents, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is current only as of the date on the front of those documents.
As used in this prospectus and the registration statement on Form S-3 of which this prospectus is a part, unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, the terms “ESRT,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation organized on July 29, 2011, individually or together with its subsidiaries, including Empire State Realty OP, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Operating Partnership”), and our predecessors. The Operating Partnership is the entity through which ESRT conducts substantially all of its business and owns substantially all of its assets.
About ESRT and the Operating Partnership
ESRT is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (“REIT”) that owns, manages, operates, acquires, and repositions office, retail and multifamily properties in Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area. As the owner of the Empire State Building, we also own and operate our iconic, newly reimagined Observatory Experience. ESRT holds substantially all of its assets and conducts substantially all of its business through the Operating Partnership. ESRT is the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership and, as of June 30, 2023, owned approximately 59.4% of the aggregate Operating Partnership units (“OP Units”) in the Operating Partnership.
As of June 30, 2023, our office and retail portfolio contained 9.4 million rentable square feet of office and retail space. We owned 11 office properties (including three long-term ground leasehold interests) encompassing approximately 8.6 million rentable square feet of office space. Nine of these properties are located in the midtown Manhattan market and encompass approximately 7.6 million rentable square feet of office space, including the Empire State Building. Our Manhattan office and multifamily properties also contain an aggregate of approximately 0.5 million rentable square feet of retail space on their ground floor and/or contiguous levels. Our remaining two office properties are located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, encompassing approximately 1.1 million rentable square feet. These two properties are located in densely populated metropolitan communities with immediate access to mass transportation. Additionally, we have entitled land at the Stamford Transportation Center in Stamford, Connecticut, adjacent to one of our office properties, that will support the development of an approximately 0.4 million rentable square foot office building and garage. As of June 30, 2023, our portfolio included four standalone retail properties located in Manhattan encompassing approximately 0.2 million rentable square feet. Additionally, as of June 30, 2023, our portfolio included three multifamily properties located in Manhattan totaling 721 units.
ESRT was organized as a Maryland corporation on July 29, 2011 and commenced operations upon completion of its initial public offering and related formation transactions on October 7, 2013. We elected
 
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to be subject to tax as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2013. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” on page 55 of this prospectus.
Our principal executive office is located at 111 West 33rd Street, 12th Floor, New York, New York, 10120, and our telephone number is (212) 687-8700.
Additional information regarding ESRT and the Operating Partnership, including audited financial statements and descriptions of ESRT and the Operating Partnership, is contained in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information” on page 6 of this prospectus and “Information Incorporated by Reference” on page 7 of this prospectus.
 
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RISK FACTORS
An investment in ESRT or the Operating Partnership is subject to various risks, including those risks inherent to our business. You should carefully consider the risks described in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus before making an investment decision. These risks and uncertainties described herein are not the only ones facing our Company. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by the materialization of any of these risks. The trading price of our securities could decline due to the materialization of any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment. This prospectus and the documents incorporated herein by reference also contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Some of the risks described in the documents incorporated by reference herein are interrelated and, consequently, investors should treat such risk factors as a whole. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including the risks described in the documents incorporated herein by reference, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 of ESRT and the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 of the Operating Partnership, the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 of ESRT and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 of the Operating Partnership, and any additional factors that may be contained in any filing we make with the SEC.
 
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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement and any documents incorporated by reference contain statements that are “forward-looking” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and such statements are subject to the safe harbor created by those sections and by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended.
You can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “might,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “approximately,” “anticipate,” “contemplate,” “aim,” “plan,” “foresee,” “believe,” “to its knowledge,” “could,” “design,” “forecast,” “goal,” “hope,” “likely,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” or “continue,” the negative of these terms and similar terminology, including references to assumptions, although not all forward-looking information contains these terms and phrases. In particular, forward-looking statements include those pertaining to our capital resources, portfolio performance, dividend policy, results of operations, anticipated growth in our portfolio from operations, acquisitions and market conditions and demographics. Forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond our control. They depend on assumptions, data or methods which may be incorrect or imprecise, and we may not be able to realize them. We do not guarantee that the transactions and events described will happen as described (or that they will happen at all).
The following factors, among others, could cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those set forth or contemplated in the forward-looking statements:

economic, market, political and social impact of, and uncertainty relating to, any catastrophic events, including pandemics, epidemics or other outbreaks of disease, natural disasters and extreme weather events, terrorism and other armed hostilities, as well as cybersecurity threats and technology disruptions;

a failure of conditions or performance regarding any event or transaction described herein;

resolution of legal proceedings involving ESRT and/or the Operating Partnership;

reduced demand for office, multifamily or retail space, including as a result of the changes in the use of office space and remote work;

changes in our business strategy;

changes in technology and market competition that affect utilization of our office, retail, observatory, broadcast or other facilities;

changes in domestic or international tourism, including due to health crises and pandemics, geopolitical events, including global hostilities, currency exchange rates, and/or competition from other observatories in New York City, any or all of which may cause a decline in Observatory visitors;

defaults on, early terminations of, or non-renewal of, leases by tenants;

increases in ESRT’s or the Operating Partnership’s borrowing costs as a result of changes in interest rates and other factors, including the phasing out of LIBOR;

declining real estate valuations and impairment charges;

termination of our ground leases;

changes in our ability to pay down, refinance, restructure or extend our indebtedness as it becomes due and potential limitations on our ability to borrow additional funds in compliance with drawdown conditions and financial covenants;

decreased rental rates or increased vacancy rates;

our failure to execute any newly planned capital project successfully or on the anticipated timeline or budget;

difficulties in identifying and completing acquisitions;
 
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risks related to our development projects (including our Metro Tower development site);

impact of changes in governmental regulations, tax laws and rates and similar matters;

our failure to qualify as a REIT;

environmental uncertainties and risks related to climate change, adverse weather conditions, rising sea levels and natural disasters;

incurrence of taxable capital gain on disposition of an asset due to failure of use or compliance with a 1031 exchange program;

accuracy of our methodologies and estimates regarding ESG metrics and goals, tenant willingness and ability to collaborate in reporting ESG metrics and meeting ESG goals, and impact of governmental regulation on our ESG efforts; and

other factors discussed under “Item 1A, Risk Factors” in the Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 of ESRT and the Operating Partnership, as applicable, the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 of ESRT and the Operating Partnership, as applicable, and any additional factors that may be contained in any filing we make with the SEC.
While forward-looking statements reflect our good faith beliefs, they are not guarantees of future performance. We disclaim any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect changes in underlying assumptions or factors, or new information, data or methods, future events or other changes after the date of this prospectus, except as required by applicable law. For a further discussion of these and other factors that could impact our future results, performance or transactions, see “Item 1A, Risk Factors” in the Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 of ESRT and the Operating Partnership, as applicable, the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 of ESRT and the Operating Partnership, as applicable, and any additional factors that may be contained in any filing we make with the SEC.
There can be no assurance that other factors not currently anticipated by us will not materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. The forward-looking information contained in this prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference herein, is provided for the purpose of assisting you in understanding ESRT’s and the Operating Partnership’s financial performance and prospects and to present management’s assessment of future plans and operations. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf and that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Please take into account that forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus or, in the case of any accompanying prospectus supplement or documents incorporated by reference, the date of any such document.
 
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
ESRT and the Operating Partnership are subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act, and, in accordance with the Exchange Act, we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public from the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.
ESRT maintains a website at www.esrtreit.com. Information contained on, or accessible through, our website is not incorporated by reference into and does not constitute a part of this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement or any other report or documents we file with or furnish to the SEC.
 
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INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to these documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the information already incorporated by reference. The SEC file number of ESRT is 1-36105, and the SEC file number of the Operating Partnership is 1-36106. We are incorporating by reference the documents listed below, which we have already filed with the SEC:






Current Reports on Form 8-K of ESRT and the Operating Partnership, as applicable, filed with the SEC on January 11, 2023, May 16, 2023 and July 12, 2023; and

All documents filed by ESRT or the Operating Partnership, as applicable, with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act on or after the date of this prospectus and before the termination of the offering also shall be deemed to be incorporated herein by reference in this prospectus and to be a part of this prospectus from the date of filing of those documents; provided, however, that we are not incorporating any information furnished under either Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K that are not deemed “filed” with the SEC. Upon request, we will provide, without charge, to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus is delivered a copy of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. You may request a copy of these filings, and any exhibits we have specifically incorporated by reference as an exhibit in this prospectus, by writing or telephoning us at the following:
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.
111 West 33rd Street, 12th Floor
New York, New York 10120
Attention: Investor Relations
(212) 850-2678
This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. We have incorporated exhibits into the registration statement. You should read the exhibits carefully for provisions that may be important to you.
You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different or additional information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or in the documents incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus or the date of the applicable documents.
 
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USE OF PROCEEDS
ESRT is required by the terms of the Operating Partnership’s partnership agreement to contribute the net proceeds of any sale of Class A common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares or warrants to the Operating Partnership in exchange for securities of the Operating Partnership with economic interests that are substantially similar to the securities issued by ESRT.
Unless we provide otherwise in a supplement to this prospectus, following ESRT’s contribution of any net proceeds to the Operating Partnership, we intend to use the net proceeds from our sale of the securities covered by this prospectus for one or more of the following:

the acquisition, development, and improvement of properties;

the repayment of debt;

capital expenditures;

working capital; and

other general business purposes.
Unless we provide otherwise in a supplement to this prospectus, we will not receive any of the proceeds of the sale by selling security holders of the securities covered by this prospectus.
 
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DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK OF EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST, INC.
The following is a summary of the rights and preferences of our common stock. While we believe the following description covers the material terms of our common stock, the description does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”) and our charter and bylaws. We encourage you to read carefully this entire prospectus, our charter and bylaws and the other documents we refer to for a more complete understanding of our securities. Copies of our charter and bylaws are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. See “Where You Can Find More Information.
General
Our charter provides that we may issue up to 400,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Class A common stock”), and up to 50,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Class B common stock” and, together with the Class A common stock, the “common stock”). Our charter authorizes our board of directors to amend our charter from time to time to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of stock of any class or series that we have authority to issue without stockholder approval. As of June 30, 2023, there were 159,842,614 shares of our Class A common stock and 988,180 shares of our Class B common stock outstanding. Under Maryland law, stockholders are not generally liable for our debts or obligations solely as a result of their status as stockholders.
Shares of Common Stock
All of the shares of Class A common stock, when issued, will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. Subject to the preferential rights of any other class or series of our stock and to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, holders of shares of common stock are entitled to receive dividends on such shares of common stock out of assets legally available therefor if, as and when authorized by our board of directors and declared by us, and the holders of our shares of common stock are entitled to share ratably in our assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up after payment of or adequate provision for all our known debts and liabilities.
Subject to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock and except as may otherwise be specified in our charter, each outstanding share of Class A common stock entitles the holder thereof to one vote, and each outstanding share of Class B common stock entitles the holder thereof to 50 votes (so long as the holder owns 49 OP Units for each such Class B share), on all matters on which the holders of Class A common stock are entitled to vote, including the election of directors, and, except as provided with respect to any other class or series of stock, the holders of shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock will vote together as a single class and will possess the exclusive voting power. The Class B common stock provides its holder with a voting right that is no greater than if such holder had received solely Class A common stock in the consolidation. Each share of Class B common stock has the same economic interest as a share of Class A common stock, and one share of Class B common stock and 49 OP Units together represent a similar economic value as 50 shares of Class A common stock.
There is no cumulative voting in the election of our directors, which means that the stockholders entitled to cast a majority of the votes of the outstanding shares of common stock can elect all of the directors then standing for election, and the holders of the remaining shares will not be able to elect any directors. Directors are elected by a plurality of all the votes cast in the election of directors. Under a plurality voting standard, directors who receive the greatest number of votes cast in their favor are elected to the board of directors. Our board of directors has adopted a policy regarding the election of directors in uncontested elections. Pursuant to such policy, in an uncontested election of directors, any nominee who receives a greater number of “withhold” votes than votes “for” his or her election will, within two weeks following certification of the stockholder vote by our Company, submit a written resignation offer to our board of directors for consideration by our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider the resignation offer and, within 60 days following certification by our Company of the stockholder vote with respect to such election, make a recommendation to our board of directors concerning the acceptance or rejection of the resignation offer.
 
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Our board of directors will take formal action on the recommendation no later than 90 days following certification of the stockholder vote by our Company. We will publicly disclose, in a Current Report on Form 8-K or a periodic report filed with the SEC, the decision of our board of directors. Our board of directors will also provide an explanation of the process by which the decision was made and, if applicable, its reason or reasons for rejecting the tendered resignation.
Holders of shares of common stock have no preference, conversion, exchange, sinking fund or redemption rights, have no preemptive rights to subscribe for any securities of our Company and generally have no appraisal rights unless our board of directors determines that appraisal rights apply, with respect to all or any such classes or series of stock, to one or more transactions occurring after the date of such determination in connection with which holders of such shares would otherwise be entitled to exercise appraisal rights. Subject to the provisions of our charter regarding the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock and except as otherwise provided in our charter, shares of common stock will have equal dividend, liquidation and other rights. One share of Class B common stock may be converted into one share of Class A common stock at any time, and one share of Class B common stock is subject to automatic conversion into one share of Class A common stock upon a direct or indirect transfer of such share of Class B common stock held by the holder of Class B common stock (or a permitted transferee thereof) to a person other than a qualified transferee. Shares of Class B common stock are also subject to such automatic conversion upon certain direct or indirect transfers of OP Units held by the holder of such Class B common stock at a ratio of one share of Class B common stock for every 49 OP Units transferred to a person other than a permitted transferee. A “qualified transferee” with respect to a person is defined in our charter as a family member, affiliate or controlled entity of such person.
Under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation generally cannot dissolve, amend its charter, merge or consolidate with another entity, sell all or substantially all of its assets or engage in a statutory share exchange unless the action is advised by the corporation’s board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. A Maryland corporation may provide in its charter for approval of these matters by a lesser percentage, but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter. Our charter provides that these actions (other than certain amendments to the provisions of our charter related to the removal of directors, the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock and the vote required to amend these provisions) may be approved by a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.
Power to Reclassify our Unissued Shares of Stock
Our charter authorizes our board of directors, without stockholder approval, to classify any unissued shares of preferred stock, and reclassify any unissued shares of our common stock or any previously classified but unissued shares of preferred stock, into other classes or series of stock. Prior to issuance of shares of each class or series, our board of directors is required by Maryland law and by our charter to set, subject to the provisions of our charter regarding restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock, the preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends or other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption for each class or series. Therefore, our board of directors could authorize the issuance of shares of common or preferred stock with terms and conditions that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control or other transaction that might involve a premium price for our shares of common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders. No shares of preferred stock are presently outstanding, and we have no present plans to issue any shares of preferred stock.
Power to Increase or Decrease Authorized Shares of Common Stock and Issue Additional Shares of Common and Preferred Stock
We believe the power of our board of directors to amend our charter from time to time to increase or decrease the number of authorized shares of stock or the number of authorized shares of any class or series of stock, to issue additional authorized but unissued shares of common or preferred stock and to classify or reclassify unissued shares of common or preferred stock and thereafter to issue such classified or reclassified shares of stock will provide us with increased flexibility in structuring possible future financings and acquisitions and in meeting other needs that might arise. The additional classes or series, as well as the
 
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additional shares of common stock, will be available for issuance without further action by our stockholders, unless such approval is required by applicable law or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which our securities may be listed or traded. Although our board of directors does not intend to do so, it could authorize us to issue a class or series of stock that may, depending upon the terms of the particular class or series, delay, defer or prevent a change in control or other transaction that might involve a premium price for our shares of common stock or otherwise be in our best interest.
Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer
In order for us to qualify as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), shares of our stock must be beneficially owned by 100 or more persons during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made) or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. In addition, no more than 50% of the value of the outstanding shares of our stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Code to include certain entities such as private foundations) during the last half of any taxable year (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made). To qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy other requirements as well. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Requirements for Qualification — General.
To satisfy these and other requirements, our charter contains restrictions on the ownership and transfer of shares of our common stock and other outstanding shares of our stock. The relevant sections of our charter provide that no person or entity may own, or be deemed to own, by virtue of the applicable constructive ownership provisions of the Code, more than 9.8% in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of our common stock (the “common stock ownership limit”), or 9.8% in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of all classes or series of our capital stock (the “aggregate stock ownership limit”). We refer to the common stock ownership limit and the aggregate stock ownership limit collectively as the “ownership limits.” A person or entity that, but for operation of the ownership limits or another restriction on ownership and transfer of our stock as described below, would beneficially own or be deemed to beneficially own, by virtue of the applicable constructive ownership provisions of the Code, shares of our stock and/or, if appropriate in the context, a person or entity that would have been the record owner of such shares of our stock is referred to as a “prohibited owner.”
The constructive ownership rules under the Code are complex and may cause shares of stock owned actually or constructively by a group of related individuals and/or entities to be owned constructively by one individual or entity. As a result, the acquisition of less than 9.8% in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of our common stock or 9.8% in value or number of shares, whichever is more restrictive, of the outstanding shares of all classes or series of our stock (or the acquisition of an interest in an entity that owns, actually or constructively, shares of our stock) by an individual or entity, could, nevertheless, cause that individual or entity, or another individual or entity, to constructively own our stock in excess of the ownership limits.
Our board of directors may, in its sole discretion and subject to the receipt of certain representations, covenants and undertakings deemed reasonably necessary by the board of directors, prospectively or retroactively, exempt a person from the ownership limits and establish an excepted holder limit for such person. However, our board of directors may not exempt any person whose ownership of our outstanding stock would result in our being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of a taxable year) or otherwise would result in our failing to qualify as a REIT. In order to be considered by the board of directors for exemption, a person also must provide our board of directors with information and undertakings deemed satisfactory to our board of directors that such person’s beneficial or constructive ownership of our stock will not jeopardize our ability to quality as a REIT under the Code and must agree that any violation or attempted violation of such representations or undertakings (or other action that is contrary to the ownership limits or the other limits on ownership of our stock described above) will result in the shares of stock being automatically transferred to a trust of the shares of stock causing the violation. As a condition of its waiver, our board of directors may require an opinion of counsel or an Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”)
 
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ruling satisfactory to our board of directors with respect to our qualification as a REIT and may impose such other conditions as it deems appropriate with the granting of the exemption or a different limit on ownership.
In connection with a waiver of the ownership limits or the creation of an excepted holder limit or at any other time, our board of directors may, in its sole and absolute discretion, from time to time increase or decrease the ownership limits subject to the restrictions in the paragraph above; provided, however, that the ownership limits may not be decreased or increased if, after giving effect to such decrease or increase, five or fewer persons could own or beneficially own in the aggregate, more than 49.9% in value of our shares then outstanding. Prior to the modification of the ownership limits, our board of directors may require such opinions of counsel, affidavits, undertakings or agreements as it may deem necessary or advisable in order to determine or ensure our qualification as a REIT. Reduced ownership limits will not apply to any person or entity whose percentage ownership in our shares of common stock or stock of all classes and series, as applicable, is in excess of such decreased ownership limits until such time as such person’s or entity’s percentage ownership of our common stock or stock of all classes and series, as applicable, equals or falls below the decreased ownership limits, but any further acquisition of shares of our common stock or stock of all classes and series, as applicable, in excess of such percentage ownership of our shares of common stock or total shares of stock will be in violation of the ownership limits.
Our charter further prohibits:

any person from beneficially or constructively owning (taking into account applicable attribution rules under the Code) shares of our stock that would result in our being “closely held” under Section 856(h) of the Code or otherwise cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT;

any person from beneficially or constructively owning shares of our stock to the extent that such ownership would result in us owning (directly or indirectly) an interest of 10% or more in one of our tenants (or a tenant of any entity which we own or control) if the income derived by us (either directly or indirectly through one or more partnerships or limited liability companies) from such tenant would reasonably be expected to equal or exceed the lesser of (a) one percent of our gross income (as determined for purposes of Section 856(c) of the Code) or (b) an amount that would cause us to fail to satisfy any of the gross income requirements of Section 856(c) of the Code; and

any person from transferring our shares of stock if such transfer would result in our shares of stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons (determined, as a general matter, without reference to any attribution rules).
Any person who acquires or attempts or intends to acquire beneficial or constructive ownership of shares of our stock that will or may violate the ownership limits or any of the foregoing restrictions on ownership and transfer will be required to give written notice immediately to us (or, in the case of a proposed or attempted acquisition, at least 15 days prior to such transaction) and provide us with such other information as we may request in order to determine the effect of such transfer on our qualification as a REIT.
If any transfer of shares of our stock would result in shares of our stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons, such transfer will be null and void and the intended transferee will acquire no rights in such shares. In addition, if any purported transfer of shares of our stock or any other event would otherwise result in any person violating the ownership limits or such other limit established by our board of directors or in our being “closely held” under Section 856(h) of the Code or otherwise failing to qualify as a REIT or in our owning (directly or indirectly) an interest of 10% or more in one of our tenants (or a tenant of any entity which we own or control) if the income derived by us from such tenant would reasonably be expected to equal or exceed the lesser of (i) one percent of our gross income (as determined for purposes of Section 856(c) of the Code) or (b) an amount that would cause us to fail to satisfy any of the gross income requirements of Section 856(c) of the Code, then generally that number of shares (rounded up to the nearest whole share) that would cause us to violate such restrictions will be automatically transferred to, and held by, a trust for the exclusive benefit of one or more charitable organizations selected by us and the intended transferee will acquire no rights in such shares. The automatic transfer will be effective as of the close of business on the business day prior to the date of the violative transfer or other event that results in a transfer to the trust. Any dividend or other distribution paid to the prohibited owner, prior to our discovery
 
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that the shares had been automatically transferred to a trust as described above, must be repaid to the trustee upon demand for the benefit of the charitable beneficiary of the trust. If the transfer to the trust as described above is not automatically effective, for any reason, to prevent violation of the applicable ownership limits or other restrictions on transfer as described above, then our charter provides that the transfer of the shares will be null and void.
Shares of stock transferred to the trustee are deemed offered for sale to us, or our designee, at a price per share equal to the lesser of (i) the price per share in the transaction that resulted in such transfer to the trust (or, in the event of a gift, devise or other such transaction, the last reported sales price reported on the NYSE (or other applicable exchange) on the day of the event which resulted in the transfer of such shares of stock to the trust) and (ii) the market price on the date we, or our designee, accept such offer. We have the right to accept such offer until the trustee has sold the shares of our stock held in the trust pursuant to the clauses discussed below. Upon a sale to us, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold will terminate and the trustee must distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the prohibited owner, but the trustee may reduce the amount payable to the prohibited owner by the amount of dividends and other distributions which have been paid to the prohibited owner and are owed by the prohibited owner to the trustee. To the extent the prohibited owner would receive an amount for such shares that exceeds the amount that such prohibited owner would have been entitled to receive had the trustee sold the shares held in the trust to a third-party, such excess shall be retained by the trustee for the benefit of the charitable beneficiary.
If we do not buy the shares, the trustee must, within 20 days of receiving notice from us of the transfer of shares to the trust, sell the shares to a person designated by the trustee who could own the shares without violating the ownership limitations set forth in the charter. Upon such sale, the trustee must distribute to the prohibited owner an amount equal to the lesser of (i) the price paid by the prohibited owner for the shares (or, in the event of a gift, devise or other such transaction, the last reported sales price reported on the NYSE (or other applicable exchange) on the day of the event which resulted in the transfer of such shares of stock to the trust) and (ii) the price per share (net of commissions and other expenses of sale) from the sale or other disposition received by the trustee for the shares. The trustee will reduce the amount payable to the prohibited owner by the amount of dividends and other distributions which have been paid to the prohibited owner and are owed by the prohibited owner to the trustee. Any net sales proceeds in excess of the amount payable to the prohibited owner will be immediately paid to the beneficiary of the trust. In addition, if, prior to discovery by us that shares of stock have been transferred to a trust, such shares of stock are sold by a prohibited owner, then such shares will be deemed to have been sold on behalf of the trust and to the extent that the prohibited owner received an amount for such shares that exceeds the amount that such prohibited owner was entitled to receive, such excess amount will be paid to the trustee upon demand.
The trustee will be designated by us and will be unaffiliated with us and with any prohibited owner. Prior to the sale of any shares by the trust, the trustee will receive, in trust for the beneficiary of the trust, all dividends and other distributions paid by us with respect to the shares held in trust and may also exercise all voting rights with respect to the shares held in trust. These rights will be exercised for the exclusive benefit of the beneficiary of the trust. Any dividend or other distribution paid prior to our discovery that shares of stock have been transferred to the trust will be paid by the recipient to the trustee upon demand. Any dividend or other distribution authorized but unpaid will be paid when due to the trustee.
Subject to Maryland law, effective as of the date that the shares have been transferred to the trust, the trustee will have the authority, at the trustee’s sole discretion:

to rescind as void any vote cast by a prohibited owner prior to our discovery that the shares have been transferred to the trustee; and

to recast the vote in accordance with the desires of the trustee acting for the benefit of the beneficiary of the trust.
However, if we have already taken irreversible corporate action, then the trustee may not rescind and recast the vote.
In addition, if our board of directors or other permitted designees determine in good faith that a proposed transfer would violate the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our shares of stock set forth
 
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in our charter, our board of directors or other permitted designees will take such action as it deems or they deem advisable to refuse to give effect to or to prevent such transfer, including, but not limited to, causing us to redeem the shares of stock, refusing to give effect to the transfer on our books or instituting proceedings to enjoin the transfer.
Every owner of 5% or more (or such lower percentage as required by the Code or the regulations promulgated thereunder) of the outstanding shares of our stock, within 30 days after the end of each taxable year, is required to give us written notice, stating the stockholder’s name and address, the number of shares of each class and series of our stock that the stockholder beneficially owns and a description of the manner in which the shares are held. Each such owner must provide us with such additional information as we may request in order to determine the effect of the stockholder’s beneficial ownership on our qualification as a REIT and to ensure compliance with the ownership limits. In addition, each stockholder must provide us with such information as we may request in good faith in order to determine our qualification as a REIT and to comply with the requirements of any taxing authority or governmental authority or to determine such compliance.
Any certificates, or written statements of information delivered in lieu of certificates, representing shares of our stock will bear a legend referring to the restrictions described above.
These restrictions on ownership and transfer will not apply if our board of directors determines that it is no longer in our best interests to qualify as a REIT or that compliance with such provisions is no longer required for REIT qualification.
These ownership limits could delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for our common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders.
Transfer Agent
The transfer agent and registrar for ESRT’s common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.
 
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DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED STOCK OF EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST, INC.
This section describes the general terms and provisions of shares of ESRT’s preferred stock that we may offer by this prospectus. ESRT may issue preferred stock in one or more series; each series of preferred stock will have its own rights and preferences. We will describe in a prospectus supplement (1) the specific terms of the series of any preferred stock offered through that prospectus supplement and (2) any general terms outlined in this section that will not apply to those shares of preferred stock. This summary of terms is not complete. For additional information before you buy any preferred stock you should read ESRT’s charter and bylaws that are in effect on the date that we offer any preferred stock, as well as any applicable articles supplementary to our charter designating the terms of a series of preferred stock.
General
Under our charter, ESRT has the authority to issue up to 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. As of June 30, 2023, there were no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. Prior to issuing shares of preferred stock of a particular series, our board of directors will determine or fix the terms of that series of preferred stock, as described below.
When we issue shares of preferred stock, they will be fully paid and nonassessable. This means the full purchase price for the outstanding preferred stock will be paid at issuance and that the purchasers of shares of preferred stock will not be required later to pay us any additional consideration for those shares. The preferred stock will have no preemptive rights to subscribe for any additional securities which we may issue in the future. This means that the purchasers of shares of preferred stock will not receive any rights, as a holder of preferred stock, to buy any portion of the securities which we may issue in the future. Because our board of directors has the power to establish the preferences and rights of each class or series of preferred stock, our board of directors may grant the holders of any series or class of preferred stock preferences, powers and rights, voting or otherwise, senior to the rights of holders of shares of common stock. The issuance or possibility of issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of ESRT.
Terms
The preferred stock will have the dividend, liquidation, redemption, voting, and conversion rights described in this section unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement. The liquidation preference is not indicative of the price at which the preferred stock will actually trade on or after the date of issuance. You should read the prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of preferred stock for specific terms, including:

the title and liquidation preference of such preferred stock and the number of shares offered;

the initial offering price of such preferred stock;

the dividend rate or rates (or method of calculation), the dividend periods, the date(s) on which dividends will be payable and whether the dividends will be cumulative or noncumulative, and, if cumulative, the dates from which the dividends will start to cumulate;

procedures for any auction and remarketing, if any;

any listing of such preferred stock on any securities exchange;

any redemption or sinking fund provisions;

any conversion or exchange provisions;

any voting rights;

any other specific terms, preferences, rights, limitations or restrictions of such preferred stock;

discussion of U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to such preferred stock;

relative ranking and preference of such preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights upon our liquidation, our dissolution, or the winding up of our business;
 
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any limitations on issuance of any series of preferred stock ranking senior to or on a parity with such series of preferred stock as to dividend rights and rights upon our liquidation, our dissolution, or the winding up of our business; and

any limitations on direct or beneficial ownership and restrictions on transfer, in each case as may be appropriate to preserve our status as a REIT.
Rank
Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, each series of preferred stock will, with respect to dividend rights and rights upon liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of our business, rank:

senior to our common stock and any of our other equity securities ranking junior to such series of preferred stock;

on a parity with all of our equity securities which according to their terms rank on a parity with such series of preferred stock; and

junior to all of our equity securities which according to their terms rank senior to such series of preferred stock.
The term “equity securities” does not include any convertible debt securities ESRT may issue.
Dividends
As a holder of shares of preferred stock, you will be entitled to receive cash dividends, if authorized by our board of directors, out of our assets that we can legally use to pay dividends. The prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of preferred stock will state the dividend rate or rates (or method of calculation) and dates on which the dividends will be payable for such series. We will pay dividends to the holders of record as they appear on our stock transfer books on the record dates fixed by our board of directors.
The applicable prospectus supplement will also state whether the dividends on any series of preferred stock are cumulative or non-cumulative. Dividends, if cumulative, will accumulate from and after the dates stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. If our board of directors does not declare a dividend payable on a dividend payment date on any series of preferred stock for which dividends are non-cumulative, then the holders of such series of preferred stock will have no right to receive a dividend for the dividend period ending on such dividend payment date, and we will not be obligated to pay the dividend accrued for such period, even if our board of directors authorizes a dividend in the future.
We will not pay a dividend on any class or series of stock ranking as to dividends equal with or junior to a series of preferred stock unless:

if such series of preferred stock has a cumulative dividend, full cumulative dividends have been or contemporaneously are declared and paid (or declared and sufficient money is set apart for payment); or

if such series of preferred stock does not have a cumulative dividend, full dividends for the then current dividend period have been or contemporaneously are declared and paid (or declared and sufficient money is set apart for the payment).
If at any time full dividends will not be paid (or declared and sufficient money set apart for payment) on all shares of preferred stock ranking equal as to dividends, then:

we will declare any dividends pro rata among all shares of preferred stock ranking equal as to dividends. This means that the dividends we declare per share on each series of such preferred stock, which will not include any accumulation in respect of unpaid dividends for prior dividend periods if such preferred stock does not have a cumulative dividend, will bear the same relationship to each other that the full accrued dividends per share on each such series of preferred stock bear to each other;
 
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other than pro rata dividends, we will not declare or pay any dividends or set any money apart for payment of dividends, except dividends paid in the form of securities ranking junior to the preferred stock as to dividends and upon liquidation, or declare or make any distributions upon any security ranking junior to or equal with the preferred stock as to dividends or upon liquidation; and

we will not redeem, purchase, or otherwise acquire, or set aside money for a sinking fund for, any securities ranking junior to or equal with the preferred stock as to dividends or upon liquidation, except by conversion into or exchange for shares junior to the preferred stock as to dividends and upon liquidation.
Redemption
A series of preferred stock may be redeemable, in whole or in part, at our option and may be subject to mandatory redemption pursuant to a sinking fund, or otherwise, as we may describe in the applicable prospectus supplement.
If a series of preferred stock is subject to mandatory redemption, we will specify the following in the applicable prospectus supplement:

the date on which such mandatory redemption shall commence and the number of shares of such preferred stock that we will redeem each year after such date;

the redemption price; and

whether the redemption price will be paid in cash or other property together with an amount equal to all accrued and unpaid dividends, which shall not include any accumulation in respect of unpaid dividends for prior dividend periods if such preferred stock does not have a cumulative dividend, to the date of redemption.
If we are only permitted to pay the redemption price of a series of preferred stock from the net proceeds of the issuance of shares of our capital stock and the proceeds from such issuance are insufficient or no such issuance has occurred, then the terms of that series may provide that such preferred stock will automatically and mandatorily be converted into shares of our capital stock pursuant to conversion provisions which we will specify in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Even if the terms of a series of preferred stock permit us to redeem such shares of preferred stock in whole or in part, if any dividends, including accumulated dividends, on that series are past due, we will not:

redeem any shares of preferred stock of that series unless we simultaneously redeem all outstanding shares of preferred stock of that series; and

purchase or otherwise acquire any shares of preferred stock of that series, except by conversion into or exchange for shares of our capital stock ranking junior to such preferred stock as to dividends and upon liquidation.
The prohibitions regarding redemption discussed in the prior sentence will not restrict us from purchasing or acquiring shares of preferred stock of any series to preserve our REIT status or pursuant to a purchase or exchange offer made on the same terms to all holders of that series.
If fewer than all of the outstanding shares of any series of preferred stock are to be redeemed, our board of directors will determine the number of shares to be redeemed. Except when such redemption is to preserve our status as a REIT, we may redeem the shares pro rata from the holders of record in proportion to the number of such shares held by them or for which such holder requested redemption, with adjustments to avoid redemption of fractional shares, or by any other equitable manner that we determine.
We will give notice of redemption by mailing a notice to each record holder of shares to be redeemed between 30 and 60 days prior to the date fixed for redemption. Each notice shall state:

the redemption date;

the number of shares and series of preferred stock to be redeemed;

the redemption price;
 
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the place or places where the holders of such shares of preferred stock may surrender the certificates, if any, representing such shares for payment of the redemption price;

that dividends on the shares to be redeemed will cease to accrue on the redemption date; and

the date upon which the holder’s conversion rights, if any, will terminate.
If we redeem fewer than all outstanding shares of any series of preferred stock, we will specify in the notice to each holder the number of shares to be redeemed from such holder. If we have given notice of redemption of any shares of preferred stock and we have set apart the funds necessary for the payment of the redemption price, then beginning on the redemption date, the dividends on the shares of preferred stock called for redemption will no longer accrue, and the holders will no longer have any rights as stockholders except to receive the redemption price.
Liquidation Rights
Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, if we voluntarily or involuntarily liquidate, dissolve, or wind up our business, the holders of each series of preferred stock will be entitled to receive:

liquidating distributions, if any, in the amount or proportion stated in the applicable prospectus supplement; and

an amount equal to all accrued and unpaid dividends, which will not include any accumulation in respect of unpaid dividends for prior dividend periods if such preferred stock does not have a cumulative dividend.
We will pay these amounts to the holders of shares of each series of preferred stock, and all amounts owing on any other class or series of our capital stock ranking senior to or equally with such series of preferred stock as to distributions upon liquidation, out of our assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders before we make any distribution or payment to holders of any of our securities ranking junior to such series of preferred stock. After we pay the full amount of the liquidating distributions to the holders of preferred stock to which they are entitled, such holders will have no right or claim to any of our remaining assets.
If we voluntarily or involuntarily liquidate, dissolve or wind up our business and our available assets are insufficient to pay the amount of the liquidating distributions on all outstanding shares of each series of preferred stock and any other shares of our stock ranking senior to or equal with such series as to any such distribution, then we will only make pro rata distributions to the holders of all shares ranking equal as to distributions upon our dissolution, our liquidation or the winding up of our business.
If we have paid the full liquidation preference to all holders of preferred stock, we will distribute our remaining assets among the holders of any other classes or series of our capital stock ranking junior to the preferred stock upon our liquidation, our dissolution or the winding up of our business, according to their respective rights and preferences. For such purposes, our consolidation with or into any other corporation, trust or entity, or the sale, lease or conveyance of all or substantially all of our property or business, will not be considered a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our business.
Voting Rights
As a holder of preferred stock, you will not have any voting rights, except as we describe in this section or in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Except as provided otherwise for any series of preferred stock, unless we receive the consent of the holders of a majority of all the outstanding shares of such series of preferred stock, we will not:

authorize or create, or increase the number of authorized or issued shares of, any class or series of capital stock ranking senior to such series of preferred stock with respect to payment of dividends or the distribution of assets upon our liquidation, our dissolution, or the winding up of our business;
 
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reclassify any authorized capital stock into such shares of capital stock ranking senior to such series of preferred stock with respect to payment of dividends or the distribution of assets upon our liquidation, our dissolution, or the winding up of our business;

create, authorize or issue any obligation or security convertible into or evidencing the right to purchase shares of capital stock ranking senior to such series of preferred stock with respect to payment of dividends or the distribution of assets upon our liquidation, our dissolution or the winding up of our business; or

amend, alter or repeal our charter, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, so as to materially and adversely affect any right, preference, privilege or voting power of such series of preferred stock.
As a holder of preferred stock, you may give your consent in person or by proxy, either in writing, by electronic transmission or at a meeting with each series voting separately as a class. We are not required to obtain your consent, as a holder of preferred stock, for the following actions because they will be deemed not to adversely affect any right, preference, privilege or voting power of your series of preferred stock:

if upon the amendment, alteration, or repeal of our charter, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, your series of preferred stock remains outstanding with its terms materially unchanged, taking into account that, upon the occurrence of such an event, we may not be the surviving entity;

any increase in the number of authorized shares of preferred stock, or the creation or issuance of any other series of preferred stock, provided such series of preferred stock ranks equal with or junior to your series of preferred stock; or

any increase in the number of authorized shares of a series of preferred stock ranking equal with or junior to the preferred stock of such series with respect to payment of dividends, or the distribution of our assets upon our liquidation, our dissolution or the winding-up of our business.
The foregoing voting provisions will not apply if we redeem or call for redemption all shares of a series of preferred stock outstanding at or prior to the time when the act with respect to which such vote would otherwise be required shall be effected. All outstanding shares of a series of preferred stock will be deemed to have been redeemed or called for redemption provided sufficient funds will have been deposited in trust to effect such redemption.
Conversion or Exchange Rights
We will specify in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms and conditions, if any, upon which any series of preferred stock is convertible into common stock or preferred stock of a different series or exchangeable for other securities. Such terms will include:

the number of shares of common stock, preferred stock or other securities to be received on conversion or exchange of each share of such preferred stock;

the conversion or exchange price or rate or method of calculation;

the conversion or exchange period;

whether conversion or exchange is at our option and/or at the option of the holder of preferred stock;

any events resulting in adjustment of the conversion or exchange price or rate; and

rights of conversion or exchange in the event we call for redemption such series of preferred stock.
Restrictions on Ownership
For us to qualify as a REIT under the Code, no more than 50% in value of our outstanding stock may be owned, actually or constructively, by five or fewer individuals during the last half of a taxable year. To assist us in meeting this requirement, we may take actions including the automatic transfer of shares in excess of this ownership restriction into a charitable trust to limit the ownership of our outstanding equity
 
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securities, actually or constructively, by one person or entity. See “Description of Common Stock of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. — Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer.
Transfer Agent
We will name the transfer agent and registrar for the preferred stock in the applicable prospectus supplement.
 
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DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES OF EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST, INC.
This section describes the general terms and provisions of shares of ESRT’s depositary shares that we may offer by this prospectus. ESRT may offer depositary receipts representing fractional shares of ESRT’s preferred stock, rather than full shares of preferred stock. The shares of preferred stock represented by depositary shares will be deposited under a depositary agreement between us and a bank or trust company that meets certain requirements and is selected by us (the “Bank Depositary”). Each owner of a depositary share will be entitled to all the rights and preferences of the preferred stock represented by the depositary share.
The description in an accompanying prospectus supplement of any depositary shares we offer will not necessarily be complete and will be qualified in its entirety by reference to the applicable depositary agreement, which will be filed with the SEC if we offer depositary shares. For more information on how you can obtain copies of any depositary agreement if we offer depositary shares, see “Where You Can Find More Information.” We urge you to read the applicable depositary agreement and any accompanying prospectus supplement in their entirety.
Dividends and Other Distributions
If we pay cash dividends or other distributions on a series of preferred stock represented by depositary shares, the Bank Depositary will distribute such dividends or other distributions to the record holders of such depositary shares. If the distributions are in property other than cash, the Bank Depositary will distribute the property to the record holders of the depositary shares. However, if the Bank Depositary determines that it is not feasible to make the distribution of property, the Bank Depositary may, with our approval, sell such property and distribute the net proceeds from such sale to the record holders of the depositary shares.
Redemption of Depositary Shares
If we redeem a series of preferred stock represented by depositary shares, the Bank Depositary will redeem the depositary shares from the proceeds received by the Bank Depositary in connection with the redemption. The redemption price per depositary share will equal the applicable fraction of the redemption price per share of the preferred stock. If fewer than all the depositary shares are redeemed, the depositary shares to be redeemed will be selected by lot or pro rata as the Bank Depositary may determine.
Voting the Preferred Stock
Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of the preferred stock represented by depositary shares are entitled to vote, the Bank Depositary will mail the notice to the record holders of the depositary shares relating to such preferred stock. Each record holder of these depositary shares on the record date, which will be the same date as the record date for the preferred stock, may instruct the Bank Depositary as to how to vote the preferred stock represented by such holder’s depositary shares. The Bank Depositary will endeavor, insofar as practicable, to vote the amount of the preferred stock represented by such depositary shares in accordance with such instructions, and we will take all action that the Bank Depositary deems necessary in order to enable the Bank Depositary to do so. The Bank Depositary will abstain from voting shares of the preferred stock to the extent it does not receive specific instructions from the holders of depositary shares representing such preferred stock.
Amendment and Termination of the Depositary Agreement
The form of depositary receipt evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of the depositary agreement may be amended by agreement between the Bank Depositary and us. However, any amendment that materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders of depositary shares will not be effective unless such amendment has been approved by the holders of at least a majority of the depositary shares then outstanding. The depositary agreement may be terminated by the Bank Depositary or us only if (1) all outstanding depositary shares have been redeemed or (2) there has been a final distribution in respect of the preferred stock in connection with any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our Company and such distribution has been distributed to the holders of depositary receipts.
 
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Withdrawal of Preferred Stock
Except as may be provided otherwise in an accompanying prospectus supplement, upon surrender of depositary receipts at the principal office of the Bank Depositary, subject to the terms of the depositary agreement, the owner of the depositary shares may demand delivery of the number of whole shares of preferred stock and all money and other property, if any, represented by those depositary shares. Partial shares of preferred stock will not be issued. If the depositary receipts delivered by the holder evidence a number of depositary shares in excess of the number of depositary shares representing the number of whole shares of preferred stock to be withdrawn, the Bank Depositary will deliver to such holder at the same time a new depositary receipt evidencing the excess number of depositary shares. Holders of withdrawn preferred stock may not thereafter deposit those shares under the depositary agreement or receive depositary receipts evidencing depositary shares therefor.
 
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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS OF EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST, INC.
ESRT may issue warrants for the purchase of ESRT’s preferred stock or Class A common stock offered by this prospectus. Warrants may be issued independently, together with any other securities offered by any prospectus supplement or through a dividend or other distribution to the stockholders of ESRT and may be attached to or separate from such securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement that we will enter into with a bank or trust company, as warrant agent. We will name any warrant agent in the applicable prospectus supplement. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants of a particular series and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of warrants. In the applicable prospectus supplement, we will describe the terms of the warrants and applicable warrant agreement, including, where applicable, the following:

the title of such warrants;

their aggregate number;

the price or prices at which we will issue them;

the currency or currencies, including composite currencies, in which the purchase price and/or exercise price of the warrants may be payable;

the designation, number of shares and terms of the preferred stock or Class A common stock that can be purchased upon exercise of them;

the designation and terms of the other securities, if any, with which such warrants are issued and the number of such warrants issued with each such security;

the date, if any, on and after which they and the related preferred stock or Class A common stock, if any, will be separately transferable;

the price at which each share of preferred stock or Class A common stock that can be purchased upon exercise of such warrants may be purchased;

the date on which the right to exercise them shall commence and the date on which such right shall expire;

the minimum or maximum amount of such warrants which may be exercised at any one time;

information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any;

the rights, if any, we have to redeem the warrants;

a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations;

any limitations on direct or beneficial ownership and restrictions on transfer, in each case as may be appropriate to preserve our status as a REIT; and

any other material terms of such warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the transferability, exchange and exercise of such warrants.
After warrants expire they will become void. The prospectus supplement may provide for the adjustment of the exercise price of the warrants.
Warrants may be exercised at the appropriate office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in an accompanying prospectus supplement. Before the exercise of warrants, holders will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon exercise and will not be entitled to payments made to holders of those securities.
The description in an accompanying prospectus supplement of any warrants we offer will not necessarily be complete and will be qualified in its entirety by reference to the applicable warrant agreement, which will be filed with the SEC if we offer warrants. For more information on how you can obtain copies of any warrant agreement if we offer warrants, see “Where You Can Find More Information.” We urge you to read the applicable warrant agreement and any accompanying prospectus supplement in their entirety.
 
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DESCRIPTION OF GUARANTEES
ESRT may guarantee (either fully or unconditionally or in a limited manner) the due and punctual payment of the principal of, and any premium and interest on, or other obligations related to, one or more series of debt securities of the Operating Partnership, whether at maturity, by acceleration, redemption, repayment or otherwise, in accordance with the terms of such guarantee and the applicable indenture. In case of the failure of the Operating Partnership punctually to pay any principal, premium or interest on any guaranteed debt security, ESRT will cause any such payment to be made as it becomes due and payable, whether at maturity, upon acceleration, redemption, repayment or otherwise, and as if such payment were made by the Operating Partnership. The particular terms of the guarantee, if any, will be set forth in a prospectus supplement relating to the guaranteed debt securities. Any guarantee by ESRT will be of payment only and not of collection.
 
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CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF MARYLAND LAW AND OUR CHARTER AND BYLAWS
The following description of the terms of our stock and of certain provisions of Maryland law is only a summary. Copies of our charter and bylaws are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and the following description is qualified entirely by reference to our charter and bylaws and the applicable provisions of Maryland law.
Number of Directors; Vacancies
Our charter provides that the number of directors will be set only by our board of directors in accordance with our bylaws. Our bylaws provide that a majority of our entire board of directors may at any time establish, increase or decrease the number of directors. However, the number of directors may never be less than the minimum number required by the MGCL, which is one, nor more than 15, unless our charter and bylaws are amended.
Our charter also provides that we elect to be subject to the provision of Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL regarding the filling of vacancies on our board of directors. Accordingly, except as may be provided by our board of directors in setting the terms of any class or series of stock, any and all vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors in office, even if the remaining directors do not constitute a quorum, and any individual elected to fill such vacancy will serve for the remainder of the full term of the directorship in which the vacancy occurred and until a successor is duly elected and qualifies.
Annual Elections
Each of our directors will be elected by our stockholders to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualifies. Holders of our common stock will have no right to cumulative voting in the election of directors, and directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at a meeting of stockholders at which a quorum is present. Consequently, at each annual meeting of stockholders, the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock will be able to elect all of our directors then standing for election, and the holders of the remaining shares will not be able to elect any directors.
Removal of Directors
Our charter provides that, subject to the rights, if any, of holders of any class or series of preferred stock to elect or remove one or more directors, a director may be removed only for cause, and then only by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast generally in the election of directors. “Cause” is defined in our charter to mean the conviction of a director of a felony or a final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction holding that a director caused demonstrable, material harm to us through bad faith or active and deliberate dishonesty.
Calling of Special Meetings of Stockholders
Our bylaws provide that special meetings of stockholders may be called by our board of directors and certain of our officers. Additionally, our bylaws provide that, subject to the satisfaction of certain procedural and informational requirements by the stockholders requesting the meeting, a special meeting of stockholders to act on any matter that may properly be considered at a meeting of stockholders shall be called by the secretary of the corporation upon the written request of stockholders entitled to cast not less than a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on such matter at such meeting. Only the business specified in the notice of the meeting may be brought before the meeting.
Action by Stockholders
Our charter provides that stockholder action can be taken at an annual or special meeting of stockholders or by consent in writing or by electronic transmission in lieu of a meeting only if such action is approved unanimously. These provisions, combined with the requirements of our bylaws regarding advance notice of nominations and other business to be considered at a meeting of stockholders and the calling of
 
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a stockholder-requested special meeting of stockholders discussed above, may have the effect of delaying consideration of a stockholder proposal.
Advance Notice Provisions for Stockholder Nominations and Stockholder Proposals
Our bylaws provide that, with respect to an annual meeting of stockholders, nominations of individuals for election to the board of directors and the proposal of business to be considered by stockholders may be made only (i) by or at the direction of the board of directors or (ii) by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record both at the time of giving of notice by such stockholder as provided for in our bylaws and at the time of the annual meeting and who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated or on any such other business and who has complied with the advance notice procedures and provided the information required by our bylaws.
The purpose of requiring stockholders to give us advance notice of nominations and other business is to afford our board of directors a meaningful opportunity to consider the qualifications of the proposed nominees and the advisability of any other proposed business and, to the extent deemed necessary or desirable by our board of directors, to inform stockholders and make recommendations about such qualifications or business. Although our bylaws do not give our board of directors any power to disapprove stockholder nominations for the election of directors or proposals recommending certain action, they may have the effect of precluding a contest for the election of directors or the consideration of stockholder proposals if proper procedures are not followed and of discouraging or deterring a third-party from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or to approve its own proposal without regard to whether consideration of such nominees or proposals might be harmful or beneficial to us and our stockholders.
Approval of Extraordinary Corporate Actions, Amendment of Charter and Bylaws
Under Maryland law, a Maryland corporation generally cannot amend its charter, consolidate, merge, convert, sell all or substantially all of its assets, engage in a statutory share exchange or dissolve unless the action is declared advisable by our board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast at least two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast with respect to such matter. However, a Maryland corporation may provide in its charter for approval of these matters by a lesser percentage, but not less than a majority of all of the votes entitled to be cast with respect to such matter. As permitted by Maryland law, our charter provides that these actions (other than certain amendments to the provisions of our charter related to the removal of directors, the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our stock and the vote required to amend these provisions) may be approved by the stockholders entitled to cast at least a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.
Unless otherwise required by law, our board of directors may amend, alter or repeal any provision of our bylaws and make new bylaws by a majority vote of the directors. Pursuant to our bylaws, stockholders, at any annual or special meeting, may also alter or repeal any provision of our bylaws and make new bylaws by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, except the following bylaw provisions, each of which may be altered or repealed only with the approval of our board of directors:

provisions relating to indemnification of and advance of expenses to directors and officers of ESRT; and

provisions governing amendments of our bylaws.
Proxy Access
Our bylaws include proxy access provisions that permit a stockholder, or group of no more than 20 stockholders, meeting specified eligibility requirements, to include director nominees in ESRT’s proxy materials for annual meetings of our stockholders. The maximum number of director nominees that may be submitted pursuant to these provisions may not exceed 20% of the number of directors then in office, or if such amount is not a whole number, the closest whole number below 20%; provided, that the maximum number of stockholder nominees that will be included in ESRT’s proxy materials with respect to an annual meeting will be reduced by the number of individuals that the board of directors decides to nominate for re-election who were previously elected to the board of directors based on a nomination by one or
 
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more stockholders pursuant to such proxy access and advance notice provisions of our bylaws. In order to be eligible to utilize these proxy access provisions, a stockholder, or group of stockholders, must, among other requirements:

have owned shares of common stock equal to at least 3% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of ESRT continuously for at least the prior three years;

represent that such shares were acquired in the ordinary course of business and not with the intent to change or influence the control of ESRT and that such stockholder or group does not presently have such intent; and

provide a notice requesting the inclusion of director nominees in ESRT’s proxy materials and provide other required information to ESRT not earlier than 150 days nor later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the date of the proxy statement for the preceding year’s annual meeting of stockholders (with adjustments if the date for the upcoming annual meeting of stockholders is advanced or delayed by more than 30 days from the anniversary date of the prior year’s annual meeting).
Additionally, all director nominees submitted through these provisions must be independent (pursuant to the requirements under the rules of the primary stock exchange on which ESRT’s common stock is listed, the SEC and any publicly disclosed standards used by our board of directors, as well as the audit committee and compensation committee independence requirements under the rules of the primary stock exchange on which the common stock of ESRT is listed) and meet specified additional criteria. Stockholders will not be entitled to utilize this proxy access right at an annual meeting if ESRT receives notice through its traditional advanced notice bylaw provisions that a stockholder intends to nominate a director at such meeting.
The foregoing proxy access right is subject to additional eligibility, procedural and disclosure requirements set forth in our bylaws.
No Stockholder Rights Plan
We have no stockholder rights plan. In the future, we do not intend to adopt a stockholder rights plan unless our stockholders approve in advance the adoption of a plan or, if adopted by our board of directors, we submit the stockholder rights plan to our stockholders for a ratification vote within 12 months of adoption or the plan will terminate.
Business Combinations
Under the MGCL, certain “business combinations” ​(including a merger, consolidation, statutory share exchange or, in certain circumstances specified in the statute, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities) between a Maryland corporation and an interested stockholder (defined as any person who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the voting power of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock or an affiliate or associate of the corporation who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, was the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 10% or more of the voting power of the then-outstanding stock of the corporation), or an affiliate of an interested stockholder are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder. A person is not an interested stockholder under the statute if the board of directors approved in advance the transaction by which the person otherwise would have become an interested stockholder. In approving such transaction, the board of directors may provide that its approval is subject to compliance, at or after the time of approval, with any terms and conditions determined by it.
Any such business combination between the Maryland corporation and the interested stockholder entered into after the five-year prohibition must generally be recommended by the board of directors of such corporation and approved by the affirmative vote of at least (a) 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of outstanding shares of voting stock of the corporation and (b) two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of voting stock of the corporation other than shares held by the interested stockholder with whom (or with whose affiliate) the business combination is to be effected or held by an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder, unless, among other conditions, the corporation’s common
 
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stockholders receive a minimum price (as defined in the MGCL) for their shares of common stock in the form of cash or other consideration in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares of common stock.
These provisions of the MGCL do not apply, however, to business combinations that are approved or exempted by a board of directors prior to the time that the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder.
Our board of directors has adopted a resolution exempting any business combination between us and any other person or entity from the business combination provisions of the MGCL. This resolution, however, may be altered or repealed in whole or in part at any time.
Control Share Acquisitions
The MGCL provides that holders of “control shares” of a Maryland corporation acquired in a “control share acquisition” have no voting rights with respect to such shares except to the extent approved by the affirmative vote of stockholders entitled to cast two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding shares of stock of a corporation in respect of which any of the following persons is entitled to exercise or direct the exercise of the voting power of shares of stock of the corporation in the election of directors: (i) a person who makes or proposes to make a control share acquisition, (ii) an officer of the corporation or (iii) an employee of the corporation who is also a director of the corporation. “Control shares” are voting shares of stock which, if aggregated with all other such shares of stock previously acquired by the acquiror or in respect of which the acquiror is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power (except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy), would entitle the acquiror to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the following ranges of voting power: (i) one-tenth or more but less than one-third, (ii) one-third or more but less than a majority, or (iii) a majority or more of all voting power. Control shares do not include shares the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained stockholder approval or shares acquired directly from the corporation. A “control share acquisition” means the acquisition of control shares, subject to certain exceptions.
A person who has made or proposes to make a control share acquisition, upon satisfaction of certain conditions (including an undertaking to pay expenses), may compel our board of directors to call a special meeting of stockholders to be held within 50 days of demand to consider the voting rights of the shares. If no request for a meeting is made, the corporation may itself present the question at any stockholders’ meeting.
If voting rights are not approved at the meeting or if the acquiring person does not deliver an acquiring person statement as required by the statute, then, subject to certain conditions and limitations, the corporation may redeem any or all of the control shares (except those for which voting rights have previously been approved) for fair value determined, without regard to the absence of voting rights for the control shares, as of the date of the last control share acquisition by the acquiror or, if any meeting of stockholders is held at which the voting rights of such shares are considered and not approved, as of the date of such meeting. If voting rights for control shares are approved at a stockholders’ meeting and the acquiror becomes entitled to vote a majority of the shares of stock entitled to vote, all other stockholders may exercise appraisal rights, unless appraisal rights are eliminated under the charter. Our charter eliminates all appraisal rights of stockholders.
The control share acquisition statute does not apply to (a) shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or a statutory share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction or (b) acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or bylaws of the corporation.
Our bylaws exempt any and all acquisitions of shares of our stock from the control share acquisition statute. There can be no assurance that this provision will not be amended or eliminated at any time in the future.
Certain Elective Provisions of Maryland Law
Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the MGCL permits a Maryland corporation with a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act and at least three independent directors to elect to be subject, by provision in its charter or bylaws or a resolution of its board of directors and notwithstanding any contrary
 
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provision in the charter or bylaws, to any of (1) a classified board, (2) a two-thirds vote requirement for removing a director, (3) a requirement that the number of directors be fixed only by vote of the board of directors, (4) a requirement that a vacancy on the board be filled only by the remaining directors in office and for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors, if the board is classified, in which the vacancy occurred, and (5) a majority requirement for the calling of a stockholder-requested special meeting of stockholders. Our charter provides that we elect to be subject to the provisions of Subtitle 8 regarding the filing of vacancies on our board of directors. Through provisions in our charter and bylaws unrelated to Subtitle 8, we also (1) require the affirmative vote of the stockholders entitled to cast not less than two-thirds of all of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter for the removal of any director from our board of directors, which removal will be allowed only for cause, (2) vest in our board of directors the exclusive power to fix the number of directorships, and (3) require, unless called by the chairman of our board of directors, our chief executive officer, our president or our board of directors, the written request of stockholders entitled to cast not less than a majority of all votes entitled to be cast on any matter that may properly be considered at a meeting of stockholders to call a special meeting to act on such matter. Otherwise, we have not elected to be governed by these specific provisions. However, we currently have nine independent directors and a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act, so our board of directors could elect, at any time without stockholder approval, for ESRT to be subject to any of the foregoing provisions.
Anti-Takeover Effect of Certain Provisions of Maryland Law and of Our Charter and Bylaws
The provisions of the MGCL, our charter and our bylaws described above could delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control of ESRT that might involve a premium price for holders of our common stock or otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders. Likewise, if our board of directors were to opt back into the business combination provisions of the MGCL or opt into certain additional provisions of Subtitle 8 of Title 3 of the MGCL, or if the provision in the bylaws opting out of the control share acquisition provisions of the MGCL were amended or rescinded, such provisions of the MGCL could have similar anti-takeover effects.
Interested Director and Officer Transactions
Pursuant to the MGCL, a contract or other transaction between us and a director or between us and any other corporation or other entity in which any of our directors is a director or has a material financial interest is not void or voidable solely on the grounds of such common directorship or interest, the presence of such director at the meeting at which the contract or transaction is authorized, approved or ratified or the counting of the director’s vote in favor thereof, if:

the fact of the common directorship or interest is disclosed or known to our board of directors or a committee of our board, and our board of directors or such committee authorizes, approves or ratifies the transaction or contract by the affirmative vote of a majority of disinterested directors, even if the disinterested directors constitute less than a quorum;

the fact of the common directorship or interest is disclosed or known to our stockholders entitled to vote thereon, and the transaction or contract is authorized, approved or ratified by a majority of the votes cast by the stockholders entitled to vote, excluding votes cast by the interested director or the corporation or other entity; or

the transaction or contract is fair and reasonable to us.
We adopted a policy which requires that all contracts and transactions between us or any of our subsidiaries, on the one hand, and any of our directors or executive officers or any entity in which such director or executive officer is a director or has a material financial interest, on the other hand, must be approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the disinterested directors, even if less than a quorum.
Where appropriate in the judgment of the disinterested directors, our board of directors may obtain a fairness opinion or engage independent counsel to represent the interests of non-affiliated security holders, although our board of directors will have no obligation to do so.
Indemnification and Limitation of Directors’ and Officers’ Liability
Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to include in its charter a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages, except for liability
 
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resulting from actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or active and deliberate dishonesty that is established by a final judgment and is material to the cause of action. Our charter contains a provision that eliminates such liability to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
Our charter and bylaws require us, to the maximum extent that Maryland law in effect from time to time, to indemnify any present or former director or officer or any individual who, while a director or officer of our Company and at our request, serves or has served another corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise as a director, officer, partner, member, manager or trustee, from and against any claim or liability to which that individual may become subject or which that individual may incur by reason of his or her service in any such capacity and to pay or reimburse his or her reasonable expenses in advance of a final disposition of a proceeding without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification.
Our charter and bylaws also permit us to indemnify and advance expenses, with the approval of our board of directors, to (a) any present or former member, manager, shareholder, director, limited partner, general partner, officer or controlling person of (1) Malkin Holdings LLC (“Malkin Holdings”), (2) an entity that owned an interest in one of the 18 real properties or two acres of land that were contributed to ESRT, the Operating Partnership or their subsidiaries (each such entity, a “Contributing Entity”) in ESRT’s initial public offering or (3) any direct or indirect partner or member, or any employee benefit plan or other enterprise thereof (provided, that, in the case such direct or indirect partner or member owned direct or indirect interests in any properties not contributed to ESRT, the Operating Partnership or their subsidiaries in ESRT’s initial public offering, only to the extent such service relates to the business of Malkin Holdings or any Contributing Entity) or (b) any agent for participants in any Contributing Entity or any direct or indirect partner or member thereof (provided, that, in the case such direct or indirect partner or member owned direct or indirect interests in any properties not contributed to ESRT or the Operating Partnership, only to the extent such service relates to the business of Malkin Holdings or any Contributing Entity).
The MGCL requires a corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which our charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made or threatened to be made a party by reason of his or her service in that capacity against reasonable expenses actually incurred in the proceeding in which the director or officer was successful. The MGCL permits a corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made or are threatened to be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that:

the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (1) was committed in bad faith or (2) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty;

the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or

in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful.
However, under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received. A court may order indemnification in such situation if it determines that the director or officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, even though the director or officer did not meet the prescribed standard of conduct or was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received. However, indemnification for an adverse judgment in a suit by or in the right of the corporation, or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, is limited to expenses.
In addition, the MGCL permits a corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation’s receipt of:

a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation; and
 
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a written undertaking by the director or officer or on the director’s or officer’s behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the director or officer did not meet the standard of conduct.
Insofar as the foregoing provisions permit indemnification of directors, officers or persons controlling us for liability arising under the Securities Act, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC, this indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our executive officers and directors whereby we indemnify such executive officers and directors against all expenses and liabilities and pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding if such director or executive officer is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity to the fullest extent permitted by Maryland law, subject to limited exceptions. These indemnification agreements also provide that upon an application for indemnity by an executive officer or director to a court of appropriate jurisdiction, such court may order us to indemnify such executive officer or director.
REIT Qualification
Our charter provides that our board of directors may revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without approval of our stockholders, if it determines that it is no longer in our best interests to continue to qualify as a REIT.
Exclusive Forum
Our bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal courts of the United States sitting in the Southern District of New York, or, if such courts do not have jurisdiction, the state courts sitting in New York County, New York, shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any stockholder to bring (1) any derivative action or proceeding on behalf of ESRT, (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any ESRT director, officer or other employee to ESRT or its stockholders, (3) any action asserting a claim against ESRT or any of its directors, officers or other employees arising pursuant to any provision of the MGCL or our charter or bylaws, (4) any action asserting a claim against ESRT or any of its directors, officers or other employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine, or (5) any other action asserting a claim of any nature brought by or on behalf of any stockholder of ESRT (which means, for this purpose, any stockholder of record or any beneficial owner of ESRT’s stock either on his, her or its own behalf or on behalf of any series or class of shares of stock of ESRT or any group of its stockholders) against ESRT or any of its directors, officer or other employees.
 
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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES OF EMPIRE STATE REALTY OP, L.P.
The following description of the material provisions of the indentures and the debt securities of the Operating Partnership is only a summary. This description and the description contained in any prospectus supplement are subject to and qualified in their entirety by reference to the applicable indentures, which are incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. The prospectus supplement relating to any particular debt securities offered will describe the specific terms of the debt securities, which may be in addition to or different from the general terms summarized in this prospectus. Because the summary in this prospectus and in any prospectus supplement does not contain all of the information that you may find useful, you should read the documents relating to the debt securities that are described in this prospectus or in any applicable prospectus supplement. Please read “Where You Can Find More Information.”
Debt Securities May Be Senior or Subordinated
The Operating Partnership may issue senior or subordinated debt securities at one or more times in one or more series. Each series of debt securities may have different terms. Neither the senior debt securities nor the subordinated debt securities will be secured by any property or assets of the Operating Partnership, ESRT or any of their respective subsidiaries. Thus, by owning a debt security, you are an unsecured creditor of the Operating Partnership.
Neither any limited or general partner of the Operating Partnership, including ESRT, nor any shareholder, member, manager, officer, director, trustee or employee of any limited or general partner of ESRT or the Operating Partnership or of any predecessor or successor of any limited or general partner of the Operating Partnership has any obligation for payment of debt securities or for any of the Operating Partnership’s obligations, covenants or agreements contained in the debt securities or the applicable indenture. By accepting the debt securities, you waive and release all liability of this kind. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for the issuance of debt securities.
The senior debt securities of the Operating Partnership will be issued under the senior debt indenture, as described below, and will rank equally with all of the Operating Partnership’s other senior unsecured and unsubordinated debt.
The subordinated debt securities of the Operating Partnership will be issued under the subordinated debt indenture, as described below, and will be subordinate in right of payment to all of the Operating Partnership’s “senior debt,” as defined in the subordinated debt indenture, as described in “Description of Debt Securities of Empire State Realty OP, L.P. — Subordination Provisions.”
Neither indenture will limit the Operating Partnership’s ability to incur additional debt, unless otherwise described in the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities.
The Operating Partnership’s senior debt is, and any additional senior debt of the Operating Partnership will be, structurally subordinate to the indebtedness of the Operating Partnership’s subsidiaries and will be structurally senior to any indebtedness of ESRT, unless the Operating Partnership guarantees such indebtedness of ESRT. See “Description of Debt Securities of Empire State Realty OP, L.P. — The Operating Partnership’s Debt Securities Are Structurally Subordinated to Indebtedness of the Operating Partnership’s Subsidiaries” below.
When we refer to “debt securities” in this prospectus, we mean both the senior debt securities and the subordinated debt securities, unless the context requires otherwise. When we refer to the indenture or the trustee with respect to any debt securities of the Operating Partnership, we mean the indenture under which those debt securities are issued and the trustee under that indenture.
If we issue debt securities at a discount from their principal amount, then, for purposes of calculating the aggregate initial offering price of the offered securities issued under this prospectus, we will include only the initial offering price of the debt securities and not the principal amount of the debt securities.
The Senior Debt Indenture and the Subordinated Debt Indenture of the Operating Partnership
The senior debt securities of the Operating Partnership will be issued under an indenture, as amended or supplemented from time to time, dated as of a date prior to such issuance, among the Operating
 
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Partnership, as issuer, ESRT and a trustee. The subordinated debt securities of the Operating Partnership will be issued under a separate indenture, dated as of a date prior to such issuance, among the Operating Partnership, as the issuer, and ESRT and a trustee, as amended or supplemented from time to time. The senior debt securities indenture and the subordinated debt securities indenture will be subject to and governed by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939. We have attached a form of senior debt securities indenture and a form of subordinated debt securities indenture as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Except as otherwise indicated, the terms of the indentures are identical.
The indentures:

do not limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue;

allow us to issue debt securities with terms different from those of the debt securities previously issued under the applicable indenture;

allow us to issue debt securities in one or more series;

do not require us to issue all of the debt securities of a series at the same time; and

allow us to reopen a series to issue additional debt securities without the consent of the holders of the debt securities of such series.
Except as described under “Description of Debt Securities of Empire State Realty OP, L.P. — Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets,” the debt securities will not contain any provisions that (1) would limit our ability to incur indebtedness or (2) would afford holders of debt securities protection in the event of (a) a highly leveraged or similar transaction involving the Operating Partnership, ESRT or any of their respective affiliates or (b) a change of control or reorganization, restructuring, merger or similar transaction involving us that may adversely affect the holders of the debt securities. In the future, we may enter into transactions, such as the sale of all or substantially all of our assets or a merger or consolidation, that may have an adverse effect on our ability to service our indebtedness, including the debt securities, by, among other things, substantially reducing or eliminating our assets. Neither governing law, nor our governing instruments, define the term “substantially all” as it relates to the sale of assets. Consequently, to determine whether a sale of “substantially all” of our assets has occurred, a holder of debt securities must review the financial and other information that we have disclosed to the public.
Each indenture will provide that we may, but need not, designate more than one trustee under an indenture. Any trustee under an indenture may resign or be removed and a successor trustee may be appointed to act with respect to the series of debt securities administered by the resigning or removed trustee. If two or more persons are acting as trustee with respect to different series of debt securities, each trustee shall be a trustee of a trust under the applicable indenture separate and apart from the trust administered by any other trustee. Except as otherwise indicated in this prospectus, any action described in this prospectus to be taken by each trustee may be taken by each trustee with respect to, and only with respect to, the one or more series of debt securities for which it is trustee under the applicable indenture.
Information in the Prospectus Supplement
When we refer to a series of debt securities, we mean a series issued under the applicable indenture. When we refer to a prospectus supplement, we mean the prospectus supplement describing the specific terms of the debt securities of a particular series being offered. The terms used in any prospectus supplement have the meanings described in this prospectus, unless otherwise specified.
We will describe most of the financial and other specific terms of a particular series of debt securities being offered, including the terms of any guarantee, if applicable, whether it be a series of the senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities, in a prospectus supplement accompanying this prospectus. Those terms may vary from the terms described here.
The applicable prospectus supplement will also contain the terms of a given offering, the initial offering price and our net proceeds. Where applicable, a prospectus supplement will also describe material U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to the debt securities offered and indicate whether the securities offered are or will be listed on any securities exchange.
 
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Disclosure of the specific terms of a particular series of debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement, may include, among other things, some or all of the following:

the title of the debt securities;

whether they are senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities and, if they are subordinated debt securities, any changes in the subordination provisions described in this prospectus applicable to those subordinated debt securities;

the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities being offered, the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities outstanding as of the most recent practicable date and any limit on their aggregate principal amount, including the aggregate principal amount of debt securities authorized;

the stated maturity;

the price at which the debt securities will be issued, expressed as a percentage of the principal amount, and the original issue date;

the portion of the principal payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity, if other than the entire principal amount;

the date or dates, or the method for determining the date or dates, on which the principal of the debt securities will be payable;

the fixed or variable interest rate or rates of the debt securities, or the method by which the interest rate or rates is determined;

the date or dates, or the method for determining the date or dates, from which interest will accrue;

the dates on which interest will be payable;

the record dates for interest payment dates, or the method by which we will determine those dates;

the persons to whom interest will be payable;

the basis upon which interest will be calculated if other than that of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months;

any make-whole amount, which is the amount in addition to principal and interest that is required to be paid to the holder of a debt security as a result of any optional redemption or accelerated payment of such debt security, or the method for determining the make-whole amount;

whether the debt securities may be converted into ESRT’s common stock or preferred stock or other securities, the terms on which such conversion or exchange may occur, including whether such conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option, the period during which such conversion or exchange may occur, the initial conversion or exchange price or rate, and the circumstances or manner in which the shares of common stock or preferred stock issuable upon conversion or exchange may be adjusted or calculated according to the market price of ESRT’s common stock or preferred stock or such other securities or other applicable parameters;

whether ESRT will guarantee the due and punctual payment of principal of and premium (or make-whole amount), if any, and interest on the debt securities and the extent of any such guarantee, and if so, whether such guarantee will be unsecured and unsubordinated or subordinated to other indebtedness of ESRT;

the place or places where the principal of, and any premium (or make-whole amount) and interest on, the debt securities will be payable;

where the debt securities may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange;

where notices or demands to or upon us in respect of the debt securities and the applicable indenture may be served;

the times, prices and other terms and conditions upon which we may redeem the debt securities;

any obligation we have to redeem, repay or purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provision or at the option of holders of the debt securities, and the times and prices at which we must redeem, repay or purchase the debt securities as a result of such an obligation;
 
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any deletions from, modifications of, or additions to our events of default or covenants, and any change in the right of any trustee or any of the holders to declare the principal amount of any of such debt securities due and payable;

the denominations in which the debt securities will be issuable, if other than denominations of $2,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000;

any restrictions or conditions on the transferability of the debt securities;

the currency or currencies in which the debt securities are denominated and in which principal and/or interest is payable if other than United States dollars, which may be a foreign currency or units of two or more foreign currencies or a composite currency or currencies, and the terms and conditions relating thereto, and the manner of determining the equivalent of such foreign currency in United States dollars;

whether the principal of, and any premium (or make-whole amount) or interest on, the debt securities of the series are to be payable, at our election or at the election of a holder, in a currency or currencies other than that in which the debt securities are denominated or stated to be payable, and other related terms and conditions;

whether the amount of payments of principal of, and any premium (or make-whole amount) or interest on, the debt securities may be determined according to an index, formula or other method and how such amounts will be determined;

the form or forms of the debt securities of the series, including such legends as may be required by applicable law;

whether the debt securities will be in registered form and the person to whom any interest shall be payable, if other than the person in whose name the security is registered at the close of business on the regular record date for such interest;

the identity of the depository for securities in registered form, if such series are to be issuable as a global security;

whether any debt securities of the series are to be issuable initially in temporary global form and whether any debt securities of the series are to be issuable in permanent global form with or without coupons and, if so, whether beneficial owners of interests in any such permanent global security may or shall be required to exchange their interests for other debt securities of the series, and the manner in which interest shall be paid;

the date as of which any debt securities in temporary global form shall be dated if other than the original issuance date of the first security of the series to be issued;

the applicability, if any, of the defeasance and covenant defeasance provisions described in this prospectus or in the applicable indenture;

whether and under what circumstances we will pay any additional amounts on the debt securities in respect of any tax, assessment or governmental charge and, if so, whether we will have the option to redeem the debt securities in lieu of making such a payment;

the circumstances, if any, under which beneficial owners of interests in the global security may obtain definitive debt securities and the manner in which payments on a permanent global debt security will be made if any debt securities are issuable in temporary or permanent global form;

any provisions granting special rights to holders of securities upon the occurrence of such events as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement;

the name of the applicable trustee and the nature of any material relationship with us or with any of our affiliates, and the percentage of debt securities of the class necessary to require the trustee to take action;

additions or changes relating to compensation or reimbursement of the trustee of the series of debt securities;
 
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provisions relating to the modification of the indentures both with and without the consent of holders of debt securities issued under the indenture and the execution of supplemental indentures for such series; and

any other terms of such debt securities (which terms shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of the TIA, but may modify, amend, supplement or delete any of the terms of the indenture with respect to such series of debt securities).
Original Issue Discount Securities
We may issue debt securities at a discount below their principal amount and provide for less than the entire principal amount thereof to be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof. We will refer to any such debt securities throughout this prospectus as “original issue discount securities.” A fixed rate debt security, a floating rate debt security or an indexed debt security may be an original issue discount security. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences and other relevant considerations applicable to original issue discount securities.
Amounts that We May Issue
Neither of the indentures will limit the aggregate amount of debt securities that the Operating Partnership may issue or the number of series or the aggregate amount of any particular series. In addition, the indentures and the debt securities will not limit the Operating Partnership’s ability to incur other indebtedness or to issue other securities, unless otherwise described in the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities. Also, the Operating Partnership is not subject to financial or similar restrictions by the terms of the debt securities, unless otherwise described in the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities.
Payment
Unless we give you different information in the applicable prospectus supplement, the principal of, and any premium (or make-whole amount) and interest on, any series of the debt securities will be payable at the corporate trust office of the applicable trustee. We will provide you with the address of the trustee in the applicable prospectus supplement. We may also pay interest by mailing a check to the address of the person entitled to it as it appears in the applicable register for the debt securities or by wire transfer of funds to that person at an account maintained within the United States.
All monies that we pay to a paying agent or a trustee for the payment of the principal of, and any premium (or make-whole amount) or interest on, any debt security will be repaid to us if unclaimed at the end of two years after the obligation underlying payment becomes due and payable. After funds have been returned to us, the holder of the debt security may look only to us for payment, without payment of interest for the period which we hold the funds.
The Operating Partnership’s Debt Securities Are Structurally Subordinated to Indebtedness of the Operating Partnership’s Subsidiaries
Because the Operating Partnership’s assets consist principally of interests in the subsidiaries through which it owns properties and conducts its business, the Operating Partnership’s right to participate as an equity holder in any distribution of assets of any of its subsidiaries upon the subsidiary’s liquidation or otherwise, and thus the ability of security holders to benefit from the distribution, is junior to creditors of the applicable subsidiary, except to the extent that any claims the Operating Partnership may have as a creditor of such subsidiary are recognized. Furthermore, because some of the Operating Partnership’s subsidiaries are partnerships in which the Operating Partnership is a general partner, the Operating Partnership may be liable for their obligations. The Operating Partnership may also guarantee some obligations of its subsidiaries. Any liability the Operating Partnership may have for its subsidiaries’ obligations could reduce assets that are available to satisfy its direct creditors, including investors in the debt securities of the Operating Partnership.
 
