Parting with any employee comes with a host of dangers and pitfalls for an employer. These liabilities are increased when the exiting employee holds ownership in or options to own the employer’s company. Especially for smaller businesses, restricting its ownership from departing with employees is essential to continuing to operate smoothly and effectively. But in cases where an employee has unexercised stock options in his or her employer’s company, how can the company ensure that shares of its ownership do not walk out the door with a former manager? A well-crafted severance agreement is the answer.

By taking the extra time to craft a comprehensive severance agreement, rather than an off-the-shelf template, a company can extinguish its former executives’ interest in the company. Because a grant of stock options is a part of the employment contract, it is essential that the severance agreement clearly and unambiguously terminate the employment agreement itself. Recently, in the case of MacDonald v. Jenzabar, Inc., 92 Mass App. Ct. 630 (2018), the Appeals Court for the Commonwealth deemed a former manager’s rights to both unexercised stock options and unclaimed preferred shares in his employer’s company to be extinguished by a broad general release by his employer.

Broad Release Term Specifically Terminating Employment Agreement

Among other provisions the general release at issue provided:

“As a material inducement to the Company to enter into this Agreement, you agree to fully, irrevocably and unconditionally release, acquit and forever discharge the Company…from any and all claims, liabilities, obligations, promises, agreements, damages, causes of action, suits, demands,  losses, debts, and expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees and costs) of any nature whatsoever, known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, arising on or before the date of this Agreement and/or relating to or arising from your employment and your separation from employment with the Company and/or any of the Released Parties, including, without limitation, … any and all claims under the [employment agreement].”

Integration Clause Terminating and Superseding All Previous Agreements

In addition to this general release of claims, the severance agreement contained a merger and integration clause:

“This Agreement constitutes a  single, integrated contract expressing the entire agreement between you and the Company and terminates and supersedes all other oral and written agreements or arrangements; provided, however, that you understand and agree that the terms and provisions of the Confidentiality Agreement are specifically incorporated into this Agreement, and you remain bound by them.”

Stock Options Arise Out of Employment Agreement and Are Extinguished with Its Termination

Because the Court found that the plaintiff’s stock options and preferred shares arose from his prior employment, these provisions were found to be unambiguous and conclusive. Of note, the Court specifically observed that in addition to “generally [extinguishing] any and all agreements, of any nature whatsoever….[it] also expressly extinguishes the employment agreement.” Therefore,  absent any language to the contrary, this contract provision is sufficient to extinguish the employment agreement and consequently the preferred shares and stock options arising therefrom.

Going forward, an employer seeking to extinguish the unvested stocks and stock options in its departing managers, would be advised to consult with an attorney to craft a broad severance agreement with specific reference to the operative agreements relating to employment. Such consultation will allow the employer to restrain the ownership of its business while also crafting exceptions for contracts executed in the employer’s favor. With the right severance agreement, an employer can make sure that its stock stays in-house while continuing to be protected by previously executed non-competes and confidentiality agreements.

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Efforts to conserve an equity plan’s share reserve should begin the day the issuer’s stockholders approve the plan (or share increase), and should continue going forward. Issuers that do not make such efforts tend to face problems relating to dwindling share reserves, including moving to cash-based programs, hiring proxy solicitation firms to garner stockholder support for share increases, and overcoming possible negative reactions from ISS.

The following are some ideas an issuer could use to extend the life of its plan share reserve:¹

• Grant awards that are settled in cash – Depending on the terms of the plan, a cash-settled award may not draw from the share reserve.² An alternative would be settling a portion of the award in shares (e.g., up to target), with any achievement above that settled in cash.

• Grant full value awards like restricted stock or RSUs – Such grants provide greater value to the holder than options or SARs, the latter providing incentive only to the extent the share price exceeds the exercise/strike price, but draw from the share reserve the same as full value awards.³

• Permit net-exercise of stock options – Depending on the terms of the plan, the shares subject to the option that are netted in a net-exercise may not draw from the share reserve. Also, a net-exercise could be helpful to a Section 16 insider to avoid a blackout (i.e., no open market transaction occurs with a net-exercise).⁴

• Amend the plan to permit maximum withholding – A recent change in accounting rules provides that maximum withholding will not result in liability accounting treatment. Depending on the terms of the plan, withholding of shares to cover taxes may not draw from the share reserve.

• Grant stock-settled SARs rather than options – A stock-settled SAR will provide the same economic result as a net-exercised option, but since a SAR is settled in shares with respect to only the excess over the strike price, fewer shares are burned than with a net-exercised option.

• Use inducement awards for new executive-level hires and certain M&A events – The award must be a material inducement to getting the executive/employee to accept the position. If properly structured, these awards can be made outside of the plan and do not require stockholder approval under NYSE or NASDAQ rules.⁵

• Implement an ESOP or ESPP – ESOPs, which are subject to ERISA, do not require stockholder approval under NYSE or NASDAQ rules. Depending upon the structure of an ESPP, stockholder approval may be required.⁶

_{1. Some of these methods involve liberal share counting, which is disfavored by ISS.}

_{2. Liability classification would apply for accounting purposes and settlement in cash will not count towards satisfying any share ownership requirements.}

_{3. This method will not work if the plan contains fungible share counting provisions.}

_{4. However, a net-exercise of an incentive stock option could jeopardize the ISO’s favorable tax treatment.}

_{5. Without stockholder approval, such awards could not qualify for deduction under Section 162(m), if applicable.}

_{6. Broad participation requirements may apply.}

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