(10)  Related Party Transactions with Officers and Directors

Chairman Compensation Arrangement

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In December 2019, LMC entered into a new employment arrangement with Gregory B. Maffei, our Chairman.  The arrangement provides for a five year employment term which began on January 1, 2020 and ends December 31, 2024, with an annual base salary of $3 million (with no contracted increase), a one-time cash commitment bonus of $5 million (paid in December 2019), an annual target cash performance bonus of $17 million (with payment subject to the achievement of one or more performance metrics as determined by the applicable company’s Compensation Committee), upfront equity awards and annual equity awards (as described below).

The Chairman was entitled to receive term equity awards with an aggregate GDFV of $90 million (the “Upfront Awards”) which were granted in two equal tranches. The first tranche consisted of time-vested stock options from each of Qurate Retail, LMC, Liberty Broadband and GCI Liberty and time-vested restricted stock units (“RSUs”) from Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. (“Liberty TripAdvisor”) (collectively, the “2019 term awards”) that vested, in each case, on December 31, 2023 (except Liberty TripAdvisor’s award of time-vested RSUs, which vested on December 15, 2023). The second tranche of the Upfront Awards consisted of time-vested stock options from each of LMC, Qurate Retail, Liberty Broadband and GCI Liberty and time-vested RSUs from Liberty TripAdvisor (collectively, the “2020 term awards”) that vest, in each case, on December 31, 2024 (except Liberty TripAdvisor’s award of time-vested RSUs, which vests on December 7, 2024), subject to the Chairman’s continued employment, except under certain circumstances.  

The Chairman is also entitled to receive annual equity award grants with an annual aggregate GDFV of $17.5 million, consisting of time-vested options, performance-based RSUs or a combination of both, at the election of the Chairman.  The annual equity awards are granted directly by Qurate Retail, LMC, Liberty Broadband, Atlanta Braves Holdings, Inc. and Liberty TripAdvisor according to their applicable allocation percentage.  The allocation percentage is determined based on a combination of (1) relative market capitalizations, weighted 50%, and (2) a blended average of historical time allocation on an LMC-wide and Chairman basis, weighted 50%, in each case, absent agreement to the contrary by Qurate Retail, LMC, Liberty Broadband, Atlanta Braves Holdings, Inc. and Liberty TripAdvisor in consultation with the Chairman. The allocation percentage is then adjusted annually and following certain events. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 the allocation percentage for Qurate Retail was 11%, 13% and 17%, respectively. Vesting of any annual performance-based RSUs is subject to the achievement of one or more performance metrics to be approved by the Compensation Committee of the applicable company with respect to its respective allocable portion of the annual performance-based RSUs.

CEO Employment Agreement

On July 12, 2021, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of Qurate Retail approved the Company’s entry into an employment agreement with David Rawlinson II, effective July 12, 2021. Effective October 1, 2021, Mr. Rawlinson began to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of Qurate Retail. Mr. Rawlinson concurrently assumed the same positions with QVC. Mr. Rawlinson joined the Board of Directors effective January 1, 2022.  

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Malone Stock Exchange and Maffei Arrangements

On May 18, 2021, Gregory B. Maffei, the Chairman of the Board and a director of the Company, delivered a written offer (the “Offer”) to John C. Malone, a director of Qurate Retail, to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Series B common stock (“QRTEB”) beneficially owned by Mr. Malone, his wife Leslie Malone and certain trusts for the benefit of Mr. Malone, Mrs. Malone and/or their children (the “Malone Group,” and such shares, the “Subject Shares”) at a per share price of $14.00 payable in cash, securities or such other form of consideration as to which Mr. Maffei and Mr. Malone might mutually agree. The transfer by the Malone Group of the Subject Shares was subject to the terms of that certain call agreement, dated February 9, 1998 (the “Call Agreement”), among Qurate Retail, as successor-in-interest to the assignee of Tele-Communications, Inc., a Delaware corporation, Mr. Malone and Mrs. Malone, which provided Qurate Retail with the right to acquire all, but not less than all, of the Subject Shares at a per share price equal to the lower of (x) the Offer price or (y) 110% of the average closing prices of a share of QRTEA for the 30 consecutive trading days ending on May 17, 2021 (with the price calculated pursuant to clause (y) equal to $13.62 per share (the “Call Price”)) (the “Call Right”). As previously disclosed, on May 18, 2021, Mr. Malone provided written notice to Qurate Retail of his desire to accept the Offer, subject to the approval by the Board of Directors of the Company of the transactions contemplated thereby for purposes of Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, pursuant to the terms of the Call Agreement. However, in the event the Company determined to exercise the Call Right, Mr. Malone indicated a preference for the payment of the per share price in the form of shares of QRTEA such that he would continue to hold a substantial investment in the Company.