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Form of Debt Securities
We will issue each debt security in global — i.e., book-entry — form only, unless we specify otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement. Debt securities in book-entry form will be represented by a global security registered in the name of a depositary, which will be the holder of all the debt securities represented by that global security. Those who own beneficial interests in a global debt security will do so through participants in the depositary’s securities clearance system, and the rights of these indirect owners will be governed solely by the applicable procedures of the depositary and its participants.
In addition, we will issue each debt security in fully registered form, without coupons.
Denomination, Interest, Registration and Transfer
Unless otherwise described in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities of any series will be issuable in denominations of $2,000 and integral multiples of $1,000. Subject to the limitations imposed upon debt securities that are issued in book-entry form and represented by a global security registered in the name of a depositary, a holder of debt securities of any series may:

exchange them for any authorized denomination of other debt securities of the same series and of a like aggregate principal amount and kind upon surrender of such debt securities at the corporate trust office of the applicable trustee or at the office of any transfer agent that we designate for such purpose; and

surrender them for registration of transfer or exchange at the corporate trust office of the applicable trustee or at the office of any transfer agent that we designate for such purpose.
Every debt security surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange must be duly endorsed or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer, in form satisfactory to us or the Trustee, duly executed by the holder or his attorney duly authorized in writing. Payment of a service charge will not be required for any registration of transfer or exchange of any debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith. If in addition to the applicable trustee, the applicable prospectus supplement refers to any transfer agent initially designated by the Operating Partnership for any series of debt securities, we may at any time rescind the designation of any such transfer agent or approve a change in the location through which any such transfer agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for such series. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents for any series of debt securities.
Neither we nor any trustee shall be required to:

issue, register the transfer of or exchange debt securities of any series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day that the notice of redemption of any debt securities selected for redemption is mailed and ending at the close of business on the day of such mailing;

register the transfer of or exchange any debt security, or portion thereof, so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt security being redeemed in part; and

issue, register the transfer of or exchange any debt security that has been surrendered for repayment at the option of the holder, except the portion, if any, of such debt security not to be so repaid.
Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets
The indentures provide that the Operating Partnership may, without the consent of the holders of any outstanding debt securities, (1) consolidate with, (2) sell, lease or convey all or substantially all of its assets to, or (3) merge with or into, any other entity provided that:

either it is the continuing entity, or the successor entity is an entity organized and existing under the laws of the United States, any State thereof or the District of Columbia and assumes the obligations of the Operating Partnership under the applicable indenture (A) to pay the principal of, and any premium or make-whole amount, if any, and interest on, all of its debt securities under the applicable
 
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indenture and (B) to duly perform and observe all of its covenants and conditions contained in the applicable indenture;

immediately after giving effect to the transaction and treating any indebtedness that becomes the obligation of the Operating Partnership or the obligation of any of our subsidiaries as having been incurred by the Operating Partnership or by such subsidiary at the time of the transaction, no event of default under the applicable indenture, and no event which, after notice or the lapse of time, or both, would become such an event of default, occurs and continues; and

an officer’s certificate and legal opinion covering certain of such conditions are delivered to each trustee.
The indentures provide that ESRT may, without the consent of the holders of any outstanding debt securities, (1) consolidate with, (2) sell, lease or convey all or substantially all of its assets to, or (3) merge with or into, any other entity provided that:

either it is the continuing entity, or the successor entity is an entity organized and existing under the laws of the United States, any State thereof or the District of Columbia and assumes the obligations of ESRT and the due and punctual performance and observance of all of the covenants and conditions of the applicable indenture to be performed by ESRT;

immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no event of default under the applicable indenture, and no event which, after notice or the lapse of time, or both, would become such an event of default, occurs and continues; and

an officer’s certificate and legal opinion covering certain of such conditions are delivered to each trustee.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary above, a sale, lease, conveyance or transfer of all or substantially all of the properties and assets of the Operating Partnership or ESRT to one or more of ESRT’s majority owned subsidiaries will not be restricted.
Covenants
Existence.
Except as permitted under “Description of Debt Securities of Empire State Realty OP, L.P. — Merger, Consolidation or Sale of Assets” above, the indentures require each of the Operating Partnership and ESRT to do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its existence, material rights and material franchises. However, the indentures do not require each of the Operating Partnership and ESRT to preserve any right or franchise if ESRT’s board of directors determines that any right or franchise is no longer desirable in the conduct of the business of ESRT or the Operating Partnership.
Provision of Financial Information.
The indentures require the Operating Partnership to (1) within 15 days of each of the respective dates by which the Operating Partnership is required to file annual reports, quarterly reports and other documents with the SEC, file copies of such reports and documents with the trustee and (2) within 30 days after the filing of such reports and documents with the Trustee, mail to all holders of debt securities, as their names and addresses appear in the applicable register for such debt securities a summary of the annual reports, quarterly reports and other documents that the Operating Partnership files with the SEC under Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
Guarantee of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.
In the indentures, ESRT will agree to not incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or guarantee any of the Operating Partnership’s indebtedness for borrowed money (in each case other than Permitted Debt) without fully and unconditionally guaranteeing (subject to reasonable and customary exceptions) the Operating Partnership’s obligations under the applicable indenture, including the due and punctual payment of principal of and interest on any debt securities outstanding hereunder, whether at stated maturity, by
 
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declaration of acceleration, notice of repurchase or otherwise; provided that ESRT will be released from its obligations under such guarantee, and such guarantee shall be terminated, to the extent ESRT is subsequently no longer an obligor of indebtedness for borrowed money or a guarantor of any of the Operating Partnership’s indebtedness for borrowed money (in each case other than Permitted Debt).
Permitted Debt” means indebtedness for borrowed money of ESRT and indebtedness for borrowed money of the Operating Partnership which is guaranteed by ESRT not to exceed $10,000,000 in the aggregate outstanding from time to time.
Additional covenants.
The applicable prospectus supplement will set forth any additional covenants of the Operating Partnership relating to any series of debt securities.
Events of Default, Notice and Waiver
Unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, when we refer to “events of default” as defined in the indentures with respect to any series of debt securities, we mean:

default in the payment of any installment of interest on any debt security of such series continuing for 30 days;

default in the payment of principal of, or any premium (or make-whole amount) on, any debt security of such series at its maturity;

default in making any sinking fund payment as required for any debt security of such series;

default in the performance or breach of any other covenant or warranty of the Operating Partnership or ESRT contained in the indenture continuing for 60 days after written notice to the Operating Partnership as provided in the applicable indenture;

certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization in respect of ESRT or the Operating Partnership; and

any other event of default provided with respect to a particular series of debt securities.
If an event of default occurs and is continuing with respect to debt securities of any series outstanding, then the applicable trustee or the holders of 25% or more in principal amount of the debt securities of that series will have the right to declare the principal amount of all the debt securities of that series to be due and payable. If the debt securities of that series are original issue discount securities or indexed securities, then the applicable trustee or the holders of 25% or more in principal amount of the debt securities of that series will have the right to declare the portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms thereof to be due and payable. However, at any time after such a declaration of acceleration has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the applicable trustee, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of outstanding debt securities of such series or of all debt securities then outstanding under the applicable indenture may rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences if:

we have deposited with the applicable trustee all required payments of the principal, any premium (or make-whole amount), and interest, plus applicable fees, expenses, disbursements and advances of the applicable trustee; and

all events of default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal, or a specified portion thereof, and any premium (or make-whole amount), have been cured or waived.
The indentures also provide that the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series or of all debt securities then outstanding under the applicable indenture may on behalf of all holders waive any past default with respect to such series and its consequences, except a default:

in the payment of the principal, any premium (or make-whole amount) or interest;
 
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in respect of a covenant or provision contained in the applicable indenture that cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of the outstanding debt security that is affected by the default; or

in respect of a covenant or provision for the benefit or protection of the trustee, without its express written consent.
The indentures require each trustee to give notice to the holders of debt securities within 90 days of a default unless such default has been cured or waived. However, the trustee may withhold notice if specified responsible officers of such trustee consider such withholding to be in the interest of the holders of debt securities. The trustee may not withhold notice of a default in the payment of principal, any premium or interest on any debt security of such series or in the payment of any sinking fund installment in respect of any debt security of such series.
The indentures provide that holders of debt securities of any series may not institute any proceedings, judicial or otherwise, with respect to such indenture or for any remedy under the indenture, unless the trustee fails to act for a period of 60 days after the trustee has received a written request to institute proceedings in respect of an event of default from the holders of 25% or more in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series, as well as an offer of indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the trustee. However, this provision will not prevent any holder of debt securities from instituting suit for the enforcement of payment of the principal of, and any premium (or make-whole amount) and interest on, such debt securities at the respective due dates thereof.
The indentures provide that, subject to provisions in each indenture relating to its duties in the case of a default, a trustee has no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers at the request or direction of any holders of any series of debt securities then outstanding under the indenture, unless the holders have offered to the trustee reasonable security or indemnity. The holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series or of all debt securities then outstanding under an indenture shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the applicable trustee, or of exercising any trust or power conferred upon such trustee. However, a trustee may refuse to follow any direction which:

is in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture;

may involve the trustee in personal liability; or

may be unduly prejudicial to the holders of debt securities of the series not joining the proceeding.
Within 120 days after the close of each fiscal year, the Operating Partnership will be required to deliver to each trustee a certificate, signed by one of several specified officers of ESRT stating whether or not that officer has knowledge of the Operating Partnership’s and ESRT’s compliance with all conditions and covenants under the applicable indenture. If the officer has knowledge of any noncompliance, the notice must specify the nature and status of the noncompliance.
Modification of the Indentures
The indentures provide that modifications and amendments may be made only with the consent of the affected holders of at least a majority in principal amount of all outstanding debt securities issued under that indenture. However, no such modification or amendment may, without the consent of the holders of the debt securities affected by the modification or amendment:

change the stated maturity of the principal of, or any premium (or make-whole amount) on, or any installment of principal of or interest on, any such debt security;

reduce the principal amount of, the rate or amount of interest on or any premium (or make-whole amount) payable on redemption of any such debt security;

reduce the amount of principal of an original issue discount security that would be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof or would be provable in bankruptcy, or adversely affect any right of repayment of the holder of any such debt security;
 
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change the place of payment or the coin or currency for payment of principal of, or any premium (or make-whole amount) or interest on, any such debt security;

impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on or with respect to any such debt security;

reduce the percentage in principal amount of any outstanding debt securities necessary to modify or amend the applicable indenture with respect to such debt securities, to waive compliance with particular provisions thereof or defaults and consequences thereunder or to reduce the quorum or voting requirements set forth in the applicable indenture; and

modify any of the foregoing provisions or any of the provisions relating to the waiver of particular past defaults or covenants, except to increase the required percentage to effect such action or to provide that some of the other provisions may not be modified or waived without the consent of the holder of such debt security.
The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series may, on behalf of all holders of debt securities of that series, waive, insofar as that series is concerned, our compliance with material restrictive covenants of the applicable indenture.
The Operating Partnership and the trustee may make modifications and amendments of an indenture without the consent of any holder of debt securities for any of the following purposes:

to evidence the succession of another person to the Operating Partnership, as obligor, and ESRT under such indenture;

to add to the covenants of the Operating Partnership and ESRT for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of debt securities or to surrender any right or power conferred upon us in such indenture;

to add events of default for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of debt securities;

to add or change any provisions of an indenture to permit or facilitate the issuance of debt securities in uncertificated form;

to change or eliminate any provisions of an indenture, provided that any such change or elimination shall become effective only when there are no debt securities outstanding of any series created prior thereto which are entitled to the benefit of such provision;

to secure the debt securities;

to establish the form or terms of debt securities of any series;

to provide for the acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee or facilitate the administration of the trusts under an indenture by more than one trustee;

to add to, change or eliminate any of the provisions of an indenture to such extent as will be necessary to comply with the rules or regulations of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which any debt securities may be listed or traded;

to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision in an indenture which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision therein, or to make any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under an indenture which shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of such indenture;

to conform the provisions of any supplemental indenture (and any debt securities issued under an indenture as amended and supplemented by such supplemental indenture) amending and supplementing such indenture with respect to one or more series of debt securities to the description thereof contained in any final offering document used in connection with the issuance and sale of such debt securities; and

to supplement any of the provisions of an indenture to the extent necessary to permit or facilitate defeasance and discharge of any series of such debt securities, provided that such action shall not adversely affect the interests of the holders of the outstanding debt securities of any series.
 
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Voting
The indentures provide that in determining whether the holders of the requisite principal amount of outstanding debt securities of a series have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver under the indentures or whether a quorum is present at a meeting of holders of debt securities:

the principal amount of an original issue discount security that shall be deemed to be outstanding shall be the amount of the principal thereof that would be due and payable as of the date of such determination upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof;

the principal amount of any debt security denominated in a foreign currency that shall be deemed outstanding shall be the United States dollar equivalent, determined on the issue date for such debt security, of the principal amount or, in the case of an original issue discount security, the United States dollar equivalent on the issue date of such debt security of the amount determined as provided in the immediately preceding bullet point;

the principal amount of an indexed security that shall be deemed outstanding shall be the principal face amount of such indexed security at original issuance, unless otherwise provided for such indexed security under such indenture; and

debt securities owned by us or any other obligor upon the debt securities or by any affiliate of ours or of such other obligor shall be disregarded.
The indentures contain provisions for convening meetings of the holders of debt securities of a series. A meeting will be permitted to be called at any time by the applicable trustee, and also, upon request, by us or the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series, in any such case upon notice given as provided in such indenture. Except for any consent that must be given by the holder of each debt security affected by the modifications and amendments of an indenture described above, any resolution presented at a meeting or adjourned meeting duly reconvened at which a quorum is present may be adopted by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series represented at such meeting.
Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, except as referred to above, any resolution relating to a request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action that may be made, given or taken by the holders of a specified percentage, which is less than a majority, of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of a series may be adopted at a meeting or adjourned meeting duly reconvened at which a quorum is present by the affirmative vote of such specified percentage.
Any resolution passed or decision taken at any properly held meeting of holders of debt securities of any series will be binding on all holders of such series. The quorum at any meeting called to adopt a resolution, and at any reconvened meeting, will be persons holding or representing a majority in principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of a series. However, if any action is to be taken relating to a consent or waiver which may be given by the holders of at least a specified percentage in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of a series, the persons holding such percentage will constitute a quorum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the indentures provide that if any action is to be taken at a meeting with respect to any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver and other action that such indenture expressly provides may be made, given or taken by the holders of a specified percentage in principal amount of all outstanding debt securities affected by such action, or of the holders of such series and one or more additional series:

there shall be no minimum quorum requirement for such meeting; and

the principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series that vote in favor of such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action shall be taken into account in determining whether such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action has been made, given or taken under such indenture.
 
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Subordination Provisions
Holders of subordinated debt securities should recognize that contractual provisions in the subordinated debt indenture may prohibit the Operating Partnership from making payments on those securities. Subordinated debt securities are subordinate and junior in right of payment, to the extent and in the manner stated in the applicable subordinated debt indenture or in the provisions of the applicable debt securities, to all of the Operating Partnership’s senior debt, as defined in the subordinated debt indenture, including all debt securities the Operating Partnership has issued and will issue under the senior debt indenture.
Unless defined differently in the applicable prospectus supplement, the subordinated debt indenture define “senior debt” as the principal of and premium, if any, and interest on all indebtedness of the Operating Partnership, other than the subordinated debt securities, whether outstanding on the date of the indenture or thereafter created, incurred or assumed, which is (a) for money borrowed, (b) evidenced by a note or similar instrument given in connection with the acquisition of any businesses, properties or assets of any kind or (c) obligations of the Operating Partnership, as lessee under leases required to be capitalized on the balance sheet of the lessee under generally accepted accounting principles or leases of property or assets made as part of any sale and lease-back transaction to which the Operating Partnership is a party. For the purpose of this definition, “interest” includes interest accruing on or after the filing of any petition in bankruptcy or for reorganization relating to the Operating Partnership, to the extent that the claim for post-petition interest is allowed in the proceeding. Also for the purpose of this definition, “indebtedness of the Operating Partnership” includes indebtedness of others guaranteed by the Operating Partnership and amendments, renewals, extensions, modifications and refundings of any indebtedness or obligation of the kinds described in the first sentence of this paragraph. However, “indebtedness of the Operating Partnership” for the purpose of this definition does not include any indebtedness or obligation if the instrument creating or evidencing the indebtedness or obligation, or under which the indebtedness or obligation is outstanding, provides that the indebtedness or obligation is not superior in right of payment to the subordinated debt securities.
Unless the applicable prospectus supplement provides differently, the subordinated debt indenture provides that, unless all principal of and any premium or interest on the senior debt has been paid in full, no payment or other distribution may be made in respect of any subordinated debt securities in the following circumstances:

in the event of any insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings, or any receivership, liquidation, reorganization or other similar proceeding involving the Operating Partnership or its assets;

in the event of any liquidation, dissolution or other winding up of the Operating Partnership, whether voluntary or involuntary and whether or not involving insolvency or bankruptcy;

in the event of any assignment for the benefit of creditors or any other marshalling of assets and liabilities of the Operating Partnership;

if any subordinated debt securities of the Operating Partnership have been declared due and payable before their stated maturity;

in the event and during the continuation of any default in the payment of principal, premium or interest on any senior debt beyond any applicable grace period or if any event of default with respect to any senior debt of the Operating Partnership has occurred and is continuing, permitting the holders of that senior debt of the Operating Partnership or a trustee to accelerate the maturity of that senior debt, unless the event of default has been cured or waived or ceased to exist and any related acceleration has been rescinded; or

if any judicial proceeding is pending with respect to a payment default or an event of default described in the immediately preceding clause.
If the trustee under the subordinated debt indenture or any holders of the subordinated debt securities receive any payment or distribution that they know is prohibited under the subordination provisions, then the trustee or such holders will have to repay that money to the holders of the senior debt.
Even if the subordination provisions prevent the Operating Partnership from making any payment when due on the subordinated debt securities of any series, the Operating Partnership will be in default on
 
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its obligations under that series if it does not make the payment when due. This means that the trustee under the subordinated debt indenture and the holders of that series can take action against the Operating Partnership, but they will not receive any money until the claims of the holders of senior debt have been fully satisfied.
Modification of Subordination Provisions
The Operating Partnership may not amend the subordinated debt indenture governing any series of subordinated debt securities it has already issued to alter the subordination of any outstanding subordinated debt securities without the written consent of each holder of senior debt then outstanding who would be adversely affected by such amendment.
Discharge, Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance
Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the indentures allow us to discharge our obligations to holders of any series of debt securities issued under any indenture when:

either (1) all securities of such series have already been delivered to the applicable trustee for cancellation; or (2) all securities of such series have not already been delivered to the applicable trustee for cancellation but (A) have become due and payable, (B) will become due and payable within one year, or (C) if redeemable at our option, are to be redeemed within one year, and we have irrevocably deposited with the applicable trustee, in trust, funds in such currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which such debt securities are payable, an amount sufficient to pay the entire indebtedness on such debt securities in respect of principal (and any premium or make-whole amount) and interest to the date of such deposit if such debt securities have become due and payable or, if they have not, to the stated maturity or redemption date;

we have paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable; and

we have delivered to the trustee an officer’s certificate and an opinion of counsel stating the conditions to discharging the debt securities have been satisfied.
Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the indentures provide that, upon our irrevocable deposit with the applicable trustee, in trust, of an amount, in such currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which such debt securities are payable at stated maturity, or government obligations, or both, applicable to such debt securities, which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest in accordance with their terms will provide money in an amount sufficient to pay the principal of, and any premium (or make-whole amount) and interest on, such debt securities, and any mandatory sinking fund or analogous payments thereon, on the scheduled due dates therefor, we may elect either:

to defease and be discharged from any and all obligations with respect to such debt securities; or

to be released from our obligations with respect to such debt securities under the applicable indenture or, if provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, our obligations with respect to any other covenant, and any omission to comply with such obligations shall not constitute an event of default with respect to such debt securities.
Notwithstanding the above, we may not elect to defease and be discharged from the obligation to pay any additional amounts upon the occurrence of particular events of tax, assessment or governmental charge with respect to payments on such debt securities and the obligations to register the transfer or exchange of such debt securities, to replace temporary or mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen debt securities, to maintain an office or agency in respect of such debt securities, or to hold monies for payment in trust.
The indentures only permit us to establish the trust described in the paragraph above if, among other things, we have delivered to the applicable trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of such debt securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of such defeasance or covenant defeasance and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such defeasance or covenant defeasance had not occurred. Such opinion of counsel, in the case of defeasance, will be required to refer to
 
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and be based upon a ruling received from or published by the IRS or a change in applicable U.S. federal income tax law occurring after the date of the indenture. In the event of such defeasance, the holders of such debt securities would be able to look only to such trust fund for payment of principal, any premium (or make-whole amount), and interest.
When we use the term “government obligations,” we mean securities that are:

direct obligations of the United States or the government that issued the foreign currency in which the debt securities of a particular series are payable, for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged; or

obligations of a person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States or other government that issued the foreign currency in which the debt securities of such series are payable, the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States or such other government, which are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof and shall also include a depository receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such government obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of any such government obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of a depository receipt. However, except as required by law, such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depository receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the government obligation or the specific payment of interest on or principal of the government obligation evidenced by such depository receipt.
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, if after we have deposited funds and/or government obligations to effect defeasance or covenant defeasance with respect to debt securities of any series, (1) the holder of a debt security of such series is entitled to, and does, elect under the terms of the applicable indenture or the terms of such debt security to receive payment in a currency, currency unit or composite currency other than that in which such deposit has been made in respect of such debt security, or (2) a conversion event occurs in respect of the currency, currency unit or composite currency in which such deposit has been made, the indebtedness represented by such debt security will be deemed to have been, and will be, fully discharged and satisfied through the payment of the principal of, and premium (or make-whole amount) and interest on, such debt security as they become due out of the proceeds yielded by converting the amount so deposited in respect of such debt security into the currency, currency unit or composite currency in which such debt security becomes payable as a result of such election or such cessation of usage based on the applicable market exchange rate.
When we use the term “conversion event,” we mean the cessation of use of:

a foreign currency, currency unit or composite currency both by the government of the country that issued such currency and for the settlement of transactions by a central bank or other public institutions of or within the international banking community; or

any currency unit or composite currency for the purposes for which it was established.
Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, all payments of principal of, and premium (or make-whole amount), if any, and interest on, any debt security that is payable in a foreign currency that ceases to be used by its government of issuance shall be made in United States dollars.
In the event that (1) we effect covenant defeasance with respect to any debt securities and (2) such debt securities are declared due and payable because of the occurrence of any event of default, the amount in such currency, currency unit or composite currency in which such debt securities are payable, and government obligations on deposit with the applicable trustee, will be sufficient to pay amounts due on such debt securities at the time of their stated maturity but may not be sufficient to pay amounts due on such debt securities at the time of the acceleration resulting from such event of default. However, we would remain liable to make payments of such amounts due at the time of acceleration.
The applicable prospectus supplement may further describe the provisions, if any, permitting such defeasance or covenant defeasance, including any modifications to the provisions described above, with respect to the debt securities of or within a particular series.
 
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No Recourse
No recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement contained in the indentures governing the senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities, or because of any indebtedness evidenced by any of the foregoing, shall be had against any past, present or future partner (including ESRT), shareholder, member, manager, employee, officer, agent or director, solely in their capacity as such, of the Operating Partnership or ESRT, as applicable, or any such predecessor or successor, under any rule of law, statute or constitutional provision or by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding or otherwise, all such liability being expressly waived and released. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for the issuance of debt securities.
Governing Law
The indenture and the debt securities shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of New York.
 
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT OF EMPIRE STATE REALTY OP, L.P.
The following is a summary of the material provisions of the amended and restated limited partnership agreement of our Operating Partnership, as further amended. The following description does not purport to be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to applicable provisions of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, as amended, and the Operating Partnership agreement. See “Where You Can Find More Information.” For the purposes of this section, references to the “general partner” refer to ESRT.
General
Our Operating Partnership is a Delaware limited partnership that was formed on November 28, 2011. ESRT is the sole general partner in our Operating Partnership. Pursuant to the Operating Partnership agreement, ESRT has, subject to certain protective rights of limited partners described below, full, exclusive and complete responsibility and discretion in the management and control of our Operating Partnership, including the ability to cause the Operating Partnership to enter into certain major transactions including a merger of our Operating Partnership or a sale of substantially all of the assets of our Operating Partnership. The limited partners have no power to remove the general partner without the general partner’s consent.
We may not conduct any business without the consent of a majority of the limited partners other than in connection with the ownership, acquisition and disposition of partnership interests, the management of the business of our Operating Partnership, our operation as a reporting company with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act, the offering, sale syndication, private placement or public offering of stock, bonds, securities or other interests, financing or refinancing of any type related to our Operating Partnership or its assets or activities, any of the foregoing activities as they relate to a subsidiary of our Operating Partnership, and such activities as are incidental to those activities discussed above. In general, we must contribute any assets or funds that we acquire to our Operating Partnership in exchange for additional partnership interests. ESRT may, however, in its sole and absolute discretion, from time to time hold or acquire assets in its own name or otherwise other than through our Operating Partnership so long as we take commercially reasonable measures that the economic benefits and burdens of such property are otherwise vested in our Operating Partnership. We and our affiliates may also engage in any transactions with our Operating Partnership on such terms as we may determine in our sole and absolute discretion.
Our Company is under no obligation to give priority to the separate interests of the limited partners or our stockholders in deciding whether to cause our Operating Partnership to take or decline to take any actions. If there is a conflict between the interests of our stockholders on one hand and the limited partners on the other, we will endeavor in good faith to resolve the conflict in a manner not adverse to either our stockholders or the limited partners. We are not liable under the Operating Partnership agreement to our Operating Partnership or to any partner for monetary damages for losses sustained, liabilities incurred, or benefits not derived by limited partners in connection with such decisions, provided that we have acted in good faith. The limited partners of our Operating Partnership have agreed that in the event of a conflict in the duties owed by our directors and officers to us and our stockholders and the fiduciary duties owed by us, in our capacity as general partner in our Operating Partnership, to such limited partners, we will fulfill our fiduciary duties to such limited partners by acting in the best interests of our stockholders.
Substantially all of our business activities, including all activities pertaining to the acquisition and operation of properties, must be conducted through our Operating Partnership, and our Operating Partnership must be operated in a manner that will enable us to satisfy the requirements for qualification as a REIT.
OP Units
Interests in our Operating Partnership are denominated in units of limited partnership interest. Our Operating Partnership has two classes of units of limited partnership interest — OP Units and LTIP units (as defined below).
Four series of OP Units were created in connection with our formation transactions — Series PR OP Units, Series ES OP Units, Series 60 OP Units and Series 250 OP Units. ESRT holds only Series PR OP
 
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Units. Additionally, the Malkin Group (as defined below) and continuing investors in the private existing entities who received OP Units in the formation transactions also hold Series PR OP Units. The term “Malkin Group” means all of the following, as a group: Anthony E. Malkin, Peter L. Malkin and each of their spouses and lineal descendants (including spouses of such descendants), any estates of any of the foregoing, any trusts now or hereafter established for the benefit of any of the foregoing, or any corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other legal entity controlled by Anthony E. Malkin or any permitted successor in such entity for the benefit of any of the foregoing; provided, however that solely with respect to tax protection rights and parties who entered into the contribution agreements described in this prospectus, the Malkin Group shall also include the lineal descendants of Lawrence A. Wien and his spouse (including spouses of such descendants), any estates of the foregoing, any trusts now or hereafter established for the benefit of any of the foregoing, or any corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other legal entity controlled by Anthony E. Malkin for the benefit of the foregoing.
Series PR OP Units are not listed on a national securities exchange. Series ES OP Units, Series 60 OP Units and Series 250 OP Units are listed on the NYSE Arca Exchange under the symbols “ESBA,” “OGCP,” and “FISK,” respectively. Other than with respect to the transfer restrictions applicable to the Series PR OP Units as described below under “— Transferability of OP Units; Extraordinary Transactions” and the fact that the Series PR OP Units are not listed on a national securities exchange, each of the series of OP Units has identical rights as to distributions and liquidations and shall vote together as a single class of OP Units on all matters on which the holders of OP Units have the right to approve, as described below. The separate series were created because there are unique U.S. federal income tax consequences to an investor that receives listed OP Units of a particular series (as compared to ownership of OP Units of another series) depending on the publicly-listed existing entity in which they had an interest and the tax aspects of the property contributed by such entity. By issuing the OP Units in separate series, each of the OP Units in a series that is trading on the NYSE Arca Exchange is expected to be uniform with other OP Units of that series. We may, without the consent of the limited partners, delist some or all of the OP Units from the national securities exchange on which such OP Units are traded.
On August 26, 2014, we amended the Operating Partnership agreement to create an additional series of OP Units designated as the Private Perpetual Preferred Units, which were issued to holders of the Series PR, Series ES, Series 60 and Series 250 series of OP Units in connection with an exchange offer. On December 6, 2019, we further amended the Operating Partnership agreement to create an additional series of OP Units designated as the Series 2019 Private Perpetual Preferred Units (“Series 2019 Preferred Units”), which were issued to holders of the Series PR, Series ES, Series 60 and Series 250 series of OP Units in connection with an exchange offer, and to re-designate the Private Perpetual Preferred Units as the “Series 2014 Private Perpetual Preferred Units” ​(“Series 2014 Preferred Units” and, together with the Series 2019 Preferred Units, the “Preferred Units”).
Management Liability and Indemnification
Neither we nor our directors and officers are liable or accountable for damages or otherwise to our Operating Partnership, any partners or assignees for losses sustained, liabilities incurred or benefits not derived as a result of errors in judgment or mistakes of fact or law or of any act or omission, so long as we or such person acted in good faith. The Operating Partnership agreement provides for indemnification of us, our affiliates and each of our respective officers, directors, employees and any persons we may designate from time to time in our sole and absolute discretion, including present and former members, managers, shareholders, directors, limited partners, general partners, officers or controlling persons of our predecessor, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities (whether joint or several), expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees and other legal fees and expenses), judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts arising from any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, that relate to the operations of the Operating Partnership, provided that our Operating Partnership will not indemnify such person, for (i) willful misconduct or a knowing violation of the law, (ii) any transaction for which such person received an improper personal benefit in violation or breach of any provision of the Operating Partnership agreement, or (iii) in the case of a criminal proceeding, the person had reasonable cause to believe the act or omission was unlawful, as set forth in the Operating Partnership agreement (subject to the exceptions described below under “Description of the Partnership Agreement of Empire State Realty OP L.P. — Fiduciary Responsibilities”).
 
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Fiduciary Responsibilities
Our directors and officers have duties under applicable Maryland law to manage us in a manner consistent with our best interests. At the same time, the general partner in our Operating Partnership has fiduciary duties to manage our Operating Partnership in a manner beneficial to our Operating Partnership and its partners. Our duties, as the general partner, to our Operating Partnership and its limited partners, therefore, may come into conflict with the duties of our directors and officers to us and our stockholders. We will be under no obligation to give priority to the separate interests of the limited partners in our Operating Partnership or our stockholders in deciding whether to cause the Operating Partnership to take or decline to take any actions. The limited partners of our Operating Partnership have agreed that in the event of a conflict in the duties owed by our directors and officers to us and our stockholders and the fiduciary duties owed by us, in our capacity as general partner in our Operating Partnership, to such limited partners, we will fulfill our fiduciary duties to such limited partners by acting in the best interests of our stockholders.
The limited partners in our Operating Partnership expressly acknowledged that we are acting for the benefit of the Operating Partnership, the limited partners and our stockholders collectively.
LTIP Units
We may cause our Operating Partnership to issue LTIP units (“LTIP units”) to our directors, executive officers and certain other employees. These LTIP units will be subject to certain vesting requirements. In general, LTIP units are a class of partnership units in our Operating Partnership and will receive the same quarterly per unit profit distributions as the other outstanding units in our Operating Partnership. The rights, privileges, and obligations related to each series of LTIP units will be established at the time the LTIP units are issued. As profits interests, LTIP units initially will not have full parity, on a per unit basis, with our Operating Partnership’s common units with respect to liquidating distributions. Upon the occurrence of specified events, LTIP units can over time achieve full parity with OP Units and therefore accrete to an economic value for the holder equivalent to OP Units. If such parity is achieved, vested LTIP units may be converted on a one-for-one basis into Series PR OP Units, which in turn are redeemable by the holder for cash or, at our election, exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. However, there are circumstances under which LTIP units will not achieve parity with OP Units, and until such parity is reached, the value that a participant could realize for a given number of LTIP units will be less than the value of an equal number of shares of our Class A common stock and may be zero.
Distributions
The Operating Partnership agreement provides that we may cause our Operating Partnership to make quarterly (or more frequent) distributions of all, or such portion as we may in our sole and absolute discretion determine, of its available cash (which is defined to be cash available for distribution as determined by our general partner) (i) first, with respect to any OP Units and LTIP units that are entitled to any preference in accordance with the rights of such OP Unit or LTIP unit (and, within such class, pro rata according to their respective percentage interests) and (ii) second, with respect to any OP Units and LTIP units that are not entitled to any preference in distribution, in accordance with the rights of such class of OP Units or LTIP units (and, within such class, pro rata in accordance with their respective percentage interests).
Holders of Series 2014 Preferred Units are entitled to receive cumulative preferential annual cash distributions of $0.60 per unit, and holders of Series 2019 Preferred Units are entitled to receive cumulative preferential annual cash distributions of $0.70 per unit, in each case, when, as and if declared by ESRT’s board of directors out of legally available funds for such purpose. Distributions on the Series 2019 Preferred Units will only be declared and made to the extent that we have net income from operations in an amount equivalent to such distributions (such amount to be allocated first to holders of the Series 2019 Preferred Units pursuant to the terms of our amended Operating Partnership agreement). Distributions will be payable quarterly in arrears on the same day on which quarterly distributions on other OP Units are paid. Distributions on the Preferred Units will accrue whether or not the Operating Partnership has earnings, whether or not there are funds legally available for the payment of such distributions, and whether or not distributions are declared.
 
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Subject to certain exceptions, unless full cumulative distributions on the Preferred Units for all past distribution periods that have ended shall have been or contemporaneously are (i) declared and paid in cash or (ii) declared and a sum sufficient for the payment thereof in cash is set apart for such payment, the Operating Partnership may not:

declare and pay or declare and set apart for payment of any distribution, or declare and make any other distribution of cash or other property, directly or indirectly, on or with respect to; or

redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire for any consideration, or pay or make available any monies for a sinking fund for the redemption of;
any OP Units or any other class or series of its partnership units ranking, as to distributions and upon liquidation, on parity with or junior to the Preferred Units.
In addition, upon the Operating Partnership’s voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up, before any distribution or payment shall be made to holders of OP Units or any other class or series of partnership units ranking, as to rights upon the Operating Partnership’s voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up, junior to the Preferred Units, the holders of Series 2014 Preferred Units and Series 2019 Preferred Units will be entitled to be paid out of the Operating Partnership’s assets legally available for distribution to the unitholders, after payment of or provision for the debts and other liabilities of the Operating Partnership, a liquidation preference of $16.62 per Series 2014 Preferred Units and $13.53 per Series 2019 Preferred Unit, respectively, plus an amount equal to any accrued and unpaid distributions (whether or not declared) up to, but excluding, the date of payment.
Allocations of Net Income and Net Loss
Net income and net loss of our Operating Partnership are determined and allocated with respect to each fiscal year of our Operating Partnership as of the end of the year. Except as otherwise provided in the Operating Partnership agreement, an allocation of a share of net income or net loss is treated as an allocation of the same share of each item of income, gain, loss or deduction that is taken into account in computing net income or net loss. Except as otherwise provided in the Operating Partnership agreement, net income and net loss are allocated to the holders of OP Units or LTIP units holding the same class or series of OP Units or LTIP units in accordance with their respective percentage interests in the class or series at the end of each fiscal year. In particular, upon the occurrence of certain specified events, our Operating Partnership will revalue its assets and any net increase in valuation will be allocated first to the holders of LTIP units to equalize the capital accounts of such holders with the capital accounts of OP Units or LTIP units holders. See “Management — Equity Incentive Plan.” The Operating Partnership agreement contains provisions for special allocations intended to comply with certain regulatory requirements, including the requirements of Treasury Regulations Sections 1.704-1(b) and 1.704-2. Except as otherwise required by the Operating Partnership agreement or the Code and the Treasury Regulations, each Operating Partnership item of income, gain, loss and deduction is allocated among the limited partners of our Operating Partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes in the same manner as its correlative item of book income, gain, loss or deduction is allocated pursuant to the Operating Partnership agreement. In addition, under Section 704(c) of the Code, items of income, gain, loss and deduction with respect to appreciated or depreciated property which is contributed to a partnership, such as our Operating Partnership, in a tax-deferred transaction generally must be specially allocated among the partners in such a manner so as to take into account such variation between tax basis and fair market value at the time of contribution. The Operating Partnership will allocate tax items to the holders of OP Units or LTIP units taking into consideration the requirements of Section 704(c). See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”
Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as otherwise provided in the Operating Partnership agreement, net operating income (i.e., our net book income calculated without regard to any depreciation or net book gains or losses realized in connection with a revaluation of our assets upon certain revaluation events) will generally be allocated to the holders of Series 2019 Preferred Units prior to allocations of other net income to the holders of OP Units or LTIP units in an amount equivalent to the accrued distributions on the Series 2019 Preferred Units (whether or not declared).
ESRT, as the general partner in the Operating Partnership, has sole discretion to ensure that allocations of income, gain, loss and deduction of the Operating Partnership are in accordance with the interests of the
 
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partners as determined under the Code and all matters concerning allocations of tax items not expressly provided for in the Operating Partnership agreement may be determined by us in our sole discretion. In addition, we, as general partner in the Operating Partnership, may adopt such conventions and methods of accounting for determining asset values, basis and identities of partners for proper administration of the Operating Partnership and to preserve the uniformity of each series of OP Units that are traded on the NYSE Arca Exchange.
Redemption Rights
After 12 months of becoming a holder of OP Units (including any LTIP units that are converted into Series PR OP Units, subject to the applicable LTIP grant), each limited partner of our Operating Partnership will have the right, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Operating Partnership agreement, to require our Operating Partnership to redeem all or a portion of the OP Units held by such limited partner in exchange for a cash amount equal to the number of tendered OP Units multiplied by the price of a share of our Class A common stock (determined in accordance with, and subject to adjustment under, the terms of the Operating Partnership agreement), unless the terms of such OP Units or a separate agreement entered into between our Operating Partnership and the holder of such OP Units provide that they are not entitled to a right of redemption or provide for a shorter or longer period before such limited partner may exercise such right of redemption or impose conditions on the exercise of such right of redemption. On or before the close of business on the fifth business day after we receive a notice of redemption, we may, in our sole and absolute discretion, but subject to the restrictions on the ownership of our common stock imposed under our charter and the transfer restrictions and other limitations thereof, elect to acquire some or all of the tendered OP Units from the tendering partner in exchange for shares of our Class A common stock, based on an exchange ratio of one share of our Class A common stock for each OP Unit (subject to anti-dilution adjustments provided in the Operating Partnership agreement). It is our current intention to exercise this right in connection with any redemption of OP Units.
Transferability of OP Units; Extraordinary Transactions
We will not be able to withdraw voluntarily from the Operating Partnership or transfer our interest in the Operating Partnership, including our limited partner interest unless the transfer is made in connection with (i) any merger, consolidation or other combination in which, following the consummation of such transaction, the equity holders of the surviving entity are substantially identical to our stockholders, (ii) a transfer to a qualified REIT subsidiary or (iii) as otherwise expressly permitted under the Operating Partnership agreement. The Operating Partnership agreement permits us to engage in a merger, consolidation or other combination, or sale of substantially all of our assets if:

we receive the consent of a majority in interest of the limited partners (excluding our Company);

following the consummation of such transaction, substantially all of the assets of the surviving entity consist of OP Units; or

as a result of such transaction all limited partners will receive, or will have the right to receive, for each OP Unit an amount of cash, securities or other property equal in value to the greatest amount of cash, securities or other property paid in the transaction to a holder of one share of our Class A common stock, provided that if, in connection with the transaction, a purchase, tender or exchange offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of our common stock, each holder of OP Units shall be given the option to exchange its OP Units for the greatest amount of cash, securities or other property that a limited partner would have received had it exercised its redemption right (described above) and received shares of our Class A common stock immediately prior to the expiration of the offer.
With certain limited exceptions, the limited partners who own Series PR OP Units or LTIP units may not transfer their interests in our Operating Partnership, in whole or in part, without our prior written consent, which consent may be withheld in our sole and absolute discretion. Except with our consent to the admission of the transferee as a limited partner with respect to Series PR OP Units or LTIP units, no transferee of such units shall have any rights by virtue of the transfer other than the rights of an assignee, and will not be entitled to vote or effect a redemption with respect to such OP Units in any matter presented
 
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to the limited partners for a vote. We, as general partner, have the right to consent to the admission of a transferee of the interest of a limited partner with respect to Series PR OP Units or LTIP units, which consent may be given or withheld by us in our sole and absolute discretion. To the extent they remain listed on a national securities exchange, Series ES OP Units, Series 60 OP Units and Series 250 OP Units generally are freely transferable, and any transferee of such units will be admitted to the partnership with respect to such units. Notwithstanding the foregoing, transfers of OP Units and admission of transferees to the partnership are subject to certain limitations described in the partnership agreement.
Preferred Units are generally freely transferable to family and affiliates, but other transfers require the consent of the general partner in its discretion. Absent such consent, the transferee will have only the right to receive distributions with respect to the transferred Preferred Unit and will not be admitted as a partner entitled to vote on the matters on which holders of Preferred Units are entitled to vote. Transfers of Preferred Units will be effective as of the first day of the fiscal quarter of the Operating Partnership immediately following the date when all requirements for the applicable transfer have been satisfied. However, no market currently exists for the Preferred Units, and the Operating Partnership does not intend to apply to list the Preferred Units on any stock exchange or in any trading market.
Issuance of Our Stock and Additional Partnership Interests
Pursuant to the Operating Partnership agreement, upon the issuance of our stock other than in connection with a redemption of OP Units, we will generally be obligated to contribute or cause to be contributed the cash proceeds or other consideration received from the issuance to our Operating Partnership in exchange for, in the case of common stock, OP Units or, in the case of an issuance of preferred stock, preferred OP Units with designations, preferences and other rights, terms and provisions that are substantially the same as the designations, preferences and other rights, terms and provisions of the preferred stock. In addition, we may cause our Operating Partnership to issue additional OP Units or other partnership interests and to admit additional limited partners to our Operating Partnership from time to time, on such terms and conditions and for such capital contributions as we may establish in our sole and absolute discretion, without the approval or consent of any limited partner, including: (i) upon the conversion, redemption or exchange of any debt, units or other partnership interests or other securities issued by our Operating Partnership; (ii) for less than fair market value; or (iii) in connection with any merger of any other entity into our Operating Partnership.
Tax Matters
Pursuant to the Operating Partnership agreement, the general partner is the tax matters partner and partnership representative of our Operating Partnership. Accordingly, as the general partner, tax matters partner, and partnership representative, we generally have authority to handle tax audits and judicial review of administrative adjustments by the IRS and to make certain tax elections under the Code, in each case, on behalf of our Operating Partnership.
Term
The term of the Operating Partnership commenced on November 28, 2011 and will continue perpetually, unless earlier terminated in the following circumstances:

a final and non-appealable judgment is entered by a court of competent jurisdiction ruling that the general partner is bankrupt or insolvent, or a final and non-appealable order for relief is entered by a court with appropriate jurisdiction against the general partner, in each case under any federal or state bankruptcy or insolvency laws as now or hereafter in effect, unless, prior to the entry of such order or judgment, a majority in interest of the remaining outside limited partners agree in writing, in their sole and absolute discretion, to continue the business of the Operating Partnership and to the appointment, effective as of a date prior to the date of such order or judgment, of a successor general partner;

an election to dissolve the Operating Partnership made by the general partner in its sole and absolute discretion, with or without the consent of a majority in interest of the outside limited partners;
 
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entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Operating Partnership pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act;

the occurrence of any sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Operating Partnership or a related series of transactions that, taken together, result in the sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Operating Partnership;

the redemption (or acquisition by the general partner) of all partnership units that the general partner has authorized other than those held by our Company; or

the incapacity or withdrawal of the general partner, unless all of the remaining partners in their sole and absolute discretion agree in writing to continue the business of the Operating Partnership and to the appointment, effective as of a date prior to the date of such incapacity, of a substitute general partner.
Amendments to the Operating Partnership Agreement
Amendments to the Operating Partnership agreement may only be proposed by the general partner. Generally, the Operating Partnership agreement may be amended with the general partner’s approval and the approval of the limited partners holding a majority of all outstanding limited partner units (excluding limited partner units held by us or our subsidiaries). Certain amendments that would, among other things, have the following effects, must be approved by each partner adversely affected thereby:

convert a limited partner’s interest into a general partner’s interest (except as a result of the general partner acquiring such interest);

modify the limited liability of a limited partner;

alter the rights of any partner to receive the distributions to which such partner is entitled (subject to certain exceptions);

alter or modify the redemption rights provided by the Operating Partnership agreement; or

alter or modify the provisions governing transfer of the general partner’s partnership interest.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the general partner will have the power, without the consent of the limited partners, to amend the Operating Partnership agreement as may be required to:

add to our obligations or surrender any right or power granted to us or any of our affiliates for the benefit of the limited partners;

reflect the admission, substitution, or withdrawal of partners or the termination of the Operating Partnership in accordance with the Operating Partnership agreement and to cause the Operating Partnership or the Operating Partnership’s transfer agent to amend its books and records to reflect the OP Unit and LTIP unit holders in connection with such admission, substitution or withdrawal;

reflect a change that is of an inconsequential nature or does not adversely affect the limited partners as such in any material respect, or to cure any ambiguity, correct or supplement any provision in the Operating Partnership agreement not inconsistent with the law or with other provisions, or make other changes with respect to matters arising under the Operating Partnership agreement that will not be inconsistent with the law or with the provisions of the Operating Partnership agreement;

satisfy any requirements, conditions, or guidelines contained in any order, directive, opinion, ruling or regulation of a U.S. federal or state agency or contained in U.S. federal or state law;

set forth or amend the designations, preferences, conversion or other rights, voting powers, duties restrictions, limitations as to distributions, qualifications or terms or conditions of redemption of the holders of any additional partnership units issued or established pursuant to the Operating Partnership agreement;

reflect such changes as are reasonably necessary for us to maintain or restore our qualification as a REIT, to satisfy the REIT requirements or to reflect the transfer of all or any part of a partnership interest among our Company and any qualified REIT subsidiary or entity that is disregarded as an entity separate from the general partner for U.S. federal income tax purposes;
 
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modify either or both the manner in which items of net income or net loss are allocated or the manner in which capital accounts are computed (but only to the extent set forth in the Operating Partnership agreement, or to the extent required by the Code or applicable income tax regulations under the Code);

to facilitate the trading of the Series ES OP Units, Series 60 OP Units or Series 250 OP Units (including any division of such classes or other actions to facilitate the uniformity of tax consequences within each such OP Units listed on a national securities exchange);

comply with any rules, regulation, guideline or requirement of any national securities exchange on which the Series ES OP Units, Series 60 OP Units or Series 250 OP Units are or will be listed;

issue additional partnership interests;

reflect the admission, substitution, termination or withdrawal of the general partner and limited partners or an increase or decrease in either the general partner’s or limited partner’s DRO Amount (as defined in the Operating Partnership agreement) in accordance with the Operating Partnership agreement;

impose restrictions on the transfer of OP Units if the general partner in the Operating Partnership receives an opinion of counsel reasonably to the effect that such restrictions are necessary in order to comply with any federal or state securities laws or regulations applicable to the Operating Partnership or the OP Units; and

reflect any other modification to the Operating Partnership agreement as is reasonably necessary for the business or operations of the Operating Partnership or the general partner in the Operating Partnership and which does not otherwise require the consent of each partner adversely affected.
Holders of the Preferred Units have voting rights in connection with amendments to the Operating Partnership’s Operating Partnership agreement or the terms of the Preferred Units that materially and adversely affect the rights of the Preferred Units. Other than in these limited circumstances, holders of the Preferred Units will have no voting rights.
Certain provisions affecting our rights and duties as general partner, either directly or indirectly (e.g., restrictions relating to certain extraordinary transactions involving us or the Operating Partnership) may not be amended without the approval of a majority of the limited partnership units (excluding limited partnership units held by us).
 
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U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to our qualification and taxation as a REIT and the acquisition, holding, and disposition of our Class A common stock. The following does not summarize any U.S. federal income tax consequences related specifically to the acquisition, holding or disposition of (i) any equity (including OP Units) or debt securities of the Operating Partnership, (ii) our preferred stock, (iii) our depositary shares, (iv) our warrants, (v) any of our debt securities, (vi) “fast-pay stock” under Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 7701(l) of the Code or (vii) our common stock other than Class A common stock. A discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences related to the foregoing securities will be provided in the relevant prospectus supplement, to the extent applicable.
For purposes of this section under the heading “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations,” references to “ESRT,” “we,” “our” and “us” mean only Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. and not its subsidiaries or other lower-tier entities, except as otherwise indicated. You are urged to both review the following discussion and to consult your tax advisor to determine the effects of ownership and disposition of our shares on your individual tax situation, including any U.S. state, local or non-U.S. tax consequences.
This summary is based upon the Code, the regulations promulgated by the U.S. Treasury Department (the “Treasury Regulations”) rulings and other administrative interpretations and practices of the IRS, and judicial decisions, all as currently in effect, and all of which are subject to differing interpretations or to change, possibly with retroactive effect. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to any of the tax consequences described below. Except to the extent described below under “— Requirements for Qualification — General — Gross Income Tests,” no advance ruling has been or will be sought from the IRS regarding any matter discussed in this summary. While a private letter ruling from the IRS generally is binding on the IRS, we and our tax counsel cannot rely on the private letter ruling if the factual representations, assumptions, or undertakings made in our letter ruling request to the IRS are untrue or incomplete in any material respect. Furthermore, the IRS could revoke the ruling it issued to us in whole or in part if the applicable law or the IRS position on the matters addressed in our ruling changes.
This summary is also based upon the assumption that the operation of ESRT, and of its subsidiaries and other lower-tier and affiliated entities, will in each case be in accordance with its applicable organizational documents or partnership agreements. This summary does not discuss the impact that U.S. state and local taxes and taxes imposed by non-U.S. jurisdictions associated with an investment in our Class A common stock or our election to be subject to tax as a REIT. In addition, this summary assumes that stockholders hold our Class A common stock as a capital asset, which generally means as property held for investment. This summary is for general information only, and does not purport to discuss all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to a particular stockholder in light of the stockholder’s investment or tax circumstances, or to stockholders subject to special tax rules, such as:

U.S. expatriates;

persons who mark-to-market our common stock;

subchapter S corporations;

U.S. stockholders, as defined below, whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;

financial institutions;

insurance companies;

broker-dealers;

regulated investment companies, or “RICs”;

REITs;

trusts and estates;

holders who receive our Class A common stock through the exercise of employee stock options or otherwise as compensation or in connection with the provision of services;
 
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persons holding our Class A common stock as part of a “straddle,” “hedge,” “conversion transaction,” “synthetic security” or other integrated investment;

persons subject to the alternative minimum tax provisions of the Code;

persons holding their interest through a partnership or similar pass-through entity;

persons holding a 10% or more (by vote or value) beneficial interest in us;

persons who are a party to any tax protection agreement entered into with us;

and, except to the extent discussed below;

U.S. tax-exempt organizations and non-U.S. stockholders (as defined below).
For purposes of this summary, a U.S. stockholder is a beneficial owner of our Class A common stock who for U.S. federal income tax purposes is:

an individual citizen or resident of the U.S.;

a corporation (including an entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the U.S. or of a political subdivision thereof (including the District of Columbia);

an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

any trust if (1) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) it has a valid election in effect under applicable Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.
A non-U.S. stockholder is a beneficial owner of our Class A common stock who is neither a U.S. stockholder nor an entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX TREATMENT OF HOLDERS OF OUR CLASS A COMMON STOCK DEPENDS IN SOME INSTANCES ON DETERMINATIONS OF FACT AND INTERPRETATIONS OF COMPLEX PROVISIONS OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAW FOR WHICH NO CLEAR PRECEDENT OR AUTHORITY MAY BE AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, THE TAX CONSEQUENCES OF HOLDING OUR CLASS A COMMON STOCK TO ANY PARTICULAR STOCKHOLDER WILL DEPEND ON THE STOCKHOLDER’S PARTICULAR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES. YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND FOREIGN INCOME AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES TO YOU, IN LIGHT OF YOUR PARTICULAR INVESTMENT OR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES, OF ACQUIRING, HOLDING, AND DISPOSING OF OUR CLASS A COMMON STOCK.
Taxation of ESRT
We elected to be subject to tax as a REIT commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2013. We believe we have been organized and have operated and will continue to operate in a manner that will allow us to qualify for taxation as a REIT under the Code.
In connection with the filing of this registration statement, we will receive an opinion of our tax counsel, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom LLP (“Skadden”), to the effect that, commencing with our taxable year ended December 31, 2013, we have been organized and operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and our actual and proposed method of operation has enabled and will enable us to continue to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT. It must be emphasized that Skadden’s opinion is based on various assumptions relating to our organization and operation, and is conditioned upon fact-based representations and covenants made by our management regarding our organization, assets and income, and the present and future conduct of our business operations. While we intend to operate so that we will continue to qualify as a REIT, given the highly complex nature of the rules governing REITs, the ongoing importance of factual determinations and the possibility of future changes in our circumstances, no assurance can be given that we will qualify
 
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as a REIT for any particular year. The opinion is expressed as of the date issued. Skadden will have no obligation to advise us or our stockholders of any subsequent change in the matters stated, represented or assumed, or of any subsequent change in the applicable law. Also, the opinion of Skadden is not binding on the IRS or any court, and no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge the conclusions set forth in such opinion.
Qualification and taxation as a REIT depend on our ability to meet, on a continuing basis, through actual operating results, distribution levels, and diversity of stock ownership, various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Code, the compliance with which will not be reviewed by Skadden. In addition, our ability to qualify as a REIT depends in part upon the operating results, organizational structure and entity classification for U.S. federal income tax purposes of certain entities in which we invest, the status of which may not have been reviewed by Skadden. Our ability to qualify as a REIT for a particular year also requires that we satisfy certain asset and income tests during such year, some of which depend upon the fair market values of assets in which we directly or indirectly own an interest. Such values may not be susceptible to a precise determination. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of our operations for any taxable year will satisfy such requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT.
Taxation of REITs in General
As indicated above, our qualification and taxation as a REIT for a particular year depend upon our ability to meet, on a continuing basis during such year, through actual results of operations, distribution levels, diversity of share ownership and various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Code. The material qualification requirements are summarized below under “— Requirements for Qualification —  General.” While we intend to operate so that we qualify as a REIT, no assurance can be given that the IRS will not challenge our qualification as a REIT, or that we will be able to operate in accordance with the REIT requirements in the future. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Failure to Qualify.”
Provided that we qualify as a REIT, we will generally be entitled to a deduction for dividends that we pay and therefore will not be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our net taxable income that is currently distributed to our stockholders. This treatment substantially eliminates the “double taxation” at the corporate and stockholder levels that generally results from investment in a corporation. Rather, income generated by a REIT generally is taxed only at the stockholder level upon a distribution of dividends by the REIT.
Stockholders who are noncorporate U.S. stockholders are generally taxed on corporate dividends at the preferential rates applicable to long-term capital gains. With limited exceptions, however, dividends received by noncorporate U.S. stockholders from us or from other entities that are subject to tax as REITs are taxed at rates applicable to ordinary income. However, for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, non-corporate taxpayers (including individuals) generally may deduct 20% of dividends received from REITs, other than capital gain dividends or dividends treated as qualified dividend income, subject to certain limitations. If we fail to qualify as a REIT, such stockholders may not claim this deduction with respect to dividends paid by us. Net operating losses, foreign tax credits and other tax attributes of a REIT generally do not pass through to the stockholders of the REIT, subject to special rules for certain items such as capital gains recognized by REITs. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Taxation of Stockholders.”
If we qualify as a REIT, we will nonetheless be subject to U.S. federal income tax as follows:

We will be taxed at the regular corporate rate on any undistributed net taxable income, including undistributed net capital gains.

If we have net income from prohibited transactions, which are, in general, sales or other dispositions of property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business, other than foreclosure property, as described below, such income will be subject to a 100% tax. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Requirements for Qualification — General — Prohibited Transactions,” and “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Requirements for Qualification — General —  Foreclosure Property” below.
 
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If we elect to treat property that we acquire in connection with a foreclosure of a mortgage loan or leasehold as “foreclosure property,” we may thereby avoid (1) the 100% tax on gain from a resale of that property (if the sale would otherwise constitute a prohibited transaction), and (2) the inclusion of any income from such property not qualifying for purposes of the REIT gross income tests discussed below, but the income from the sale or operation of the property may be subject to corporate income tax at the highest applicable rate.

If we fail to satisfy the 75% gross income test or the 95% gross income test, as discussed below, but nonetheless maintain our qualification as a REIT because other requirements are met, we will be subject to a 100% tax on an amount equal to (1) the greater of (A) the amount by which we fail the 75% gross income test or (B) the amount by which we fail the 95% gross income test, as the case may be, multiplied by (2) a fraction intended to reflect our profitability.

If we fail to satisfy any of the REIT asset tests, as described below, (other than certain de minimis violations) or other requirements applicable to REITs, but our failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and we nonetheless maintain our REIT qualification because of specified cure provisions, we may be subject to a penalty tax. In that event, the amount of the penalty tax will be at least of $50,000 per failure and, in the case of certain asset test failures, will be determined by as the amount of net income generated by the assets in question multiplied by the highest corporate tax rate if that amount exceeds $50,000 per failure.

If we fail to distribute on an annual basis at least the sum of (1) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year, (2) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year and (3) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, or the “required distribution,” we will be subject to a 4% excise tax on the excess of the required distribution over the sum of (A) the amounts actually distributed (taking into account excess distributions from prior years), plus (B) retained amounts on which U.S. federal income tax is paid at the corporate level.

We may be required to pay monetary penalties to the IRS in certain circumstances, including if we fail to meet record-keeping requirements intended to monitor our compliance with rules relating to the composition of our stockholders, as described below in “— Requirements for Qualification — General.”

We may be subject to a 100% excise tax on some items of income and expense that are directly or constructively paid between us, our tenants and/or any of our TRSs if and to the extent that the IRS successfully adjusts the reported amounts of these items.

If we acquire appreciated assets from a subchapter C corporation (generally a corporation that is not a REIT, a RIC or an S corporation) in a transaction in which the adjusted tax basis of the assets in our hands is determined by reference to the adjusted tax basis of the assets in the hands of the subchapter C corporation, we will be subject to tax on such appreciation at the highest U.S. federal corporate income tax rate then applicable if we subsequently recognize gain on a disposition of any of the assets during the applicable recognition period (which is currently 5 years) following our acquisition of the assets from the subchapter C corporation. The results described in this paragraph assume that the subchapter C corporation will not elect, in lieu of this treatment, to be subject to an immediate tax when we acquire the assets. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Requirements for Qualification — General — Tax on Built-In Gains” below.

We may elect to retain and pay income tax on our net long-term capital gain. In that case, a stockholder would include the stockholder’s proportionate share of our undistributed long-term capital gain (to the extent we make a timely designation of such gain to the stockholder) in the stockholder’s income, would be deemed to have paid the tax that we paid on such gain, and would be allowed a credit for the stockholder’s proportionate share of the tax deemed to have been paid, and an adjustment would be made to increase the stockholder’s basis in our Class A common stock.

We will have subsidiaries or own interests in other lower-tier entities that are taxable C corporations, including Observatory TRS, Holding TRS, and any other TRSs, the earnings of which could be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax.
In addition, we and our subsidiaries may be subject to a variety of taxes other than U.S. federal income tax, including payroll taxes and U.S. state, local, and non-U.S. income, transfer, franchise, property and other taxes. We could also be subject to tax in situations and on transactions not presently contemplated.
 
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Requirements for Qualification — General
The Code defines a REIT as a corporation, trust or association:
(1)
that is managed by one or more trustees or directors;
(2)
the beneficial ownership of which is evidenced by transferable shares, or by transferable certificates of beneficial interest;
(3)
that would be taxable as a domestic corporation but for the special Code provisions applicable to REITs;
(4)
that is neither a financial institution nor an insurance company subject to specific provisions of the Code;
(5)
the beneficial ownership of which is held by 100 or more persons;
(6)
in which, during the last half of each taxable year, not more than 50% in value of the outstanding stock is owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer “individuals” ​(as defined in the Code to include specified tax-exempt entities);
(7)
that makes an election to be a REIT for the current taxable year or has made such an election for a previous taxable year that has not been terminated or revoked, and satisfies all relevant filing and other administrative requirements established by the IRS that must be met to elect and maintain REIT status;
(8)
that has no earnings and profits from any non-REIT taxable year as a successor to any subchapter C corporation at the close of any taxable year;
(9)
that uses the calendar year for U.S. federal income tax purposes; and
(10)
that meets other tests described below, including with respect to the nature of its income and assets and the amount of its distributions.
The Code provides that conditions (1) through (4) must be met during the entire taxable year, and that condition (5) must be met during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months, or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Conditions (5) and (6) do not need to be satisfied for the first taxable year for which an election to become a REIT has been made. Our charter provides restrictions regarding the ownership and transfer of our shares, which are intended, among other purposes, to assist us in satisfying the share ownership requirements described in conditions (5) and (6) above.
To monitor compliance with the share ownership requirements, we are required to maintain records regarding the actual ownership of our shares. To do so, we must demand written statements each year from the record holders of significant percentages of our stock in which the record holders are to disclose the actual owners of the shares (i.e., the persons required to include in gross income the dividends paid by us). A list of those persons failing or refusing to comply with this demand must be maintained as part of our records. Failure by us to comply with these record-keeping requirements could subject us to monetary penalties. If we satisfy these requirements and after exercising reasonable diligence would not have known that condition (6) is not satisfied, we will be deemed to have satisfied such condition. A stockholder that fails or refuses to comply with the demand is required by Treasury Regulations to submit a statement with the stockholder’s tax return disclosing the actual ownership of the shares and other information.
With respect to condition (8), we believe we did not initially have any earnings and profits from any non-REIT taxable year or as a successor to any subchapter C corporation. In connection with our formation transactions, we acquired Malkin Properties of Connecticut, Inc., a Connecticut corporation, which we refer to as “Malkin Properties CT,” and Malkin Construction Corp., a Connecticut corporation, which we refer to as “Malkin Construction,” through mergers pursuant to which we succeeded to the earnings and profits of the corporations. We believe that such corporations qualified as S corporations and had no C corporation earnings and profits before their mergers with and into us. Therefore, we believe our formation transactions did not cause us to have any non-REIT earnings and profits. If, however, either Malkin Properties CT or Malkin Construction did not, at any time, qualify as an S Corporation, or otherwise succeeded to the earnings
 
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and profits of a subchapter C Corporation, and assuming that either or both of the mergers qualified as a reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we generally would have succeeded to the subchapter C earnings and profits of Malkin Properties CT and/or Malkin Construction. In such case, it is possible we would fail to qualify as a REIT as of our taxable year ended December 31, 2013, and for the four subsequent taxable years. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Failure to Qualify,” below.
With respect to condition (9), we adopted December 31 as our taxable year end and will continue to use December 31 as our taxable year end, and thereby satisfy this requirement.
The Code provides relief from violations of the REIT gross income requirements in cases where a violation is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and other requirements are met, including the payment of a penalty tax that is based on the magnitude of the violation. In addition, certain provisions of the Code extend similar relief in the case of certain violations of the REIT asset test and other REIT requirements, again provided that the violation is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and other conditions are met, including the payment of a penalty tax.
If we fail to satisfy any of the various REIT requirements, there can be no assurance that these relief provisions would be available to enable us to maintain our qualification as a REIT, and, if such relief provisions are available, the amount of any resultant penalty tax could be substantial.
Effect of Subsidiary Entities
Ownership of Partnership Interests.
In the case of a REIT that is a partner in a partnership, Treasury Regulations provide that the REIT is deemed to own its proportionate share of the partnership’s assets and to earn its proportionate share of the partnership’s gross income based on its pro rata share of capital interests in the partnership for purposes of the asset and gross income tests applicable to REITs, as described below. However, solely for purposes of the 10% value test described below, the determination of a REIT’s interest in partnership assets will be based on the REIT’s proportionate interest in any securities issued by the partnership, excluding, for these purposes, certain excluded securities as described in the Code. In addition, the assets and gross income of the partnership generally are deemed to retain the same character in the hands of the REIT. Thus, our proportionate share of the assets and items of income of partnerships in which we own an equity interest (including our interest in our Operating Partnership and its equity interests in any lower-tier partnerships), is treated as our assets and items of income for purposes of applying the REIT requirements described below. Consequently, to the extent that we directly or indirectly hold a preferred or other equity interest in a partnership, the partnership’s assets and operations may affect our ability to qualify as a REIT, even though we may have no control, or only limited influence, over the partnership.
As discussed in greater detail in “— Tax Aspects of Investments in Partnerships” below, an investment in a partnership involves special tax considerations. For example, it is possible that the IRS could treat a subsidiary partnership as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In this case, the subsidiary partnership would be subject to entity-level tax and the character of our assets and items of gross income would change, possibly causing us to fail the requirements to qualify as a REIT. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Tax Aspects of Investments in Partnerships — Entity Classification” and “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Failure to Qualify” below. In addition, special rules apply in the case of appreciated or depreciated property that is contributed to a partnership in exchange for an interest in the partnership. In general terms, these rules require that certain items of income, gain, loss and deduction associated with the contributed property be allocated to the contributing partner for U.S. federal income tax purposes. These rules could adversely affect us, for example, by requiring that a lower amount of depreciation deductions be allocated to us, which in turn would cause us to have a greater amount of taxable income without a corresponding increase in cash and result in a greater portion of our distributions being taxed as dividend income or cause us to fail to meet the distribution requirements applicable to REITs. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Tax Aspects of Investments in Partnerships — Tax Allocations with Respect to Partnership Properties” below.
 
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Disregarded Subsidiaries.
If a REIT owns a corporate subsidiary that is a “qualified REIT subsidiary,” that subsidiary is disregarded as a separate entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of the subsidiary are treated as assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of the REIT, including for purposes of the gross income and asset tests applicable to REITs as summarized below. A qualified REIT subsidiary is any corporation, other than a TRS, as described below under “U. S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Requirements for Qualification — General — Effect of Subsidiary Entities — Taxable REIT Subsidiaries,” that is wholly owned by a REIT, or by one or more subsidiaries that are disregarded as separate entities from the REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or by a combination of the two. Single member limited liability companies that are wholly owned by a REIT are also generally disregarded as separate entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes, including for purposes of the REIT gross income and asset tests. Disregarded subsidiaries, along with partnerships, in which we hold an equity interest, are sometimes referred to herein as “pass-through subsidiaries.”
In the event that a disregarded subsidiary ceases to be wholly owned by us — for example, if any equity interest in the subsidiary is acquired by a person other than us or a disregarded subsidiary of us — the subsidiary’s separate existence would no longer be disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Instead, it would have multiple owners and would be treated as either a partnership or a taxable corporation. Such an event could, depending on the circumstances, adversely affect our ability to satisfy the various asset and gross income tests applicable to REITs, including the requirement that REITs generally may not own, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of the value or voting power of the outstanding securities of another corporation. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Requirements for Qualification —  General — Asset Tests” and “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Requirements for Qualification —  General — Gross Income Tests.”
Taxable REIT Subsidiaries.
A REIT generally may jointly elect with a subsidiary corporation, whether or not wholly owned, to treat the subsidiary corporation as a TRS. The separate existence of a TRS or other taxable corporation, unlike a disregarded subsidiary as discussed above, is not ignored for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, such an entity would generally be subject to corporate U.S. federal, state, local and income and franchise taxes on its earnings, which may reduce the cash flow generated by us and our subsidiaries in the aggregate, and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders. ESRT Observatory TRS, L.L.C., a New York limited liability company (“Observatory TRS”), and ESRT Holdings TRS, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company(“Holding TRS”), have each elected to be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and we have jointly elected with each of Observatory TRS and Holding TRS, respectively, for each to be treated as a TRS. This is intended to allow Observatory TRS and Holding TRS to invest in assets and engage in activities that could not be held or conducted directly by us without jeopardizing our qualification as a REIT.
For purposes of the gross income and asset tests applicable to REITs, a REIT is not treated as holding the assets of a TRS or other taxable subsidiary corporation or as receiving any income that the subsidiary earns. Rather, the stock issued by the subsidiary is an asset in the hands of the REIT, and the REIT recognizes as income the dividends, if any, that it receives from the subsidiary. This treatment can affect the gross income and asset test calculations that apply to the REIT, as described below. Because a REIT does not include the assets and income of such subsidiary corporations in determining the REIT’s compliance with the REIT requirements, such entities may be used by the parent REIT to undertake indirectly activities that a REIT, due to the requirements applicable to REITs, might otherwise not be able to undertake directly or through pass-through subsidiaries. If dividends are paid to us by one or more of our TRSs, then a portion of the dividends that we distribute to stockholders who are taxed at individual rates generally will be eligible for taxation at preferential qualified dividend income tax rates rather than at ordinary income tax rates. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Taxation of Stockholders — Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders” and “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Requirements for Qualification — General —  Annual Distribution Requirements.”
 
