liverpool13da93008.htm
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
13D
Under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment
No. 3)*
Crawford
& Company
|
(Name
of Issuer)
|
Class
B Common Stock, $1.00 Par Value
|
(Title
of Class of Securities)
|
224633107
|
(CUSIP
Number)
|
Liverpool
II, LLC
(successor
to Liverpool, LLC,
f/k/a
Crawford Management Company, LLC)
c/o
Mr. Dameron Black, III, SunTrust Banks, Inc.
25
Park Place NE
2nd
Floor Tower
Atlanta,
GA 30303
(404)
588-7927
|
(Name,
Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized to Receive Notices and
Communications)
|
September
30, 2008
|
(Date
of Event Which Requires Filing of This
Statement)
|
If the
filing person has previously filed a statement on Schedule 13G to report the
acquisition that is the subject of this Schedule 13D, and is filing this
schedule because of §§240.13d-1(e), 240.13d-1(f) or 240.13d-1(g), check the
following box. ¨
Note: Schedules
filed in paper format shall include a signed original and five copies of the
schedule, including all exhibits. See Rule 13d-7 for other parties to
whom copies are to be sent.
*The
remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person’s
initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and
for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter
disclosures provided in a prior cover page.
The
information required on the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to
be “filed” for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(“Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but
shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the
Notes).
CUSIP No.
224633107 |
Page 2 of
13
|
(1)
|
Name
of Reporting Person
Liverpool II, LLC
|
|
(2)
|
Check
the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group
|
(a)
¨
(b)
þ
|
(3)
|
SEC
Use Only
|
|
(4)
|
Source
of Funds
OO
|
|
(5)
|
Check
if Disclosure of Legal Proceedings is Required Pursuant to Items 2(d) or
2(e)
|
¨
|
(6)
|
Citizenship
or Place of Organization
State
of Georgia
|
|
Number of
shares beneficially owned by reporting person with:
|
|
(7) Sole
Voting Power
10,466,931
|
|
|
(8) Shared
Voting Power
0
|
|
|
(9) Sole
Dispositive Power
10,466,931
|
|
|
(10)
Shared Dispositive Power
0
|
|
(11)
|
Aggregate
Amount Beneficially Owned by Reporting Person
10,466,931
|
|
(12)
|
Check
Box if the Aggregate Amount in Row (11) Excludes Certain
Shares
|
¨
|
(13)
|
Percent
of Class Represented by Amount in Row (11)
42.38%*
|
|
(14)
|
Type
of Reporting Person
OO
|
|
*
|
Assumes
a total of 24,697,172 shares of Class B Common Stock
outstanding.
|
CUSIP No.
224633107 |
Page 3 of
13
|
(1)
|
Name
of Reporting Person
Crawford Partners,
L.P.
|
|
(2)
|
Check
the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group
|
(a)
¨
(b)
þ
|
(3)
|
SEC
Use Only
|
|
(4)
|
Source
of Funds
OO
|
|
(5)
|
Check
if Disclosure of Legal Proceedings is Required Pursuant to Items 2(d) or
2(e)
|
¨
|
(6)
|
Citizenship
or Place of Organization
State
of Georgia
|
|
Number of
shares beneficially owned by reporting person with:
|
|
(7) Sole
Voting Power
10,466,931
|
|
|
(8) Shared
Voting Power
0
|
|
|
(9) Sole
Dispositive Power
10,466,931
|
|
|
(10)
Shared Dispositive Power
0
|
|
(11)
|
Aggregate
Amount Beneficially Owned by Reporting Person
10,466,931
|
|
(12)
|
Check
Box if the Aggregate Amount in Row (11) Excludes Certain
Shares
|
¨
|
(13)
|
Percent
of Class Represented by Amount in Row (11)
42.38%*
|
|
(14)
|
Type
of Reporting Person
PN
|
|
*
|
Assumes
a total of 24,697,172 shares of Class B Common Stock
outstanding.
|
CUSIP No.
224633107 |
Page 4 of
13
|
(1)
|
Name
of Reporting Person
Jesse C. Crawford
|
|
(2)
|
Check
the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group
|
(a)
¨
(b)
þ
|
(3)
|
SEC
Use Only
|
|
(4)
|
Source
of Funds
OO
|
|
(5)
|
Check
Box if Disclosure of Legal Proceedings is Required Pursuant to Items 2(d)
or 2(e)
|
¨
|
(6)
|
Citizenship
or Place of Organization
United
States
|
|
Number of
shares beneficially owned by reporting person with:
|
|
|
(7) Sole
Voting Power
12,398,269
|
|
|
(8) Shared
Voting Power
384,912
|
|
|
(9) Sole
Dispositive Power
12,349,031
|
|
|
(10)
Shared Dispositive Power
434,150
|
|
(11)
|
Aggregate
Amount Beneficially Owned by Reporting Person
12,783,181
|
|
(12)
|
Check
Box if the Aggregate Amount in Row (11) Excludes Certain
Shares
|
o
|
(13)
|
Percent
of Class Represented by Amount in Row (11)
51.76%*
|
|
(14)
|
Type
of Reporting Person
IN
|
|
*
|
Assumes
a total of 24,697,172 shares of Class B Common Stock
outstanding.
|
CUSIP No.
224633107 |
Page 5 of
13
|
This
Amendment No. 3 is being filed by Liverpool II, LLC (“Liverpool”), Crawford
Partners, L.P. (“Crawford Partners”) and Jesse C. Crawford (“Mr. Crawford,” and,
together with Liverpool and Crawford Partners, collectively, the “Reporting
Persons”). This Amendment No. 3 supersedes and replaces all previous
filings on Schedule 13D by the Reporting Persons with respect to the securities
of Crawford & Company .
Item
1. Security and Issuer.
This
statement relates to the Class B Common Stock (the “Voting Shares”), $1.00 par
value per share, of Crawford & Company, whose principal executive offices
are located at 1001 Summit Boulevard, Atlanta, Georgia 30319.
Item
2. Identity and Background.
This
statement is filed by each of Liverpool II, LLC, Crawford Partners, L.P., and
Jesse C. Crawford:
·
|
Liverpool
II, LLC is organized in the State of Georgia. Its principal
business is serving as general partner of Crawford Partners,
L.P. Its principal office is located at 25 Park Place NE,
Second Floor Tower, Atlanta, Georgia
30303.
|
·
|
Crawford
Partners, L.P. is organized in the State of Georgia. Its
principal business is investment in the Voting Shares for purposes of
consolidating the Reporting Persons’ ownership of the Voting
Shares of Crawford & Company. Its principal office is
located at 25 Park Place NE, Second Floor Tower, Atlanta, Georgia
30303.
|
·
|
Mr.
Crawford is a citizen of the United States. His principal
occupation is serving as President of Crawford Communications, Inc., a
full-service provider of teleproduction services including audio/video
production and post production, multimedia title design, satellite
services, animation, and special effects. The address of
Crawford Communications is 3845 Pleasantdale Road, Atlanta, Georgia
30340-4205.
|
None of
the entities and persons named in this Item 2 has, during the last five years,
been convicted in a criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations or similar
misdemeanors). None of the entities and persons named in this Item 2
has, during the last five years, been a party to a civil proceeding of a
judicial or administrative body of competent jurisdiction as a result of which
any of them was or is subject to a judgment, decree or final order enjoining
future violations of, or prohibiting or mandating activities subject to, federal
or state securities laws or which found any violation on the part of any of them
with respect to such laws.
Item
3. Source and Amount of Funds or Other Consideration.
The
securities which are the subject of this report were acquired by the following
methods:
CUSIP No.
224633107 |
Page 6 of
13
|
(a)
|
As
of the date of this Statement on Schedule 13D, Crawford Partners, L.P.
held 10,466,931 Voting Shares, which were acquired as
follows:
|
·
|
On
December 2, 1996, effective November 20, 1996, 9,093,522 Voting Shares
were initially contributed to Crawford Partners, L.P. and 48,000 Voting
Shares were initially contributed to Crawford Management
Company. In exchange, Mr. Crawford and various family trusts
affiliated with Mr. Crawford received limited and general partnership
interests in Crawford Partners, L.P. and membership interests in Crawford
Management Company, LLC (subsequently renamed Liverpool, LLC and merged
into Liverpool II, LLC).
|
·
|
On
March 25, 1997, Crawford & Company effected a three-for-two stock
split, increasing the holdings of Crawford Partners, L.P. to 13,640,283
Voting Shares.
|
·
|
On
February 13, 1999, Crawford Partners, L.P. distributed 11,225,647 Voting
Shares to its partners, including Liverpool (formerly Crawford Management
Company) and Jesse C. Crawford. Liverpool distributed the
shares it received to Mr. Crawford and the other
member. Following these transactions, Crawford Partners L.P.
(and through Crawford Partners, Liverpool) beneficially owned 2,414,636
Voting Shares.
|
·
|
On
June 2, 2005, the Estate of Virginia C. Crawford transferred 8,052,295
Voting Shares to Crawford Partners, in exchange for 8,192,091 shares of
Class A common stock in Crawford & Company ("Nonvoting
Shares").
|
(b)
|
As
of the date of this Statement on Schedule 13D, Mr. Crawford beneficially
owned a total of 12,783,181 Voting Shares, which were acquired as
follows:
|
·
|
10,466,931
of the Voting Shares beneficially owned by Mr. Crawford are held by
Crawford Partners, L.P., which acquired the shares as described in
paragraph (a) above. Certain of the Voting Shares currently
held by Crawford Partners, L.P. were previously beneficially owned by Mr.
Crawford in his capacity as co-executor of the Estate of Virginia C.
Crawford, prior to their transfer to Crawford Partners, L.P. by the
estate. The Estate of Virginia C. Crawford acquired 8,437,207
Voting Shares upon the death of Mrs. Crawford. On June 11,
2001, 384,912 of these Voting Shares were transferred to the Crawford
Family Trust, of which Mr. Crawford is Co-Trustee. On June 2,
2005, the remaining 8,052,295 Voting Shares were transferred to Crawford
Partners as described in paragraph (a)
above.
|
·
|
384,912
of the Voting Shares beneficially owned by Mr. Crawford are held by the
Crawford Family Trust, of which Mr. Crawford is
Co-Trustee. These shares were transferred to the trust on June
11, 2001 from the Estate of Mrs. Crawford in a transaction designed to
provide the estate with funds with which to pay certain estate
taxes.
|
CUSIP No.
