CRYONIC PET STORAGE AGREEMENT
This agreement is between ________________________________________________________ , currently residing at ______________________________________________________________ ,
(hereinafter referred to as the "Client"), and the Cryonics Institute, a Michigan nonprofit corporation, whose address is 24355 Sorrentino Ct., Clinton Twp., MI 48035 (hereinafter "CI").
This agreement is based on the following recitals.
A. The Client desires to have an animal pet (hereinafter the "Pet") preserved by the process known as cryonic suspension, in the hope of possible treatment and revival at some time in the future.
B. CI engages in the cryonic suspension of individuals after their deaths in the hope of possible future treatment and revival. CI is also willing to apply a similar process to pets.
C. The Client desires that CI cryonically store the Pet and thereafter attempt to revive, repair, and rehabilitate the Pet, according to the terms and conditions set forth herein, and CI is willing to do so.
NOW THEREFORE, the parties hereto, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are acknowledged herein, hereby agree that CI shall cryonically suspend the Pet, and that the Client shall make payment therefor, and that each of the parties shall perform such other tasks as may be required in connection therewith, in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth below.
1. CRYONIC SUSPENSION BY CI
a. CI shall use its best efforts to cryonically suspend the Pet through storage in liquid nitrogen.
b. At such time that CI determines in its good faith judgment that the Pet can be satisfactorily revived and rehabilitated and that the Pet's revival and rehabilitation are economically practical, CI shall use its best efforts to revive and rehabilitate the Pet.
c. Notwithstanding the foregoing, CI's obligations under the Agreement shall at all times be limited by each of the following factors:
(i) CI shall not be responsible for cryonically storing the Pet except at CI's facility in Clinton Twp., Michigan (or such other location at which CI possesses facilities and equipment suitable for cryonically storing the Pet). The responsibility for transporting the Pet's body to Clinton Twp., Michigan or such other location, as indicated by CI, shall rest with the client, and not CI. CI may, at its sole discretion, aid in such transportation, upon payment of a reasonable fee requested by CI therefor.
(ii) The effectiveness of a Pet's cryonic suspension may depend upon the speed with which cryonic suspension of the Pet is begun after the Pet's death, and upon the feasibility of perfusing the Pet with a cryoprotectant solution after suitable preparation. The Client acknowledge that the Pet will be prepared and frozen by themselves or/and a veterinarian after the Pet's death, and sent to CI in dry ice. THE CLIENT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE PET WILL NOT BE PREPARED OR FROZEN IN THE MANNER PREFERRED BY CI. CLIENT UNDERSTANDS THAT THIS MAY HAVE AN ADVERSE IMPACT ON THE POSSIBLE SUCCESS OF THE PET'S CRYONIC SUSPENSION. CI shall not be responsible for any problems relating to the foregoing or resulting in whole or in part from (A) the unavailability of personnel, chemicals, and equipment; (B) the lack of timely notice to CI of the Pet's death, impending death or serious illness or injury; or (C) the Pet's distance from Clinton Twp., Michigan (or other such location at which CI possesses facilities and equipment suitable for cryonically suspending the Pet) and the legal, technical, and practical difficulties in transporting the Pet thereto. The Client acknowledges that CI is a nonprofit organization with limited paid staff, and that CI's efforts in all cases depend on the availability, and voluntary efforts, of its members.
(iii) CI shall not be responsible for any problems relating to the Pet's cryonic suspension or relating to CI's performance of its other duties under this Agreement, arising by reason of any federal, state, or local statutes, regulations, ordinances or governmental or judicial directives.
(iv) CI shall not be responsible for any failure to cryonically store the Pet resulting in whole or in part from the Client's breach of any of her duties under this Agreement, or from the failure of cooperation of the Client's next of kin, family, physician(s), attorney, and heirs or executors, or any medical care facility(s) treating the Pet at or near the time of the Pet's death, where such failure makes or made impractical the timely and adequate cryonic preparation of the Pet.
(v) Any failure by CI to perform its obligations hereunder, which failure results in whole or in part from the occurrence of a contingency beyond CI's reasonable control, and which contingency makes performance hereunder by CI impractical (such contingencies to include, without limitation, fire, strike, act of God, or shortage of materials) is excused, and CI shall be without liability therefor.
(vi) CI's obligations shall otherwise be limited as indicated in other sections of this Agreement.
d. All decisions to be made by CI under this Agreement shall be made by CI in its sole judgment, and CI shall not be liable for the consequences of any such decisions made in good faith, whether or not negligent.