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Certain restrictions imposed on TRSs are intended to ensure that such entities will be subject to appropriate levels of U.S. federal income taxation. For example, the TRS rules impose a 100% excise tax on certain transactions involving a TRS and its parent REIT that are not conducted on an arm’s length basis.
Rents received by us that include amounts for services furnished by a TRS to any of our tenants will not be subject to the excise tax if such amounts qualify for the safe harbor provisions contained in the Code. Safe harbor provisions are provided where (1) amounts are excluded from the definition of impermissible tenant service income as a result of satisfying a 1% de minimis exception; (2) a TRS renders a significant amount of similar services to unrelated parties and the charges for such services are substantially comparable; (3) rents paid to us by tenants leasing at least 25% of the net leasable space at a property that are not receiving services from the TRS are substantially comparable to the rents paid to us by tenants leasing comparable space at such property and that are receiving such services from the TRS (and the charge for the services is separately stated); or (4) the TRS’s gross income from the service is not less than 150% of the TRS’s direct cost of furnishing the service. Holding TRS and/or its wholly owned subsidiaries provide certain services to our tenants. Although we believe we operate our TRSs in a manner that does not cause us to be subject to the excise tax discussed above, there is no assurance that we will be successful in this regard.
Gross Income Tests
In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we annually must satisfy two gross income tests. First, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year, excluding gross income from sales of inventory or dealer property in “prohibited transactions” and certain hedging and foreign currency transactions, must be derived from investments relating to real property or mortgages on real property, including “rents from real property,” dividends received from and gain from the disposition of shares of other REITs, interest income derived from mortgage loans secured by real property (including certain types of mortgage-backed securities), and gains from the sale of real estate assets (other than certain debt instruments of publicly offered REITs), as well as income from certain kinds of temporary investments. Interest and gain on debt instruments issued by “publicly offered REITs” that are not secured by mortgages on real property or interests in real property are not qualifying income for purposes of the 75% income test. A “publicly-offered REIT” is a real estate investment trust which is required to file annual and periodic reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act. Second, at least 95% of our gross income in each taxable year, excluding gross income from prohibited transactions and certain hedging and foreign currency transactions, must be derived from some combination of income that qualifies under the 75% income test described above, as well as other dividends, interest, and gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities, which need not have any relation to real property.
For purposes of the 75% and 95% gross income tests, a REIT is deemed to have earned a proportionate share of the income earned by any partnership, or other entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in which it owns an interest, which share is determined by reference to its capital interest in such entity, and is deemed to have earned the income earned by any qualified REIT subsidiary or other disregarded entity.
Rents received by us will qualify as “rents from real property” in satisfying the gross income requirements described above only if all of the following conditions are met The rent must not be based in whole or in part on the income or profits derived by any person from such real property. However, an amount will not be excluded from rents from real property solely by reason of being based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales. If rent is partly attributable to personal property leased in connection with a lease of real property, the portion of the total rent that is attributable to the personal property will not qualify as rents from real property unless it constitutes 15% or less of the total rent received under the lease (where rent attributable to personal property is determined based on the ratio of the average fair market values of the personal property to the real property and personal property as of the beginning and end of the taxable year). Moreover, for rents received to qualify as rents from real property, we generally must not furnish or render certain services to the tenants of such property, other than through an “independent contractor” who is adequately compensated and from which we derive no income, or through a TRS. We are permitted, however, to perform services that are “usually or customarily rendered” in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and are not otherwise considered rendered to the occupant of the property. In
 
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addition, we may directly or indirectly provide non-customary services to tenants of our properties if the gross income from such services does not exceed 1% of the total gross income from the property for the relevant taxable year. In such a case, only the amounts for non-customary services are not treated as rents from real property and the provision of the services does not disqualify the rents from treatment as rents from real property. If, however, the gross income from such non-customary services exceeds this 1% threshold, none of the gross income derived from the relevant property is treated as rents from real property. For purposes of this test, the gross income received from such non-customary services is deemed to be at least 150% of our direct cost of providing the services. Moreover, we are permitted to provide services to tenants through a TRS without disqualifying the rental income received from tenants as rents from real property, provided certain requirements are satisfied. Also, rental income will qualify as rents from real property only to the extent it is not treated as “related party rent,” which generally includes rent from a tenant if we directly or indirectly (through application of certain constructive ownership rules) own, (1) in the case of any tenant which is a corporation, stock possessing 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock entitled to vote, or 10% or more of the total value of shares of all classes of stock of such tenant, or (2) in the case of any tenant which is not a corporation, an interest of 10% or more in the assets or net profits of such tenant. However, rental payments from a TRS will qualify as rents from real property even if we own more than 10% of the total value or combined voting power of the TRS if at least 90% of the property is leased to unrelated tenants and the rent paid by the TRS is substantially comparable to the rent paid by the unrelated tenants for comparable space.
We have jointly elected with Observatory TRS, the lessee and operator of the observatory, for Observatory TRS to be treated as a TRS of ours for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Observatory TRS leases the Empire State Building observatory from the Operating Partnership pursuant to a lease that provides for fixed base rental payments and variable rental payments equal to certain percentages of Observatory TRS’s gross receipts from the operation of the observatory. Given the unique nature of the real estate comprising the observatory, we do not believe that there is any space in the Empire State Building or in the same geographic area as the Empire State Building that would likely be considered sufficiently comparable to the observatory for the purpose of applying the exception to related party rent described above. We have received from the IRS a private letter ruling that the rent that our Operating Partnership receives from Observatory TRS pursuant to the lease of the Empire State Building observatory entered into on October 1, 2013 (the “Original Lease”) is qualifying income for purposes of the REIT gross income tests so long as such rent reflects the fair market rental value of the Empire State Building observatory as determined by an appraisal rendered by a qualified third-party appraiser. Upon expiration of the Original Lease, we amended and restated the Original Lease with updated terms which we believe reflect the fair market rental value of the Empire State Building observatory as determined by an appraisal rendered by a qualified third-party appraiser consistent with the methodology used for determining the fair market rental value of the Empire State Building observatory at the time that the Original Lease was entered into.
In addition, our Operating Partnership has acquired various license agreements (i) granting certain third-party broadcasters the right to use space on the tower on the top of the Empire State Building for certain broadcasting and other communication purposes and (ii) granting certain third-party vendors the right to operate concession stands in the observatory. We have received from the IRS a private letter ruling that the license fees that our Operating Partnership receives under these agreements will be treated as rental payments for the use of real property and therefore as qualifying income for purposes of the REIT gross income tests.
We are entitled to rely upon these rulings only to the extent that we did not misstate or omit a material fact in the ruling request and that we continue to operate in the future in accordance with the material facts described in such request, and no assurance can be given that we will always be able to do so. If we were not able to treat the rent that our Operating Partnership receives from Observatory TRS as qualifying income for purposes of the REIT gross income tests, we would be required to restructure the manner in which we operate the observatory, which would likely require us to cede operating control of the observatory by leasing the observatory to an affiliate or third-party operator. If we were not able to treat the license fees that our Operating Partnership receives from the license agreements described above as qualifying income for purposes of the REIT gross income tests, we would be required to enter into the license agreements described above through a TRS, which would cause the license fees to be subject to U.S. federal income tax and accordingly reduce the amount of our cash flow available to be distributed to our stockholders. In either case, if we
 
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are not able to appropriately restructure our operations in a timely manner, we would likely realize significant income that does not qualify for the REIT gross income tests, which could cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT.
Unless we determine that the resulting non-qualifying income under any of the following situations, taken together with all other non-qualifying income earned by us in the taxable year, will not jeopardize our qualification as a REIT, we do not intend to:

charge rent for any property that is based in whole or in part on the income or profits of any person, except by reason of being based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales, as described above;

rent any property to a related party tenant, including Observatory TRS, Holding TRS, or any other TRS, unless the rent from the lease to the TRS would qualify for the special exception from the related party tenant rule applicable to certain leases with a TRS;

derive rental income attributable to personal property other than personal property leased in connection with the lease of real property, the amount of which is no more than 15% of the total rent received under the lease; or

directly perform services considered to be non-customary or rendered to the occupant of the property.
We may receive distributions from Observatory TRS, Holding TRS, and any other TRSs or other C corporations that are neither REITs nor qualified REIT subsidiaries. These distributions will generally be classified as dividend income to the extent of the current or accumulated earnings and profits of the distributing corporation. Such distributions will generally constitute qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, but not for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Any dividends received by us from a REIT, however, will be qualifying income for purposes of both the 95% and 75% gross income tests.
Interest income constitutes qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% gross income test, as described above, to the extent that the obligation is secured by a mortgage on real property. If we receive interest income with respect to a mortgage loan that is secured by both real property and other property, and the highest principal amount of the loan outstanding during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property on the date that we acquired or originated the mortgage loan, the interest income will be apportioned between the real property and the other property, and our income from the loan will qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test only to the extent that the interest is allocable to the real property. In addition, certain obligations secured by a mortgage on both real property and personal property will be treated as a qualifying real estate asset and give rise to qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all such property. Even if a loan is not secured by real property, or is undersecured, the income that it generates may nonetheless qualify for purposes of the 95% gross income test. For these purposes, the term “interest” generally does not include any amount received or accrued, directly or indirectly, if the determination of all or some of the amount depends in any way on the income or profits of any person. However, an amount received or accrued generally will not be excluded from the term “interest” solely by reason of being based on a fixed percentage or percentages of receipts or sales.
Hedging Transactions
Any income or gain that we or our pass-through subsidiaries derive from instruments that hedge certain risks, such as the risk of changes in interest rates, will be excluded from gross income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests, provided that specified requirements are met, including the requirement that the instrument is entered into during the ordinary course of our business and the instrument is properly identified as a hedge along with the risk that it hedges within prescribed time periods. Income and gain from all other hedging transactions will not be qualifying income for either the 95% or 75% gross income test.
Failure to Satisfy the Gross Income Tests
If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% or 95% gross income tests for any taxable year, we may still qualify as a REIT for the year if we are entitled to relief under applicable provisions of the Code. These
 
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relief provisions will generally be available if the failure of our Company to meet these tests was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and, following the identification of such failure, we set forth a description of each item of our gross income that satisfies the gross income tests in a schedule for the taxable year filed with the IRS in accordance with the Treasury Regulations. It is not possible to state whether we would be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions in all circumstances. If these relief provisions are inapplicable to a particular set of circumstances, we will not qualify as a REIT. As discussed above under “— Taxation of ESRT — Taxation of REITs in General,” even where these relief provisions apply, a tax would be imposed upon the profit attributable to the amount by which we fail to satisfy the particular gross income test.
Asset Tests
At the close of each calendar quarter, we must also satisfy five tests relating to the nature of our assets. First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must be represented by some combination of “real estate assets,” cash, cash items, U.S. government securities, and, under some circumstances, stock or debt instruments purchased with new capital. For this purpose, real estate assets include interests in real property, such as land, buildings, leasehold interests in real property (and certain ancillary personal property), stock of other REITs, certain kinds of mortgage-backed securities and mortgage loans, debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs (i.e., a REIT that is required to file annual and periodic reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act) and stock or debt instruments held for less than one year purchased with the proceeds from an offering of shares of our stock or certain debt. Assets that do not qualify for purposes of the 75% asset test are subject to the additional asset tests described below.
Second, the value of any one issuer’s securities owned by us may not exceed 5% of the value of our total assets.
Third, we may not own more than 10% of any one issuer’s outstanding securities, as measured by either voting power or value. The 5% and 10% asset tests do not apply to real estate assets, securities of TRSs and qualified REIT subsidiaries, and the value prong of the 10% asset test does not apply to “straight debt” having specified characteristics and to certain other securities described below. Solely for purposes of the 10% asset test, the determination of our interest in the assets of a partnership or limited liability company in which we own an interest will be based on our proportionate interest in any securities issued by the partnership or limited liability company, excluding for this purpose certain securities described in the Code.
Fourth, the aggregate value of all securities of Observatory TRS, Holding TRS, and any other TRSs held by us may not exceed 20% of the value of our total assets.
Fifth, no more than 25% of the value of our total assets may be represented by “nonqualified publicly offered REIT debt instruments” ​(i.e., real estate assets that would cease to be real estate assets if debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs were not included in the definition of real estate assets).
Notwithstanding the general rule, as noted above, that for purposes of the REIT income and asset tests, we are treated as owning our proportionate share of the underlying assets of a subsidiary partnership, if we hold indebtedness issued by a partnership, the indebtedness will be subject to, and may cause a violation of, the asset tests unless the indebtedness is a qualifying mortgage asset, or other conditions are met. Similarly, although stock of another REIT is a qualifying asset for purposes of the REIT asset tests, any non-mortgage debt that is issued by a non-publicly offered REIT may not so qualify (such debt, however, will not be treated as a “security” for purposes of the 10% asset value test, as explained below).
The Code provides that certain securities will not cause a violation of the 10% asset value test described above. Such securities include instruments that constitute “straight debt,” which term generally excludes, among other things, securities having certain contingency features. A security does not qualify as “straight debt” where a REIT (or a controlled TRS of the REIT) owns other securities of the same issuer that do not qualify as straight debt, unless the value of those other securities constitutes, in the aggregate, 1% or less of the total value of that issuer’s outstanding securities. In addition to straight debt, the Code provides that certain other securities will not violate the 10% asset value test. Such securities include (i) any loan made to an individual or an estate, (ii) certain rental agreements pursuant to which one or more payments are to
 
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be made in subsequent years (other than agreements between a REIT and certain persons related to the REIT under attribution rules), (iii) any obligation to pay rents from real property, (iv) securities issued by governmental entities that are not dependent in whole or in part on the profits of (or payments made by) a non-governmental entity, (v) any security issued by another REIT and (vi) any debt instrument issued by a partnership if the partnership’s income is of a nature that it would satisfy the 75% gross income test described above. The Code also provides that in applying the 10% asset test, a debt security issued by a partnership is not taken into account to the extent, if any, of the REIT’s proportionate interest in that partnership.
After initially meeting the asset tests at the close of a quarter, we will not lose our qualification as a REIT for failure to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a later quarter solely by reason of changes in asset values (including a failure caused solely by change in the foreign currency exchange rate used to value a foreign asset). If we fail to satisfy the asset tests because we acquire or increase our ownership interest in securities during a quarter, we can cure this failure by disposing of the non-qualifying assets within 30 days after the close of that quarter. If we fail the 5% asset test, the 10% vote test, or the 10% value test at the end of any quarter, and such failure is not cured within 30 days thereafter, we may dispose of sufficient assets (generally, within six months after the last day of the quarter in which our identification of the failure to satisfy those asset tests occurred) to cure the violation, provided that the non-permitted assets do not exceed the lesser of 1% of our assets at the end of the relevant quarter or $10,000,000. If we fail any of the other asset tests, or our failure of the 5% and 10% asset tests is in excess of the de minimis amount described above, as long as the failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, we are permitted to avoid disqualification as a REIT, after the 30-day cure period, by taking steps including the disposition of sufficient assets to meet the asset tests (generally within six months after the last day of the quarter in which our identification of the failure to satisfy the REIT asset test occurred), and paying a tax equal to the greater of $50,000 or the highest applicable corporate tax rate of the net income generated by the non-qualifying assets during the period in which we failed to satisfy the relevant asset test.
Annual Distribution Requirements
To qualify as a REIT, we are required to pay dividends, other than capital gain dividends, to our stockholders in an amount at least equal to:
(1)
the sum of:

90% of our “REIT taxable income” ​(computed without regard to our deduction for dividends paid and our net capital gains), and

90% of the net income from foreclosure property (after tax) as discussed above, minus
(2)
the excess of the sum of specified items of non-cash income over 5% of our REIT taxable income, computed without regard to our net capital gains and the deduction for dividends paid.
These distributions must generally be paid in the taxable year to which they relate, or in the following taxable year if paid with or before the first regular dividend payment after such declaration. In addition, any dividend declared by us in October, November or December of any year and payable to stockholders of record on a specified date in any such month will be treated as both paid by us and received by the shareholder on December 31 of such year, so long as the dividend is actually paid before the end of January of the next calendar year.
If we cease to be a “publicly offered REIT,” then, for our distributions to be counted as satisfying the annual distribution requirements for REITs, and to provide us with a REIT-level tax deduction, the distributions must not be “preferential dividends.” A dividend is not a preferential dividend if the distribution is (1) pro rata among all outstanding shares of stock within a particular class, and (2) in accordance with the preferences among different classes of stock as set forth in our organizational documents.
To the extent that we distribute at least 90%, but less than 100%, of our REIT taxable income, as adjusted, we will be subject to tax at the ordinary corporate tax rate on the retained portion. In addition, we may elect to retain, rather than distribute, our net long-term capital gains and pay tax on such gains. In this case, we would elect to have our stockholders include their proportionate share of such undistributed long-term capital gains in their income and receive a corresponding credit for their proportionate share of the
 
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tax paid by us. Our stockholders would then increase their adjusted basis in our stock by the difference between the designated amounts included in their long-term capital gains and the tax deemed paid with respect to their proportionate shares.
If we fail to distribute on an annual basis as described above at least the sum of (1) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year, (2) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year and (3) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax on the excess of such amount over the sum of (A) the amounts actually distributed (taking into account excess distributions from prior periods) and (B) the amounts of income retained on which we have paid corporate income tax.
It is possible that, from time to time, we may not have sufficient cash to meet the REIT distribution requirements due to timing differences between (1) the actual receipt of cash, including the receipt of distributions from any partnership subsidiaries and (2) the inclusion of items in income by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In the event that such timing differences occur, in order to meet the distribution requirements, it might be necessary to arrange for short-term, or possibly long-term, borrowings, or to pay dividends in the form of taxable in-kind distributions of property, including taxable stock dividends. Moreover, we may declare a taxable dividend payable in cash or stock at the election of each stockholder, where the aggregate amount of cash to be distributed in such dividend may be subject to limitation. In such case, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, taxable stockholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend as ordinary income to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits.
We may be able to rectify a failure to meet the distribution requirements for a year by paying “deficiency dividends” to stockholders in a later year, which may be included in our deduction for dividends paid for the earlier year. In this case, we may be able to avoid losing our REIT qualification or being taxed on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends. However, we will be required to pay interest on the amount of any deduction taken for deficiency dividends.
Tax on Built-In Gains
If we acquire appreciated assets from a subchapter C corporation in a transaction in which the adjusted tax basis of the assets in our hands is determined by reference to the adjusted tax basis of the assets in the hands of the subchapter C corporation (a “carry-over basis transaction”), and if we subsequently dispose of any such assets during the 5 year period following the acquisition of the assets from the subchapter C corporation, we will be subject to tax at the ordinary corporate tax rate on any gain from such assets to the extent of the excess of the fair market value of the assets on the date that they were acquired by us over the basis of such assets on such date, which we refer to as built-in gains. However, the built-in gains tax will not apply if the subchapter C corporation elects to be subject to an immediate tax when the asset is acquired by us.
As discussed above under “— Requirements for Qualification — General,” we intended that the mergers of Malkin Properties CT and Malkin Construction with and into us would be carry-over basis transactions for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Assuming that both Malkin Properties CT and Malkin Construction had at all times qualified as S Corporations and had not otherwise acquired assets of a subchapter C Corporation in a carry over basis transaction, we will not be treated as having acquired assets from a subchapter C Corporation in a carry-over basis transaction as a result of the mergers. If, however, either Malkin Properties CT or Malkin Construction did not, at any time, qualify as an S Corporation, or otherwise acquired assets of a subchapter C Corporation in a carry-over transaction, and assuming that either or both of the mergers qualified as a reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the assets that we acquired from such entities could be subject to the built-in gains tax.
Prohibited Transactions
Net income that we derive from a prohibited transaction is subject to a 100% tax. The term “prohibited transaction” generally includes a sale or other disposition of property (other than foreclosure property, as discussed below) that is held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business. We intend to conduct our operations so that no asset owned by us or our pass-through
 
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subsidiaries will be treated as held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers, and that a sale of any such asset will not be treated as having been in the ordinary course of business. However, whether property is held as inventory or “primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business” depends on the particular facts and circumstances. No assurance can be given that any particular property in which we hold a direct or indirect interest will not be treated as property held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers, or that certain safe-harbor provisions of the Code discussed below that prevent the application of the 100% prohibited transaction tax will apply. The 100% tax will not apply to gains from the sale of property by Observatory TRS, Holding TRS, or any other TRS or other taxable corporation, although such income will be subject to tax in the hands of the corporation at the regular corporate tax rate.
Foreclosure Property
Foreclosure property is real property (including interests in real property) and any personal property incident to such real property (1) that is acquired by a REIT as a result of the REIT having bid on the property at foreclosure, or having otherwise reduced the property to ownership or possession by agreement or process of law, after there was a default (or default was imminent) on a lease of the property or a mortgage loan held by the REIT and secured by the property, (2) for which the related loan or lease was made, entered into or acquired by the REIT at a time when default was not imminent or anticipated and (3) for which such REIT makes a proper election to treat the property as foreclosure property. REITs generally are subject to tax at the maximum corporate rate on any net income from foreclosure property, including any gain from the disposition of the foreclosure property, other than income that would otherwise be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Any gain from the sale of property for which a foreclosure property election has been made will not be subject to the 100% tax on gains from prohibited transactions described above, even if the property would otherwise fail the prohibited transaction safe harbor and constitute inventory or dealer property in the hands of the selling REIT.
Derivatives and Hedging Transactions
We and our subsidiaries may enter into hedging transactions with respect to interest rate exposure on one or more assets or liabilities. Any such hedging transactions could take a variety of forms, including the use of derivative instruments such as interest rate swap contracts, interest rate cap or floor contracts, futures or forward contracts, and options. Except to the extent provided by the Treasury Regulations, any income from a hedging transaction (including gain from the sale, disposition or termination of a position in such a transaction) will not constitute gross income for purposes of the 75% or 95% gross income test if we properly identify the transaction as specified in applicable Treasury Regulations and we enter into such transaction (i) in the normal course of our business primarily to manage risk of interest rate changes or currency fluctuations with respect to borrowings made or to be made, or ordinary obligations incurred or to be incurred, to acquire or carry real estate assets, (ii) primarily to manage risk of currency fluctuations with respect to any item of income or gain that would be qualifying income under the 75% or 95% income tests, or (iii) in connection with the extinguishment of indebtedness with respect to which we have entered into a qualified hedging position described in clause (i) or the disposition of property with respect to which we have entered into a qualified hedging position described in clause (ii), primarily to manage the risks of such hedging positions. To the extent that we hedge in certain other situations, the resultant income may be treated as income that does not qualify under the 75% or 95% gross income tests. We intend to structure any hedging transactions in a manner that does not jeopardize our status as a REIT. We may conduct some or all of our hedging activities through a TRS or other corporate entity, the income from which may be subject to U.S. federal income tax, rather than by participating in the arrangements directly or through pass-through subsidiaries. No assurance can be given, however, that our hedging activities will not give rise to income that does not qualify for purposes of the REIT gross income tests, or that our hedging activities will not adversely affect our ability to satisfy the REIT qualification requirements.
Failure to Qualify
In the event that we violate a provision of the Code that would result in our failure to qualify as a REIT, we may nevertheless continue to qualify as a REIT. Specified relief provisions will be available to us to avoid such disqualification if (1) the violation is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect, (2) we pay a penalty of $50,000 for each failure to satisfy a requirement for qualification as a REIT and
 
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(3) the violation does not include a violation under the gross income or asset tests described above (for which other specified relief provisions are available). This cure provision reduces the instances that could lead to our disqualification as a REIT for violations due to reasonable cause. If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any taxable year and none of the relief provisions of the Code apply, we will be subject to tax on our taxable income at the regular corporate rate. Distributions to our stockholders in any year in which we are not a REIT will not be deductible by us, nor will they be required to be made. In this situation, to the extent of current and accumulated earnings and profits, and, subject to limitations of the Code, distributions to our stockholders will generally be taxable in the case of noncorporate U.S. stockholders at the rate applicable to qualified dividend income, and dividends in the hands of our corporate U.S. stockholders may be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Unless we are entitled to relief under the specific statutory provisions, we will also be disqualified from re-electing to be taxed as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification was lost. It is not possible to state whether we will be entitled to statutory relief in all circumstances.
Tax Aspects of Investments in Partnerships
General
We will hold investments through entities that are classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes, including our interest in our Operating Partnership and equity interests in lower-tier partnerships. We will include in our income our proportionate share of these partnership items for purposes of the various REIT income tests, based on our capital interest in such partnerships. Moreover, for purposes of the REIT asset tests, we will include our proportionate share of assets held by subsidiary partnerships, based on our capital interest in such partnerships (except that for purposes of the 10% value test, our proportionate share of the partnership’s assets is based on our proportionate interest in the equity issued by the partnership). In addition, the assets and gross income of the partnership are deemed to retain the same character in our hands. Thus, our proportionate share of the assets and items of income of any of our subsidiary partnerships will be treated as our assets and items of income for purposes of applying the REIT requirements. Consequently, to the extent that we hold an equity interest in a partnership, the partnership’s assets and operations may affect our ability to qualify as a REIT, even though we may have no control, or only limited influence, over the partnership.
Entity Classification
If one of our subsidiary partnerships were treated as an association for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it would be taxable as a corporation and would be required to pay an entity-level tax on its income and such treatment could cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT. In addition, a change in the tax status or tax treatment of a subsidiary partnership might be treated as a taxable event. If so, we might incur a distribution requirement or tax liability without any related cash distributions. We believe that each of our subsidiary partnerships (for which we do not make an election to be treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes) will be classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Pursuant to Section 7704 of the Code, a partnership that does not elect to be treated as a corporation nevertheless will be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes if it is a “publicly traded partnership” and it does not receive at least 90% of its gross income from certain specified sources of “qualifying income” within the meaning of that section. A “publicly traded partnership” is any partnership (i) the interests in which are traded on an established securities market or (ii) the interests in which are readily tradable on a “secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof.” The Series ES, Series 60 and Series 250 OP Units of our Operating Partnership are traded on the NYSE Arca Exchange and therefore, our Operating Partnership is a publicly traded partnership. Accordingly, our Operating Partnership will be treated as a corporation unless at least 90% of its gross income consists of “qualifying income” under Section 7704 of the Code for each of its taxable years starting with the first taxable year during which it is treated as a publicly traded partnership. “Qualifying income” for purposes of the “qualifying income” exception is generally real property rents and other types of passive income. We believe, and both we and our Operating Partnership have represented to Skadden in connection with its REIT opinion, that our Operating Partnership has had and will have sufficient qualifying income so that it would be treated as a partnership, even though it is a publicly traded partnership. The income requirements applicable to us to
 
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qualify as a REIT under the Code and the definition of qualifying income under the publicly traded partnership rules are very similar. Although differences exist between these two income tests, we do not believe that these differences would cause our Operating Partnership not to satisfy the 90% gross income test applicable to publicly traded partnerships.
If at the end of any taxable year the Operating Partnership fails to meet the qualifying income exception, it may still qualify as a partnership if it is otherwise entitled to relief under the Code for an inadvertent termination of partnership status. This relief will be available if (i) the failure is cured within a reasonable time after discovery, (ii) the failure is determined by the IRS to be inadvertent, and (iii) the Operating Partnership agrees to make such adjustments (including adjustments with respect to its partners) or to pay such amounts as are required by the IRS. It is not possible to state whether the Operating Partnership would be entitled to this relief in any or all circumstances. It also is not clear under the Code whether this relief is available for the Operating Partnership’s first taxable year as a publicly traded partnership. If this relief provision is inapplicable to a particular set of circumstances, the Operating Partnership will not qualify as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Moreover, if this relief provision applies and the Operating Partnership retains its partnership status, it or the holders of Operating Partnerships units (during the failure period) will be required to pay such amounts as are determined by the IRS.
Moreover, if the Operating Partnership fails to meet the qualifying income exception, other than a failure that is determined by the IRS to be inadvertent and that is cured within a reasonable time after discovery as described above, and therefore was taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the character of our assets and items of our gross income would change and would preclude us from satisfying the REIT asset tests (particularly the tests generally preventing a REIT from owning more than 10% of the voting securities, or more than 10% of the value of the securities, of a corporation) and the gross income tests as discussed in “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Requirements for Qualification —  General — Asset Tests” and “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Requirements for Qualification —  General — Gross Income Tests” above, and in turn would prevent us from qualifying as a REIT. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Failure to Qualify,” below, for a discussion of the effect of our failure to meet these tests for a taxable year. In addition, any change in the status of any of our subsidiary partnerships for tax purposes might be treated as a taxable event, in which case we could have taxable income that is subject to the REIT distribution requirements without receiving any cash.
Partnership Audit Rules
The rules applicable to U.S. federal income tax audits of partnerships provide that, subject to certain exceptions, any audit adjustment to items of income, gain, loss, deduction or credit of a partnership (and any partner’s distributive share thereof) is determined, and taxes, interest, or penalties attributable thereto are assessed and collected, at the partnership level. It is possible that these rules could result in our Operating Partnership or other partnerships in which we invest being required to pay additional taxes, interest and penalties as a result of an audit adjustment, and we could be required to bear the economic burden of those taxes, interest and penalties even though we, as a REIT, may not otherwise have been required to pay additional corporate-level taxes as a result of the related audit adjustment.
Taxation of Stockholders
Taxation of Taxable U.S. Stockholders
For purposes of this discussion, a U.S. stockholder is s stockholder that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

An individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

A corporation created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States, or of any state thereof, or the District of Columbia;

An estate, the income of which is includable in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or

A trust if a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of such trust and one or more U.S. fiduciaries have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust.
 
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A “non-U.S. stockholder” is a stockholder that is neither a U.S. stockholder nor a partnership (or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If a partnership, including for this purpose any entity or arrangement that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, holds our stock, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partners and partnerships should consult their tax advisors about the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our stock.
Distributions.
Provided that we qualify as a REIT, distributions made to our taxable U.S. stockholders out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, and not designated as capital gain dividends, will generally be taken into account by them as ordinary dividend income and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporations. With limited exceptions, our dividends are not eligible for taxation at the preferential income tax rates for qualified dividends received by U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts and estates from taxable C corporations. Such stockholders, however, are taxed at the preferential rates on dividends designated by and received from REITs to the extent that the dividends are attributable to:

income retained by the REIT in the prior taxable year on which the REIT was subject to corporate level income tax (less the amount of tax);

dividends received by the REIT from TRSs or other taxable C corporations; or

income in the prior taxable year from the sales of “built-in gain” property acquired by the REIT from C corporations in carryover basis transactions (less the mount of corporate tax on such income).
If we declare a taxable dividend payable in cash or stock at the election of each stockholder, where the aggregate amount of cash to be distributed in such dividend is subject to limitation, taxable stockholders receiving such dividends will be required to include the full amount of the dividend as ordinary income to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits.
Distributions that we designate as capital gain dividends will generally be taxed to U.S. stockholders as long-term capital gains, to the extent that they do not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year, without regard to the period for which the U.S. stockholder has the stock. To the extent that we elect under the applicable provisions of the Code to retain our net capital gains, U.S. stockholders will be treated as having received, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, our undistributed capital gains as well as a corresponding credit for taxes paid by us on such retained capital gains.
U.S. stockholders will increase their adjusted tax basis in our Class A common stock by the difference between their allocable share of such retained capital gain and their share of the tax paid by us. Corporate U.S. stockholders may be required to treat up to 20% of some capital gain dividends as ordinary income. Long-term capital gains currently are generally taxable at a maximum preferential tax rate of 20% in the case of noncorporate U.S. stockholders, and 21% for corporations. Capital gains attributable to the sale of depreciable real property held for more than 12 months are generally subject to a 25% maximum U.S. federal income tax rate for noncorporate U.S. stockholders, to the extent of previously claimed depreciation deductions.
Distributions in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits will generally represent a return of capital and will not be taxable to a shareholder to the extent that the amount of such distributions does not exceed the adjusted basis of the shareholder’s shares in respect of which the distributions were made. Rather, the distribution will reduce the adjusted basis of the shareholder’s shares. To the extent that such distributions exceed the adjusted basis of a shareholder’s shares, the shareholder generally must include such distributions in income as long-term capital gain, or short-term capital gain if the shares have been held for one year or less. In addition, any dividend declared by us in October, November or December of any year and payable to a U.S. stockholder of record on a specified date in any such month will be treated as both paid by us and received by the U.S. stockholder on December 31 of such year, provided that the dividend is actually paid by us before the end of January of the following calendar year.
For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, U.S. stockholders that are individuals, trusts or estates generally may deduct 20% of dividends received from us, other than
 
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capital gain dividends or dividends treated as qualified dividend income, subject to certain limitations. To qualify for this deduction with respect to a dividend on shares of our Class A common stock, a stockholder must hold such shares for more than 45 days during the 91-day period beginning on the date which is 45 days before the date on which such shares become ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (taking into account certain rules that may reduce a stockholder’s holding period during any period in which the stockholder has diminished its risk of loss with respect to shares).
To the extent that we have available net operating losses and capital losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses may reduce the amount of distributions that must be made in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Requirements for Qualification — General — Annual Distribution Requirements.” Such losses, however, are not passed through to U.S. stockholders and do not offset income of U.S. stockholders from other sources, nor do they affect the character of any distributions that are actually made by us.
Dispositions of Our Common Stock.
In general, capital gains recognized by individuals, trusts and estates upon the sale or disposition of shares of our Class A common stock will be subject to a maximum U.S. federal income tax rate of 20% if our Class A common stock is held for more than one year, and will be taxed at ordinary income tax rates of up to 37% if our Class A common stock is held for one year or less. Gains recognized by U.S. stockholders that are corporations are subject to U.S. federal income tax at the regular corporate rate regardless of whether our Class A common stock is held for more than one year. Capital losses recognized by a U.S. stockholder upon the disposition of our Class A common stock held for more than one year at the time of disposition will be considered long-term capital losses, and are generally available only to offset capital gain income of the U.S. stockholder but not ordinary income (except in the case of noncorporate taxpayers, who may offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income each year). In addition, any loss upon a sale or exchange of shares of our Class A common stock by a U.S. stockholder who has held the shares for six months or less, after applying holding period rules, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of distributions received from us that were required to be treated by the U.S. stockholder as long-term capital gain.
If a U.S. stockholder recognizes a loss upon a subsequent disposition of our Class A common stock in an amount that exceeds a prescribed threshold, it is possible that the provisions of certain Treasury Regulations involving “reportable transactions” could apply, with a resulting requirement to separately disclose the loss generating transactions to the IRS. Although these regulations are directed towards “tax shelters,” they are written quite broadly, and apply to transactions that would not typically be considered tax shelters. Significant penalties apply for failure to comply with these requirements. You should consult your tax advisors concerning any possible disclosure obligation with respect to the receipt or disposition of our Class A common stock, or transactions that might be undertaken directly or indirectly by us. Moreover, you should be aware that we and other participants in transactions involving us (including our advisors) might be subject to disclosure or other requirements pursuant to these regulations.
Medicare 3.8% Tax on Investment Income
Certain U.S. investors who are individuals, estates or trusts and whose income exceeds certain thresholds will be required to pay a 3.8% Medicare tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which includes dividends and payments of interest received from us and capital gains from the sale or other disposition of our stock.
Taxation of Tax-Exempt U.S. Stockholders
U.S. tax-exempt entities, including qualified employee pension and profit-sharing trusts and individual retirement accounts, generally are exempt from U.S. federal income taxation. However, they are subject to taxation on their unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”). A U.S. tax-exempt stockholder that is subject to tax on its UBTI will be required to separately compute its taxable income and loss for each unrelated trade or business activity for purposes of determining its UBTI. Although many investments in real estate may generate UBTI, the IRS has ruled that dividend distributions from a REIT to a tax-exempt entity do not constitute UBTI. Based on that ruling, and provided that (1) a tax-exempt U.S. stockholder has not held our Class A common stock as “debt financed property” within the meaning of the Code (i.e., where the
 
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acquisition or ownership of the property is financed through a borrowing by the tax-exempt stockholder), and (2) our Class A common stock is not otherwise used in an unrelated trade or business, distributions from us and income from the sale of our Class A common stock generally should not give rise to UBTI to a tax-exempt U.S. stockholder.
Tax-exempt U.S. stockholders that are social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations, supplemental unemployment benefit trusts and qualified group legal services plans exempt from U.S. federal income taxation under Sections 501(c)(7), (c)(9) and (c)(17) and (c)(20) of the Code, respectively, are subject to different UBTI rules, which generally will require them to characterize distributions from us as UBTI unless they are able to properly claim a deduction for amounts set aside or placed in reserve for specific purposes so as to offset the income generated by their investment in our Class A common stock.
In certain circumstances, a pension trust that owns more than 10% of our stock could be required to treat a percentage of the dividends from us as UBTI if we are a “pension-held REIT.” We will not be a pension-held REIT unless (i) we are required to “look through” one or more of our pension shareholders in order to satisfy the REIT closely held test and (ii) either (A) one pension trust owns more than 25% of the value of our stock or (B) a group of pension trusts, each individually holding more than 10% of the value of our stock, collectively owns more than 50% of our stock. Certain restrictions on ownership and transfer of our shares should generally prevent a tax-exempt entity from owning more than 10% of the value of our stock and should generally prevent us from becoming a pension-held REIT. Tax-exempt U.S. stockholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our stock.
Taxation of Non-U.S. Stockholders
The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our Class A common stock applicable to non-U.S. stockholders. The discussion is based on current law and is for general information only. It addresses only selective aspects of U.S. federal income taxation.
Ordinary Dividends.   The portion of dividends received by non-U.S. stockholders payable out of our earnings and profits that are not attributable to gains from sales or exchanges of U.S. real property interests and which are not effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. stockholder generally will be treated as ordinary income and will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless reduced or eliminated by an applicable income tax treaty.
In general, non-U.S. stockholders will not be considered to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business solely as a result of their ownership of our stock. In cases where the dividend income from a non-U.S. stockholder’s investment in our Class A common stock is treated as effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business (as described below), the non-U.S. stockholder generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at graduated rates, in the same manner as U.S. stockholders are taxed with respect to such dividends, and may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax (unless reduced or eliminated by an applicable income tax treaty).
Non-Dividend Distributions.
Unless our Class A common stock constitutes a U.S. real property interest (“USRPI”) distributions that we make that are not dividends out of our earnings and profits will not be subject to U.S. income tax. If we cannot determine at the time a distribution is made whether or not the distribution will exceed current and accumulated earnings and profits, the distribution will be subject to withholding at the rate applicable to dividends. The non-U.S. stockholder may seek a refund from the IRS of any amounts withheld if it is subsequently determined that the distribution was, in fact, in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits. If our Class A common stock constitutes a USRPI, as described below, distributions that we make in excess of the sum of (i) the shareholder’s proportionate share of our earnings and profits and (ii) the shareholder’s basis in its Class A common stock, will be taxed under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980, as amended (“FIRPTA”), at the rate of tax, including any applicable capital gains rates, that would apply to a U.S. stockholder of the same type (for example, an individual or a corporation,
 
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as the case may be), and the collection of the tax may be enforced by a refundable withholding tax at a rate of 15% of the amount by which the distribution exceeds the shareholder’s share of our earnings and profits.
Capital Gain Dividends.
Under FIRPTA, a distribution that we make to a non-U.S. stockholder, to the extent attributable to gains from dispositions of USRPIs that we held directly or through pass-through subsidiaries, which we refer to as “USRPI capital gains,” will, except as described below, be considered effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. stockholder and will be subject to U.S. income tax at the rates applicable to U.S. individuals or corporations. Regardless of whether we designate the distribution as a capital gain dividend, we will be required to withhold tax equal to 21% of the maximum amount that could have been designated as a USRPI capital gain dividend. Distributions subject to FIRPTA may also be subject to a 30% branch profits tax (unless reduced or eliminated by treaty) in the hands of a non-U.S. stockholder that is a corporation. A distribution is not a USRPI capital gain dividend if we held an interest in the underlying asset solely as a creditor. Capital gain dividends received by a non-U.S. stockholder that are attributable to dispositions of our assets other than USRPIs are not subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless (i) the gain is effectively connected with the non-U.S. stockholder’s U.S. trade or business, in which case the non-U.S. stockholder would be subject to the same treatment as U.S. stockholders with respect to such gain, except that a non-U.S. stockholder that is a corporation may also be subject to branch profits tax, or (ii) the non-U.S. stockholder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a “tax home” in the U.S., in which case the non-U.S. stockholder will incur a 30% tax on his capital gains. A dividend that would otherwise have been treated as a USRPI capital gain dividend will not be so treated or be subject to FIRPTA, and generally will not be treated as income that is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, but instead will be treated in the same manner as ordinary dividends (discussed above in “— Taxation of Stockholders — Taxation of Foreign Stockholders Dividends”), provided that (i) the dividend is received with respect to a class of stock that is regularly traded on an established securities market located in the United States, and (ii) the recipient non-U.S. stockholder does not own more than 10% of that class of stock at any time during the year ending on the date on which the dividend is received. We anticipate that our Class A common stock will continue to be “regularly traded” on an established securities exchange.
Dispositions of our Class A Common Stock.
Unless our Class A common stock constitutes a USRPI, a sale of our Class A common stock by a non-U.S. stockholder generally will not be subject to U.S. taxation under FIRPTA. Our Class A common stock will not be treated as a USRPI if less than 50% of our assets throughout a prescribed testing period consist of interests in real property located within the United States, excluding, for this purpose, interests in real property solely in a capacity as a creditor. We expect that 50% or more of our assets will consist of USRPIs. Even if the foregoing 50% test is not met, our stock nonetheless will not constitute a USRPI if we are a “domestically-controlled qualified investment entity.” A domestically-controlled qualified investment entity includes a REIT, less than 50% of value of which is held directly or indirectly by non-U.S. stockholders at all times during a specified testing period (after applying certain presumptions regarding the ownership of our stock, as described in the Code). We believe that we will be a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity and that a sale of our Class A common stock should not be subject to taxation under FIRPTA. No assurance can be given that we will remain a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity. In the event that we are not a domestically-controlled qualified investment entity, but our Class A common stock is “regularly traded,” as defined by applicable Treasury regulations, on an established securities market, a non-U.S. stockholder’s sale of our stock nonetheless would not be subject to tax under FIRPTA as a sale of a USRPI, provided that the selling non-U.S. stockholder held 10% or less of our Class A common stock at all times during a specified testing period. Our Class A common stock is, and we expect that it will continue to be, regularly traded.
In addition, if a non-U.S. stockholder disposes of such Class A common stock during the 30-day period preceding the ex-dividend date of any dividend payment, and such non-U.S. stockholder acquires or enters into a contract or option to acquire our Class A common stock within 61 days of the first day of such 30-day period described above, and any portion of such dividend payment would, but for the disposition, be treated as USRPI capital gain to such non-U.S. stockholder under FIRPTA, then such non-U.S.
 
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stockholder will be treated as having USRPI capital gain in an amount that, but for the disposition, would have been treated as USRPI capital gain.
If gain on the sale of our Class A common stock were subject to taxation under FIRPTA, the non-U.S. stockholder would be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return and would be subject to the same treatment as a U.S. stockholder with respect to such gain, subject to applicable alternative minimum tax and a special alternative minimum tax in the case of non-resident alien individuals, and the purchaser of the Class A common stock could be required to withhold 15% of the purchase price and remit such amount to the IRS.
Gain from the sale of our Class A common stock that would not otherwise be subject to FIRPTA will nonetheless be taxable in the United States to a non-U.S. stockholder in two cases: (i) if the non-U.S. stockholder’s investment in our Class A common stock is effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business conducted by such non-U.S. stockholder, the non-U.S. stockholder will be subject to the same treatment as a U.S. stockholder with respect to such gain, or (ii) if the non-U.S. stockholder is a nonresident alien individual who was present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and has a “tax home” in the United States, the nonresident alien individual will be subject to a 30% tax on the individual’s capital gain.
Certain types of non-U.S. stockholders, including “qualified foreign pension funds” and their wholly owned foreign subsidiaries and certain widely held, publicly traded “qualified collective investment vehicles” can benefit from certain exemptions from FIRPTA and other special FIRPTA rules. Non-U.S. stockholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the applicability of these or any other special FIRPTA rules to their particular investment in our stock.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, withholding at a rate of 30% generally will be required on dividends in respect of shares of our stock held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless such institution enters into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Treasury to report, on an annual basis, information with respect to shares in, and accounts maintained by, the institution to the extent such shares or accounts are held by certain U.S. persons and by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons and to withhold on certain payments. Accordingly, the entity through which our stock is held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is required. Similarly, dividends in respect of shares of our stock held by an investor that is a non-financial non-U.S. entity which does not qualify under certain exemptions will be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (i) certifies to us that such entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or (ii) provides certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners,” which we or the applicable withholding agent will in turn provide to the Secretary of the Treasury. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country, or future Treasury regulations or other guidance, may modify these requirements. We will not pay any additional amounts to stockholders in respect of any amounts withheld. Non-U.S. stockholders are encouraged to consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of the legislation on their investment in our common stock.
State, Local and Foreign Taxes
We and our subsidiaries and stockholders may be subject to state, local and foreign taxation in various jurisdictions, including those in which they or we transact business, own property or reside. The state, local or foreign tax treatment of our Company and our stockholders may not conform to the U.S. federal income tax treatment discussed above. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisor regarding the application and effect of state, local and foreign income and other tax laws on an investment in our Class A common stock.
 
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Proposed Legislation or Other Actions Affecting REITs
The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department, which results in statutory changes as well as frequent revisions to regulations and interpretations. Investors are urged to consult with their tax advisors with respect to the status of legislative, regulatory or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in our Class A common stock.
 
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SELLING SECURITY HOLDERS
Information about selling security holders of ESRT, where applicable, will be set forth in a prospectus supplement, in a post-effective amendment, or in filings we make with the SEC that are incorporated into this prospectus by reference.
 
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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
Sales by Us
We may sell the securities in any one or more of the following ways:

directly to investors, including through a specific bidding, auction or other process;

to investors through agents;

directly to agents;

to or through brokers or dealers;

to the public through underwriting syndicates led by one or more managing underwriters;

to one or more underwriters acting alone for resale to investors or to the public;

in a rights offering;

in “at the market offerings,” within the meaning of Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market on an exchange or otherwise;

through a combination of any such methods of sale; and

through any other method permitted by applicable law and described in a prospectus supplement.
ESRT’s common stock or preferred stock may be issued upon conversion of debt securities or preferred stock of ESRT or in exchange for debt securities of the Operating Partnership. Securities may also be issued upon exercise of warrants of ESRT. ESRT and the Operating Partnership reserve the right to sell securities directly to investors on their own behalf in those jurisdictions where they are authorized to do so.
If we sell securities to a dealer acting as principal, the dealer may resell such securities at varying prices to be determined by such dealer in its discretion at the time of resale without consulting with us and such resale prices may not be disclosed in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Any underwritten offering may be on a best efforts or a firm commitment basis. We may also offer securities through subscription rights distributed to our stockholders on a pro rata basis, which may or may not be transferable. In any distribution of subscription rights to stockholders, if all of the underlying securities are not subscribed for, we may then sell the unsubscribed securities directly to third parties or may engage the services of one or more underwriters, dealers or agents, including standby underwriters, to sell the unsubscribed securities to third parties.
Sales of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions:

at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

at prices related to prevailing market prices; or

at negotiated prices.
Any of the prices may represent a discount from the then prevailing market prices.
In the sale of the securities, underwriters or agents may receive compensation from us in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and may also receive compensation from purchasers of the securities, for whom they may act as agents, in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents.
Discounts, concessions and commissions may be changed from time to time. Dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters under the Securities Act,
 
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and any discounts, concessions or commissions they receive from us and any profit on the resale of securities they realize may be deemed to be underwriting compensation under applicable federal and state securities laws.
The applicable prospectus supplement will, where applicable:

identify any such underwriter, dealer or agent;

describe any compensation in the form of discounts, concessions, commissions or otherwise received from us by each such underwriter or agent and in the aggregate by all underwriters and agents;

describe any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers;

identify the amounts underwritten; and

identify the nature of the underwriter’s or underwriters’ obligation to take the securities.
Unless otherwise specified in the related prospectus supplement, each series of securities will be a new issue with no established trading market, other than shares of ESRT’s common stock, which are listed on the NYSE. Any common stock sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement will be listed on the NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance. We may elect to list any series of debt securities or preferred stock, on an exchange, but we are not obligated to do so. It is possible that one or more underwriters may make a market in the securities, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of, or the trading market for, any offered securities.
We may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If disclosed in the applicable prospectus supplement, in connection with those derivative transactions third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and such prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third-party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or from others to settle those short sales or to close out any related open borrowings of securities, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivative transactions to close out any related open borrowings of securities. If the third-party is or may be deemed to be an underwriter under the Securities Act, it will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplements.
Until the distribution of the securities is completed, rules of the SEC may limit the ability of any underwriters and selling group members to bid for and purchase the securities. As an exception to these rules, underwriters are permitted to engage in some transactions that stabilize the price of the securities. Such transactions consist of bids or purchases for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the securities.
Underwriters may engage in overallotment. If any underwriters create a short position in the securities in an offering in which they sell more securities than are set forth on the cover page of the applicable prospectus supplement, the underwriters may reduce that short position by purchasing the securities in the open market.
The lead underwriters may also impose a penalty bid on other underwriters and selling group members participating in an offering. This means that if the lead underwriters purchase securities in the open market to reduce the underwriters’ short position or to stabilize the price of the securities, they may reclaim the amount of any selling concession from the underwriters and selling group members who sold those securities as part of the offering.
In general, purchases of a security for the purpose of stabilization or to reduce a short position could cause the price of the security to be higher than it might be in the absence of such purchases. The imposition of a penalty bid might also have an effect on the price of a security to the extent that it were to discourage resales of the security before the distribution is completed.
We do not make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above might have on the price of the securities. In addition, we do not make any
 
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representation that underwriters will engage in such transactions or that such transactions, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.
Under agreements into which we may enter, underwriters, dealers and agents who participate in the distribution of the securities may be entitled to indemnification by us against or contribution towards certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the applicable securities laws.
Underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, perform services for us or be our tenants in the ordinary course of business.
If indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by particular institutions to purchase securities from us at the public offering price set forth in such prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date or dates stated in such prospectus supplement. Each delayed delivery contract will be for an amount no less than, and the aggregate amounts of securities sold under delayed delivery contracts shall be not less nor more than, the respective amounts stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Institutions with which such contracts, when authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and others, but will in all cases be subject to our approval. The obligations of any purchaser under any such contract will be subject to the conditions that (a) the purchase of the securities shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of any jurisdiction in the United States to which the purchaser is subject, and (b) if the securities are being sold to underwriters, we shall have sold to the underwriters the total amount of the securities less the amount thereof covered by the contracts. The underwriters and such other agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of such contracts.
To comply with applicable state securities laws, the securities offered by this prospectus will be sold, if necessary, in such jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, securities may not be sold in some states unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.
Underwriters, dealers or agents that participate in the offer of securities, or their affiliates or associates, may have engaged or engage in transactions with and perform services for, ESRT, the Operating Partnership or our affiliates in the ordinary course of business for which they may have received or receive customary fees and reimbursement of expenses.
Sales by Selling Security Holders
The selling security holders may resell or redistribute the securities from time to time on any stock exchange or automated interdealer quotation system on which the securities are listed, in the over-the-counter market, in privately negotiated transactions, or in any other legal manner, at fixed prices that may be changed, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. Persons who are pledgees, donees, transferees, or other successors in interest of any of the named selling security holders (including but not limited to persons who receive securities from a named selling security holder as a gift, partnership distribution or other non-sale-related transfer after the date of this prospectus) may also use this prospectus and are included when we refer to “selling security holders” in this prospectus. The selling security holders may sell the securities by one or more of the following methods, without limitation:

block trades (which may include cross trades) in which the broker or dealer so engaged will attempt to sell the securities as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;

purchases by a broker or dealer as principal and resale by the broker or dealer for its own account;

an exchange distribution or secondary distribution in accordance with the rules of any stock exchange on which the securities may be listed;

ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker solicits purchases;

an offering at other than a fixed price on or through the facilities of any stock exchange on which the securities are listed or to or through a market maker other than on that stock exchange;
 
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privately negotiated transactions, directly or through agents;

short sales;

through the writing of options on the securities, whether or the options are listed on an options exchange;

through the distribution of the securities by any security holders to its partners, members or stockholders;

one or more underwritten offerings;

agreements between a broker or dealer and any security holder to sell a specified number of the securities at a stipulated price per share; and

any combination of any of these methods of sale or distribution, or any other method permitted by applicable law.
The security holders may also transfer the securities by gift.
The selling security holders may engage brokers and dealers, and any brokers or dealers may arrange for other brokers or dealers to participate in effecting sales of the securities. These brokers, dealers or underwriters may act as principals, or as an agent of a selling security holder. Broker-dealers may agree with a selling security holder to sell a specified number of the securities at a stipulated price per share. If the broker-dealer is unable to sell securities acting as agent for a selling security holder, it may purchase as principal any unsold securities at the stipulated price. Broker-dealers who acquire securities as principals may thereafter resell the securities from time to time in transactions in any stock exchange or automated interdealer quotation system on which the securities are then listed, at prices and on terms then prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to the then-current market price or in negotiated transactions. Broker-dealers may use block transactions and sales to and through broker-dealers, including transactions of the nature described above.
From time to time, one or more of the selling security holders may pledge, hypothecate or grant a security interest in some or all of the securities owned by them. The pledgees, secured parties or persons to whom the securities have been hypothecated will, upon foreclosure in the event of default, be deemed to be selling security holders. The number of a selling security holder’s securities offered under this prospectus will decrease as and when it takes such actions. The plan of distribution for that selling security holder’s securities will otherwise remain unchanged. In addition, a selling security holder may, from time to time, sell the securities short, and, in those instances, this prospectus may be delivered in connection with the short sales and the securities offered under this prospectus may be used to cover short sales.
The selling security holders and any underwriters, brokers, dealers or agents that participate in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any discounts, concessions, commissions or fees received by them and any profit on the resale of the securities sold by them may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions.
A selling security holder may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers and the broker-dealers may engage in short sales of the securities in the course of hedging the positions they assume with that selling security holder, including, without limitation, in connection with distributions of the securities by those broker-dealers. A selling security holder may enter into option or other transactions with broker-dealers that involve the delivery of the securities offered hereby to the broker-dealers, who may then resell or otherwise transfer those securities. A selling security holder may also loan or pledge the securities offered hereby to a broker-dealer and the broker-dealer may sell the securities offered hereby so loaned or upon a default may sell or otherwise transfer the pledged securities offered hereby.
The selling security holders and other persons participating in the sale or distribution of the securities will be subject to applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and the related rules and regulations adopted by the SEC, including Regulation M. This regulation may limit the timing of purchases and sales of any of the securities by the selling security holders and any other person. The anti-manipulation rules under the Exchange Act may apply to sales of securities in the market and to the activities of the selling security holders and their affiliates. Furthermore, Regulation M may restrict the ability of any person engaged in the
 
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distribution of the securities to engage in market-making activities with respect to the particular securities being distributed for a period of up to five business days before the distribution. These restrictions may affect the marketability of the securities and the ability of any person or entity to engage in market-making activities with respect to the securities.
We may agree to indemnify the selling security holders and their respective officers, directors, employees and agents, and any underwriter or other person who participates in the offering of the securities, against specified liabilities, including liabilities under the federal securities laws or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities. The selling security holders may agree to indemnify us, the other selling security holders and any underwriter or other person who participates in the offering of the securities, against specified liabilities arising from information provided by the selling security holders for use in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement, including liabilities under the federal securities laws. In each case, indemnification may include each person who is an affiliate of or controls one of these specified indemnified persons within the meaning of the federal securities laws or is required to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities. The selling security holders may agree to indemnify any brokers, dealers or agents who participate in transactions involving sales of the securities against specified liabilities arising under the federal securities laws in connection with the offering and sale of the securities.
We will not receive any proceeds from sales of any securities by the selling security holders.
We cannot assure you that the selling security holders will sell all or any portion of the securities offered hereby.
We will supply the selling security holders and any stock exchange upon which the securities are listed with reasonable quantities of copies of this prospectus. To the extent required by Rule 424 under the Securities Act in connection with any resale or redistribution by a selling security holder, we will file a prospectus supplement setting forth:

the aggregate number of securities to be sold;

the purchase price;

the public offering price;

if applicable, the names of any underwrite; agent or broker-dealer; and

any applicable commissions, discounts, concessions, fees or other items constituting compensation to underwriters, agents or broker-dealers with respect to the particular transaction (which may exceed customary commissions or compensation).
If a selling security holder notifies us that a material arrangement has been entered into with a broker-dealer for the sale of securities through a block trade, special offering, exchange, distribution or secondary distribution or a purchase by a broker or dealer, the prospectus supplement will include any other facts that are material to the transaction. If applicable, this may include a statement to the effect that the participating broker-dealers did not conduct any investigation to verify the information set out or incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
 
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LEGAL MATTERS
The validity of the issuance of the securities of the Operating Partnership offered hereby, certain matters related to ESRT and tax matters related to us will be passed upon by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, New York, New York. The validity of the issuance of the shares of capital stock of ESRT offered hereby and certain other legal matters relating to Maryland law will be passed upon by Venable LLP, Baltimore, Maryland. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us, any selling stockholders or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.
EXPERTS
Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, as set forth in their reports, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements and our management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022 are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP’s reports, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
 
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[MISSING IMAGE: lg_empirestaterealty-4c.jpg]
EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST, INC.
Class A Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Depositary Shares
Guarantees
Warrants
EMPIRE STATE REALTY OP, L.P.
Debt Securities
PROSPECTUS
July 31, 2023

 
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14.   Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
Generally, the expenses in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered will be borne by us and are set forth in the following table.
SEC registration fee
$     *
Legal fees and expenses
$ **
Blue Sky expenses
$ **
Accounting fees and expenses
$ **
Printing fees and expenses
$ **
Transfer Agent’s and Trustee’s fees and expenses
$ **
Rating Agency Fees
$ **
Stock Exchange Listing Fees
$ **
Miscellaneous expenses
$ **
Total
$ **
*
To be deferred pursuant to Rule 456(b) under the Securities Act and calculated in connection with the offering of securities under this registration statement pursuant to Rule 457(r) under the Securities Act.
**
These fees and expenses depend on the securities offered and the number of issuances and, accordingly, cannot be estimated at this time. Each prospectus supplement will reflect estimated expenses based on the amount of the related offering.
Item 15.   Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Maryland law permits a Maryland corporation to include in its charter a provision limiting the liability of its directors and officers to the corporation and its stockholders for money damages except for liability resulting from (a) actual receipt of an improper benefit or profit in money, property or services or (b) active and deliberate dishonesty established by a final judgment as being material to the cause of action. Our charter contains such a provision and eliminates the liability of our directors and officers to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
The MGCL requires a Maryland corporation (unless its charter provides otherwise, which our charter does not) to indemnify a director or officer who has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding to which he or she is made or threatened to be made a party by reason of his or her service in that capacity against reasonable expenses actually incurred in the proceeding in which the director or officer was successful. The MGCL permits a Maryland corporation to indemnify its present and former directors and officers, among others, against judgments, penalties, fines, settlements and reasonable expenses actually incurred by them in connection with any proceeding to which they may be made or threatened to be made a party by reason of their service in those or other capacities unless it is established that:

the act or omission of the director or officer was material to the matter giving rise to the proceeding and (1) was committed in bad faith or (2) was the result of active and deliberate dishonesty;

the director or officer actually received an improper personal benefit in money, property or services; or

in the case of any criminal proceeding, the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe that the act or omission was unlawful.
Under the MGCL, a Maryland corporation may not indemnify a director or officer in a suit by or in the right of the corporation or in any proceeding charging improper personal benefit in which the director
 
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or officer was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received. A court may order indemnification in such situation if it determines that the director or officer is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, even though the director or officer did not meet the prescribed standard of conduct or was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received. However, indemnification for an adverse judgment in a suit by the corporation or in its right, or for a judgment of liability on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received, is limited to expenses.
In addition, the MGCL permits a Maryland corporation to advance reasonable expenses to a director or officer upon the corporation’s receipt of:

a written affirmation by the director or officer of his or her good faith belief that he or she has met the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the corporation; and

a written undertaking by the director or officer or on the director’s or officer’s behalf to repay the amount paid or reimbursed by the corporation if it is ultimately determined that the director or officer did not meet the standard of conduct.
Our charter and bylaws obligate us, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, to indemnify and, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to:

any present or former director or officer who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity; or

any individual who, while a director or officer of our Company and at our request, serves or has served another corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or any other enterprise as a director, officer, partner, member, manager or trustee of such corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity.
Our charter and bylaws also permit us, with the approval of our board of directors, to indemnify and advance expenses to (a) any present or former member, manager, shareholder, director, limited partner, general partner, officer or controlling person of (1) Malkin Holdings, (2) an entity that owned an interest in one of the 18 real properties or two acres of land that were contributed to ESRT, the Operating Partnership or their subsidiaries in ESRT’s initial public offering or (3) any direct or indirect partner or member, or any employee benefit plan or other enterprise thereof (provided, that, in the case such direct or indirect partner or member owned direct or indirect interests in any properties not contributed to ESRT, the Operating Partnership or their subsidiaries in ESRT’s initial public offering, only to the extent such service relates to the business of Malkin Holdings or any Contributing Entity) or (b) any agent for participants in any Contributing Entity or any direct or indirect partner or member thereof (provided, that, in the case such direct or indirect partner or member owned direct or indirect interests in any properties not contributed to ESRT or the Operating Partnership, only to the extent such service relates to the business of Malkin Holdings or any Contributing Entity). In addition, our equity incentive plan requires us to indemnify our directors and members of the compensation committee of our board of directors in connection with the performance of their duties, responsibilities and obligations under our equity incentive plan, to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law.
We have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors, executive officers and chairman emeritus, and certain other parties, providing for the indemnification by us for certain liabilities and expenses incurred as a result of actions brought, or threatened to be brought, against (i) our directors, executive officers and chairman emeritus and (ii) our executive officers, chairman emeritus and certain other parties who are former members, managers, shareholders, directors, limited partners, general partners, officers or controlling persons of our predecessor in their capacities as such. In addition, our Operating Partnership’s partnership agreement provides that we, as general partner, and our officers and directors are indemnified to the maximum extent permitted by law. Furthermore, we have purchased and now maintain insurance on behalf of all of our directors and executive officers against or incurred by them in their official capacities, whether or not we are required or have the power to indemnify them against the same
 
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liability and, pursuant to the indemnification agreements, we will be required to maintain a comparable “tail” directors’ and officers’ liability insurance policy for six years after each director or executive officer ceases to serve in such capacity.
Insofar as the foregoing provisions permit indemnification of directors, officers or persons controlling us for liability arising under the Securities Act, we have been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, this indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Item 16.   Exhibits.
Exhibit
Description
1.1* Form of Underwriting Agreement
4.1 Articles of Amendment and Restatement of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Amendment No. 8 to the Registration Statement on Form S-11 of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (Registration No. 333-179485) filed with the SEC on September 27, 2013)
4.2 Third Amended and Restated Bylaws of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. filed with the SEC on March 7, 2019)
4.3 Specimen Class A Common Stock Certificate of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Amendment No. 3 to the Registration Statement on Form S-11 of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (Registration No. 333-179485) filed with the SEC on November 2, 2012)
4.4 Specimen Class B Common Stock Certificate of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Amendment No. 3 to the Registration Statement on Form S-11 of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (Registration No. 333-179485) filed with the SEC on November 2, 2012)
4.5 Certificate of Limited Partnership of Empire State Realty OP, L.P. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 of Empire State Realty OP, L.P. filed with the SEC on February 28, 2020)
4.6 Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Empire State Realty OP, L.P., dated October 1, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2013 of Empire State Realty, Inc. filed with the SEC on November 12, 2013)
4.7 Amendment No. 1 to the Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Empire State Realty OP, L.P., dated August 26, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of Empire State Realty OP, L.P. filed with the SEC on August 26, 2014)
4.8 Amendment No. 2 to the Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of Empire State Realty OP, L.P., dated December 6, 2019 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of Empire State Realty OP, L.P. filed with the SEC on December 12, 2019)
4.9** Form of Indenture for Senior Debt Securities of Empire State Realty OP, L.P.
4.10** Form of Senior Debt Security of Empire State Realty OP, L.P. (included in Exhibit 4.9 as filed)
4.11** Form of Indenture for Subordinated Debt Securities of Empire State Realty OP, L.P.
4.12** Form of Subordinated Debt Security of Empire State Realty OP, L.P. (included in Exhibit 4.11 as filed)
4.13* Form of Depositary Agreement (including form of Depositary Receipt)
5.1** Opinion of Venable LLP regarding the legality of the shares of capital stock being registered and certain other legal matters relating to Maryland law
5.2** Opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP regarding the legality of certain securities being registered
8.1** Opinion of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP as to certain tax matters
 
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Exhibit
Description
23.1**
23.2**
23.3** Consent of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (included in Exhibits 5.2 and 8.1 hereto)
24.1**
25.1* Statement of Eligibility of Senior Trustee on Form T-1 for Empire State Realty OP, L.P.
25.2* Statement of Eligibility of Subordinated Trustee on Form T-1 for Empire State Realty OP, L.P.
 107**
*
To be filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a document to be incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference to this registration statement, including a Current Report on Form 8-K.
**
Filed herewith.
Item 17.   Undertakings.
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1)
To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
(i)
to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;
(ii)
to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and
(iii)
to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;
provided, however, that paragraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the SEC by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
(2)
That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(3)
To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(4)
That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser,
(i)
Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
 
II-4

 
(ii)
Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.
(5)
That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of the securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(6)
That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities: The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i)
Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii)
Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
(iii)
The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv)
Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
(7)
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
 
II-5

 
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on this 31st day of July 2023.
EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST, INC.
By:
/s/ Anthony E. Malkin
Anthony E. Malkin
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
 
II-6

 
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS that each individual whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints each of Anthony E. Malkin and Christina Chiu as such person’s true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for such person in such person’s name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement (or any registration statement for the same offering that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act), and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all documents in connection therewith, with the SEC, granting unto each said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as such person might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that any said attorney-in-fact and agent, or any substitute or substitutes of any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated. Each person listed below has signed this Registration Statement as an officer or director of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.
Signature
Title
Date
/s/ Anthony E. Malkin
Anthony E. Malkin
Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)
July 31, 2023
/s/ Christina Chiu
Christina Chiu
Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)
July 31, 2023
/s/ Stephen Horn
Stephen Horn
Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer (Principal Accounting Officer)
July 31, 2023
/s/ Thomas J. DeRosa
Thomas J. DeRosa
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ Steven J. Gilbert
Steven J. Gilbert
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ S. Michael Giliberto
S. Michael Giliberto
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ Patricia S. Han
Patricia S. Han
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ Grant H. Hill
Grant H. Hill
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ R. Paige Hood
R. Paige Hood
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ James D. Robinson IV
James D. Robinson IV
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ Christina Van Tassell
Christina Van Tassell
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ Hannah Yang
Hannah Yang
Director
July 31, 2023
 
II-7

 
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on this 31st day of July 2023.
EMPIRE STATE REALTY OP, L.P.
By:
Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.,
its general partner
By:
/s/ Anthony E. Malkin
Anthony E. Malkin
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
 
II-8

 
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS that each individual whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints each of Anthony E. Malkin and Christina Chiu as such person’s true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for such person in such person’s name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement (or any registration statement for the same offering that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act), and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all documents in connection therewith, with the SEC, granting unto each said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as such person might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that any said attorney-in-fact and agent, or any substitute or substitutes of any of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated. Each person listed below has signed this Registration Statement as an officer or director of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., in its capacity as the sole general partner in Empire State Realty OP, L.P.
Signature
Title
Date
/s/ Anthony E. Malkin
Anthony E. Malkin
Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)
July 31, 2023
/s/ Christina Chiu
Christina Chiu
Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)
July 31, 2023
/s/ Stephen Horn
Stephen Horn
Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer (Principal Accounting Officer)
July 31, 2023
/s/ Thomas J. DeRosa
Thomas J. DeRosa
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ Steven J. Gilbert
Steven J. Gilbert
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ S. Michael Giliberto
S. Michael Giliberto
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ Patricia S. Han
Patricia S. Han
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ Grant H. Hill
Grant H. Hill
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ R. Paige Hood
R. Paige Hood
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ James D. Robinson IV
James D. Robinson IV
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ Christina Van Tassell
Christina Van Tassell
Director
July 31, 2023
/s/ Hannah Yang
Hannah Yang
Director
July 31, 2023
 
II-9

EX-4.9 2 tm2319500d2_ex4-9.htm EXHIBIT 4.9

Exhibit 4.9

 

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST OP, L.P., AS COMPANY

 

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST, INC., AS PARENT

 

AND

 

[     ]

 

Trustee

 

Indenture

 

Dated as of [     ]

 

Senior Debt Securities

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  Page
   
RECITALS OF THE COMPANY 1
   
ARTICLE One
   
DEFINITIONS AND OTHER PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION
   
Section 1.01. Definitions 1
Section 1.02. Compliance Certificates and Opinions 10
Section 1.03. Form of Documents Delivered to Trustee 11
Section 1.04. Acts of Holders 11
Section 1.05. Notices, etc., to Trustee and Company 12
Section 1.06. Notice to Holders: Waiver 13
Section 1.07. Counterparts; Effect of Headings and Table of Contents 13
Section 1.08. Successors and Assigns 13
Section 1.09. Severability Clause 14
Section 1.10. Benefits of Indenture 14
Section 1.11. Governing Law; Waiver of Trial by Jury 14
Section 1.12. Non-Business Day 14
Section 1.13. Limited Liability; Immunity of Partners, Stockholders, Directors, Officers and Agents of the Company and Parent 15
Section 1.14. Conflict with Trust Indenture Act 15
Section 1.15. Electronic Signatures 15
   
ARTICLE Two
   
SECURITIES FORMS
   
Section 2.01. Forms of Securities 16
Section 2.02. Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication 16
Section 2.03. Securities Issuable in Global Form 16
   
ARTICLE Three
   
THE SECURITIES
   
Section 3.01. Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series 18
Section 3.02. Denominations 21
Section 3.03. Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating 21
Section 3.04. Temporary Securities 23
Section 3.05. Registration, Registration of Transfer and Exchange 25
Section 3.06. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities 27
Section 3.07. Payment of Interest; Interest Rights Preserved 28
Section 3.08. Persons Deemed Owners 30
Section 3.09. Cancellation 30
Section 3.10. Computation of Interest 31
Section 3.11. CUSIP Numbers 31

 

(i)

 

 

ARTICLE Four
   
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE
   
Section 4.01. Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture 31
Section 4.02. Application of Trust Funds 32
   
ARTICLE Five
   
REMEDIES
   
Section 5.01. Events of Default 32
Section 5.02. Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment 34
Section 5.03. Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee 35
Section 5.04. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim 36
Section 5.05. Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities 36
Section 5.06. Application of Money Collected 37
Section 5.07. Limitation on Suits 37
Section 5.08. Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal, Premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and Interest, if any 38
Section 5.09. Restoration of Rights and Remedies 38
Section 5.10. Rights and Remedies Cumulative 38
Section 5.11. Delay or Omission Not Waiver 38
Section 5.12. Control by Holders of Securities 38
Section 5.13. Waiver of Past Defaults 39
Section 5.14. Waiver of Usury, Stay or Extension Laws 39
Section 5.15. Undertaking for Costs 39
   
ARTICLE Six
   
THE TRUSTEE
   
Section 6.01. Notice of Defaults 40
Section 6.02. Certain Rights of Trustee 40
Section 6.03. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities 42
Section 6.04. May Hold Securities 42
Section 6.05. Money Held in Trust 42
Section 6.06. Compensation and Reimbursement 42
Section 6.07. Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility; Conflicting Interests 43
Section 6.08. Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor 43
Section 6.09. Acceptance of Appointment by Successor 45
Section 6.10. Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business 46
Section 6.11. Appointment of Authenticating Agent 46
Section 6.12. Certain Duties and Responsibilities of the Trustee 47

 

(ii)

 

 

ARTICLE Seven
   
HOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS BY TRUSTEE AND COMPANY
   
Section 7.01. Disclosure of Names and Addresses of Holders 49
Section 7.02. Reports by Trustee 49
Section 7.03. Reports by Company 49
Section 7.04. Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Holders 50
   
ARTICLE Eight
   
CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, SALE, LEASE OR CONVEYANCE
   
Section 8.01. Consolidations and Mergers of Company and Sales, Leases and Conveyances Permitted Subject to Certain Conditions 51
Section 8.02. Rights and Duties of Successor Entity 51
Section 8.03. Consolidations and Mergers of Parent and Sales, Leases and Conveyances Permitted Subject to Certain Conditions 52
Section 8.04. Rights and Duties of Successor Entity 52
Section 8.05. Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel 52
Section 8.06. Transfers to Majority Owned Subsidiaries 52
   
ARTICLE Nine
   
SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
   
Section 9.01. Supplemental Indentures Without Consent of Holders 52
Section 9.02. Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Holders 54
Section 9.03. Execution of Supplemental Indentures 55
Section 9.04. Effect of Supplemental Indentures 55
Section 9.05. Conformity with Trust Indenture Act 55
Section 9.06. Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures 55
   
ARTICLE Ten
   
COVENANTS
   
Section 10.01. Payment of Principal, Premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and Interest, if any 56
Section 10.02. Maintenance of Office or Agency 56
Section 10.03. Money for Securities Payments to Be Held in Trust 57
Section 10.04. Existence 58
Section 10.05. Statement as to Compliance 58
Section 10.06. Parent Guarantee 59
Section 10.07. Waiver of Certain Covenants 59

 

(iii)

 

 

ARTICLE Eleven
   
REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES
   
Section 11.01. Applicability of Article 59
Section 11.02. Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee 59
Section 11.03. Selection by Trustee of Securities to Be Redeemed 60
Section 11.04. Notice of Redemption 60
Section 11.05. Deposit of Redemption Price 61
Section 11.06. Securities Payable on Redemption Date 61
Section 11.07. Securities Redeemed in Part 62
   
ARTICLE Twelve
   
SINKING FUNDS
   
Section 12.01. Applicability of Article 62
Section 12.02. Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities 62
Section 12.03. Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund 63
   
ARTICLE Thirteen
   
REPAYMENT AT THE OPTION OF HOLDERS
   
Section 13.01. Applicability of Article 63
Section 13.02. Repayment of Securities 63
Section 13.03. Exercise of Option 64
Section 13.04. When Securities Presented for Repayment Become Due and Payable 64
Section 13.05. Securities Repaid in Part 65
   
ARTICLE Fourteen
   
DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT DEFEASANCE
   
Section 14.01. Applicability of Article: Company’s Option to Effect Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance 65
Section 14.02. Defeasance and Discharge 65
Section 14.03. Covenant Defeasance 66
Section 14.04. Conditions to Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance 66
Section 14.05. Deposited Money and Government Obligations to Be Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions 68

 

(iv)

 

 

ARTICLE Fifteen
   
MEETINGS OF HOLDERS OF SECURITIES
   
Section 15.01. Purposes for Which Meetings May Be Called 69
Section 15.02. Call, Notice and Place of Meetings 69
Section 15.03. Persons Entitled to Vote at Meetings 70
Section 15.04. Quorum; Action 70
Section 15.05. Determination of Voting Rights; Conduct and Adjournment of Meetings 71
Section 15.06. Counting Votes and Recording Action of Meetings 72
   
SIGNATURES 73
   
EXHIBIT A  
   
FORM OF REDEEMABLE OR NON-REDEEMABLE SENIOR DEBT SECURITY A-1
   
EXHIBIT B  
FORMS OF CERTIFICATION B-1

 

(v)

 

 

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST OP, L.P. Reconciliation and tie between the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the Trust Indenture Act” or “TIA”), and the Indenture, dated as of [     ].

 

Trust Indenture
Act Section
  Indenture Section
§ 310(a)(1)   6.07
(a)(2)   Not applicable
(a)(3)   Not applicable
(a)(4)   Not applicable
(a)(5)   Not applicable
(b)   6.04, 6.08
§ 311   1.01(2), 6.04
§ 312   7.01
(a)   Not applicable
(b)   7.01
(c)   Not applicable
§ 313   1.01(“Outstanding”), 7.02
(c)   6.01, 7.03
§ 314   Not applicable
(a)   Not applicable
(b)   Not applicable
(c)(1)   Not applicable
(c)(2)   Not applicable
(c)(3)   Not applicable
(d)   Not applicable
(e)   Not applicable
§ 315(a)   3.03, 6.02
(b)   3.03, 6.02
(c)   3.03, 6.02
(d)   3.03, 6.02
(e)   6.08
§ 316(a)   Not applicable
(a)(1)(A)   Not applicable
(a)(1)(B)   Not applicable
(a)(2)   Not applicable
(b)   Not applicable
(c)   1.04
§317(a)(1)   Not applicable
(a)(2)   Not applicable
(b)   Not applicable
§318(a)   Not applicable

 

 

NOTE: This reconciliation and tie shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be a part of the Indenture.

 

Attention should also be directed to TIA Section 318(c), which provides that the provisions of TIA Sections 310 to and including 317 are a part of and govern every qualified indenture, whether or not physically contained therein.

 

(vi)

 

 

INDENTURE, dated as of [     ], among EMPIRE STATE REALTY OP, L.P., a limited partnership organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (hereinafter called the Company”), Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (hereinafter called the “Parent”) and [     ], as Trustee hereunder (hereinafter called the “Trustee”).

 

RECITALS OF THE COMPANY

 

The Company deems it necessary to issue from time to time for its lawful purposes senior debt securities (hereinafter called the Securities”) evidencing its unsecured and senior indebtedness, and has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture to provide for the issuance from time to time of the Securities, to be issued in one or more Series as provided in this Indenture.

 

This Indenture is subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the Trust Indenture Act” or “TIA”), that are deemed to be incorporated into this Indenture and shall, to the extent applicable, be governed by such provisions.

 

All things necessary to make this Indenture a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, have been done.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH:

 

For and in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities by the Holders thereof, it is mutually covenanted and agreed, for the equal and proportionate benefit of all Holders of the Securities or of Series thereof, as follows:

 

ARTICLE One

 

DEFINITIONS AND OTHER PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION

 

Section 1.01. Definitions.