224633107 |
Page 7 of
13
|
·
|
1,882,100
of the Voting Shares beneficially owned by Mr. Crawford are held directly
by Mr. Crawford. These shares were acquired in distributions
from Crawford Partners and Liverpool which took place on February 13, 1999
and are more particularly described in paragraph (a)
above.
|
·
|
49,238
of the Voting Shares beneficially owned by Mr. Crawford are held in a
certain trust dated 12/27/89 (the “Gallo Trust”), under which Mr. Crawford
has the power to veto dispositions of the shares and to vote the
shares. These shares were transferred to the Gallo Trust in the
distributions from Crawford Partners and Liverpool which took place on
February 13, 1999 and are more particularly described in paragraph (a)
above.
|
Item
4. Purpose of Transaction.
The
Reporting Persons generally hold the Voting Shares reported herein for
investment purposes. The organization of, and contribution of Voting
Shares to, Crawford Partners was for the purpose of consolidating the Crawford
family’s ownership of the Voting Shares of Crawford &
Company. The February 1999 distributions by Crawford Partners and
Liverpool described in Item 3(a) above were carried out for estate and tax
planning purposes. The 2001 purchase of shares by the Crawford Family
Trust from the Estate of Virginia Crawford was for the purpose of providing
funds with which to pay certain estate taxes. The 2005 exchange of
shares between Crawford Partners and the Estate of Virginia Crawford was to
consolidate the family’s Voting Shares.
Mr.
Crawford is considering a possible sale of up to approximately 800,000 Nonvoting
Shares, $1.00 par value per share, of Crawford & Company in one or more
privately negotiated transactions and/or pursuant to Rule 144, primarily for
estate and tax planning purposes. In connection with any such private
transactions, Mr. Crawford intends to seek customary representations and
agreements as appropriate to help assure compliance with applicable securities
laws and the investment intent of any buyers. This may include
customary confidentiality and standstill agreements. Mr. Crawford may
also consider purchasing an indeterminate number of Voting or Nonvoting Shares
from time to time in the future, upon such terms as may be agreeable to him, in
one or more privately negotiated transactions or on the open market. In his capacity as a
member of the Board of Directors of Crawford & Company, from time to
time, Mr. Crawford
recommends individuals to the Nominating/Corporate Governance/Compensation
Committee for consideration as nominees to the Crawford & Company Board of
Directors, and if applicable, any accompanying expansion of the
board.
None of
the Reporting Persons has any other plans or proposals beyond what is described
above which relate to or would result in:
(a) The
acquisition by any person of additional securities of the issuer, or the
disposition of securities of the issuer;
(b) An
extraordinary corporate transaction, such as a merger, reorganization or
liquidation, involving the issuer or any of its subsidiaries;
(c) A
sale or transfer of a material amount of assets of the issuer or any of its
subsidiaries;
CUSIP No.
224633107 |
Page 8 of
13
|
(d) Any
change in the present board of directors or management of the issuer, including
any plans or proposals to change the number or term of directors or to fill any
existing vacancies on the board;
(e) Any
material change in the present capitalization or dividend policy of the
issuer;
(f) Any
other material change in the issuer's business or corporate
structure;
(g)
Changes in the issuer's charter, bylaws or instruments corresponding thereto or
other actions which may impede the acquisition of control of the issuer by any
person;
(h)
Causing a class of securities of the issuer to be delisted from a national
securities exchange or to cease to be authorized to be quoted in an inter-dealer
quotation system of a registered national securities association;
(i) A
class of equity securities of the issuer becoming eligible for termination of
registration pursuant to section 12(g)(4) of the Act; or
(j) Any
action similar to any of those enumerated above.
The
Reporting Persons have not undertaken to disclose plans and proposals of
Crawford & Company of which Mr. Crawford may become aware from time to time
due to his position as a director of Crawford & Company.
Item
5. Interest in Securities of the Issuer.
(a) The
aggregate number and percentage of Voting Shares (based on the number of
securities outstanding as contained in the most recently available filing with
the Commission by the issuer) beneficially owned by each person named in Item 2
is as follows:
|
Liverpool
II,
LLC
|
10,466,931
(42.38%)
|
|
|
Crawford
Partners,
L.P.
|
10,466,931
(42.38%)
|
|
|
Jesse
C.
Crawford
|
12,783,181
(51.76%)
|
|
Set forth
below is the aggregate number and percentage of Voting Shares directly held by
other limited partners of Crawford Partners, who may be deemed to comprise a
group with the persons named in Item 2:
|
Gallo
Trust*
|
49,238
(.2%)
|
|
|
Crawford
Family Trust*
|
384,912
(1.6%)
|
|
|
Trust
U/A James H. Crawford dated 10/14/60
|
941,853
(3.8%)
|
|
* Shares
held directly by the Gallo Trust and the Crawford Family Trust have also been
included in Mr. Crawford’s beneficial ownership.
(b)
Voting and dispositive power with respect to the Voting Shares reported on this
statement are held as follows:
CUSIP No.
224633107 |
Page 9 of
13
|
·
|
Mr.
Crawford has the sole power to vote 12,398,269 Voting Shares,
including:
|
(i)
10,466,931 Voting Shares held by Crawford Partners, L.P. The sole
general partner of Crawford Partners, L.P. is Liverpool II; Mr. Crawford owns
100% of the membership units in Liverpool II and is its Chief Executive
Officer.
(ii)
1,882,100 Voting Shares held directly by him; and
(iii)
49,238 Voting Shares held by the Gallo Trust.
·
|
Mr.
Crawford has sole power to dispose of 12,349,031 Voting Shares,
including:
|
(i)
10,466,931 Voting Shares held by Crawford Partners, L.P. The sole
general partner of Crawford Partners, L.P. is Liverpool II; Mr. Crawford owns
100% of the membership units in Liverpool II and is its Chief Executive
Officer.
(ii)
1,882,100 Voting Shares held directly by him.
·
|
Mr.
Crawford shares power to vote 384,912 Voting Shares held by the Crawford
Family Trust with SunTrust Banks, Inc., with whom he serves as
Co-Trustee.
|
·
|
Mr.
Crawford shares power with SunTrust Banks, Inc., as Trustee, to dispose of
434,150 Voting Shares, consisting
of:
|
o
|
384,912
Voting Shares held by the Crawford Family Trust;
and
|
o
|
49,238
Voting Shares held by the Gallo
Trust.
|
·
|
Crawford
Partners, L.P. has the sole power to vote and dispose of the 10,466,931
Voting Shares held by it. This power is exercised through its
general partner, Liverpool II. Mr. Crawford holds 100% of the
membership units in Liverpool II and is its Chief Executive
Officer.
|
·
|
Liverpool
II, LLC holds sole power to vote and dispose of the 10,466,931 Voting
Shares held by Crawford Partners, L.P. Mr. Crawford holds 100%
of the membership units in Liverpool II and is its Chief Executive
Officer.
|
·
|
SunTrust
Banks, Inc. is a Georgia corporation. Its principal place of
business is located at 303 Peachtree Street, Suite 1500, Atlanta, Georgia
30308.
|
|
Based
upon the most recent statement on Schedule 13G filed by SunTrust Banks,
Inc. with respect to securities of Crawford & Company, SunTrust Banks,
Inc. had sole power to vote 1,636,418 Voting Shares, sole power to dispose
of 1,685,656 and shared power to dispose of 385,099 Voting Shares as of
December 31, 2007.
|
CUSIP No.
224633107 |
Page 10 of
13
|
|
To
the knowledge of the Reporting Persons, based upon the most recent
statement on Schedule 13D filed by SunTrust Banks, Inc., SunTrust Banks
has not, in the last five years, been (i) convicted in a criminal
proceeding (excluding traffic violations or other similar misdemeanors) or
(ii) a party to any judicial or administrative proceeding (except for
matters that were dismissed without sanction or settlement) that resulted
in a judgment, decree or final order enjoining the person from future
violations of, or prohibiting activities subject to, federal or state
securities laws or finding any violation of such
laws.
|
(c)
There have been no transactions in the Voting Shares during the past sixty days
by the persons named in paragraph (a) above.
(d) No
other person is known to have the right to receive or the power to direct the
receipt of dividends from, or the proceeds from the sale of, such
securities.
(e)
Not applicable.
Item
6. Contracts, Arrangements, Understandings or Relationships With Respect to
Securities of the Issuer.
Apart
from what has been disclosed elsewhere in this Schedule 13D, there are no
contracts, arrangements, understandings or relationships (legal or otherwise)
among any of Liverpool II, Crawford Partners and Mr. Crawford (nor between any
of them and any other person) with respect to any securities of Crawford &
Company, except that a portion of the Nonvoting Shares beneficially owned by Mr.
Crawford is held through a number of entities, including Crawford Partners, to
wit:
o
|
53,691
Nonvoting Shares held in the Gallo
Trust;
|
o
|
379,921
Nonvoting Shares held by Crawford
Partners;
|
o
|
1,602,876
Nonvoting Shares held in the trust U/A James H. Crawford dated
10/14/60;
|
o
|
8,092,091
Nonvoting Shares held in the Estate of Virginia C.
Crawford; and
|
o
|
3,000,000
Nonvoting Shares held in two Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts over which
his spouse has sole dispositive
power.
|
Mr.
Crawford also holds Nonvoting Shares in custodial and personal brokerage
accounts, and currently holds options to purchase an additional 39,000 Nonvoting
Shares, all of which are currently exercisable.
Item
7. Material to be Filed as Exhibits.
There are
no written agreements, contracts, arrangements, understandings, plans or
proposals relating to the borrowing of funds to finance the
acquisition of Voting Shares by the Reporting Persons, or to the acquisition of issuer control, liquidation, sale of assets,
merger, or change in business or corporate structure, or any of the types of
plans and proposals listed above under Item 4. All written
agreements, contracts, arrangements, understandings, plans or proposals related
to the transfer or voting of the securities, finder's fees,
joint ventures, options, puts, calls, guarantees of loans, guarantees against
loss or of profit, or the giving or withholding of any proxy as disclosed in
Item 6 are listed below and filed as exhibits to this Statement on Schedule
13D.
CUSIP No.
224633107 |
Page 11 of
13
|
Exhibit Number
|
Description
|
A
|
Restated
Partnership Agreement of Crawford Partners, L.P.
|
B
|
Crawford
& Company 1997 Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan (incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Annual Report of Crawford & Co. on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005).
|
C
|
Crawford
& Company 2007 Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan (incorporated
by reference to Appendix A of the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting
of Shareholders of Crawford & Company held on May 3,
2007).
|
D
|
Joint
Filing Agreement
|
|
|
CUSIP No.
224633107 |
Page 12 of
13
|
Signature. After
reasonable inquiry each of the undersigned certifies that to the best of his
knowledge and belief the information set forth in this statement is true,
complete and correct.
Date: September
30, 2008 |
/s/
Jesse C. Crawford |
|
|
JESSE
C. CRAWFORD |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: September
30, 2008 |
LIVERPOOL
II, LLC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Jesse
C. Crawford |
|
|
|
Name:
Jesse C. Crawford |
|
|
|
Title:
Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: September
30, 2008 |
CRAWFORD
PARTNERS, L.P. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Jesse
C. Crawford |
|
|
|
Name:
Liverpool II, LLC |
|
|
|
Title:
General Partner |
|
|
|
By:
Jesse C. Crawford, Chief Executive Officer |
|
CUSIP No.
224633107 |
Page 13 of
13
|
EXHIBIT
INDEX
Exhibit Number
|
Description
|
A
|
Restated
Partnership Agreement of Crawford Partners, L.P.
|
B
|
Crawford
& Company 1997 Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan (incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Annual Report of Crawford & Co. on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005).
|
C
|
Crawford
& Company 2007 Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan (incorporated
by reference to Appendix A of the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting
of Shareholders of Crawford & Company held on May 3,
2007).
|
D
|
Joint
Filing Agreement
|
|
|
Exhibit
A
RESTATED
LIMITED PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
OF
CRAWFORD
PARTNERS, L.P.
