AMENDED AND RESTATED SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT
1. Parties. The parties (collectively, the "Parties" and
individually, a "Party") to this Amended and Restated Settlement
Agreement (this "Agreement") are:
(a) Jeremiah W. "Jay" Nixon, Attorney General of the State of
Missouri (the "Attorney General");
(b) The Missouri Department of Insurance and Keith A. Wenzel,
its Director (referred to collectively as the "Department of
Insurance");
(c) Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri ("Blue Cross Blue
Shield"), a Missouri not for profit health services corporation;
and
(d) RightCHOICE Managed Care, Inc. ("RightCHOICE"), a Missouri
for profit general business corporation.
This Agreement amends, restates and supersedes in its entirety
that certain Settlement Agreement between the Parties dated
September 20, 1998, and all amendments thereto.
2. Pending Litigation. A purpose of this Agreement is to
settle certain civil actions. Those actions are:
(a) Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri, Plaintiff v. Jay Angoff,
Director of the Missouri Department of Insurance, the Missouri
Department of Insurance and Jeremiah W. "Jay" Nixon, No. CV196-619CC,
in the Circuit Court of Cole County, Missouri (the
"Purposes Litigation"). The Purposes Litigation arises from a
series of transactions consummated in 1994 (the "1994
Reorganization"). In those transactions, certain assets and
liabilities of Blue Cross Blue Shield were transferred to a newly
formed for-profit subsidiary, RightCHOICE, and a minority
interest in RightCHOICE was sold pursuant to a public stock
offering; and
(b) Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri v. Jay Angoff, Director
of the Missouri Department of Insurance, the Missouri Department
of Insurance and Jeremiah W. "Jay" Nixon, No. 81172, in the
Supreme Court of Missouri (on transfer from Appeal WD 53798, in
the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District) (collectively,
the "Purposes Litigation Appeal").
3. Additional Purposes. Additional purposes of this Agreement include:
(a) Providing that the assets of Blue Cross Blue Shield will be
used in a manner which is consistent with Missouri law and the
history and past purposes of Blue Cross Blue Shield;
(b) Protecting the interests of all those who subscribe to the
indemnity and managed care plans of Blue Cross Blue Shield and
its affiliates, consistent with the contracts that define their
rights and any additional rights that they might have under law;
(c) Providing for the continuation, on the part of a successor
to Blue Cross Blue Shield, of its membership in the national Blue
Cross and Blue Shield Association and rights as a licensee of the
Blue Cross and Blue Shield names and marks;
(d) Fulfilling all duties owed by Blue Cross Blue Shield and its
directors and officers;
(e) Fulfilling all duties owed by RightCHOICE and its directors
and officers to its shareholders; and
(f) Providing for the reorganization of Blue Cross Blue Shield
in accordance with the Missouri General Not For Profit
Corporation Law and the Reorganization Agreement described below.
4. Payment for Public Purpose. On the Closing Date (as defined
in Paragraph 8 below), but prior to and separate from the
implementation of the Reorganization Agreement (as defined
below), Blue Cross Blue Shield shall pay to the Foundation the
amount of $12,780,000 in partial satisfaction of claims by
various parties, including the Attorney General, Department of
Insurance and amici curiae, that Blue Cross Blue Shield has a
public purpose obligation, which amount is to be used by the
Foundation (as defined below) to carry out its stated purposes.