 

For all purposes of this Indenture, except as otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires:

 

(1)          the terms defined in this Article have the meanings assigned to them in this Article, and include the plural as well as the singular;

 

(2)          all other terms used herein which are defined in the TIA, either directly or by reference therein, have the meanings assigned to them therein, and the terms “cash transactions” and “self liquidating paper,” as used in TIA Section 311, shall have the meanings assigned to them in the rules of the Commission adopted under the TIA;

 

(3)          all accounting terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings assigned to them in accordance with GAAP;

 

1

 

 

(4)          any reference to an “Article” or a “Section” refers to an Article or Section, as the case may be, of this Indenture; and

 

(5)          the words “herein,” “hereof “and “hereunder” and other words of similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision.

 

Act,” when used with respect to any Holder, has the meaning specified in Section 1.04.

 

Affiliateof any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition, “control” when used with respect to any specified Person means the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the terms “controlling” and “controlled” have meanings correlative to the foregoing.

 

Authenticating Agent means any Person authorized by the Trustee pursuant to Section 6.11 hereof to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate Securities of one or more Series.

 

Authorized Newspaper means a newspaper, printed in the English language or in an official language of the country of publication, customarily published on each Business Day, whether or not published on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, and of general circulation in each place in connection with which the term is used or in the financial community of each such place. Whenever successive publications are required to be made in Authorized Newspapers, the successive publications may be made in the same or in different Authorized Newspapers in the same city meeting the foregoing requirements and in each case on any Business Day.

 

Bankruptcy Law means Title 11 of the U.S. Code or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors.

 

Board of Directors when used with reference to the Company, means the board of directors of Parent, or any committee of that board duly authorized to act hereunder or any director or directors and/or officer or officers of Parent, to whom the board or committee shall have duly delegated its authority.

 

Board Resolution means a copy of (1) a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of Parent to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee of the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification or (2) a certificate signed by the director or directors or officer or officers to whom the Board of Directors of Parent shall have duly delegated its authority, together with a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of Parent to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification authorizing such delegation, and, in each case, delivered to the Trustee.

 

2

 

 

Business Day,” when used with respect to any Place of Payment or any other particular location referred to in this Indenture or in the Securities, means, unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities issued pursuant to Section 3.01, any day, other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in that Place of Payment or such location are authorized or required by law or executive order to close or be closed.

 

Capital Stock means any and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of corporate stock and, with respect to partnerships, partnership interests (whether general or limited) and any other interest or participation that confers on a Person the right to receive a share of the profits and losses of, or distributions of assets of, such partnership, but excluding from all of the foregoing any debt convertible into Capital Stock, whether or not such debt securities include any right of participation with Capital Stock.

 

Clearstreammeans Clearstream Banking Luxembourg, société anonyme, or its successor.

 

Codemeans the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations thereunder.

 

Commissionmeans the Securities and Exchange Commission, as from time to time constituted, created under the Exchange Act, or, if at any time after execution of this instrument such Commission is not existing and performing the duties now assigned to it under the Trust Indenture Act, then the body performing such duties on such date.

 

Common Depository has the meaning specified on Section 3.04(b).

 

Companymeans the Person named as the “Company” in the first paragraph of this Indenture until a successor corporation shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Company” shall mean such successor corporation.

 

Company Request and “Company Order” mean, respectively, a written request or order signed on behalf of the Company by the Parent, as its general partner, by an Officer of Parent, and delivered to the Trustee.

 

Conversion Event means the cessation of use of (i) a Foreign Currency both by the government of the country which issued such currency and for the settlement of transactions by a central bank or other public institutions of or within the international banking community or (ii) any currency unit (or composite currency) for the purposes for which it was established.

 

Corporate Trust Office means the office of the Trustee at which, at any particular time, its corporate trust business shall be principally administered, which office at the date hereof is located at [     ].

 

covenant defeasance has the meaning specified in Section 14.03.

 

Defaulted Interest has the meaning specified in Section 3.07.

 

defeasancehas the meaning specified in Section 14.02.

 

3

 

 

Dollarand the sign “$” means a dollar or other equivalent unit in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for the payment of public and private debts.

 

DTCmeans the Depository Trust Company and any successor to DTC in its capacity as depository for any Securities.

 

EuroclearEuroclear Bank S.A./N.V., or its successor, as operator of the Euroclear System.

 

Event of Default has the meaning specified in Section 5.01.

 

Exchange Act means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as in force at the date as of which this Indenture was executed; provided, however, that in the event the Exchange Act is amended after such date, “Exchange Act” means to the extent required by any such amendment, the Exchange Act as so amended.

 

Exchange Date has the meaning specified in Section 3.04(b).

 

Foreign Currency means any currency, currency unit or composite currency issued by the government of one or more countries other than the United States of America or by any recognized confederation or association of such governments.

 

GAAPmeans generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, consistently applied, as in effect from time to time. If at any time any change in GAAP would affect the computation of any financial ratio or requirement set forth in this Indenture, and either the Company or the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities shall so request, the Company and the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities shall negotiate in good faith to amend such ratio or requirement to preserve the original intent thereof in light of such change in GAAP (subject to the approval of the Holders of a majority of outstanding notes); provided that, until so amended, (i) such ratio or requirement shall continue to be computed in accordance with GAAP prior to such change therein and (ii) the Company shall provide to the Holders financial statements and other documents required under this Indenture or as reasonably requested hereunder setting forth a reconciliation between calculations of such ratio or requirement made before and after giving effect to such change in GAAP.

 

Global Security means a Security evidencing all or a part of a Series of Securities issued to and registered in the name of the depository for such Series, or its nominee, in accordance with Section 3.05, and bearing the legend prescribed in Section 2.03.

 

Government Obligations means (i) securities which are (A) direct obligations of the United States of America or the government which issued the Foreign Currency in which the Securities of a particular Series are payable, for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged or (B) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America or such government which issued the Foreign Currency in which the Securities of such Series are payable, the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States of America or such other government, which, in either case, are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof, and (ii) a depository receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such Government Obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of any such Government Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of a depository receipt; provided that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depository receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the Government Obligation or the specific payment of interest on or principal of the Government Obligation evidenced by such depository receipt.

 

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Holdermeans, in the case of a Registered Security, the Person in whose name a Security is registered in the Security Register.

 

Indenturemeans this instrument as originally executed or as it may be supplemented or amended from time to time by one or more indentures supplemental hereto entered into pursuant to the applicable provisions hereof, and shall include the terms of particular Series of Securities established as contemplated by Section 3.01; provided, however, that, if at any time more than one Person is acting as Trustee under this instrument, “Indenture” shall mean, with respect to any one or more Series of Securities for which such Person is Trustee, this instrument as originally executed or as it may be supplemented or amended from time to time by one or more indentures supplemental hereto entered into pursuant to the applicable provisions hereof and shall include the terms of the or those particular Series of Securities for which such Person is Trustee established as contemplated by Section 3.01, exclusive, however, of any provisions or terms which relate solely to other Series of Securities for which such Person is Trustee, regardless of when such terms or provisions were adopted, and exclusive of any provisions or terms adopted by means of one or more indentures supplemental hereto executed and delivered after such Person had become such Trustee but to which such Person, as such Trustee, was not a party.

 

Indexed Security means a Security the terms of which provide that the principal amount thereof payable at Stated Maturity may be more or less than the principal face amount thereof at original issuance.

 

Interest,” when used with respect to an Original Issue Discount Security which by its terms bears interest only after Maturity, shall mean interest payable after Maturity.

 

Interest Payment Date,” when used with respect to any Security, means the Stated Maturity of an installment of interest on such Security.

 

Make-Whole Amount,” when used with respect to any Security, means the amount, if any, in addition to principal (and accrued interest thereon, if any) which is required by a Security, under the terms and conditions specified therein or as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.01, to be paid by the Company to the Holder thereof in connection with any optional redemption or accelerated payment of such Security.

 

mandatory sinking fund payment has the meaning specified in Section 12.01.

 

Maturity,” when used with respect to any Security, means the date on which the principal (or, if the context so requires, in the case of an Original Issue Discount Security, or lesser amount or, in the case of an Indexed Security, an amount determined in accordance with the specified terms of that Security) of such Security or an installment of principal becomes due and payable as therein or herein provided, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, notice of redemption, notice of option to elect repayment or otherwise.

 

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Notice of Default has the meaning specified in Section 5.01(4).

 

Officermeans the Chairman of the Board, the President, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, any Vice President, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary or Assistant Secretary of Parent.

 

Officer’s Certificate means a certificate signed by an Officer of the Parent on behalf of the Company, as its general partner, and delivered to the Trustee.

 

Opinion of Counsel means a written opinion of counsel, who may be counsel for the Company or who may be an employee of or other counsel for the Company. Such opinion may contain customary qualifications and assumptions.

 

Option to Elect Repayment has the meaning specified in Section 13.03.

 

optional sinking fund payment has the meaning specified in Section 12.01.

 

Original Issue Discount Security means any Security which provides for an amount (excluding any amounts attributable to accrued but unpaid interest thereon) less than the principal amount thereof to be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 5.02.

 

Outstanding,” when used with respect to Securities, means, as of the date of determination, all Securities theretofore authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, except:

 

(i)            Securities theretofore canceled by the Trustee or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation;

 

(ii)           Securities, or portions thereof, for whose payment or redemption (including repayment at the option of the Holder) money in the necessary amount has been theretofore deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent (other than the Company) in trust or set aside and segregated in trust by the Company (if the Company shall act as its own Paying Agent) for the Holders of such Securities; provided, however, that, if such Securities or portions thereof are to be redeemed, notice of such redemption has been duly given pursuant to this Indenture, or provision therefor satisfactory to the Trustee has been made;

 

(iii)          Securities, except to the extent provided in Sections 14.02 and 14.03, with respect to which the Company has effected defeasance and/or covenant defeasance as provided in Article Fourteen; and

 

(iv)          Securities which have been paid pursuant to Section 3.06 or in exchange for or in lieu of which other Securities have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to this Indenture, other than any such Securities in respect of which there shall have been presented to the Trustee proof satisfactory to it that such Securities are held by a protected purchaser in whose hands such Securities are valid obligations of the Company.

 

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provided, however, that in determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of the Outstanding Securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder or are present at a meeting of Holders for quorum purposes, and for the purpose of making the calculations required by TIA Section 313, (i) the principal amount of an Original Issue Discount Security that may be counted in making such determination or calculation and that shall be deemed to be Outstanding for such purpose shall be equal to the amount of principal thereof that would be (or shall have been declared to be) due and payable, at the time of such determination, upon a declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 5.02, (ii) the principal amount of any Security denominated in a Foreign Currency that may be counted in making such determination or calculation and that shall be deemed Outstanding for such purpose shall be equal to the Dollar equivalent, determined pursuant to Section 3.01 as of the date such Security is originally issued by the Company, of the principal amount (or, in the case of an Original Issue Discount Security, the Dollar equivalent as of such date of original issuance of the amount determined as provided in clause (i) above) of such Security, (iii) the principal amount of any Indexed Security that may be counted in making such determination or calculation and that shall be deemed outstanding for such purpose shall be equal to the principal face amount of such Indexed Security at original issuance, unless otherwise provided with respect to such Security pursuant to Section 3.01, and (iv) Securities owned by the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or any Affiliate of the Company or of such other obligor shall be disregarded and deemed not to be Outstanding, except that, in determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in making such calculation or in relying upon any such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver, only Securities which a Responsible Officer of the Trustee actually knows to be so owned shall be so disregarded. Securities owned as provided in clause (iv) above which have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as Outstanding if the pledgee establishes to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee’s right so to act with respect to such Securities and that the pledgee is not the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or any Affiliate of the Company or of such other obligor. In case of a dispute as to such right, the advice of counsel shall be full protection in respect of any decision made by the Trustee in accordance with such advice.

 

Parentmeans the Person named as the “Parent” in the first paragraph of this Indenture until a successor corporation shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Parent” shall mean such successor corporation.

 

Paying Agent means any Person authorized by the Company to pay the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest on any Securities on behalf of the Company.

 

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Permitted Debt means indebtedness for borrowed money of the Parent and indebtedness for borrowed money of the Company which is guaranteed by the Parent not to exceed $10,000,000 in the aggregate outstanding from time to time.

 

Personmeans any individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof, or any other entity or organization.

 

Place of Payment,” when used with respect to the Securities of or within any Series, means the place or places where the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest on such Securities are payable as specified as contemplated by Sections 3.01 and 10.02.

 

Predecessor Security of any particular Security means every previous Security evidencing all or a portion of the same debt as that evidenced by such particular Security; and, for the purposes of this definition, any Security authenticated and delivered under Section 3.06 in exchange for or in lieu of a mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be deemed to evidence the same debt as the mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security.

 

Redemption Date,” when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, in whole or in part, means the date fixed for such redemption by or pursuant to this Indenture.

 

Redemption Price,” when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, means the price specified in the related Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture contemplated by and pursuant to Section 3.01, at which it is to be redeemed pursuant to this Indenture.

 

Registered Security shall mean any Security which is registered in the Security Register.

 

Regular Record Date for the interest payable on any Interest Payment Date on the Registered Securities of or within any Series means the date specified for that purpose as contemplated by Section 3.01, whether or not a Business Day.

 

Repayment Date means, when used with respect to any Security to be repaid at the option of the Holder, the date fixed for such repayment by or pursuant to this Indenture.

 

Responsible Officer,” when used with respect to the Trustee, means any Vice President (whether or not designated by a number or a word or words added before or after the title “Vice President”), Assistant Vice President, Trust Officer or Assistant Trust Officer working in its Corporate Trust Department, or any other officer of the Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers and working in its Corporate Trust Department who shall have direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture, and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of such officer’s knowledge and familiarity with the particular subject and who shall have direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture.

 

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Securities Act means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, as in effect from time to time.

 

Securityand “Securities” has the meaning stated in the first recital of this Indenture and, more particularly, means any Security or Securities authenticated and delivered under this Indenture; provided, however, that, if at any time there is more than one Person acting as Trustee under this Indenture, “Securities” with respect to this Indenture as to which such Person is Trustee shall have the meaning stated in the first recital of this Indenture and shall more particularly mean Securities authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, exclusive, however, of Securities of any Series as to which such Person is not Trustee.

 

Security Register and “Security Registrar” have the respective meanings specified in Section 3.05.

 

Senior Officer means, with respect to the Company, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the President, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer, or the Controller/Chief Accounting Officer of the Parent.

 

Seriesof Securities means all securities denoted as part of the same Series authorized by or pursuant to a particular Board Resolution.

 

Special Record Date for the payment of any Defaulted Interest on the Registered Securities of or within any Series means a date fixed by the Company pursuant to Section 3.07.

 

Stated Maturity,” when used with respect to any Security or any installment of principal thereof or interest thereon, means the date specified in such Security as the fixed date on which the principal of such Security or such installment of principal or interest is due and payable.

 

Subsidiarymeans, with respect to any Person, a corporation, partnership, association, joint venture, trust, limited liability company or other business entity, which is required to be consolidated with the Company in accordance with GAAP.

 

Trust Indenture Act or “TIA” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended and as in force at the date as of which this Indenture was executed, except as provided in Section 9.05.

 

Trusteemeans the Person named as the “Trustee” in the first paragraph of this Indenture until a successor Trustee shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Trustee” shall mean or include each Person who is then a Trustee hereunder; provided, however, that if at any time there is more than one such Person, “Trustee” as used with respect to the Securities of any Series shall mean only the Trustee with respect to Securities of that Series.

 

United States means, unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities pursuant to Section 3.01, the United States of America (including the states and the District of Columbia), its territories, its possessions and other areas subject to its jurisdiction.

 

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United States Person means, unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities pursuant to Section 3.01, an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States, a corporation, partnership or other entity created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or an estate or trust the income of which is subject to United States Federal income taxation regardless of its source.

 

Yield to Maturity means the yield to maturity, computed at the time of issuance of a Security (or, if applicable, at the most recent redetermination of interest on such Security) and as set forth in such Security in accordance with generally accepted United States bond yield computation principles.

 

Section 1.02. Compliance Certificates and Opinions.

 

Upon any application or request by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any provision of this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating that all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel stating that in the opinion of such counsel all such conditions precedent, if any, have been complied with, except that in the case of any such application or request as to which the furnishing of such documents is specifically required by any provision of this Indenture relating to such particular application or request, no additional certificate or opinion need be furnished.

 

Every certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (including certificates delivered pursuant to Section 10.05) shall include:

 

(1)          a statement that each individual signing such certificate or opinion has read such condition or covenant and the definitions herein relating thereto;

 

(2)          a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based;

 

(3)          a statement that, in the opinion of each such individual, he has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such condition or covenant has been complied with; and

 

(4)          a statement as to whether, in the opinion of each such individual, such condition or covenant has been complied with.

 

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Section 1.03. Form of Documents Delivered to Trustee.

 

In any case where several matters are required to be certified by, or covered by an opinion of, any specified Person, it is not necessary that all such matters be certified by, or covered by the opinion of, only one such Person, or that they be so certified or covered by only one document, but one such Person may certify or give an opinion with respect to some matters and one or more other such Persons as to other matters, and any such Person may certify or give an opinion as to such matters in one or several documents.

 

Any certificate or opinion of an officer of the Company may be based, insofar as it relates to legal matters, upon an Opinion of Counsel, or a certificate or representations by counsel, unless such officer knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care should know, that the opinion, certificate or representations with respect to the matters upon which his certificate or opinion is based are erroneous.

 

Any such Opinion of Counsel or certificate or representations may be based, insofar as it relates to factual matters, upon a certificate or opinion of, or representations by, an officer or officers of the Company stating that the information as to such factual matters is in the possession of the Company, unless such counsel knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care should know, that the certificate or opinion or representations with respect to such matters are erroneous.

 

Where any Person is required to make, give or execute two or more applications, requests, consents, certificates, statements, opinions or other instruments under this Indenture, they may, but need not, be consolidated and form one instrument.

 

Section 1.04. Acts of Holders.

 

(a)          Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided by this Indenture to be given or taken by Holders of the Outstanding Securities of all Series or one or more Series, as the case may be, may be embodied in and evidenced by one or more instruments of substantially similar tenor signed by such Holders in person or by agents duly appointed in writing. Except as herein otherwise expressly provided, such action shall become effective when such instrument or instruments or record or both are delivered to the Trustee and, where it is hereby expressly required, to the Company. Such instrument or instruments and any such record (and the action embodied therein and evidenced thereby) are herein sometimes referred to as the “Act” of the Holders signing such instrument or instruments or so voting at any such meeting. Proof of execution of any such instrument or of a writing appointing any such agent, or of the holding by any Person of a Security, shall be sufficient for any purpose of this Indenture and conclusive in favor of the Trustee and the Company and any agent of the Trustee or the Company, if made in the manner provided in this Section. The record of any meeting of Holders of Securities shall be proved in the manner provided in Section 15.06.

 

(b)          The fact and date of the execution by any Person of any such instrument or writing may be proved by the affidavit of a witness of such execution or by a certificate of a notary public or other officer authorized by law to take acknowledgments of deeds, certifying that the individual signing such instrument or writing acknowledged to him the execution thereof. Where such execution is by a signer acting in a capacity other than his individual capacity, such certificate or affidavit shall also constitute sufficient proof of his authority. The fact and date of the execution of any such instrument or writing, or the authority of the Person executing the same, may also be proved in any other reasonable manner which the Trustee deems sufficient.

 

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(c)          The ownership of Registered Securities shall be proved by the Security Register. As to any matter relating to beneficial ownership interests in any Global Security, the appropriate depository’s records shall be dispositive for purposes of this Indenture.

 

(d)          If the Company shall solicit from the Holders of Registered Securities any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, the Company may, at its option, in or pursuant to a Board Resolution, fix in advance a record date for the determination of Holders entitled to give such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, but the Company shall have no obligation to do so. Notwithstanding TIA Section 316(c), such record date shall be the record date specified in or pursuant to such Board Resolution, which shall be a date not earlier than the date 30 days prior to the first solicitation of Holders generally in connection therewith and not later than the date such solicitation is completed. If such a record date is fixed, such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act may be given before or after such record date, but only the Holders of record at the close of business on such record date shall be deemed to be Holders for the purposes of determining whether Holders of the requisite proportion of Outstanding Securities have authorized or agreed or consented to such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, and for that purpose the Outstanding Securities shall be computed as of such record date; provided that no such authorization, agreement or consent by the Holders on such record date shall be deemed effective unless it shall become effective pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture not later than eleven months after the record date.

 

(e)          Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act of the Holder of any Security shall bind every future Holder of the same Security and the Holder of every Security issued upon the registration of transfer thereof or in exchange therefor or in lieu thereof in respect of anything done, omitted or suffered to be done by the Trustee, any Security Registrar, any Paying Agent, any Authenticating Agent or the Company in reliance thereon, whether or not notation of such action is made upon such Security.

 

Section 1.05. Notices, etc., to Trustee and Company.

 

Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or Act of Holders which by any provision of this Indenture is required or permitted to be given or furnished to, or filed with:

 

(1)          the Trustee by any Holder or by the Company shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder if made, given, furnished or filed in writing to or with the Trustee at [     ], shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, if given or served by being deposited postage prepaid by registered or certified mail in a post office letter box, or sent by overnight courier, or sent by electronic transmission; or

 

(2)          the Company or Parent by the Trustee or by any Holder shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder (unless otherwise herein expressly provided) if in writing and mailed, first class postage prepaid, to the Company and Parent at One Grand Central Place, 60 East 42nd Street, New York, New York 10165 or at any other address previously furnished in writing to the Trustee by the Company, Attention: Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel, shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, if given or served by being deposited postage prepaid by registered or certified mail in a post office letter box, or sent by overnight courier, or sent by electronic transmission.

 

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Section 1.06. Notice to Holders: Waiver.

 

Where this Indenture provides for notice of any event to Holders of Registered Securities by the Company or the Trustee, such notice shall be sufficiently given (unless otherwise herein expressly provided) if in writing and deposited postage prepaid by registered or certified mail in a post office letter box, or sent by overnight courier, or sent by electronic transmission, to each such Holder affected by such event, at his address as it appears in the Security Register, not later than the latest date, if any, and not earlier than the earliest date, if any, prescribed for the giving of such notice. In any case where notice to Holders of Registered Securities is given by mail, neither the failure to mail such notice, nor any defect in any notice so mailed, to any particular Holder shall affect the sufficiency of such notice with respect to other Holders of Registered Securities given as provided herein. Any notice mailed to a Holder in the manner herein prescribed shall be conclusively deemed to have been received by such Holder, whether or not such Holder actually receives such notice.

 

If by reason of the suspension of or irregularities in regular mail service or by reason of any other cause it shall be impracticable to give such notice by mail, then such notification to Holders of Registered Securities as shall be made with the approval of the Trustee shall constitute a sufficient notification to such Holders for every purpose hereunder.

 

Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver required or permitted under this Indenture shall be in the English language, except that any published notice may be in an official language of the country of publication.

 

Where this Indenture provides for notice in any manner, such notice may be waived in writing by the Person entitled to receive such notice, either before or after the event, and such waiver shall be the equivalent of such notice. Waivers of notice by Holders shall be filed with the Trustee, but such filing shall not be a condition precedent to the validity of any action taken in reliance upon such waiver.

 

Section 1.07. Counterparts; Effect of Headings and Table of Contents.

 

This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same Indenture. The Article and Section headings herein and the Table of Contents are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

 

Section 1.08. Successors and Assigns.

 

All covenants and agreements in this Indenture by each of the Company and Parent shall bind its respective successors and assigns, whether so expressed or not.

 

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Section 1.09. Severability Clause.

 

In case any provision in this Indenture or in any Security shall be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

 

Section 1.10. Benefits of Indenture.

 

Nothing in this Indenture or in the Securities, if any, express or implied, shall give to any Person, other than the parties hereto, any Security Registrar, any Paying Agent, any Authenticating Agent and their successors hereunder, the holders of Securities and the Holders any benefit or any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Indenture.

 

Section 1.11. Governing Law; Waiver of Trial by Jury.

 

This Indenture and the Securities shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. This Indenture is subject to the provisions of the TIA that are required to be part of this Indenture and shall, to the extent applicable, be governed by such provisions.

 

EACH PARTY HERETO, AND EACH HOLDER OF A SECURITY BY ACCEPTANCE THEREOF, HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF, UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS INDENTURE.

 

Section 1.12. Non-Business Day.

 

In any case where any Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date, Repayment Date, sinking fund payment date, Stated Maturity or Maturity of any Security or the last date on which a Holder has the right to exchange a Security shall not be a Business Day, then (notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or any Security other than a provision in the Securities of any Series which specifically states that such provision shall apply in lieu hereof), payment of interest, if any, or principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or exchange of such Security need not be made at such Place of Payment on such date, but (except as otherwise provided in the supplemental indenture with respect to such Security) may be made on the next succeeding Business Day at such Place of Payment with the same force and effect as if made on the Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date, Repayment Date or sinking fund payment date, or at the Stated Maturity or Maturity, or on such last day for exchange; provided that no interest shall accrue on the amount so payable for the period from and after such Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date, Repayment Date, sinking fund payment date, Stated Maturity or Maturity, as the case may be.

 

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Section 1.13. Limited Liability; Immunity of Partners, Stockholders, Directors, Officers and Agents of the Company and Parent.

 

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or of the Securities of any Series to the contrary, no recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement contained in this Indenture or in any Security, or because of any indebtedness evidenced by any of the foregoing, shall be had against any past, present or future partner (including the Parent), shareholder, member, manager, employee, officer, agent or director, solely in their capacity as such, of the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, as applicable, or any such predecessor or successor, under any rule of law, statute or constitutional provision or by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding or otherwise, it being expressly agreed and understood that this Indenture and the Securities are solely corporate obligations, and that no personal liability whatsoever shall attach to, or be incurred by, any past, present or future partner (including the Parent), shareholder, member, manager, employee, officer, agent or director, solely in their capacity as such, of the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, as applicable, or any predecessor or successor, either directly or through the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, as applicable, or any predecessor or successor corporation, because of the incurring of the Indebtedness hereby authorized or under or by reason of any of the obligations, covenants, promises or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities, or to be implied herefrom or therefrom, and that all liability, if any, of that character against every such partner (including the Parent), shareholder, member, manager, employee, officer, agent or director, of the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, is, by the acceptance of the Securities and as a condition of, and as part of the consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issue of the Securities expressly waived and released.

 

Section 1.14. Conflict with Trust Indenture Act.

 

If any provision hereof limits, qualifies or conflicts with another provision hereof which is required or deemed to be included in this Indenture by any of the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act, such required provision shall control. If any provision of this Indenture modifies or excludes any provision of the Trust Indenture Act that may be so modified or excluded, the latter provision shall be deemed to apply to this Indenture as so modified or to be excluded, as the case may be.

 

Section 1.15. Electronic Signatures.

 

This Indenture and any certificate, agreement or other document to be signed in connection with this Indenture and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be valid, binding and enforceable against a party only when executed and delivered by an authorized individual on behalf of the party by means of (i) an original manual signature, (ii) a faxed, scanned or photocopied manual signature or (iii) in the case of this Indenture and any certificate, agreement or other document to be signed in connection with this Indenture and the transactions contemplated hereby, other than any Security (including a Global Security), any electronic signature permitted by the federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, state enactments of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, and/or any other relevant electronic signatures law, including relevant provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code (collectively, “Signature Law”). Each electronic signature (except in the case of any Security (including a Global Security)) or faxed, scanned or photocopied manual signature shall for all purposes have the same validity, legal effect and admissibility in evidence as an original manual signature. Each party hereto shall be entitled to conclusively rely upon, and shall have no liability with respect to, any faxed, scanned or photocopied manual signature, or other electronic signature (except in the case of any Security (including a Global Security)), of any party and shall have no duty to investigate, confirm or otherwise verify the validity or authenticity thereof. For avoidance of doubt, original manual signatures shall be used for execution or indorsement of writings when required under the Uniform Commercial Code or other Signature Law due to the character or intended character of the writings.

 

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ARTICLE Two

 

SECURITIES FORMS

 

Section 2.01. Forms of Securities.

 

The Registered Securities, if any, of each Series shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto or in such other form as shall be established in one or more indentures supplemental hereto or approved from time to time by or pursuant to a Board Resolution in accordance with Section 3.01, shall have such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as are required or permitted by this Indenture or any indenture supplemental hereto, and may have such letters, numbers or other marks of identification or designation and such legends or endorsements placed thereon as the Company may deem appropriate and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture, or as may be required to comply with any law or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or regulation of any stock exchange, automated quotation system or clearing agency, or to conform to usage.

 

The definitive Securities shall be printed, lithographed or engraved or produced by any combination of these methods on a steel engraved border or steel engraved borders or mechanically reproduced on safety paper or may be produced in any other manner, all as determined by the officers executing such Securities, as evidenced by their execution of such Securities.

 

Section 2.02. Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication.

 

Subject to Section 6.11, the Trustee’s certificate of authentication shall be in substantially the following form:

 

This is one of the Securities of the Series designated therein referred to in the within- mentioned Indenture.

 

Dated:     [    ]  
        as Trustee
         
Dated:     By:  
        Authorized Signatory

 

Section 2.03. Securities Issuable in Global Form.

 

If Securities of or within a Series are issuable in the form of one or more Global Securities, then, notwithstanding clause (8) of Section 3.01 and the provisions of Section 3.02, any such Global Security or Securities may provide that it or they shall represent the aggregate amount of all Outstanding Securities of such Series (or such lesser amount as is permitted by the terms thereof) from time to time endorsed thereon and may also provide that the aggregate amount of Outstanding Securities of such Series represented thereby may from time to time be increased or decreased to reflect exchanges. Any endorsement of any Global Security to reflect the amount, or any increase or decrease in the amount, or changes in the rights of Holders thereof, of Outstanding Securities represented thereby shall be made (or caused to be made) by the Trustee in such manner or by such Person or Persons as shall be specified therein or in the Company Order to be delivered to the Trustee pursuant to Section 3.03 or 3.04. Subject to the provisions of Section 3.03 and, if applicable, Section 3.04, the Trustee shall deliver and redeliver any Global Security in permanent global form in the manner and upon instructions given by the Person or Persons specified therein or in the applicable Company Order. If a Company Order pursuant to Section 3.03 or 3.04 has been, or simultaneously is, delivered, any instructions by the Company with respect to endorsement or delivery or redelivery of a Global Security shall be in writing but need not comply with Section 1.02 and need not be accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel.

 

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The provisions of the last sentence of Section 3.03 shall apply to any Security represented by a Global Security if such Security was never issued and sold by the Company and the Company delivers to the Trustee the Global Security together with written instructions (which need not comply with Section 1.02 and need not be accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel) with regard to the reduction in the principal amount of Securities represented thereby, together with the written statement contemplated by the last sentence of Section 3.03.

 

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.07, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.01, payment of principal of and any premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and interest, if any, on any Global Security in permanent global form shall be made to the registered Holder thereof.

 

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.08 and except as provided in the preceding paragraph, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company and the Trustee shall treat as the Holder of such principal amount of Outstanding Securities represented by a permanent Global Security the Holder of such permanent Global Security in registered form.

 

Any Global Security authenticated and delivered hereunder shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:

 

“THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, WHICH SHALL BE TREATED BY THE COMPANY, THE TRUSTEE AND ANY AGENT THEREOF AS OWNER AND HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY FOR ALL PURPOSES.

 

UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY (AND ANY PAYMENT HEREON IS MADE TO THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL SINCE THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.

 

TRANSFERS OF THIS GLOBAL SECURITY SHALL BE LIMITED TO TRANSFERS IN WHOLE, BUT NOT IN PART, BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, OR BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.”

 

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ARTICLE Three

 

THE SECURITIES

 

Section 3.01. Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series.

 

The aggregate principal amount of Securities which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited.

 

The Securities may be issued in one or more Series, each of which shall be authorized pursuant to Board Resolutions of Parent. There shall be established in one or more Board Resolutions or pursuant to authority granted by one or more Board Resolutions and, subject to Section 3.03, set forth in an Officer’s Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental hereto, prior to the issuance of Securities of any Series:

 

(1)          the title of the Securities of the Series, including “CUSIP” numbers (which shall distinguish the Securities of such Series from all other Series of Securities);

 

(2)          any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of the Series that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of the Series pursuant to Section 3.04, 3.05, 3.06, 9.06, 11.07 or 13.05) and the minimum authorized denominations with respect to the Securities of such Series;

 

(3)          the price (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount thereof) at which such Securities will be issued and, if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount thereof payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof, pursuant to Section 5.02;

 

(4)          the date or dates, or the method for determining such date or dates, on which the principal of such Securities will be payable;

 

(5)          the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable), or the method by which such rate or rates shall be determined, at which such Securities will bear interest, if any;

 

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(6)          the date or dates, or the method for determining such date or dates, from which any such interest will accrue, the Interest Payment Dates on which any such interest will be payable, the Regular Record Dates for such Interest Payment Dates, or the method by which such dates shall be determined, the Persons to whom such interest, if any, shall be payable, and the basis upon which interest shall be calculated if other than that of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months;

 

(7)          the Make-Whole Amount, if any, or method for determining the Make-Whole Amount, if any, payable with respect to such Securities, and the terms upon which such amount, if any, will be payable;

 

(8)          the place or places where the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, on such Securities will be payable, where such Securities may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices or demands to or upon the Company in respect of such Securities and this Indenture may be served;

 

(9)          the period or periods, if any, within which, the price or prices at which and the other terms and conditions upon which such Securities may, pursuant to any optional or mandatory redemption provisions, be redeemed, as a whole or in part, at the option of the Company;

 

(10)        the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem, repay or purchase such Securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provision or at the option of a Holder thereof, and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the other terms and conditions upon which such Securities will be redeemed, repaid or purchased, as a whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;

 

(11)        if other than Dollars, the currency or currencies in which such Securities are denominated and payable, which may be a foreign currency or units of two or more foreign currencies or a composite currency or currencies, the manner of determining the equivalent thereof in Dollars for purposes of the definition of “Outstanding” in Section 1.01, and the terms and conditions relating thereto;

 

(12)        whether the amount of payments of principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, including any amount due upon redemption, if any) or interest, if any, on such Securities may be determined with reference to an index, formula or other method (which index, formula or method may, but need not be, based on the yield on or trading price of other securities, including United States Treasury securities or on a currency, currencies, currency unit or units, or composite currency or currencies) and the manner in which such amounts shall be determined;

 

(13)        whether the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series are to be payable, at the election of the Company or a Holder thereof, in a currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies other than that in which such Securities are denominated or stated to be payable, the period or periods within which, and the terms and conditions upon which, such election may be made, and the time and manner of, and identity of the exchange rate agent with responsibility for, determining the exchange rate between the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which such Securities are denominated or stated to be payable and the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which such Securities are to be so payable;

 

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(14)        provisions, if any, granting special rights to the Holders of Securities of the Series upon the occurrence of such events as may be specified;

 

(15)        any deletions from, modifications of or additions to the Events of Default or covenants of the Company with respect to Securities of the Series, whether or not such Events of Default or covenants are consistent with the Events of Default or covenants set forth herein;

 

(16)        whether and under what circumstances the Company will pay any additional amounts on such Securities in respect of any tax, assessment or governmental charge and, if so, whether the Company will have the option to redeem such Securities in lieu of making such payment;

 

(17)        whether any Securities of the Series are to be issuable initially in temporary global form and whether any Securities of the Series are to be issuable in permanent global form and, if so, whether beneficial owners of interests in any such permanent Global Security may, or shall be required to, exchange such interests for Securities of such Series and of like tenor of any authorized form and denomination and the circumstances under which any such exchanges may, or shall be required to, occur, if other than in the manner provided in the Indenture, and, if Registered Securities of the Series are to be issuable as a Global Security, the identity of the depository for such Series;

 

(18)        the date as of which any temporary Global Security representing outstanding Securities of the Series shall be dated if other than the date of original issuance of the first Security of the Series to be issued;

 

(19)        the Person to whom interest, if any, on any Registered Security of the Series shall be payable, if other than the Person in whose name that Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest, if any, and the extent to which, or the manner in which, interest, if any, payable on a temporary Global Security on an Interest Payment Date will be paid if other than in the manner provided herein; provided, however, in each case, that the manner of determining such Person or making such payment shall be acceptable to the Trustee (as not imposing on it any undue administrative burden or risk of liability);

 

(20)        the applicability, if any, of the defeasance and covenant defeasance provisions of Article Fourteen hereof to the Securities of the Series;

 

(21)        if the Securities of such Series are to be issuable in definitive form (whether upon original issue or upon exchange of a temporary Security of such Series) only upon receipt of certain certificates or other documents or satisfaction of other conditions, then the form and/or terms of such certificates, documents or conditions;

 

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(22)        designation of the Trustee, if different from the Trustee under this Indenture, with respect to such Series and the terms applicable to such Trustee (which shall be accepted by such Trustee by its execution and delivery of a supplemental indenture as provided therein);

 

(23)        Securities may be converted into, or exchanged for, Capital Stock of the Company or Parent or other securities, the terms on which such conversion or exchange may occur, including whether such conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at the option of the Company, the period during which such conversion or exchange may occur, the initial conversion or exchange price or rate, and the circumstances or manner in which the securities issuable upon conversion or exchange may be adjusted or calculated; and

 

(24)        any other terms of the Series (which terms shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture).

 

All Securities of any one Series shall be substantially identical except, in the case of Registered Securities, as to denomination and except as may otherwise be provided in or pursuant to such Board Resolution (subject to Section 3.03) and set forth in such Officer’s Certificate or in any such indenture supplemental hereto. All Securities of any one Series need not be issued at the same time and, unless otherwise provided, a Series may be reopened, without the consent of the Holders, for issuances of additional Securities of such Series.

 

If any of the terms of the Securities of any Series are established by action taken pursuant to one or more Board Resolutions, a copy of an appropriate record of such action(s) shall be certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of Parent and delivered to the Trustee at or prior to the delivery of the Officer’s Certificate setting forth the terms of the Securities of such Series.

 

Section 3.02. Denominations.

 

The Securities of each Series shall be issuable in such denominations as shall be specified as contemplated by Section 3.01. With respect to Securities of any Series denominated in Dollars, in the absence of any such provisions with respect to the Securities of any Series, the Securities of such Series, other than Global Securities (which may be of any denomination), shall be issuable in minimum denominations of $2,000 and any integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof or the equivalent amounts thereof in the case of Securities denominated in the Foreign Currency or currency unit.

 

Section 3.03. Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating.

 

The Securities shall be executed on behalf of the Company by the Chairman of the Board, the President, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, any Vice President, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary or Assistant Secretary of Parent (on the behalf of the Company as its general partner) or the Company. The signature of any of these officers on the Securities may be manual or facsimile signatures of the present or any future such authorized officer and may be imprinted or otherwise reproduced on the Securities.

 

Securities bearing the manual or facsimile signatures of individuals who were at any time the proper officers of Parent shall bind the Company, notwithstanding that such individuals or any of them have ceased to hold such offices prior to the authentication and delivery of such Securities or did not hold such offices at the date of such Securities.

 

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At any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company may deliver Securities of any Series executed by the Company to the Trustee for authentication, together with a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of such Securities (accompanied by a copy of the Board Resolution and the Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture contemplated by Section 3.01), and the Trustee in accordance with the Company Order shall authenticate and deliver such Securities. If any Security shall be represented by a permanent Global Security, then, for purposes of this Section and Section 3.04, the notation of a beneficial owner’s interest therein upon original issuance of such Security or upon exchange of a portion of a temporary Global Security shall be deemed to be delivery in connection with its original issuance of such beneficial owner’s interest in such permanent Global Security.

 

If all the Securities of any Series are not to be issued at one time and if the Board Resolution or supplemental indenture establishing such Series shall so permit, such Company Order may set forth procedures acceptable to the Trustee for the issuance of such Securities and determining the terms of particular Securities of such Series, such as interest rate or formula, maturity date, date of issuance and date from which interest shall accrue. In authenticating such Securities, and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Securities, the Trustee shall be provided with, and (subject to TIA Section 315(a) through 315(d)) shall be fully protected in relying upon,

 

(1)          an Opinion of Counsel stating that

 

(A)          the form or forms of such Securities have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture;

 

(B)          the terms of such Securities have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture; and

 

(C)          such Securities when completed by appropriate insertions and executed and delivered by the Company to the Trustee for authentication in accordance with this Indenture, authenticated and delivered by the Trustee in accordance with this Indenture and issued by the Company in the manner and subject to any conditions specified in such Opinion of Counsel, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization and other similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and to general equitable principles; and

 

(2)          an Officer’s Certificate stating that all conditions precedent provided for in this Indenture relating to the issuance of the Securities have been complied with and that, to the best of the knowledge of the signers of such certificate, that no Event of Default with respect to any of the Securities shall have occurred and be continuing.

 

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If such form or terms have been so established, the Trustee shall not be required to authenticate such Securities (or to enter into the related supplemental indenture, if applicable) if the issue of such Securities pursuant to this Indenture will affect the Trustee’s own rights, duties, obligations or immunities under the Securities and this Indenture or otherwise in a manner which is not reasonably acceptable to the Trustee.

 

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.01 and of the preceding paragraph, if all the Securities of any Series are not to be issued at one time, it shall not be necessary to deliver an Officer’s Certificate otherwise required pursuant to Section 3.01 or a Company Order, or an Opinion of Counsel or an Officer’s Certificate otherwise required pursuant to the preceding paragraph at the time of issuance of each Security of such Series, but such order, opinion and certificates, with appropriate modifications to cover such future issuances, shall be delivered at or before the time of issuance of the first Security of such Series.

 

Each Registered Security shall be dated the date of its authentication.

 

No Security shall be entitled to any benefit under this Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose unless there appears on such Security a certificate of authentication substantially in the form provided for herein duly executed by the Trustee (subject to Section 6.11) by manual signature of an authorized signatory, and such certificate upon any Security shall be conclusive evidence, and the only evidence, that such Security has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder and is entitled to the benefits of this Indenture. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any Security (including a Global Security) shall have been authenticated and delivered hereunder but never issued and sold by the Company, and the Company shall deliver such Security to the Trustee for cancellation as provided in Section 3.09 together with a written statement (which need not comply with Section 1.02 and need not be accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel) stating that such Security has never been issued and sold by the Company, for all purposes of this Indenture such Security shall be deemed never to have been authenticated and delivered hereunder and shall never be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture.

 

Section 3.04. Temporary Securities.

 

(a)          Pending the preparation of definitive Securities of any Series, the Company may execute, and upon Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, temporary Securities which are printed, lithographed, typewritten, mimeographed or otherwise produced, in any authorized denomination, substantially of the tenor of the definitive Securities in lieu of which they are issued, in registered form, and with such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as the officers executing such Securities may determine, as conclusively evidenced by their execution of such Securities. In the case of Securities of any Series, such temporary Securities may be in global form.

 

Except in the case of temporary Global Securities (which shall be exchanged as otherwise provided herein or as otherwise provided in or pursuant to a Board Resolution or supplemental indenture pursuant to Section 3.01), if temporary Securities of any Series are issued, the Company will cause definitive Securities of that Series to be prepared without unreasonable delay. After the preparation of definitive Securities of such Series, the temporary Securities of such Series shall be exchangeable for definitive Securities of such Series upon surrender of the temporary Securities of such Series at the office or agency of the Company in a Place of Payment for that Series, without charge to the Holder. Upon surrender for cancellation of any one or more temporary Securities of any Series, the Company shall execute (in accordance with a Company Order delivered at or prior to the authentication of the first definitive security to such Series) and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a like principal amount of definitive

 

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Securities of the same Series of authorized denominations. Until so exchanged, the temporary Securities of any Series shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Securities of such Series.

 

(b)          Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to a Board Resolution or supplemental indenture pursuant to Section 3.01, the following provisions of this Section 3.04(b) shall govern the exchange of temporary Securities other than through the facilities of DTC. If any such temporary Security is issued in global form, then such temporary Global Security shall, unless otherwise provided therein, be delivered to the London office of a depository or common depository upon and pursuant to written direction of the Company (the “Common Depository”), for the benefit of Euroclear and Clearstream, for credit to the respective accounts of the beneficial owners of such Securities (or to such other accounts as they may direct).

 

Without unnecessary delay but in any event not later than the date specified in, or determined pursuant to the terms of, any such temporary Global Security (the Exchange Date”), the Company shall deliver to the Trustee definitive Securities, in aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of such temporary Global Security, executed by the Company. On or after the Exchange Date, such temporary Global Security shall be surrendered by the Common Depository to the Trustee, as the Company’s agent for such purpose, to be exchanged, in whole or from time to time in part, for definitive Securities without charge, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in exchange for each portion of such temporary Global Security, an equal aggregate principal amount of definitive Securities of the same Series of authorized denominations and of like tenor as the portion of such temporary Global Security to be exchanged. The definitive Securities to be delivered in exchange for any such temporary Global Security shall be in registered form or permanent global registered form, or any combination thereof, as specified as contemplated by Section 3.01, and, if any combination thereof is so specified, as requested by the beneficial owner thereof (as directed by or pursuant to information provided by the Common Depository); provided, however, that, unless otherwise specified in such temporary Global Security, upon such presentation by the Common Depository, such temporary Global Security shall be accompanied by a certificate dated the Exchange Date or a subsequent date and signed by Euroclear as to the portion of such temporary Global Security held for its account then to be exchanged and a certificate dated the Exchange Date or a subsequent date and signed by Clearstream as to the portion of such temporary Global Security held for its account then to be exchanged, each in the form set forth in Exhibit B-2 to this Indenture or in such other form as may be established pursuant to Section 3.01.

 

Unless otherwise specified in such temporary Global Security, the interest of a beneficial owner of Securities of a Series in a temporary Global Security shall be exchanged for definitive Securities of the same Series and of like tenor following the Exchange Date when the account holder instructs Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, to request such exchange on his behalf and delivers to Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, a certificate in the form set forth in Exhibit B-1 to this Indenture (or in such other form as may be established pursuant to Section 3.01), dated no earlier than 15 days prior to the Exchange Date, copies of which certificate shall be available from the offices of Euroclear and Clearstream, the Trustee, any Authenticating Agent appointed for such Series of Securities and each Paying Agent. Unless otherwise specified in such temporary Global Security, any such exchange shall be made free of charge to the beneficial owners of such temporary Global Security, except that a Person receiving definitive Securities must bear the cost of insurance, postage, transportation and the like unless such Person takes delivery of such definitive Securities in person at the offices of Euroclear or Clearstream.

 

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Until exchanged in full as hereinabove provided, the temporary Securities of any Series shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Securities of the same Series and of like tenor authenticated and delivered hereunder, except that, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.01, interest, if any, payable on a temporary Global Security on an Interest Payment Date for Securities of such Series occurring prior to the applicable Exchange Date shall be payable to Euroclear and Clearstream on such Interest Payment Date upon delivery by Euroclear and Clearstream to the Trustee of a certificate or certificates in the form set forth in Exhibit B-2 to this Indenture (or in such other forms as may be established pursuant to Section 3.01), for credit without further interest on or after such Interest Payment Date to the respective accounts of Persons who are the beneficial owners of such temporary Global Security on such Interest Payment Date and who have each delivered to Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, a certificate dated no earlier than 15 days prior to the Interest Payment Date occurring prior to such Exchange Date in the form set forth as Exhibit B-1 to this Indenture (or in such other forms as may be established pursuant to Section 3.01). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein contained, the certifications made pursuant to this paragraph shall satisfy the certification requirements of the preceding two paragraphs of this Section 3.04(b) and of the third paragraph of Section 3.03 of this Indenture and the interests of the Persons who are the beneficial owners of the temporary Global Security with respect to which such certification was made will be exchanged for definitive Securities of the same Series and of like tenor on the Exchange Date or the date of certification if such date occurs after the Exchange Date, without further act or deed by such beneficial owners. Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, no payments of principal or interest, if any, owing with respect to a beneficial interest in a temporary Global Security will be made unless and until such interest in such temporary Global Security shall have been exchanged for an interest in a definitive Security. Any interest so received by Euroclear and Clearstream and not paid as herein provided shall be returned to the Trustee prior to the expiration of two years after such Interest Payment Date in order to be repaid to the Company.

 

With respect to Exhibit B-1 or B-2 to this Indenture, the Company may, in its discretion and if required or desirable under applicable law, substitute one or more other forms of such exhibits for such exhibits, eliminate the requirement that any or all certificate be provided, or change the time that any certificate may be required; provided that such substitute form or forms or notice of elimination or change of such certification requirement have theretofore been delivered to the Trustee with a Company Request and such form or forms, elimination or change is reasonably acceptable to the Trustee.

 

Section 3.05. Registration, Registration of Transfer and Exchange.

 

The Company shall cause to be kept at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee or in any office or agency of the Company in a Place of Payment a register for each Series of Securities (the registers maintained in such office or in any such office or agency of the Company in a Place of Payment being herein sometimes referred to collectively as the Security Register”) in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Company shall provide for the registration of Registered Securities and of transfers of Registered Securities. The Security Register shall be in written form or any other form capable of being converted into written form within a reasonable time. The Trustee, at its Corporate Trust Office, is hereby initially appointed “Security Registrar” for the purpose of registering Registered Securities and transfers of Registered Securities on such Security Register as herein provided. In the event that the Trustee shall cease to be Security Registrar, it shall have the right to examine, and be provided a copy of, the Security Register at all reasonable times.

 

Subject to the provisions of this Section 3.05, upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Registered Security of any Series at any office or agency of the Company in a Place of Payment for that Series, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in the name of the designated transferee or transferees, one or more new Registered Securities of the same Series, of any authorized denominations and of a like aggregate principal amount, bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, and containing identical terms and provisions.

 

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Subject to the provisions of this Section 3.05, at the option of the Holder, Registered Securities of any Series may be exchanged for other Registered Securities of the same Series, of any authorized denomination or denominations and of a like aggregate principal amount, containing identical terms and provisions, upon surrender of the Registered Securities to be exchanged at any such office or agency. Whenever any such Registered Securities are so surrendered for exchange, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, the Registered Securities which the Holder making the exchange is entitled to receive.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.01, any permanent Global Security shall be exchangeable only as provided in this paragraph. If the depository for any permanent Global Security is DTC, then, unless the terms of such Global Security expressly permit such Global Security to be exchanged in whole or in part for definitive Securities, a Global Security may be transferred, in whole but not in part, only to a nominee of DTC, or by a nominee of DTC to DTC, or to a successor to DTC for such Global Security selected or approved by the Company or to a nominee of such successor to DTC. If at any time DTC notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depository for the applicable Global Security or Securities or if at any time DTC ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, if so required by applicable law or regulation, the Company shall appoint a successor depository with respect to such Global Security or Securities. If (w) a successor depository for such Global Security or Securities is not appointed by the Company within 90 days after the Company receives such notice or becomes aware of such unwillingness, inability or ineligibility, (x) the Company delivers to the Trustee for Securities of such Series in registered form a Company Order stating that the Securities of such Series shall be exchangeable, (y) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the beneficial owners representing a majority in principal amount of the applicable Series of Securities represented by such Global Security or Securities advise DTC to cease acting as depository for such Global Security or Securities or (z) the Company, in its sole discretion, determines at any time that all Outstanding Securities (but not less than all) of any Series issued or issuable in the form of one or more Global Securities shall no longer be represented by such Global Security or Securities, then the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver definitive Securities of like Series, rank, tenor and terms in definitive form in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of such Global Security or Securities. If any beneficial owner of an interest in a permanent Global Security is otherwise entitled to exchange such interest for Securities of such Series and of like tenor and principal amount of another authorized form and denomination, as specified as contemplated by Section 3.01 and provided that any applicable notice provided in the permanent Global Security shall have been given, then without unnecessary delay but in any event not later than the earliest date on which such interest may be so exchanged, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver definitive Securities in aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of such beneficial owner’s interest in such permanent Global Security. On or after the earliest date on which such interests may be so exchanged, such permanent Global Security shall be surrendered for exchange by DTC or such other depository as shall be specified in the Company Order with respect thereto to the Trustee, as the Company’s agent for such purpose; provided, however, that no such exchanges may occur during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before any selection of Securities to be redeemed and ending on the relevant Redemption Date if the Security for which exchange is requested may be among those selected for redemption. If a Registered Security is issued in exchange for any portion of a permanent Global Security after the close of business at the office or agency where such exchange occurs on (i) any Regular Record Date and before the opening of business at such office or agency on the relevant Interest Payment Date, or (ii) any Special Record Date and the opening of business at such office or agency on the related proposed date for payment of Defaulted Interest, interest, if any, or Defaulted Interest, as the case may be, will not be payable on such Interest Payment Date or proposed date for payment, as the case may be, in respect of such Registered Security, but will be payable on such Interest Payment Date or proposed date for payment, as the case may be, only to the Person to whom interest, if any, in respect of such portion of such permanent Global Security is payable in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture.

 

All Securities issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities shall be the valid obligations of the Company, evidencing the same debt, and entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture, as the Securities surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange.

 

Every Registered Security presented or surrendered for registration of transfer or for exchange or redemption shall (if so required by the Company or the Security Registrar) be duly endorsed, or be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Security Registrar, duly executed by the Holder thereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing.

 

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No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities, other than exchanges pursuant to Section 3.04, 9.06, 11.07 or 13.05 not involving any transfer.

 

The Company or the Trustee, as applicable, shall not be required (i) to issue, register the transfer of or exchange any Security if such Security may be among those selected for redemption during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before selection of the Securities to be redeemed under Section 11.03 and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing of the relevant notice of redemption, or (ii) to register the transfer of or exchange any Registered Security so selected for redemption in whole or in part, except, in the case of any Registered Security to be redeemed in part, the portion thereof not to be redeemed, or (iii) to issue, register the transfer of or exchange any Security which has been surrendered for repayment at the option of the Holder, except the portion, if any, of such Security not to be so repaid.

 

Furthermore, notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 3.05, the Company will not be required to exchange any Securities if, as a result of the exchange, the Company would suffer adverse consequences under any United States law or regulation.

 

Section 3.06. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities.

 

If any mutilated Security is surrendered to the Trustee or the Company, together with, in proper cases, such security or indemnity as may be required by the Company or the Trustee to save each of them or any agent of either of them harmless, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a new Security of the same Series and principal amount, containing identical terms and provisions and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding.

 

If there shall be delivered to the Company and to the Trustee (i) evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security, and (ii) such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them and any agent of either of them harmless, then, in the absence of notice to the Company or the Trustee that such Security has been acquired by a protected purchaser, the Company shall execute and upon its request the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in lieu of any such destroyed, lost or stolen Security, a new Security of the same Series and principal amount, containing identical terms and provisions and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, appertaining to such destroyed, lost or stolen Security.

 

Notwithstanding the provisions of the previous two paragraphs, in case any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security has become or is about to become due and payable, the Company in its discretion may, instead of issuing a new Security appertaining to such destroyed, lost or stolen Security, pay such Security if the applicant for such payment shall furnish to the Company and the Trustee for such Security such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them harmless, and in the case of destruction, loss or theft, evidence satisfactory to the Company and Trustee and any agent of any of them of the destruction, loss or theft of such Security and the ownership thereof.

 

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Upon the issuance of any new Security under this Section, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.

 

Every new Security of any Series issued pursuant to this Section in lieu of any destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall constitute an original additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be at any time enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of that Series duly issued hereunder.

 

The provisions of this Section are exclusive and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) all other rights and remedies with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities.

 

Section 3.07. Payment of Interest; Interest Rights Preserved.

 

Except as otherwise specified with respect to a Series of Securities in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.01, interest, if any, on any Registered Security that is payable, and is punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date shall be paid to the Person in whose name that Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest payment, if any, at the office or agency of the Company maintained for such purpose pursuant to Section 10.02; provided, however, that each installment of interest on any Registered Security may at the Company’s option be paid by (i) mailing a check for such interest, if any, payable to or upon the written order of the Person entitled thereto pursuant to Section 3.08, to the address of such Person as it appears on the Security Register or (ii) transfer to an account maintained by the payee located inside the United States.

 

Unless otherwise provided as contemplated by Section 3.01, every permanent Global Security will provide that interest, if any, payable on any Interest Payment Date will be paid to DTC, Euroclear and/or Clearstream, as the case may be, with respect to that portion of such permanent Global Security held for its account by Cede & Co. or the Common Depository, as the case may be, for the purpose of permitting such party to credit the interest received by it in respect of such permanent Global Security to the accounts of the beneficial owners thereof.

 

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Except as otherwise specified with respect to a Series of Securities in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.01, interest, if any, on any Registered Security of any Series that is payable, but is not punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date (herein called Defaulted Interest”) shall forthwith cease to be payable to the registered Holder thereof on the relevant Regular Record Date by virtue of having been such Holder, and such Defaulted Interest may be paid by the Company, at its election in each case, as provided in clause (1) or (2) below:

 

(1)          The Company may elect to make payment of any Defaulted Interest to the Persons in whose names the Registered Securities of such Series (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which shall be fixed in the following manner. The Company shall notify the Trustee in writing of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid on each Registered Security of such Series and the date of the proposed payment (which shall not be less than 20 days after such notice is received by the Trustee), and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount of money in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such Series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for the Securities of such Series) equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit on or prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such Defaulted Interest as in this clause provided. Thereupon the Trustee shall fix a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest which shall be not more than 15 days and not less than 10 days prior to the date of the proposed payment and not less than 10 days after the receipt by the Trustee of the notice of the proposed payment. The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company of such Special Record Date and, in the name and at the expense of the Company, shall cause notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor to be mailed, first-class postage prepaid, to each Holder of Registered Securities of such Series at his address as it appears in the Security Register not less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date. The Trustee may, in its discretion, in the name and at the expense of the Company, cause a similar notice to be published at least once in an Authorized Newspaper in each Place of Payment, but such publications shall not be a condition precedent to the establishment of such Special Record Date. Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor having been mailed as aforesaid, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Persons in whose names the Registered Securities of such Series (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on such Special Record Date and shall no longer be payable pursuant to the following clause (2).

 

(2)          The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest on the Registered Securities of any Series in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which such Securities may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, if, after notice given by the Company to the Trustee of the proposed payment pursuant to this clause, such manner of payment shall be deemed practicable by the Trustee.

 

Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section and Section 3.05, each Security delivered under this Indenture upon registration of transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of any other Security shall carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, which were carried by such other Security.

 

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Section 3.08. Persons Deemed Owners.

 

Prior to due presentment of a Registered Security for registration of transfer, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name such Registered Security is registered as the owner of such Security for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any), and (subject to Sections 3.05 and 3.07) interest, if any, on, such Registered Security and for all other purposes whatsoever, whether or not such Registered Security be overdue, and neither the Company, the Trustee nor any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be affected by notice to the contrary. All such payments so made to any such Person, or upon such Person’s order, shall be valid, and, to the extent of the sum or sums so paid, effectual to satisfy and discharge the liability for money payable upon any such Security.

 

No holder of any beneficial interest in any Global Security held on its behalf by a depository shall have any rights under this Indenture with respect to such Global Security and such depository (which is the Holder of such security) shall be treated by the Company, the Trustee, and any agent of the Company or the Trustee as the owner of such Global Security for all purposes whatsoever. None of the Company, the Trustee, any Paying Agent or the Security Registrar will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests of a Global Security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to any Global Security, nothing herein shall prevent the Company, the Trustee, or any agent of the Company or the Trustee, from giving effect to any written certification, proxy or other authorization furnished by any depository, as a Holder, with respect to such Global Security or impair, as between such depository and owners of beneficial interests in such Global Security, the operation of customary practices governing the exercise of the rights of such depository (or its nominee) as Holder of such Global Security.

 

Section 3.09. Cancellation.

 

All Securities surrendered for payment, redemption, repayment at the option of the Holder, registration of transfer or exchange or for credit against any sinking fund payment shall, if surrendered to any Person other than the Trustee, be delivered to the Trustee, and any such Securities surrendered directly to the Trustee for any such purpose, upon direction by the Company, shall be promptly cancelled by it. The Company may at any time deliver to the Trustee for cancellation any Securities previously authenticated and delivered hereunder which the Company may have acquired in any manner whatsoever, and may deliver to the Trustee (or to any other Person for delivery to the Trustee) for cancellation any Securities previously authenticated hereunder which the Company has not issued and sold, and all Securities so delivered shall be promptly cancelled by the Trustee. If the Company shall so acquire any of the Securities, however, such acquisition shall not operate as a redemption or satisfaction of the indebtedness represented by such Securities unless and until the same are surrendered to the Trustee for cancellation. No Securities shall be authenticated in lieu of or in exchange for any Securities cancelled as provided in this Section, except as expressly permitted by this Indenture. Cancelled Securities held by the Trustee shall be disposed of by the Trustee in accordance with its customary practices (subject to the record retention requirements of the Exchange Act).

 

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Section 3.10. Computation of Interest.

 

Except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.01 with respect to Securities of any Series, interest on the Securities of each Series shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months.

 

Section 3.11. CUSIP Numbers.

 

The Company in issuing the Securities may use “CUSIP” numbers (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use “CUSIP” numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders; provided, however, that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Securities or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Securities, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Company will promptly notify the Trustee of any change in the “CUSIP” numbers.

 

ARTICLE Four

 

SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE

 

Section 4.01. Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture.

 

This Indenture shall upon Company Request cease to be of further effect with respect to any Series of Securities specified in such Company Request (except as to any surviving rights of registration of transfer or exchange of Securities of such Series herein expressly provided for), and the Trustee, upon receipt of a Company Order, and at the expense of the Company, shall execute instruments in form and substance satisfactory to the Trustee and the Company acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture as to such Series when

 

(1)          either

 

(A)          all Securities of such Series theretofore authenticated and delivered (other than (i) Securities of such Series which have been destroyed, lost or stolen and which have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 3.06, and (ii) Securities of such Series for whose payment money has theretofore been deposited in trust or segregated and held in trust by the Company and thereafter repaid to the Company or discharged from such trust, as provided in Section 10.03) have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or

 

(B)          all Securities of such Series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation

 

(i)          have become due and payable, or

 

(ii)         will become due and payable at their Stated Maturity within one year, or

 

(iii)        if redeemable at the option of the Company, are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by the Trustee in the name, and at the expense, of the Company,

 

and the Company, in the case of (i), (ii) or (iii) above, has irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for the purpose an amount in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such Series are payable, sufficient to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on such Securities not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, for principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, to the date of such deposit (in the case of Securities which have become due and payable) or to the Stated Maturity or Redemption Date, as the case may be;

 

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(2)          the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company; and

 

(3)          the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture as to such Series have been complied with.

 

Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, the obligations of the Company to the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee under Section 6.06, the obligations of the Company to any Authenticating Agent under Section 6.11 and, if money shall have been deposited with and held by the Trustee pursuant to subclause (B) of clause (1) of this Section, the obligations of the Trustee under Section 4.02 and the last paragraph of Section 10.03 shall survive such satisfaction and discharge.

 

Section 4.02. Application of Trust Funds.

 

Subject to the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 10.03, all money deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 4.01 shall be held in trust and applied by it, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Company acting as its own Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the Persons entitled thereto, of the principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any), and interest, if any, for whose payment such money has been deposited with or received by the Trustee, but such money need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

 

ARTICLE Five

 

REMEDIES

 

Section 5.01. Events of Default.

 

Event of Default,” wherever used herein with respect to any particular Series of Securities, means any one of the following events (whatever the reason for such Event of Default and whether or not it shall be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body):

 

(1)          default in the payment of interest, if any, on any Security of that Series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days; or

 

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(2)          default in the payment of the principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, on) any Security of that Series when it becomes due and payable at its Maturity; or

 

(3)          default in the deposit of any sinking fund payment, to the extent applicable to such Series of Securities, when and as due by the terms of any Security of that Series; or

 

(4)          default in the performance, or breach, of any covenant or warranty of the Company or Parent in this Indenture with respect to any Security of that Series (other than a covenant or warranty a default in whose performance or whose breach is elsewhere in this Section specifically dealt with or which has expressly been included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of Series of Securities other than that Series), and continuance of such default or breach for a period of 60 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that Series a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder; or

 

(5)          the entry by a court having jurisdiction in the premises of a decree or order for relief in respect of the Company or the Parent in an involuntary case under any Bankruptcy Law now or hereafter in effect, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee or sequestrator (or similar official) of the Company or the Parent of substantially all of its property or ordering the winding-up or liquidation of its affairs and such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in effect for a period of 90 consecutive days; or

 

(6)          the commencement by the Company or the Parent of a voluntary case under any Bankruptcy Law now or hereafter in effect, or the consent by the Company or the Parent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such law, or the consent by the Company or the Parent to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian or sequestrator (or similar official) of the Company or the Parent of substantially all of its property or the making by the Company or the Parent of an assignment for the benefit of creditors or the admission by the Company or the Parent in writing of its inability to pay its debts generally as they become due, or the taking of corporate action by the Company or the Parent in furtherance of any such action; or

 

(7)          any other Event of Default provided with respect to Securities of that Series.

 

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Section 5.02. Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment.

 

If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any Series at the time Outstanding occurs and is continuing, then and in every such case the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that Series may declare the principal amount (or, if Securities of that Series are Original Issue Discount Securities or Indexed Securities, such portion of the principal as may be specified in the terms thereof) of all the Securities of that Series to be due and payable immediately, by a notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by the Holders), and upon any such declaration such principal or specified portion thereof shall become immediately due and payable.

 

At any time after such a declaration of acceleration with respect to Securities of any Series has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the Trustee as hereinafter in this Article provided, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that Series, by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration of acceleration and its consequences if:

 

(1)          the Company has paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay in the currency, currency unit or composite currency in which the Securities of such Series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for the Securities of such Series):

 

(A)         all overdue installments of interest on all Outstanding Securities of that Series,

 

(B)          the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, on) any Outstanding Securities of that Series which have become due otherwise than by such declaration of acceleration and interest, if any, thereon at the rate or rates borne by or provided for in such Securities,

 

(C)          to the extent that payment of such interest is lawful, interest upon overdue installments of interest at the rate or rates borne by or provided for in such Securities, and

 

(D)         all sums paid or advanced by the Trustee hereunder and the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel; and

 

(2)          all Events of Default with respect to Securities of that Series, other than the nonpayment of the principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on Securities of that Series which have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 5.13.

 

No such rescission shall affect any subsequent default or impair any right consequent thereon.

 

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Section 5.03. Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee.

 

The Company covenants that if:

 

(1)          default is made in the payment of any installment of interest on any Security of any Series when such interest becomes due and payable and such default continues for a period of 30 days, or

 

(2)          default is made in the payment of the principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, on) any Security of any Series at its Maturity,

 

then the Company will, upon demand of the Trustee, pay to the Trustee, for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities of such Series, the whole amount then due and payable on such Securities for principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, with interest upon any overdue principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and, to the extent that payment of such interest, if any, shall be legally enforceable, upon any overdue installments of interest at the rate or rates borne by or provided for in such Securities, and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel.

 

If the Company fails to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, may institute a judicial proceeding for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, and may prosecute such proceeding to judgment or final decree, and may enforce the same against the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities of such Series and collect the moneys adjudged or decreed to be payable in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities of such Series, wherever situated.

 

If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any Series occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce its rights and the rights of the Holders of Securities of such Series by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any such rights, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement in this Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted herein, or to enforce any other proper remedy.

 

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Section 5.04. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim.

 

In case of the pendency of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial proceeding relative to the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or the property of the Company or of such other obligor or their creditors, the Trustee (irrespective of whether the principal of the Securities of any Series shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand on the Company for the payment of overdue principal, premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, or interest, if any) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise:

 

(i)          to file and prove a claim for the whole amount, or such lesser amount as may be provided for in the Securities of such Series, of principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, owing and unpaid in respect of the Securities and to file such other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and of the Holders allowed in such judicial proceeding, and

 

(ii)         to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;

 

and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator (or other similar official) in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder of Securities of such Series to make such payments to the Trustee, and in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Holders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due to it for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee, their agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Trustee or any predecessor Trustee under Section 6.06.

 

Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder of a Security any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Securities or the rights of any Holder thereof, or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder of a Security in any such proceeding.

 

In any proceedings brought by the Trustee (and also any proceedings involving the interpretation of any provision of this Indenture to which the Trustee shall be a party) the Trustee shall be held to represent all the Holders of the Securities, and it shall not be necessary to make any Holders of the Securities parties to any such proceedings.

 

Section 5.05. Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities.

 

All rights of action and claims under this Indenture or any of the Securities may be prosecuted and enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Securities or the production thereof in any proceeding relating thereto, and any such proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall, after provision for the payment of the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, be for the ratable benefit of the Holders of the Securities in respect of which such judgment has been recovered.

 

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Section 5.06. Application of Money Collected.

 

Any money collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee and, in case of the distribution of such money on account of principal (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, upon presentation of the Securities and the notation thereon of the payment if only partially paid and upon surrender thereof if fully paid:

 

First: To the payment of all amounts due the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee under Section 6.06;

 

Second: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid upon the Securities for principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, in respect of which or for the benefit of which such money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the aggregate amounts due and payable on such Securities for principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, respectively; and

 

Third: To the payment of the remainder, if any, to the Company.

 

Section 5.07. Limitation on Suits.

 

No Holder of any Security of any Series shall have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to this Indenture, any Security, or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any other remedy hereunder, unless:

 

(1)          such Holder has previously given written notice to the Trustee of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of that Series;

 

(2)          the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that Series shall have made written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default in its own name as Trustee hereunder;

 

(3)          such Holder or Holders have offered to the Trustee indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred in compliance with such request;

 

(4)          the Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity has failed to institute any such proceeding; and

 

(5)          no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to the Trustee during such 60-day period by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that Series;

 

it being understood and intended that no one or more of such Holders shall have any right in any manner whatever by virtue of, or by availing of, any provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of any other of such Holders, or to obtain or to seek to obtain priority or preference over any other of such Holders or to enforce any right under this Indenture or any Security, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal and ratable benefit of all such Holders.

 

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Section 5.08. Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal, Premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and Interest, if any.

 

Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, the Holder of any Security shall have the right which is absolute and unconditional to receive payment of the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and (subject to Sections 3.05 and 3.07) interest, if any, on such Security on the respective due dates expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the Redemption Date) and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, and such rights shall not be impaired without the consent of such Holder.

 

Section 5.09. Restoration of Rights and Remedies.

 

If the Trustee or any Holder of a Security has instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this Indenture and such proceeding has been discontinued or abandoned for any reason, or has been determined adversely to the Trustee or to such Holder, then and in every such case, the Company, the Trustee and the Holders of Securities shall, subject to any determination in such proceeding, be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Trustee and the Holders shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted.

 

Section 5.10. Rights and Remedies Cumulative.

 

Except as otherwise provided with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities in the last paragraph of Section 3.06, no right or remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to the Holders of Securities is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every right and remedy shall, to the extent permitted by law, be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate right or remedy.

 

Section 5.11. Delay or Omission Not Waiver.

 

No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any Holder of any Security to exercise any right or remedy accruing upon any Event of Default shall impair any such right or remedy or constitute a waiver of any such Event of Default or an acquiescence therein. Every right and remedy given by this Article or by law to the Trustee or to the Holders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as may be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Holders of Securities.

 

Section 5.12. Control by Holders of Securities.

 

The Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any Series shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to the Securities of such Series; provided that:

 

(1)          such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture,

 

(2)          the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee which is not inconsistent with such direction, and

 

(3)          the Trustee need not take any action which might involve it in personal liability or be unduly prejudicial to the Holders of Securities of such Series not joining therein.

 

Nothing in this Indenture shall impair the right of the Trustee in its discretion to take any action deemed proper by the Trustee and which is not inconsistent with such direction by Holders.

 

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Section 5.13. Waiver of Past Defaults.

 

The Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any Series may on behalf of the Holders of all the Securities of such Series waive any past default hereunder with respect to such Series and its consequences, except a default

 

(1)           in the payment of the principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on any Security of such Series, or

 

(2)            in respect of a covenant or provision hereof which under Article Nine cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security of such Series affected; or

 

(3)            in respect of a covenant or provision hereof for the benefit or protection of the Trustee, without its express written consent.

 

Upon any such waiver, such default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.

 

Section 5.14. Waiver of Usury, Stay or Extension Laws.

 

The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it will not at any time insist upon, or plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any usury, stay or extension law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture; and the Company (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such law, and covenants that it will not hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law had been enacted.

 

Section 5.15. Undertaking for Costs.

 

All parties to this Indenture agree, and each Holder of any Security by his acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, against any party litigant in such suit having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but the provisions of this Section shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Holder, or group of Holders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any Series, or to any suit instituted by any Holder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on any Security on or after the respective Stated Maturities expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on or after the Redemption Date).

 

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ARTICLE Six

 

THE TRUSTEE

 

Section 6.01. Notice of Defaults.

 

Within 90 days after the occurrence of any default hereunder with respect to the Securities of any Series, the Trustee shall transmit in the manner and to the extent provided in TIA Section 313(c), notice of such default hereunder known to the Trustee, unless such default shall have been cured or waived; provided, however, that, except in the case of a default in the payment of the principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on any Security of such Series, or in the payment of any sinking or purchase fund installment with respect to the Securities of such Series, the Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as a trust committee of directors and/or Responsible Officers of the Trustee in good faith determine that the withholding of such notice is in the interests of the Holders of the Securities of such Series; and provided further that in the case of any default or breach of the character specified in Section 5.01(4) with respect to the Securities of such Series, no such notice to Holders shall be given until at least 60 days after the occurrence thereof. For the purpose of this Section, the term “default” means any event which is, or after notice or lapse of time or both would become, an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series.

 

Section 6.02. Certain Rights of Trustee.

 

Subject to the provisions of TIA Section 315(a) through 315(d):

 

(1)            the Trustee may conclusively rely and shall be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, coupon or other paper or document (whether in its original or facsimile form) reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties;

 

(2)            any request or direction of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by a Company Request or Company Order (other than delivery of any Security to the Trustee for authentication and delivery pursuant to Section 3.03 which shall be sufficiently evidenced as provided therein) and any resolution of the Board of Directors may be sufficiently evidenced by a Board Resolution;

 

(3)            whenever in the administration of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Trustee (unless other evidence be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of bad faith on its part, rely upon an Officer’s Certificate;

 

(4)            the Trustee may consult with counsel of its own selection and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon;

 

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(5)            the Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders of Securities of any Series pursuant to this Indenture, unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction;

 

(6)            the Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, coupon or other paper or document, unless requested in writing so to do by the Holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any Series; provided that, if the payment within a reasonable time to the Trustee of the costs, expenses or liabilities likely to be incurred by it in the making of such investigation is, in the opinion of the Trustee, not reasonably assured to the Trustee by the security afforded to it by the terms of this Indenture, the Trustee may require reasonable indemnity against such expenses or liabilities as a condition to proceeding; the reasonable expenses of every such examination shall be paid by the Holders. The Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit, and, if the Trustee shall determine to make such further inquiry or investigation, it shall be entitled to examine the books, records and premises of the Company relevant to the facts or matters that are the subject of its inquiry, personally or by agent or attorney at the expense of the Company and shall incur no liability of any kind by reason of such inquiry or investigation;

 

(7)            the Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents or attorneys and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder;

 

(8)            the Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in good faith and reasonably believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture;

 

(9)            any permissive right or power available to the Trustee under this Indenture or any supplement hereto shall not be construed to be a mandatory duty or obligation;

 

(10)            the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of any matter (including any default, other than as described in Section 5.01(1), (2) or (3)) unless and except to the extent actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee or to the extent written notice thereof is received by the Trustee at the Corporate Trust Office;

 

(11)            the Trustee shall have no liability for any inaccuracy in the books and records of, or for any actions or omissions of, DTC, Euroclear or Clearstream or any depository acting on behalf of any of them; and

 

(12)            the rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the Trustee in each of its capacities hereunder, and each agent, custodian and other Person employed by the Trustee to act hereunder.