THIS RESTATED LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
AGREEMENT OF CRAWFORD PARTNERS, L.P. is made and entered into as of the
Effective Date, by and among the undersigned,
W I T N E S S E T
H:
That WHEREAS, the Partnership was
formed on November 20, 1996 by the filing of a Certificate of Limited
Partnership with the Secretary of State of Georgia; and
That WHEREAS, the Partners wish to
restate the Limited Partnership Agreement in its entirety, as hereinafter
provided.
NOW, THEREFORE, for and in
consideration of the mutual promises, obligations, and agreements contained
herein, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency
of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be and being
legally bound, do hereby agree as follows:
THE
INTERESTS IN CRAWFORD PARTNERS, L.P. (THE "INTERESTS") ARE SUBJECT TO THE
RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER AND OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET FORTH IN ARTICLE XII
OF THIS AGREEMENT. THE INTERESTS HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT
AND HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER (i) ANY STATE SECURITIES LAW, OR
(ii) UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "FEDERAL
ACT"), IN RELIANCE UPON THE EXEMPTION PROVIDED IN SECTION 4(2)
THEREOF. NEITHER THE INTERESTS NOR ANY PART THEREOF MAY BE OFFERED
FOR SALE, PLEDGED, HYPOTHECATED, SOLD, ASSIGNED OR TRANSFERRED, EXCEPT IN
COMPLIANCE WITH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ARTICLE XII OF THIS AGREEMENT, AND
(1) PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER ANY
APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR IN A TRANSACTION THAT IS EXEMPT FROM
REGISTRATION UNDER ANY SUCH SECURITIES LAWS OR THAT IS OTHERWISE IN COMPLIANCE
WITH SUCH SECURITIES LAWS, AND (2) PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION
STATEMENT UNDER THE FEDERAL ACT OR IN A TRANSACTION THAT IS EXEMPT FROM
REGISTRATION UNDER THE FEDERAL ACT OR THAT IS OTHERWISE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE
FEDERAL ACT.
ARTICLE
I
DEFINITIONS
The following terms used in this
Limited Partnership Agreement shall have the following meanings (unless
otherwise expressly provided herein):
"Adjusted Capital
Account." With respect to each Partner, the balance of such
Partner's Capital Account as of the end of the relevant Fiscal Year or other
period, after giving effect to the following adjustments:
|
(i)
Credit to such Capital Account any amounts which such Partner is obligated
to contribute to the Partnership pursuant to Subsection 14.3(d) hereof or
is deemed to be obligated to restore pursuant to the penultimate sentences
of Regulations Sections 1.704-2(g)(1) and 1.704-2(i)(5);
and
|
|
(ii)
Debit to such Capital Account the items described in Sections
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5), and
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(6) of the
Regulations.
|
The
foregoing definition of Adjusted Capital Account is intended to comply with the
provisions of Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) of the Regulations and shall be
interpreted consistently therewith.
"Affiliate." means
(1) in the case of any Partner who is an individual, the Personal Representative
of the Partner, or any Family Member; (2) in the case of a Partner that is a
trust or an estate, any beneficiary thereof who is a Family Member; (3) in the
case of any Partner that is an entity, any officer, director, partner,
shareholder, member, manager, employee or holder of any class of the voting
securities thereof or equity interest therein who is a Family Member; or (4) any
entity controlled (within the meaning of Section 2701(b)(2) of the Code) by one
or more Family Members.
"Capital
Account." An account maintained with respect to each Partner
by the General Partner in accordance with the following:
|
(i)
A Partner's Capital Account shall be credited for the Partner's Capital
Contributions and the Profits and items of income and gain allocated to
the Partner pursuant to Sections 10.1, 10.3 and 10.4 hereof, and shall
debited for distributions to the Partner pursuant to Sections 9.1 and
14.3(b)(iv) hereof and the Losses and items of loss and deduction
allocated to the Partner pursuant to Sections 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4
hereof.
|
|
(ii)
In the event any interest is transferred in accordance with the terms of
this Agreement, the transferee shall succeed to the Capital Account of the
transferor.
|
|
(iii)
If the net amount with regard to any Partner's Capital Account is a
credit, such amount shall be referred to as a positive Capital Account
balance; if the net amount is a debit, a negative Capital Account
balance.
|
The foregoing provisions and other
provisions of this Agreement relating to the maintenance of Capital Accounts are
intended to comply with Section 1.704-1(b) of the Regulations and shall be
interpreted and applied in a manner consistent therewith. In the
event the General Partner determines that it is prudent to modify the manner in
which the Capital Accounts, or any debits or credits thereto, are computed in
order to comply with such Regulations, the General Partner may make such
modification.
The Partners' current Capital Accounts
are listed on Exhibit
"A" hereto.
"Capital
Contribution." Any contribution by a Partner to the capital of
the Partnership pursuant to this Limited Partnership Agreement, in cash or
property, whenever made. The amount of any Capital Contribution made
by a Partner other than in cash, shall be the net fair market value of the
property, as determined by the General Partner.
"Certificate." The
Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Partnership as filed with the
Secretary of State of the State of Georgia, as the same may be amended from time
to time.
"Code." The
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as may be amended from time to
time. All references herein to specific sections of the Code shall be
deemed to refer also to any successor provisions of succeeding law.
"Effective
Date." The date on which the Certificate was filed with the
Secretary of State of the State of Georgia.
"Entity." Any
general partnership, limited liability partnership, limited partnership, limited
liability company, corporation, joint venture, trust, business trust,
cooperative or association or any foreign trust or foreign business
organization.
"Family
Members." JESSE C. CRAWFORD and his relatives, including
without limitation his spouse, children and grandchildren.
"Fiscal Year." The
Partnership's fiscal year, which shall be the calendar year, unless otherwise
agreed by the Partners.
"General
Partner." LIVERPOOL II, LLC, or any other Person(s) that may
succeed it in the capacity of General Partner pursuant to the terms
hereof.
"Georgia Act." The
Georgia Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act (O.C.G.A. §14-9-100, et seq.), as may be
amended from time to time.
"Involuntary Transfer." Any
involuntary Transfer of a Partner's interest in the Partnership, including
without limitation (1) a creditor's charging order or lien on a Partner's
interest; (2) any Transfer made by reason of a court order or otherwise by
operation of law, including without limitation any Transfer incident to any
divorce or marital property settlement or any Transfer pursuant to applicable
community property, quasi-community property or similar state law; (3) the
filing by a Partner of a voluntary petition in bankruptcy or similar insolvency
proceedings; or (4) the filing against a Partner of an involuntary petition in
bankruptcy or similar insolvency proceeding that is not dismissed within ninety
(90) days thereafter. An Involuntary Transfer shall not include a
Transfer by court order or operation of law to a Partner's Personal
Representative.
"Limited
Partner." The Persons listed on Exhibit "A" as
limited partners or any other Person who, at any time, is admitted to the
Partnership as a limited partner in accordance with the terms of this Agreement,
but excluding any Person who is not at such time a limited partner of the
Partnership.
"Limited Partnership
Agreement." This Restated Limited Partnership Agreement as
originally executed and as may be amended from time to time in accordance with
the terms hereof.
"Majority
Interest." Partnership Percentages of Partners which, taken
together, exceed fifty percent (50%) of the aggregate of all Partnership
Percentages of all Partners.
"Net Cash From
Operations." The gross cash proceeds from Partnership
operations less the portion thereof used to pay or establish reserves for all
Partnership working capital purposes, taxes, insurance, debt service payments,
capital improvements, replacements, contingencies, and other costs or expenses
incident to the ownership or operation of the Partnership's business, all as
determined by the General Partner. "Net Cash From Operations" shall
not be reduced by depreciation, amortization, cost recovery deductions, or
similar allowances, but shall be increased by any reductions of reserves
previously established pursuant to the first sentence of this
paragraph.
"Officer." One or more
individuals, if any, appointed by the General Partner with such specified
responsibilities or duties as are assigned and delegated to them by the General
Partner from time to time.
"Partner." Each
Person who executes a counterpart of this Limited Partnership Agreement as a
Partner and each Person who may become a Partner hereafter.
"Partnership." CRAWFORD
PARTNERS, L.P., a Georgia limited partnership.
"Partnership
Interest." A Partner's entire interest in the Partnership,
including the right to receive distributions and to participate in the
management of the business and affairs of the Partnership (including the right
to vote on, consent to, or otherwise participate in any decision or action of or
by the Partners granted pursuant to this Limited Partnership Agreement or the
Georgia Act).
"Partnership
Percentage." The percentage set forth for each Partner on the
attached Exhibit
"A". For purposes of the provisions hereof relating to actions
taken or approved by Partners, including voting, written consents or other
approvals, only Partnership Percentages held by Partners shall be taken into
account.
"Person." Any
individual or Entity, and the heirs, executors, administrators, legal
representatives, successors, and assigns of such Person where the context so
permits.
"Personal Representative." The
personal representative of a deceased Partner's estate, or the duly appointed
conservator or guardian of the property of a Partner who has been adjudged
incapacitated, as the case may be.
"Profits" and
"Losses." For each Fiscal Year, an amount equal to the
Partnership's taxable income or loss for such Fiscal Year, determined in
accordance with Code Section 703(a) (for this purpose, all items of income,
gain, loss, or deduction required to be stated separately pursuant to Code
Section 703(a)(1) shall be included in taxable income or loss), with the
following adjustments:
|
(i)
Any income of the Partnership that is exempt from federal income tax and
not otherwise taken into account in computing Profits and Losses in
accordance herewith shall be added to such taxable income or
loss;
|
|
(ii)
Any expenditures of the Partnership described in Section 705(a)(2)(B) of
the Code or treated as 705(a)(2)(B) expenditures pursuant to Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(i) of the Regulations, and not otherwise taken into
account in computing Profits and Losses in accordance herewith shall be
subtracted from such taxable income or
loss;
|
|
(iii)
In the event the General Partner determines to adjust the book value of
Partnership property pursuant to Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f) of the
Regulations, the amount of such adjustment shall be added to (to the
extent it results in an increase in the book value of the property) or
subtracted from (to the extent it results in a decrease in the book value
of the property) such taxable income or
loss;
|
|
(iv)
In the event any property is reflected on the books and records of the
Partnership at an amount which differs from the property's adjusted basis
for federal income tax purposes, then Profits and Losses shall be
determined with respect to items of income, gain, loss or deduction
attributable to such property in accordance with Section 10.6 hereof;
and
|
|
(v)
Any items which are specially allocated pursuant to Sections 10.3, 10.4
and 10.6 hereof shall not be taken into account in computing Profits and
Losses.
|
If the
Partnership's taxable income or taxable loss for a Fiscal Year, as adjusted in
the manner provided above, is a positive amount, such amount shall be the
Partnership's Profit for such Fiscal Year; and if negative, such amount shall be
the Partnership's Loss for such Fiscal Year.