2. PAYMENT
a. The Client shall pay to CI a suspension Fee in the sum of ______________ , in consideration of CI's efforts to cryonically store the Pet hereunder. The full amount of the Suspension Fee shall
be paid to CI at or before the time the Pet is delivered to CI. The full amount of the Suspension Fee shall be nonrefundable.
b. CI and the Client agree:
(i) The funds received by CI in payment for the Suspension Fee shall not be segregated from the general accounts of CI;
(ii) The funds available for the Pet's continuing cryonic storage shall not depend upon the Clients' specific payments to CI (as long as the full amount of the storage fee is paid), except that, in the event of any shortage of funds believed to be adequate to suspend, revive, repair and rehabilitate its patients, CI shall use its funds, as a first priority, to benefit its human patients; and
(iii) This Agreement is not, and shall bear none of the incidents of, a trust. Neither the Clients nor any of their heirs, successors, assigns, estates or agents shall possess any equitable interest in the Suspension Fee after the payment thereof to CI, or in any of the proceeds of CI's investment thereof, and CI shall owe no fiduciary duty to the Clients, or to their heirs, successors, assigns, estates or agents, in respect of this Agreement.
c. The Client's full and complete performance of her duties under this paragraph 2 shall be a condition precedent to CI's performance of its duties under this Agreement.
3. DUTIES OF THE CLIENT
In addition to the performance by the Client of her other duties under this Agreement, the Client agrees that she is responsible to take such action as is indicated below:
a. The Client shall permit CI to perform nondestructive testing on and take non-vital samples from the Pet's body during the process of cryonic suspension.
b. The Client shall execute any releases, consents and other documents provided by CI, and shall include any non-financial provisions in the Client's will or in any trust documents
pertaining to the Pet, as are reasonably required by CI to help effectuate the performance of this Agreement and the cryonic suspension of the Pet.
c. The Client consents to CI's use or dissemination of information regarding the Pet's cryonic suspension according to CI’s sole discretion, and consents to CI's use or dissemination of the Pet's medical history as found necessary or useful, in CI's sole judgment, to the performance by CI of this Agreement.
d. Any failure by the Client or any Related Individual to perform the foregoing duties, which
failure makes the Pet's cryonic suspension impractical, shall relieve CI of its duty to cryonically store the Pet.
4. CONTINGENCIES
a. If at any time the funds possessed by CI do not permit the continued cryonic suspension of the Pet's body in the manner deemed by CI to be most effective, CI shall continue the Pet's cryonic suspension by the use of such alternative methods as it finds reasonably suitable and economically practical, conforming whenever possible to the expressed wishes of the Client. If the funds available do not permit the Pet's continued cryonic suspension by any method judged by CI to be possibly effective, or at such time that CI determines in its best good faith judgment that the Pet's continued cryonic suspension is certainly futile (by reason of lack of funds or otherwise), the Pet's cryonic suspension shall cease, and the Pet's body shall be disposed of by burial or cremation. CI shall not be liable for such termination of the Pet's cryonic storage, provided that CI shall have performed its obligations under this Agreement.
b. If, in CI's best good faith judgment, the cryonic suspension of the Pet is impractical, because of legal problems, interferences by Related Individuals, medical, judicial or administrative
authorities, or otherwise, CI may fail to commence or may cease the Pet's cryonic suspension, the Pet's body shall be disposed of by burial or cremation, and CI shall not be liable therefor.
5. WARRANTIES
CI does not expressly warrant the quality of its efforts under this Agreement, and disclaims and excludes all warranties, express or implied, including all warranties of merchantability or fitness, except that CI promises to use its best efforts to perform its obligations under this Agreement, as limited by the terms hereof. The warranties excluded and disclaimed hereunder include, by way of example and not limitation, the following:
a. CI does not warrant that the Pet's cryonic suspension shall be successful; in particular, CI does not warrant or represent that the Pet can or shall ever be revived or rehabilitated, that the cause of the Pet's death can be reversed, that future social institutions will permit the Pet's revival, or that the methods used to cryonically suspend the Pet will or can be successful. All of these prospects are completely uncertain, and CI and the Client have entered into this Agreement with full knowledge of this uncertainty.
b. Because of the difficulty in evaluating methods of cryonic suspension and storage, CI does not warrant that the method of cryonic storage used with regard to the pet shall be the most advanced or the most effective method available. CI shall not be obligated to use any particular method of cryonic storage, notwithstanding the judgments of any practitioners or commentators as to the superiority of any particular method.
c. CI does not warrant that it shall cryonically treat the Pet with the aid of the most advanced equipment or the most highly trained personnel, but CI shall use the best personnel and equipment whose use is economically practical and which are reasonably available to CI under the circumstances, as determined in CI's best good faith judgment.
d. CI does not warrant that the Pet's cryonic storage is legally valid or will be unimpeded by legal process.