 

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Section 6.03. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities.

 

The recitals contained herein and in the Securities, except the Trustee’s certificate of authentication, shall be taken as the statements of the Company, and neither the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent assumes any responsibility for their correctness. The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Securities, except that the Trustee represents that it is duly authorized to execute and deliver this Indenture, authenticate the Securities and perform its obligations hereunder. Neither the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent shall be accountable for the use or application by the Company of Securities or the proceeds thereof.

 

Section 6.04. May Hold Securities.

 

The Trustee, any Paying Agent, Security Registrar, Authenticating Agent or any other agent of the Company or Parent, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and, subject to TIA Sections 310(b) and 311, may otherwise deal with the Company and Parent with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee, Paying Agent, Security Registrar, Authenticating Agent or such other agent.

 

Section 6.05. Money Held in Trust.

 

Money held by the Trustee in trust hereunder need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Trustee shall be under no liability for interest on any money received by it hereunder except as otherwise agreed with the Company.

 

Section 6.06. Compensation and Reimbursement.

 

The Company agrees:

 

(1)            to pay to the Trustee from time to time reasonable compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust);

 

(2)            except as otherwise expressly provided herein, to reimburse each of the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee upon its request for all reasonable and documented expenses, and disbursements incurred by the Trustee in accordance with any provision of this Indenture (including the reasonable compensation and the reasonable and documented expenses and disbursements of its agents and counsel), except any such expense or disbursement as shall be determined to have been caused by its own negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith; and

 

(3)            to indemnify each of the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee for, and to hold it harmless against, any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense incurred without negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith on its part, arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of the trust or trusts hereunder, including the reasonable and documented costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder.

 

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When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services in connection with an Event of Default specified in Section 5.01(5) or Section 5.01(6), the expenses (including the reasonable and documented charges and expenses of its counsel) and the compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any applicable Bankruptcy Law.

 

As security for the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Section, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities upon all property and funds held or collected by the Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the payment of principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on particular Securities.

 

The provisions of this Section shall survive the termination of this Indenture and resignation or removal of the Trustee.

 

Section 6.07. Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility; Conflicting Interests.

 

There shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder which shall be eligible to act as Trustee under TIA Section 310(a)(1) and shall have at all times a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000. If the Trustee publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or the requirements of Federal, state, territorial or District of Columbia supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this Section, the combined capital and surplus of the Trustee shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. If at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect hereinafter specified in this Article. Neither the Company nor any Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company shall serve as Trustee.

 

Section 6.08. Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor.

 

(a)            No resignation or removal of the Trustee and no appointment of a successor Trustee pursuant to this Article shall become effective until the acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee in accordance with the applicable requirements of Section 6.09.

 

(b)            The Trustee may resign at any time with respect to the Securities of one or more Series by giving written notice thereof to the Company. If an instrument of acceptance by a successor Trustee shall not have been delivered to the Trustee within 60 days after the giving of such notice of resignation, the resigning Trustee may petition, at the expense of the Company, any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.

 

(c)            The Trustee may be removed at any time with respect to the Securities of any Series by Act of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such Series delivered to the Trustee and to the Company. If an instrument of acceptance by a successor Trustee shall not have been delivered to the Trustee within 60 days after the giving of such notice of resignation, the resigning Trustee may petition, at the expense of the Company, any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.

 

(d)            If at any time:

 

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(1)            the Trustee shall fail to comply with the provisions of TIA Section 310(b) after written request therefor by the Company or by any Holder of a Security who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security for at least 6 months, or

 

(2)            the Trustee shall cease to be eligible under Section 6.07 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or by any Holder of a Security who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security for at least 6 months, or

 

(3)            the Trustee shall become incapable of acting or shall be adjudged a bankrupt or insolvent or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed or any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation,

 

then, in any such case, (i) the Company by or pursuant to a Board Resolution may remove the Trustee and appoint a successor Trustee with respect to all Securities, or (ii) subject to TIA Section 315(e), any Holder of a Security who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security for at least 6 months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee with respect to all Securities and the appointment of a successor Trustee or Trustees.

 

(e)            If the Trustee shall resign, be removed or become incapable of acting, or if a vacancy shall occur in the office of Trustee for any cause with respect to the Securities of one or more Series, the Company, by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee or Trustees with respect to the Securities of that or those Series (it being understood that any such successor Trustee may be appointed with respect to the Securities of one or more or all of such Series and that at any time there shall be only one Trustee with respect to the Securities of any particular Series). If, within one year after such resignation, removal or incapability, or the occurrence of such vacancy, a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any Series shall be appointed by Act of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such Series delivered to the Company and the retiring Trustee, the successor Trustee so appointed shall, forthwith upon its acceptance of such appointment, become the successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such Series and to that extent supersede the successor Trustee appointed by the Company. If no successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any Series shall have been so appointed by the Company or the Holders of Securities and accepted appointment in the manner hereinafter provided, any Holder of a Security who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security of such Series for at least 6 months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to Securities of such Series.

 

(f)            The Company shall give notice of each resignation and each removal of the Trustee with respect to the Securities of any Series and each appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any Series in the manner provided for notices to the Holders of Securities in Section 1.06. Each notice shall include the name of the successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such Series and the address of its Corporate Trust Office.

 

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Section 6.09. Acceptance of Appointment by Successor.

 

(a)            In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor Trustee with respect to all Securities, every such successor Trustee so appointed shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Company and to the retiring Trustee an instrument accepting such appointment, and thereupon the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective and such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee; but, on request of the Company or the successor Trustee, such retiring Trustee shall, upon payment of its charges, execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor Trustee all the rights, powers and trusts of the retiring Trustee, and shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder, subject nevertheless to its claim, if any, provided for in Section 6.06.

 

(b)            In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more (but not all) Series, the Company, the retiring Trustee and each successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more Series shall execute and deliver an indenture supplemental hereto, pursuant to Article Nine hereof, wherein each successor Trustee shall accept such appointment and which (1) shall contain such provisions as shall be necessary or desirable to transfer and confirm to, and to vest in, each successor Trustee all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those Series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates, (2) if the retiring Trustee is not retiring with respect to all Securities, shall contain such provisions as shall be deemed necessary or desirable to confirm that all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those Series as to which the retiring Trustee is not retiring shall continue to be vested in the retiring Trustee, and (3) shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such supplemental indenture shall constitute such Trustees co-trustees of the same trust and that each such Trustee shall be trustee of a trust or trusts hereunder separate and apart from any trust or trusts hereunder administered by any other such Trustee; and upon the execution and delivery of such supplemental indenture the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective to the extent provided therein and each such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those Series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates; but, on request of the Company or any successor Trustee, such retiring Trustee shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder with respect to the Securities of that or those Series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates.

 

(c)            Upon request of any such successor Trustee, the Company shall execute any and all instruments for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming to such successor Trustee all such rights, powers and trusts referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section 6.09, as the case may be.

 

(d)            No successor Trustee shall accept its appointment unless at the time of such acceptance such successor Trustee shall be qualified and eligible under this Article.

 

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Section 6.10. Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business.

 

Any entity into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any entity resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any entity succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the Trustee, shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder, provided such entity shall be otherwise qualified and eligible under this Article, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto. In case any Securities shall have been authenticated, but not delivered, by the Trustee then in office, any successor by merger, conversion or consolidation to such authenticating Trustee may adopt such authentication and deliver the Securities so authenticated with the same effect as if such successor Trustee had itself authenticated such Securities. In case any Securities shall not have been authenticated by such predecessor Trustee, any such successor Trustee may authenticate and deliver such Securities, in either its own name or that of its predecessor Trustee, with the full force and effect which this Indenture provides for the certificate of authentication of the Trustee.

 

Section 6.11. Appointment of Authenticating Agent.

 

At any time when any of the Securities remain Outstanding, the Trustee may appoint an Authenticating Agent or Agents with respect to one or more Series of Securities which shall be authorized to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate Securities of such Series issued upon exchange, registration of transfer or partial redemption or repayment thereof, and Securities so authenticated shall be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture and shall be valid and obligatory for all purposes as if authenticated by the Trustee hereunder. Any such appointment shall be evidenced by an instrument in writing signed by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, a copy of which instrument shall be promptly furnished to the Company. Wherever reference is made in this Indenture to the authentication and delivery of Securities by the Trustee or the Trustee’s certificate of authentication, such reference shall be deemed to include authentication and delivery on behalf of the Trustee by an Authenticating Agent and a certificate of authentication executed on behalf of the Trustee by an Authenticating Agent. Each Authenticating Agent shall be acceptable to the Company and shall at all times be a bank or trust company or other entity organized and doing business and in good standing under the laws of the United States of America or of any state or the District of Columbia, authorized under such laws to act as Authenticating Agent, having a combined capital and surplus of not less than $50,000,000 and subject to supervision or examination by Federal or state authorities. If such Authenticating Agent publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or the requirements of the aforesaid supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this Section, the combined capital and surplus of such Authenticating Agent shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. In case at any time an Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, such Authenticating Agent shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect specified in this Section.

 

Any entity into which an Authenticating Agent may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any entity resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which such Authenticating Agent shall be a party, or any entity succeeding to the corporate agency or corporate trust business of an Authenticating Agent, shall continue to be an Authenticating Agent, provided such entity shall be otherwise eligible under this Section, without the execution or filing of any paper or further act on the part of the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent.

 

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An Authenticating Agent for any Series of Securities may at any time resign by giving written notice of resignation to the Trustee for such Series and to the Company. The Trustee for any Series of Securities may at any time terminate the agency of an Authenticating Agent by giving written notice of termination to such Authenticating Agent and to the Company. Upon receiving such a notice of resignation or upon such a termination, or in case at any time such Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, the Trustee for such Series may appoint a successor Authenticating Agent which shall be acceptable to the Company and shall give notice of such appointment to all Holders of Securities of the Series with respect to which such Authenticating Agent will serve in the manner set forth in Section 1.06. Any successor Authenticating Agent upon acceptance of its appointment hereunder shall become vested with all the rights, powers and duties of its predecessor hereunder, with like effect as if originally named as an Authenticating Agent herein. No successor Authenticating Agent shall be appointed unless eligible under the provisions of this Section.

 

The Company agrees to pay to each Authenticating Agent from time to time reasonable compensation including reimbursement of its reasonable and documented expenses for its services under this Section, subject to Section 6.06.

 

If an appointment with respect to one or more Series is made pursuant to this Section, the Securities of such Series may have endorsed thereon, in addition to or in lieu of the Trustee’s certificate of authentication, an alternate certificate of authentication substantially in the following form:

 

“This is one of the Securities of the Series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.

 

      [     ]  
      as Trustee  
           
Dated:     By:    
        as Authenticating Agent  
           
Dated:     By:    
        Authorized Officer  

 

Section 6.12. Certain Duties and Responsibilities of the Trustee.

 

(a)            With respect to the Securities of any Series, except during the continuance of an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series:

 

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(1)            the Trustee undertakes to perform such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and

 

(2)            in the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; but in the case of any such certificates or opinions which by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture, but shall not be under any duty to verify the contents or accuracy thereof.

 

(b)            In case an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of any Series has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall, with respect to Securities of such Series, exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent man would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his own affairs.

 

(c)            No provision of this Indenture shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:

 

(1)            this Subsection shall not be construed to limit the effect of Subsection (a) of this Section;

 

(2)            the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;

 

(3)            the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any Series relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such Series; and

 

(4)            no provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder, or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers. The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights and powers under this Indenture at the request of any Holder, unless such Holder shall have offered to the Trustee security and indemnity satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense.

 

(d)            Whether or not therein expressly so provided, every provision of this Indenture relating to the conduct or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Trustee shall be subject to the provisions of this Section 6.12.

 

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(e)            The Trustee shall not be liable for interest on any money or assets held by it except to the extent the Trustee may agree in writing with the Company. Assets held in trust by the Trustee need not be segregated from other assets except to the extent required by law.

 

ARTICLE Seven

 

HOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS BY TRUSTEE AND COMPANY

 

Section 7.01. Disclosure of Names and Addresses of Holders.

 

Every Holder of Securities, by receiving and holding the same, agrees with the Company and the Trustee that neither the Company nor the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent nor any Paying Agent nor any Security Registrar shall be held accountable by reason of the disclosure of any information as to the names and addresses of the Holders of Securities in accordance with TIA Section 312, regardless of the source from which such information was derived, and that the Trustee shall not be held accountable by reason of mailing any material pursuant to a request made under TIA Section 312(b).

 

Section 7.02. Reports by Trustee.

 

The Trustee shall transmit to Holders such reports concerning the Trustee and its actions under this Indenture as may be required by TIA Section 313 at the times and in the manner provided by the TIA, which shall initially be not less than every twelve months commencing on [     ], 20[     ]. A copy of each such report shall, at the time of such transmission to Holders, be filed by the Trustee with each stock exchange, if any, upon which any Securities are listed, with the Commission and with the Company. The Company will notify the Trustee when any Securities are listed on any stock exchange.

 

Section 7.03. Reports by Company.

 

The Company will:

 

(1)            file with the Trustee, within 15 days after the Company is required to file the same with the Commission, copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports (or copies of such portions of any of the foregoing as the Commission may from time to time by rules and regulations prescribe) which the Company may be required to file with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act or, if the Company is not required to file information, documents or reports pursuant to either of such Sections, then it will file with the Trustee and the Commission, in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission, such of the supplementary and periodic information, documents and reports which may be required pursuant to Section 13 of the Exchange Act in respect of a security listed and registered on a national securities exchange as may be prescribed from time to time in such rules and regulations; provided, however, the Company shall not be required to deliver to the Trustee any materials for which the Company has sought and received confidential treatment by the Commission; and provided further, that so long as such filings by the Company are available on the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (EDGAR), or Interactive Data Electronic Applications (IDEA), or any successor system, such filings shall be deemed to have been filed with the Trustee for purposes hereof without any further action required by the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, a failure by the Company to file annual reports, information and other reports with the Commission within the time period prescribed thereof by the Commission shall not be deemed a breach of this Section 7.03;

 

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(2)            file with the Trustee and the Commission, in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission, such additional information, documents and reports with respect to compliance by the Company with the conditions and covenants of this Indenture as may be required from time to time by such rules and regulations;

 

(3)            transmit by mail to the Holders of Securities, within 30 days after the filing thereof with the Trustee, in the manner and to the extent provided in TIA Section 313(c), such summaries of any information, documents and reports required to be filed by the Company pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Section as may be required by rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission; and

 

(4)            delivery of such reports, information and documents to the Trustee is for informational purposes only and the Trustee’s receipt of such shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company’s compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officer’s Certificates).

 

Section 7.04. Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Holders.

 

The Company will furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee:

 

(a)            semiannually, not later than 15 days after the Regular Record Date for interest for each Series of Securities, a list, in such form as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of the Holders of Registered Securities of such Series as of such Regular Record Date, or if there is no Regular Record Date for interest for such Series of Securities, semiannually, upon such dates as are set forth in the Board Resolution or indenture supplemental hereto authorizing such Series, and

 

(b)            at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, within 30 days after the receipt by the Company of any such request, a list of similar form and content as of a date not more than 15 days prior to the time such list is furnished;

 

provided, however, that, so long as the Trustee is the Security Registrar, no such list shall be required to be furnished.

 

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ARTICLE Eight

 

CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, SALE, LEASE OR CONVEYANCE

 

Section 8.01. Consolidations and Mergers of Company and Sales, Leases and Conveyances Permitted Subject to Certain Conditions.

 

The Company may consolidate with, or sell, lease or convey all or substantially all of its assets to, or merge with or into any other entity; provided that in any such case, (1) either the Company shall be the continuing entity, or the successor entity shall be an entity organized and existing under the laws of the United States, any State thereof or the District of Columbia and such successor entity shall expressly assume the due and punctual payment of the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, on all of the Securities, according to their tenor, and the due and punctual performance and observance of all of the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be performed by the Company by supplemental indenture, complying with Article Nine hereof, satisfactory to the Trustee, executed and delivered to the Trustee by such entity and (2) immediately after giving effect to such transaction and treating any indebtedness which becomes an obligation of the Company or any Subsidiary as a result thereof as having been incurred by the Company or such Subsidiary at the time of such transaction, no Event of Default, and no event which, after notice or the lapse of time, or both, would become an Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.

 

Section 8.02. Rights and Duties of Successor Entity.

 

In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, lease or conveyance and upon any such assumption by the successor entity, such successor entity shall succeed to and be substituted for the Company, with the same effect as if it had been named herein as the party of the first part, and the predecessor entity, except in the event of a lease, shall be relieved of any further obligation under this Indenture and the Securities. Such successor entity thereupon may cause to be signed, and may issue either in its own name or in the name of the Company, any or all of the Securities issuable hereunder which theretofore shall not have been signed by the Company and delivered to the Trustee; and, upon the order of such successor entity, instead of the Company, and subject to all the terms, conditions and limitations in this Indenture prescribed, the Trustee shall authenticate and shall deliver any Securities which previously shall have been signed and delivered by the officers of the Company to the Trustee for authentication, and any Securities which such successor entity thereafter shall cause to be signed and delivered to the Trustee for that purpose. All the Securities so issued shall in all respects have the same legal rank and benefit under this Indenture as the Securities theretofore or thereafter issued in accordance with the terms of this Indenture as though all of such Securities had been issued at the date of the execution hereof.

 

In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, lease or conveyance, such changes in phraseology and form (but not in substance) may be made in the Securities thereafter to be issued as may be appropriate.

 

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Section 8.03. Consolidations and Mergers of Parent and Sales, Leases and Conveyances Permitted Subject to Certain Conditions.

 

Parent may merge or consolidate with, or sell, lease or convey all or substantially all of its assets to, or merge with or into any other entity; provided that in any such case, (1) either Parent shall be the continuing entity, or the successor entity shall be an entity organized and existing under the laws of the United States, any State thereof or the District of Columbia and such successor entity shall expressly assume the obligations of Parent and the due and punctual performance and observance of all of the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be performed by the Company by supplemental indenture, complying with Article Nine hereof, satisfactory to the Trustee, executed and delivered to the Trustee by such entity and (2) immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Event of Default, and no event which, after notice or the lapse of time, or both, would become an Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.

 

Section 8.04. Rights and Duties of Successor Entity.

 

In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, lease or conveyance and upon any such assumption by the successor entity, such successor entity shall succeed to and be substituted for Parent, with the same effect as if it had been named herein as the party of the first part, and the predecessor entity, except in the event of a lease, shall be relieved of any further obligation under this Indenture and the Securities.

 

Section 8.05. Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel.

 

Any consolidation, merger, sale, lease or conveyance permitted under Section 8.01 and Section 8.03 is also subject to the condition that the Trustee receive an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that any such consolidation, merger, sale, lease or conveyance, and the assumption by any successor entity, complies with the provisions of this Article, except, with respect to the Opinion of Counsel, excluding Section 8.01(2) and Section 8.03(2) and that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to such transaction have been complied with.

 

Section 8.06. Transfers to Majority Owned Subsidiaries.

 

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article Eight, a sale, lease, conveyance or transfer of all or substantially all of the Company’s and/or Parent’s properties and assets to one or more of the Company’s majority owned subsidiaries will not be restricted.

 

ARTICLE Nine

 

SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES

 

Section 9.01. Supplemental Indentures Without Consent of Holders.

 

Without the consent of any Holders of Securities, the Company, when authorized by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, Parent and the Trustee, at any time and from time to time, may enter into one or more indentures supplemental hereto, in form satisfactory to the Trustee, for any of the following purposes:

 

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(1)            to evidence the succession of another Person to the Company or the Parent and the assumption by any such successor of the covenants of the Company or the Parent, as applicable contained herein and in the Securities; or

 

(2)            to add to the covenants of the Company or Parent for the benefit of the Holders of all or any Series of Securities (and if such covenants are to be for the benefit of less than all Series of Securities, stating that such covenants are expressly being included solely for the benefit of such Series) or to surrender any right or power herein conferred upon the Company; or

 

(3)            to add any additional Events of Default for the benefit of the Holders of all or any Series of Securities (and if such Events of Default are to be for the benefit of less than all Series of Securities, stating that such Events of Default are expressly being included solely for the benefit of such Series); provided, however, that in respect of any such additional Events of Default such supplemental indenture may provide for a particular period of grace after default (which period may be shorter or longer than that allowed in the case of other defaults) or may provide for an immediate enforcement upon such default or may limit the remedies available to the Trustee upon such default or may limit the right of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of that or those Series of Securities to which such additional Events of Default apply to waive such default; or

 

(4)            to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture to permit or facilitate the issuance of Securities in uncertificated form; or

 

(5)            to change or eliminate any of the provisions of this Indenture; provided that any such change or elimination shall become effective only when there is no Security Outstanding of any Series created prior to the execution of such supplemental indenture which is entitled to the benefit of such provision; or

 

(6)            to secure the Securities; or

 

(7)            to establish the form or terms of Securities of any Series as permitted or contemplated by Sections 2.01 and 3.01; or

 

(8)            to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more Series and to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee; or

 

(9)            to add to, change or eliminate any of the provisions of this Indenture to such extent as shall be necessary to comply with the rules or regulations of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which any Securities may be listed or traded; or

 

(10)            to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision herein which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision herein, or to make any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Indenture which shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture; or

 

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(11)            to conform the provisions of any supplemental indenture (and any Securities issued under this Indenture as amended and supplemented by such supplemental indenture) amending and supplementing this Indenture with respect to one or more Series of Securities to the description thereof contained in any final offering document used in connection with the issuance and sale of such Securities; or

 

(12)            to supplement any of the provisions of this Indenture to such extent as shall be necessary to permit or facilitate the defeasance and discharge of any Series of Securities pursuant to Sections 4.01, 14.02 and 14.03; provided that any such action shall not adversely affect the interests of the Holders of Securities of such Series or any other Series of Securities in any material respect.

 

Section 9.02. Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Holders.

 

With the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of all Outstanding Securities affected by such supplemental indenture, by Act of said Holders delivered to the Company and the Trustee, the Company, when authorized by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, Parent and the Trustee may enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the Holders of Securities under this Indenture; provided, however, that no such supplemental indenture shall, without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security affected thereby:

 

(1)            change the Stated Maturity of the principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, on) or any installment of principal of or interest, if any, on, any Security; or reduce the principal amount thereof or the rate or amount of interest, if any, thereon, or any premium or Make-Whole Amount payable upon the redemption thereof, or reduce the amount of the principal of an Original Issue Discount Security that would be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 5.02 or the amount thereof provable in bankruptcy pursuant to Section 5.04, or adversely affect any right of repayment at the option of the Holder of any Security, or change any Place of Payment where, or the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which, any Security or any premium or Make-Whole Amount or the interest thereon is payable, or impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after the Stated Maturity thereof (or, in the case of redemption or repayment at the option of the Holder, on or after the Redemption Date or the Repayment Date, as the case may be), or

 

(2)            reduce the percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any Series, the consent of whose Holders is required for any such supplemental indenture, or the consent of whose Holders is required for any waiver with respect to such Series (or compliance with certain provisions of this Indenture or certain defaults hereunder and their consequences) provided for in this Indenture, or reduce the requirements of Section 15.04 for quorum or voting, or

 

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(3)            modify any of the provisions of this Section, Section 5.13 or Section 10.07, except to increase the required percentage to effect such action or to provide that certain other provisions of this Indenture cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security affected thereby; provided, however, that this clause shall not be deemed to require the consent of any Holder with respect to changes in the references to “the Trustee” and concomitant changes in this Section 9.02 and Section 10.07, or the deletion of this proviso, in accordance with the requirements of Sections 6.09(b) and 9.01(8).

 

It shall not be necessary for any Act of Holders under this Section 9.02 to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it shall be sufficient if such Act shall approve the substance thereof.

 

A supplemental indenture which changes or eliminates any covenant or other provision of this Indenture which has expressly been included solely for the benefit of one or more particular Series of Securities, or which modifies the rights of the Holders of Securities of such Series with respect to such covenant or other provision, shall be deemed not to affect the rights under this Indenture of the Holders of Securities of any other Series.

 

Section 9.03. Execution of Supplemental Indentures.

 

In executing, or accepting the additional trusts created by, any supplemental indenture permitted by this Article or the modification thereby of the trusts created by this Indenture, the Trustee shall be provided with, and (subject to Section 6.12) shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Opinion of Counsel stating that the execution of such supplemental indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture. The Trustee may, but shall not be obligated to, enter into any such supplemental indenture which affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.

 

Section 9.04. Effect of Supplemental Indentures.

 

Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture under this Article, this Indenture shall be modified in accordance therewith, and such supplemental indenture shall form a part of this Indenture for all purposes; and every Holder of Securities theretofore or thereafter authenticated and delivered hereunder shall be bound thereby.

 

Section 9.05. Conformity with Trust Indenture Act.

 

Every supplemental indenture executed pursuant to this Article shall conform to the requirements of the TIA as then in effect.

 

Section 9.06. Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures.

 

Securities of any Series authenticated and delivered after the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to this Article may, and shall, if required by the Trustee, bear a notation in form approved by the Trustee as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the Company shall so determine, new Securities of any Series so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Trustee and the Company, to any such supplemental indenture may be prepared and executed by the Company and authenticated and delivered by the Trustee in exchange for Outstanding Securities of such Series.

 

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ARTICLE Ten

 

COVENANTS

 

Section 10.01. Payment of Principal, Premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and Interest, if any.

 

The Company covenants and agrees for the benefit of the Holders of each Series of Securities that it will duly and punctually pay the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, on the Securities of that Series in accordance with the terms of such Series of Securities and this Indenture. Unless otherwise specified with respect to Securities of any Series pursuant to Section 3.01, at the option of the Company (upon written notice to the Trustee), all payments of principal may be paid by check to the registered Holder of the Registered Security or other Person entitled thereto against surrender of such Security.

 

Section 10.02. Maintenance of Office or Agency.

 

If Securities of a Series are issuable only as Registered Securities, the Company shall maintain in each Place of Payment for any Series of Securities an office or agency where Securities of that Series may be presented or surrendered for payment, where Securities of that Series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of that Series and this Indenture may be served. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of each such office or agency. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee and the Company hereby appoints the same as its agent to receive such respective presentations, surrenders, notices and demands, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee its agent to receive all such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands.

 

The Company may from time to time designate one or more other offices or agencies (in or outside the Place of Payment) where the Securities of one or more Series may be presented or surrendered for any or all of such purposes, and may from time to time rescind such designations; provided, however, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligation to maintain an office or agency in accordance with the requirements set forth above for Securities of any Series for such purposes. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the location of any such other office or agency. Unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities pursuant to Section 3.01, with respect to a Series of Securities, the Company hereby designates as a Place of Payment for each Series of Securities the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee (as Paying Agent); and the Company hereby initially appoints the Trustee at its Corporate Trust Office as Paying Agent in such city; and the Company hereby initially appoints as its agent to receive all such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands each of the Trustee, at its Corporate Trust Office.

 

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Unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities pursuant to Section 3.01, if and so long as the Securities of any Series (i) are denominated in a Foreign Currency or (ii) may be payable in a Foreign Currency, or so long as it is required under any other provision of the Indenture, then the Company will maintain with respect to each such Series of Securities, or as so required, at least one exchange rate agent (of which it shall give written notice to the Trustee).

 

Section 10.03. Money for Securities Payments to Be Held in Trust.

 

If the Company shall at any time act as its own Paying Agent with respect to any Series of any Securities, it will, on or before each due date of the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any), or interest, if any, on any of the Securities of that Series, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto a sum in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such Series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for the Securities of such Series) sufficient to pay the principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, so becoming due until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided, and will promptly notify the Trustee of its action or failure so to act.

 

Whenever the Company shall have one or more Paying Agents for any Series of Securities, it will, on or before each due date of the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any), or interest, if any, on any Securities of that Series, deposit with a Paying Agent a sum (in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies described in the preceding paragraph) sufficient to pay the principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, so becoming due, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such principal, premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, or interest, if any, and (unless such Paying Agent is the Trustee) the Company will promptly notify the Trustee of its action or failure so to act.

 

The Company will cause each Paying Agent for any Series of Securities other than the Trustee to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such Paying Agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this Section, that such Paying Agent will:

 

(1)            hold all sums held by it for the payment of principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on Securities in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided;

 

(2)            give the Trustee notice of any default by the Company (or any other obligor upon the Securities) in the making of any such payment of principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on the Securities of that Series; and

 

(3)            at any time during the continuance of any such default upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by such Paying Agent.

 

The Company may at any time, for the purpose of obtaining the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture or for any other purpose, pay, or by Company Order direct any Paying Agent to pay, to the Trustee all sums held in trust by the Company or such Paying Agent, such sums to be held by the Trustee upon the same trusts as those upon which such sums were held by the Company or such Paying Agent; and, upon such payment by any Paying Agent to the Trustee, such Paying Agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such sums.

 

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Except as otherwise provided in the Securities of any Series, and subject to applicable laws, any money deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent, or then held by the Company, in trust for the payment of the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on any Security of any Series and remaining unclaimed for two years after such principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, has become due and payable shall be paid to the Company upon Company Request or (if then held by the Company) shall be discharged from such trust; and the Holder of such Security shall thereafter, as an unsecured general creditor, look only to the Company for payment of such principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on any Security, without interest thereon, and all liability of the Trustee or such Paying Agent with respect to such trust money, and all liability of the Company as trustee thereof, shall thereupon cease; provided, however, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent, before being required to make any such repayment, may at the expense of the Company cause to be published once, in an Authorized Newspaper, notice that such money remains unclaimed and that, after a date specified therein, which shall not be less than 30 days from the date of such publication, any unclaimed balance of such money then remaining will be repaid to the Company.

 

Section 10.04. Existence.

 

Subject to Article Eight, each of the Parent and the Company will do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its existence, all material rights (by agreement of limited partnership and statute) and material franchises; provided, however, that neither the Parent nor Company shall be required to preserve any such right or franchise if the Board of Directors of Parent shall determine that the preservation thereof is no longer desirable in the conduct of the business of the Parent or the Company.

 

Section 10.05. Statement as to Compliance.

 

The Company will deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, a brief certificate from the principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer of Parent as to his or her knowledge of the Parent’s and the Company’s compliance with all conditions and covenants under this Indenture and, in the event of any noncompliance, specifying such noncompliance and the nature and status thereof. For purposes of this Section 10.05, such compliance shall be determined without regard to any period of grace or requirement of notice under this Indenture.

 

The Company shall deliver to the Trustee within 30 calendar days after a Senior Officer becomes aware of the occurrence of any Event of Default or an event which, with notice or the lapse of time or both, would constitute an Event of Default, an Officer’s Certificate setting forth the details of such Event of Default or default and the action which the Company proposes to take with respect thereto; provided, however, that no such Officer’s Certificate is required to be delivered if such Event of Default or an event which, with notice or the lapse of time or both, would constitute an Event of Default, no longer exists.

 

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Section 10.06. Parent Guarantee.

 

The Parent agrees to not incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or guarantee any of the Company’s indebtedness for borrowed money (in each case other than Permitted Debt) without fully and unconditionally guaranteeing (subject to reasonable and customary exceptions) the Company’s obligations under this Indenture, including the due and punctual payment of principal of and interest on any Securities Outstanding hereunder, whether at Stated Maturity, by declaration of acceleration, notice of repurchase or otherwise; provided that the Parent shall be released from its obligations under such guarantee, and such guarantee shall be terminated, to the extent the Parent is subsequently no longer an obligor of indebtedness for borrowed money or a guarantor of any of the Company’s indebtedness for borrowed money (in each case other than Permitted Debt). The Parent’s guarantee of the Securities will be a senior unsecured obligation of Parent and will rank equally in right of payment with other senior unsecured obligations of Parent.

 

Section 10.07. Waiver of Certain Covenants.

 

The Company may omit in any particular instance to comply with any term, provision or condition set forth in Sections 10.04 to 10.06, inclusive, if before or after the time for such compliance the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of all outstanding Securities of such Series, by Act of such Holders, either waive such compliance in such instance or generally waive compliance with such covenant or condition, but no such waiver shall extend to or affect such covenant or condition except to the extent so expressly waived, and, until such waiver shall become effective, the obligations of the Company and the duties of the Trustee in respect of any such term, provision or condition shall remain in full force and effect.

 

ARTICLE Eleven

 

REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES

 

Section 11.01. Applicability of Article.

 

Securities of any Series which are redeemable before their Stated Maturity shall be redeemable in accordance with their terms and (except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.01 for Securities of any Series) in accordance with this Article.

 

Section 11.02. Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee.

 

The election of the Company to redeem any Securities shall be evidenced by or pursuant to a Board Resolution. In case of any redemption at the election of the Company of less than all of the Securities of any Series, the Company shall, at least 45 days prior to the giving of the notice of redemption in Section 11.04 (unless a shorter notice shall be satisfactory to the Trustee), notify the Trustee of such Redemption Date and of the principal amount of Securities of such Series to be redeemed. In the case of any redemption of Securities prior to the expiration of any restriction on such redemption provided in the terms of such Securities or elsewhere in this Indenture, the Company shall furnish the Trustee with an Officer’s Certificate evidencing compliance with such restriction.

 

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Section 11.03. Selection by Trustee of Securities to Be Redeemed.

 

If less than all the Securities of any Series issued on the same day with the same terms are to be redeemed, the particular Securities to be redeemed shall be selected not more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date by the Trustee, from the Outstanding Securities of such Series issued on such date with the same terms not previously called for redemption, by such method as the Trustee shall deem fair and appropriate and which may provide for the selection for redemption of portions (equal to the minimum authorized denomination for Securities of that Series or any integral multiple thereof) of the principal amount of Securities of such Series of a denomination larger than the minimum authorized denomination for Securities of that Series.

 

The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company and the Security Registrar (if other than itself) in writing of the Securities selected for redemption and, in the case of any Securities selected for partial redemption, the principal amount thereof to be redeemed.

 

For all purposes of this Indenture, unless the context otherwise requires, all provisions relating to the redemption of Securities shall relate, in the case of any Security redeemed or to be redeemed only in part, to the portion of the principal amount of such Security which has been or is to be redeemed.

 

Section 11.04. Notice of Redemption.

 

Notice of redemption shall be given in the manner provided in Section 1.06, not less than 10 days nor more than 30 days prior to the Redemption Date, unless a shorter period is specified by the terms of such Series established pursuant to Section 3.01, to each Holder of Securities to be redeemed, but failure to give such notice in the manner herein provided to the Holder of any Security designated for redemption as a whole or in part, or any defect in the notice to any such Holder, shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of any other such Security or portion thereof.

 

Any notice that is mailed to the Holders of Registered Securities in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not the Holder receives the notice.

 

All notices of redemption shall state:

 

(1)            the Redemption Date,

 

(2)            the Redemption Price, accrued interest to the Redemption Date payable as provided in Section 11.06, if any,

 

(3)            if less than all Outstanding Securities of any Series are to be redeemed, the identification (and, in the case of partial redemption, the principal amount) of the particular Security or Securities to be redeemed,

 

(4)            in case any Security is to be redeemed in part only, the notice which relates to such Security shall state that on and after the Redemption Date, upon surrender of such Security, the holder will receive, without a charge, a new Security or Securities of authorized denominations for the principal amount thereof remaining unredeemed,

 

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(5)            that on the Redemption Date the Redemption Price and accrued interest to the Redemption Date payable as provided in Section 11.06, if any, will become due and payable upon each such Security, or the portion thereof, to be redeemed and, if applicable, that interest thereon shall cease to accrue on and after said date,

 

(6)            the Place or Places of Payment where such Securities maturing after the Redemption Date, are to be surrendered for payment of the Redemption Price and accrued interest, if any,

 

(7)            that the redemption is for a sinking fund, if such is the case, and

 

(8)            the CUSIP number of such Security, if any.

 

Notice of redemption of Securities to be redeemed at the election of the Company shall be given by the Company or, upon Company Request, by the Trustee in the name and at the expense of the Company.

 

Section 11.05. Deposit of Redemption Price.

 

On or prior to any Redemption Date, the Company shall deposit with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent (or, if the Company is acting as its own Paying Agent, which it may not do in the case of a sinking fund payment under Article Twelve, segregate and hold in trust as provided in Section 10.03) an amount of money in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such Series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for the Securities of such Series) sufficient to pay on the Redemption Date the Redemption Price of, and (except if the Redemption Date shall be an Interest Payment Date) accrued interest on, all the Securities or portions thereof which are to be redeemed on that date.

 

Section 11.06. Securities Payable on Redemption Date.

 

Notice of redemption having been given as aforesaid, the Securities so to be redeemed shall, on the Redemption Date, become due and payable at the Redemption Price therein specified in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such Series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for the Securities of such Series) (together with accrued interest, if any, to the Redemption Date), and from and after such date (unless the Company shall default in the payment of the Redemption Price and accrued interest, if any) such Securities shall, if the same were interest-bearing, cease to bear interest. Upon surrender of any such Security for redemption in accordance with said notice such Security shall be paid by the Company at the Redemption Price, together with accrued interest, if any, to the Redemption Date; provided, however, that installments of interest, if any, on Registered Securities whose Stated Maturity is on or prior to the Redemption Date shall be payable to the Holders of such Securities, or one or more Predecessor Securities, registered as such at the close of business on the relevant Record Dates according to their terms and the provisions of Section 3.07.

 

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If any Security called for redemption shall not be so paid upon surrender thereof for redemption, the principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) shall, until paid, bear interest from the Redemption Date at the rate borne by the Security.

 

Section 11.07. Securities Redeemed in Part.

 

Any Registered Security which is to be redeemed only in part (pursuant to the provisions of this Article or of Article Twelve) shall be surrendered at a Place of Payment therefor (with, if the Company or the Trustee so requires, due endorsement by, or a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Trustee duly executed by, the Holder thereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing) and the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Holder of such Security without service charge a new Security or Securities of the same Series, of any authorized denomination as requested by such Holder in aggregate principal amount equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the principal of the Security so surrendered. If a Global Security is so surrendered, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the depository, without service charge, a new Global Security in a denomination equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the principal of the Global Security so surrendered.

 

ARTICLE Twelve

 

SINKING FUNDS

 

Section 12.01. Applicability of Article.

 

The provisions of this Article shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of Securities of a Series except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.01 for Securities of such Series.

 

The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of Securities of any Series is herein referred to as a mandatory sinking fund payment,” and any payment in excess of such minimum amount provided for by the terms of such Securities of any Series is herein referred to as an “optional sinking fund payment.” If provided for by the terms of any Securities of any Series, the cash amount of any mandatory sinking fund payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 12.02. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any Series as provided for by the terms of Securities of such Series.

 

Section 12.02. Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities.

 

The Company may, in satisfaction of all or any part of any mandatory sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of a Series, (1) deliver Outstanding Securities of such Series (other than any previously called for redemption) and (2) apply as a credit Securities of such Series which have been redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms of such Securities or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments pursuant to the terms of such Securities, as provided for by the terms of such Securities, or which have otherwise been acquired by the Company; provided that such Securities so delivered or applied as a credit have not been previously so credited. Such Securities shall be received and credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the applicable Redemption Price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such mandatory sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly.

 

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Section 12.03. Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund.

 

Not less than 60 days prior to each sinking fund payment date for Securities of any Series, the Company will deliver to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment for that Series pursuant to the terms of that Series, the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by payment of cash in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such Series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for the Securities of such Series) and the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting Securities of that Series pursuant to Section 12.02, and the optional amount, if any, to be added in cash to the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment, and will also deliver to the Trustee any Securities to be so delivered and credited. If such Officer’s Certificate shall specify an optional amount to be added in cash to the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment, the Company shall thereupon be obligated to pay the amount therein specified. Not less than 30 days before each such sinking fund payment date the Trustee shall select the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date in the manner specified in Section 11.03 and cause notice of the redemption thereof to be given in the name of and at the expense of the Company in the manner provided in Section 11.04. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Sections 11.06 and 11.07.

 

ARTICLE Thirteen

 

REPAYMENT AT THE OPTION OF HOLDERS

 

Section 13.01. Applicability of Article.

 

Repayment of Securities of any Series before their Stated Maturity at the option of Holders thereof shall be made in accordance with the terms of such Securities, if any, and (except as otherwise specified by the terms of such Series established pursuant to Section 3.01) in accordance with this Article.

 

Section 13.02. Repayment of Securities.

 

Securities of any Series subject to repayment in whole or in part at the option of the Holders thereof will, unless otherwise provided in the terms of such Securities, be repaid at a price equal to the principal amount thereof, together with interest, if any, thereon accrued to the Repayment Date specified in or pursuant to the terms of such Securities. The Company covenants that on or prior to the Repayment Date it will deposit with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent (or, if the Company is acting as its own Paying Agent, segregate and hold in trust as provided in Section 10.03) an amount of money in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such Series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for the Securities of such Series) sufficient to pay the principal (or, if so provided by the terms of the Securities of any Series, a percentage of the principal) of, and (except if the Repayment Date shall be an Interest Payment Date) accrued interest on, all the Securities or portions thereof, as the case may be, to be repaid on such date.

 

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Section 13.03. Exercise of Option.

 

Securities of any Series subject to repayment at the option of the Holders thereof will contain an Option to Elect Repayment” form on the reverse of such Securities. In order for any Security to be repaid at the option of the Holder, the Trustee must receive at the Place of Payment therefor specified in the terms of such Security (or at such other place or places of which the Company shall from time to time notify the Holders of such Securities) not earlier than 60 days nor later than 30 days prior to the Repayment Date (1) the Security so providing for such repayment together with the “Option to Elect Repayment” form on the reverse thereof duly completed by the Holder (or by the Holder’s attorney duly authorized in writing) or (2) a telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or a letter from a member of a national securities exchange, or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or a commercial bank or trust company in the United States setting forth the name of the Holder of the Security, the principal amount of the Security, the principal amount of the Security to be repaid, the CUSIP number, if any, or a description of the tenor and terms of the Security, a statement that the option to elect repayment is being exercised thereby and a guarantee that the Security to be repaid, together with the duly completed form entitled “Option to Elect Repayment” on the reverse of the Security, will be received by the Trustee not later than the fifth Business Day after the date of such telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or letter; provided, however, that such telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or letter shall only be effective if such Security and form duly completed are received by the Trustee by such fifth Business Day. If less than the entire principal amount of such Security is to be repaid in accordance with the terms of such Security, the principal amount of such Security to be repaid, in increments of the minimum denomination for Securities of such Series, and the denomination or denominations of the Security or Securities to be issued to the Holder for the portion of the principal amount of such Security surrendered that is not to be repaid, must be specified. The principal amount of any Security providing for repayment at the option of the Holder thereof may not be repaid in part if, following such repayment, the unpaid principal amount of such Security would be less than the minimum authorized denomination of Securities of the Series of which such Security to be repaid is a part. Except as otherwise may be provided by the terms of any Security providing for repayment at the option of the Holder thereof, exercise of the repayment option by the Holder shall be irrevocable unless waived by the Company.

 

Section 13.04. When Securities Presented for Repayment Become Due and Payable.

 

If Securities of any Series providing for repayment at the option of the Holders thereof shall have been surrendered as provided in this Article and as provided by or pursuant to the terms of such Securities, such Securities or the portions thereof, as the case may be, to be repaid shall become due and payable and shall be paid by the Company on the Repayment Date therein specified, and on and after such Repayment Date (unless the Company shall default in the payment of such Securities on such Repayment Date) such Securities shall, if the same were interest-bearing, cease to bear interest. Upon surrender of any such Security for repayment in accordance with such provisions, the principal amount of such Security so to be repaid shall be paid by the Company, together with accrued interest, if any, to the Repayment Date; provided, however, that, in the case of Registered Securities, installments of interest, if any, whose Stated Maturity is on or prior to the Repayment Date shall be payable (but without interest thereon, unless the Company shall default in the payment thereof) to the Holders of such Securities, or one or more Predecessor Securities, registered as such at the close of business on the relevant Record Dates according to their terms and the provisions of Section 3.07.

 

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If the principal amount of any Security surrendered for repayment shall not be so repaid upon surrender thereof, such principal amount (together with interest, if any, thereon accrued to such Repayment Date) shall, until paid, bear interest from the Repayment Date at the rate of interest or Yield to Maturity (in the case of Original Issue Discount Securities) set forth in such Security.

 

Section 13.05. Securities Repaid in Part.

 

Upon surrender of any Registered Security which is to be repaid in part only, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Holder of such Security, without service charge and at the expense of the Company, a new Registered Security or Securities of the same Series, of any authorized denomination specified by the Holder, in an aggregate principal amount equal to and in exchange for the portion of the principal of such Security so surrendered which is not to be repaid.

 

ARTICLE Fourteen

 

DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT DEFEASANCE

 

Section 14.01. Applicability of Article: Company’s Option to Effect Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance.

 

If, pursuant to Section 3.01, provision is made for either or both of (a) defeasance of the Securities of or within a Series under Section 14.02 or (b) covenant defeasance of the Securities of or within a Series under Section 14.03, then the provisions of such Section or Sections, as the case may be, together with the other provisions of this Article (with such modifications thereto as may be specified pursuant to Section 3.01 with respect to any Securities), shall be applicable to such Securities, and the Company may at its option by Board Resolution, at any time, with respect to such Securities, elect to have Section 14.02 (if applicable) or Section 14.03 (if applicable) be applied to such Outstanding Securities upon compliance with the conditions set forth below in this Article.

 

Section 14.02. Defeasance and Discharge.

 

Upon the Company’s exercise of the above option applicable to this Section with respect to any Securities of or within a Series, the Company shall be deemed to have been discharged from its obligations with respect to such Outstanding Securities on the date the conditions set forth in Section 14.04 are satisfied (hereinafter, defeasance”). For this purpose, such defeasance means that the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire indebtedness represented by such Outstanding Securities, which shall thereafter be deemed to be Outstanding only for the purposes of Section 14.05 and the other Sections of this Indenture referred to in clauses (A) and (B) below, and to have satisfied all of its other obligations under such Securities and this Indenture insofar as such Securities are concerned (and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging the same), except for the following which shall survive until otherwise terminated or discharged hereunder: (A) the rights of Holders of such Outstanding Securities to receive, solely from the trust fund described in Section 14.04 and as more fully set forth in such Section, payments in respect of the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, on such Securities when such payments are due, (B) the Company’s obligations with respect to such Securities under Sections 3.05, 3.06, 10.02 and 10.03, and the Company’s obligations under Section 6.06 hereof (C) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and (D) this Article. Subject to compliance with this Article Fourteen, the Company may exercise its option under this Section notwithstanding the prior exercise of its option under Section 14.03 with respect to such Securities.

 

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Section 14.03. Covenant Defeasance.

 

Upon the Company’s exercise of the above option applicable to this Section with respect to any Securities of or within a Series, the Company shall be released from its obligations under Sections 10.04 to 10.07, inclusive, and, if specified pursuant to Section 3.01, its obligations under any other covenant contained herein or in any indenture supplemental hereto, with respect to such Outstanding Securities on and after the date the conditions set forth in Section 14.04 are satisfied (hereinafter, covenant defeasance”), and such Securities shall thereafter be deemed to be not Outstanding for the purposes of any direction, waiver, consent or declaration or Act of Holders (and the consequences of any thereof) in connection with Sections 10.04 to 10.07, inclusive, or such other covenant, but shall continue to be deemed Outstanding for all other purposes hereunder. For this purpose, such covenant defeasance means that, with respect to such Outstanding Securities, the Company may omit to comply with and shall have no liability in respect of any term, condition or limitation set forth in any such Section or such other covenant, whether directly or indirectly, by reason of any reference elsewhere herein to any such Section or such other covenant or by reason of reference in any such Section or such other covenant to any other provision herein or in any other document and such omission to comply shall not constitute a default or an Event of Default under Section 5.01(4) to 5.01(6), inclusive, or otherwise, as the case may be, but, except as specified above, the remainder of this Indenture and such Securities shall be unaffected thereby.

 

Section 14.04. Conditions to Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance.

 

The following shall be the conditions to application of Section 14.02 or Section 14.03 to any Outstanding Securities of or within a Series:

 

(a)            The Company shall irrevocably have deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee (or another trustee satisfying the requirements of Section 6.07 who shall agree to comply with the provisions of this Article Fourteen applicable to it) as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments, specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders of such Securities, (1) an amount in such currency, currencies or currency unit in which such Securities are then specified as payable at Stated Maturity, or (2) Government Obligations applicable to such Securities (determined on the basis of the currency, currencies or currency unit in which such Securities are then specified as payable at Stated Maturity) which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest, if any, in respect thereof in accordance with their terms will provide, not later than the due date of any payment of principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, on such Securities, money in an amount, or (3) a combination thereof, in any case, in an amount, sufficient, without consideration of any reinvestment of such principal and interest, if any, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge, and which shall be applied by the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee) to pay and discharge, (i) the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, on such Outstanding Securities on the Stated Maturity of such principal or installment of principal or interest and (ii) any mandatory sinking fund payments or analogous payments applicable to such Outstanding Securities on the day on which such payments are due and payable in accordance with the terms of this Indenture and of such Securities.

 

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(b)            Such defeasance or covenant defeasance shall not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under any material agreement or instrument (other than this Indenture and the agreements governing any other indebtedness being defeased, discharged or replaced) to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound.

 

(c)            No Event of Default or event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become an Event of Default with respect to such Securities shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit or, insofar as Sections 5.01(5) and 5.01(6) are concerned, at any time during the period ending on and including the date of such deposit (it being understood that this condition shall not be deemed satisfied until the expiration of such period) except for an Event of Default or event with which notice or lapse of time or both become an Event of Default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit and any similar or concurrent deposit relating to other indebtedness being defeased, discharged or replaced, and the grants of liens to secure such borrowings.

 

(d)            In the case of an election under Section 14.02, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel stating that (i) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling, or (ii) since the date of execution of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable Federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the Holders of such Outstanding Securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such defeasance and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such defeasance had not occurred.

 

(e)            In the case of an election under Section 14.03, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that the Holders of such Outstanding Securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such covenant defeasance and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such covenant defeasance had not occurred.

 

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(f)            The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent to the defeasance under Section 14.02 or the covenant defeasance under Section 14.03 (as the case may be) have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that either (i) as a result of a deposit pursuant to subsection (a) above and the related exercise of the Company’s option under Section 14.02 or Section 14.03 (as the case may be), registration is not required under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, by the Company, with respect to the trust funds representing such deposit or by the Trustee for such trust funds or (ii) all necessary registrations under said Act have been effected.

 

(g)            Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Section, such defeasance or covenant defeasance shall be effected in compliance with any additional or substitute terms, conditions or limitations which may be imposed on the Company in connection therewith pursuant to Section 3.01.

 

(h)            The payment of amounts payable to the Trustee pursuant to this Indenture shall be paid or provided for to the reasonable satisfaction of the Trustee.

 

Section 14.05. Deposited Money and Government Obligations to Be Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions.

 

Subject to the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 10.03, all money and Government Obligations (or other property as may be provided pursuant to Section 3.01) (including the proceeds thereof) deposited with the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee, collectively for purposes of this Section 14.05, the Trustee”) pursuant to Section 14.04 in respect of any Outstanding Securities of any Series shall be held in trust and applied by the Trustee, in accordance with the provisions of such Securities and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Company acting as its own Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the Holders of such Securities of all sums due and to become due thereon in respect of principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, but such money need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

 

Unless otherwise specified with respect to any Security pursuant to Section 3.01, if, after a deposit referred to in Section 14.04(a) has been made, (a) the Holder of a Security in respect of which such deposit was made is entitled to, and does, elect pursuant to Section 3.01 or the terms of such Security to receive payment in a currency or currency unit other than that in which the deposit pursuant to Section 14.04(a) has been made in respect of such Security, or (b) a Conversion Event occurs in respect of the currency or currency unit in which the deposit pursuant to Section 14.04(a) has been made, the indebtedness represented by such Security shall be deemed to have been, and will be, fully discharged and satisfied through the payment of the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any), and interest, if any, on such Security as the same becomes due out of the proceeds yielded by converting (from time to time as specified below in the case of any such election) the amount or other property deposited in respect of such Security into the currency or currency unit in which such Security becomes payable as a result of such election or Conversion Event based on the applicable market exchange rate for such currency or currency unit in effect on the second Business Day prior to each payment date, except, with respect to a Conversion Event, for such currency or currency unit in effect (as nearly as feasible) at the time of the Conversion Event.

 

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The Company shall pay and indemnify the Trustee against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against the Government Obligations deposited pursuant to Section 14.04 or the principal and interest received in respect thereof other than any such tax, fee or other charge which by law is for the account of the Holders of such Outstanding Securities.

 

Anything in this Article to the contrary notwithstanding, subject to Section 6.06, the Trustee shall deliver or pay to the Company from time to time upon Company Request any money or Government Obligations (or other property and any proceeds therefrom) held by it as provided in Section 14.04 which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, are in excess of the amount thereof which would then be required to be deposited to effect a defeasance or covenant defeasance, as applicable, in accordance with this Article.

 

ARTICLE Fifteen

 

MEETINGS OF HOLDERS OF SECURITIES

 

Section 15.01. Purposes for Which Meetings May Be Called.

 

A meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series may be called at any time and from time to time pursuant to this Article to make, give or take any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided by this Indenture to be made, given or taken by Holders of Securities of such Series.

 

Section 15.02. Call, Notice and Place of Meetings.

 

(a)            The Trustee may at any time call a meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series for any purpose specified in Section 15.01, to be held at such time and at such place as the Trustee shall determine. Notice of every meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series, setting forth the time and the place of such meeting and in general terms the action proposed to be taken at such meeting, shall be given, in the manner provided in Section 1.06, not less than 20 nor more than 180 days prior to the date fixed for the meeting.

 

(b)            In case at any time Parent, pursuant to a Board Resolution, or the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any Series shall have requested the Trustee to call a meeting of the Holders of Securities of such Series for any purpose specified in Section 15.01, by written request setting forth in reasonable detail the action proposed to be taken at the meeting, and the Trustee shall not have made the first publication of the notice of such meeting within 20 days after receipt of such request or shall not thereafter proceed to cause the meeting to be held as provided herein, then the Company, Parent or the Holders of Securities of such Series in the amount above specified, as the case may be, may determine the time and the place for such meeting and may call such meeting for such purposes by giving notice thereof as provided in subsection (a) of this Section.

 

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Section 15.03. Persons Entitled to Vote at Meetings.

 

To be entitled to vote at any meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series, a Person shall be (1) a Holder of one or more Outstanding Securities of such Series, or (2) a Person appointed by an instrument in writing as proxy for a Holder or Holders of one or more Outstanding Securities of such Series by such Holder or Holders. The only Persons who shall be entitled to be present or to speak at any meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series shall be the Persons entitled to vote at such meeting and their counsel, any representatives of the Trustee and its counsel and any representatives of the Company and Parent and their respective counsels.

 

Section 15.04. Quorum; Action.

 

The Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of a Series shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of Holders of Securities of such Series; provided, however, that if any action is to be taken at such meeting with respect to a consent or waiver which this Indenture expressly provides may be given by the Holders of not less than a specified percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of a Series, the Persons entitled to vote such specified percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such Series shall constitute a quorum. In the absence of a quorum within 30 minutes after the time appointed for any such meeting, the meeting shall, if convened at the request of Holders of Securities of such Series, be dissolved. In any other case the meeting may be adjourned for a period of not less than 10 days as determined by the chairman of the meeting prior to the adjournment of such meeting. In the absence of a quorum at the reconvening of any such adjourned meeting, such adjourned meeting may be further adjourned for a period of not less than 10 days; at the reconvening of any meeting adjourned or further adjourned for lack of a quorum, the Persons entitled to vote 25% in aggregate principal amount of the then Outstanding Securities shall constitute a quorum for the taking of any action set forth in the notice of the original meeting. Notice of the reconvening of any adjourned meeting shall be given as provided in Section 15.02(a), except that such notice need be given only once not less than 5 days prior to the date on which the meeting is scheduled to be reconvened.

 

Except as limited by the proviso to Section 9.02, any resolution presented to a meeting or adjourned meeting duly reconvened at which a quorum is present as aforesaid may be adopted by the affirmative vote of the Persons entitled to vote a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities represented at such meeting; provided, however, that, except as limited by the proviso to Section 9.02, any resolution with respect to any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action which this Indenture expressly provides may be made, given or taken by the Holders of a specified percentage, which is less than a majority, in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of a Series may be adopted at a meeting or an adjourned meeting duly reconvened and at which a quorum is present as aforesaid by the affirmative vote of the Holders of such specified percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that Series.

 

Any resolution passed or decision taken at any meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series duly held in accordance with this Section shall be binding on all the Holders of Securities of such Series, whether or not present or represented at the meeting.

 

70

 

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 15.04, if any action is to be taken at a meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series with respect to any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action that this Indenture expressly provides may be made, given or taken by the Holders of a specified percentage in principal amount of all Outstanding Securities affected thereby, or of the Holders of such Series and one or more additional Series:

 

(i)            there shall be no minimum quorum requirement for such meeting; and

 

(ii)            the principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such Series that vote in favor of such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action shall be taken into account in determining whether such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action has been made, given or taken under this Indenture.

 

Section 15.05. Determination of Voting Rights; Conduct and Adjournment of Meetings.

 

(a)            Notwithstanding any provisions of this Indenture, the Trustee may make such reasonable regulations as it may deem advisable for any meeting of Holders of Securities of a Series in regard to proof of the holding of Securities of such Series and of the appointment of proxies and in regard to the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes, the submission and examination of proxies, certificates and other evidence of the right to vote, and such other matters concerning the conduct of the meeting as it shall deem appropriate. Such regulations may provide that written instruments appointing proxies, regular on their face, may be presumed valid and genuine without the proof specified in Section 1.04 or other proof.

 

(b)            The Trustee shall, by an instrument in writing appoint a temporary chairman of the meeting, unless the meeting shall have been called by the Company, Parent or by Holders of Securities as provided in Section 15.02(b), in which case the Company, Parent or the Holders of Securities of the Series calling the meeting, as the case may be, shall in like manner appoint a temporary chairman. A permanent chairman and a permanent secretary of the meeting shall be elected by vote of the Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such Series represented at the meeting.

 

(c)            At any meeting each Holder of a Security of such Series or proxy shall be entitled to one vote for each $1,000 principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such Series held or represented by him; provided, however, that no vote shall be cast or counted at any meeting in respect of any Security challenged as not Outstanding and ruled by the chairman of the meeting to be not Outstanding. The chairman of the meeting shall have no right to vote, except as a Holder of a Security of such Series or proxy.

 

(d)            Any meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series duly called pursuant to Section 15.02 at which a quorum is present may be adjourned from time to time by Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such Series represented at the meeting, and the meeting may be held as so adjourned without further notice.

 

71

 

 

Section 15.06. Counting Votes and Recording Action of Meetings.

 

The vote upon any resolution submitted to any meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series shall be by written ballots on which shall be subscribed the signatures of the Holders of Securities of such Series or of their representatives by proxy and the principal amounts and serial numbers of the Outstanding Securities of such Series held or represented by them. The permanent chairman of the meeting shall appoint 2 inspectors of votes who shall count all votes cast at the meeting for or against any resolution and who shall make and file with the secretary of the meeting their verified written reports in duplicate of all votes cast at the meeting. A record, at least in duplicate, of the proceedings of each meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series shall be prepared by the secretary of the meeting and there shall be attached to said record the original reports of the inspectors of votes on any vote by ballot taken thereat and affidavits by one or more persons having knowledge of the fact, setting forth a copy of the notice of the meeting and showing that said notice was given as provided in Section 15.02 and, if applicable, Section 15.04. Each copy shall be signed and verified by the affidavits of the permanent chairman and secretary of the meeting and one such copy shall be delivered to the Company and Parent and another to the Trustee to be preserved by the Trustee, the latter to have attached thereto the ballots voted at the meeting. Any record so signed and verified shall be conclusive evidence of the matters therein stated.

 

[Signatures follow on Next Page]

 

72

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed all as of the day and year first above written.

 

  EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST OP, L.P.
     
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:
     

 

  EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST, INC.,
     
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:
     

 

  [     ], as Trustee
     
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:
     

 

73

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

FORM OF REDEEMABLE OR NON-REDEEMABLE SENIOR DEBT SECURITY

 

[Face of Security]

 

[If the Holder of this Security (as indicated below) is The Depository Trust Company (DTC”) or a nominee of DTC, this Security is a Global Security and the following legends apply:

 

THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, WHICH SHALL BE TREATED BY THE COMPANY, THE TRUSTEE AND ANY AGENT THEREOF AS OWNER AND HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY FOR ALL PURPOSES.

 

UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY (AND ANY PAYMENT HEREON IS MADE TO THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL SINCE THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.

 

TRANSFERS OF THIS GLOBAL SECURITY SHALL BE LIMITED TO TRANSFERS IN WHOLE, BUT NOT IN PART, BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, OR BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.]

 

[If this Security is an Original Issue Discount Security, insert — FOR PURPOSES OF SECTION 1273 and 1275 OF THE UNITED STATES INTERNAL REVENUE CODE, THE AMOUNT OF ORIGINAL ISSUE DISCOUNT ON THIS SECURITY IS      % OF ITS PRINCIPAL AMOUNT, THE ISSUE DATE IS      , 20       [AND] THE YIELD TO MATURITY IS      %. [THE METHOD USED TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF ORIGINAL ISSUE DISCOUNT APPLICABLE TO THE SHORT ACCRUAL PERIOD OF      , 20       TO      , 20      , IS      % OF THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF THIS SECURITY.]

 

A-1 

 

 

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST OP, L.P.[Designation of Series]

 

No.        $

 

CUSIP No.

 

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST OP, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (herein referred to as the Company,” which term includes any successor entity under the Indenture referred to on the reverse hereof), for value received, hereby promises to pay to       or registered assigns the principal sum of       Dollars on       (the “Stated Maturity Date”) [or insert date fixed for earlier redemption (the “Redemption Date,” and together with the Stated Maturity Date with respect to principal repayable on such date, the “Maturity Date.”)]

 

[If the Security is to bear interest prior to Maturity, insert — and to pay interest thereon from       or from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or duly provided for, semi-annually on       and       in each year (each, an Interest Payment Date”), commencing      , at the rate of      % per annum, until the principal hereof is paid or duly provided for. The interest so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date will, as provided in such Indenture, be paid to the Holder in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest, which shall be the       or       (whether or not a Business Day), as the case may be, next preceding such Interest Payment Date [at the office or agency of the Company maintained for such purpose; provided, however, that such interest may be paid, at the Company’s option, by mailing a check to such Holder at its registered address or by transfer of funds to an account maintained by such Holder within the United States]. Any such interest not so punctually paid or duly provided for shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on such Regular Record Date, and may be paid to the Holder in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest to be fixed by the Trustee, notice whereof shall be given to Holders of Securities of this Series not less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date, or may be paid at any time in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which the Securities of this Series may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, all as more fully provided in the Indenture. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.]

 

[If the Security is not to bear interest prior to Maturity, insert — The principal of this Security shall not bear interest except in the case of a default in payment of principal upon acceleration, upon redemption or at the [Stated] Maturity Date and in such case the overdue principal of this Security shall bear interest at the rate of      % per annum (to the extent that the payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable), which shall accrue from the date of such default in payment to the date payment of such principal has been made or duly provided for. Interest on any overdue principal shall be payable on demand. Any such interest on any overdue principal that is not so paid on demand shall bear interest at the rate of      % per annum (to the extent that the payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable), which shall accrue from the date of such demand for payment to the date payment of such interest has been made or duly provided for, and such interest shall also be payable on demand.]

 

A-2 

 

 

The principal of this Security payable on the Stated Maturity Date [or the principal of, premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and, if the Redemption Date is not an Interest Payment Date, interest on this Security payable on the Redemption Date] will be paid against presentation of this Security at the office or agency of the Company maintained for that purpose in      , in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for the payment of public and private debts.

 

Interest payable on this Security on any Interest Payment Date and on the [Stated] Maturity Date [or Redemption Date, as the case may be,] will include interest accrued from and including the next preceding Interest Payment Date in respect of which interest has been paid or duly provided for (or from and including      , if no interest has been paid on this Security) to but excluding such Interest Payment Date or the [Stated] Maturity Date [or Redemption Date, as the case may be.] If any Interest Payment Date or the [Stated] Maturity Date or [Redemption Date] falls on a day that is not a Business Day, as defined below, principal, premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and/or interest payable with respect to such Interest Payment Date or [Stated] Maturity Date [or Redemption Date, as the case may be,] will be paid on the next succeeding Business Day with the same force and effect as if it were paid on the date such payment was due, and no interest shall accrue on the amount so payable for the period from and after such Interest Payment Date or [Stated] Maturity Date [or Redemption Date, as the case may be.] Business Day” means any day, other than a Saturday or Sunday, that is neither a legal holiday nor a day on which banking institutions in The City of New York are required or authorized by law, regulation or executive order to close.

 

[If this Security is a Global Security, insert — All payments of principal, premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and interest in respect of this Security will be made by the Company in immediately available funds.]

 

Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Security set forth on the reverse hereof, which further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as if set forth at this place.

 

Unless the Certificate of Authentication hereon has been executed by the Trustee by manual signature of one of its authorized signatories, this Security shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture, or be valid or obligatory for any purpose.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this instrument to be duly executed under its facsimile corporate seal.

 

Dated:

 

  EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST OP, L.P. 
     
  By:  
    Name: 
     Title:
     

 

A-3 

 

 

[Reverse of Security]

 

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST OP, L.P. This Security is one of a duly authorized issue of securities of the Company (herein called the Securities”), issued and to be issued in one or more Series under an

 

Indenture, dated as of      , 20      (herein called the Indenture”) among the Company, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (herein called “Parent”) and      , as Trustee (herein called the “Trustee,” which term includes any successor trustee under the Indenture with respect to the Series of which this Security is a part), to which Indenture and all indentures supplemental thereto reference is hereby made for a statement of the respective rights, limitations of rights, duties and immunities thereunder of the Company, Parent, the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities, and of the terms upon which the Securities are, and are to be, authenticated and delivered. This Security is one of the duly authorized Series of Securities designated on the face hereof (collectively, the “Securities”), [if applicable, insert — and the aggregate principal amount of the Securities to be issued under such Series is limited to $      (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of other Securities).] All terms used in this Security which are defined in the Indenture shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture.

 

If an Event of Default, as defined in the Indenture, shall occur and be continuing, the principal of the Securities of this Series may be declared due and payable in the manner and with the effect provided in the Indenture.

 

[If applicable, insert — The Securities may not be redeemed prior to the Stated Maturity Date.]

 

[If applicable, insert — The Securities are subject to redemption [ (l) (If applicable, insert — on       in any year commencing with the year       and ending with the year       through operation of the sinking fund for this Series at a Redemption Price equal to 100% of the principal amount, and (2) ] [If applicable, insert — at any time [on or after ], as a whole or in part, at the election of the Company, at the following Redemption Prices (expressed as percentages of the principal amount):

 

If redeemed on or before       ,      % and if redeemed during the 12-month period beginning       of the years indicated at the Redemption Prices indicated below.

 

Year

Redemption Price

Year

Redemption Price

       
       
       

 

and thereafter at a Redemption Price equal to      % of the principal amount, together in the case of any such redemption [If applicable, insert — (whether through operation of the sinking fund or otherwise)] with accrued interest to the Redemption Date; provided, however, that installments of interest on this Security whose Stated Maturity is on or prior to such Redemption Date will be payable to the Holder of this Security, or one or more Predecessor Securities, of record at the close of business on the relevant Record Dates referred to on the face hereof, all as provided in the Indenture.]

 

A-4 

 

 

[If applicable, insert — The Securities are subject to redemption (1) on       in any year commencing with the year       and ending with the year       through operation of the sinking fund for this Series at the Redemption Prices for redemption through operation of the sinking fund (expressed as percentages of the principal amount) set forth in the table below, and (2) at any time [on or after ], as a whole or in part, at the election of the Company, at the Redemption Prices for redemption otherwise than through operation of the sinking fund (expressed as percentages of the principal amount) set forth in the table below: If redeemed during the 12-month period beginning       of the years indicated,

 

Year Redemption Price
for Redemption Through Operation of the Sinking Fund
Redemption Price for
Redemption Otherwise Than
Through Operation of the
Sinking Fund
     
     
     

 

and thereafter at a Redemption Price equal to      % of the principal amount, together in the case of any such redemption (whether through operation of the sinking fund or otherwise) with accrued interest to the Redemption Date; provided, however, that installments of interest on this Security whose Stated Maturity is on or prior to such Redemption Date will be payable to the Holder of this Security, or one or more Predecessor Securities, of record at the close of business on the relevant Record Dates referred to on the face hereof, all as provided in the Indenture.]

 

[If applicable, insert — Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may not, prior to      , redeem any Securities as contemplated by [Clause (2) of] the preceding paragraph as a part of, or in anticipation of, any refunding operation by the application, directly or indirectly, of moneys borrowed having an interest cost to the Company (calculated in accordance with generally accepted financial practice) of less than      % per annum.]

 

[If applicable, insert — The sinking fund for the Securities provides for the redemption on       in each year, beginning with the year       and ending with the year      , of [not less than] $ ] [(mandatory sinking fund”) and not more than $ ] aggregate principal amount of the Securities. [The Securities acquired or redeemed by the Company otherwise than through [mandatory] sinking fund payments may be credited against subsequent [mandatory] sinking fund payments otherwise required to be made in the [describe order] order in which they become due.]]

 

Notice of redemption will be given by mail to Holders of Securities, not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date, all as provided in the Indenture.

 

In the event of redemption of this Security in part only, a new Security or Securities for the unredeemed portion hereof shall be issued in the name of the Holder hereof upon the cancellation hereof.

 

A-5 

 

 

The Indenture permits, with certain exceptions as therein provided, the amendment thereof and the modification of the rights and obligations of the Company, Parent and the rights of the Holders of the Securities under the Indenture at any time by the Company, Parent and the Trustee with the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority of the aggregate principal amount of all Securities issued under the Indenture at the time Outstanding and affected thereby. The Indenture also contains provisions permitting the Holders of not less than a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities, on behalf of the Holders of all such Securities, to waive compliance by the Company and Parent with certain provisions of the Indenture. Furthermore, provisions in the Indenture permit the Holders of not less than a majority of the aggregate principal amount, in certain instances, of the Outstanding Securities of any Series to waive, on behalf of all of the Holders of Securities of such Series, certain past defaults under the Indenture and their consequences. Any such consent or waiver by the Holder of this Security shall be conclusive and binding upon such Holder and upon all future Holders of this Security and other Securities issued upon the registration of transfer hereof or in exchange herefor or in lieu hereof, whether or not notation of such consent or waiver is made upon this Security.

 

No reference herein to the Indenture and no provision of this Security or of the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest on this Security at the times, places and rate, and in the coin or currency, herein prescribed.

 

As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein [and herein] set forth, the transfer of this Security is registrable in the Security Register of the Company upon surrender of this Security for registration of transfer at the office or agency of the Company in any place where the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest on this Security are payable, duly endorsed by, or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Security Registrar duly executed by, the Holder hereof or by his attorney duly authorized in writing, and thereupon one or more new Securities, of authorized denominations and for the same aggregate principal amount, will be issued to the designated transferee or transferees.

 

As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein [and herein] set forth, this Security is exchangeable for a like aggregate principal amount of Securities of different authorized denominations but otherwise having the same terms and conditions, as requested by the Holder hereof surrendering the same.

 

The Securities of this Series are issuable only in registered form in denominations of $      and any integral multiple thereof.

 

No service charge shall be made for any such registration of transfer or exchange, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith.

 

Prior to due presentment of this Security for registration of transfer, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name this Security is registered as the owner hereof for all purposes, whether or not this Security be overdue, and neither the Company, the Trustee nor any such agent shall be affected by notice to the contrary.

 

A-6 

 

 

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or of the Securities of any Series to the contrary, no recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement contained in this Indenture or in any Security, or because of any indebtedness evidenced by any of the foregoing, shall be had against any past, present or future partner (including the Parent), shareholder, member, manager, employee, officer, agent or director, solely in their capacity as such, of the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, as applicable, or any such predecessor or successor, under any rule of law, statute or constitutional provision or by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding or otherwise, it being expressly agreed and understood that this Indenture and the Securities are solely corporate obligations, and that no personal liability whatsoever shall attach to, or be incurred by, any past, present or future partner (including the Parent), shareholder, member, manager, employee, officer, agent or director, solely in their capacity as such, of the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, as applicable, or any predecessor or successor, either directly or through the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, as applicable, or any predecessor or successor corporation, because of the incurring of the Indebtedness hereby authorized or under or by reason of any of the obligations, covenants, promises or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities, or to be implied herefrom or therefrom, and that all liability, if any, of that character against every such partner (including the Parent), shareholder, member, manager, employee, officer, agent or director, of the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, is, by the acceptance of the Securities and as a condition of, and as part of the consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issue of the Securities expressly waived and released.

 

The Indenture and the Securities shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed entirely in such State.

 

A-7 

 

 

EXHIBIT B
FORMS OF CERTIFICATION

 

EXHIBIT B-1

 

FORM OF CERTIFICATE TO BE GIVEN BY PERSON ENTITLED
TO OBTAIN INTEREST PAYABLE PRIOR TO THE EXCHANGE DATE

 

CERTIFICATE

 

[Insert title or sufficient description of Securities to be delivered]

 

This is to certify that, as of the date hereof, and except as set forth below, the above-captioned Securities held by you for our account (i) are owned by person(s) that are not citizens or residents of the United States, domestic partnerships, domestic corporations or any estate or trust the income of which is subject to United States Federal income taxation regardless of its source (United States person(s)”), (ii) are owned by United States person(s) that are (a) foreign branches of United States financial institutions (financial institutions, as defined in United States Treasury Regulations Section 2.165-12(c)(1)(v) are herein referred to as “financial institutions”) purchasing for their own account or for resale, or (b) United States person(s) who acquired the Securities through foreign branches of United States financial institutions and who hold the Securities through such United States financial institutions on the date hereof (and in either case (a) or (b), each such United States financial institution hereby agrees, on its own behalf or through its agent, that you may advise Empire State Realty Trust OP, L.P. or its agent that such financial institution will comply with the requirements of Section 165(j)(3)(A), (B) or (C) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations thereunder), or (iii) are owned by United States or foreign financial institution(s) for purposes of resale during the restricted period (as defined in United States Treasury Regulations Section 1.163-5(c)(2)(i)(D)(7)), and, in addition, if the owner is a United States or foreign financial institution described in clause (iii) above (whether or not also described in clause (i) or (ii) above), this is to further certify that such financial institution has not acquired the Securities for purposes of resale directly or indirectly to a United States person or to a person within the United States or its possessions.