"Relative." Any
member of the immediate family of an individual Partner (parents, children,
grandchildren and/or spouse), or any trust for the primary benefit of a Partner
or any of the aforesaid members of the immediate family of such individual
Partner.
"Super Majority
Interest." Partnership Percentages of Partners which, taken
together, equal seventy-five percent (75%) or more of the aggregate of all
Partnership Percentages of all Partners.
"Tax
Liquidation." The "liquidation" of the Partnership within the
meaning of section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) of the Regulations.
"Treasury Regulations" or
"Regulations." The Federal Income Tax Regulations promulgated under the
Code, as such regulations may be amended from time to time (including
corresponding provisions of succeeding regulations).
ARTICLE
II
FORMATION OF PARTNERSHIP
AND
INVESTMENT
REPRESENTATIONS
2.1 Formation. As
of the Effective Date, the Partnership was formed by executing and delivering
the Certificate to the Secretary of State of Georgia in accordance with the
provisions of the Georgia Act.
2.2 Name. The
name of the Partnership is CRAWFORD PARTNERS, L.P.
2.3 Principal Place of
Business. The principal place of business of the Partnership
within the State of Georgia is 25 Park Place NE, 2nd Floor Tower, Atlanta,
Georgia 30303. The Partnership may locate its place(s) of business
and registered office at any other place or places as the General Partner may
deem advisable from time to time.
2.4 Registered Agent and
Registered Office. The Partnership's registered agent as of
the date of this agreement is Dameron Black, III and its registered office is at
the office of its registered agent at 25 Park Place NE, 2nd Floor Tower,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303. The registered agent and registered office
may be changed from time to time by filing the name of the new registered agent
and/or the address of the new registered office with the Secretary of State of
the State of Georgia pursuant to the Georgia Act.
2.5 Term. The
term of the Partnership commenced on the date the Certificate was filed with the
Secretary of State of the State of Georgia and shall continue until dissolved in
accordance with the provisions of this Limited Partnership Agreement or the
Georgia Act.
2.6 Investment
Purpose. Each Partner acknowledges that the interests in the
Partnership, including each Partner's Partnership Interest, have not been
registered under the Georgia Securities Act of 1973, as amended ("Georgia
Securities Act"), any other state securities or blue sky laws or the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended ("Federal Securities Act"). To the extent the
interests are deemed to constitute a "security", such interests have been issued
in reliance on Paragraph (13) of Section 10-5-9 of the Georgia Securities Act
and the statutory exemption under the Federal Securities Act relating to
transactions not involving a public offering (Section 4(2)), and each Partner
acknowledges that reliance on such exemptions is based in part on the
representations made by such Partner in this Section 2.6. The interests in the
Partnership may not be sold or transferred except in a transaction which is
exempt under the Georgia Securities Act and the Federal Securities Act, or
pursuant to an effective registration under the Georgia Securities Act, the
Federal Securities Act and any other applicable state securities
laws. Each Partner hereby represents and warrants that its interest
in the Partnership is being acquired for investment purposes only and without
the intent of participating directly or indirectly in a distribution
thereof.
ARTICLE
III
BUSINESS AND PURPOSES OF
PARTNERSHIP
3.1 The
Partnership shall exercise all powers that may be exercised legally by limited
partnerships under the Georgia Act and to engage in any lawful business, purpose
or activity in which a limited partnership may be engaged under the Georgia Act,
including, without limitation, making any investment permitted by law, as
determined by the General Partner pursuant to the terms of this Limited
Partnership Agreement.
3.2 The
purposes of the Partnership are to make a profit, increase wealth, and provide a
means for the Family Members to become knowledgeable of, manage, and preserve
the family assets. In particular, the purpose of the Partnership is
to consolidate and maintain control of the voting stock of Crawford &
Company, which would otherwise be fragmented between the various Family Members
and trusts for their benefit. Without such consolidation of control,
non-Family Members could otherwise gain control of Crawford & Company, since
it is a public company traded on the New York Stock Exchange. As part
of the Partnership's purposes the Partnership is intended to accomplish the
following:
(a) provide
resolution of any disputes which may arise among the Family Members in order to
preserve family harmony and avoid the expense and problems of
litigation;
(b) maintain
control of family assets, including without limitation the stock of Crawford
& Company;
(c) consolidate
fractional interests in and control of family assets;
(d) establish
a method by which annual gifts can be made without fractionalizing family assets
and without relinquishing consolidated control of the voting stock of Crawford
& Company;
(e) continue
the ownership of family assets and restrict the right of non-Family Members to
acquire interests in family assets;
(f) provide
protection to family assets from claims of future creditors against Family
Members;
(g) prevent
the transfer of a Family Member's interest in the Partnership as a result of a
failed marriage;
(h) provide
flexibility in business planning not available through trusts, corporations, or
other business entities;
ARTICLE
IV
NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF
PARTNERS
The names and addresses of the Partners
are as listed in Exhibit "A" attached
hereto.
ARTICLE
V
RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF GENERAL
PARTNER
5.1 Management. The
business and affairs of the Partnership shall be managed by the General
Partner. Except as expressly provided herein, the General Partner
shall have full and complete authority, power and discretion to manage and
control the day-to-day business, affairs and properties of the Partnership, to
make all decisions regarding those matters and to perform any and all other acts
or activities customary or incident to the management of the Partnership's
business. Unless authorized to do so by the General Partner, no
attorney-in-fact, employee or other agent of the Partnership shall have any
power or authority to bind the Partnership in any way, to pledge its credit or
to render it liable pecuniarily for any purpose. No Limited Partner
shall have any power or authority to bind the Partnership unless the Partner has
been authorized by the General Partner to act as an agent of the Partnership in
accordance with the previous sentence.
5.2 Major
Decisions. Notwithstanding the power and authority conferred
upon the General Partner pursuant to Section 5.1 above, the General Partner
shall not, without the prior written consent of a Super Majority
Interest:
(a) sell,
exchange or otherwise transfer or dispose of all or substantially all of the
Partnership's property;
(b) approve
or effect the merger of the Partnership with another Entity;
(c) file
a voluntary petition in bankruptcy on behalf of the Partnership or any petition
or answer seeking any reorganization, arrangement, composition, readjustment,
liquidation, dissolution or similar relief for the Partnership under the present
or any future federal bankruptcy act or any other present or future applicable
federal, state or other statute or law relative to bankruptcy, insolvency, or
other relief for debtors; or
(d) make
decisions regarding withdrawal by the Partnership from, or dissolution by the
Partnership of, any partnership in which it may from time to time own an
interest directly or indirectly.
Except
for the instances described in this Section 5.2, no person dealing with the
Partnership shall be required to inquire into the authority of the General
Partner to bind the Partnership, but any such Person shall be entitled to rely
entirely on action taken on behalf of the Partnership through an instrument
signed by the General Partner.
5.3 Limitation of General
Partner's Liability. The General Partner has not guaranteed
and shall have no obligation with respect to the return of a Partner's Capital
Contributions or profits from the operation of the Partnership. No
General Partner shall be liable to the Partnership or to any Partner for any
loss or damage sustained by the Partnership or any Partner except loss or damage
resulting from: (a) intentional misconduct; (b) knowing violation of law; (c)
bad faith; or (d) breach of its fiduciary duty to conduct the affairs of
the Partnership in the best interest of the Partnership and the
Partners. The General Partner shall be entitled to rely on
information, opinions, reports or statements including, but not limited to,
financial statements or other financial data prepared or presented by: (i) any
one or more Partners, Officers or employees of the Partnership whom the General
Partner reasonably believes to be reliable and competent in the matter
presented; or (ii) legal counsel, public accountants, or other persons as to
matters the General Partner reasonably believes are within the person's
professional or expert competence.
5.4 Non-Exclusive
Duty. The General Partner shall not be required to manage the
Partnership as its sole and exclusive function, and any General Partner may have
other business interests and may engage in other activities in addition to those
relating to the Partnership. Neither the Partnership nor any Partner
shall have any right, pursuant to this Limited Partnership Agreement or
otherwise, to share or participate in such other investments or activities of
the General Partner or to the income or proceeds derived
therefrom. The General Partner shall incur no liability to the
Partnership or to any of the Partners as a result of engaging in any other
business or ventures.
5.5 Indemnification. To
the fullest extent permitted by law, the Partnership shall indemnify the General
Partner and make advances for expenses to the General Partner arising from any
loss, cost, expense, damage, claim or demand in connection with the Partnership,
the General Partner's status as General Partner of the Partnership, the General
Partner's participation in the management, business and affairs of the
Partnership or the General Partner's activities on behalf of the
Partnership.
5.6 Termination of Status as a
General Partner. A General Partner shall cease to be a General
Partner upon the first to occur of:
(a) the
bankruptcy of such General Partner;
(b) with
respect to a General Partner who is an individual, such General Partner's death,
or entry of an order by a court of competent jurisdiction adjudicating the
individual incompetent to manage his or her affairs;
(c) the
involuntary transfer by operation of law of such General Partner's Partnership
Interest;
(d) the
Transfer, pursuant to Article XII hereof, of the Person's entire Partnership
Interest as a General Partner; or
In the
event a Person ceases to be a General Partner without having transferred its
entire Partnership Interest as a General Partner, such Person shall be treated
as a Limited Partner hereunder. In no event shall any
occurrence not described in this Section 5.6 cause a Person to cease to be a
General Partner.
Subject to the provisions of Subsection
14.1(b) hereof, it is the intention of the Partners that the Partnership not
dissolve as a result of the withdrawal or other cause of termination of any
Person's status as a General Partner.
ARTICLE
VI
RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF
LIMITED PARTNERS
6.1 Limitation of Limited
Partners' Liability. Each Limited Partner's liability shall be
limited as set forth in this Limited Partnership Agreement, the Georgia Act and
other applicable law.
6.2 No Liability for Partnership
Obligations. No Limited Partner will have any personal
liability for any debts or losses of the Partnership beyond his, her or its
respective Capital Contributions.
6.3 Priority and Return of
Capital. Except as may be otherwise expressly provided herein,
no Limited Partner shall have priority over any other Limited Partner, either as
to the return of Capital Contributions or as to Profits, Losses or
distributions. This Section shall not apply to loans (as
distinguished from Capital Contributions) which a Limited Partner makes to the
Partnership.
ARTICLE
VII
MEETINGS OF
PARTNERS
7.1 Meetings. No
regular meetings of the Partners shall be required. Meetings of the
Partners for any purpose, unless otherwise prescribed by the Georgia Act, may be
called by the General Partner. Written notice to each Partner
entitled to vote at such meeting, stating the place, day and hour of the meeting
and the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called, shall be delivered
not less than ten (10) nor more than fifty (50) days before the date of the
meeting in the manner designated for notices pursuant to Section 16.13
hereof.
7.2 Meeting Without Notice;
Meeting by Telephone. If all of the Partners shall meet at any
time and place and consent to the holding of a meeting at such time and place,
such meeting shall be valid without call or notice. At such meeting,
any lawful action may be taken. Partners also may meet by conference
telephone call if all Partners can hear one another on such call and the
requisite notice is given or waived.
