respect to an employee benefit plan (a “Covered Person”), whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, trustee, officer, employee or agent, or in any other capacity while serving as a director, trustee, officer, employee or agent, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines (including, without limitation, ERISA excise taxes and penalties) and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred or suffered by such Covered Person in connection with such proceeding if he or she acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonable believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation and, with respect to any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful.
SECTION 7.2 The Corporation shall, to the fullest extent not prohibited by applicable law as it presently exists or may hereafter be amended, pay the expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees) incurred by a Covered Person in defending or otherwise participating in or appearing at any proceeding in advance of its final disposition (including in connection with a proceeding brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification under this Article VII); provided, however, that to the extent required by applicable law, such payment of expenses in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding shall be made only upon receipt of an undertaking by the Covered Person to repay all amounts advanced if it shall be ultimately determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal (hereinafter, a “final adjudication”) that the Covered Person is not entitled to be indemnified under this Article VII or otherwise.
SECTION 7.3 To the extent that a current or former director, trustee or officer of the Corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any threatened, pending, or completed Proceeding referred to in Section 145(a) or (b) of the DGCL, or in defense of any claim, issue, or matter thereof, he or she shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in connection therewith.
SECTION 7.4 The termination of any Proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person seeking indemnification did not act in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful.
SECTION 7.5 The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses conferred upon any current or former director, trustee or officer of the Corporation under this Article VII (whether by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, trustee or officer of the Corporation, or while serving as a director, trustee or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, trustee, officer, trustee, employee or agent of another corporation or of a trust, partnership, joint venture, other enterprise or nonprofit entity, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan) shall be contract rights, shall vest when such person becomes a director, trustee or officer of the Corporation and such rights shall continue as to a Covered Person who has ceased to be a director, trustee, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors and administrators. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Article VII, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses, the Corporation shall indemnify and advance expenses to a Covered Person in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such Covered Person only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board.
9