 

As used herein, United States” means the United States of America (including the States and the District of Columbia); and its “possessions” include Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Wake Island and the Northern Mariana Islands.

 

We undertake to advise you promptly by tested telex or by telecopy on or prior to the date on which you intend to submit your certification relating to the above-captioned Securities held by you for our account in accordance with your operating procedures if any applicable statement herein is not correct on such date, and in the absence of any such notification it may be assumed that this certification applies as of such date.

 

This certificate excepts and does not relate to [U.S.$ ] of such interest in the above-captioned Securities in respect of which we are not able to certify and as to which we understand an exchange for an interest in a permanent Global Security or an exchange for and delivery of definitive Securities (or, if relevant, collection of any interest) cannot be made until we do so certify.

 

B-1 

 

 

We understand that this certificate may be required in connection with certain tax legislation in the United States. If administrative or legal proceedings are commenced or threatened in connection with which this certificate is or would be relevant, we irrevocably authorize you to produce this certificate or a copy thereof to any interested party in such proceedings.

 

Dated: ,

 

[To be dated no earlier than the 15th day prior to (i) the Exchange Date or (ii) the relevant Interest Payment Date occurring prior to the Exchange Date, as applicable]

 

  [Name of Person Making Certification]
 
 
  (Authorized Signature)
  Name: 
  Title:

 

B-2 

 

 

EXHIBIT B-2

 

FORM OF CERTIFICATE TO BE GIVEN BY EUROCLEAR
AND CLEARSTREAM IN CONNECTION WITH THE EXCHANGE OF
A PORTION OF A TEMPORARY GLOBAL SECURITY OR TO
OBTAIN INTEREST PAYABLE PRIOR TO THE EXCHANGE DATE

 

CERTIFICATE

 

[Insert title or sufficient description of Securities to be delivered]

 

This is to certify that, based solely on written certifications that we have received in writing, by tested telex or by electronic transmission from each of the persons appearing in our records as persons entitled to a portion of the principal amount set forth below (our Member Organizations”) substantially in the form attached hereto, as of the date hereof, [U.S.$ ] principal amount of the above-captioned Securities (i) is owned by person(s) that are not citizens or residents of the United States, domestic partnerships, domestic corporations or any estate or trust the income of which is subject to United States Federal income taxation regardless of its source (“United States person(s)”), (ii) is owned by United States person(s) that are (a) foreign branches of United States financial institutions (financial institutions, as defined in U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.165-12(c)(1)(v) are herein referred to as “financial institutions”) purchasing for their own account or for resale, or (b) United States person(s) who acquired the Securities through foreign branches of United States financial institutions and who hold the Securities through such United States financial institutions on the date hereof (and in either case (a) or (b), each such financial institution has agreed, on its own behalf or through its agent, that we may advise Empire State Realty Trust OP, L.P. or its agent that such financial institution will comply with the requirements of Section 165(j)(3)(A), (B) or (C) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations thereunder), or (iii) is owned by United States or foreign financial institution(s) for purposes of resale during the restricted period (as defined in United States Treasury Regulations Section 1.163-5(c)(2)(i)(D)(7)), and, to the further effect, that financial institutions described in clause (iii) above (whether or not also described in clause (i) or (ii) above) have certified that they have not acquired the Securities for purposes of resale directly or indirectly to a United States person or to a person within the United States or its possessions.

 

As used herein, United States” means the United States of America (including the States and the District of Columbia); and its “Possessions” include Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Wake Island and the Northern Mariana Islands.

 

We further certify that (i) we are not making available herewith for exchange (or, if relevant, collection of any interest) any portion of the temporary Global Security representing the above-captioned Securities excepted in the above-referenced certificates of Member Organizations and (ii) as of the date hereof we have not received any notification from any of our Member Organizations to the effect that the statements made by such Member Organizations with respect to any portion of the part submitted herewith for exchange (or, if relevant, collection of any interest) are no longer true and cannot be relied upon as of the date hereof.

 

B-3 

 

 

We understand that this certification is required in connection with certain tax legislation in the United States. If administrative or legal proceedings are commenced or threatened in connection with which this certificate is or would be relevant, we irrevocably authorize you to produce this certificate or a copy thereof to any interested party in such proceedings.

 

Dated:

 

[To be dated no earlier than the Exchange Date or the relevant Interest Payment Date occurring prior to the Exchange Date, as applicable]

 

  [Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., as Operator of the Euroclear System] [Clearstream Banking Luxembourg]
   
  By:

 

B-4 

EX-4.11 3 tm2319500d2_ex4-11.htm EXHIBIT 4.11

Exhibit 4.11

 

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST OP, L.P., AS COMPANY

 

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST, INC., AS PARENT

 

AND

 

[     ]

 

Trustee

 

 

Indenture

 

Dated as of [     ]

 

 

 

Subordinated Debt Securities

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  Page
   
RECITALS OF THE COMPANY 1
   
Article One
   
DEFINITIONS AND OTHER PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION
   
Section 1.01. Definitions 1
Section 1.02. Compliance Certificates and Opinions 10
Section 1.03. Form of Documents Delivered to Trustee 11
Section 1.04. Acts of Holders 11
Section 1.05. Notices, etc., to Trustee and Company 13
Section 1.06. Notice to Holders: Waiver 13
Section 1.07. Counterparts; Effect of Headings and Table of Contents 14
Section 1.08. Successors and Assigns 14
Section 1.09. Severability Clause 14
Section 1.10. Benefits of Indenture 14
Section 1.11. Governing Law; Waiver of Trial by Jury 14
Section 1.12. Non-Business Day 14
Section 1.13. Limited Liability; Immunity of Partners, Stockholders, Directors, Officers and Agents of the Company and Parent 15
Section 1.14. Conflict with Trust Indenture Act 15
Section 1.15. Electronic Signatures 16
   
Article Two
   
SECURITIES FORMS
   
Section 2.01. Forms of Securities 16
Section 2.02. Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication 17
Section 2.03. Securities Issuable in Global Form 17
   
Article Three
   
THE SECURITIES
   
Section 3.01. Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series 18
Section 3.02. Denominations 22
Section 3.03. Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating 22
Section 3.04. Temporary Securities 24
Section 3.05. Registration, Registration of Transfer and Exchange 26
Section 3.06. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities 28
Section 3.07. Payment of Interest; Interest Rights Preserved 29
Section 3.08. Persons Deemed Owners 30
Section 3.09. Cancellation 31
Section 3.10. Computation of Interest 31
Section 3.11. CUSIP Numbers 31

 

(i

 

 

Article Four
   
SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE
   
Section 4.01. Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture 31
Section 4.02. Application of Trust Funds 33
   
Article Five
   
REMEDIES
   
Section 5.01. Events of Default 33
Section 5.02. Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment 34
Section 5.03. Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee 35
Section 5.04. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim 36
Section 5.05. Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities 37
Section 5.06. Application of Money Collected 37
Section 5.07. Limitation on Suits 37
Section 5.08. Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal, Premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and Interest, if any 38
Section 5.09. Restoration of Rights and Remedies 38
Section 5.10. Rights and Remedies Cumulative 38
Section 5.11. Delay or Omission Not Waiver 39
Section 5.12. Control by Holders of Securities 39
Section 5.13. Waiver of Past Defaults 39
Section 5.14. Waiver of Usury, Stay or Extension Laws 40
Section 5.15. Undertaking for Costs 40
   
Article Six
   
THE TRUSTEE
   
Section 6.01. Notice of Defaults 40
Section 6.02. Certain Rights of Trustee 41
Section 6.03. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities 42
Section 6.04. May Hold Securities 42
Section 6.05. Money Held in Trust 43
Section 6.06. Compensation and Reimbursement 43
Section 6.07. Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility; Conflicting Interests 44
Section 6.08. Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor 44
Section 6.09. Acceptance of Appointment by Successor 45
Section 6.10. Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business 46
Section 6.11. Appointment of Authenticating Agent 47
Section 6.12. Certain Duties and Responsibilities of the Trustee 48

 

(ii

 

 

Article Seven
   
HOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS BY TRUSTEE AND COMPANY
   
Section 7.01. Disclosure of Names and Addresses of Holders 49
Section 7.02. Reports by Trustee 50
Section 7.03. Reports by Company 50
Section 7.04. Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Holders 51
   
Article Eight
   
CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, SALE, LEASE OR CONVEYANCE
   
Section 8.01. Consolidations and Mergers of Company and Sales, Leases and Conveyances Permitted Subject to Certain Conditions 51
Section 8.02. Rights and Duties of Successor Entity 52
Section 8.03. Consolidations and Mergers of Parent and Sales, Leases and Conveyances Permitted Subject to Certain Conditions 52
Section 8.04. Rights and Duties of Successor Entity 52
Section 8.05. Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel 53
Section 8.06. Transfers to Majority Owned Subsidiaries 53
   
Article Nine
   
SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES
   
Section 9.01. Supplemental Indentures Without Consent of Holders 53
Section 9.02. Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Holders 55
Section 9.03. Execution of Supplemental Indentures 56
Section 9.04. Effect of Supplemental Indentures 56
Section 9.05. Conformity with Trust Indenture Act 56
Section 9.06. Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures 56
Section 9.07. Subordination Unimpaired 56
   
Article Ten
   
COVENANTS
   
Section 10.01. Payment of Principal, Premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and Interest, if any 56
Section 10.02. Maintenance of Office or Agency 57
Section 10.03. Money for Securities Payments to Be Held in Trust 58
Section 10.04. Existence 59
Section 10.05. Statement as to Compliance 59
Section 10.06. Parent Guarantee 59
Section 10.07. Waiver of Certain Covenants 60

 

(iii

 

 

Article Eleven
   
REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES
   
Section 11.01. Applicability of Article 60
Section 11.02. Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee 60
Section 11.03. Selection by Trustee of Securities to Be Redeemed 60
Section 11.04. Notice of Redemption 61
Section 11.05. Deposit of Redemption Price 62
Section 11.06. Securities Payable on Redemption Date 62
Section 11.07. Securities Redeemed in Part 63
   
Article Twelve
   
SINKING FUNDS
   
Section 12.01. Applicability of Article 63
Section 12.02. Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities 63
Section 12.03. Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund 64
   
Article Thirteen
   
REPAYMENT AT THE OPTION OF HOLDERS
   
Section 13.01. Applicability of Article 64
Section 13.02. Repayment of Securities 64
Section 13.03. Exercise of Option 65
Section 13.04. When Securities Presented for Repayment Become Due and Payable 65
Section 13.05. Securities Repaid in Part 66
   
Article Fourteen
   
DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT DEFEASANCE
   
Section 14.01. Applicability of Article: Company’s Option to Effect Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance 66
Section 14.02. Defeasance and Discharge 66
Section 14.03. Covenant Defeasance 67
Section 14.04. Conditions to Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance 67
Section 14.05. Deposited Money and Government Obligations to Be Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions 69
   
Article Fifteen
   
MEETINGS OF HOLDERS OF SECURITIES
   
Section 15.01. Purposes for Which Meetings May Be Called 70
Section 15.02. Call, Notice and Place of Meetings 70
Section 15.03. Persons Entitled to Vote at Meetings 71
Section 15.04. Quorum; Action 71
Section 15.05. Determination of Voting Rights; Conduct and Adjournment of Meetings 72
Section 15.06. Counting Votes and Recording Action of Meetings 73

 

(iv

 

 

Article Sixteen
   
SUBORDINATION OF SECURITIES
   
Section 16.01. Securities Subordinate to Senior Debt 73
Section 16.02. Payment Over of Proceeds Upon Dissolution, Etc. 73
Section 16.03. Prior Payment to Senior Debt upon Acceleration of Securities 75
Section 16.04. No Payment When Senior Debt in Default 75
Section 16.05. Payment Permitted in Certain Situations 76
Section 16.06. Subrogation to Rights of Holders of Senior Debt 76
Section 16.07. Provisions Solely to Define Relative Rights 76
Section 16.08. Trustee to Effectuate Subordination 77
Section 16.09. No Waiver of Subordination Provisions 77
Section 16.10. Notice to Trustee 77
Section 16.11. Reliance on Judicial Order or Certificate of Liquidating Agent 78
Section 16.12. Trustee Not Fiduciary for Holders of Senior Debt 78
Section 16.13. Rights of Trustee as Holder of Senior Debt; Preservation of Trustee’s Rights 78
Section 16.14. Articles Applicable to Paying Agents 79
   
SIGNATURES 80
   
EXHIBIT A  
FORM OF REDEEMABLE OR NON-REDEEMABLE SUBORDINATED DEBT SECURITY A-1
   
EXHIBIT B  
FORMS OF CERTIFICATION B-1

 

(v

 

 

 

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST OP, L.P. Reconciliation and tie between the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act” or “TIA”), and the Indenture, dated as of [     ].

 

Trust Indenture
Act Section

 

Indenture Section

§ 310(a)(1)   6.07
(a)(2)   Not applicable
(a)(3)   Not applicable
(a)(4)   Not applicable
(a)(5)   Not applicable
(b)   6.04, 6.08
§ 311   1.01(2), 6.04
§ 312   7.01
(a)   Not applicable
(b)   7.01
(c)   Not applicable
§ 313   1.01(“Outstanding”), 7.02
(c)   6.01, 7.03
§ 314   Not applicable
(a)   Not applicable
(b)   Not applicable
(c)(1)   Not applicable
(c)(2)   Not applicable
(c)(3)   Not applicable
(d)   Not applicable
(e)   Not applicable
§ 315(a)   3.03, 6.02
(b)   3.03, 6.02
(c)   3.03, 6.02
(d)   3.03, 6.02
(e)   6.08
§ 316(a)    Not applicable
(a)(1)(A)   Not applicable
(a)(1)(B)   Not applicable
(a)(2)   Not applicable
(b)   Not applicable
(c)   1.04
§317(a)(1)   Not applicable
(a)(2)   Not applicable
(b)   Not applicable
§318(a)   Not applicable

 

 

 

NOTE: This reconciliation and tie shall not, for any purpose, be deemed to be a part of the Indenture.

 

Attention should also be directed to TIA Section 318(c), which provides that the provisions of TIA Sections 310 to and including 317 are a part of and govern every qualified indenture, whether or not physically contained therein.

 

(vi

 

 

INDENTURE, dated as of [     ], among EMPIRE STATE REALTY OP, L.P., a limited partnership organized under the laws of the State of Delaware (hereinafter called the “Company”), Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (hereinafter called the “Parent”) and [     ], as Trustee hereunder (hereinafter called the “Trustee”).

 

RECITALS OF THE COMPANY

 

The Company deems it necessary to issue from time to time for its lawful purposes subordinated debt securities (hereinafter called the “Securities”) evidencing its unsecured and subordinated indebtedness, and has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture to provide for the issuance from time to time of the Securities, to be issued in one or more Series as provided in this Indenture.

 

This Indenture is subject to the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act” or “TIA”), that are deemed to be incorporated into this Indenture and shall, to the extent applicable, be governed by such provisions.

 

All things necessary to make this Indenture a valid and legally binding agreement of the Company, in accordance with its terms, have been done.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH:

 

For and in consideration of the premises and the purchase of the Securities by the Holders thereof, it is mutually covenanted and agreed, for the equal and proportionate benefit of all Holders of the Securities or of Series thereof, as follows:

 

Article One

 

DEFINITIONS AND OTHER PROVISIONS OF GENERAL APPLICATION

 

Section 1.01. Definitions.

 

For all purposes of this Indenture, except as otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires:

 

(1)            the terms defined in this Article have the meanings assigned to them in this Article, and include the plural as well as the singular;

 

(2)            all other terms used herein which are defined in the TIA, either directly or by reference therein, have the meanings assigned to them therein, and the terms “cash transactions” and “self liquidating paper,” as used in TIA Section 311, shall have the meanings assigned to them in the rules of the Commission adopted under the TIA;

 

(3)            all accounting terms not otherwise defined herein have the meanings assigned to them in accordance with GAAP;

 

 

 

 

(4)            any reference to an “Article” or a “Section” refers to an Article or Section, as the case may be, of this Indenture; and

 

(5)            the words “herein,” “hereof” and “hereunder” and other words of similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision.

 

Act,” when used with respect to any Holder, has the meaning specified in Section 1.04.

 

Affiliate” of any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition, “control” when used with respect to any specified Person means the power to direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the terms “controlling” and “controlled” have meanings correlative to the foregoing.

 

Authenticating Agent” means any Person authorized by the Trustee pursuant to Section 6.11 hereof to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate Securities of one or more Series.

 

Authorized Newspaper” means a newspaper, printed in the English language or in an official language of the country of publication, customarily published on each Business Day, whether or not published on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, and of general circulation in each place in connection with which the term is used or in the financial community of each such place. Whenever successive publications are required to be made in Authorized Newspapers, the successive publications may be made in the same or in different Authorized Newspapers in the same city meeting the foregoing requirements and in each case on any Business Day.

 

Bankruptcy Law” means Title 11 of the U.S. Code or any similar federal or state law for the relief of debtors.

 

Board of Directors” when used with reference to the Company, means the board of directors of Parent, or any committee of that board duly authorized to act hereunder or any director or directors and/or officer or officers of Parent, to whom the board or committee shall have duly delegated its authority.

 

Board Resolution” means a copy of (1) a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of Parent to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors or a duly authorized committee of the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification or (2) a certificate signed by the director or directors or officer or officers to whom the Board of Directors of Parent shall have duly delegated its authority, together with a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of Parent to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification authorizing such delegation, and, in each case, delivered to the Trustee.

 

Business Day,” when used with respect to any Place of Payment or any other particular location referred to in this Indenture or in the Securities, means, unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities issued pursuant to Section 3.01, any day, other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in that Place of Payment or such location are authorized or required by law or executive order to close or be closed.

 

2

 

 

Capital Stock” means any and all shares, interests, participations, rights or other equivalents (however designated) of corporate stock and, with respect to partnerships, partnership interests (whether general or limited) and any other interest or participation that confers on a Person the right to receive a share of the profits and losses of, or distributions of assets of, such partnership, but excluding from all of the foregoing any debt convertible into Capital Stock, whether or not such debt securities include any right of participation with Capital Stock.

 

Clearstream” means Clearstream Banking Luxembourg, société anonyme, or its successor.

 

Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations thereunder.

 

Commission” means the Securities and Exchange Commission, as from time to time constituted, created under the Exchange Act, or, if at any time after execution of this instrument such Commission is not existing and performing the duties now assigned to it under the Trust Indenture Act, then the body performing such duties on such date.

 

Common Depository” has the meaning specified on Section 3.04(b).

 

Company” means the Person named as the “Company” in the first paragraph of this Indenture until a successor corporation shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Company” shall mean such successor corporation.

 

Company Request” and “Company Order” mean, respectively, a written request or order signed on behalf of the Company by the Parent, as its general partner, by an Officer of Parent, and delivered to the Trustee.

 

Conversion Event” means the cessation of use of (i) a Foreign Currency both by the government of the country which issued such currency and for the settlement of transactions by a central bank or other public institutions of or within the international banking community or (ii) any currency unit (or composite currency) for the purposes for which it was established.

 

Corporate Trust Office” means the office of the Trustee at which, at any particular time, its corporate trust business shall be principally administered, which office at the date hereof is located at [     ].

 

covenant defeasance” has the meaning specified in Section 14.03.

 

Defaulted Interest” has the meaning specified in Section 3.07.

 

defeasance” has the meaning specified in Section 14.02.

 

3

 

 

Dollar” and the sign “$” means a dollar or other equivalent unit in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for the payment of public and private debts.

 

DTC” means the Depository Trust Company and any successor to DTC in its capacity as depository for any Securities.

 

Euroclear” Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., or its successor, as operator of the Euroclear System.

 

Event of Default” has the meaning specified in Section 5.01.

 

Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as in force at the date as of which this Indenture was executed; provided, however, that in the event the Exchange Act is amended after such date, “Exchange Act” means to the extent required by any such amendment, the Exchange Act as so amended.

 

Exchange Date” has the meaning specified in Section 3.04(b).

 

Foreign Currency” means any currency, currency unit or composite currency issued by the government of one or more countries other than the United States of America or by any recognized confederation or association of such governments.

 

GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, consistently applied, as in effect from time to time. If at any time any change in GAAP would affect the computation of any financial ratio or requirement set forth in this Indenture, and either the Company or the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities shall so request, the Company and the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities shall negotiate in good faith to amend such ratio or requirement to preserve the original intent thereof in light of such change in GAAP (subject to the approval of the Holders of a majority of outstanding notes); provided that, until so amended, (i) such ratio or requirement shall continue to be computed in accordance with GAAP prior to such change therein and (ii) the Company shall provide to the Holders financial statements and other documents required under this Indenture or as reasonably requested hereunder setting forth a reconciliation between calculations of such ratio or requirement made before and after giving effect to such change in GAAP.

 

Global Security” means a Security evidencing all or a part of a Series of Securities issued to and registered in the name of the depository for such Series, or its nominee, in accordance with Section 3.05, and bearing the legend prescribed in Section 2.03.

 

Government Obligations” means (i) securities which are (A) direct obligations of the United States of America or the government which issued the Foreign Currency in which the Securities of a particular Series are payable, for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged or (B) obligations of a Person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the United States of America or such government which issued the Foreign Currency in which the Securities of such Series are payable, the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the United States of America or such other government, which, in either case, are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof, and (ii) a depository receipt issued by a bank or trust company as custodian with respect to any such Government Obligation or a specific payment of interest on or principal of any such Government Obligation held by such custodian for the account of the holder of a depository receipt; provided that (except as required by law) such custodian is not authorized to make any deduction from the amount payable to the holder of such depository receipt from any amount received by the custodian in respect of the Government Obligation or the specific payment of interest on or principal of the Government Obligation evidenced by such depository receipt.

 

4

 

 

Holder” means, in the case of a Registered Security, the Person in whose name a Security is registered in the Security Register.

 

Indenture” means this instrument as originally executed or as it may be supplemented or amended from time to time by one or more indentures supplemental hereto entered into pursuant to the applicable provisions hereof, and shall include the terms of particular Series of Securities established as contemplated by Section 3.01; provided, however, that, if at any time more than one Person is acting as Trustee under this instrument, “Indenture” shall mean, with respect to any one or more Series of Securities for which such Person is Trustee, this instrument as originally executed or as it may be supplemented or amended from time to time by one or more indentures supplemental hereto entered into pursuant to the applicable provisions hereof and shall include the terms of the or those particular Series of Securities for which such Person is Trustee established as contemplated by Section 3.01, exclusive, however, of any provisions or terms which relate solely to other Series of Securities for which such Person is Trustee, regardless of when such terms or provisions were adopted, and exclusive of any provisions or terms adopted by means of one or more indentures supplemental hereto executed and delivered after such Person had become such Trustee but to which such Person, as such Trustee, was not a party.

 

Indexed Security” means a Security the terms of which provide that the principal amount thereof payable at Stated Maturity may be more or less than the principal face amount thereof at original issuance.

 

Interest,” when used with respect to an Original Issue Discount Security which by its terms bears interest only after Maturity, shall mean interest payable after Maturity.

 

Interest Payment Date,” when used with respect to any Security, means the Stated Maturity of an installment of interest on such Security.

 

Make-Whole Amount,” when used with respect to any Security, means the amount, if any, in addition to principal (and accrued interest thereon, if any) which is required by a Security, under the terms and conditions specified therein or as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.01, to be paid by the Company to the Holder thereof in connection with any optional redemption or accelerated payment of such Security.

 

mandatory sinking fund payment” has the meaning specified in Section 12.01.

 

5

 

 

Maturity,” when used with respect to any Security, means the date on which the principal (or, if the context so requires, in the case of an Original Issue Discount Security, or lesser amount or, in the case of an Indexed Security, an amount determined in accordance with the specified terms of that Security) of such Security or an installment of principal becomes due and payable as therein or herein provided, whether at the Stated Maturity or by declaration of acceleration, notice of redemption, notice of option to elect repayment or otherwise.

 

Notice of Default” has the meaning specified in Section 5.01(4).

 

Officer” means the Chairman of the Board, the President, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, any Vice President, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary or Assistant Secretary of Parent.

 

Officer’s Certificate” means a certificate signed by an Officer of the Parent on behalf of the Company, as its general partner, and delivered to the Trustee.

 

Opinion of Counsel” means a written opinion of counsel, who may be counsel for the Company or who may be an employee of or other counsel for the Company. Such opinion may contain customary qualifications and assumptions.

 

Option to Elect Repayment” has the meaning specified in Section 13.03.

 

optional sinking fund payment” has the meaning specified in Section 12.01.

 

Original Issue Discount Security” means any Security which provides for an amount (excluding any amounts attributable to accrued but unpaid interest thereon) less than the principal amount thereof to be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 5.02.

 

Outstanding,” when used with respect to Securities, means, as of the date of determination, all Securities theretofore authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, except:

 

(i)            Securities theretofore canceled by the Trustee or delivered to the Trustee for cancellation;

 

(ii)           Securities, or portions thereof, for whose payment or redemption (including repayment at the option of the Holder) money in the necessary amount has been theretofore deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent (other than the Company) in trust or set aside and segregated in trust by the Company (if the Company shall act as its own Paying Agent) for the Holders of such Securities ; provided, however, that, if such Securities or portions thereof are to be redeemed, notice of such redemption has been duly given pursuant to this Indenture, or provision therefor satisfactory to the Trustee has been made;

 

(iii)            Securities, except to the extent provided in Sections 14.02 and 14.03, with respect to which the Company has effected defeasance and/or covenant defeasance as provided in Article Fourteen; and

 

6

 

 

(iv)            Securities which have been paid pursuant to Section 3.06 or in exchange for or in lieu of which other Securities have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to this Indenture, other than any such Securities in respect of which there shall have been presented to the Trustee proof satisfactory to it that such Securities are held by a protected purchaser in whose hands such Securities are valid obligations of the Company.

 

provided, however, that in determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of the Outstanding Securities have given any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver hereunder or are present at a meeting of Holders for quorum purposes, and for the purpose of making the calculations required by TIA Section 313, (i) the principal amount of an Original Issue Discount Security that may be counted in making such determination or calculation and that shall be deemed to be Outstanding for such purpose shall be equal to the amount of principal thereof that would be (or shall have been declared to be) due and payable, at the time of such determination, upon a declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof pursuant to Section 5.02, (ii) the principal amount of any Security denominated in a Foreign Currency that may be counted in making such determination or calculation and that shall be deemed Outstanding for such purpose shall be equal to the Dollar equivalent, determined pursuant to Section 3.01 as of the date such Security is originally issued by the Company, of the principal amount (or, in the case of an Original Issue Discount Security, the Dollar equivalent as of such date of original issuance of the amount determined as provided in clause (i) above) of such Security, (iii) the principal amount of any Indexed Security that may be counted in making such determination or calculation and that shall be deemed outstanding for such purpose shall be equal to the principal face amount of such Indexed Security at original issuance, unless otherwise provided with respect to such Security pursuant to Section 3.01, and (iv) Securities owned by the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or any Affiliate of the Company or of such other obligor shall be disregarded and deemed not to be Outstanding, except that, in determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in making such calculation or in relying upon any such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver, only Securities which a Responsible Officer of the Trustee actually knows to be so owned shall be so disregarded. Securities owned as provided in clause (iv) above which have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as Outstanding if the pledgee establishes to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee’s right so to act with respect to such Securities and that the pledgee is not the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or any Affiliate of the Company or of such other obligor. In case of a dispute as to such right, the advice of counsel shall be full protection in respect of any decision made by the Trustee in accordance with such advice.

 

Parent” means the Person named as the “Parent” in the first paragraph of this Indenture until a successor corporation shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Parent” shall mean such successor corporation.

 

Paying Agent” means any Person authorized by the Company to pay the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest on any Securities on behalf of the Company.

 

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Permitted Debt” means indebtedness for borrowed money of the Parent and indebtedness for borrowed money of the Company which is guaranteed by the Parent not to exceed $10,000,000 in the aggregate outstanding from time to time.

 

Person” means any individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, association, joint-stock company, trust, unincorporated organization or government or any agency or political subdivision thereof, or any other entity or organization.

 

Place of Payment,” when used with respect to the Securities of or within any Series, means the place or places where the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest on such Securities are payable as specified as contemplated by Sections 3.01 and 10.02.

 

Predecessor Security” of any particular Security means every previous Security evidencing all or a portion of the same debt as that evidenced by such particular Security; and, for the purposes of this definition, any Security authenticated and delivered under Section 3.06 in exchange for or in lieu of a mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be deemed to evidence the same debt as the mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security.

 

Redemption Date,” when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, in whole or in part, means the date fixed for such redemption by or pursuant to this Indenture.

 

Redemption Price,” when used with respect to any Security to be redeemed, means the price specified in the related Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture contemplated by and pursuant to Section 3.01, at which it is to be redeemed pursuant to this Indenture.

 

Registered Security” shall mean any Security which is registered in the Security Register.

 

Regular Record Date” for the interest payable on any Interest Payment Date on the Registered Securities of or within any Series means the date specified for that purpose as contemplated by Section 3.01, whether or not a Business Day.

 

Repayment Date” means, when used with respect to any Security to be repaid at the option of the Holder, the date fixed for such repayment by or pursuant to this Indenture.

 

Responsible Officer,” when used with respect to the Trustee, means any Vice President (whether or not designated by a number or a word or words added before or after the title “Vice President”), Assistant Vice President, Trust Officer or Assistant Trust Officer working in its Corporate Trust Department, or any other officer of the Trustee customarily performing functions similar to those performed by any of the above designated officers and working in its Corporate Trust Department who shall have direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture, and also means, with respect to a particular corporate trust matter, any other officer to whom such matter is referred because of such officer’s knowledge and familiarity with the particular subject and who shall have direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture.

 

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Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, as in effect from time to time.

 

Security” and “Securities” has the meaning stated in the first recital of this Indenture and, more particularly, means any Security or Securities authenticated and delivered under this Indenture; provided, however, that, if at any time there is more than one Person acting as Trustee under this Indenture, “Securities” with respect to this Indenture as to which such Person is Trustee shall have the meaning stated in the first recital of this Indenture and shall more particularly mean Securities authenticated and delivered under this Indenture, exclusive, however, of Securities of any Series as to which such Person is not Trustee.

 

Security Register” and “Security Registrar” have the respective meanings specified in Section 3.05.

 

Senior Debt” means the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest (including interest accruing on or after the filing of any petition in bankruptcy or for reorganization relating to the Company to the extent that such claim for post-petition interest is allowed in such proceeding) on all indebtedness of the Company (including indebtedness of others guaranteed by the Company), other than the Securities, whether outstanding on the date of this Indenture or thereafter created, incurred or assumed, which is (i) for money borrowed, (ii) evidenced by a note or similar instrument given in connection with the acquisition of any businesses, properties or assets of any kind or (iii) obligations of the Company as lessee under leases required to be capitalized on the balance sheet of the lessee under GAAP or leases of property or assets made as part of any sale and lease-back transaction to which the Company is a party, including amendments, renewals, extensions, modifications and refundings of any such indebtedness or obligation, unless in any case in the instrument creating or evidencing any such indebtedness or obligation or pursuant to which the same is outstanding it is provided that such indebtedness or obligation is not superior in right of payment to the Securities.

 

Senior Officer” means, with respect to the Company, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the President, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer, or the Controller/Chief Accounting Officer of the Parent.

 

Series” of Securities means all securities denoted as part of the same Series authorized by or pursuant to a particular Board Resolution.

 

Special Record Date” for the payment of any Defaulted Interest on the Registered Securities of or within any Series means a date fixed by the Company pursuant to Section 3.07.

 

Stated Maturity,” when used with respect to any Security or any installment of principal thereof or interest thereon, means the date specified in such Security as the fixed date on which the principal of such Security or such installment of principal or interest is due and payable.

 

Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, a corporation, partnership, association, joint venture, trust, limited liability company or other business entity, which is required to be consolidated with the Company in accordance with GAAP.

 

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Trust Indenture Act” or “TIA” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended and as in force at the date as of which this Indenture was executed, except as provided in Section 9.05.

 

Trustee” means the Person named as the “Trustee” in the first paragraph of this Indenture until a successor Trustee shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Trustee” shall mean or include each Person who is then a Trustee hereunder; provided, however, that if at any time there is more than one such Person, “Trustee” as used with respect to the Securities of any Series shall mean only the Trustee with respect to Securities of that Series.

 

United States” means, unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities pursuant to Section 3.01, the United States of America (including the states and the District of Columbia), its territories, its possessions and other areas subject to its jurisdiction.

 

United States Person” means, unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities pursuant to Section 3.01, an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States, a corporation, partnership or other entity created or organized in or under the laws of the United States or an estate or trust the income of which is subject to United States Federal income taxation regardless of its source.

 

Yield to Maturity” means the yield to maturity, computed at the time of issuance of a Security (or, if applicable, at the most recent redetermination of interest on such Security) and as set forth in such Security in accordance with generally accepted United States bond yield computation principles.

 

Section 1.02. Compliance Certificates and Opinions.

 

Upon any application or request by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any provision of this Indenture, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate stating that all conditions precedent, if any, provided for in this Indenture relating to the proposed action have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel stating that in the opinion of such counsel all such conditions precedent, if any, have been complied with, except that in the case of any such application or request as to which the furnishing of such documents is specifically required by any provision of this Indenture relating to such particular application or request, no additional certificate or opinion need be furnished.

 

Every certificate or opinion with respect to compliance with a condition or covenant provided for in this Indenture (including certificates delivered pursuant to Section 10.05) shall include:

 

(1)            a statement that each individual signing such certificate or opinion has read such condition or covenant and the definitions herein relating thereto;

 

(2)            a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statements or opinions contained in such certificate or opinion are based;

 

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(3)            a statement that, in the opinion of each such individual, he has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him to express an informed opinion as to whether or not such condition or covenant has been complied with; and

 

(4)            a statement as to whether, in the opinion of each such individual, such condition or covenant has been complied with.

 

Section 1.03. Form of Documents Delivered to Trustee.

 

In any case where several matters are required to be certified by, or covered by an opinion of, any specified Person, it is not necessary that all such matters be certified by, or covered by the opinion of, only one such Person, or that they be so certified or covered by only one document, but one such Person may certify or give an opinion with respect to some matters and one or more other such Persons as to other matters, and any such Person may certify or give an opinion as to such matters in one or several documents.

 

Any certificate or opinion of an officer of the Company may be based, insofar as it relates to legal matters, upon an Opinion of Counsel, or a certificate or representations by counsel, unless such officer knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care should know, that the opinion, certificate or representations with respect to the matters upon which his certificate or opinion is based are erroneous.

 

Any such Opinion of Counsel or certificate or representations may be based, insofar as it relates to factual matters, upon a certificate or opinion of, or representations by, an officer or officers of the Company stating that the information as to such factual matters is in the possession of the Company, unless such counsel knows, or in the exercise of reasonable care should know, that the certificate or opinion or representations with respect to such matters are erroneous.

 

Where any Person is required to make, give or execute two or more applications, requests, consents, certificates, statements, opinions or other instruments under this Indenture, they may, but need not, be consolidated and form one instrument.

 

Section 1.04. Acts of Holders.

 

(a)            Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided by this Indenture to be given or taken by Holders of the Outstanding Securities of all Series or one or more Series, as the case may be, may be embodied in and evidenced by one or more instruments of substantially similar tenor signed by such Holders in person or by agents duly appointed in writing. Except as herein otherwise expressly provided, such action shall become effective when such instrument or instruments or record or both are delivered to the Trustee and, where it is hereby expressly required, to the Company. Such instrument or instruments and any such record (and the action embodied therein and evidenced thereby) are herein sometimes referred to as the “Act” of the Holders signing such instrument or instruments or so voting at any such meeting. Proof of execution of any such instrument or of a writing appointing any such agent, or of the holding by any Person of a Security, shall be sufficient for any purpose of this Indenture and conclusive in favor of the Trustee and the Company and any agent of the Trustee or the Company, if made in the manner provided in this Section. The record of any meeting of Holders of Securities shall be proved in the manner provided in Section 15.06.

 

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(b)            The fact and date of the execution by any Person of any such instrument or writing may be proved by the affidavit of a witness of such execution or by a certificate of a notary public or other officer authorized by law to take acknowledgments of deeds, certifying that the individual signing such instrument or writing acknowledged to him the execution thereof. Where such execution is by a signer acting in a capacity other than his individual capacity, such certificate or affidavit shall also constitute sufficient proof of his authority. The fact and date of the execution of any such instrument or writing, or the authority of the Person executing the same, may also be proved in any other reasonable manner which the Trustee deems sufficient.

 

(c)            The ownership of Registered Securities shall be proved by the Security Register. As to any matter relating to beneficial ownership interests in any Global Security, the appropriate depository’s records shall be dispositive for purposes of this Indenture.

 

(d)            If the Company shall solicit from the Holders of Registered Securities any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, the Company may, at its option, in or pursuant to a Board Resolution, fix in advance a record date for the determination of Holders entitled to give such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, but the Company shall have no obligation to do so. Notwithstanding TIA Section 316(c), such record date shall be the record date specified in or pursuant to such Board Resolution, which shall be a date not earlier than the date 30 days prior to the first solicitation of Holders generally in connection therewith and not later than the date such solicitation is completed. If such a record date is fixed, such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act may be given before or after such record date, but only the Holders of record at the close of business on such record date shall be deemed to be Holders for the purposes of determining whether Holders of the requisite proportion of Outstanding Securities have authorized or agreed or consented to such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act, and for that purpose the Outstanding Securities shall be computed as of such record date; provided that no such authorization, agreement or consent by the Holders on such record date shall be deemed effective unless it shall become effective pursuant to the provisions of this Indenture not later than eleven months after the record date.

 

(e)            Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other Act of the Holder of any Security shall bind every future Holder of the same Security and the Holder of every Security issued upon the registration of transfer thereof or in exchange therefor or in lieu thereof in respect of anything done, omitted or suffered to be done by the Trustee, any Security Registrar, any Paying Agent, any Authenticating Agent or the Company in reliance thereon, whether or not notation of such action is made upon such Security.

 

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Section 1.05. Notices, etc., to Trustee and Company.

 

Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or Act of Holders which by any provision of this Indenture is required or permitted to be given or furnished to, or filed with:

 

(1)            the Trustee by any Holder or by the Company shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder if made, given, furnished or filed in writing to or with the Trustee at [     ], shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, if given or served by being deposited postage prepaid by registered or certified mail in a post office letter box, or sent by overnight courier, or sent by electronic transmission; or

 

(2)            the Company or Parent by the Trustee or by any Holder shall be sufficient for every purpose hereunder (unless otherwise herein expressly provided) if in writing and mailed, first class postage prepaid, to the Company and Parent at One Grand Central Place, 60 East 42nd Street, New York, New York 10165 or at any other address previously furnished in writing to the Trustee by the Company, Attention: Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel, shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, if given or served by being deposited postage prepaid by registered or certified mail in a post office letter box, or sent by overnight courier, or sent by electronic transmission.

 

Section 1.06. Notice to Holders: Waiver.

 

Where this Indenture provides for notice of any event to Holders of Registered Securities by the Company or the Trustee, such notice shall be sufficiently given (unless otherwise herein expressly provided) if in writing and deposited postage prepaid by registered or certified mail in a post office letter box, or sent by overnight courier, or sent by electronic transmission, to each such Holder affected by such event, at his address as it appears in the Security Register, not later than the latest date, if any, and not earlier than the earliest date, if any, prescribed for the giving of such notice. In any case where notice to Holders of Registered Securities is given by mail, neither the failure to mail such notice, nor any defect in any notice so mailed, to any particular Holder shall affect the sufficiency of such notice with respect to other Holders of Registered Securities given as provided herein. Any notice mailed to a Holder in the manner herein prescribed shall be conclusively deemed to have been received by such Holder, whether or not such Holder actually receives such notice.

 

If by reason of the suspension of or irregularities in regular mail service or by reason of any other cause it shall be impracticable to give such notice by mail, then such notification to Holders of Registered Securities as shall be made with the approval of the Trustee shall constitute a sufficient notification to such Holders for every purpose hereunder.

 

Any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent or waiver required or permitted under this Indenture shall be in the English language, except that any published notice may be in an official language of the country of publication.

 

Where this Indenture provides for notice in any manner, such notice may be waived in writing by the Person entitled to receive such notice, either before or after the event, and such waiver shall be the equivalent of such notice. Waivers of notice by Holders shall be filed with the Trustee, but such filing shall not be a condition precedent to the validity of any action taken in reliance upon such waiver.

 

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Section 1.07. Counterparts; Effect of Headings and Table of Contents.

 

This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same Indenture. The Article and Section headings herein and the Table of Contents are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

 

Section 1.08. Successors and Assigns.

 

All covenants and agreements in this Indenture by each of the Company and Parent shall bind its respective successors and assigns, whether so expressed or not.

 

Section 1.09. Severability Clause.

 

In case any provision in this Indenture or in any Security shall be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

 

Section 1.10. Benefits of Indenture.

 

Nothing in this Indenture or in the Securities, if any, express or implied, shall give to any Person, other than the parties hereto, any Security Registrar, any Paying Agent, any Authenticating Agent and their successors hereunder, the holders of Securities and the Holders any benefit or any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Indenture.

 

Section 1.11. Governing Law; Waiver of Trial by Jury.

 

This Indenture and the Securities shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. This Indenture is subject to the provisions of the TIA that are required to be part of this Indenture and shall, to the extent applicable, be governed by such provisions.

 

EACH PARTY HERETO, AND EACH HOLDER OF A SECURITY BY ACCEPTANCE THEREOF, HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF, UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS INDENTURE.

 

Section 1.12. Non-Business Day.

 

In any case where any Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date, Repayment Date, sinking fund payment date, Stated Maturity or Maturity of any Security or the last date on which a Holder has the right to exchange a Security shall not be a Business Day, then (notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or any Security other than a provision in the Securities of any Series which specifically states that such provision shall apply in lieu hereof), payment of interest, if any, or principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or exchange of such Security need not be made at such Place of Payment on such date, but (except as otherwise provided in the supplemental indenture with respect to such Security) may be made on the next succeeding Business Day at such Place of Payment with the same force and effect as if made on the Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date, Repayment Date or sinking fund payment date, or at the Stated Maturity or Maturity, or on such last day for exchange; provided that no interest shall accrue on the amount so payable for the period from and after such Interest Payment Date, Redemption Date, Repayment Date, sinking fund payment date, Stated Maturity or Maturity, as the case may be.

 

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Section 1.13. Limited Liability; Immunity of Partners, Stockholders, Directors, Officers and Agents of the Company and Parent.

 

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or of the Securities of any Series to the contrary, no recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement contained in this Indenture or in any Security, or because of any indebtedness evidenced by any of the foregoing, shall be had against any past, present or future partner (including the Parent), shareholder, member, manager, employee, officer, agent or director, solely in their capacity as such, of the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, as applicable, or any such predecessor or successor, under any rule of law, statute or constitutional provision or by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding or otherwise, it being expressly agreed and understood that this Indenture and the Securities are solely corporate obligations, and that no personal liability whatsoever shall attach to, or be incurred by, any past, present or future partner (including the Parent), shareholder, member, manager, employee, officer, agent or director, solely in their capacity as such, of the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, as applicable, or any predecessor or successor, either directly or through the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, as applicable, or any predecessor or successor corporation, because of the incurring of the Indebtedness hereby authorized or under or by reason of any of the obligations, covenants, promises or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities, or to be implied herefrom or therefrom, and that all liability, if any, of that character against every such partner (including the Parent), shareholder, member, manager, employee, officer, agent or director, of the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, is, by the acceptance of the Securities and as a condition of, and as part of the consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issue of the Securities expressly waived and released.

 

Section 1.14. Conflict with Trust Indenture Act.

 

If any provision hereof limits, qualifies or conflicts with another provision hereof which is required or deemed to be included in this Indenture by any of the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act, such required provision shall control. If any provision of this Indenture modifies or excludes any provision of the Trust Indenture Act that may be so modified or excluded, the latter provision shall be deemed to apply to this Indenture as so modified or to be excluded, as the case may be.

 

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Section 1.15. Electronic Signatures.

 

This Indenture and any certificate, agreement or other document to be signed in connection with this Indenture and the transactions contemplated hereby shall be valid, binding and enforceable against a party only when executed and delivered by an authorized individual on behalf of the party by means of (i) an original manual signature, (ii) a faxed, scanned or photocopied manual signature or (iii) in the case of this Indenture and any certificate, agreement or other document to be signed in connection with this Indenture and the transactions contemplated hereby, other than any Security (including a Global Security), any electronic signature permitted by the federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, state enactments of the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, and/or any other relevant electronic signatures law, including relevant provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code (collectively, “Signature Law”). Each electronic signature (except in the case of any Security (including a Global Security)) or faxed, scanned or photocopied manual signature shall for all purposes have the same validity, legal effect and admissibility in evidence as an original manual signature. Each party hereto shall be entitled to conclusively rely upon, and shall have no liability with respect to, any faxed, scanned or photocopied manual signature, or other electronic signature (except in the case of any Security (including a Global Security)), of any party and shall have no duty to investigate, confirm or otherwise verify the validity or authenticity thereof. For avoidance of doubt, original manual signatures shall be used for execution or indorsement of writings when required under the Uniform Commercial Code or other Signature Law due to the character or intended character of the writings.

 

Article Two

 

SECURITIES FORMS

 

Section 2.01. Forms of Securities.

 

The Registered Securities, if any, of each Series shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto or in such other form as shall be established in one or more indentures supplemental hereto or approved from time to time by or pursuant to a Board Resolution in accordance with Section 3.01, shall have such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as are required or permitted by this Indenture or any indenture supplemental hereto, and may have such letters, numbers or other marks of identification or designation and such legends or endorsements placed thereon as the Company may deem appropriate and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture, or as may be required to comply with any law or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or regulation of any stock exchange, automated quotation system or clearing agency, or to conform to usage.

 

The definitive Securities shall be printed, lithographed or engraved or produced by any combination of these methods on a steel engraved border or steel engraved borders or mechanically reproduced on safety paper or may be produced in any other manner, all as determined by the officers executing such Securities, as evidenced by their execution of such Securities.

 

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Section 2.02. Form of Trustee’s Certificate of Authentication.

 

Subject to Section 6.11, the Trustee’s certificate of authentication shall be in substantially the following form:

 

This is one of the Securities of the Series designated therein referred to in the within- mentioned Indenture.

 

Dated:     [     ]
      as Trustee
       
Dated:     By:  
    Authorized Signatory

 

Section 2.03. Securities Issuable in Global Form.

 

If Securities of or within a Series are issuable in the form of one or more Global Securities, then, notwithstanding clause (8) of Section 3.01 and the provisions of Section 3.02, any such Global Security or Securities may provide that it or they shall represent the aggregate amount of all Outstanding Securities of such Series (or such lesser amount as is permitted by the terms thereof) from time to time endorsed thereon and may also provide that the aggregate amount of Outstanding Securities of such Series represented thereby may from time to time be increased or decreased to reflect exchanges. Any endorsement of any Global Security to reflect the amount, or any increase or decrease in the amount, or changes in the rights of Holders thereof, of Outstanding Securities represented thereby shall be made (or caused to be made) by the Trustee in such manner or by such Person or Persons as shall be specified therein or in the Company Order to be delivered to the Trustee pursuant to Section 3.03 or 3.04. Subject to the provisions of Section 3.03 and, if applicable, Section 3.04, the Trustee shall deliver and redeliver any Global Security in permanent global form in the manner and upon instructions given by the Person or Persons specified therein or in the applicable Company Order. If a Company Order pursuant to Section 3.03 or 3.04 has been, or simultaneously is, delivered, any instructions by the Company with respect to endorsement or delivery or redelivery of a Global Security shall be in writing but need not comply with Section 1.02 and need not be accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel.

 

The provisions of the last sentence of Section 3.03 shall apply to any Security represented by a Global Security if such Security was never issued and sold by the Company and the Company delivers to the Trustee the Global Security together with written instructions (which need not comply with Section 1.02 and need not be accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel) with regard to the reduction in the principal amount of Securities represented thereby, together with the written statement contemplated by the last sentence of Section 3.03.

 

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.07, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.01, payment of principal of and any premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and interest, if any, on any Global Security in permanent global form shall be made to the registered Holder thereof.

 

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Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.08 and except as provided in the preceding paragraph, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company and the Trustee shall treat as the Holder of such principal amount of Outstanding Securities represented by a permanent Global Security the Holder of such permanent Global Security in registered form.

 

Any Global Security authenticated and delivered hereunder shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:

 

“THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, WHICH SHALL BE TREATED BY THE COMPANY, THE TRUSTEE AND ANY AGENT THEREOF AS OWNER AND HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY FOR ALL PURPOSES.

 

UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY (AND ANY PAYMENT HEREON IS MADE TO THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL SINCE THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.

 

TRANSFERS OF THIS GLOBAL SECURITY SHALL BE LIMITED TO TRANSFERS IN WHOLE, BUT NOT IN PART, BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, OR BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.”

 

Article Three

 

THE SECURITIES

 

Section 3.01. Amount Unlimited; Issuable in Series.

 

The aggregate principal amount of Securities which may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is unlimited.

 

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The Securities may be issued in one or more Series, each of which shall be authorized pursuant to Board Resolutions of Parent. There shall be established in one or more Board Resolutions or pursuant to authority granted by one or more Board Resolutions and, subject to Section 3.03, set forth in an Officer’s Certificate, or established in one or more indentures supplemental hereto, prior to the issuance of Securities of any Series:

 

(1)            the title of the Securities of the Series, including “CUSIP” numbers (which shall distinguish the Securities of such Series from all other Series of Securities);

 

(2)            any limit upon the aggregate principal amount of the Securities of the Series that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon registration of transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of, other Securities of the Series pursuant to Section 3.04, 3.05, 3.06, 9.06, 11.07 or 13.05) and the minimum authorized denominations with respect to the Securities of such Series;

 

(3)            the price (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount thereof) at which such Securities will be issued and, if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount thereof payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof, pursuant to Section 5.02;

 

(4)            the date or dates, or the method for determining such date or dates, on which the principal of such Securities will be payable;

 

(5)            the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable), or the method by which such rate or rates shall be determined, at which such Securities will bear interest, if any;

 

(6)            the date or dates, or the method for determining such date or dates, from which any such interest will accrue, the Interest Payment Dates on which any such interest will be payable, the Regular Record Dates for such Interest Payment Dates, or the method by which such dates shall be determined, the Persons to whom such interest, if any, shall be payable, and the basis upon which interest shall be calculated if other than that of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months;

 

(7)            the Make-Whole Amount, if any, or method for determining the Make-Whole Amount, if any, payable with respect to such Securities, and the terms upon which such amount, if any, will be payable;

 

(8)            the place or places where the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, on such Securities will be payable, where such Securities may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices or demands to or upon the Company in respect of such Securities and this Indenture may be served;

 

(9)            the period or periods, if any, within which, the price or prices at which and the other terms and conditions upon which such Securities may, pursuant to any optional or mandatory redemption provisions, be redeemed, as a whole or in part, at the option of the Company;

 

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(10)            the obligation, if any, of the Company to redeem, repay or purchase such Securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provision or at the option of a Holder thereof, and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the other terms and conditions upon which such Securities will be redeemed, repaid or purchased, as a whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;

 

(11)            if other than Dollars, the currency or currencies in which such Securities are denominated and payable, which may be a foreign currency or units of two or more foreign currencies or a composite currency or currencies, the manner of determining the equivalent thereof in Dollars for purposes of the definition of “Outstanding” in Section 1.01, and the terms and conditions relating thereto;

 

(12)            whether the amount of payments of principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, including any amount due upon redemption, if any) or interest, if any, on such Securities may be determined with reference to an index, formula or other method (which index, formula or method may, but need not be, based on the yield on or trading price of other securities, including United States Treasury securities or on a currency, currencies, currency unit or units, or composite currency or currencies) and the manner in which such amounts shall be determined;

 

(13)            whether the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on the Securities of the Series are to be payable, at the election of the Company or a Holder thereof, in a currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies other than that in which such Securities are denominated or stated to be payable, the period or periods within which, and the terms and conditions upon which, such election may be made, and the time and manner of, and identity of the exchange rate agent with responsibility for, determining the exchange rate between the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which such Securities are denominated or stated to be payable and the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which such Securities are to be so payable;

 

(14)            provisions, if any, granting special rights to the Holders of Securities of the Series upon the occurrence of such events as may be specified;

 

(15)            any deletions from, modifications of or additions to the Events of Default or covenants of the Company with respect to Securities of the Series, whether or not such Events of Default or covenants are consistent with the Events of Default or covenants set forth herein;

 

(16)            whether and under what circumstances the Company will pay any additional amounts on such Securities in respect of any tax, assessment or governmental charge and, if so, whether the Company will have the option to redeem such Securities in lieu of making such payment;

 

(17)            whether any Securities of the Series are to be issuable initially in temporary global form and whether any Securities of the Series are to be issuable in permanent global form and, if so, whether beneficial owners of interests in any such permanent Global Security may, or shall be required to, exchange such interests for Securities of such Series and of like tenor of any authorized form and denomination and the circumstances under which any such exchanges may, or shall be required to, occur, if other than in the manner provided in the Indenture, and, if Registered Securities of the Series are to be issuable as a Global Security, the identity of the depository for such Series;

 

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(18)            the date as of which any temporary Global Security representing outstanding Securities of the Series shall be dated if other than the date of original issuance of the first Security of the Series to be issued;

 

(19)            the Person to whom interest, if any, on any Registered Security of the Series shall be payable, if other than the Person in whose name that Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest, if any, and the extent to which, or the manner in which, interest, if any, payable on a temporary Global Security on an Interest Payment Date will be paid if other than in the manner provided herein; provided, however, in each case, that the manner of determining such Person or making such payment shall be acceptable to the Trustee (as not imposing on it any undue administrative burden or risk of liability);

 

(20)            the applicability, if any, of the defeasance and covenant defeasance provisions of Article Fourteen hereof to the Securities of the Series;

 

(21)            if the Securities of such Series are to be issuable in definitive form (whether upon original issue or upon exchange of a temporary Security of such Series) only upon receipt of certain certificates or other documents or satisfaction of other conditions, then the form and/or terms of such certificates, documents or conditions;

 

(22)            designation of the Trustee, if different from the Trustee under this Indenture, with respect to such Series and the terms applicable to such Trustee (which shall be accepted by such Trustee by its execution and delivery of a supplemental indenture as provided therein);

 

(23)            any modification of the subordination provisions set forth in Article Sixteen which applies to the Securities of the Series;

 

(24)            Securities may be converted into, or exchanged for, Capital Stock of the Company or Parent or other securities, the terms on which such conversion or exchange may occur, including whether such conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at the option of the Company, the period during which such conversion or exchange may occur, the initial conversion or exchange price or rate, and the circumstances or manner in which the securities issuable upon conversion or exchange may be adjusted or calculated; and

 

(25)            any other terms of the Series (which terms shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture).

 

All Securities of any one Series shall be substantially identical except, in the case of Registered Securities, as to denomination and except as may otherwise be provided in or pursuant to such Board Resolution (subject to Section 3.03) and set forth in such Officer’s Certificate or in any such indenture supplemental hereto. All Securities of any one Series need not be issued at the same time and, unless otherwise provided, a Series may be reopened, without the consent of the Holders, for issuances of additional Securities of such Series.

 

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If any of the terms of the Securities of any Series are established by action taken pursuant to one or more Board Resolutions, a copy of an appropriate record of such action(s) shall be certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of Parent and delivered to the Trustee at or prior to the delivery of the Officer’s Certificate setting forth the terms of the Securities of such Series.

 

Section 3.02. Denominations.

 

The Securities of each Series shall be issuable in such denominations as shall be specified as contemplated by Section 3.01. With respect to Securities of any Series denominated in Dollars, in the absence of any such provisions with respect to the Securities of any Series, the Securities of such Series, other than Global Securities (which may be of any denomination), shall be issuable in minimum denominations of $2,000 and any integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof or the equivalent amounts thereof in the case of Securities denominated in the Foreign Currency or currency unit.

 

Section 3.03. Execution, Authentication, Delivery and Dating.

 

The Securities shall be executed on behalf of the Company by the Chairman of the Board, the President, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, any Vice President, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary or Assistant Secretary of Parent (on the behalf of the Company as its general partner) or the Company. The signature of any of these officers on the Securities may be manual or facsimile signatures of the present or any future such authorized officer and may be imprinted or otherwise reproduced on the Securities.

 

Securities bearing the manual or facsimile signatures of individuals who were at any time the proper officers of Parent shall bind the Company, notwithstanding that such individuals or any of them have ceased to hold such offices prior to the authentication and delivery of such Securities or did not hold such offices at the date of such Securities.

 

At any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company may deliver Securities of any Series executed by the Company to the Trustee for authentication, together with a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of such Securities (accompanied by a copy of the Board Resolution and the Officer’s Certificate or supplemental indenture contemplated by Section 3.01), and the Trustee in accordance with the Company Order shall authenticate and deliver such Securities. If any Security shall be represented by a permanent Global Security, then, for purposes of this Section and Section 3.04, the notation of a beneficial owner’s interest therein upon original issuance of such Security or upon exchange of a portion of a temporary Global Security shall be deemed to be delivery in connection with its original issuance of such beneficial owner’s interest in such permanent Global Security.

 

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If all the Securities of any Series are not to be issued at one time and if the Board Resolution or supplemental indenture establishing such Series shall so permit, such Company Order may set forth procedures acceptable to the Trustee for the issuance of such Securities and determining the terms of particular Securities of such Series, such as interest rate or formula, maturity date, date of issuance and date from which interest shall accrue. In authenticating such Securities, and accepting the additional responsibilities under this Indenture in relation to such Securities, the Trustee shall be provided with, and (subject to TIA Section 315(a) through 315(d)) shall be fully protected in relying upon,

 

(1)           an Opinion of Counsel stating that

 

(A)            the form or forms of such Securities have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture;

 

(B)            the terms of such Securities have been established in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture; and

 

(C)            such Securities when completed by appropriate insertions and executed and delivered by the Company to the Trustee for authentication in accordance with this Indenture, authenticated and delivered by the Trustee in accordance with this Indenture and issued by the Company in the manner and subject to any conditions specified in such Opinion of Counsel, will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization and other similar laws of general applicability relating to or affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and to general equitable principles; and

 

(2)            an Officer’s Certificate stating that all conditions precedent provided for in this Indenture relating to the issuance of the Securities have been complied with and that, to the best of the knowledge of the signers of such certificate, that no Event of Default with respect to any of the Securities shall have occurred and be continuing.

 

If such form or terms have been so established, the Trustee shall not be required to authenticate such Securities (or to enter into the related supplemental indenture, if applicable) if the issue of such Securities pursuant to this Indenture will affect the Trustee’s own rights, duties, obligations or immunities under the Securities and this Indenture or otherwise in a manner which is not reasonably acceptable to the Trustee.

 

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3.01 and of the preceding paragraph, if all the Securities of any Series are not to be issued at one time, it shall not be necessary to deliver an Officer’s Certificate otherwise required pursuant to Section 3.01 or a Company Order, or an Opinion of Counsel or an Officer’s Certificate otherwise required pursuant to the preceding paragraph at the time of issuance of each Security of such Series, but such order, opinion and certificates, with appropriate modifications to cover such future issuances, shall be delivered at or before the time of issuance of the first Security of such Series.

 

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Each Registered Security shall be dated the date of its authentication.

 

No Security shall be entitled to any benefit under this Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose unless there appears on such Security a certificate of authentication substantially in the form provided for herein duly executed by the Trustee (subject to Section 6.11) by manual signature of an authorized signatory, and such certificate upon any Security shall be conclusive evidence, and the only evidence, that such Security has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder and is entitled to the benefits of this Indenture. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any Security (including a Global Security) shall have been authenticated and delivered hereunder but never issued and sold by the Company, and the Company shall deliver such Security to the Trustee for cancellation as provided in Section 3.09 together with a written statement (which need not comply with Section 1.02 and need not be accompanied by an Opinion of Counsel) stating that such Security has never been issued and sold by the Company, for all purposes of this Indenture such Security shall be deemed never to have been authenticated and delivered hereunder and shall never be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture.

 

Section 3.04. Temporary Securities.

 

(a)            Pending the preparation of definitive Securities of any Series, the Company may execute, and upon Company Order the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, temporary Securities which are printed, lithographed, typewritten, mimeographed or otherwise produced, in any authorized denomination, substantially of the tenor of the definitive Securities in lieu of which they are issued, in registered form, and with such appropriate insertions, omissions, substitutions and other variations as the officers executing such Securities may determine, as conclusively evidenced by their execution of such Securities. In the case of Securities of any Series, such temporary Securities may be in global form.

 

Except in the case of temporary Global Securities (which shall be exchanged as otherwise provided herein or as otherwise provided in or pursuant to a Board Resolution or supplemental indenture pursuant to Section 3.01), if temporary Securities of any Series are issued, the Company will cause definitive Securities of that Series to be prepared without unreasonable delay. After the preparation of definitive Securities of such Series, the temporary Securities of such Series shall be exchangeable for definitive Securities of such Series upon surrender of the temporary Securities of such Series at the office or agency of the Company in a Place of Payment for that Series, without charge to the Holder. Upon surrender for cancellation of any one or more temporary Securities of any Series, the Company shall execute (in accordance with a Company Order delivered at or prior to the authentication of the first definitive security to such Series) and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a like principal amount of definitive

 

Securities of the same Series of authorized denominations. Until so exchanged, the temporary Securities of any Series shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Securities of such Series.

 

(b)            Unless otherwise provided in or pursuant to a Board Resolution or supplemental indenture pursuant to Section 3.01, the following provisions of this Section 3.04(b) shall govern the exchange of temporary Securities other than through the facilities of DTC. If any such temporary Security is issued in global form, then such temporary Global Security shall, unless otherwise provided therein, be delivered to the London office of a depository or common depository upon and pursuant to written direction of the Company (the “Common Depository”), for the benefit of Euroclear and Clearstream, for credit to the respective accounts of the beneficial owners of such Securities (or to such other accounts as they may direct).

 

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Without unnecessary delay but in any event not later than the date specified in, or determined pursuant to the terms of, any such temporary Global Security (the “Exchange Date”), the Company shall deliver to the Trustee definitive Securities, in aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of such temporary Global Security, executed by the Company. On or after the Exchange Date, such temporary Global Security shall be surrendered by the Common Depository to the Trustee, as the Company’s agent for such purpose, to be exchanged, in whole or from time to time in part, for definitive Securities without charge, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in exchange for each portion of such temporary Global Security, an equal aggregate principal amount of definitive Securities of the same Series of authorized denominations and of like tenor as the portion of such temporary Global Security to be exchanged. The definitive Securities to be delivered in exchange for any such temporary Global Security shall be in registered form or permanent global registered form, or any combination thereof, as specified as contemplated by Section 3.01, and, if any combination thereof is so specified, as requested by the beneficial owner thereof (as directed by or pursuant to information provided by the Common Depository); provided, however, that, unless otherwise specified in such temporary Global Security, upon such presentation by the Common Depository, such temporary Global Security shall be accompanied by a certificate dated the Exchange Date or a subsequent date and signed by Euroclear as to the portion of such temporary Global Security held for its account then to be exchanged and a certificate dated the Exchange Date or a subsequent date and signed by Clearstream as to the portion of such temporary Global Security held for its account then to be exchanged, each in the form set forth in Exhibit B-2 to this Indenture or in such other form as may be established pursuant to Section 3.01.

 

Unless otherwise specified in such temporary Global Security, the interest of a beneficial owner of Securities of a Series in a temporary Global Security shall be exchanged for definitive Securities of the same Series and of like tenor following the Exchange Date when the account holder instructs Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, to request such exchange on his behalf and delivers to Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, a certificate in the form set forth in Exhibit B-1 to this Indenture (or in such other form as may be established pursuant to Section 3.01), dated no earlier than 15 days prior to the Exchange Date, copies of which certificate shall be available from the offices of Euroclear and Clearstream, the Trustee, any Authenticating Agent appointed for such Series of Securities and each Paying Agent. Unless otherwise specified in such temporary Global Security, any such exchange shall be made free of charge to the beneficial owners of such temporary Global Security, except that a Person receiving definitive Securities must bear the cost of insurance, postage, transportation and the like unless such Person takes delivery of such definitive Securities in person at the offices of Euroclear or Clearstream.

 

Until exchanged in full as hereinabove provided, the temporary Securities of any Series shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as definitive Securities of the same Series and of like tenor authenticated and delivered hereunder, except that, unless otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.01, interest, if any, payable on a temporary Global Security on an Interest Payment Date for Securities of such Series occurring prior to the applicable Exchange Date shall be payable to Euroclear and Clearstream on such Interest Payment Date upon delivery by Euroclear and Clearstream to the Trustee of a certificate or certificates in the form set forth in Exhibit B-2 to this Indenture (or in such other forms as may be established pursuant to Section 3.01), for credit without further interest on or after such Interest Payment Date to the respective accounts of Persons who are the beneficial owners of such temporary Global Security on such Interest Payment Date and who have each delivered to Euroclear or Clearstream, as the case may be, a certificate dated no earlier than 15 days prior to the Interest Payment Date occurring prior to such Exchange Date in the form set forth as Exhibit B-1 to this Indenture (or in such other forms as may be established pursuant to Section 3.01). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein contained, the certifications made pursuant to this paragraph shall satisfy the certification requirements of the preceding two paragraphs of this Section 3.04(b) and of the third paragraph of Section 3.03 of this Indenture and the interests of the Persons who are the beneficial owners of the temporary Global Security with respect to which such certification was made will be exchanged for definitive Securities of the same Series and of like tenor on the Exchange Date or the date of certification if such date occurs after the Exchange Date, without further act or deed by such beneficial owners. Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, no payments of principal or interest, if any, owing with respect to a beneficial interest in a temporary Global Security will be made unless and until such interest in such temporary Global Security shall have been exchanged for an interest in a definitive Security. Any interest so received by Euroclear and Clearstream and not paid as herein provided shall be returned to the Trustee prior to the expiration of two years after such Interest Payment Date in order to be repaid to the Company.

 

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With respect to Exhibit B-1 or B-2 to this Indenture, the Company may, in its discretion and if required or desirable under applicable law, substitute one or more other forms of such exhibits for such exhibits, eliminate the requirement that any or all certificate be provided, or change the time that any certificate may be required; provided that such substitute form or forms or notice of elimination or change of such certification requirement have theretofore been delivered to the Trustee with a Company Request and such form or forms, elimination or change is reasonably acceptable to the Trustee.

 

Section 3.05. Registration, Registration of Transfer and Exchange.

 

The Company shall cause to be kept at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee or in any office or agency of the Company in a Place of Payment a register for each Series of Securities (the registers maintained in such office or in any such office or agency of the Company in a Place of Payment being herein sometimes referred to collectively as the “Security Register”) in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Company shall provide for the registration of Registered Securities and of transfers of Registered Securities. The Security Register shall be in written form or any other form capable of being converted into written form within a reasonable time. The Trustee, at its Corporate Trust Office, is hereby initially appointed “Security Registrar” for the purpose of registering Registered Securities and transfers of Registered Securities on such Security Register as herein provided. In the event that the Trustee shall cease to be Security Registrar, it shall have the right to examine, and be provided a copy of, the Security Register at all reasonable times.

 

Subject to the provisions of this Section 3.05, upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Registered Security of any Series at any office or agency of the Company in a Place of Payment for that Series, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in the name of the designated transferee or transferees, one or more new Registered Securities of the same Series, of any authorized denominations and of a like aggregate principal amount, bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, and containing identical terms and provisions.

 

Subject to the provisions of this Section 3.05, at the option of the Holder, Registered Securities of any Series may be exchanged for other Registered Securities of the same Series, of any authorized denomination or denominations and of a like aggregate principal amount, containing identical terms and provisions, upon surrender of the Registered Securities to be exchanged at any such office or agency. Whenever any such Registered Securities are so surrendered for exchange, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, the Registered Securities which the Holder making the exchange is entitled to receive.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.01, any permanent Global Security shall be exchangeable only as provided in this paragraph. If the depository for any permanent Global Security is DTC, then, unless the terms of such Global Security expressly permit such Global Security to be exchanged in whole or in part for definitive Securities, a Global Security may be transferred, in whole but not in part, only to a nominee of DTC, or by a nominee of DTC to DTC, or to a successor to DTC for such Global Security selected or approved by the Company or to a nominee of such successor to DTC. If at any time DTC notifies the Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depository for the applicable Global Security or Securities or if at any time DTC ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, if so required by applicable law or regulation, the Company shall appoint a successor depository with respect to such Global Security or Securities. If (w) a successor depository for such Global Security or Securities is not appointed by the Company within 90 days after the Company receives such notice or becomes aware of such unwillingness, inability or ineligibility, (x) the Company delivers to the Trustee for Securities of such Series in registered form a Company Order stating that the Securities of such Series shall be exchangeable, (y) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the beneficial owners representing a majority in principal amount of the applicable Series of Securities represented by such Global Security or Securities advise DTC to cease acting as depository for such Global Security or Securities or (z) the Company, in its sole discretion, determines at any time that all Outstanding Securities (but not less than all) of any Series issued or issuable in the form of one or more Global Securities shall no longer be represented by such Global Security or Securities, then the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver definitive Securities of like Series, rank, tenor and terms in definitive form in an aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of such Global Security or Securities. If any beneficial owner of an interest in a permanent Global Security is otherwise entitled to exchange such interest for Securities of such Series and of like tenor and principal amount of another authorized form and denomination, as specified as contemplated by Section 3.01 and provided that any applicable notice provided in the permanent Global Security shall have been given, then without unnecessary delay but in any event not later than the earliest date on which such interest may be so exchanged, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver definitive Securities in aggregate principal amount equal to the principal amount of such beneficial owner’s interest in such permanent Global Security. On or after the earliest date on which such interests may be so exchanged, such permanent Global Security shall be surrendered for exchange by DTC or such other depository as shall be specified in the Company Order with respect thereto to the Trustee, as the Company’s agent for such purpose; provided, however, that no such exchanges may occur during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before any selection of Securities to be redeemed and ending on the relevant Redemption Date if the Security for which exchange is requested may be among those selected for redemption. If a Registered Security is issued in exchange for any portion of a permanent Global Security after the close of business at the office or agency where such exchange occurs on (i) any Regular Record Date and before the opening of business at such office or agency on the relevant Interest Payment Date, or (ii) any Special Record Date and the opening of business at such office or agency on the related proposed date for payment of Defaulted Interest, interest, if any, or Defaulted Interest, as the case may be, will not be payable on such Interest Payment Date or proposed date for payment, as the case may be, in respect of such Registered Security, but will be payable on such Interest Payment Date or proposed date for payment, as the case may be, only to the Person to whom interest, if any, in respect of such portion of such permanent Global Security is payable in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture.

 

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All Securities issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities shall be the valid obligations of the Company, evidencing the same debt, and entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture, as the Securities surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange.

 

Every Registered Security presented or surrendered for registration of transfer or for exchange or redemption shall (if so required by the Company or the Security Registrar) be duly endorsed, or be accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Security Registrar, duly executed by the Holder thereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing.

 

No service charge shall be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with any registration of transfer or exchange of Securities, other than exchanges pursuant to Section 3.04, 9.06, 11.07 or 13.05 not involving any transfer.

 

The Company or the Trustee, as applicable, shall not be required (i) to issue, register the transfer of or exchange any Security if such Security may be among those selected for redemption during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before selection of the Securities to be redeemed under Section 11.03 and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing of the relevant notice of redemption, or (ii) to register the transfer of or exchange any Registered Security so selected for redemption in whole or in part, except, in the case of any Registered Security to be redeemed in part, the portion thereof not to be redeemed, or (iii) to issue, register the transfer of or exchange any Security which has been surrendered for repayment at the option of the Holder, except the portion, if any, of such Security not to be so repaid.

 

Furthermore, notwithstanding any other provision of this Section 3.05, the Company will not be required to exchange any Securities if, as a result of the exchange, the Company would suffer adverse consequences under any United States law or regulation.

 

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Section 3.06. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost and Stolen Securities.

 

If any mutilated Security is surrendered to the Trustee or the Company, together with, in proper cases, such security or indemnity as may be required by the Company or the Trustee to save each of them or any agent of either of them harmless, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver in exchange therefor a new Security of the same Series and principal amount, containing identical terms and provisions and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding.

 

If there shall be delivered to the Company and to the Trustee (i) evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of any Security, and (ii) such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them and any agent of either of them harmless, then, in the absence of notice to the Company or the Trustee that such Security has been acquired by a protected purchaser, the Company shall execute and upon its request the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, in lieu of any such destroyed, lost or stolen Security, a new Security of the same Series and principal amount, containing identical terms and provisions and bearing a number not contemporaneously outstanding, appertaining to such destroyed, lost or stolen Security.

 

Notwithstanding the provisions of the previous two paragraphs, in case any such mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Security has become or is about to become due and payable, the Company in its discretion may, instead of issuing a new Security appertaining to such destroyed, lost or stolen Security, pay such Security if the applicant for such payment shall furnish to the Company and the Trustee for such Security such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them harmless, and in the case of destruction, loss or theft, evidence satisfactory to the Company and Trustee and any agent of any of them of the destruction, loss or theft of such Security and the ownership thereof.

 

Upon the issuance of any new Security under this Section, the Company may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including the fees and expenses of the Trustee) connected therewith.

 

Every new Security of any Series issued pursuant to this Section in lieu of any destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall constitute an original additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Security shall be at any time enforceable by anyone, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Securities of that Series duly issued hereunder.

 

The provisions of this Section are exclusive and shall preclude (to the extent lawful) all other rights and remedies with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities.

 

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Section 3.07. Payment of Interest; Interest Rights Preserved.

 

Except as otherwise specified with respect to a Series of Securities in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.01, interest, if any, on any Registered Security that is payable, and is punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date shall be paid to the Person in whose name that Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest payment, if any, at the office or agency of the Company maintained for such purpose pursuant to Section 10.02; provided, however, that each installment of interest on any Registered Security may at the Company’s option be paid by (i) mailing a check for such interest, if any, payable to or upon the written order of the Person entitled thereto pursuant to Section 3.08, to the address of such Person as it appears on the Security Register or (ii) transfer to an account maintained by the payee located inside the United States.

 

Unless otherwise provided as contemplated by Section 3.01, every permanent Global Security will provide that interest, if any, payable on any Interest Payment Date will be paid to DTC, Euroclear and/or Clearstream, as the case may be, with respect to that portion of such permanent Global Security held for its account by Cede & Co. or the Common Depository, as the case may be, for the purpose of permitting such party to credit the interest received by it in respect of such permanent Global Security to the accounts of the beneficial owners thereof.