7.3 Place of
Meetings. The Persons calling any meeting may designate any
place within the State of Georgia as the place of meeting for any meeting of the
Partners. If no designation is made, the place of meeting shall be
the principal executive office of the Partnership in the State of
Georgia.
ARTICLE
VIII
CAPITAL
CONTRIBUTIONS
8.1 Additional Capital
Contributions. The Partners shall not be obligated to make any
additional Capital Contribution to the Partnership. In the event that
the General Partner determines that the Partnership requires additional funds in
excess of those otherwise available to the Partnership, the General Partner may
issue a written request for additional Capital Contributions at such time or
times and for such amounts as the General Partner may deem
advisable. Any Partner (including a General Partner) may (but shall
not be required to) contribute that portion of the additional capital requested
that corresponds to that Partner's Partnership Percentage. In the
event that any Partner declines in writing to participate in the contribution of
additional capital to the Partnership, or fails expressly to accept the same in
writing by the date set forth in the written request issued by the General
Partner (the "Contribution Date"), the Partners' Partnership Percentages shall
be redetermined as of the Contribution Date as follows:
(a) The
General Partner shall determine the fair market value of all Partnership
property.
(b) Solely
for the purpose of redetermining the Partners' Partnership Percentages, the
General Partner shall then determine the amount that would be distributable to
each current Partner if the Partnership sold all Partnership property (exclusive
of all Capital Contributions made pursuant to the written request for additional
Capital Contributions described herein) for its fair market value, satisfied all
outstanding Partnership liabilities and distributed the remainder to the
Partners in accordance with their respective Partnership Percentages as in
effect immediately prior to such written request. The amount so
distributable to each Partner shall be the Partner's "Deemed Capital
Contribution" and shall be the amount to which the Partners' Capital Accounts
are adjusted in accordance with Section 10.6(c) hereof.
(c) Each
Partner's redetermined Partnership Percentage shall be a fraction, expressed as
a percentage, determined by dividing (i) the sum, with respect to each Partner,
of (A) the Deemed Capital Contribution (if any) of the Partner and (B) the
Capital Contribution (if any) made by the Partner pursuant to the written
request for additional Capital Contributions described herein, by (ii) the sum
of the amounts described in clauses (i)(A) and (B) for all
Partners.
(d) All
determinations concerning the redetermination of Partnership Percentages shall
be made by the General Partner, in its reasonable judgment, and all such
determinations shall be conclusive and binding on all Partners.
8.2 Rules Governing
Capital. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
Limited Partnership Agreement or as required by law:
(a) no
Partner may withdraw any Capital Contribution from the Partnership;
(b) a
Partner shall not receive out of the Partnership's property any part of such
Partner's Capital Contribution until all liabilities of the Partnership (except
liabilities to Partners arising out of their Capital Contributions) have been
paid or there remains property of the Partnership sufficient to pay
them;
(c) no
Partner shall be required to make loans to the Partnership;
(d) neither
a loan by a Partner to the Partnership nor its repayment by the Partnership
shall have any effect on any Partner's Capital Account;
(e) notwithstanding
the nature of any Partner's Capital Contribution, such Partner has only the
right to demand and receive cash in return for such Capital
Contribution.
ARTICLE
IX
DISTRIBUTIONS
TO PARTNERS
9.1 Distributions of Partnership
Property. Except as otherwise provided in Article XIV hereof,
Net Cash from Operations shall be distributed to the Partners in accordance with
their respective Partnership Percentages at such times, and in such amounts, as
the General Partner in its discretion shall deem advisable. No
distributions of Partnership property other than Net Cash from Operations shall
be distributed to the Partners except as the General Partner may determine to be
in the best interest of the Partnership, consistent with the purposes
thereof.
9.2 Interest on and Return of
Capital Contributions. No Partner shall be entitled to
interest on its Capital Contribution or to the return of its Capital
Contribution, except as otherwise specifically provided for herein.
ARTICLE
X
ALLOCATIONS OF PROFITS AND
LOSSES
10.1 Profits. After
giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Sections 10.3 and 10.4
hereof, Profits for any Fiscal Year shall be allocated to the Partners in the
following order and priority:
(a) first,
to the Partners, to the extent of and in proportion to the excess with respect
to each Partner, if any, of (i) the cumulative Losses allocated to the Partners
pursuant to Subsection 10.2(a)(ii) hereof for all prior Fiscal Years, over (ii) the
cumulative Profits allocated to the Partners pursuant to this Section 10.1(a)
for all prior Fiscal Years;
(b) second,
to the Partners, to the extent of and in proportion to the excess with respect
to each Partner, if any, of (i) the cumulative Losses allocated to the Partners
pursuant to Subsection 10.2(a)(i) hereof for all prior Fiscal Years, over (ii) the
cumulative Profits allocated to the Partners pursuant to this Subsection 10.1(b)
for all prior Fiscal Years;
(c) the
balance, if any, to the Partners in accordance with their respective Partnership
Percentages.
10.2 Losses. After
giving effect to the special allocations set forth in Sections 10.3 and 10.4
hereof, Losses for any Fiscal Year shall be allocated to the Partners in the
following order and priority:
(a) Except
as provided in Subsection 10.2(b) hereof, Losses for any Fiscal Year shall be
allocated in the following order and priority:
|
(i)
first, to the Partners, to the extent of, and in proportion to, their
respective positive Adjusted Capital Account balances (determined as of
the close of the relevant Fiscal Year after making any special allocations
required pursuant to Sections 10.3 and 10.4);
and
|
|
(ii)
the balance, if any, to the Partners in accordance with their respective
Partnership Percentages.
|
(b) Notwithstanding
anything in this Agreement to the contrary, no loss or item of deduction shall
be allocated to a Partner if such allocation would cause such Partner to have a
negative Adjusted Capital Account as of the last day of the Fiscal Year or other
period to which such allocation relates. Any amounts not allocated to
a Partner pursuant to the limitations set forth in this Subsection 10.2(b) shall
be allocated to the other Partners to the extent possible without violating the
limitations set forth in this Subsection 10.2(b), and any amounts remaining to
be allocated shall be allocated among the Partners in accordance with their
respective Partnership Percentages.
10.3 Special
Allocations. The following special allocations shall be made
in the following order:
(a) Minimum Gain Chargeback;
Qualified Income Offset. Items of Partnership income and gain
shall be allocated to the Partners in an amount sufficient to satisfy the
"minimum gain chargeback" requirements of Sections 1.704-2(f) and 1.704-2(i)(4)
of the Regulations and the "qualified income offset" requirement of Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(3) of the Regulations.
(b) Partner Nonrecourse
Deductions. "Partner nonrecourse deductions" (within the
meaning of Section 1.704-2(i) of the Regulations) shall be allocated to the
Partner who bears the economic risk of loss associated with such deductions, in
accordance with Section 1.704-2(i) of the Regulations.
(c) Nonrecourse
Deductions. "Nonrecourse Deductions" (within the meaning of
Section 1.704-2(b)(1) and 1.704-2(c) of the Regulations) shall be allocated
among the Partners in accordance with their respective Partnership
Percentages.
(d) Section 754
Adjustments. To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax
basis of any Partnership asset pursuant to Sections 734(b) or 743(b) of the Code
is required, pursuant to Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m) of the
Regulations, to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts, the
amount of such adjustment to the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of
gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or loss (if the
adjustment decreases such basis) and such gain or loss shall be specially
allocated to the Partners in accordance with the requirements
of Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m) of the Regulations.
10.4 Curative
Allocations. The allocations set forth in Subsection 10.2(b)
and Subsections 10.3(a) through (d) hereof (the "Regulatory Allocations") are
intended to comply with certain requirements of the Regulations. It
is the intent of the Partners that, to the extent possible, all Regulatory
Allocations shall be offset either with other Regulatory Allocations or with
special allocations of other items of Partnership income, gain, loss, or
deduction pursuant to this Section 10.4. Therefore, notwithstanding any other
provision of this Article X (other than the Regulatory Allocations), the General
Partner shall make such offsetting special allocations of Partnership income,
gain, loss, or deduction in whatever manner it determines appropriate so that,
after such offsetting allocations are made, each Partner's Capital Account
balance is, to the extent possible, equal to the Capital Account balance such
Partner would have had if the Regulatory Allocations were not part of the
Limited Partnership Agreement and all Partnership items were allocated pursuant
to Section 10.1 and Section 10.2(a). In exercising its discretion
under this Section 10.4, the General Partner shall take into account future
Regulatory Allocations under Subsections 10.3(a) that, although not yet made,
are likely to offset other Regulatory Allocations made under Subsections 10.3(b)
and 10.3(c).
10.5 Other Allocation
Rules.
(a) For
purposes of determining the Profits, Losses, or any other items allocable to any
period, Profits, Losses, and any such other items shall be determined on a
daily, monthly, or other basis, as determined by the General Partner using any
permissible method under Code Section 706 and the Regulations
thereunder.
(b) All
allocations to the Partners pursuant to this Article X, except as otherwise
provided, shall be divided among them in proportion to their Partnership
Percentages.
(c) The
Partners are aware of the income tax consequences of the allocations made by
this Article X and hereby agree to be bound by the provisions of this Article X
in reporting their shares of Partnership income and loss for income tax
purposes.
10.6 Tax/Book
Differences.
(a) In
the event that any Partnership property is reflected in the Partnership's books
and records, pursuant to Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(d) or (f) of the
Regulations, at an amount which differs from the adjusted tax basis of such
property, then allocations with respect to such property for income tax purposes
shall be made in a manner which takes into consideration differences between
such book value and such adjusted tax basis in the manner provided in Section
704(c) of the Code, the Regulations promulgated thereunder and Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f)(4) of the Regulations, which amounts shall not affect, or
in any way be taken into account in computing, any Partner's Capital Account or
share of Profits, Losses, other items, or distributions pursuant to any
provision of this Agreement. Any allocations with respect to any such
property for purposes of maintaining the Partners' Capital Accounts, and the
determination of Profits and Losses, shall be made by reference to the book
value of such property, and not its adjusted tax basis, all in accordance with
Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(g) of the Regulations.
(b) Any
elections or other decisions relating to allocations governed by this Section
10.6 shall be made by the General Partner in any manner that reasonably reflects
the purpose and intention of this Agreement.
(c) In
the event that the Partners' Partnership Percentages are redetermined pursuant
to Section 8.1(b) hereof, the net increase or decrease in the book value of the
Partnership assets resulting therefrom shall be allocated among the Partners,
pursuant to Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(g) of the Regulations, in accordance with
their respective Partnership Percentages as in effect immediately prior to such
redetermination, to cause their respective Adjusted Capital Account balances to
correspond with their respective Deemed Capital Contributions as determined
pursuant to Section 8.1(b) hereof with respect to such
redetermination.
10.7 Allocation of Nonrecourse
Liabilities. The "excess nonrecourse liabilities" of the
Partnership (within the meaning of Section 1.752-3(a)(3) of the Regulations)
shall be shared by the Partners in accordance with their respective Partnership
Percentages.