5. Reorganization Agreement. As partial consideration for
their mutual undertakings in this Agreement, promptly following
the dismissal of the Purposes Litigation and Purposes Litigation
Appeal in accordance with paragraph 7 hereof:
(a) the Attorney General and Department of Insurance shall
(1) cause a new Missouri not for profit public benefit
corporation (the "Foundation") to be organized and incorporated
by filing with the Missouri Secretary of State Articles of
Incorporation in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A, causing
Bylaws in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B to be adopted as
the Bylaws of the Foundation, and appointing the initial members
of the Board of Directors of the Foundation, (2) cause a new
Delaware for profit corporation ("New RIT") to be organized and
incorporated by filing with the Secretary of State of Delaware a
Certificate of Incorporation in the form attached hereto as
Exhibit C, causing one share of its common stock to be issued to
the Foundation, and causing Bylaws in the form attached as
Exhibit D to be adopted as the Bylaws of New RIT, (3) cause the
Board of Directors of the Foundation to authorize the Foundation
to execute an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the
"Reorganization Agreement") in the form attached as Exhibit E and
fulfill all obligations and satisfy all conditions thereunder,
and take all other actions as are necessary or appropriate to
consummate the transactions contemplated by the Reorganization
Agreement in accordance with the Reorganization Agreement,
(4) cause the Board of Directors of New RIT to authorize New RIT
to execute the Reorganization Agreement and fulfill all
obligations and satisfy all conditions thereunder, and take all
other actions as are necessary or appropriate to consummate the
transactions contemplated by the Reorganization Agreement in
accordance with the Reorganization Agreement, and (5) cause the
Foundation and New RIT to execute the Reorganization Agreement;
and
(b) Blue Cross Blue Shield and RightCHOICE shall execute the
Reorganization Agreement, and take all other actions necessary or
appropriate to consummate the transactions contemplated by the
Reorganization Agreement in accordance with the Reorganization
Agreement.
The terms of the Reorganization Agreement and other agreements to
be executed in connection therewith control as to the rights of
the parties and steps to be taken thereunder. The Reorganization
Agreement provides for the consummation of a series of
transactions (the "Reorganization") whereby Blue Cross Blue
Shield will be converted into a Missouri for profit general
business corporation, reincorporated in Delaware, and
subsequently merged with RightCHOICE. The Foundation will become
the owner of the same percentage of the issued and outstanding
stock of the resulting entity ("New RightCHOICE") as Blue Cross
Blue Shield owns in RightCHOICE immediately prior to the
Reorganization. The public shareholders of RightCHOICE
immediately prior to the Reorganization will become the owners of
the remainder of the issued and outstanding stock of New
RightCHOICE. Shares of New RightCHOICE owned by the Foundation
will be liquidated over time and the proceeds applied to purposes
stated in the Foundation's charter documents.
6. [This paragraph is intentionally left blank.]
7. Disposition of Litigation. In further consideration of
their mutual undertakings in this Agreement and the Reorganization
Agreement, the Parties shall dispose of certain pending litigation
as follows:
(a) Immediately upon execution of this Agreement, the Parties
who are litigants in the Purposes Litigation shall file in the
Circuit Court of Cole County a Joint Notice of Dismissal (in the
form attached hereto as Exhibit F) of all pending claims in the
Purposes Litigation;
(b) At such later time on or before February 8, 2000 as is
agreed to by the Parties, those Parties who are litigants in the
Purposes Litigation Appeal shall file a joint motion in the
Supreme Court of Missouri in the form attached hereto as
Exhibit F for dismissal of all appeals pending in the Purposes
Litigation Appeal;
(c) No Party shall take any step to prosecute any claim that is
now asserted in the Purposes Litigation or the Purposes
Litigation Appeal so long as this Agreement remains in force and
effect; provided, however, that the undertaking of the Department
of Insurance under this subparagraph is subject to the
limitations of R.S.Mo. section 374.217 (1994) if those limitations
are applicable to that undertaking; and
(d) On the Closing Date, if there remains pending any claims in
the Purposes Litigation or the Purposes Litigation Appeal that
have not already been dismissed, the Parties will stipulate to
the dismissal with prejudice of such claims.