 

Except as otherwise specified with respect to a Series of Securities in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.01, interest, if any, on any Registered Security of any Series that is payable, but is not punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date (herein called “Defaulted Interest”) shall forthwith cease to be payable to the registered Holder thereof on the relevant Regular Record Date by virtue of having been such Holder, and such Defaulted Interest may be paid by the Company, at its election in each case, as provided in clause (1) or (2) below:

 

(1)            The Company may elect to make payment of any Defaulted Interest to the Persons in whose names the Registered Securities of such Series (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest, which shall be fixed in the following manner. The Company shall notify the Trustee in writing of the amount of Defaulted Interest proposed to be paid on each Registered Security of such Series and the date of the proposed payment (which shall not be less than 20 days after such notice is received by the Trustee), and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount of money in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such Series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for the Securities of such Series) equal to the aggregate amount proposed to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Interest or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit on or prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such Defaulted Interest as in this clause provided. Thereupon the Trustee shall fix a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest which shall be not more than 15 days and not less than 10 days prior to the date of the proposed payment and not less than 10 days after the receipt by the Trustee of the notice of the proposed payment. The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company of such Special Record Date and, in the name and at the expense of the Company, shall cause notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor to be mailed, first-class postage prepaid, to each Holder of Registered Securities of such Series at his address as it appears in the Security Register not less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date. The Trustee may, in its discretion, in the name and at the expense of the Company, cause a similar notice to be published at least once in an Authorized Newspaper in each Place of Payment, but such publications shall not be a condition precedent to the establishment of such Special Record Date. Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Interest and the Special Record Date therefor having been mailed as aforesaid, such Defaulted Interest shall be paid to the Persons in whose names the Registered Securities of such Series (or their respective Predecessor Securities) are registered at the close of business on such Special Record Date and shall no longer be payable pursuant to the following clause (2).

 

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(2)            The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Interest on the Registered Securities of any Series in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which such Securities may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, if, after notice given by the Company to the Trustee of the proposed payment pursuant to this clause, such manner of payment shall be deemed practicable by the Trustee.

 

Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section and Section 3.05, each Security delivered under this Indenture upon registration of transfer of or in exchange for or in lieu of any other Security shall carry the rights to interest accrued and unpaid, and to accrue, which were carried by such other Security.

 

Section 3.08. Persons Deemed Owners.

 

Prior to due presentment of a Registered Security for registration of transfer, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name such Registered Security is registered as the owner of such Security for the purpose of receiving payment of principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any), and (subject to Sections 3.05 and 3.07) interest, if any, on, such Registered Security and for all other purposes whatsoever, whether or not such Registered Security be overdue, and neither the Company, the Trustee nor any agent of the Company or the Trustee shall be affected by notice to the contrary. All such payments so made to any such Person, or upon such Person’s order, shall be valid, and, to the extent of the sum or sums so paid, effectual to satisfy and discharge the liability for money payable upon any such Security.

 

No holder of any beneficial interest in any Global Security held on its behalf by a depository shall have any rights under this Indenture with respect to such Global Security and such depository (which is the Holder of such security) shall be treated by the Company, the Trustee, and any agent of the Company or the Trustee as the owner of such Global Security for all purposes whatsoever. None of the Company, the Trustee, any Paying Agent or the Security Registrar will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests of a Global Security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to any Global Security, nothing herein shall prevent the Company, the Trustee, or any agent of the Company or the Trustee, from giving effect to any written certification, proxy or other authorization furnished by any depository, as a Holder, with respect to such Global Security or impair, as between such depository and owners of beneficial interests in such Global Security, the operation of customary practices governing the exercise of the rights of such depository (or its nominee) as Holder of such Global Security.

 

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Section 3.09. Cancellation.

 

All Securities surrendered for payment, redemption, repayment at the option of the Holder, registration of transfer or exchange or for credit against any sinking fund payment shall, if surrendered to any Person other than the Trustee, be delivered to the Trustee, and any such Securities surrendered directly to the Trustee for any such purpose, upon direction by the Company, shall be promptly cancelled by it. The Company may at any time deliver to the Trustee for cancellation any Securities previously authenticated and delivered hereunder which the Company may have acquired in any manner whatsoever, and may deliver to the Trustee (or to any other Person for delivery to the Trustee) for cancellation any Securities previously authenticated hereunder which the Company has not issued and sold, and all Securities so delivered shall be promptly cancelled by the Trustee. If the Company shall so acquire any of the Securities, however, such acquisition shall not operate as a redemption or satisfaction of the indebtedness represented by such Securities unless and until the same are surrendered to the Trustee for cancellation. No Securities shall be authenticated in lieu of or in exchange for any Securities cancelled as provided in this Section, except as expressly permitted by this Indenture. Cancelled Securities held by the Trustee shall be disposed of by the Trustee in accordance with its customary practices (subject to the record retention requirements of the Exchange Act).

 

Section 3.10. Computation of Interest.

 

Except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.01 with respect to Securities of any Series, interest on the Securities of each Series shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months.

 

Section 3.11. CUSIP Numbers.

 

The Company in issuing the Securities may use “CUSIP” numbers (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use “CUSIP” numbers in notices of redemption as a convenience to Holders; provided, however, that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Securities or as contained in any notice of a redemption and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Securities, and any such redemption shall not be affected by any defect in or omission of such numbers. The Company will promptly notify the Trustee of any change in the “CUSIP” numbers.

 

Article Four

 

SATISFACTION AND DISCHARGE

 

Section 4.01. Satisfaction and Discharge of Indenture.

 

This Indenture shall upon Company Request cease to be of further effect with respect to any Series of Securities specified in such Company Request (except as to any surviving rights of registration of transfer or exchange of Securities of such Series herein expressly provided for), and the Trustee, upon receipt of a Company Order, and at the expense of the Company, shall execute instruments in form and substance satisfactory to the Trustee and the Company acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture as to such Series when

 

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(1)           either

 

(A)            all Securities of such Series theretofore authenticated and delivered (other than (i) Securities of such Series which have been destroyed, lost or stolen and which have been replaced or paid as provided in Section 3.06, and (ii) Securities of such Series for whose payment money has theretofore been deposited in trust or segregated and held in trust by the Company and thereafter repaid to the Company or discharged from such trust, as provided in Section 10.03) have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or

 

(B)            all Securities of such Series not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation

 

(i)            have become due and payable, or

 

(ii)            will become due and payable at their Stated Maturity within one year, or

 

(iii)            if redeemable at the option of the Company, are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by the Trustee in the name, and at the expense, of the Company, and the Company, in the case of (i), (ii) or (iii) above, has irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee as trust funds in trust for the purpose an amount in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such Series are payable, sufficient to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on such Securities not theretofore delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, for principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, to the date of such deposit (in the case of Securities which have become due and payable) or to the Stated Maturity or Redemption Date, as the case may be;

 

(2)            the Company has paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable hereunder by the Company; and

 

(3)            the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture as to such Series have been complied with.

 

Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, the obligations of the Company to the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee under Section 6.06, the obligations of the Company to any Authenticating Agent under Section 6.11 and, if money shall have been deposited with and held by the Trustee pursuant to subclause (B) of clause (1) of this Section, the obligations of the Trustee under Section 4.02 and the last paragraph of Section 10.03 shall survive such satisfaction and discharge.

 

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Section 4.02. Application of Trust Funds.

 

Subject to the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 10.03, all money deposited with the Trustee pursuant to Section 4.01 shall be held in trust and applied by it, in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Company acting as its own Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the Persons entitled thereto, of the principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any), and interest, if any, for whose payment such money has been deposited with or received by the Trustee, but such money need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. Money deposited pursuant to this section not in violation of this Indenture shall not be subject to claims of the holders of Senior Debt under Article Sixteen.

 

Article Five

 

REMEDIES

 

Section 5.01. Events of Default.

 

Event of Default,” wherever used herein with respect to any particular Series of Securities, means any one of the following events (whatever the reason for such Event of Default and whether or not it shall be occasioned by the provisions of Article Sixteen or be voluntary or involuntary or be effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body):

 

(1)            default in the payment of interest, if any, on any Security of that Series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days, whether or not prohibited by the subordination provisions of this indenture; or

 

(2)            default in the payment of the principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, on) any Security of that Series when it becomes due and payable at its Maturity, whether or not prohibited by the subordination provisions of this indenture; or

 

(3)            default in the deposit of any sinking fund payment, to the extent applicable to such Series of Securities, when and as due by the terms of any Security of that Series; or

 

(4)            default in the performance, or breach, of any covenant or warranty of the Company or Parent in this Indenture with respect to any Security of that Series (other than a covenant or warranty a default in whose performance or whose breach is elsewhere in this Section specifically dealt with or which has expressly been included in this Indenture solely for the benefit of Series of Securities other than that Series), and continuance of such default or breach for a period of 60 days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail, to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that Series a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a “Notice of Default” hereunder; or

 

(5)            the entry by a court having jurisdiction in the premises of a decree or order for relief in respect of the Company or the Parent in an involuntary case under any Bankruptcy Law now or hereafter in effect, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee or sequestrator (or similar official) of the Company or the Parent of substantially all of its property or ordering the winding-up or liquidation of its affairs and such decree or order shall remain unstayed and in effect for a period of 90 consecutive days; or

 

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(6)            the commencement by the Company or the Parent of a voluntary case under any Bankruptcy Law now or hereafter in effect, or the consent by the Company or the Parent to the entry of an order for relief in an involuntary case under any such law, or the consent by the Company or the Parent to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian or sequestrator (or similar official) of the Company or the Parent of substantially all of its property or the making by the Company or the Parent of an assignment for the benefit of creditors or the admission by the Company or the Parent in writing of its inability to pay its debts generally as they become due, or the taking of corporate action by the Company or the Parent in furtherance of any such action; or

 

(7)            any other Event of Default provided with respect to Securities of that Series.

 

Section 5.02. Acceleration of Maturity; Rescission and Annulment.

 

If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any Series at the time Outstanding occurs and is continuing, then and in every such case the Trustee or the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that Series may declare the principal amount (or, if Securities of that Series are Original Issue Discount Securities or Indexed Securities, such portion of the principal as may be specified in the terms thereof) of all the Securities of that Series to be due and payable immediately, by a notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by the Holders), and upon any such declaration such principal or specified portion thereof shall become immediately due and payable.

 

At any time after such a declaration of acceleration with respect to Securities of any Series has been made and before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the Trustee as hereinafter in this Article provided, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that Series, by written notice to the Company and the Trustee, may rescind and annul such declaration of acceleration and its consequences if:

 

(1)           the Company has paid or deposited with the Trustee a sum sufficient to pay in the currency, currency unit or composite currency in which the Securities of such Series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for the Securities of such Series):

 

(A)            all overdue installments of interest on all Outstanding Securities of that Series,

 

(B)            the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, on) any Outstanding Securities of that Series which have become due otherwise than by such declaration of acceleration and interest, if any, thereon at the rate or rates borne by or provided for in such Securities,

 

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(C)            to the extent that payment of such interest is lawful, interest upon overdue installments of interest at the rate or rates borne by or provided for in such Securities, and

 

(D)            all sums paid or advanced by the Trustee hereunder and the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel; and

 

(2)           all Events of Default with respect to Securities of that Series, other than the nonpayment of the principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on Securities of that Series which have become due solely by such declaration of acceleration, have been cured or waived as provided in Section 5.13.

 

No such rescission shall affect any subsequent default or impair any right consequent thereon.

 

Section 5.03. Collection of Indebtedness and Suits for Enforcement by Trustee.

 

The Company covenants that if:

 

(1)            default is made in the payment of any installment of interest on any Security of any Series when such interest becomes due and payable and such default continues for a period of 30 days, or

 

(2)            default is made in the payment of the principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, on) any Security of any Series at its Maturity,

 

then the Company will, upon demand of the Trustee, pay to the Trustee, for the benefit of the Holders of such Securities of such Series, the whole amount then due and payable on such Securities for principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, with interest upon any overdue principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and, to the extent that payment of such interest, if any, shall be legally enforceable, upon any overdue installments of interest at the rate or rates borne by or provided for in such Securities, and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover the costs and expenses of collection, including the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel.

 

If the Company fails to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, may institute a judicial proceeding for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, and may prosecute such proceeding to judgment or final decree, and may enforce the same against the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities of such Series and collect the moneys adjudged or decreed to be payable in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company or any other obligor upon such Securities of such Series, wherever situated.

 

If an Event of Default with respect to Securities of any Series occurs and is continuing, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce its rights and the rights of the Holders of Securities of such Series by such appropriate judicial proceedings as the Trustee shall deem most effectual to protect and enforce any such rights, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement in this Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted herein, or to enforce any other proper remedy.

 

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Section 5.04. Trustee May File Proofs of Claim.

 

In case of the pendency of any receivership, insolvency, liquidation, bankruptcy, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, composition or other judicial proceeding relative to the Company or any other obligor upon the Securities or the property of the Company or of such other obligor or their creditors, the Trustee (irrespective of whether the principal of the Securities of any Series shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand on the Company for the payment of overdue principal, premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, or interest, if any) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise:

 

(i)            to file and prove a claim for the whole amount, or such lesser amount as may be provided for in the Securities of such Series, of principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, owing and unpaid in respect of the Securities and to file such other papers or documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and of the Holders allowed in such judicial proceeding, and

 

(ii)            to collect and receive any moneys or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;

 

and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator (or other similar official) in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Holder of Securities of such Series to make such payments to the Trustee, and in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Holders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due to it for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee, their agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Trustee or any predecessor Trustee under Section 6.06.

 

Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder of a Security any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Securities or the rights of any Holder thereof, or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder of a Security in any such proceeding.

 

In any proceedings brought by the Trustee (and also any proceedings involving the interpretation of any provision of this Indenture to which the Trustee shall be a party) the Trustee shall be held to represent all the Holders of the Securities, and it shall not be necessary to make any Holders of the Securities parties to any such proceedings.

 

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Section 5.05. Trustee May Enforce Claims Without Possession of Securities.

 

All rights of action and claims under this Indenture or any of the Securities may be prosecuted and enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Securities or the production thereof in any proceeding relating thereto, and any such proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall, after provision for the payment of the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, be for the ratable benefit of the Holders of the Securities in respect of which such judgment has been recovered.

 

Section 5.06. Application of Money Collected.

 

Any money collected by the Trustee pursuant to this Article shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee and, in case of the distribution of such money on account of principal (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, upon presentation of the Securities and the notation thereon of the payment if only partially paid and upon surrender thereof if fully paid:

 

First: To the payment of all amounts due the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee under Section 6.06;

 

Second: To the payment of the amounts then due and unpaid upon the Securities for principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, in respect of which or for the benefit of which such money has been collected, ratably, without preference or priority of any kind, according to the aggregate amounts due and payable on such Securities for principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, respectively; and

 

Third: To the payment of the remainder, if any, to the Company.

 

Section 5.07. Limitation on Suits.

 

No Holder of any Security of any Series shall have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to this Indenture, any Security, or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any other remedy hereunder, unless:

 

(1)            such Holder has previously given written notice to the Trustee of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Securities of that Series;

 

(2)            the Holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that Series shall have made written request to the Trustee to institute proceedings in respect of such Event of Default in its own name as Trustee hereunder;

 

(3)            such Holder or Holders have offered to the Trustee indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred in compliance with such request;

 

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(4)            the Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of indemnity has failed to institute any such proceeding; and

 

(5)            no direction inconsistent with such written request has been given to the Trustee during such 60-day period by the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that Series;

 

it being understood and intended that no one or more of such Holders shall have any right in any manner whatever by virtue of, or by availing of, any provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of any other of such Holders, or to obtain or to seek to obtain priority or preference over any other of such Holders or to enforce any right under this Indenture or any Security, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal and ratable benefit of all such Holders.

 

Section 5.08. Unconditional Right of Holders to Receive Principal, Premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and Interest, if any.

 

Notwithstanding any other provision in this Indenture, but subject to Article Sixteen of this Indenture, the Holder of any Security shall have the right which is absolute and unconditional to receive payment of the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and (subject to Sections 3.05 and 3.07) interest, if any, on such Security on the respective due dates expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on the Redemption Date) and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, and such rights shall not be impaired without the consent of such Holder.

 

Section 5.09. Restoration of Rights and Remedies.

 

If the Trustee or any Holder of a Security has instituted any proceeding to enforce any right or remedy under this Indenture and such proceeding has been discontinued or abandoned for any reason, or has been determined adversely to the Trustee or to such Holder, then and in every such case, the Company, the Trustee and the Holders of Securities shall, subject to any determination in such proceeding, be restored severally and respectively to their former positions hereunder and thereafter all rights and remedies of the Trustee and the Holders shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted.

 

Section 5.10. Rights and Remedies Cumulative.

 

Except as otherwise provided with respect to the replacement or payment of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Securities in the last paragraph of Section 3.06, no right or remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to the Holders of Securities is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every right and remedy shall, to the extent permitted by law, be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other appropriate right or remedy.

 

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Section 5.11. Delay or Omission Not Waiver.

 

No delay or omission of the Trustee or of any Holder of any Security to exercise any right or remedy accruing upon any Event of Default shall impair any such right or remedy or constitute a waiver of any such Event of Default or an acquiescence therein. Every right and remedy given by this Article or by law to the Trustee or to the Holders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as may be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Holders of Securities.

 

Section 5.12. Control by Holders of Securities.

 

The Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any Series shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to the Securities of such Series; provided that:

 

(1)            such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture,

 

(2)            the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee which is not inconsistent with such direction, and

 

(3)            the Trustee need not take any action which might involve it in personal liability or be unduly prejudicial to the Holders of Securities of such Series not joining therein.

 

Nothing in this Indenture shall impair the right of the Trustee in its discretion to take any action deemed proper by the Trustee and which is not inconsistent with such direction by Holders.

 

Section 5.13. Waiver of Past Defaults.

 

The Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any Series may on behalf of the Holders of all the Securities of such Series waive any past default hereunder with respect to such Series and its consequences, except a default

 

(1)            in the payment of the principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on any Security of such Series, or

 

(2)            in respect of a covenant or provision hereof which under Article Nine cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security of such Series affected; or

 

(3)            in respect of a covenant or provision hereof for the benefit or protection of the Trustee, without its express written consent.

 

Upon any such waiver, such default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.

 

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Section 5.14. Waiver of Usury, Stay or Extension Laws.

 

The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it will not at any time insist upon, or plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any usury, stay or extension law wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, which may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture; and the Company (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such law, and covenants that it will not hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law had been enacted.

 

Section 5.15. Undertaking for Costs.

 

All parties to this Indenture agree, and each Holder of any Security by his acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may in its discretion require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit, and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, against any party litigant in such suit having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; but the provisions of this Section shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Holder, or group of Holders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any Series, or to any suit instituted by any Holder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on any Security on or after the respective Stated Maturities expressed in such Security (or, in the case of redemption, on or after the Redemption Date).

 

Article Six

 

THE TRUSTEE

 

Section 6.01. Notice of Defaults.

 

Within 90 days after the occurrence of any default hereunder with respect to the Securities of any Series, the Trustee shall transmit in the manner and to the extent provided in TIA Section 313(c), notice of such default hereunder known to the Trustee, unless such default shall have been cured or waived; provided, however, that, except in the case of a default in the payment of the principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on any Security of such Series, or in the payment of any sinking or purchase fund installment with respect to the Securities of such Series, the Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as a trust committee of directors and/or Responsible Officers of the Trustee in good faith determine that the withholding of such notice is in the interests of the Holders of the Securities of such Series; and provided further that in the case of any default or breach of the character specified in Section 5.01(4) with respect to the Securities of such Series, no such notice to Holders shall be given until at least 60 days after the occurrence thereof. For the purpose of this Section, the term “default” means any event which is, or after notice or lapse of time or both would become, an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series.

 

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Section 6.02. Certain Rights of Trustee

 

Subject to the provisions of TIA Section 315(a) through 315(d):

 

(1)            the Trustee may conclusively rely and shall be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, coupon or other paper or document (whether in its original or facsimile form) reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties;

 

(2)            any request or direction of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by a Company Request or Company Order (other than delivery of any Security to the Trustee for authentication and delivery pursuant to Section 3.03 which shall be sufficiently evidenced as provided therein) and any resolution of the Board of Directors may be sufficiently evidenced by a Board Resolution;

 

(3)            whenever in the administration of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Trustee (unless other evidence be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of bad faith on its part, rely upon an Officer’s Certificate;

 

(4)            the Trustee may consult with counsel of its own selection and the advice of such counsel or any Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in reliance thereon;

 

(5)            the Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers vested in it by this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders of Securities of any Series pursuant to this Indenture, unless such Holders shall have offered to the Trustee security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the Trustee against the costs, expenses and liabilities which might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction;

 

(6)            the Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, note, coupon or other paper or document, unless requested in writing so to do by the Holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any Series; provided that, if the payment within a reasonable time to the Trustee of the costs, expenses or liabilities likely to be incurred by it in the making of such investigation is, in the opinion of the Trustee, not reasonably assured to the Trustee by the security afforded to it by the terms of this Indenture, the Trustee may require reasonable indemnity against such expenses or liabilities as a condition to proceeding; the reasonable expenses of every such examination shall be paid by the Holders. The Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit, and, if the Trustee shall determine to make such further inquiry or investigation, it shall be entitled to examine the books, records and premises of the Company relevant to the facts or matters that are the subject of its inquiry, personally or by agent or attorney at the expense of the Company and shall incur no liability of any kind by reason of such inquiry or investigation;

 

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(7)            the Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents or attorneys and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any agent or attorney appointed with due care by it hereunder;

 

(8)            the Trustee shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in good faith and reasonably believed by it to be authorized or within the discretion or rights or powers conferred upon it by this Indenture;

 

(9)            any permissive right or power available to the Trustee under this Indenture or any supplement hereto shall not be construed to be a mandatory duty or obligation;

 

(10)          the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of any matter (including any default, other than as described in Section 5.01(1), (2) or (3)) unless and except to the extent actually known to a Responsible Officer of the Trustee or to the extent written notice thereof is received by the Trustee at the Corporate Trust Office;

 

(11)          the Trustee shall have no liability for any inaccuracy in the books and records of, or for any actions or omissions of, DTC, Euroclear or Clearstream or any depository acting on behalf of any of them; and

 

(12)          the rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the Trustee in each of its capacities hereunder, and each agent, custodian and other Person employed by the Trustee to act hereunder.

 

Section 6.03. Not Responsible for Recitals or Issuance of Securities.

 

The recitals contained herein and in the Securities, except the Trustee’s certificate of authentication, shall be taken as the statements of the Company, and neither the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent assumes any responsibility for their correctness. The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture or of the Securities, except that the Trustee represents that it is duly authorized to execute and deliver this Indenture, authenticate the Securities and perform its obligations hereunder. Neither the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent shall be accountable for the use or application by the Company of Securities or the proceeds thereof.

 

Section 6.04. May Hold Securities.

 

The Trustee, any Paying Agent, Security Registrar, Authenticating Agent or any other agent of the Company or Parent, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and, subject to TIA Sections 310(b) and 311, may otherwise deal with the Company and Parent with the same rights it would have if it were not Trustee, Paying Agent, Security Registrar, Authenticating Agent or such other agent.

 

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Section 6.05. Money Held in Trust.

 

Money held by the Trustee in trust hereunder need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Trustee shall be under no liability for interest on any money received by it hereunder except as otherwise agreed with the Company.

 

Section 6.06. Compensation and Reimbursement.

 

The Company agrees:

 

(1)            to pay to the Trustee from time to time reasonable compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder (which compensation shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust);

 

(2)            except as otherwise expressly provided herein, to reimburse each of the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee upon its request for all reasonable and documented expenses, and disbursements incurred by the Trustee in accordance with any provision of this Indenture (including the reasonable compensation and the reasonable and documented expenses and disbursements of its agents and counsel), except any such expense or disbursement as shall be determined to have been caused by its own negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith; and

 

(3)            to indemnify each of the Trustee and any predecessor Trustee for, and to hold it harmless against, any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense incurred without negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith on its part, arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of the trust or trusts hereunder, including the reasonable and documented costs and expenses of defending itself against any claim or liability in connection with the exercise or performance of any of its powers or duties hereunder.

 

When the Trustee incurs expenses or renders services in connection with an Event of Default specified in Section 5.01(5) or Section 5.01(6), the expenses (including the reasonable and documented charges and expenses of its counsel) and the compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any applicable Bankruptcy Law.

 

As security for the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Section, the Trustee shall have a lien prior to the Securities upon all property and funds held or collected by the Trustee as such, except funds held in trust for the payment of principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on particular Securities.

 

The provisions of this Section shall survive the termination of this Indenture and resignation or removal of the Trustee.

 

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Section 6.07. Corporate Trustee Required; Eligibility; Conflicting Interests.

 

There shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder which shall be eligible to act as Trustee under TIA Section 310(a)(1) and shall have at all times a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000. If the Trustee publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or the requirements of Federal, state, territorial or District of Columbia supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this Section, the combined capital and surplus of the Trustee shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. If at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, it shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect hereinafter specified in this Article. Neither the Company nor any Person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company shall serve as Trustee.

 

Section 6.08. Resignation and Removal; Appointment of Successor.

 

(a)           No resignation or removal of the Trustee and no appointment of a successor Trustee pursuant to this Article shall become effective until the acceptance of appointment by the successor Trustee in accordance with the applicable requirements of Section 6.09.

 

(b)           The Trustee may resign at any time with respect to the Securities of one or more Series by giving written notice thereof to the Company. If an instrument of acceptance by a successor Trustee shall not have been delivered to the Trustee within 60 days after the giving of such notice of resignation, the resigning Trustee may petition, at the expense of the Company, any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.

 

(c)           The Trustee may be removed at any time with respect to the Securities of any Series by Act of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such Series delivered to the Trustee and to the Company. If an instrument of acceptance by a successor Trustee shall not have been delivered to the Trustee within 60 days after the giving of such notice of resignation, the resigning Trustee may petition, at the expense of the Company, any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee.

 

(d)           If at any time:

 

(1)            the Trustee shall fail to comply with the provisions of TIA Section 310(b) after written request therefor by the Company or by any Holder of a Security who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security for at least 6 months, or

 

(2)            the Trustee shall cease to be eligible under Section 6.07 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or by any Holder of a Security who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security for at least 6 months, or

 

(3)            the Trustee shall become incapable of acting or shall be adjudged a bankrupt or insolvent or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed or any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation,

 

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then, in any such case, (i) the Company by or pursuant to a Board Resolution may remove the Trustee and appoint a successor Trustee with respect to all Securities, or (ii) subject to TIA Section 315(e), any Holder of a Security who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security for at least 6 months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee with respect to all Securities and the appointment of a successor Trustee or Trustees.

 

(e)           If the Trustee shall resign, be removed or become incapable of acting, or if a vacancy shall occur in the office of Trustee for any cause with respect to the Securities of one or more Series, the Company, by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, shall promptly appoint a successor Trustee or Trustees with respect to the Securities of that or those Series (it being understood that any such successor Trustee may be appointed with respect to the Securities of one or more or all of such Series and that at any time there shall be only one Trustee with respect to the Securities of any particular Series). If, within one year after such resignation, removal or incapability, or the occurrence of such vacancy, a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any Series shall be appointed by Act of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such Series delivered to the Company and the retiring Trustee, the successor Trustee so appointed shall, forthwith upon its acceptance of such appointment, become the successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such Series and to that extent supersede the successor Trustee appointed by the Company. If no successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any Series shall have been so appointed by the Company or the Holders of Securities and accepted appointment in the manner hereinafter provided, any Holder of a Security who has been a bona fide Holder of a Security of such Series for at least 6 months may, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to Securities of such Series.

 

(f)            The Company shall give notice of each resignation and each removal of the Trustee with respect to the Securities of any Series and each appointment of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of any Series in the manner provided for notices to the Holders of Securities in Section 1.06. Each notice shall include the name of the successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of such Series and the address of its Corporate Trust Office.

 

Section 6.09. Acceptance of Appointment by Successor.

 

(a)           In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor Trustee with respect to all Securities, every such successor Trustee so appointed shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Company and to the retiring Trustee an instrument accepting such appointment, and thereupon the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective and such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee; but, on request of the Company or the successor Trustee, such retiring Trustee shall, upon payment of its charges, execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor Trustee all the rights, powers and trusts of the retiring Trustee, and shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder, subject nevertheless to its claim, if any, provided for in Section 6.06.

 

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(b)           In case of the appointment hereunder of a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more (but not all) Series, the Company, the retiring Trustee and each successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more Series shall execute and deliver an indenture supplemental hereto, pursuant to Article Nine hereof, wherein each successor Trustee shall accept such appointment and which (1) shall contain such provisions as shall be necessary or desirable to transfer and confirm to, and to vest in, each successor Trustee all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those Series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates, (2) if the retiring Trustee is not retiring with respect to all Securities, shall contain such provisions as shall be deemed necessary or desirable to confirm that all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those Series as to which the retiring Trustee is not retiring shall continue to be vested in the retiring Trustee, and (3) shall add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee, it being understood that nothing herein or in such supplemental indenture shall constitute such Trustees co-trustees of the same trust and that each such Trustee shall be trustee of a trust or trusts hereunder separate and apart from any trust or trusts hereunder administered by any other such Trustee; and upon the execution and delivery of such supplemental indenture the resignation or removal of the retiring Trustee shall become effective to the extent provided therein and each such successor Trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, trusts and duties of the retiring Trustee with respect to the Securities of that or those Series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates; but, on request of the Company or any successor Trustee, such retiring Trustee shall duly assign, transfer and deliver to such successor Trustee all property and money held by such retiring Trustee hereunder with respect to the Securities of that or those Series to which the appointment of such successor Trustee relates.

 

(c)           Upon request of any such successor Trustee, the Company shall execute any and all instruments for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming to such successor Trustee all such rights, powers and trusts referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section 6.09, as the case may be.

 

(d)           No successor Trustee shall accept its appointment unless at the time of such acceptance such successor Trustee shall be qualified and eligible under this Article.

 

Section 6.10. Merger, Conversion, Consolidation or Succession to Business.

 

Any entity into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any entity resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any entity succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the Trustee, shall be the successor of the Trustee hereunder, provided such entity shall be otherwise qualified and eligible under this Article, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto. In case any Securities shall have been authenticated, but not delivered, by the Trustee then in office, any successor by merger, conversion or consolidation to such authenticating Trustee may adopt such authentication and deliver the Securities so authenticated with the same effect as if such successor Trustee had itself authenticated such Securities. In case any Securities shall not have been authenticated by such predecessor Trustee, any such successor Trustee may authenticate and deliver such Securities, in either its own name or that of its predecessor Trustee, with the full force and effect which this Indenture provides for the certificate of authentication of the Trustee.

 

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Section 6.11. Appointment of Authenticating Agent.

 

At any time when any of the Securities remain Outstanding, the Trustee may appoint an Authenticating Agent or Agents with respect to one or more Series of Securities which shall be authorized to act on behalf of the Trustee to authenticate Securities of such Series issued upon exchange, registration of transfer or partial redemption or repayment thereof, and Securities so authenticated shall be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture and shall be valid and obligatory for all purposes as if authenticated by the Trustee hereunder. Any such appointment shall be evidenced by an instrument in writing signed by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee, a copy of which instrument shall be promptly furnished to the Company. Wherever reference is made in this Indenture to the authentication and delivery of Securities by the Trustee or the Trustee’s certificate of authentication, such reference shall be deemed to include authentication and delivery on behalf of the Trustee by an Authenticating Agent and a certificate of authentication executed on behalf of the Trustee by an Authenticating Agent. Each Authenticating Agent shall be acceptable to the Company and shall at all times be a bank or trust company or other entity organized and doing business and in good standing under the laws of the United States of America or of any state or the District of Columbia, authorized under such laws to act as Authenticating Agent, having a combined capital and surplus of not less than $50,000,000 and subject to supervision or examination by Federal or state authorities. If such Authenticating Agent publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or the requirements of the aforesaid supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this Section, the combined capital and surplus of such Authenticating Agent shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. In case at any time an Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, such Authenticating Agent shall resign immediately in the manner and with the effect specified in this Section.

 

Any entity into which an Authenticating Agent may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any entity resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which such Authenticating Agent shall be a party, or any entity succeeding to the corporate agency or corporate trust business of an Authenticating Agent, shall continue to be an Authenticating Agent, provided such entity shall be otherwise eligible under this Section, without the execution or filing of any paper or further act on the part of the Trustee or the Authenticating Agent.

 

An Authenticating Agent for any Series of Securities may at any time resign by giving written notice of resignation to the Trustee for such Series and to the Company. The Trustee for any Series of Securities may at any time terminate the agency of an Authenticating Agent by giving written notice of termination to such Authenticating Agent and to the Company. Upon receiving such a notice of resignation or upon such a termination, or in case at any time such Authenticating Agent shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, the Trustee for such Series may appoint a successor Authenticating Agent which shall be acceptable to the Company and shall give notice of such appointment to all Holders of Securities of the Series with respect to which such Authenticating Agent will serve in the manner set forth in Section 1.06. Any successor Authenticating Agent upon acceptance of its appointment hereunder shall become vested with all the rights, powers and duties of its predecessor hereunder, with like effect as if originally named as an Authenticating Agent herein. No successor Authenticating Agent shall be appointed unless eligible under the provisions of this Section.

 

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The Company agrees to pay to each Authenticating Agent from time to time reasonable compensation including reimbursement of its reasonable and documented expenses for its services under this Section, subject to Section 6.06.

 

If an appointment with respect to one or more Series is made pursuant to this Section, the Securities of such Series may have endorsed thereon, in addition to or in lieu of the Trustee’s certificate of authentication, an alternate certificate of authentication substantially in the following form:

 

“This is one of the Securities of the Series designated therein referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.

  

    [     ]
    as Trustee
     
Dated:     By:  
      as Authenticating Agent
     
Dated:     By:  
      Authorized Officer
         

 

Section 6.12. Certain Duties and Responsibilities of the Trustee.

 

(a)           With respect to the Securities of any Series, except during the continuance of an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of such Series:

 

(1)            the Trustee undertakes to perform such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture, and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and

 

(2)            in the absence of bad faith on its part, the Trustee may conclusively rely, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, upon certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; but in the case of any such certificates or opinions which by any provision hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture, but shall not be under any duty to verify the contents or accuracy thereof.

 

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(b)           In case an Event of Default with respect to the Securities of any Series has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall, with respect to Securities of such Series, exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in their exercise, as a prudent man would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of his own affairs.

 

(c)           No provision of this Indenture shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own negligent action, its own negligent failure to act, or its own willful misconduct, except that:

 

(1)            this Subsection shall not be construed to limit the effect of Subsection (a) of this Section;

 

(2)            the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;

 

(3)            the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any Series relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, under this Indenture with respect to the Securities of such Series; and

 

(4)            no provision of this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder, or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers. The Trustee shall be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights and powers under this Indenture at the request of any Holder, unless such Holder shall have offered to the Trustee security and indemnity satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense.

 

(d)           Whether or not therein expressly so provided, every provision of this Indenture relating to the conduct or affecting the liability of or affording protection to the Trustee shall be subject to the provisions of this Section 6.12.

 

(e)           The Trustee shall not be liable for interest on any money or assets held by it except to the extent the Trustee may agree in writing with the Company. Assets held in trust by the Trustee need not be segregated from other assets except to the extent required by law.

 

Article Seven

 

HOLDERS’ LISTS AND REPORTS BY TRUSTEE AND COMPANY

 

Section 7.01. Disclosure of Names and Addresses of Holders.

 

Every Holder of Securities, by receiving and holding the same, agrees with the Company and the Trustee that neither the Company nor the Trustee nor any Authenticating Agent nor any Paying Agent nor any Security Registrar shall be held accountable by reason of the disclosure of any information as to the names and addresses of the Holders of Securities in accordance with TIA Section 312, regardless of the source from which such information was derived, and that the Trustee shall not be held accountable by reason of mailing any material pursuant to a request made under TIA Section 312(b).

 

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Section 7.02. Reports by Trustee.

 

The Trustee shall transmit to Holders such reports concerning the Trustee and its actions under this Indenture as may be required by TIA Section 313 at the times and in the manner provided by the TIA, which shall initially be not less than every twelve months commencing on [     ], 20[     ]. A copy of each such report shall, at the time of such transmission to Holders, be filed by the Trustee with each stock exchange, if any, upon which any Securities are listed, with the Commission and with the Company. The Company will notify the Trustee when any Securities are listed on any stock exchange.

 

Section 7.03. Reports by Company.

 

The Company will:

 

(1)            file with the Trustee, within 15 days after the Company is required to file the same with the Commission, copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports (or copies of such portions of any of the foregoing as the Commission may from time to time by rules and regulations prescribe) which the Company may be required to file with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act or, if the Company is not required to file information, documents or reports pursuant to either of such Sections, then it will file with the Trustee and the Commission, in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission, such of the supplementary and periodic information, documents and reports which may be required pursuant to Section 13 of the Exchange Act in respect of a security listed and registered on a national securities exchange as may be prescribed from time to time in such rules and regulations; provided, however, the Company shall not be required to deliver to the Trustee any materials for which the Company has sought and received confidential treatment by the Commission; and provided further, that so long as such filings by the Company are available on the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (EDGAR), or Interactive Data Electronic Applications (IDEA), or any successor system, such filings shall be deemed to have been filed with the Trustee for purposes hereof without any further action required by the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, a failure by the Company to file annual reports, information and other reports with the Commission within the time period prescribed thereof by the Commission shall not be deemed a breach of this Section 7.03;

 

(2)            file with the Trustee and the Commission, in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission, such additional information, documents and reports with respect to compliance by the Company with the conditions and covenants of this Indenture as may be required from time to time by such rules and regulations;

 

(3)            transmit by mail to the Holders of Securities, within 30 days after the filing thereof with the Trustee, in the manner and to the extent provided in TIA Section 313(c), such summaries of any information, documents and reports required to be filed by the Company pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Section as may be required by rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission; and

 

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(4)            delivery of such reports, information and documents to the Trustee is for informational purposes only and the Trustee’s receipt of such shall not constitute constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company’s compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to rely exclusively on Officer’s Certificates).

 

Section 7.04. Company to Furnish Trustee Names and Addresses of Holders.

 

The Company will furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee:

 

(a)           semiannually, not later than 15 days after the Regular Record Date for interest for each Series of Securities, a list, in such form as the Trustee may reasonably require, of the names and addresses of the Holders of Registered Securities of such Series as of such Regular Record Date, or if there is no Regular Record Date for interest for such Series of Securities, semiannually, upon such dates as are set forth in the Board Resolution or indenture supplemental hereto authorizing such Series, and

 

(b)           at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, within 30 days after the receipt by the Company of any such request, a list of similar form and content as of a date not more than 15 days prior to the time such list is furnished;

 

provided, however, that, so long as the Trustee is the Security Registrar, no such list shall be required to be furnished.

 

Article Eight

 

CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, SALE, LEASE OR CONVEYANCE

 

Section 8.01. Consolidations and Mergers of Company and Sales, Leases and Conveyances Permitted Subject to Certain Conditions.

 

The Company may consolidate with, or sell, lease or convey all or substantially all of its assets to, or merge with or into any other entity; provided that in any such case, (1) either the Company shall be the continuing entity, or the successor entity shall be an entity organized and existing under the laws of the United States, any State thereof or the District of Columbia and such successor entity shall expressly assume the due and punctual payment of the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, on all of the Securities, according to their tenor, and the due and punctual performance and observance of all of the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be performed by the Company by supplemental indenture, complying with Article Nine hereof, satisfactory to the Trustee, executed and delivered to the Trustee by such entity and (2) immediately after giving effect to such transaction and treating any indebtedness which becomes an obligation of the Company or any Subsidiary as a result thereof as having been incurred by the Company or such Subsidiary at the time of such transaction, no Event of Default, and no event which, after notice or the lapse of time, or both, would become an Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.

 

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Section 8.02. Rights and Duties of Successor Entity.

 

In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, lease or conveyance and upon any such assumption by the successor entity, such successor entity shall succeed to and be substituted for the Company, with the same effect as if it had been named herein as the party of the first part, and the predecessor entity, except in the event of a lease, shall be relieved of any further obligation under this Indenture and the Securities. Such successor entity thereupon may cause to be signed, and may issue either in its own name or in the name of the Company, any or all of the Securities issuable hereunder which theretofore shall not have been signed by the Company and delivered to the Trustee; and, upon the order of such successor entity, instead of the Company, and subject to all the terms, conditions and limitations in this Indenture prescribed, the Trustee shall authenticate and shall deliver any Securities which previously shall have been signed and delivered by the officers of the Company to the Trustee for authentication, and any Securities which such successor entity thereafter shall cause to be signed and delivered to the Trustee for that purpose. All the Securities so issued shall in all respects have the same legal rank and benefit under this Indenture as the Securities theretofore or thereafter issued in accordance with the terms of this Indenture as though all of such Securities had been issued at the date of the execution hereof.

 

In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, lease or conveyance, such changes in phraseology and form (but not in substance) may be made in the Securities thereafter to be issued as may be appropriate.

 

Section 8.03. Consolidations and Mergers of Parent and Sales, Leases and Conveyances Permitted Subject to Certain Conditions.

 

Parent may merge or consolidate with, or sell, lease or convey all or substantially all of its assets to, or merge with or into any other entity; provided that in any such case, (1) either Parent shall be the continuing entity, or the successor entity shall be an entity organized and existing under the laws of the United States, any State thereof or the District of Columbia and such successor entity shall expressly assume the obligations of Parent and the due and punctual performance and observance of all of the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be performed by the Company by supplemental indenture, complying with Article Nine hereof, satisfactory to the Trustee, executed and delivered to the Trustee by such entity and (2) immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Event of Default, and no event which, after notice or the lapse of time, or both, would become an Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.

 

Section 8.04. Rights and Duties of Successor Entity.

 

In case of any such consolidation, merger, sale, lease or conveyance and upon any such assumption by the successor entity, such successor entity shall succeed to and be substituted for Parent, with the same effect as if it had been named herein as the party of the first part, and the predecessor entity, except in the event of a lease, shall be relieved of any further obligation under this Indenture and the Securities.

 

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Section 8.05. Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel.

 

Any consolidation, merger, sale, lease or conveyance permitted under Section 8.01 and Section 8.03 is also subject to the condition that the Trustee receive an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that any such consolidation, merger, sale, lease or conveyance, and the assumption by any successor entity, complies with the provisions of this Article, except, with respect to the Opinion of Counsel, excluding Section 8.01(2) and Section 8.03(2) and that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to such transaction have been complied with.

 

Section 8.06. Transfers to Majority Owned Subsidiaries.

 

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article Eight, a sale, lease, conveyance or transfer of all or substantially all of the Company’s and/or Parent’s properties and assets to one or more of the Company’s majority owned subsidiaries will not be restricted.

 

Article Nine

 

SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURES

 

Section 9.01. Supplemental Indentures Without Consent of Holders.

 

Without the consent of any Holders of Securities, the Company, when authorized by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, Parent and the Trustee, at any time and from time to time, may enter into one or more indentures supplemental hereto, in form satisfactory to the Trustee, for any of the following purposes:

 

(1)            to evidence the succession of another Person to the Company or the Parent and the assumption by any such successor of the covenants of the Company or the Parent, as applicable contained herein and in the Securities; or

 

(2)            to add to the covenants of the Company or Parent for the benefit of the Holders of all or any Series of Securities (and if such covenants are to be for the benefit of less than all Series of Securities, stating that such covenants are expressly being included solely for the benefit of such Series) or to surrender any right or power herein conferred upon the Company; or

 

(3)            to add any additional Events of Default for the benefit of the Holders of all or any Series of Securities (and if such Events of Default are to be for the benefit of less than all Series of Securities, stating that such Events of Default are expressly being included solely for the benefit of such Series); provided, however, that in respect of any such additional Events of Default such supplemental indenture may provide for a particular period of grace after default (which period may be shorter or longer than that allowed in the case of other defaults) or may provide for an immediate enforcement upon such default or may limit the remedies available to the Trustee upon such default or may limit the right of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of that or those Series of Securities to which such additional Events of Default apply to waive such default; or

 

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(4)            to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture to permit or facilitate the issuance of Securities in uncertificated form; or

 

(5)            to change or eliminate any of the provisions of this Indenture; provided that any such change or elimination shall become effective only when there is no Security Outstanding of any Series created prior to the execution of such supplemental indenture which is entitled to the benefit of such provision; or

 

(6)            to secure the Securities; or

 

(7)            to establish the form or terms of Securities of any Series as permitted or contemplated by Sections 2.01 and 3.01; or

 

(8)            to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment hereunder by a successor Trustee with respect to the Securities of one or more Series and to add to or change any of the provisions of this Indenture as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts hereunder by more than one Trustee; or

 

(9)            to add to, change or eliminate any of the provisions of this Indenture to such extent as shall be necessary to comply with the rules or regulations of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which any Securities may be listed or traded; or

 

(10)          to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision herein which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision herein, or to make any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Indenture which shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture; or

 

(11)          to conform the provisions of any supplemental indenture (and any Securities issued under this Indenture as amended and supplemented by such supplemental indenture) amending and supplementing this Indenture with respect to one or more Series of Securities to the description thereof contained in any final offering document used in connection with the issuance and sale of such Securities; or

 

(12)          to supplement any of the provisions of this Indenture to such extent as shall be necessary to permit or facilitate the defeasance and discharge of any Series of Securities pursuant to Sections 4.01, 14.02 and 14.03; provided that any such action shall not adversely affect the interests of the Holders of Securities of such Series or any other Series of Securities in any material respect.

 

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Section 9.02. Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Holders.

 

With the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of all Outstanding Securities affected by such supplemental indenture, by Act of said Holders delivered to the Company and the Trustee, the Company, when authorized by or pursuant to a Board Resolution, Parent and the Trustee may enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the Holders of Securities under this Indenture; provided, however, that no such supplemental indenture shall, without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security affected thereby:

 

(1)            change the Stated Maturity of the principal of (or premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, on) or any installment of principal of or interest, if any, on, any Security; or reduce the principal amount thereof or the rate or amount of interest, if any, thereon, or any premium or Make-Whole Amount payable upon the redemption thereof, or reduce the amount of the principal of an Original Issue Discount Security that would be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof pursuant to Section 5.02 or the amount thereof provable in bankruptcy pursuant to Section 5.04, or adversely affect any right of repayment at the option of the Holder of any Security, or change any Place of Payment where, or the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which, any Security or any premium or Make-Whole Amount or the interest thereon is payable, or impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment on or after the Stated Maturity thereof (or, in the case of redemption or repayment at the option of the Holder, on or after the Redemption Date or the Repayment Date, as the case may be), or

 

(2)            reduce the percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any Series, the consent of whose Holders is required for any such supplemental indenture, or the consent of whose Holders is required for any waiver with respect to such Series (or compliance with certain provisions of this Indenture or certain defaults hereunder and their consequences) provided for in this Indenture, or reduce the requirements of Section 15.04 for quorum or voting, or

 

(3)            modify any of the provisions of this Section, Section 5.13 or Section 10.07, except to increase the required percentage to effect such action or to provide that certain other provisions of this Indenture cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Security affected thereby; provided, however, that this clause shall not be deemed to require the consent of any Holder with respect to changes in the references to “the Trustee” and concomitant changes in this Section 9.02 and Section 10.07, or the deletion of this proviso, in accordance with the requirements of Sections 6.09(b) and 9.01(8).

 

It shall not be necessary for any Act of Holders under this Section 9.02 to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture, but it shall be sufficient if such Act shall approve the substance thereof.

 

A supplemental indenture which changes or eliminates any covenant or other provision of this Indenture which has expressly been included solely for the benefit of one or more particular Series of Securities, or which modifies the rights of the Holders of Securities of such Series with respect to such covenant or other provision, shall be deemed not to affect the rights under this Indenture of the Holders of Securities of any other Series.

 

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Section 9.03. Execution of Supplemental Indentures.

 

In executing, or accepting the additional trusts created by, any supplemental indenture permitted by this Article or the modification thereby of the trusts created by this Indenture, the Trustee shall be provided with, and (subject to Section 6.12) shall be fully protected in relying upon, an Opinion of Counsel stating that the execution of such supplemental indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture. The Trustee may, but shall not be obligated to, enter into any such supplemental indenture which affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.

 

Section 9.04. Effect of Supplemental Indentures.

 

Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture under this Article, this Indenture shall be modified in accordance therewith, and such supplemental indenture shall form a part of this Indenture for all purposes; and every Holder of Securities theretofore or thereafter authenticated and delivered hereunder shall be bound thereby.

 

Section 9.05. Conformity with Trust Indenture Act.

 

Every supplemental indenture executed pursuant to this Article shall conform to the requirements of the TIA as then in effect.

 

Section 9.06. Reference in Securities to Supplemental Indentures.

 

Securities of any Series authenticated and delivered after the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to this Article may, and shall, if required by the Trustee, bear a notation in form approved by the Trustee as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the Company shall so determine, new Securities of any Series so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Trustee and the Company, to any such supplemental indenture may be prepared and executed by the Company and authenticated and delivered by the Trustee in exchange for Outstanding Securities of such Series.

 

Section 9.07. Subordination Unimpaired.

 

This Indenture may not be amended at any time to alter the subordination, as provided herein, of any of the Securities then Outstanding without the written consent of each holder of Senior Debt then outstanding that would be adversely affected thereby.

 

Article Ten

 

COVENANTS

 

Section 10.01. Payment of Principal, Premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and Interest, if any.

 

The Company covenants and agrees for the benefit of the Holders of each Series of Securities that it will duly and punctually pay the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, on the Securities of that Series in accordance with the terms of such Series of Securities and this Indenture. Unless otherwise specified with respect to Securities of any Series pursuant to Section 3.01, at the option of the Company (upon written notice to the Trustee), all payments of principal may be paid by check to the registered Holder of the Registered Security or other Person entitled thereto against surrender of such Security.

 

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Section 10.02. Maintenance of Office or Agency.

 

If Securities of a Series are issuable only as Registered Securities, the Company shall maintain in each Place of Payment for any Series of Securities an office or agency where Securities of that Series may be presented or surrendered for payment, where Securities of that Series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Securities of that Series and this Indenture may be served. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of each such office or agency. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee and the Company hereby appoints the same as its agent to receive such respective presentations, surrenders, notices and demands, and the Company hereby appoints the Trustee its agent to receive all such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands.

 

The Company may from time to time designate one or more other offices or agencies (in or outside the Place of Payment) where the Securities of one or more Series may be presented or surrendered for any or all of such purposes, and may from time to time rescind such designations; provided, however, that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligation to maintain an office or agency in accordance with the requirements set forth above for Securities of any Series for such purposes. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the location of any such other office or agency. Unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities pursuant to Section 3.01, with respect to a Series of Securities, the Company hereby designates as a Place of Payment for each Series of Securities the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee (as Paying Agent); and the Company hereby initially appoints the Trustee at its Corporate Trust Office as Paying Agent in such city; and the Company hereby initially appoints as its agent to receive all such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands each of the Trustee, at its Corporate Trust Office.

 

Unless otherwise specified with respect to any Securities pursuant to Section 3.01, if and so long as the Securities of any Series (i) are denominated in a Foreign Currency or (ii) may be payable in a Foreign Currency, or so long as it is required under any other provision of the Indenture, then the Company will maintain with respect to each such Series of Securities, or as so required, at least one exchange rate agent (of which it shall give written notice to the Trustee).

 

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Section 10.03. Money for Securities Payments to Be Held in Trust.

 

If the Company shall at any time act as its own Paying Agent with respect to any Series of any Securities, it will, on or before each due date of the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any), or interest, if any, on any of the Securities of that Series, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto a sum in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such Series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for the Securities of such Series) sufficient to pay the principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, so becoming due until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided, and will promptly notify the Trustee of its action or failure so to act.

 

Whenever the Company shall have one or more Paying Agents for any Series of Securities, it will, on or before each due date of the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any), or interest, if any, on any Securities of that Series, deposit with a Paying Agent a sum (in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies described in the preceding paragraph) sufficient to pay the principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, so becoming due, such sum to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such principal, premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, or interest, if any, and (unless such Paying Agent is the Trustee) the Company will promptly notify the Trustee of its action or failure so to act.

 

The Company will cause each Paying Agent for any Series of Securities other than the Trustee to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such Paying Agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this Section, that such Paying Agent will:

 

(1)            hold all sums held by it for the payment of principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on Securities in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled thereto until such sums shall be paid to such Persons or otherwise disposed of as herein provided;

 

(2)            give the Trustee notice of any default by the Company (or any other obligor upon the Securities) in the making of any such payment of principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on the Securities of that Series; and

 

(3)            at any time during the continuance of any such default upon the written request of the Trustee, forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust by such Paying Agent.

 

The Company may at any time, for the purpose of obtaining the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture or for any other purpose, pay, or by Company Order direct any Paying Agent to pay, to the Trustee all sums held in trust by the Company or such Paying Agent, such sums to be held by the Trustee upon the same trusts as those upon which such sums were held by the Company or such Paying Agent; and, upon such payment by any Paying Agent to the Trustee, such Paying Agent shall be released from all further liability with respect to such sums.

 

Except as otherwise provided in the Securities of any Series, and subject to applicable laws, any money deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent, or then held by the Company, in trust for the payment of the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on any Security of any Series and remaining unclaimed for two years after such principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, has become due and payable shall be paid to the Company upon Company Request or (if then held by the Company) shall be discharged from such trust; and the Holder of such Security shall thereafter, as an unsecured general creditor, look only to the Company for payment of such principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) or interest, if any, on any Security, without interest thereon, and all liability of the Trustee or such Paying Agent with respect to such trust money, and all liability of the Company as trustee thereof, shall thereupon cease; provided, however, that the Trustee or such Paying Agent, before being required to make any such repayment, may at the expense of the Company cause to be published once, in an Authorized Newspaper, notice that such money remains unclaimed and that, after a date specified therein, which shall not be less than 30 days from the date of such publication, any unclaimed balance of such money then remaining will be repaid to the Company.

 

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Section 10.04. Existence.

 

Subject to Article Eight, each of the Parent and the Company will do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its existence, all material rights (by agreement of limited partnership and statute) and material franchises; provided, however, that neither the Parent nor Company shall be required to preserve any such right or franchise if the Board of Directors of Parent shall determine that the preservation thereof is no longer desirable in the conduct of the business of the Parent or the Company.

 

Section 10.05. Statement as to Compliance.

 

The Company will deliver to the Trustee, within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, a brief certificate from the principal executive officer, principal financial officer or principal accounting officer of Parent as to his or her knowledge of the Parent’s and the Company’s compliance with all conditions and covenants under this Indenture and, in the event of any noncompliance, specifying such noncompliance and the nature and status thereof. For purposes of this Section 10.05, such compliance shall be determined without regard to any period of grace or requirement of notice under this Indenture.

 

The Company shall deliver to the Trustee within 30 calendar days after a Senior Officer becomes aware of the occurrence of any Event of Default or an event which, with notice or the lapse of time or both, would constitute an Event of Default, an Officer’s Certificate setting forth the details of such Event of Default or default and the action which the Company proposes to take with respect thereto; provided, however, that no such Officer’s Certificate is required to be delivered if such Event of Default or an event which, with notice or the lapse of time or both, would constitute an Event of Default, no longer exists.

 

Section 10.06. Parent Guarantee.

 

The Parent agrees to not incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or guarantee any of the Company’s indebtedness for borrowed money (in each case other than Permitted Debt) without fully and unconditionally guaranteeing (subject to reasonable and customary exceptions) the Company’s obligations under this Indenture, including the due and punctual payment of principal of and interest on any Securities Outstanding hereunder, whether at Stated Maturity, by declaration of acceleration, notice of repurchase or otherwise; provided that the Parent shall be released from its obligations under such guarantee, and such guarantee shall be terminated, to the extent the Parent is subsequently no longer an obligor of indebtedness for borrowed money or a guarantor of any of the Company’s indebtedness for borrowed money (in each case other than Permitted Debt). The Parent’s guarantee of the Securities will be a subordinated unsecured obligation of Parent and will rank equally in right of payment with other subordinated unsecured obligations of Parent.

 

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Section 10.07. Waiver of Certain Covenants.

 

The Company may omit in any particular instance to comply with any term, provision or condition set forth in Sections 10.04 to 10.06, inclusive, if before or after the time for such compliance the Holders of at least a majority in principal amount of all outstanding Securities of such Series, by Act of such Holders, either waive such compliance in such instance or generally waive compliance with such covenant or condition, but no such waiver shall extend to or affect such covenant or condition except to the extent so expressly waived, and, until such waiver shall become effective, the obligations of the Company and the duties of the Trustee in respect of any such term, provision or condition shall remain in full force and effect.

 

Article Eleven

 

REDEMPTION OF SECURITIES

 

Section 11.01. Applicability of Article.

 

Securities of any Series which are redeemable before their Stated Maturity shall be redeemable in accordance with their terms and (except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.01 for Securities of any Series) in accordance with this Article.

 

Section 11.02. Election to Redeem; Notice to Trustee.

 

The election of the Company to redeem any Securities shall be evidenced by or pursuant to a Board Resolution. In case of any redemption at the election of the Company of less than all of the Securities of any Series, the Company shall, at least 45 days prior to the giving of the notice of redemption in Section 11.04 (unless a shorter notice shall be satisfactory to the Trustee), notify the Trustee of such Redemption Date and of the principal amount of Securities of such Series to be redeemed. In the case of any redemption of Securities prior to the expiration of any restriction on such redemption provided in the terms of such Securities or elsewhere in this Indenture, the Company shall furnish the Trustee with an Officer’s Certificate evidencing compliance with such restriction.

 

Section 11.03. Selection by Trustee of Securities to Be Redeemed.

 

If less than all the Securities of any Series issued on the same day with the same terms are to be redeemed, the particular Securities to be redeemed shall be selected not more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date by the Trustee, from the Outstanding Securities of such Series issued on such date with the same terms not previously called for redemption, by such method as the Trustee shall deem fair and appropriate and which may provide for the selection for redemption of portions (equal to the minimum authorized denomination for Securities of that Series or any integral multiple thereof) of the principal amount of Securities of such Series of a denomination larger than the minimum authorized denomination for Securities of that Series.

 

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The Trustee shall promptly notify the Company and the Security Registrar (if other than itself) in writing of the Securities selected for redemption and, in the case of any Securities selected for partial redemption, the principal amount thereof to be redeemed.

 

For all purposes of this Indenture, unless the context otherwise requires, all provisions relating to the redemption of Securities shall relate, in the case of any Security redeemed or to be redeemed only in part, to the portion of the principal amount of such Security which has been or is to be redeemed.

 

Section 11.04. Notice of Redemption.

 

Notice of redemption shall be given in the manner provided in Section 1.06, not less than 10 days nor more than 30 days prior to the Redemption Date, unless a shorter period is specified by the terms of such Series established pursuant to Section 3.01, to each Holder of Securities to be redeemed, but failure to give such notice in the manner herein provided to the Holder of any Security designated for redemption as a whole or in part, or any defect in the notice to any such Holder, shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of any other such Security or portion thereof.

 

Any notice that is mailed to the Holders of Registered Securities in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not the Holder receives the notice.

 

All notices of redemption shall state:

 

(1)            the Redemption Date,

 

(2)            the Redemption Price, accrued interest to the Redemption Date payable as provided in Section 11.06, if any,

 

(3)            if less than all Outstanding Securities of any Series are to be redeemed, the identification (and, in the case of partial redemption, the principal amount) of the particular Security or Securities to be redeemed,

 

(4)            in case any Security is to be redeemed in part only, the notice which relates to such Security shall state that on and after the Redemption Date, upon surrender of such Security, the holder will receive, without a charge, a new Security or Securities of authorized denominations for the principal amount thereof remaining unredeemed,

 

(5)            that on the Redemption Date the Redemption Price and accrued interest to the Redemption Date payable as provided in Section 11.06, if any, will become due and payable upon each such Security, or the portion thereof, to be redeemed and, if applicable, that interest thereon shall cease to accrue on and after said date,

 

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(6)            the Place or Places of Payment where such Securities maturing after the Redemption Date, are to be surrendered for payment of the Redemption Price and accrued interest, if any,

 

(7)            that the redemption is for a sinking fund, if such is the case, and

 

(8)            the CUSIP number of such Security, if any.

 

Notice of redemption of Securities to be redeemed at the election of the Company shall be given by the Company or, upon Company Request, by the Trustee in the name and at the expense of the Company.

 

Section 11.05. Deposit of Redemption Price.

 

On or prior to any Redemption Date, the Company shall deposit with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent (or, if the Company is acting as its own Paying Agent, which it may not do in the case of a sinking fund payment under Article Twelve, segregate and hold in trust as provided in Section 10.03) an amount of money in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such Series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for the Securities of such Series) sufficient to pay on the Redemption Date the Redemption Price of, and (except if the Redemption Date shall be an Interest Payment Date) accrued interest on, all the Securities or portions thereof which are to be redeemed on that date.

 

Section 11.06. Securities Payable on Redemption Date.

 

Notice of redemption having been given as aforesaid, the Securities so to be redeemed shall, on the Redemption Date, become due and payable at the Redemption Price therein specified in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such Series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for the Securities of such Series) (together with accrued interest, if any, to the Redemption Date), and from and after such date (unless the Company shall default in the payment of the Redemption Price and accrued interest, if any) such Securities shall, if the same were interest-bearing, cease to bear interest. Upon surrender of any such Security for redemption in accordance with said notice such Security shall be paid by the Company at the Redemption Price, together with accrued interest, if any, to the Redemption Date; provided, however, that installments of interest, if any, on Registered Securities whose Stated Maturity is on or prior to the Redemption Date shall be payable to the Holders of such Securities, or one or more Predecessor Securities, registered as such at the close of business on the relevant Record Dates according to their terms and the provisions of Section 3.07.

 

If any Security called for redemption shall not be so paid upon surrender thereof for redemption, the principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) shall, until paid, bear interest from the Redemption Date at the rate borne by the Security.

 

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Section 11.07. Securities Redeemed in Part.

 

Any Registered Security which is to be redeemed only in part (pursuant to the provisions of this Article or of Article Twelve) shall be surrendered at a Place of Payment therefor (with, if the Company or the Trustee so requires, due endorsement by, or a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Trustee duly executed by, the Holder thereof or his attorney duly authorized in writing) and the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Holder of such Security without service charge a new Security or Securities of the same Series, of any authorized denomination as requested by such Holder in aggregate principal amount equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the principal of the Security so surrendered. If a Global Security is so surrendered, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the depository, without service charge, a new Global Security in a denomination equal to and in exchange for the unredeemed portion of the principal of the Global Security so surrendered.

 

Article Twelve

 

SINKING FUNDS

 

Section 12.01. Applicability of Article.

 

The provisions of this Article shall be applicable to any sinking fund for the retirement of Securities of a Series except as otherwise specified as contemplated by Section 3.01 for Securities of such Series.

 

The minimum amount of any sinking fund payment provided for by the terms of Securities of any Series is herein referred to as a “mandatory sinking fund payment,” and any payment in excess of such minimum amount provided for by the terms of such Securities of any Series is herein referred to as an “optional sinking fund payment.” If provided for by the terms of any Securities of any Series, the cash amount of any mandatory sinking fund payment may be subject to reduction as provided in Section 12.02. Each sinking fund payment shall be applied to the redemption of Securities of any Series as provided for by the terms of Securities of such Series.

 

Section 12.02. Satisfaction of Sinking Fund Payments with Securities.

 

The Company may, in satisfaction of all or any part of any mandatory sinking fund payment with respect to the Securities of a Series, (1) deliver Outstanding Securities of such Series (other than any previously called for redemption) and (2) apply as a credit Securities of such Series which have been redeemed either at the election of the Company pursuant to the terms of such Securities or through the application of permitted optional sinking fund payments pursuant to the terms of such Securities, as provided for by the terms of such Securities, or which have otherwise been acquired by the Company; provided that such Securities so delivered or applied as a credit have not been previously so credited. Such Securities shall be received and credited for such purpose by the Trustee at the applicable Redemption Price specified in such Securities for redemption through operation of the sinking fund and the amount of such mandatory sinking fund payment shall be reduced accordingly.

 

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Section 12.03. Redemption of Securities for Sinking Fund.

 

Not less than 60 days prior to each sinking fund payment date for Securities of any Series, the Company will deliver to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate specifying the amount of the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment for that Series pursuant to the terms of that Series, the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by payment of cash in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such Series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for the Securities of such Series) and the portion thereof, if any, which is to be satisfied by delivering and crediting Securities of that Series pursuant to Section 12.02, and the optional amount, if any, to be added in cash to the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment, and will also deliver to the Trustee any Securities to be so delivered and credited. If such Officer’s Certificate shall specify an optional amount to be added in cash to the next ensuing mandatory sinking fund payment, the Company shall thereupon be obligated to pay the amount therein specified. Not less than 30 days before each such sinking fund payment date the Trustee shall select the Securities to be redeemed upon such sinking fund payment date in the manner specified in Section 11.03 and cause notice of the redemption thereof to be given in the name of and at the expense of the Company in the manner provided in Section 11.04. Such notice having been duly given, the redemption of such Securities shall be made upon the terms and in the manner stated in Sections 11.06 and 11.07.

 

Article Thirteen

 

REPAYMENT AT THE OPTION OF HOLDERS

 

Section 13.01. Applicability of Article.

 

Repayment of Securities of any Series before their Stated Maturity at the option of Holders thereof shall be made in accordance with the terms of such Securities, if any, and (except as otherwise specified by the terms of such Series established pursuant to Section 3.01) in accordance with this Article.

 

Section 13.02. Repayment of Securities.

 

Securities of any Series subject to repayment in whole or in part at the option of the Holders thereof will, unless otherwise provided in the terms of such Securities, be repaid at a price equal to the principal amount thereof, together with interest, if any, thereon accrued to the Repayment Date specified in or pursuant to the terms of such Securities. The Company covenants that on or prior to the Repayment Date it will deposit with the Trustee or with a Paying Agent (or, if the Company is acting as its own Paying Agent, segregate and hold in trust as provided in Section 10.03) an amount of money in the currency or currencies, currency unit or units or composite currency or currencies in which the Securities of such Series are payable (except as otherwise specified pursuant to Section 3.01 for the Securities of such Series) sufficient to pay the principal (or, if so provided by the terms of the Securities of any Series, a percentage of the principal) of, and (except if the Repayment Date shall be an Interest Payment Date) accrued interest on, all the Securities or portions thereof, as the case may be, to be repaid on such date.

 

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Section 13.03. Exercise of Option.

 

Securities of any Series subject to repayment at the option of the Holders thereof will contain an “Option to Elect Repayment” form on the reverse of such Securities. In order for any Security to be repaid at the option of the Holder, the Trustee must receive at the Place of Payment therefor specified in the terms of such Security (or at such other place or places of which the Company shall from time to time notify the Holders of such Securities) not earlier than 60 days nor later than 30 days prior to the Repayment Date (1) the Security so providing for such repayment together with the “Option to Elect Repayment” form on the reverse thereof duly completed by the Holder (or by the Holder’s attorney duly authorized in writing) or (2) a telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or a letter from a member of a national securities exchange, or the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or a commercial bank or trust company in the United States setting forth the name of the Holder of the Security, the principal amount of the Security, the principal amount of the Security to be repaid, the CUSIP number, if any, or a description of the tenor and terms of the Security, a statement that the option to elect repayment is being exercised thereby and a guarantee that the Security to be repaid, together with the duly completed form entitled “Option to Elect Repayment” on the reverse of the Security, will be received by the Trustee not later than the fifth Business Day after the date of such telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or letter; provided, however, that such telegram, telex, facsimile transmission or letter shall only be effective if such Security and form duly completed are received by the Trustee by such fifth Business Day. If less than the entire principal amount of such Security is to be repaid in accordance with the terms of such Security, the principal amount of such Security to be repaid, in increments of the minimum denomination for Securities of such Series, and the denomination or denominations of the Security or Securities to be issued to the Holder for the portion of the principal amount of such Security surrendered that is not to be repaid, must be specified. The principal amount of any Security providing for repayment at the option of the Holder thereof may not be repaid in part if, following such repayment, the unpaid principal amount of such Security would be less than the minimum authorized denomination of Securities of the Series of which such Security to be repaid is a part. Except as otherwise may be provided by the terms of any Security providing for repayment at the option of the Holder thereof, exercise of the repayment option by the Holder shall be irrevocable unless waived by the Company.

 

Section 13.04. When Securities Presented for Repayment Become Due and Payable.

 

If Securities of any Series providing for repayment at the option of the Holders thereof shall have been surrendered as provided in this Article and as provided by or pursuant to the terms of such Securities, such Securities or the portions thereof, as the case may be, to be repaid shall become due and payable and shall be paid by the Company on the Repayment Date therein specified, and on and after such Repayment Date (unless the Company shall default in the payment of such Securities on such Repayment Date) such Securities shall, if the same were interest-bearing, cease to bear interest. Upon surrender of any such Security for repayment in accordance with such provisions, the principal amount of such Security so to be repaid shall be paid by the Company, together with accrued interest, if any, to the Repayment Date; provided, however, that, in the case of Registered Securities, installments of interest, if any, whose Stated Maturity is on or prior to the Repayment Date shall be payable (but without interest thereon, unless the Company shall default in the payment thereof) to the Holders of such Securities, or one or more Predecessor Securities, registered as such at the close of business on the relevant Record Dates according to their terms and the provisions of Section 3.07.

 

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If the principal amount of any Security surrendered for repayment shall not be so repaid upon surrender thereof, such principal amount (together with interest, if any, thereon accrued to such Repayment Date) shall, until paid, bear interest from the Repayment Date at the rate of interest or Yield to Maturity (in the case of Original Issue Discount Securities) set forth in such Security.

 

Section 13.05. Securities Repaid in Part.

 

Upon surrender of any Registered Security which is to be repaid in part only, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Holder of such Security, without service charge and at the expense of the Company, a new Registered Security or Securities of the same Series, of any authorized denomination specified by the Holder, in an aggregate principal amount equal to and in exchange for the portion of the principal of such Security so surrendered which is not to be repaid.

 

Article Fourteen

 

DEFEASANCE AND COVENANT DEFEASANCE

 

Section 14.01. Applicability of Article: Company’s Option to Effect Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance.

 

If, pursuant to Section 3.01, provision is made for either or both of (a) defeasance of the Securities of or within a Series under Section 14.02 or (b) covenant defeasance of the Securities of or within a Series under Section 14.03, then the provisions of such Section or Sections, as the case may be, together with the other provisions of this Article (with such modifications thereto as may be specified pursuant to Section 3.01 with respect to any Securities), shall be applicable to such Securities, and the Company may at its option by Board Resolution, at any time, with respect to such Securities, elect to have Section 14.02 (if applicable) or Section 14.03 (if applicable) be applied to such Outstanding Securities upon compliance with the conditions set forth below in this Article.

 

Section 14.02. Defeasance and Discharge.

 

Upon the Company’s exercise of the above option applicable to this Section with respect to any Securities of or within a Series, the Company shall be deemed to have been discharged from its obligations with respect to such Outstanding Securities on the date the conditions set forth in Section 14.04 are satisfied (hereinafter, “defeasance”). For this purpose, such defeasance means that the Company shall be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire indebtedness represented by such Outstanding Securities, which shall thereafter be deemed to be Outstanding only for the purposes of Section 14.05 and the other Sections of this Indenture referred to in clauses (A) and (B) below, and to have satisfied all of its other obligations under such Securities and this Indenture insofar as such Securities are concerned (and the Trustee, at the expense of the Company, shall execute proper instruments acknowledging the same), except for the following which shall survive until otherwise terminated or discharged hereunder: (A) the rights of Holders of such Outstanding Securities to receive, solely from the trust fund described in Section 14.04 and as more fully set forth in such Section, payments in respect of the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, on such Securities when such payments are due, (B) the Company’s obligations with respect to such Securities under Sections 3.05, 3.06, 10.02 and 10.03, and the Company’s obligations under Section 6.06 hereof (C) the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the Trustee hereunder and (D) this Article. Subject to compliance with this Article Fourteen, the Company may exercise its option under this Section notwithstanding the prior exercise of its option under Section 14.03 with respect to such Securities.

 

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Section 14.03. Covenant Defeasance.

 

Upon the Company’s exercise of the above option applicable to this Section with respect to any Securities of or within a Series, the Company shall be released from its obligations under Sections 10.04 to 10.07, inclusive, and, if specified pursuant to Section 3.01, its obligations under any other covenant contained herein or in any indenture supplemental hereto, with respect to such Outstanding Securities on and after the date the conditions set forth in Section 14.04 are satisfied (hereinafter, “covenant defeasance”), and such Securities shall thereafter be deemed to be not Outstanding for the purposes of any direction, waiver, consent or declaration or Act of Holders (and the consequences of any thereof) in connection with Sections 10.04 to 10.07, inclusive, or such other covenant, but shall continue to be deemed Outstanding for all other purposes hereunder. For this purpose, such covenant defeasance means that, with respect to such Outstanding Securities, the Company may omit to comply with and shall have no liability in respect of any term, condition or limitation set forth in any such Section or such other covenant, whether directly or indirectly, by reason of any reference elsewhere herein to any such Section or such other covenant or by reason of reference in any such Section or such other covenant to any other provision herein or in any other document and such omission to comply shall not constitute a default or an Event of Default under Section 5.01(4) to 5.01(6), inclusive, or otherwise, as the case may be, but, except as specified above, the remainder of this Indenture and such Securities shall be unaffected thereby.

 

Section 14.04. Conditions to Defeasance or Covenant Defeasance.

 

The following shall be the conditions to application of Section 14.02 or Section 14.03 to any Outstanding Securities of or within a Series:

 

(a)           The Company shall irrevocably have deposited or caused to be deposited with the Trustee (or another trustee satisfying the requirements of Section 6.07 who shall agree to comply with the provisions of this Article Fourteen applicable to it) as trust funds in trust for the purpose of making the following payments, specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to, the benefit of the Holders of such Securities, (1) an amount in such currency, currencies or currency unit in which such Securities are then specified as payable at Stated Maturity, or (2) Government Obligations applicable to such Securities (determined on the basis of the currency, currencies or currency unit in which such Securities are then specified as payable at Stated Maturity) which through the scheduled payment of principal and interest, if any, in respect thereof in accordance with their terms will provide, not later than the due date of any payment of principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, on such Securities, money in an amount, or (3) a combination thereof, in any case, in an amount, sufficient, without consideration of any reinvestment of such principal and interest, if any, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, to pay and discharge, and which shall be applied by the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee) to pay and discharge, (i) the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, on such Outstanding Securities on the Stated Maturity of such principal or installment of principal or interest and (ii) any mandatory sinking fund payments or analogous payments applicable to such Outstanding Securities on the day on which such payments are due and payable in accordance with the terms of this Indenture and of such Securities.

 

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(b)           Such defeasance or covenant defeasance shall not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under any material agreement or instrument (other than this Indenture and the agreements governing any other indebtedness being defeased, discharged or replaced) to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound.

 

(c)           No Event of Default or event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become an Event of Default with respect to such Securities shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of such deposit or, insofar as Sections 5.01(5) and 5.01(6) are concerned, at any time during the period ending on and including the date of such deposit (it being understood that this condition shall not be deemed satisfied until the expiration of such period) except for an Event of Default or event with which notice or lapse of time or both become an Event of Default resulting from the borrowing of funds to be applied to such deposit and any similar or concurrent deposit relating to other indebtedness being defeased, discharged or replaced, and the grants of liens to secure such borrowings.

 

(d)           In the case of an election under Section 14.02, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel stating that (i) the Company has received from, or there has been published by, the Internal Revenue Service a ruling, or (ii) since the date of execution of this Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable Federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the Holders of such Outstanding Securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such defeasance and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such defeasance had not occurred.