ARTICLE
XI
BOOKS AND
RECORDS
11.1 Fiscal
Year. The Partnership's Fiscal Year shall be the calendar
year, unless otherwise agreed by the Partners.
11.2 Records, Audits and
Reports. At the expense of the Partnership, the General
Partner shall maintain records and accounts of all operations and expenditures
of the Partnership. The Partnership shall keep at its principal place
of business the following records and shall permit reasonable access to such
records by any Partner upon request:
(a) a
current list of the full name and last known address of each
Limited Partner and General Partner;
(b) copies
of such records as would enable a Partner to determine the relative voting
rights, if any, of the Partners;
(c) a
copy of the Certificate of the Partnership and all amendments
thereto;
(d) copies
of the Partnership's federal, state, and local income tax returns and reports,
if any, for the three most recent years;
(e) copies
of this Limited Partnership Agreement, together with any amendments thereto;
and
(f) copies
of any financial statements of the Partnership for the three most recent
years.
11.3 Tax
Returns. At the expense of the Partnership, the General
Partner shall cause the preparation and timely filing of all tax returns
required to be filed by the Partnership pursuant to the Code and all other tax
returns deemed necessary and required in each jurisdiction in which the
Partnership does business. The General Partner shall provide each
Partner with such information as is required for such Partner to file his, her
or its individual tax returns. Upon request of any Partner, copies of
all Partnership returns, or pertinent information therefrom, shall promptly be
furnished to the requesting Partner.
ARTICLE
XII
TRANSFERS OF
INTERESTS
12.1 General
Prohibition. Except as otherwise set forth in this Article
XII, no Partner may assign, convey, sell, transfer, liquidate, encumber or in
any other way alienate (a "Transfer") all or any part of its Partnership
Interest without the prior written consent of the General Partner and a Majority
Interest of the Partners, which consent may be given or withheld in the sole
discretion of General Partner or each Partner. Any attempt to
Transfer all or any portion of a Partnership Interest in violation of this
Section 12.1 shall be null and void and shall have no effect
whatsoever.
12.2 Affiliate
Transfers. Any Partner, upon written notice to the other
Partners, may Transfer all or any portion of its Partnership Interest in the
Partnership to an Affiliate without the written consent of any Partner; provided
that such Affiliate who is not a Partner immediately prior to such Transfer
shall be admitted as a substituted Partner only upon such Affiliate's compliance
with the provisions of Section 12.4 hereof.
12.3 Right of First
Offer. At any time during the term of this Limited Partnership
Agreement (but not thereafter), a Limited Partner desiring to sell or otherwise
dispose of all of its Partnership Interest (the "Selling Partner") in the
Partnership (other than a Transfer pursuant to Section 12.2 above) first shall
be obligated to offer it to the other Partners (the "Non-Selling Partners") upon
the same terms and conditions as the Selling Partner intends to offer the
Partnership Interest to third parties. The Non-Selling Partners shall
have sixty (60) days, after receipt of written notice specifying such terms and
such other pertinent information as may be reasonably necessary for the
Non-Selling Partners to make a determination under this Section 12.3, in which
to deliver written notice to the Selling Partner either accepting or rejecting
the offer to purchase the Selling Partner's entire Partnership
Interest. If more than one Non-Selling Partner elects to
purchase the Selling Partner's Interest, they shall have the right to purchase
the offered interest pro rata to the aggregate Partnership Percentages of those
Non-Selling Partners electing to purchase such interest. If the
Non-Selling Partners accept the offer, such purchase and sale shall be closed
within one hundred eighty (180) days after acceptance of such
offer. If the Non-Selling Partners reject the offer, the Selling
Partner, subject to the Non-Selling Partners' right to consent to the purchaser
(as hereinafter provided), shall have one hundred eighty (180) days in which to
sell its Partnership Interest to a third party on terms not more favorable to
such purchaser than those offered to the Non-Selling Partners, any such sale,
however, being subject to the consent of the Non-Selling Partners as hereinafter
set forth. If the Selling Partner fails to consummate the sale of its
Partnership Interest within such one hundred eighty (180) day period, then the
provisions of this Section 12.3 shall apply once again with respect to any
future sale. In addition, and without limiting the foregoing, in the
event the Selling Partner did not disclose the identity of the proposed
transferee of its Partnership Interest in its initial offer to the Non-Selling
Partners, the Non-Selling Partners (by a vote of Non-Seller Partners owning a
majority of the Partnership Percentages of the Non-Selling Partners) shall be
entitled, within their sole and absolute discretion, to refuse to consent to any
sale, disposition or other Transfer (even if the Selling Partner previously has
offered to sell its Partnership Interest to the Non-Selling Partners pursuant to
this Section 12.3) if the proposed transferee of the Selling Partner's
Partnership Interest is "unacceptable" to the Non-Selling Partners as a
Partner. As illustration only and without limitation as to the
reason(s) why a proposed transferee may be "unacceptable", the Non-Selling
Partners may determine that the proposed transferee (a) may not have the
financial resources, experience and sophistication in real estate or other
ability to comply with its obligations as a Partner under this Limited
Partnership Agreement; (b) may not have an appropriate reputation; or (c) may
not have a good existing relationship with a Non-Selling Partner. The
Non-Selling Partners either shall reject any proposed transferee as being
"unacceptable" to the Non-Selling Partner or consent to the same within thirty
(30) days of receipt of written notice of the identity of such proposed
transferee.
12.4 Conditions of Transfer and
Assignment. Subject to the other provisions of this Article
XII, a transferee of a Partnership Interest permitted under this Article XII
shall become a substituted Partner only if the following are
satisfied:
(a) if
the transferee is to be admitted as a Limited Partner, the General Partner
consents in writing thereto;
(b) if
the transferee is to be admitted as a General Partner, all the Partners consent
in writing thereto;
(c) the
transferor, its legal representative or authorized agent must have executed a
written instrument of transfer of such Partnership Interest in form and
substance satisfactory to the General Partner;
(d) the
transferee must have executed a written agreement, in form and substance
satisfactory to the General Partner, to assume all of the duties and obligations
of the transferor under this Limited Partnership Agreement with respect to the
transferred Partnership Interest, and to be bound by and subject to all of the
terms and conditions of this Limited Partnership Agreement;
(e) the
transferor, its legal representative or authorized agent, and the transferee
must have executed a written agreement, in form and substance satisfactory to
the General Partner, to indemnify and hold the Partnership, the General Partner
and the other Partners harmless from and against any loss or liability arising
out of the Transfer;
(f) the
transferee must have executed such other documents and instruments as the
General Partner may deem necessary or appropriate in order to consummate the
admission of the transferee as a Partner, if with respect to a Partnership
Interest; and
(g) unless
waived by the General Partner, the transferee or the transferor must have paid
the expenses incurred by the Partnership in connection with the admission of the
transferee to the Partnership.
Any
transferee who is not so admitted as a Partner (an "Assignee") shall be bound by
the terms and conditions of this Agreement as though the transferee were a
Partner but shall have only the right to receive distributions and allocations
with respect to the transferred Partnership Interest (including, without
limitation, the right to have a Capital Account maintained with respect to such
Partnership Interest in accordance with the terms and conditions of this
Agreement), but shall not have any other rights under this Agreement or under
the Georgia Act as a Partner, including, without limitation, the right to
inspect and copy the Company's records or the right to vote on, consent to or
otherwise participate in any decision of the Partners. Solely for
purposes of the limited rights of a transferee of a Partnership Interest who is
not admitted as a Partner in accordance with this Section 12.4, any reference in
this Agreement to a "Partner" shall be deemed to include any such transferee who
is not admitted as a Partner and any reference herein to a "Partnership
Interest" shall be deemed to include the interest of such
transferee.
12.5 Involuntary
Transfers. The Partners agree that an Involuntary Transfer
shall constitute a material breach of this Agreement. A Partner who
has information that would reasonably lead him, her or it to expect that an
Involuntary Transfer of his, her or its Partnership Interest is foreseeable must
promptly send written notice thereof to the Partnership. At any time
during the one hundred twenty (120) day period following the date on which it
receives the Partner's notice of the Involuntary Transfer, the Partnership shall
have the right to purchase the subject Partnership Interest at a price equal to
its value as determined by an independent appraiser chosen by the Partners,
reduced by twenty percent (20%) thereof, upon the terms set forth in subsection
(a) of this Section. The option shall be exercised by delivery of a written
notice from the Partnership to the transferring Partner during the
aforementioned period. Upon delivery of such notice the exercise of
such option shall be final and binding on the Partnership and the transferring
Partner. In the event that the Partnership declines to exercise the
option herein described, both the transferring Partner and any transferee of the
Partnership Interest shall have the rights of an Assignee only, as described in
Section 12.4 hereof. In no event shall an Involuntary Transfer
suspend the business, or cause a dissolution, of the Partnership.
(a) At
the General Partner's election, the Partnership may pay all or any part of the
purchase price for the subject Partnership Interest in cash, and shall pay the
balance in no more than ten (10) annual installments. The Partnership
shall give an unsecured promissory note as evidence of this debt, which shall
provide for simple annual interest on any unpaid principal balance at a rate no
less than that set forth in Code Section 1274(d) for indebtedness of the term
thereof.
(b) The
Partners agree and acknowledge that the twenty percent (20%) reduction in value
of a transferring Partner's Partnership Interest in the event of an Involuntary
Transfer is a good faith attempt to determine the damages resulting from the
breach of this Agreement, and is intended to be liquidated damages and not a
penalty.
ARTICLE
XIII
ADDITIONAL
PARTNERS
From the date of the formation of the
Partnership, any Person or Entity approved by a majority of the Partners may
become a Limited Partner of this Partnership pursuant to the issuance by the
Partnership of a Partnership Interest for such consideration as a majority of
the Partners shall determine, subject to the terms and conditions of this
Limited Partnership Agreement. Any Person or Entity shall become a
General Partner of this Partnership pursuant to the issuance by the Partnership
of a Partnership Interest upon approval, and for such consideration, as the
Partners, by their unanimous vote, shall determine, subject to the terms and
conditions of this Limited Partnership Agreement. No new Partners
shall be entitled to any retroactive allocation of losses, income or expense
deductions incurred by the Partnership. At the time a new Partner is
admitted, the General Partner, at its option, may close the Partnership books
(as though the Partnership's tax year had ended) or make pro rata allocations of
loss, income and expense deductions to a new Partner for that portion of the
Partnership's tax year in which a Partner was admitted in accordance with the
provisions of Section 706(d) of the Code and the Regulations promulgated
thereunder.