8. Releases in Favor of Blue Cross Blue Shield and RightCHOICE.
In further consideration of their mutual undertakings in this
Agreement and the Reorganization Agreement, the Parties agree to
the releases described in this paragraph. The releases described
in this paragraph shall become effective on the date (referred to
herein as the "Closing Date") after which all of the conditions
precedent to the Reorganization are satisfied or waived and on
which the Reorganization is consummated. Blue Cross Blue Shield
and RightCHOICE will not consummate the Reorganization unless and
until they receive written notice from the Attorney General and
Director of the Department of Insurance that the Sarkis
litigation and legal opinion conditions precedent in Sections
4.01(f) and 4.05(h)(iii), respectively, of the Reorganization
Agreement have been satisfied or waived.
(a) Subject to the exceptions contained in subparagraph 8(e),
the Attorney General and Department of Insurance on behalf of
themselves, their offices, and the State of Missouri
(collectively, "the Paragraph 8 Releasors") release Blue Cross
Blue Shield, RightCHOICE, their respective present and past
affiliated corporations, their successors and assigns, their
present and past directors, officers, agents, employees and
independent contractors (all of whom are collectively referred to
as "the Paragraph 8 Releasees") from any and all claims, causes
of action, liabilities and judgments arising out of or relating
to the 1994 Reorganization or the operation of Blue Cross Blue
Shield from the date of the 1994 Reorganization through April 20,
1998.
(b) Subject to the exceptions contained in subparagraph 8(e),
the Paragraph 8 Releasors release the Paragraph 8 Releasees from
all claims, causes of action, liabilities and judgments that were
asserted or might have been asserted in the Purposes Litigation
and Purposes Litigation Appeal.
(c) Subject to the exceptions contained in subparagraph 8(e),
the Paragraph 8 Releasors release the Paragraph 8 Releasees from
any and all claims, causes of action, liabilities and judgments
arising from or related to the execution and performance of this
Agreement, the Reorganization Agreement, or the consummation of
the Reorganization.
(d) Subject to the exceptions contained in subparagraph 8(e),
the Paragraph 8 Releasors release the Paragraph 8 Releasees from
any and all claims, causes of action, judgments, claims,
disputes, investigations, audits or complaints listed on
Exhibit G attached hereto.
(e) Claims in the following classes are excluded from the
releases given in this paragraph 8:
(i) Any claim by consumers lodged with the Department of
Insurance or the Attorney General;
(ii) Any claims of criminal liability of any kind;
(iii) Any claims of liability from or on account of any
conduct which is finally adjudged to have been knowingly
fraudulent, deliberately dishonest or willful misconduct; and
(iv) Any claim for breach of this Agreement, the Reorganization
Agreement or any other agreement executed by any of the
Paragraph 8 Releasees in connection with the consummation
of the Reorganization.
9. Releases in Favor of the Attorney General and the Department
of Insurance. In further consideration of their mutual
undertakings in this Agreement and the Reorganization Agreement,
the Parties agree to the releases described in this paragraph.
The releases described in this paragraph shall become effective
on the Closing Date.
(a) Subject to the exceptions contained in subparagraph 9(d),
Blue Cross Blue Shield and RightCHOICE, and their respective
affiliated corporations, successors and assigns (collectively,
"the Paragraph 9 Releasors") release the State of Missouri, the
Attorney General, the Department of Insurance and their
respective present and past officers, agents, employees,
independent contractors, affiliates, successors and assigns (all
of whom are collectively referred to as "the Paragraph 9
Releasees") from any and all claims, causes of action,
liabilities and judgments arising out of or relating to actions
taken or statements made by the Attorney General or the
Department of Insurance or their past and present agents,
employees or independent contractors in connection with the 1994
Reorganization.
(b) Subject to the exceptions contained in subparagraph 9(d),
the Paragraph 9 Releasors release the Paragraph 9 Releasees from
all claims, causes of action, liabilities and judgments that were
asserted or might have been asserted in the Purposes Litigation
and Purposes Litigation Appeal.