On June 2, 2021, Qurate Retail delivered written notice to Mr. Malone to exercise the Call Right and to pay the per share Call Price required by the Call Agreement in shares of QRTEA. On June 3, 2021, the Company and the Malone Group entered into a Stock Exchange Agreement (the “Malone Stock Exchange Agreement”) to effect the closing of the Call Right exercise, pursuant to which the Malone Group transferred to the Company an aggregate of 27,655,931 shares of QRTEB, and in exchange (the “Malone Exchange”), Qurate Retail issued to the Malone Group an aggregate of 30,421,522 shares of QRTEA. Under the terms of the Call Agreement, the aggregate Call Price converts into an equivalent ratio of 1.1 shares of QRTEA for each share of QRTEB with the aggregate number of shares of QRTEA issued to each member of the Malone Group rounded down to the nearest whole share.

On June 3, 2021, the Company, LMC and Mr. Maffei entered into a Waiver Letter and Amendment of Employment Agreement (the “Letter Agreement”), pursuant to which, among other things, Mr. Maffei (x) waived his rights to assert that Qurate Retail’s exercise of the Call Right, the transactions to be consummated pursuant to the Malone Stock Exchange Agreement or the resulting reduction in the Malone Group’s voting power with respect to Qurate Retail (collectively, the “Specified Events”) would constitute a “Change in Control” or “Good Reason,” in each case, as defined in the Executive Employment Agreement, dated as of December 13, 2019, by and between LMC and Mr. Maffei (the “Employment Agreement”), with respect to Qurate Retail, and agreed not to terminate his employment with Qurate Retail for “Good Reason” in connection with or arising out of the Option Cancellation (as defined below) or any of the Specified Events, and (y) consented to the cancellation (the “Option Cancellation”) of stock option awards to purchase shares of QRTEB that had been granted to Mr. Maffei on each of December 24, 2014, and March 31, 2015 for 1,137,228 shares at an exercise price of $16.97 per share, and 197,783 shares at an exercise price of $16.71 per share, respectively. In consideration for the foregoing, pursuant to the Letter Agreement, (i) Mr. Maffei received a grant of 1,101,321 restricted shares of QRTEB that are scheduled to vest, subject to Mr. Maffei’s continued employment with the Company, in two equal tranches on December 10, 2024 and the fifth anniversary of the grant date, subject to earlier vesting under certain circumstances, and (ii) Qurate Retail agreed that the portion of the Annual Equity Awards (as defined in the Employment Agreement) to be granted by Qurate Retail to Mr. Maffei pursuant to Section 4.11 of the Employment Agreement for calendar years 2022, 2023 and 2024 shall be granted with respect to the QRTEB.

Also, on June 3, 2021, the Company and Mr. Maffei also entered into a Stock Exchange Agreement (the “Maffei Stock Exchange Agreement”) pursuant to which, among other things: (i)  Mr. Maffei transferred to Qurate Retail an aggregate of 5,378,308 shares of QRTEA, and in exchange Qurate Retail issued to Mr. Maffei an equivalent number of shares of QRTEB; (ii) Qurate Retail agreed that on the terms and subject to the conditions of the Maffei Stock Exchange Agreement, Mr. Maffei, at his option (during the six-month period following the vesting of the performance-based restricted stock unit award granted to Mr. Maffei on March 10, 2021), may transfer to the Company the number of shares of QRTEA actually received by Mr. Maffei upon vesting of such performance-based restricted stock unit award in exchange for an equivalent number of newly-issued shares of QRTEB (the “Subsequent Exchange”); (iii) Mr. Maffei agreed that until December 31, 2024 (the “Cap Period”), which is also the end of the current term of his employment as set forth in the Employment Agreement, he will not, and will not authorize or permit any of his affiliates that he controls (“Controlled Affiliates”) to, acquire or agree to acquire (or announce publicly an intent to acquire) by purchase or otherwise, beneficial ownership of voting securities of the Company (or direct or indirect rights or options to acquire any such voting securities) if, after giving effect to any such acquisition of securities, the aggregate voting power of the Company’s voting securities beneficially owned by Mr. Maffei and his Controlled Affiliates would exceed 20.0% of the voting power of all of the outstanding voting securities (assuming, for purposes of this calculation that all voting securities beneficially owned by Mr. Maffei which are not outstanding are included in the calculation) (the “Cap”); and (iv) the foregoing transactions by which Mr. Maffei and certain of his related persons became an “interested stockholder” were approved for purposes of Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware. The Cap is subject to certain terms and exceptions, as described in the Maffei Stock Exchange Agreement.  In addition, Mr. Maffei and his Controlled Affiliates may not transfer voting securities of Qurate Retail to any other Controlled Affiliate of Mr. Maffei unless such transferee has agreed to be bound by the terms of the Maffei Stock Exchange Agreement.

Pursuant to the terms of the Maffei Stock Exchange Agreement, on March 25, 2022, Mr. Maffei transferred to the Company an aggregate of 229,022 shares of QRTEA received by Mr. Maffei upon vesting of the performance-based RSU award granted to Mr. Maffei on March 10, 2021 and in exchange, the Company issued to Mr. Maffei an equivalent number of shares of QRTEB. Each share of QRTEB stock is convertible, at the option of the holder, into one share of QRTEA.