ARTICLE
XIV
DISSOLUTION AND
TERMINATION
14.1 Dissolution.
(a)
The Partnership shall be dissolved only upon the occurrence of any of the
following events:
(i)
the unanimous consent of the Partners to terminate the Partnership;
(ii) the
entry of a final judgment, order or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction
adjudicating the Partnership to be bankrupt, and the expiration of the period,
if any, allowed by applicable law in which to appeal therefrom;
(iii) the
sale by the Partnership of all of its assets and the collection of all amounts
derived from such sale, including all amounts payable to the Partnership under
any promissory notes or other evidences of indebtedness derived by the
Partnership from such sale;
(iv) except
as otherwise set forth in Subsection 14.1(b) hereof, the occurrence of any event
described in Section 5.6 hereof; or
|
(iv) the entry of a
decree of judicial dissolution under Section 14-9-802 of the Georgia
Act.
|
(b) Upon
the occurrence of any event described in Section 5.6 hereof, the Partnership
shall not be required to be wound up if:
(i)
at the time of such event there is at least one (1) remaining General Partner
able and willing to carry on the business of the Partnership; or
(ii) within
ninety (90) days after such event, a Majority Interest (determined as of the
date of such event) agree in writing to continue the business of the Partnership
and to the appointment from among themselves or Affiliates, effective as of the
date of such event, of one (1) or more General Partners, which Person(s) shall
become a General Partner hereunder without need for any further action or
consent by the other Partners.
(c) If
it is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction that the Partnership has
dissolved prior to the occurrence of an event described in Subsection 14.1(a)
hereof, or if, upon the occurrence of an event described in Section 5.6 hereof,
neither of the events described in Subsections 14.1(b)(i) or (ii) hereof occurs,
then within an additional ninety (90) days after such determination or on the
last day of such 90-day period, as the case may be (the "Reconstitution
Period"), a Super Majority Interest may elect to reconstitute the Partnership
and continue its business on the same terms and conditions set forth in this
Agreement by forming a new limited partnership on terms identical to those set
forth herein, and having as a General Partner a Person elected by such Super
Majority Interest. Upon any such election, all Partners shall be
bound thereby and shall be deemed to have consented thereto. Unless
such an election is made within the Reconstitution Period, the Partnership shall
wind up its affairs in accordance with this Article XIV. If such an
election is made within the Reconstitution Period, then:
(i)
the reconstituted limited partnership shall continue until its dissolution as
provided in this Article XIV;
(ii) if
the successor General Partner is not a former General Partner, then the
Partnership Interest of any former General Partner shall be treated thenceforth
as the Partnership Interest of a Limited Partner; and
(iii) all
necessary steps shall be taken to cancel this Limited Partnership Agreement and
the Certificate and to enter into a new partnership agreement and to file a new
certificate of limited partnership.
(d) Except
as expressly permitted in this Limited Partnership Agreement and notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in Section 14-9-603 of the Georgia Act, a Limited
Partner shall not withdraw voluntarily or take any other voluntary action which
directly causes the person to cease to be a Partner; provided, however, that any
Limited Partner who transfers his, her or its entire Partnership Interest in
accordance with this Agreement shall cease to be a Partner.
(e) Each
Partner hereby covenants and agrees that it will not seek a judicial dissolution
of the Partnership pursuant to the provisions of Section 14-9-802 of the Georgia
Act.
(f) Damages
for breach of Subsection 14.1(d) or (e) hereof shall be monetary damages only
(and not in the form of specific performance), and such damages may be offset
against any distributions by the Partnership to which the Partner in breach
otherwise would be entitled.
14.2 Effect of
Dissolution. Upon dissolution, the Partnership shall cease to
carry on its business, except as permitted by Sections 14-9-803, -804, and -805
of the Georgia Act.
14.3 Winding Up, Liquidation and
Distribution of Assets.
(a) Upon
dissolution, an accounting of the Partnership's assets, liabilities and
operations shall be made by the Partnership's independent accountants, from the
date of the last previous accounting until the date of
dissolution. The General Partner, or if none, the Person or Persons
(the "Liquidators") selected by the Partners holding a Majority Interest shall
proceed immediately to wind up the affairs of the Partnership.
(b) If
the Partnership is dissolved and its affairs are to be wound up, the General
Partner or the Liquidators, as the case may be:
|
(i) shall sell or
otherwise liquidate all of the Partnership's assets as promptly as
practicable (except to the extent the Liquidators may determine to
distribute any assets to the Partners in
kind);
|
|
(ii) shall
allocate any profit or loss resulting from such sales to the Partners in
accordance with Article X hereof;
|
|
(iii) shall discharge all
liabilities of the Partnership, including liabilities to Partners who are
creditors, to the extent otherwise permitted by law, other than
liabilities to Partners for distributions, and establish such reserves as
may be reasonably necessary to provide for contingent liabilities of the
Partnership; and
|
|
(iv) shall
distribute the remaining assets to the Partners, first, to the extent of
their positive Adjusted Capital Account balances (after making any special
allocations required pursuant to Sections 10.3 and 10.4 hereof) and the
balance, if any, in accordance with their respective Partnership
Percentages; provided however, that no distribution pursuant to this
Subsection 14.3(b)(iv) shall be made that creates or increases a negative
Capital Account balance for any Partner, determined as
follows: Distributions first shall be determined tentatively
pursuant to this Subsection 14.3(b)(iv) without regard to the Partners'
Capital Accounts, and then the allocation provisions of Article X hereof
shall be applied tentatively as if such tentative distributions had been
made. The actual distribution to such Partner pursuant to this
Subsection 14.3(b)(iv) shall be equal to (A) in the case of a Partner that
has no negative Capital Account balance after such tentative distributions
and allocations have been made, the tentative distribution to such
Partner, and (B) in the case of a Partner that has a negative Capital
Account balance after such tentative distributions and allocations are
made, the tentative distribution to such Partner less the amount of the
negative balance.
|
|
(v) Notwithstanding any
other provision of this Subsection 14.3(b), in the event of a Tax
Liquidation of the Partnership which does not result in a dissolution and
winding up of the Partnership pursuant to this Article XIV, Partnership
property shall not be liquidated, the Partnership's liabilities shall not
be paid or discharged, and the Partnership's affairs shall not be wound
up. Instead, solely for federal income tax purposes, the
Partnership shall be deemed to have contributed all Partnership property
(subject to all Partnership liabilities) to a new limited partnership in
return for interests therein, and the Partnership shall be deemed to have
distributed interests in the new partnership to the Partners in accordance
with their respective Capital Account balances pursuant to the immediately
preceding subparagraph of this Subsection
14.3(b).
|
(vi) If
any assets of the Partnership are to be distributed in kind, the net fair market
value of such assets as of the date of dissolution shall be determined by
independent appraisal or by agreement of the Partners. Such assets
shall be deemed to have been sold as of the date of dissolution for their net
fair market value, and the Capital Accounts of the Partners shall be adjusted
pursuant to the provisions of this Limited Partnership Agreement to reflect such
deemed sale.
(c) Any
distributions to the Partners pursuant to this Article XIV shall be made in
accordance with the time requirements set forth in Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(b)(2) of the Regulations.
(d) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in this Limited Partnership Agreement except as
otherwise provided in the immediately succeeding paragraph of this Subsection
14.3(d), upon a liquidation within the meaning of Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g)
of the Regulations, if any Partner has a deficit Capital Account (after giving
effect to all contributions, distributions, allocations and other Capital
Account adjustments for all taxable years, including the year during which such
liquidation occurs), such Partner shall have no obligation to make any Capital
Contribution, and the negative balance of such Partner's Capital Account shall
not be considered a debt owed by such Partner to the Partnership or to any other
Person for any purpose whatsoever.
Each Partner may, but is not required
to, be obligated to contribute to the Partnership upon the liquidation of the
Partner's Partnership Interest (within the meaning of Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) of the Regulations), any dollar amount that may be
specified in writing by the Partner from time to time. No Partner
shall have any such obligation unless and until the Partner executes and
delivers to the General Partner an election to restore all or part of its
negative Capital Account balance in the form set forth in Exhibit "B" attached
hereto and such election is accepted by the General Partner in its sole and
absolute discretion. Such an election may be made effective as of the
last day of any Fiscal Year (such Fiscal Year when an election becomes so
effective, the "Effective Fiscal Year") so long as the election is made by the
due date, without regard to extensions, for filing the Partnership's federal
income tax return for the Effective Fiscal Year. Once an election has
been timely made and accepted, that election cannot be withdrawn and, except as
set forth in the immediately succeeding sentence, the amount of a Partner's
obligation with respect to any negative Capital Account balance arising pursuant
to such an election may not be reduced from the amount specified in the election
(the "Maximum DRO Amount") for any reason after the election is
made. The amount of an electing Partner's obligation pursuant to such
an election shall be automatically and permanently reduced from the Maximum DRO
Amount to the extent that, as of the end of any Fiscal Year after the Effective
Fiscal Year, the amount of any negative balance in the electing Partner's
Capital Account is less than the Maximum DRO Amount. It is intended
that any reduction in the electing Partner's obligation pursuant to the
immediately preceding sentence will be made only to the extent such reduction
will not affect prior allocations to such Partner in accordance with Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(f) of the Regulations, and such sentence shall be interpreted
and applied in a manner consistent with that intent. The amount of an
electing Partner's obligation with respect to a negative Capital Account balance
may only be increased if the electing Partner makes a subsequent election
pursuant to this Subsection 14.3(d) which has a larger Maximum DRO Amount than
set forth herein. All Capital Contributions required to be made by a
Partner as a result of any such election shall be made by the end of the Fiscal
Year in which such liquidation of the Partnership Interest occurs (or, if later,
within ninety (90) days of the date of such liquidation). For these
purposes, a Partner's Capital Account shall be determined after taking into
account all adjustments to Capital Accounts pursuant to this Limited Partnership
Agreement through the Fiscal Year in which such liquidation occurs.
(e) Upon
completion of the winding up, liquidation and distribution of the assets, the
Partnership shall be deemed terminated.
(f) The
General Partner and the Partners shall comply with any applicable requirements
of applicable law pertaining to the winding up of the affairs of the Partnership
and the final distribution of its assets.
14.4 Certificate of
Cancellation. When all debts, liabilities and obligations have
been paid and discharged or adequate provisions have been made therefor and all
of the remaining property and assets have been distributed to the Partners, a
Certificate of Cancellation may be executed and filed with the Secretary of
State of Georgia in accordance with Section 14-9-203 of the Georgia
Act.
14.5 Return of Contribution
Nonrecourse to Other Partners. Except as provided by law or as
expressly provided in this Limited Partnership Agreement, upon dissolution, each
Partner shall look solely to the assets of the Partnership for the return of its
Capital Account. If the Partnership property remaining after the
payment or discharge of the debts and liabilities of the Partnership is
insufficient to return the Capital Account of one or more Partners, including,
without limitation, all or any part of that Capital Account attributable to
Capital Contributions, then such Partner or Partners shall have no recourse
against any other Partner.
ARTICLE
XV
COMPENSATION AND
FEES
15.1 Salary. Except
as expressly provided herein or as may be otherwise agreed by the Partners, no
Partner shall receive any salary or other compensation for services provided to
the Partnership.
15.2 Reimbursement of
Expenses. Any Partner shall be entitled to reimbursement for
expenses reasonably incurred in the conduct of the business of the
Partnership.
ARTICLE
XVI
MISCELLANEOUS
PROVISIONS
16.1 Application of Georgia
Law. This Limited Partnership Agreement, and the application
and interpretation hereof, shall be governed exclusively by its terms and by the
laws of the State of Georgia.