(c) Subject to the exceptions contained in subparagraph 9(d),
the Paragraph 9 Releasors release the Paragraph 9 Releasees from
any and all claims, causes of action, liabilities and judgments
arising out of or related to the execution and performance of
this Agreement, the Reorganization Agreement, or the consummation
of the Reorganization.
(d) Claims in the following classes are excluded from the
releases given in this paragraph 9:
(i) Any claims of liability from or on account of any conduct
which is finally adjudged to have been knowingly fraudulent,
deliberately dishonest or willful misconduct; and
(ii) Any claim for breach of this Agreement, the Reorganization
Agreement or any other agreement executed by any of the
Paragraph 9 Releasees in connection with the consummation
of the Reorganization.
10. Representation As To Existence of Claims. The Attorney
General and the Department of Insurance represent and warrant
that, on April 20, 1998, except as described on the list which is
attached hereto as Exhibit G and as described in
Paragraph 8(e)(i) above, there were no claims, disputes,
investigations, audits or complaints pending against Blue Cross
Blue Shield, RightCHOICE or any of their affiliates, and to their
knowledge there is no basis for any such claims, disputes,
investigations, audits or complaints. Blue Cross Blue Shield
represents and warrants to the Attorney General and the
Department of Insurance that, except as described on the list
attached hereto as Exhibit H, it had no knowledge as of September
20, 1998, of any pending or threatened claim that will or might
be subject to indemnity from the Foundation under the terms of
the Indemnification Agreement attached as Exhibit K to the
Reorganization Agreement.
11. Termination.
(a) This Agreement shall automatically terminate upon
termination of the Reorganization Agreement for any reason.
(b) This Agreement may be terminated by any Party hereto by
giving written notice to all other Parties in the event the
Closing Date has not occurred on or before December 31, 2000.
(c) This Agreement may be terminated at any time by written
agreement signed by all Parties.
(d) If any Party breaches its obligations under Paragraph 18(k)
hereof, and fails to cure such breach within thirty (30) days
after written notice from any other Party (the "Notifying Party")
describing the alleged breach (or fails to undertake to cure
within such thirty (30) day period and to diligently pursue to
completion such cure as cannot reasonably be completed within the
thirty (30) day time period), the Notifying Party may terminate
this Agreement by giving written notice to all other Parties.
(e) If this Agreement terminates pursuant to subparagraph (a),
or is terminated pursuant to subparagraph (b), subparagraph (c),
or subparagraph (d), the Agreement shall thereafter be void and
have no force or effect.
12. No Admission of Liability. This Agreement is a good faith,
negotiated resolution of disputed claims. Neither the Agreement
nor any act performed or document executed pursuant to or in
furtherance of this Agreement is admissible in any court
proceeding, except those proceedings, if any, leading to judicial
approval of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and
the Reorganization Agreement, and any proceeding brought to
enforce this Agreement or the Reorganization Agreement. No
Party, by signing this Agreement, admits liability or fault, or
admits the validity of any claim made by any other Party or
person with respect to any matter that is the subject of this
Agreement or the Reorganization Agreement.
13. Binding Effect on Successors of Governmental Parties. This
Agreement shall be binding, to the fullest extent permissible
under law, on the State of Missouri, the Attorney General, the
Department of Insurance, their respective offices and
departments, and all of their successors in office. Should the
State of Missouri, any Attorney General of Missouri or the
Department of Insurance take the position at any time that any of
the commitments or undertakings of the State of Missouri, the
Attorney General, or the Department of Insurance hereunder is not
fully valid and enforceable, then Blue Cross Blue Shield,
RightCHOICE, and each of their corporate successors may, at the
sole option of any of them, declare this Agreement and the
Reorganization Agreement void and of no force or effect, in which
event they will be discharged from any further obligations
thereunder, and may take such actions (including but not limited
to the commencement of a judicial proceeding seeking a
declaration of the rights of the parties, injunctive relief, and
the restoration of the status quo prior to the Reorganization) as
are appropriate to rescind this Agreement and the Reorganization,
and restore the Parties to the position that would have applied
had the Reorganization not taken place or this Agreement not been
signed, including the restoration or repayment of all
consideration given or received by any Party, including all
assets received by the Foundation in connection with the
Reorganization. As part of the Reorganization, the Attorney
General and Department of Insurance shall cause the Foundation to
execute an agreement to be bound by the provisions of this
paragraph 13.
