Not just in the Valley, and not just in the case of M&A events; generally companies sign agreements with their executives to defend them in the case of lawsuits

Not just in the Valley, and not just in the case of M&A events; generally companies sign agreements with their executives to defend them in the case of lawsuits for actions they take in their professional roles. Often, to avoid conflicts of interests between corporate counsel and individual counsel, this works out as the company paying either directly for lawyers for the company officer, or paying for individual liability insurance.