 

(e)           In the case of an election under Section 14.03, the Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that the Holders of such Outstanding Securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for Federal income tax purposes as a result of such covenant defeasance and will be subject to Federal income tax on the same amounts, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such covenant defeasance had not occurred.

 

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(f)           The Company shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent to the defeasance under Section 14.02 or the covenant defeasance under Section 14.03 (as the case may be) have been complied with and an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that either (i) as a result of a deposit pursuant to subsection (a) above and the related exercise of the Company’s option under Section 14.02 or Section 14.03 (as the case may be), registration is not required under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, by the Company, with respect to the trust funds representing such deposit or by the Trustee for such trust funds or (ii) all necessary registrations under said Act have been effected.

 

(g)           Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Section, such defeasance or covenant defeasance shall be effected in compliance with any additional or substitute terms, conditions or limitations which may be imposed on the Company in connection therewith pursuant to Section 3.01.

 

(h)           The payment of amounts payable to the Trustee pursuant to this Indenture shall be paid or provided for to the reasonable satisfaction of the Trustee.

 

Section 14.05. Deposited Money and Government Obligations to Be Held in Trust; Other Miscellaneous Provisions.

 

Subject to the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 10.03, all money and Government Obligations (or other property as may be provided pursuant to Section 3.01) (including the proceeds thereof) deposited with the Trustee (or other qualifying trustee, collectively for purposes of this Section 14.05, the “Trustee”) pursuant to Section 14.04 in respect of any Outstanding Securities of any Series shall be held in trust and applied by the Trustee, in accordance with the provisions of such Securities and this Indenture, to the payment, either directly or through any Paying Agent (including the Company acting as its own Paying Agent) as the Trustee may determine, to the Holders of such Securities of all sums due and to become due thereon in respect of principal (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest, if any, but such money need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law.

 

Unless otherwise specified with respect to any Security pursuant to Section 3.01, if, after a deposit referred to in Section 14.04(a) has been made, (a) the Holder of a Security in respect of which such deposit was made is entitled to, and does, elect pursuant to Section 3.01 or the terms of such Security to receive payment in a currency or currency unit other than that in which the deposit pursuant to Section 14.04(a) has been made in respect of such Security, or (b) a Conversion Event occurs in respect of the currency or currency unit in which the deposit pursuant to Section 14.04(a) has been made, the indebtedness represented by such Security shall be deemed to have been, and will be, fully discharged and satisfied through the payment of the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any), and interest, if any, on such Security as the same becomes due out of the proceeds yielded by converting (from time to time as specified below in the case of any such election) the amount or other property deposited in respect of such Security into the currency or currency unit in which such Security becomes payable as a result of such election or Conversion Event based on the applicable market exchange rate for such currency or currency unit in effect on the second Business Day prior to each payment date, except, with respect to a Conversion Event, for such currency or currency unit in effect (as nearly as feasible) at the time of the Conversion Event.

 

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The Company shall pay and indemnify the Trustee against any tax, fee or other charge imposed on or assessed against the Government Obligations deposited pursuant to Section 14.04 or the principal and interest received in respect thereof other than any such tax, fee or other charge which by law is for the account of the Holders of such Outstanding Securities.

 

Anything in this Article to the contrary notwithstanding, subject to Section 6.06, the Trustee shall deliver or pay to the Company from time to time upon Company Request any money or Government Obligations (or other property and any proceeds therefrom) held by it as provided in Section 14.04 which, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants expressed in a written certification thereof delivered to the Trustee, are in excess of the amount thereof which would then be required to be deposited to effect a defeasance or covenant defeasance, as applicable, in accordance with this Article.

 

Article Fifteen

 

MEETINGS OF HOLDERS OF SECURITIES

 

Section 15.01. Purposes for Which Meetings May Be Called.

 

A meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series may be called at any time and from time to time pursuant to this Article to make, give or take any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action provided by this Indenture to be made, given or taken by Holders of Securities of such Series.

 

Section 15.02. Call, Notice and Place of Meetings.

 

(a)           The Trustee may at any time call a meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series for any purpose specified in Section 15.01, to be held at such time and at such place as the Trustee shall determine. Notice of every meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series, setting forth the time and the place of such meeting and in general terms the action proposed to be taken at such meeting, shall be given, in the manner provided in Section 1.06, not less than 20 nor more than 180 days prior to the date fixed for the meeting.

 

(b)           In case at any time Parent, pursuant to a Board Resolution, or the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of any Series shall have requested the Trustee to call a meeting of the Holders of Securities of such Series for any purpose specified in Section 15.01, by written request setting forth in reasonable detail the action proposed to be taken at the meeting, and the Trustee shall not have made the first publication of the notice of such meeting within 20 days after receipt of such request or shall not thereafter proceed to cause the meeting to be held as provided herein, then the Company, Parent or the Holders of Securities of such Series in the amount above specified, as the case may be, may determine the time and the place for such meeting and may call such meeting for such purposes by giving notice thereof as provided in subsection (a) of this Section.

 

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Section 15.03. Persons Entitled to Vote at Meetings.

 

To be entitled to vote at any meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series, a Person shall be (1) a Holder of one or more Outstanding Securities of such Series, or (2) a Person appointed by an instrument in writing as proxy for a Holder or Holders of one or more Outstanding Securities of such Series by such Holder or Holders. The only Persons who shall be entitled to be present or to speak at any meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series shall be the Persons entitled to vote at such meeting and their counsel, any representatives of the Trustee and its counsel and any representatives of the Company and Parent and their respective counsels.

 

Section 15.04. Quorum; Action.

 

The Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of a Series shall constitute a quorum for a meeting of Holders of Securities of such Series; provided, however, that if any action is to be taken at such meeting with respect to a consent or waiver which this Indenture expressly provides may be given by the Holders of not less than a specified percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of a Series, the Persons entitled to vote such specified percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such Series shall constitute a quorum. In the absence of a quorum within 30 minutes after the time appointed for any such meeting, the meeting shall, if convened at the request of Holders of Securities of such Series, be dissolved. In any other case the meeting may be adjourned for a period of not less than 10 days as determined by the chairman of the meeting prior to the adjournment of such meeting. In the absence of a quorum at the reconvening of any such adjourned meeting, such adjourned meeting may be further adjourned for a period of not less than 10 days; at the reconvening of any meeting adjourned or further adjourned for lack of a quorum, the Persons entitled to vote 25% in aggregate principal amount of the then Outstanding Securities shall constitute a quorum for the taking of any action set forth in the notice of the original meeting. Notice of the reconvening of any adjourned meeting shall be given as provided in Section 15.02(a), except that such notice need be given only once not less than 5 days prior to the date on which the meeting is scheduled to be reconvened.

 

Except as limited by the proviso to Section 9.02, any resolution presented to a meeting or adjourned meeting duly reconvened at which a quorum is present as aforesaid may be adopted by the affirmative vote of the Persons entitled to vote a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities represented at such meeting; provided, however, that, except as limited by the proviso to Section 9.02, any resolution with respect to any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action which this Indenture expressly provides may be made, given or taken by the Holders of a specified percentage, which is less than a majority, in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of a Series may be adopted at a meeting or an adjourned meeting duly reconvened and at which a quorum is present as aforesaid by the affirmative vote of the Holders of such specified percentage in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of that Series.

 

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Any resolution passed or decision taken at any meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series duly held in accordance with this Section shall be binding on all the Holders of Securities of such Series, whether or not present or represented at the meeting.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 15.04, if any action is to be taken at a meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series with respect to any request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action that this Indenture expressly provides may be made, given or taken by the Holders of a specified percentage in principal amount of all Outstanding Securities affected thereby, or of the Holders of such Series and one or more additional Series:

 

(i)            there shall be no minimum quorum requirement for such meeting; and

 

(ii)           the principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such Series that vote in favor of such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action shall be taken into account in determining whether such request, demand, authorization, direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action has been made, given or taken under this Indenture.

 

Section 15.05. Determination of Voting Rights; Conduct and Adjournment of Meetings.

 

(a)           Notwithstanding any provisions of this Indenture, the Trustee may make such reasonable regulations as it may deem advisable for any meeting of Holders of Securities of a Series in regard to proof of the holding of Securities of such Series and of the appointment of proxies and in regard to the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes, the submission and examination of proxies, certificates and other evidence of the right to vote, and such other matters concerning the conduct of the meeting as it shall deem appropriate. Such regulations may provide that written instruments appointing proxies, regular on their face, may be presumed valid and genuine without the proof specified in Section 1.04 or other proof.

 

(b)           The Trustee shall, by an instrument in writing appoint a temporary chairman of the meeting, unless the meeting shall have been called by the Company, Parent or by Holders of Securities as provided in Section 15.02(b), in which case the Company, Parent or the Holders of Securities of the Series calling the meeting, as the case may be, shall in like manner appoint a temporary chairman. A permanent chairman and a permanent secretary of the meeting shall be elected by vote of the Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such Series represented at the meeting.

 

(c)           At any meeting each Holder of a Security of such Series or proxy shall be entitled to one vote for each $1,000 principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such Series held or represented by him; provided, however, that no vote shall be cast or counted at any meeting in respect of any Security challenged as not Outstanding and ruled by the chairman of the meeting to be not Outstanding. The chairman of the meeting shall have no right to vote, except as a Holder of a Security of such Series or proxy.

 

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(d)           Any meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series duly called pursuant to Section 15.02 at which a quorum is present may be adjourned from time to time by Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such Series represented at the meeting, and the meeting may be held as so adjourned without further notice.

 

Section 15.06. Counting Votes and Recording Action of Meetings.

 

The vote upon any resolution submitted to any meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series shall be by written ballots on which shall be subscribed the signatures of the Holders of Securities of such Series or of their representatives by proxy and the principal amounts and serial numbers of the Outstanding Securities of such Series held or represented by them. The permanent chairman of the meeting shall appoint 2 inspectors of votes who shall count all votes cast at the meeting for or against any resolution and who shall make and file with the secretary of the meeting their verified written reports in duplicate of all votes cast at the meeting. A record, at least in duplicate, of the proceedings of each meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series shall be prepared by the secretary of the meeting and there shall be attached to said record the original reports of the inspectors of votes on any vote by ballot taken thereat and affidavits by one or more persons having knowledge of the fact, setting forth a copy of the notice of the meeting and showing that said notice was given as provided in Section 15.02 and, if applicable, Section 15.04. Each copy shall be signed and verified by the affidavits of the permanent chairman and secretary of the meeting and one such copy shall be delivered to the Company and Parent and another to the Trustee to be preserved by the Trustee, the latter to have attached thereto the ballots voted at the meeting. Any record so signed and verified shall be conclusive evidence of the matters therein stated.

 

Article Sixteen

 

SUBORDINATION OF SECURITIES

 

Section 16.01. Securities Subordinate to Senior Debt.

 

The Company covenants and agrees, and each Holder of a Security, by his acceptance thereof, likewise covenants and agrees, that, to the extent and in the manner hereinafter set forth in this Article, the indebtedness represented by the Securities and the payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on each and all of the Securities are hereby expressly made subordinate and subject in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Debt.

 

Section 16.02. Payment Over of Proceeds Upon Dissolution, Etc.

 

In the event of (a) any insolvency or bankruptcy case or proceeding, or any receivership, liquidation, reorganization or other similar case or proceeding in connection therewith, relative to the Company or to its creditors, as such, or to its assets, or (b) any liquidation, dissolution or other winding up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary and whether or not involving insolvency or bankruptcy, or (c) any assignment for the benefit of creditors or any other marshalling of assets and liabilities of the Company, then and in any such event the holders of Senior Debt shall be entitled to receive payment in full of all amounts due or to become due on or in respect of all Senior Debt, or provision shall be made for such payment in cash, before the Holders of the Securities are entitled to receive any payment on account of principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on the Securities, and to that end the holders of Senior Debt shall be entitled to receive, for application to the payment thereof, any payment or distribution of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, including any such payment or distribution which may be payable or deliverable by reason of the payment of any other indebtedness of the Company being subordinated to the payment of the Securities, which may be payable or deliverable in respect of the Securities in any such case, proceeding, dissolution, liquidation or other winding up event.

 

73

 

 

In the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 16.02, the Trustee or the Holder of any Security shall have received any payment or distribution of assets of the Company of any kind or character, whether in cash, property or securities, including any such payment or distribution which may be payable or deliverable by reason of the payment of any other indebtedness of the Company being subordinated to the payment of the Securities, before all Senior Debt is paid in full or payment thereof provided for, and if such fact shall, at or prior to the time of such payment or distribution, have been made known to the Trustee or, as the case may be, such Holder, then and in such event such payment or distribution shall be paid over or delivered forthwith to the trustee in bankruptcy, receiver, liquidating trustee, custodian, assignee, agent or other Person making payment or distribution of assets of the Company for application to the payment of all Senior Debt remaining unpaid, to the extent necessary to pay all Senior Debt in full, after giving effect to any concurrent payment or distribution to or for the holders of Senior Debt. Any taxes that have been withheld or deducted from any payment or distribution in respect of the Securities, or any taxes that ought to have been withheld or deducted from any such payment or distribution that have been remitted to the relevant taxing authority, shall not be considered to be an amount that the Trustee or the Holder of any Security receives for purposes of this Section.

 

For purposes of this Article Sixteen only, the words “cash, property or securities” shall not be deemed to include Capital Stock of the Company as reorganized or readjusted, or securities of the Company or any other Person provided for by a plan of reorganization or readjustment which are subordinated in right of payment to all Senior Debt which may at the time be outstanding to substantially the same extent as, or to a greater extent than, the Securities are so subordinated as provided in this Article Sixteen. The consolidation of the Company with, or the merger of the Company into, another Person or the liquidation or dissolution of the Company following the conveyance or transfer of its properties and assets substantially as an entirety to another Person upon the terms and conditions set forth in Article Eight shall not be deemed a dissolution, winding up, liquidation, reorganization, assignment for the benefit of creditors or marshalling of assets and liabilities of the Company for the purposes of this Section 16.02 if the Person formed by such consolidation or into which the Company is merged or the Person which acquires by conveyance or transfer such properties and assets substantially as an entirety, as the case may be, shall, as a part of such consolidation, merger, conveyance or transfer, comply with the conditions set forth in Article Eight.

 

74

 

 

Section 16.03. Prior Payment to Senior Debt upon Acceleration of Securities.

 

In the event that any Securities are declared due and payable before their Stated Maturity, then and in such event the holders of Senior Debt shall be entitled to receive payment in full of all amounts due or to become due on or in respect of all Senior Debt or provision shall be made for such payment in cash, before the Holders of the Securities are entitled to receive any payment (including any payment which may be payable by reason of the payment of any other indebtedness of the Company being subordinated to the payment of the Securities) by the Company on account of the principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on the Securities or on account of the purchase or other acquisition of Securities; provided, however, that nothing in this Section shall prevent the satisfaction of any sinking fund payment in accordance with Article Twelve by delivering and crediting pursuant to Section 12.02 Securities which have been acquired (upon redemption or otherwise) prior to such declaration of acceleration.

 

In the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall make any payment to the Trustee or the Holder of any Security prohibited by the foregoing provisions of this Section, and if such fact shall, at or prior to the time of such payment, have been made known to the Trustee or, as the case may be, such Holder, then and in such event such payment shall be paid over and delivered forthwith to the Company.

 

The provisions of this Section shall not apply to any payment with respect to which Section 16.02 would be applicable.

 

Section 16.04. No Payment When Senior Debt in Default.

 

(a)           In the event and during the continuation of any default in the payment of principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on any Senior Debt beyond any applicable grace period with respect thereto, or in the event that any event of default with respect to any Senior Debt shall have occurred and be continuing permitting the holders of such Senior Debt (or a trustee on behalf of the holders thereof) to declare such Senior Debt due and payable prior to the date on which it would otherwise have become due and payable, unless and until such event of default shall have been cured or waived or shall have ceased to exist and such acceleration shall have been rescinded or annulled, or (b) in the event any judicial proceeding shall be pending with respect to any such default in payment or event of default, then no payment (including any payment which may be payable by reason of the payment of any other indebtedness of the Company being subordinated to the payment of the Securities) shall be made by the Company on account of principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on the Securities or on account of the purchase or other acquisition of Securities; provided, however, that nothing in this Section shall prevent the satisfaction of any sinking fund payment in accordance with Article Twelve by delivering and crediting pursuant to Section 12.02 Securities which have been acquired (upon redemption or otherwise) prior to such default in payment or event of default.

 

In the event that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall make any payment to the Trustee or the Holder of any Security prohibited by the foregoing provisions of this Section, and if such fact shall, at or prior to the time of such payment, have been made known to the Trustee or, as the case may be, such Holder, then and in such event such payment shall be paid over and delivered forthwith to the Company.

 

75

 

 

The provisions of this Section shall not apply to any payment with respect to which Section 16.02 would be applicable.

 

Section 16.05. Payment Permitted in Certain Situations.

 

Nothing contained in this Article Sixteen or elsewhere in this Indenture or in any of the Securities shall prevent (a) the Company, at any time except during the pendency of any case, proceeding, dissolution, liquidation or other winding up, assignment for the benefit of creditors or other marshalling of assets and liabilities of the Company referred to in Section 16.02 or under the conditions described in Section 16.03 or 16.04, from making payments at any time of principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on the Securities, or (b) the application by the Trustee of any money deposited with it hereunder to the payment of or on account of the principal of (and premium, if any) or interest on the Securities or the retention of such payment by the holders, if, at the time of such application by the Trustee, it did not have knowledge that such payment would have been prohibited by the provisions of this Article Sixteen.

 

Section 16.06. Subrogation to Rights of Holders of Senior Debt.

 

Subject to the payment in full of all Senior Debt or the provision for such payment in cash or cash equivalents or otherwise in a manner satisfactory to the holders of Senior Debt, the Holders of the Securities shall be subrogated to the extent of the payments or distributions made to the holders of such Senior Debt pursuant to the provisions of this Article Sixteen (equally and ratably with the holders of indebtedness of the Company which by its express terms is subordinated to indebtedness of the Company to substantially the same extent as the Securities are subordinated to the Senior Debt and is entitled to like rights of subrogation) to the rights of the holders of such Senior Debt to receive payments and distributions of cash, property and securities applicable to the Senior Debt until the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the Securities shall be paid in full. For purposes of such subrogation, no payments or distributions to the holders of the Senior Debt of any cash, property or securities to which the Holders of the Securities or the Trustee would be entitled except for the provisions of this Article Sixteen, and no payments over pursuant to the provisions of this Article Sixteen to the holders of Senior Debt by Holders of the Securities or the Trustee, shall, as among the Company, its creditors other than holders of Senior Debt and the Holders of the Securities, be deemed to be a payment or distribution by the Company to or on account of the Senior Debt.

 

Section 16.07. Provisions Solely to Define Relative Rights.

 

The provisions of this Article Sixteen are and are intended solely for the purpose of defining the relative rights of the Holders of the Securities, on the one hand, and the holders of Senior Debt, on the other hand. Nothing contained in this Article Sixteen or elsewhere in this Indenture or in the Securities is intended to or shall (a) impair, as among the Company, its creditors other than holders of Senior Debt and the Holders of the Securities, the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional (and which, subject to the rights under this Article Sixteen of the holders of Senior Debt, is intended to rank equally with all other general obligations of the Company), to pay to the Holders of the Securities the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest on the Securities as and when the same shall become due and payable in accordance with their terms; or (b) affect the relative rights against the Company of the Holders of the Securities and creditors of the Company other than the holders of Senior Debt; or (c) prevent the Trustee or the Holder of any Security from exercising all remedies otherwise permitted by applicable law upon default under this Indenture, subject to the rights, if any, under this Article Sixteen of the holders of Senior Debt to receive cash, property and securities otherwise payable or deliverable to the Trustee or such Holder.

 

76

 

 

Section 16.08. Trustee to Effectuate Subordination.

 

Each Holder of a Security by his acceptance thereof authorizes and directs the Trustee on his behalf to take such action as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate the subordination provided in this Article Sixteen and appoints the Trustee his attorney-in-fact for any and all such purposes.

 

Section 16.09. No Waiver of Subordination Provisions.

 

No right of any present or future holder of any Senior Debt to enforce subordination as herein provided shall at any time in any way be prejudiced or impaired by any act or failure to act on the part of the Company or by any act or failure to act, in good faith, by any such holder, or by any non-compliance by the Company with the terms, provisions and covenants of this Indenture, regardless of any knowledge thereof any such holder may have or be otherwise charged with.

 

Without in any way limiting the generality of the foregoing paragraph, the holders of Senior Debt may, at any time and from time to time, without the consent of or notice to the Trustee or the Holders of the Securities, without incurring responsibility to the Holders of the Securities and without impairing or releasing the subordination provided in this Article Sixteen or the obligations hereunder of the Holders of the Securities to the holders of Senior Debt do any one or more of the following: (i) change the manner, place or terms of payment or extend the time of payment of, or renew or alter, Senior Debt or otherwise amend or supplement in any manner Senior Debt or any instrument evidencing the same or any agreement under which Senior Debt is outstanding; (ii) sell, exchange, release or otherwise deal with any property pledged, mortgaged or otherwise securing Senior Debt; (iii) release any Person liable in any manner for the collection of Senior Debt; and (iv) exercise or refrain from exercising any rights against the Company and any other Person.

 

Section 16.10. Notice to Trustee.

 

The Company shall give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any fact known to the Company which would prohibit the making of any payment to or by the Trustee in respect of the Securities pursuant to this Article Sixteen. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article Sixteen or any other provision of this Indenture, the Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of the existence of any facts which would prohibit the making of any payment to or by the Trustee in respect of the Securities, unless and until the Trustee shall have received written notice thereof from the Company or a holder of Senior Debt or from any trustee therefor; and, prior to the receipt of any such written notice, the Trustee, subject to the provisions of Section 6.12, shall be entitled in all respects to assume that no such facts exist.

 

77

 

 

Subject to the provisions of Section 6.12, the Trustee shall be entitled to rely on the delivery to it of a written notice by a Person representing himself to be a holder of Senior Debt (or a trustee therefor) to establish that such notice has been given by a holder of Senior Debt (or a trustee therefor). In the event that the Trustee determines in good faith that further evidence is required with respect to the right of any Person as a holder of Senior Debt to participate in any payment or distribution pursuant to this Article Sixteen, the Trustee may request such Person to furnish evidence to the reasonable satisfaction of the Trustee as to the amount of Senior Debt held by such Person, the extent to which such Person is entitled to participate in such payment or distribution and any other facts pertinent to the rights of such Person under this Article, and if such evidence is not furnished, the Trustee may defer any payment to such Person pending judicial determination as to the right of such Person to receive such payment.

 

Section 16.11. Reliance on Judicial Order or Certificate of Liquidating Agent.

 

Upon any payment or distribution of assets of the Company referred to in this Article Sixteen, the Trustee, subject to the provisions of Section 6.12, and the Holders of the Securities shall be entitled to rely upon any order or decree entered by any court of competent jurisdiction in which such insolvency, bankruptcy, receivership, liquidation, reorganization, dissolution, winding up or similar case or proceeding is pending, or a certificate of the trustee in bankruptcy, receiver, liquidating trustee, custodian, assignee for the benefit of creditors, agent or other Person making such payment or distribution, delivered to the Trustee or to the Holders of Securities, for the purpose of ascertaining the Persons entitled to participate in such payment or distribution, the holders of Senior Debt and other indebtedness of the Company, the amount thereof or payable thereon, the amount or amounts paid or distributed thereon and all other facts pertinent thereto or to this Article Sixteen.

 

Section 16.12. Trustee Not Fiduciary for Holders of Senior Debt.

 

The Trustee shall not be deemed to owe any fiduciary duty to the holders of Senior Debt and shall not be liable to any such holders or creditors if it shall in good faith pay over or distribute to Holders of Securities or to the Company or to any other Person cash, property or securities to which any holders of Senior Debt shall be entitled by virtue of this Article Sixteen or otherwise.

 

Section 16.13. Rights of Trustee as Holder of Senior Debt; Preservation of Trustee’s Rights.

 

The Trustee in its individual capacity shall be entitled to all the rights set forth in this Article Sixteen with respect to any Senior Debt which may at any time be held by it, to the same extent as any other holder of Senior Debt and nothing in this Indenture shall deprive the Trustee of any of its rights as such holder. Nothing in this Article shall apply to claims of, or payments to, the Trustee under or pursuant to Section 6.06.

 

78

 

 

Section 16.14. Articles Applicable to Paying Agents.

 

In case at any time any Paying Agent other than the Trustee shall have been appointed by the Company and be then acting hereunder, the term “Trustee” as used in this Article Sixteen shall in such case (unless the context otherwise requires) be construed as extending to and including such Paying Agent within its meaning as fully for all intents and purposes as if such Paying Agent were named in this Article in addition to or in place of the Trustee; provided, however, that Section 16.13 shall not apply to the Company or any Affiliate of the Company if it or such Affiliate acts as Paying Agent.

 

[Signatures follow on Next Page]

 

79

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed all as of the day and year first above written.

 

  EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST OP, L.P.
   
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:
   
  EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST, INC.,
   
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:
   
  [     ], as Trustee
   
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:

 

80

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

FORM OF REDEEMABLE OR NON-REDEEMABLE SUBORDINATED DEBT SECURITY

 

[Face of Security]

 

[If the Holder of this Security (as indicated below) is The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or a nominee of DTC, this Security is a Global Security and the following legends apply:

 

THIS SECURITY IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, WHICH SHALL BE TREATED BY THE COMPANY, THE TRUSTEE AND ANY AGENT THEREOF AS OWNER AND HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY FOR ALL PURPOSES.

 

UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY (AND ANY PAYMENT HEREON IS MADE TO THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITARY), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL SINCE THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, THE NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.

 

TRANSFERS OF THIS GLOBAL SECURITY SHALL BE LIMITED TO TRANSFERS IN WHOLE, BUT NOT IN PART, BY THE DEPOSITARY TO A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, OR BY A NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY TO THE DEPOSITARY OR ANOTHER NOMINEE OF THE DEPOSITARY, OR BY THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY SUCH NOMINEE TO A SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE OF SUCH SUCCESSOR DEPOSITARY.]

 

[If this Security is an Original Issue Discount Security, insert — FOR PURPOSES OF SECTION 1273 and 1275 OF THE UNITED STATES INTERNAL REVENUE CODE, THE AMOUNT OF ORIGINAL ISSUE DISCOUNT ON THIS SECURITY IS      % OF ITS PRINCIPAL AMOUNT, THE ISSUE DATE IS      , 20       [AND] THE YIELD TO MATURITY IS      %. [THE METHOD USED TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF ORIGINAL ISSUE DISCOUNT APPLICABLE TO THE SHORT ACCRUAL PERIOD OF      , 20       TO      , 20      , IS      % OF THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF THIS SECURITY.]

 

 A-1 

 

 

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST OP, L.P.[Designation of Series]

 

No.       $

 

CUSIP No.

 

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST OP, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (herein referred to as the “Company,” which term includes any successor entity under the Indenture referred to on the reverse hereof), for value received, hereby promises to pay to       or registered assigns the principal sum of       Dollars on       (the “Stated Maturity Date”) [or insert date fixed for earlier redemption (the “Redemption Date,” and together with the Stated Maturity Date with respect to principal repayable on such date, the “Maturity Date.”)]

 

[If the Security is to bear interest prior to Maturity, insert — and to pay interest thereon from       or from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which interest has been paid or duly provided for, semi-annually on       and       in each year (each, an “Interest Payment Date”), commencing      , at the rate of      % per annum, until the principal hereof is paid or duly provided for. The interest so payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date will, as provided in such Indenture, be paid to the Holder in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest, which shall be the       or       (whether or not a Business Day), as the case may be, next preceding such Interest Payment Date [at the office or agency of the Company maintained for such purpose; provided, however, that such interest may be paid, at the Company’s option, by mailing a check to such Holder at its registered address or by transfer of funds to an account maintained by such Holder within the United States]. Any such interest not so punctually paid or duly provided for shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on such Regular Record Date, and may be paid to the Holder in whose name this Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest to be fixed by the Trustee, notice whereof shall be given to Holders of Securities of this Series not less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date, or may be paid at any time in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange on which the Securities of this Series may be listed, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange, all as more fully provided in the Indenture. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.]

 

[If the Security is not to bear interest prior to Maturity, insert — The principal of this Security shall not bear interest except in the case of a default in payment of principal upon acceleration, upon redemption or at the [Stated] Maturity Date and in such case the overdue principal of this Security shall bear interest at the rate of      % per annum (to the extent that the payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable), which shall accrue from the date of such default in payment to the date payment of such principal has been made or duly provided for. Interest on any overdue principal shall be payable on demand. Any such interest on any overdue principal that is not so paid on demand shall bear interest at the rate of      % per annum (to the extent that the payment of such interest shall be legally enforceable), which shall accrue from the date of such demand for payment to the date payment of such interest has been made or duly provided for, and such interest shall also be payable on demand.]

 

 A-2 

 

 

The principal of this Security payable on the Stated Maturity Date [or the principal of, premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and, if the Redemption Date is not an Interest Payment Date, interest on this Security payable on the Redemption Date] will be paid against presentation of this Security at the office or agency of the Company maintained for that purpose in      , in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the time of payment is legal tender for the payment of public and private debts.

 

Interest payable on this Security on any Interest Payment Date and on the [Stated] Maturity Date [or Redemption Date, as the case may be,] will include interest accrued from and including the next preceding Interest Payment Date in respect of which interest has been paid or duly provided for (or from and including      , if no interest has been paid on this Security) to but excluding such Interest Payment Date or the [Stated] Maturity Date [or Redemption Date, as the case may be.] If any Interest Payment Date or the [Stated] Maturity Date or [Redemption Date] falls on a day that is not a Business Day, as defined below, principal, premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and/or interest payable with respect to such Interest Payment Date or [Stated] Maturity Date [or Redemption Date, as the case may be,] will be paid on the next succeeding Business Day with the same force and effect as if it were paid on the date such payment was due, and no interest shall accrue on the amount so payable for the period from and after such Interest Payment Date or [Stated] Maturity Date [or Redemption Date, as the case may be.] “Business Day” means any day, other than a Saturday or Sunday, that is neither a legal holiday nor a day on which banking institutions in The City of New York are required or authorized by law, regulation or executive order to close.

 

[If this Security is a Global Security, insert — All payments of principal, premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any, and interest in respect of this Security will be made by the Company in immediately available funds.]

 

Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Security set forth on the reverse hereof, which further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as if set forth at this place.

 

Unless the Certificate of Authentication hereon has been executed by the Trustee by manual signature of one of its authorized signatories, this Security shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture, or be valid or obligatory for any purpose.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this instrument to be duly executed under its facsimile corporate seal.

 

Dated:      
     
    EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST OP, L.P.
     
    By:  
     Name: 
     Title:

 

 A-3 

 

[Reverse of Security]

 

EMPIRE STATE REALTY TRUST OP, L.P. This Security is one of a duly authorized issue of securities of the Company (herein called the “Securities”), issued and to be issued in one or more Series under an

 

Indenture, dated as of      , 20      (herein called the “Indenture”) among the Company, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (herein called “Parent”) and      , as Trustee (herein called the “Trustee,” which term includes any successor trustee under the Indenture with respect to the Series of which this Security is a part), to which Indenture and all indentures supplemental thereto reference is hereby made for a statement of the respective rights, limitations of rights, duties and immunities thereunder of the Company, Parent, the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities, and of the terms upon which the Securities are, and are to be, authenticated and delivered. This Security is one of the duly authorized Series of Securities designated on the face hereof (collectively, the “Securities”), [if applicable, insert — and the aggregate principal amount of the Securities to be issued under such Series is limited to $      (except for Securities authenticated and delivered upon transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of other Securities).] All terms used in this Security which are defined in the Indenture shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture.

 

If an Event of Default, as defined in the Indenture, shall occur and be continuing, the principal of the Securities of this Series may be declared due and payable in the manner and with the effect provided in the Indenture.

 

[If applicable, insert — The Securities may not be redeemed prior to the Stated Maturity Date.]

 

[If applicable, insert — The Securities are subject to redemption [ (l) (If applicable, insert — on       in any year commencing with the year       and ending with the year       through operation of the sinking fund for this Series at a Redemption Price equal to 100% of the principal amount, and (2) ] [If applicable, insert — at any time [on or after ], as a whole or in part, at the election of the Company, at the following Redemption Prices (expressed as percentages of the principal amount):

 

If redeemed on or before ,      % and if redeemed during the 12-month period beginning       of the years indicated at the Redemption Prices indicated below.

 

Year

 

Redemption Price

 

Year

 

Redemption Price

             
             
             

 

and thereafter at a Redemption Price equal to      % of the principal amount, together in the case of any such redemption [If applicable, insert — (whether through operation of the sinking fund or otherwise)] with accrued interest to the Redemption Date; provided, however, that installments of interest on this Security whose Stated Maturity is on or prior to such Redemption Date will be payable to the Holder of this Security, or one or more Predecessor Securities, of record at the close of business on the relevant Record Dates referred to on the face hereof, all as provided in the Indenture.]

 

 A-4 

 

 

[If applicable, insert — The Securities are subject to redemption (1) on       in any year commencing with the year       and ending with the year       through operation of the sinking fund for this Series at the Redemption Prices for redemption through operation of the sinking fund (expressed as percentages of the principal amount) set forth in the table below, and (2) at any time [on or after ], as a whole or in part, at the election of the Company, at the Redemption Prices for redemption otherwise than through operation of the sinking fund (expressed as percentages of the principal amount) set forth in the table below: If redeemed during the 12-month period beginning       of the years indicated,

 

Year

Redemption Price
for Redemption Through Operation
of the Sinking Fund

Redemption Price for
Redemption Otherwise Than
Through Operation of the
Sinking Fund

     
     
     

 

and thereafter at a Redemption Price equal to      % of the principal amount, together in the case of any such redemption (whether through operation of the sinking fund or otherwise) with accrued interest to the Redemption Date; provided, however, that installments of interest on this Security whose Stated Maturity is on or prior to such Redemption Date will be payable to the Holder of this Security, or one or more Predecessor Securities, of record at the close of business on the relevant Record Dates referred to on the face hereof, all as provided in the Indenture.]

 

[If applicable, insert — Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may not, prior to      , redeem any Securities as contemplated by [Clause (2) of] the preceding paragraph as a part of, or in anticipation of, any refunding operation by the application, directly or indirectly, of moneys borrowed having an interest cost to the Company (calculated in accordance with generally accepted financial practice) of less than      % per annum.]

 

[If applicable, insert — The sinking fund for the Securities provides for the redemption on       in each year, beginning with the year       and ending with the year      , of [not less than] $ ] [(“mandatory sinking fund”) and not more than $ ] aggregate principal amount of the Securities. [The Securities acquired or redeemed by the Company otherwise than through [mandatory] sinking fund payments may be credited against subsequent [mandatory] sinking fund payments otherwise required to be made in the [describe order] order in which they become due.]]

 

Notice of redemption will be given by mail to Holders of Securities, not less than 30 nor more than 60 days prior to the Redemption Date, all as provided in the Indenture.

 

In the event of redemption of this Security in part only, a new Security or Securities for the unredeemed portion hereof shall be issued in the name of the Holder hereof upon the cancellation hereof.

 

 A-5 

 

 

The Company covenants and agrees, and each Holder of a Security, by his acceptance thereof, likewise covenants and agrees, that to the extent and in the manner set forth in Article Sixteen of the Indenture, the indebtedness represented by the Securities and the payment of principal (and premium, if any) and interest on each and all of the Securities are hereby expressly made subordinate and subject in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all Senior Debt.

 

The Indenture permits, with certain exceptions as therein provided, the amendment thereof and the modification of the rights and obligations of the Company, Parent and the rights of the Holders of the Securities under the Indenture at any time by the Company, Parent and the Trustee with the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority of the aggregate principal amount of all Securities issued under the Indenture at the time Outstanding and affected thereby. The Indenture also contains provisions permitting the Holders of not less than a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the Outstanding Securities, on behalf of the Holders of all such Securities, to waive compliance by the Company and Parent with certain provisions of the Indenture. Furthermore, provisions in the Indenture permit the Holders of not less than a majority of the aggregate principal amount, in certain instances, of the Outstanding Securities of any Series to waive, on behalf of all of the Holders of Securities of such Series, certain past defaults under the Indenture and their consequences. Any such consent or waiver by the Holder of this Security shall be conclusive and binding upon such Holder and upon all future Holders of this Security and other Securities issued upon the registration of transfer hereof or in exchange herefor or in lieu hereof, whether or not notation of such consent or waiver is made upon this Security.

 

No reference herein to the Indenture and no provision of this Security or of the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest on this Security at the times, places and rate, and in the coin or currency, herein prescribed.

 

As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein [and herein] set forth, the transfer of this Security is registrable in the Security Register of the Company upon surrender of this Security for registration of transfer at the office or agency of the Company in any place where the principal of (and premium or Make-Whole Amount, if any) and interest on this Security are payable, duly endorsed by, or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the Security Registrar duly executed by, the Holder hereof or by his attorney duly authorized in writing, and thereupon one or more new Securities, of authorized denominations and for the same aggregate principal amount, will be issued to the designated transferee or transferees.

 

As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein [and herein] set forth, this Security is exchangeable for a like aggregate principal amount of Securities of different authorized denominations but otherwise having the same terms and conditions, as requested by the Holder hereof surrendering the same.

 

The Securities of this Series are issuable only in registered form in denominations of $      and any integral multiple thereof.

 

 A-6 

 

 

No service charge shall be made for any such registration of transfer or exchange, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith.

 

Prior to due presentment of this Security for registration of transfer, the Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the Person in whose name this Security is registered as the owner hereof for all purposes, whether or not this Security be overdue, and neither the Company, the Trustee nor any such agent shall be affected by notice to the contrary.

 

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or of the Securities of any Series to the contrary, no recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement contained in this Indenture or in any Security, or because of any indebtedness evidenced by any of the foregoing, shall be had against any past, present or future partner (including the Parent), shareholder, member, manager, employee, officer, agent or director, solely in their capacity as such, of the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, as applicable, or any such predecessor or successor, under any rule of law, statute or constitutional provision or by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding or otherwise, it being expressly agreed and understood that this Indenture and the Securities are solely corporate obligations, and that no personal liability whatsoever shall attach to, or be incurred by, any past, present or future partner (including the Parent), shareholder, member, manager, employee, officer, agent or director, solely in their capacity as such, of the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, as applicable, or any predecessor or successor, either directly or through the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, as applicable, or any predecessor or successor corporation, because of the incurring of the Indebtedness hereby authorized or under or by reason of any of the obligations, covenants, promises or agreements contained in this Indenture or in any of the Securities, or to be implied herefrom or therefrom, and that all liability, if any, of that character against every such partner (including the Parent), shareholder, member, manager, employee, officer, agent or director, of the Parent, the Company or any present or future partner, is, by the acceptance of the Securities and as a condition of, and as part of the consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issue of the Securities expressly waived and released.

 

The Indenture and the Securities shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed entirely in such State.

 

 A-7 

 

 

EXHIBIT B
FORMS OF CERTIFICATION

 

EXHIBIT B-1

 

FORM OF CERTIFICATE TO BE GIVEN BY PERSON ENTITLED
TO OBTAIN INTEREST PAYABLE PRIOR TO THE EXCHANGE DATE

 

CERTIFICATE

 

[Insert title or sufficient description of Securities to be delivered]

 

This is to certify that, as of the date hereof, and except as set forth below, the above-captioned Securities held by you for our account (i) are owned by person(s) that are not citizens or residents of the United States, domestic partnerships, domestic corporations or any estate or trust the income of which is subject to United States Federal income taxation regardless of its source (“United States person(s)”), (ii) are owned by United States person(s) that are (a) foreign branches of United States financial institutions (financial institutions, as defined in United States Treasury Regulations Section 2.165-12(c)(1)(v) are herein referred to as “financial institutions”) purchasing for their own account or for resale, or (b) United States person(s) who acquired the Securities through foreign branches of United States financial institutions and who hold the Securities through such United States financial institutions on the date hereof (and in either case (a) or (b), each such United States financial institution hereby agrees, on its own behalf or through its agent, that you may advise Empire State Realty Trust OP, L.P. or its agent that such financial institution will comply with the requirements of Section 165(j)(3)(A), (B) or (C) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations thereunder), or (iii) are owned by United States or foreign financial institution(s) for purposes of resale during the restricted period (as defined in United States Treasury Regulations Section 1.163-5(c)(2)(i)(D)(7)), and, in addition, if the owner is a United States or foreign financial institution described in clause (iii) above (whether or not also described in clause (i) or (ii) above), this is to further certify that such financial institution has not acquired the Securities for purposes of resale directly or indirectly to a United States person or to a person within the United States or its possessions.

 

As used herein, “United States” means the United States of America (including the States and the District of Columbia); and its “possessions” include Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Wake Island and the Northern Mariana Islands.

 

We undertake to advise you promptly by tested telex or by telecopy on or prior to the date on which you intend to submit your certification relating to the above-captioned Securities held by you for our account in accordance with your operating procedures if any applicable statement herein is not correct on such date, and in the absence of any such notification it may be assumed that this certification applies as of such date.

 

This certificate excepts and does not relate to [U.S.$ ] of such interest in the above-captioned Securities in respect of which we are not able to certify and as to which we understand an exchange for an interest in a permanent Global Security or an exchange for and delivery of definitive Securities (or, if relevant, collection of any interest) cannot be made until we do so certify.

 

 B-1 

 

We understand that this certificate may be required in connection with certain tax legislation in the United States. If administrative or legal proceedings are commenced or threatened in connection with which this certificate is or would be relevant, we irrevocably authorize you to produce this certificate or a copy thereof to any interested party in such proceedings.

 

Dated: ,

 

[To be dated no earlier than the 15th day prior to (i) the Exchange Date or (ii) the relevant Interest Payment Date occurring prior to the Exchange Date, as applicable]

 

 [Name of Person Making Certification]
   
   
  (Authorized Signature)
  Name:
  Title:

 

 B-2 

 

 

EXHIBIT B-2

 

FORM OF CERTIFICATE TO BE GIVEN BY EUROCLEAR
AND CLEARSTREAM IN CONNECTION WITH THE EXCHANGE OF
A PORTION OF A TEMPORARY GLOBAL SECURITY OR TO
OBTAIN INTEREST PAYABLE PRIOR TO THE EXCHANGE DATE

 

CERTIFICATE

 

[Insert title or sufficient description of Securities to be delivered]

 

This is to certify that, based solely on written certifications that we have received in writing, by tested telex or by electronic transmission from each of the persons appearing in our records as persons entitled to a portion of the principal amount set forth below (our “Member Organizations”) substantially in the form attached hereto, as of the date hereof, [U.S.$ ] principal amount of the above-captioned Securities (i) is owned by person(s) that are not citizens or residents of the United States, domestic partnerships, domestic corporations or any estate or trust the income of which is subject to United States Federal income taxation regardless of its source (“United States person(s)”), (ii) is owned by United States person(s) that are (a) foreign branches of United States financial institutions (financial institutions, as defined in U.S. Treasury Regulations Section 1.165-12(c)(1)(v) are herein referred to as “financial institutions”) purchasing for their own account or for resale, or (b) United States person(s) who acquired the Securities through foreign branches of United States financial institutions and who hold the Securities through such United States financial institutions on the date hereof (and in either case (a) or (b), each such financial institution has agreed, on its own behalf or through its agent, that we may advise Empire State Realty Trust OP, L.P. or its agent that such financial institution will comply with the requirements of Section 165(j)(3)(A), (B) or (C) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations thereunder), or (iii) is owned by United States or foreign financial institution(s) for purposes of resale during the restricted period (as defined in United States Treasury Regulations Section 1.163-5(c)(2)(i)(D)(7)), and, to the further effect, that financial institutions described in clause (iii) above (whether or not also described in clause (i) or (ii) above) have certified that they have not acquired the Securities for purposes of resale directly or indirectly to a United States person or to a person within the United States or its possessions.

 

As used herein, “United States” means the United States of America (including the States and the District of Columbia); and its “Possessions” include Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Wake Island and the Northern Mariana Islands.

 

We further certify that (i) we are not making available herewith for exchange (or, if relevant, collection of any interest) any portion of the temporary Global Security representing the above-captioned Securities excepted in the above-referenced certificates of Member Organizations and (ii) as of the date hereof we have not received any notification from any of our Member Organizations to the effect that the statements made by such Member Organizations with respect to any portion of the part submitted herewith for exchange (or, if relevant, collection of any interest) are no longer true and cannot be relied upon as of the date hereof.

 

 B-3 

 

 

We understand that this certification is required in connection with certain tax legislation in the United States. If administrative or legal proceedings are commenced or threatened in connection with which this certificate is or would be relevant, we irrevocably authorize you to produce this certificate or a copy thereof to any interested party in such proceedings.

 

Dated:

 

[To be dated no earlier than the Exchange Date or the relevant Interest Payment Date occurring prior to the Exchange Date, as applicable]

 

[Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V., as Operator of the Euroclear System] [Clearstream Banking Luxembourg]
   
 By:              

 

 B-4 

 

EX-5.1 4 tm2319500d2_ex5-1.htm EXHIBIT 5.1

 

Exhibit 5.1

 

[VENABLE LLP LETTERHEAD] 

 

July 31, 2023

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

111 West 33rd Street

12th Floor

New York, New York 10120

 

Re:      Registration Statement on Form S-3

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We have served as Maryland counsel to Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), in connection with certain matters of Maryland law arising out of the registration of the following securities having an indeterminate initial offering price (collectively, the “Securities”): (a) shares of Class A Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Class A Common Stock”); (b) shares of preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Preferred Stock”); (c) depositary shares representing fractional shares of Preferred Stock (the “Depositary Shares”); (d) warrants representing rights to purchase Class A Common Stock or Preferred Stock (the “Warrants”); (e) debt securities (the “Debt Securities”) of Empire State Realty OP, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Operating Partnership”); and (f) guarantees of the Debt Securities by the Company (the “Guarantees”), covered by the above-referenced Registration Statement, and all amendments thereto (the “Registration Statement”), filed by the Company with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”).

 

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;

 

2.            The Prospectus, dated July 31, 2023, as supplemented by (a) a Prospectus Supplement, dated July 31, 2023, relating to the issuance of up to 96,865,598 shares of Class A Common Stock (the “Redemption/Conversion Shares”) (i) in exchange for common units of partnership interest in the Operating Partnership (the “OP Units”) tendered for redemption by one or more of the limited partners of the Operating Partnership pursuant to their contractual rights or (ii) upon conversion of shares of Class B Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Class B Common Stock”), of the Company pursuant to the terms of the Charter (as defined herein), and (b) a Prospectus Supplement, dated July 31, 2023, relating to the resale from time to time by the stockholder named therein of up to 29,894,869 shares of Class A Common Stock (the “Private Placement Shares”) issued pursuant to a Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of August 23, 2016, by and between the Company and Q REIT Holding LLC, a Qatar Financial Centre limited liability company, filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the General Rules and Regulations promulgated under the 1933 Act;

 

 

 

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

July 31, 2023

Page 2

 

3.            The charter of the Company (the “Charter”), certified by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland (the “SDAT”);

 

4.            The Third Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company (the “Bylaws”), 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;

 

6.            Resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) relating to, among other matters, (a) the registration of the Securities, (b) the issuance of the Redemption/Conversion Shares and (c) the sale and issuance of the Private Placement Shares (the “Resolutions”), certified as of the date hereof by an officer of the Company;

 

7.            A certificate executed by an officer of the Company, dated as of the date hereof; and

 

8.            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.

 

 

 

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

July 31, 2023

Page 3

 

5.            The issuance of, and certain terms of, the Securities to be issued by the Company from time to time will be authorized and approved by the Board, or a duly authorized committee thereof, in accordance with the Maryland General Corporation Law, the Charter, the Bylaws and the Resolutions (such approval referred to herein as the “Corporate Proceedings”).

 

6.            Articles Supplementary creating and designating the number of shares and the terms of any class or series of Preferred Stock to be issued by the Company will be filed with and accepted for record by the SDAT prior to the issuance of such Preferred Stock.

 

7.            Upon the issuance of any Securities that are shares of Class A Common Stock (“Common Securities”), including Common Securities which may be issued upon conversion or exercise of any other Securities convertible into or exercisable for Common Securities, the total number of shares of Class A Common Stock issued and outstanding will not exceed the total number of shares of Class A Common Stock that the Company is then authorized to issue under the Charter.

 

8.            Upon the issuance of any Securities that are shares of Preferred Stock (“Preferred Securities”), including (a) Preferred Securities which may be issued upon conversion or exercise of any other Securities convertible into or exercisable for Preferred Securities and (b) Preferred Securities represented by Depositary Shares, the total number of shares of Preferred Stock issued and outstanding, and the total number of issued and outstanding shares of the applicable class or series of Preferred Stock designated pursuant to the Charter, will not exceed the total number of shares of Preferred Stock or the number of shares of such class or series of Preferred Stock that the Company is then authorized to issue under the Charter.

 

9.            None of the Securities, including the Redemption/Conversion Shares, will be issued, sold or transferred in violation of the restrictions on ownership and transfer set forth in Article VII of the Charter or any comparable provision in the Articles Supplementary creating any class or series of Preferred Securities. The Private Placement Shares were not issued or sold and have not been transferred in violation of the restrictions on ownership and transfer set forth in Article VII of the Charter.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

July 31, 2023

Page 4

 

2.            The issuance of the Redemption/Conversion Shares has been duly authorized and, when and if the Redemption/Conversion Shares are issued and delivered in exchange for OP Units tendered for redemption by one or more of the limited partners of the Operating Partnership pursuant to their contractual rights or upon conversion of shares of Class B Common Stock pursuant to the terms of the Charter, the Redemption/Conversion Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

 

3.            The issuance of the Private Placement Shares has been duly authorized and the Private Placement Shares are validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

 

4.            Upon the completion of all Corporate Proceedings relating to any other Common Securities, the issuance of such Common Securities will be duly authorized and, when and if issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the Registration Statement, the Resolutions and the Corporate Proceedings, such Common Securities will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

 

5.            Upon the completion of all Corporate Proceedings relating to Preferred Securities, the issuance of the Preferred Securities will be duly authorized and, when and if issued and delivered against payment therefor in accordance with the Registration Statement, the Resolutions and the Corporate Proceedings, the Preferred Securities will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

 

6.            Upon the completion of all Corporate Proceedings relating to the Securities that are Depositary Shares, the issuance of the Depositary Shares will be duly authorized.

 

7.            Upon the completion of all Corporate Proceedings relating to the Securities that are Warrants, the issuance of the Warrants will be duly authorized.

 

8.            Upon the completion of all Corporate Proceedings relating to Securities that are Guarantees, the issuance of the Guarantees will be duly authorized.

 

The foregoing opinion is limited to the laws of the State of Maryland and we do not express any opinion herein concerning federal law or the laws of any other state. 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.

 

 

 

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

July 31, 2023

Page 5

 

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

 

 

 

EX-5.2 5 tm2319500d2_ex5-2.htm EXHIBIT 5.2

 

Exhibit 5.2

 

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom llp

 

One Manhattan West

New York, NY 10001

________

TEL: (212) 735-3000

FAX: (212) 735-2000

www.skadden.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 31, 2023

 
 

FIRM/AFFILIATE OFFICES

-----------

BOSTON

CHICAGO

HOUSTON

LOS ANGELES

PALO ALTO

WASHINGTON, D.C.

WILMINGTON

-----------

BEIJING

BRUSSELS

FRANKFURT

HONG KONG

LONDON

MUNICH

PARIS

SÃO PAULO

SEOUL

SHANGHAI

SINGAPORE

TOKYO

TORONTO

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

111 West 33rd Street, 12th Floor
New York, New York 10120

 

Re:Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.
  Empire State Realty OP, L.P.
  Registration Statement on Form S-3

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We have acted as special United States counsel to Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the registration statement on Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”) to be filed on the date hereof by the Company and Empire State Realty OP, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Operating Partnership”), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”). The Registration Statement relates to the issuance and sale, pursuant to Rule 415 of the General Rules and Regulations of the Commission promulgated under the Securities Act (the “Rules and Regulations”), from time to time, of (i) shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (“Common Stock”), (ii) shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (“Preferred Stock”), which may be issued in one or more series, (iii) depositary receipts representing fractional shares of Preferred Stock, which are called depositary shares (the “Depositary Shares”) and which may be issued pursuant to one or more depositary agreements (each, a “Depositary Agreement”) proposed to be entered into between the Company and one or more bank or trust companies to be named in the applicable Depositary Agreement, (iv) warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock, shares of Preferred Stock or Depositary Shares (“Warrants”), which may be issued pursuant to one or more warrant agreements proposed to be entered into by the Company and one or more warrant agents to be named therein, (v) senior debt securities of the Operating Partnership (“Senior Debt Securities”), which may be issued in one or more series under a senior indenture (the “Senior Indenture”) proposed to be entered into by the Operating Partnership, the Company (as guarantor, if applicable) and the trustee to be named therein, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, and subordinated debt securities of the Operating Partnership (“Subordinated Debt Securities” and, together with the Senior Debt Securities, the “Debt Securities”), which may be issued in one or more series under a subordinated indenture (the “Subordinated Indenture” and, together with the Senior Indenture, the “Indentures”) proposed to be entered into by the Operating Partnership, the Company (as guarantor, if applicable) and the trustee to be named therein, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and (vi) such indeterminate number of shares of Common Stock, Preferred Stock or Depositary Shares and indeterminate amount of Debt Securities as may be issued upon conversion, exchange or exercise, as applicable, of any Preferred Stock, Depositary Shares, Debt Securities or Warrants (collectively, “Indeterminate Securities”). The Registration Statement also relates to the issuance and sale from time to time by the Company (in such capacity, the “Guarantor”) of guarantees of the Debt Securities (“Guarantees”). The Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Depositary Shares, Warrants, Debt Securities, Indeterminate Securities, and Guarantees offered pursuant to the Registration Statement are collectively referred to herein as the “Securities.”

 

 

 

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Page 2

 

This opinion is being furnished in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act.

 

In rendering the opinions stated herein, we have examined and relied upon the following:

 

(a)            the Registration Statement;

 

(b)            the forms of Senior Indenture and Subordinated Indenture, each filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement;

 

(c)            an executed copy of a certificate of Heather L. Houston, Secretary of the Operating Partnership, dated the date hereof (the “Secretary’s Certificate”);

 

(d)            a copy of the Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Operating Partnership, certified by the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware as of July 24, 2023, and certified pursuant to the Secretary’s Certificate;

 

(e)            a copy of the Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Operating Partnership, dated October 1, 2013, by and among the Company, as the general partner of, and all limited partners of, the Operating Partnership, as amended and in effect as of December 6, 2019 and as of the date hereof, and certified pursuant to the Secretary’s Certificate; and

 

(f)            a copy of action by written consent of the general partner of the Operating Partnership, dated July 27, 2023, as certified by Heather L. Houston, Secretary of the Company, the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership.

 

 

 

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Page 3

 

We have also examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such records of the Company and the Operating Partnership and such agreements, certificates and receipts of public officials, certificates of officers or other representatives of the Company and the Operating Partnership and others, and such other documents as we have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis for the opinions stated below.

 

In our examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, including electronic signatures, the legal capacity and competency of all natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as facsimile, electronic, certified or photostatic copies, and the authenticity of the originals of such copies. As to any facts relevant to the opinions stated herein that we did not independently establish or verify, we have relied upon statements and representations of officers and other representatives of the Company and the Operating Partnership and others and of public officials, including those in the Secretary’s Certificate.

 

We do not express any opinion with respect to the laws of any jurisdiction other than (i) the laws of the State of New York and (ii) the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act (“DRULPA”) (all of the foregoing being referred to as “Opined-on Law”).

 

As used herein, “Transaction Documents” means the Indentures and the supplemental indentures thereto, the Guarantees and any applicable underwriting or purchase agreement.

 

The opinions stated in paragraphs 1 and 2 below presume that all of the following (collectively, the “general conditions”) shall have occurred prior to the issuance of the Securities referred to therein: (i) the Registration Statement, as finally amended (including all necessary post-effective amendments), has become effective under the Securities Act; (ii) an appropriate prospectus supplement or term sheet with respect to such Securities has been prepared, delivered and filed in compliance with the Securities Act and the applicable Rules and Regulations; (iii) the applicable Transaction Documents shall have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and the Operating Partnership, to the extent a party thereto, and the other parties thereto, including, if such Securities are to be sold or otherwise distributed pursuant to a firm commitment underwritten offering, the underwriting agreement or purchase agreement with respect thereto; (iv) the Board of Directors of the Company, including any duly authorized committee thereof, shall have taken all necessary corporate action to approve the issuance and sale of such Securities and related matters, including any required action by the board of directors of the Company, on behalf of the Company and/or in its capacity as the sole general partner of the Operating Partnership, and appropriate officers of the Company have taken all related action as directed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors of the Company; (v) the terms of the applicable Transaction Documents and the issuance and sale of such Securities have been duly established in conformity with the certificate of incorporation of the Company so as not to violate any applicable law, the certificate of incorporation of the Company or the bylaws of the Company, or result in a default under or breach of any agreement or instrument binding upon the Company, and so as to comply with any requirement or restriction imposed by any court or governmental body having jurisdiction over the Company; and (vi) the terms of the applicable Transaction Documents and the issuance and sale of such Securities have been duly established in conformity with the limited partnership agreement of the Operating Partnership so as not to violate any applicable law, the limited partnership agreement of the Operating Partnership, or result in a default under or breach of any agreement or instrument binding upon the Operating Partnership, and so as to comply with any requirement or restriction imposed by any court or governmental body having jurisdiction over the Operating Partnership.

 

 

 

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Page 4

 

Based upon the foregoing and subject to the qualifications and assumptions stated herein, we are of the opinion that:

 

1.            With respect to any series of Debt Securities offered by the Operating Partnership, including any Indeterminate Securities constituting Debt Securities of such series (the “Offered Debt Securities”), when (a) the general conditions shall have been satisfied, (b) the applicable Indenture has been qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (the “TIA”); (c) the issuance, sale and terms of the Offered Debt Securities and related matters have been approved and established in conformity with the applicable Transaction Documents and (d) the certificates evidencing the Offered Debt Securities have been issued in a form that complies with the provisions of the applicable Transaction Documents and have been duly executed and authenticated in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture and any other applicable Transaction Documents and issued and sold or otherwise distributed in accordance with the provisions of the applicable Transaction Document upon payment of the agreed-upon consideration therefor, the Offered Debt Securities will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Operating Partnership, enforceable against the Operating Partnership in accordance with their respective terms under the laws of the State of New York.

 

2.            With respect to any Guarantee of any series of Offered Debt Securities, including any Guarantee of any Indeterminate Securities constituting Offered Debt Securities of such series (the “Offered Guarantees”), when (a) the general conditions shall have been satisfied, (b) the applicable Indenture has been qualified under the TIA, (c) the issuance, sale and terms of the Offered Guarantees and related matters have been approved and established in conformity with the applicable Transaction Documents, (d) certificates (if any) evidencing the Offered Guarantees and the certificates evidencing the Offered Debt Securities guaranteed thereby have been duly executed and, if applicable, authenticated in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture and any other applicable Transaction Documents and (e) such Offered Debt Securities have been issued and sold or otherwise distributed in accordance with the provisions of the applicable Transaction Document upon payment of the agreed-upon consideration therefor, the Offered Guarantees will constitute valid and binding obligations of such Guarantor, enforceable against such Guarantor in accordance with their respective terms under the laws of the State of New York.

 

The opinions stated herein are subject to the following qualifications:

 

(a)            we do not express any opinion with respect to the effect on the opinions stated herein of any bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, fraudulent transfer, preference and other similar laws or governmental orders affecting creditors’ rights generally, and the opinions stated herein are limited by such laws and orders and by general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is sought in equity or at law);

 

 

 

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Page 5

 

(b)            we do not express any opinion with respect to any law, rule or regulation that is applicable to any party to any of the Transaction Documents or the transactions contemplated thereby solely because such law, rule or regulation is part of a regulatory regime applicable to any such party or any of its affiliates as a result of the specific assets or business operations of such party or such affiliate;

 

(c)            except to the extent expressly stated in the opinions contained herein, we have assumed that each of the Transaction Documents constitutes the valid and binding obligation of each party to such Transaction Document, enforceable against such party in accordance with its terms;

 

(d)            we do not express any opinion with respect to the enforceability of any provision contained in any Transaction Document relating to any indemnification, contribution, non-reliance, exculpation, release, limitation or exclusion of remedies, waiver or other provisions having similar effect that may be contrary to public policy or violative of federal or state securities laws, rules or regulations, or to the extent any such provision purports to, or has the effect of, waiving or altering any statute of limitations;

 

(e)            we do not express any opinion with respect to the enforceability of any provision of any Transaction Document to the extent that such section purports to bind either the Company or the Operating Partnership to the exclusive jurisdiction of any particular federal court or courts;

 

(f)            we call to your attention that irrespective of the agreement of the parties to any Transaction Document, a court may decline to hear a case on grounds of forum non conveniens or other doctrine limiting the availability of such court as a forum for resolution of disputes; in addition, we call to your attention that we do not express any opinion with respect to the subject matter jurisdiction of the federal courts of the United States of America in any action arising out of or relating to any Transaction Document;

 

(g)            we have assumed that any agent of service will have accepted appointment as agent to receive service of process and call to your attention that we do not express any opinion if and to the extent such agent shall resign such appointment. Further, we do not express any opinion with respect to the irrevocability of the designation of such agent to receive service of process;

 

(h)            we have assumed that the choice of New York law to govern the Indentures and any supplemental indenture thereto is a valid and legal provision;

 

(i)            we have assumed that the Indentures will be duly authorized, executed and delivered by the trustee in substantially the form reviewed by us;

 

 

 

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Page 6

 

(j)            we do not express any opinion with respect to the enforceability of any provisions contained in the Offered Guarantees or the related Transaction Documents to the extent that such provisions provide that the obligations of the Guarantors are absolute and unconditional irrespective of the enforceability or genuineness of the Indenture or the effect thereof on the opinions herein stated; and

 

(k)            to the extent that any opinion relates to the enforceability of the choice of New York law and choice of New York forum provisions contained in any Transaction Document, the opinions stated herein are subject to the qualification that such enforceability may be subject to, in each case, (i) the exceptions and limitations in New York General Obligations Law sections 5-1401 and 5-1402 and (ii) principles of comity and constitutionality.

 

In addition, in rendering the foregoing opinions we have assumed that:

 

(a)            the Company (i) is duly incorporated and is validly existing and in good standing, (ii) has requisite legal status and legal capacity under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization and (iii) has complied and will comply with all aspects of the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization in connection with the transactions contemplated by, and the performance of its obligations under, the Transaction Documents to which the Company is a party;

 

(b)            the Company has the corporate power and authority to execute, deliver and perform all its obligations under each of the Transaction Documents to which the Company is a party;

 

(c)            neither the execution and delivery by the Company and the Operating Partnership of the Transaction Documents to which the Company or the Operating Partnership is a party nor the performance by the Company or the Operating Party of its obligations thereunder, including the issuance and sale of the applicable Securities: (i) conflicts or will conflict with the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the Company, (ii) constitutes or will constitute a violation of, or a default under, any lease, indenture, instrument or other agreement to which the Company, the Operating Partnership or its respective property is subject, (iii) will contravene any order or decree of any governmental authority to which the Company, the Operating Partnership or its respective property is subject, or (iv) violates or will violate any law, rule or regulation to which the Company, the Operating Partnership or its respective property is subject (except that we do not make the assumption set forth in this clause (iv) with respect to the Opined-on Law);

 

(d)            neither the execution and delivery by the Company or the Operating Partnership of the Transaction Documents to which the Company or the Operating Partnership is a party nor the performance by the Company or the Operating Partnership of its obligations thereunder, including the issuance and sale of the applicable Securities, requires or will require the consent, approval, licensing or authorization of, or any filing, recording or registration with, any governmental authority under any law, rule or regulation of any jurisdiction; and

 

 

 

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

Page 7

 

(e)            the limited partnership agreement of the Operating Partnership is the only partnership agreement, as defined under DRULPA, of the Operating Partnership and that the Operating Partnership has, and since the time of its formation has had, at least one validly admitted and existing limited partner of the Operating Partnership and (i) no procedures have been instituted for, and no other event has occurred, including, without limitation, any action taken by the Operating Partnership or its general partner or limited partners, that would result in the liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Operating Partnership, (ii) no event has occurred that has adversely affected the good standing of the Operating Partnership under the laws of its jurisdiction of formation, and the Operating Partnership has taken all actions required by the laws of its jurisdiction of formation to maintain such good standing and (iii) no grounds exist for the revocation or forfeiture of the Operating Partnership’s Certificate of Limited Partnership.

 

We hereby consent to the reference to our firm under the heading “Legal Matters” in the prospectus forming part of the Registration Statement. We also hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the Rules and Regulations. This opinion is expressed as of the date hereof unless otherwise expressly stated, and we disclaim any undertaking to advise you of any subsequent changes in the facts stated or assumed herein or of any subsequent changes in applicable laws.

 

 Very truly yours,
   
  /s/ Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

 

DJG

 

 

 

EX-8.1 6 tm2319500d2_ex8-1.htm EXHIBIT 8.1

Exhibit 8.1

 

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom llp

 

155 North Wacker Drive

Chicago, Illinois 60606-1720

________

 

TEL: (312) 407-0700

FAX: (312) 407-0411

www.skadden.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 31, 2023

 
 

FIRM/AFFILIATE
OFFICES

-----------

BOSTON

HOUSTON

LOS ANGELES

NEW YORK

PALO ALTO

WASHINGTON, D.C.

WILMINGTON

-----------

BEIJING

BRUSSELS

FRANKFURT

HONG KONG

LONDON

MUNICH

PARIS

SÃO PAULO

SEOUL

SHANGHAI

SINGAPORE

TOKYO

TORONTO

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

111 West 33rd Street, 12th Floor
New York, New York 10120

 

Re:Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.
Registration Statement on Form S-3

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We have acted as United States federal income tax counsel to Empire State Realty Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (“ESRT”), in connection with the registration statement on Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”) to be filed on the date hereof by ESRT and Empire State Realty OP, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the “Operating Partnership”), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”). The Registration Statement relates to the issuance and sale, pursuant to Rule 415 of the General Rules and Regulations of the Commission promulgated under the Securities Act, from time to time, of (i) shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of ESRT (“Common Stock”), (ii) shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, of ESRT (“Preferred Stock”), which may be issued in one or more series, (iii) depositary receipts representing fractional shares of Preferred Stock, which are called depositary shares (the “Depositary Shares”) and which may be issued pursuant to one or more depositary agreements (each, a “Depositary Agreement”) proposed to be entered into between ESRT and one or more bank or trust companies to be named in the applicable Depositary Agreement, (iv) warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock, shares of Preferred Stock or Depositary Shares (“Warrants”), which may be issued pursuant to one or more warrant agreements proposed to be entered into by ESRT and one or more warrant agents to be named therein, (v) senior debt securities of the Operating Partnership (“Senior Debt Securities”), which may be issued in one or more series under a senior indenture proposed to be entered into by the Operating Partnership, ESRT (as guarantor, if applicable) and the trustee to be named therein, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, and subordinated debt securities of the Operating Partnership (such subordinated debt securities, together with the Senior Debt Securities, the “Debt Securities”), which may be issued in one or more series under a subordinated indenture proposed to be entered into by the Operating Partnership, ESRT (as guarantor, if applicable) and the trustee to be named therein, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and (vi) such indeterminate number of shares of Common Stock, Preferred Stock or Depositary Shares and indeterminate amount of Debt Securities as may be issued upon conversion, exchange or exercise, as applicable, of any Preferred Stock, Depositary Shares, Debt Securities or Warrants. The Registration Statement also relates to the issuance and sale from time to time by ESRT of guarantees of the Debt Securities. The delivery of this opinion is not intended to create, nor shall it create, an attorney-client relationship with any party except you.

 

 

 

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

July 31, 2023

Page 2 of 4

 

This opinion is being furnished in accordance with the requirements of Item 601(b)(8) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act.

 

In connection with this opinion, we have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the following:

 

(i)the Registration Statement; and

 

(ii)such other documents, certificates and records as we have deemed necessary or appropriate as a basis for the opinion set forth herein.

 

In addition, ESRT has provided us with, and we are relying upon, a certificate containing certain factual statements, factual representations, and covenants of officers of ESRT (the “Officers’ Certificate”) relating to, among other things, the actual and proposed operations of ESRT and the entities in which it holds, or has held, a direct or indirect interest (collectively, the “Company”). For purposes of our opinion, we have not independently verified all of the facts, statements, representations, and covenants set forth in the Officers’ Certificate, or any other document. In particular, we note that the Company may engage in transactions in connection with which we have not provided legal advice, and have not reviewed, and of which we may be unaware. Consequently, we have assumed and relied on ESRT’s representation that the statements, representations, and covenants contained in the Officers’ Certificate and the other documents accurately and completely describe all material facts relevant to such statements, representations, and covenants. We have assumed that all such facts, statements, representations, and covenants are true without regard to any qualification as to knowledge, belief, intent, or materiality. Our opinion is conditioned on the continuing accuracy and completeness of such facts, statements, representations, and covenants. Any material change or inaccuracy in the facts referred to, set forth, or assumed herein or in the Officers’ Certificate may affect our conclusions set forth herein.

 

 

 

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

July 31, 2023

Page 3 of 4

 

In our review of certain documents in connection with our opinion as expressed below, we have assumed the legal capacity of all natural persons, the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified, conformed, photostatic, or electronic copies, and the authenticity of the originals of such copies. Where documents have been provided to us in draft form, we have assumed that the final executed versions of such documents will not differ materially from such drafts.

 

Our opinion is also based on the correctness of the following assumptions: (i) ESRT and each of the entities comprising the Company have been and will continue to be operated in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which each was formed and in the manner described in the relevant organizational documents, (ii) there will be no changes in the applicable laws of the State of Maryland, the State of Delaware or of any other jurisdiction under the laws of which any of the entities comprising ESRT have been formed, and (iii) each of the written agreements to which ESRT is a party has been and will be implemented, construed, and enforced in accordance with its terms.

 

In rendering our opinion, we have considered and relied upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), the regulations promulgated thereunder (“Regulations”), administrative rulings and other Treasury interpretations of the Code and the Regulations by the courts and the Internal Revenue Service, all as they exist at the date hereof. It should be noted that the Code, Regulations, judicial decisions, and administrative interpretations are subject to change at any time and, in some circumstances, with retroactive effect. A material change that is made after the date hereof in any of the foregoing bases for our opinion could affect our conclusions set forth herein. There can be no assurance, moreover, that our opinion will be accepted by the Internal Revenue Service or, if challenged, by a court.

 

 

 

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

July 31, 2023

Page 4 of 4

 

Based on and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that commencing with ESRT’s taxable year that ended December 31, 2013, ESRT has been organized and operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) under the Code and its actual method of operation through the date hereof has enabled, and its proposed method of operation will continue to enable, it to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code thereafter.

 

As noted in the Registration Statement, ESRT’s qualification and taxation as a REIT depend upon its ability to meet, through actual operating results, certain requirements relating to the sources of its income, the nature of its assets, its distribution levels, the diversity of its stock ownership, and various other qualification tests imposed under the Code, the results of which are not reviewed by us. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of ESRT’s operation for any one taxable year will satisfy the requirements for taxation as a REIT under the Code.

 

This opinion is furnished only to you and is solely for your benefit. This opinion may not be relied upon by anyone else without our prior written consent. Except as set forth above, we express no other opinion. This opinion is expressed as of the date hereof, and we are under no obligation to supplement or revise our opinion to reflect any legal developments or factual matters arising subsequent to the date hereof, or the impact of any information, document, certificate, record, statement, representation, covenant, or assumption relied upon herein that becomes incorrect or untrue.

 

We consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to each reference made to us and the discussions of advice provided by as under the headings “Taxation of ESRT,” “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations,” and “Legal Matters” in the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission.

 

  Very truly yours,
   
  /s/ Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

 

 

 

EX-23.1 7 tm2319500d2_ex23-1.htm EXHIBIT 23.1

 

Exhibit 23.1

 

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

We consent to the reference to our firm under the caption "Experts" in this Registration Statement (Form S-3) and related prospectus of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. and Empire State Realty OP, L.P. for the registration of Class A common stock, preferred stock, depository shares, guarantees, and warrants of Empire State Realty OP, L.P. for Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. and debt securities for Empire State Realty OP, L.P. and to the incorporation by reference therein of our reports dated February 28, 2023, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. and Empire State Realty OP, L.P., and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. and Empire State Realty OP, L.P., included in their respective Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

 

New York, New York

July 31, 2023

 

 

 

EX-FILING FEES 8 tm2319500d2_ex-filingfees.htm EX-FILING FEES

 

Exhibit 107

 

CALCULATION OF FILING FEE TABLE

 

Form S-3

(Form Type)

 

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

Empire State Realty OP, L.P.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

Table 1: Newly Registered and Carry Forward Securities

 

  Security
Type
Security
Class Title
Fee
Calculation or
Carry Forward
Rule 
Amount
Registered
Proposed
Maximum
Offering Price
Per Share  
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering
Price
Fee
Rate
Amount of
Registration
Fee
Carry Forward
Form Type
Carry
Forward File
Number
Carry Forward
Initial Effective
Date
Filing Fee Previously Paid
In Connection with Unsold
Securities to be Carried
Forward

Fees To Be Paid

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.        
Equity Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share Rule 457(r) (5) (5) (5) (6) (6) - - - -
Equity Preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share Rule 457(r) (5) (5) (5) (6) (6) - - - -
Equity Depositary shares(1) Rule 457(r) (5) (5) (5) (6) (6) - - - -
Other Warrants Rule 457(r) (5) (5) (5) (6) (6) - - - -
Debt Guarantees of debt securities of Empire State Realty OP, L.P.(2) Rule 457(r) (5) (5) (5) (6) (6) - - - -
Empire State Realty OP, L.P.        
Debt Debt securities(3)(4) Rule 457(r) (5) (5) (5) (6) (6) - - - -
Fees Previously Paid N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A   N/A        
  Total Offering Amounts   (5)   (6)        
  Total Fees Previously Paid                
  Total Fee Offsets                
  Net Fee Due       (6)        

 

(1)Each depositary share will be issued under a deposit agreement, will represent an interest in a fractional or multiple share of preferred stock and will be evidenced by a depositary receipt.

 

(2)Pursuant to Rule 457(n) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), no separate registration fee will be paid in respect of any such guarantees.

 

(3)Debt securities are issuable in series as senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities which may be convertible into or exchangeable for common stock or preferred stock of Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

 

(4)Debt securities issued by Empire State Realty OP, L.P. may be accompanied by guarantees to be issued by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

 

(5)An indeterminate amount of the securities of each identified class is being registered as may from time to time be offered hereunder at indeterminate prices.

 

(6)In accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. and Empire State Realty OP, L.P. are deferring payment of the registration fee, which will be paid subsequently on a pay-as-you-go basis. The registrants will calculate the registration fee applicable to an offer of securities pursuant to this registration statement based on the fee payment rate in effect on the date of such fee payment.

 

2

 

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