16.2 No Action for
Partition. No Partner has any right to maintain any action for
partition with respect to the property of the Partnership.
16.3 Further
Assurances. The Partners each agree to cooperate, and to
execute and deliver in a timely fashion any and all additional documents,
designations, powers of attorney and other instruments necessary to effectuate
the purposes of the Partnership and this Limited Partnership Agreement or to
comply with any applicable laws, rules or regulations.
16.4 Construction. Whenever
the singular number is used in this Limited Partnership Agreement, when required
by the context, the same shall include the plural and vice versa, and the
masculine gender shall include the feminine and neuter genders and vice
versa.
16.5 Headings. The
headings in this Limited Partnership Agreement are inserted for convenience only
and are in no way intended to describe, interpret, define, or limit the scope,
extent or intent of this Limited Partnership Agreement or any provision
hereof.
16.6 Waivers. The
failure of any party to seek redress for violation of or to insist upon the
strict performance of any covenant or condition of this Limited Partnership
Agreement shall not prevent a subsequent act, which would have originally
constituted a violation, from having the effect of an original
violation.
16.7 Rights and Remedies
Cumulative. The rights and remedies provided by this Limited
Partnership Agreement are cumulative and the use of any one right or remedy by
any party shall not preclude or waive the right to use any or all other
remedies. Such rights and remedies are given in addition to any other
rights the parties may have by law, statute, ordinance or
otherwise.
16.8 Severability. If
any provision of this Limited Partnership Agreement or the application thereof
to any person or circumstance shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable to any
extent, the remainder of this Limited Partnership Agreement and the application
thereof shall not be affected and shall be enforceable to the fullest extent
permitted by law.
16.9 Successors and
Assigns. Each and all of the covenants, terms, provisions and
agreements herein contained shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of
the parties hereto and, to the extent permitted by this Limited Partnership
Agreement, their respective heirs, legal representatives, successors and
assigns.
16.10 Creditors. None
of the provisions of this Limited Partnership Agreement shall be for the benefit
of or enforceable by any creditors of the Partnership.
16.11 Counterparts. This
Limited Partnership Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which
shall be deemed an original but all of which shall constitute one and the same
instrument.
16.12 Federal Income Tax
Elections. All elections required or permitted to be made by
the Partnership under the Code shall be made by the General
Partner. For all purposes permitted or required by the Code, the
Partners constitute and appoint the General Partner as Tax Matters Partner, or
if the General Partner is no longer a Partner, then such other Partner as shall
be elected by the vote of Partners holding a Majority Interest shall be the Tax
Matters Partner. The provisions on limitations of liability of the
General Partners and Partners and indemnification set forth in Article V hereof
shall be fully applicable to the Tax Matters Partner in its capacity as
such. The Tax Matters Partner may resign at any time by giving
written notice to the Partnership and each of the other
Partners. Upon the resignation of the Tax Matters Partner, a new Tax
Matters Partner may be elected by the vote of Partners holding a Majority
Interest.
16.13 Notices. Any
notice, election or other communication provided for or required by this Limited
Partnership Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been
received (i) when delivered by hand, or (ii) on the third calendar day following
its deposit in the United States Mail, certified or registered, return receipt
requested, postage prepaid, or (iii) on the day after deposit with a national
overnight courier service, properly addressed to the person to whom such notice
is intended to be given at the addresses set forth in Section
4.1. Any Partner shall have the right to change its designated
address by delivery of notice of such change to the other Partners in accordance
with this Section. Any such change shall be effective ten (10) days
after receipt by the addressee.
16.14 Modifications. No
change or modification of this Limited Partnership Agreement nor any waiver of
any term or condition hereof shall be valid or binding upon the Partners, unless
such change, modification or waiver shall be in writing and signed by all of the
Partners, except that the General Partner may, without the consent of any other
Partner, amend Exhibit
"A" to reflect changes thereto occurring as a result of a Transfer (as
defined in Article XII).
16.15 Banking. All funds of
the Partnership shall be deposited in its name in an account or accounts as
shall be designated from time to time by the General Partner. All
funds of the Partnership shall be used solely for the business of the
Partnership. All withdrawals from the Partnership bank accounts shall
be made only upon checks signed by the General Partner or by such other person
or persons as the General Partner may designate from time to time.
16.16 Arbitration. Any
dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or in connection with, or relating
to, this Limited Partnership Agreement or any breach or alleged breach hereof,
upon the request of any party involved, shall be submitted to, and settled by,
arbitration within Fulton County, State of Georgia, pursuant to the commercial
arbitration rules then in effect of the American Arbitration Association (or at
any time or at any other place or under any other form of arbitration mutually
acceptable to the parties so involved). Any award rendered shall be
final and conclusive upon the parties and a judgment thereon may be entered in
the highest court of the forum, state or federal, having
jurisdiction. The expenses of the arbitration shall be borne equally
by the parties to the arbitration; provided, however, that each party shall pay
for and bear the cost of its own experts, evidence and counsel's fees; and
provided further, however, that in the discretion of the arbitrator, any award
may include the cost of a party's counsel if the arbitrator expressly determines
that the party against whom such award is entered has caused the dispute,
controversy or claim to be submitted to arbitration as a dilatory
tactic.
16.17 Determination of Matters Not
Provided For In This Agreement. The General Partner shall
decide any and all questions arising with respect to the Partnership and this
Limited Partnership Agreement which are not specifically or expressly provided
for in this Limited Partnership Agreement.
16.18 Time. TIME
IS OF THE ESSENCE OF THIS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT, AND TO ANY PAYMENTS,
ALLOCATIONS, AND DISTRIBUTIONS SPECIFIED UNDER THIS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
AGREEMENT.
[SIGNATURES
ON FOLLOWING PAGE]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have
entered into this Limited Partnership Agreement as of the 8th day of
September, 2008.
|
GENERAL
PARTNER:
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIVERPOOL
II, LLC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Jesse
C. Crawford |
|
|
|
Jesse
C. Crawford, Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIMITED PARTNERS:
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUNTRUST
BANK, as Trustee of the Trust U/A James H. Crawford, dated October 14,
1960 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Dameron
Black, III |
|
|
|
Dameron
Black, III, Senior Vice President |
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUNTRUST
BANK, as Trustee of the Trust U/A Virginia C. Crawford, dated December 27,
1989 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Dameron
Black, III |
|
|
|
Dameron
Black, III, Senior Vice President |
|
|
|
|
|
|
SUNTRUST
BANK, as Trustee of The Crawford Family Trust, dated November 20,
1996 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Dameron
Black, III |
|
|
|
Dameron
Black, III, Senior Vice President |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/
Jesse C. Crawford
|
|
|
|
|
JESSE
C. CRAWFORD, Individually and as Trustee of The Crawford Family Trust,
dated November 20, 1996
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EXHIBIT
"A"
Names, Addresses,
Partnership Percentages,
and Current Capital Accounts
of Partners
General
Partner
|
Partnership
Percentage
|
Current
Capital Account
|
Liverpool
II, LLC
c/o
Dameron Black, III
25
Park Place NE, 2nd Floor Tower
Atlanta,
Georgia 30303
|
0.057461%
|
$75,803
|
Limited
Partner
|
Partnership
Percentage
|
Current
Capital Account
|
Trust
U/A James H. Crawford, dated October 14, 1960
c/o
Dameron Black, III
25
Park Place NE, 2nd Floor Tower
Atlanta,
Georgia 30303
|
14.858528%
|
$19,601,710
|
Trustee
of the Trust U/A Virginia C. Crawford, dated December 27,
1989
c/o
Dameron Black, III
25
Park Place NE, 2nd Floor Tower
Atlanta,
Georgia 30303
|
0.876755%
|
$1,156,635
|
The
Crawford Family Trust, dated November 20, 1996
c/o
Dameron Black, III
25
Park Place NE, 2nd Floor Tower
Atlanta,
Georgia 30303
|
69.604172%
|
$91,823,414
|
Jesse
C. Crawford
c/o
Dameron Black, III
25
Park Place NE, 2nd Floor Tower
Atlanta,
Georgia 30303
|
14.603085%
|
$19,264,724
|
EXHIBIT
"B"
FORM
OF
ELECTION
TO RESTORE NEGATIVE CAPITAL ACCOUNT BALANCE
THIS
ELECTION, made and entered into as of the ___day of ___________, ______, by the
undersigned (the "Electing Partner") is effective for the Fiscal Year ending on
________ __, 20__ (the "Effective Fiscal
Year"). (Must
be executed by April 15 of the year following the Effective Fiscal
Year).
The Electing Partner is a Partner of
CRAWFORD PARTNERS, L.P., a Georgia limited partnership (the "Partnership"). In
accordance with Subsection 14.3(d) of that certain Limited Partnership
Agreement, as amended through the date hereof, by and among, ____________
____________ (the "Limited Partnership Agreement") (capitalized terms used but
not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning given them in the Limited
Partnership Agreement), the Electing Partner hereby elects, effective as of the
close of the Effective Fiscal Year, to be obligated to contribute to the
Partnership upon the liquidation of the Electing Partner's Partnership Interest
(within the meaning of Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(g) of the Regulations) an
amount equal to the negative balance in such Partner's Capital Account; provided
however, that in no event shall such obligation exceed _____________
dollars ($_______.00) (the "Maximum DRO Amount"),
all as governed by Subsection 14.3(d) of the Limited Partnership
Agreement.
|
ELECTING
PARTNER:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EXHIBIT
– DO NOT EXECUTE |
|
|
Print
Name: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Read and accepted by the General
Partner on behalf of the Partnership as of the __ day of _________,
______.
|
GENERAL
PARTNER: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
EXHIBIT
– DO NOT EXECUTE |
|
|
Its: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exhibit
D
Joint
Filing Agreement
THIS
AGREEMENT is entered into between Crawford Partners, L.P.("Crawford Partners"),
a Georgia limited partnership, Liverpool II, LLC ("Liverpool"), a Georgia
limited liability company, and Jesse C. Crawford. Pursuant to paragraph (k) of
Rule 13d-1 promulgated under Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (the "1934 Act"), the parties hereto have decided to satisfy their filing
obligations under the 1934 Act by a single joint filing. The
undersigned hereby agree as follows:
1. The
Schedule 13D/A with respect to Crawford & Company, to which this document is
attached, is filed on behalf of each of the undersigned.
2. Each
of the undersigned is responsible for the completeness and accuracy of the
information concerning such person contained therein; provided that each person
is not responsible for the completeness or accuracy of the information
concerning any other person making such filing.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned hereunto set their hands as of the date set
forth below.
Date: September
30, 2008 |
/s/
Jesse C. Crawford |
|
|
JESSE
C. CRAWFORD |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: September
30, 2008 |
LIVERPOOL
II, LLC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Jesse
C. Crawford |
|
|
|
Name:
Jesse C. Crawford |
|
|
|
Title:
Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: September
30, 2008 |
CRAWFORD
PARTNERS, L.P. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Jesse
C. Crawford |
|
|
|
Name:
Liverpool II, LLC |
|
|
|
Title:
General Partner |
|
|
|
By:
Jesse C. Crawford, Chief Executive Officer |
|