14. Approval of Certain Stock Purchases. After consummation of
the Reorganization, New RightCHOICE will have certain options and
rights of first refusal to repurchase its shares from the
Foundation in one or more transactions that may require the prior
approval of the Department of Insurance under applicable law.
The Department of Insurance shall not disapprove any such
transaction unless New RightCHOICE or one of its insurance
subsidiaries licensed in Missouri fails to meet Missouri
regulatory capital and reserve requirements after consummation of
the transaction, or fails to satisfy any other objective criteria
required to be satisfied under Missouri law as a condition to
obtaining approval of the Department of Insurance.
15. Amendments to Charter Documents of the Foundation. From the
date the Foundation is incorporated until the Closing Date, and
thereafter until the Foundation owns less than five percent (5%)
of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of New
RightCHOICE, the Attorney General shall not consent to any
amendment to the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws of the
Foundation if the amendment would increase the influence or
control of any governmental authority or its agents over the
governance of the Foundation over the level of influence and
control provided in the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of
the Foundation attached hereto as Exhibits A and B, respectively.
16. Amendments to Reorganization Agreement. Blue Cross Blue
Shield and RightCHOICE shall not consent to any amendment to the
Reorganization Agreement after it is signed without first
obtaining the written consent of the Attorney General and the
Department of Insurance.
17. Nominating Committee Expenses. The Attorney General and
Department of Insurance will review, approve and then submit to
Blue Cross Blue Shield for payment, in an amount not to exceed
$50,000 in the aggregate, the reasonable and necessary costs
incurred in connection with the search for qualified candidates
to serve on the Foundation Board to be conducted by the
Nominating Committee, and Blue Cross Blue Shield shall pay such
amounts.
18. General Provisions.
(a) Captions contained in this Agreement have been inserted
herein only as a matter of convenience and in no way define,
limit, extend or describe the scope of this Agreement or the
intent of any provision hereof.
(b) This Agreement may be executed by the Parties on any number
of separate counterparts, and all such counterparts so executed
constitute one agreement binding on all the Parties
notwithstanding that all the Parties are not signatories to the
same counterpart.
(c) This Agreement and the Reorganization Agreement, including
all exhibits attached hereto and thereto, constitute the entire
agreement among the Parties pertaining to the subject matter
hereof and supersede all prior agreements, letters of intent,
understandings, negotiations and discussions of the Parties,
whether oral or written.
(d) All of the exhibits attached to this Agreement are material
and integral parts hereof, and are fully incorporated herein by
this reference.
(e) The Parties will execute and deliver such further documents
and do such further acts and things as may be required to carry
out the intent and purpose of this Agreement, including the
execution of all documents necessary to continue existing
standstills of the litigation to be settled by this Agreement,
such standstills to continue until the earlier of the termination
of this Agreement or the Closing Date.
(f) This Agreement and the rights and obligations of the Parties
hereunder are to be governed by and construed and interpreted in
accordance with the laws of the State of Missouri applicable to
contracts made and to be performed wholly within Missouri,
without regard to choice or conflict of laws rules.
(g) Blue Cross Blue Shield and RightCHOICE shall be solely
responsible for payment of all legal, accounting and investment
banking fees and other costs and expenses incurred by them in
connection with this Agreement and the Reorganization and shall
have no responsibility or liability for payment of any fees,
costs or expenses incurred by any other Party.
(h) All notices, consents, requests, demands and other
communications hereunder are to be in writing, and are deemed to
have been duly given or made: (i) when delivered in person;
(ii) three days after deposited in the United States mail, first
class postage prepaid; (iii) in the case of overnight courier
services, one business day after delivery to the overnight
courier service with payment provided; or (iv) in the case of
telecopy or fax, when sent, verification received; in each case
addressed as follows:
If to Blue Cross Blue Shield:
John A. O'Rourke
President and Chief Executive Officer
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri
1831 Chestnut Street
St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2275
Fax: (314) 923-8958
with a copy to:
Joseph D. Lehrer, Esq.
Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.
2000 Equitable Building
10 South Broadway
St. Louis, Missouri 63102-1774
Fax: (314) 241-8624
If to RightCHOICE:
John A. O'Rourke
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
RightCHOICE Managed Care, Inc.
1831 Chestnut Street
St. Louis, Missouri 63103-2275
Fax: (314) 923-8958
with a copy to:
John J. Riffle, Esq.
Lewis, Rice & Fingersh, L.C.
500 North Broadway, Suite 2000
St. Louis, MO 63102
Fax: (314) 612-1349
If to the Attorney General:
Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon
P.O. Box 899
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Fax: (573) 751-0774
If to the Department of Insurance:
Keith A. Wenzel
P.O. Box 690
Jefferson City, MO 65102
Fax: (573) 526-4898
or to such other address as any Party may designate by
notice to the other Parties in accordance with the
terms of this paragraph.
(i) All provisions of this Agreement are binding upon, inure to
the benefit of and are enforceable by or against the Parties and
their respective legal representatives and successors and
assigns.
(j) This Agreement is the product of negotiations and shall be
deemed to have been drafted by all of the Parties. It shall be
construed in accordance with the fair meaning of its terms and
its language shall not be strictly construed against, nor shall
ambiguities be resolved against, any particular Party.
(k) The Parties agree to the following:
(i) that it is their intent to carry out all of the terms of
this Agreement and to consummate the Reorganization; and
(ii) that they shall cooperate to the extent necessary to
effectuate and implement all terms and satisfy all of the
conditions of the Agreement and, with respect to Blue Cross
Blue Shield and RightCHOICE, subject to their fiduciary
obligations, to exercise their best efforts promptly to
accomplish the terms and satisfy the conditions of the
Reorganization Agreement.
(l) The Parties executing this Agreement warrant and represent
that they have the full authority to do so and that they have the
authority to take appropriate action required or permitted to be
taken pursuant to this Agreement to effectuate its terms.
(m) Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as preventing
the Department of Insurance or the Attorney General from taking
regulatory action against Blue Cross Blue Shield, RightCHOICE or
New RightCHOICE based on (1) acts or omissions occurring after
April 20, 1998 that are not covered by the releases described in
Paragraph 8, (2) acts or omissions occurring prior to April 20,
1998 that are not covered by the releases described in
Paragraph 8, and (3) claims described in Paragraph 8(e) of this
Agreement.
[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]
Executed this 6th day of January, 2000.
/s/ Jeremiah W. Nixon
Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon
Attorney General of Missouri
Missouri Department of Insurance
By: /s/ Keith A. Wenzel
Keith A. Wenzel, Director
Director, Missouri Department of Insurance
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri
By: /s/ John A. O'Rourke
John A. O'Rourke, President
RightCHOICE Managed Care, Inc.
By: /s/ John A. O'Rourke
John A. O'Rourke, President and
Chief Executive Officer
LIST OF EXHIBITS
Exhibit A Articles of Incorporation of the Foundation
Exhibit B Bylaws of the Foundation
Exhibit C Certificate of Incorporation of New RIT
Exhibit D Bylaws of New RIT
Exhibit E Agreement and Plan of Reorganization
Exhibit F Joint Notice of Dismissal and Joint Motion to Dismiss
Exhibit G List of Known Claims as of April 20, 1998
Exhibit H List of Claims Prepared by Blue Cross and Blue Shield
of Missouri