e. CI does not warrant or represent that the amount of the Suspension Fee shall be adequate to pay for the Pet's cryonic storage. The Clients acknowledge that the cost of cryonic storage remains unknown, and CI's calculation of the Suspension Fee represents only CI’s best estimate of the probable cost of cryonic storage (as limited by the provisions of paragraphs 5f and 5g below), using methods of cryonic storage chosen in light of the financial abilities of CI's patients generally.
f. CI does not warrant that it is or shall be capable of reviving or rehabilitating the Pet, or that the suspension Fee is adequate to finance the Pet's revival or rehabilitation. The Clients acknowledge that CI possesses no current plans for the revival or rehabilitation of any of CI's patients, and that CI's calculation of the Suspension Fee does not include any amount set aside
to pay for the Pet's revival or rehabilitation.
g. CI does not warrant that its investment of the portion of the Suspension Fee that will remain after the Pet has been cryonically stored will be sufficient to permit a return on investment equal to the amount of the Pet's maintenance expenses, or that the investment shall otherwise be adequate. The amount of the Suspension Fee is based only on CI’s best estimate of the costs of cryonic storage, the probable return on investment from the unspent portion of the suspension Fee and the probable costs of maintenance. CI's personnel are not financial experts, and CI shall not be liable for any good faith errors in business judgment in making such investments, whether negligent or otherwise.
6. REPRESENTATIONS OF THE CLIENT
a. The Client represents that she:
(i) Understands that cryonic suspension is an unknown, untested process, and that no human being or dog, or any adult vertebrate, has ever been successfully cryonically suspended and revived, and that physical damage (which may be irreversible) will have occurred, and further damage will occur to the Pet's body through the use of current methods of cryonic storage;
(ii) Understand that the success of cryonic suspension depends on future advances in science and technology and that the probability of success is completely unknown;
(iii) Understands that CI is a nonprofit corporation with limited resources;
(iv) Has carefully read and understands the disclaimers of warranty contained in this Agreement;
(v) Has carefully read and understands this Agreement, and has had an opportunity to consult with an attorney regarding the same; and
(vi) Notwithstanding the foregoing, consents to the performance by CI of the Pet's cryonic storage pursuant to this Agreement, and the performance by CI of its obligations under this Agreement, including its obligation to cryonically store the Pet according to CI's sole judgment and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
7. RELEASE
The client agrees to release CI and its officers, directors, employees, servants, delegees and assigns, from all liability, loss, claims, expenses or damage (collectively referred to herein as "losses") resulting from, alleged to result from, or related to the execution or performance of this Agreement or any failures by CI to perform any of its duties hereunder for any reason whatsoever (except that the provisions of paragraph 8c hereof govern the liability of CI for damages to the Pet for breach of this Agreement), provided that CI shall use its best efforts to perform its obligations hereunder.
8. REMEDIES
a. Upon the failure of the Client to pay the full amount of the Suspension Fee according to the terms of paragraph 2 a above, such failure becoming apparent to CI only after CI has cryonically stored the Pet, CI shall, at its sole option, either cease the Pet's cryonic storage (disposing of the Pet's body by burial or cremation), or bring an action in a court of law to recover the unpaid amount of the suspension Fee. If such court action is not successful within a short period of time (such period of time to be determined by CI in its sole good faith judgment), CI may then cease the Pet's cryonic storage. If CI ultimately ceases the Pet's cryonic storage because of the nonpayment, in whole or in part, of the suspension Fee, CI shall be paid liquidated damages by the Client or the Client's estate in the amount of $10,000.00, plus all costs of collection, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs incurred in the prosecution of any lawsuit to recover the Suspension Fee. If CI does not ultimately cease such cryonic storage, CI shall be paid the full amount of the suspension Fee by the Client or the Client's estate, plus all damages suffered as a result of such nonpayment, and all costs of collection, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs.
b. The liquidated damages referred to in the foregoing paragraph are stipulated by the parties hereto because of the difficulty of determining and proving the actual damages suffered by CI as a result of such failures of performance by the Client, and the Client agrees that the dollar amount stipulated above is a reasonable figure for liquidated damages.
c. Upon CI's breach of this Agreement, since any damages resulting therefrom are uncertain and speculative (because of the uncertainty of cryonic suspension), and subject to the limitations of liability contained in the Agreement, the Client agrees that her recovery from CI shall not
exceed the Suspension Fee already paid to CI, less the amount expended by CI in the performance of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, CI shall not be liable to pay any damages under any circumstances whatsoever where such payment will or may endanger the adequacy of the continuing cryonic suspension of other patients of CI.
9. ASSIGNMENT
a. CI may assign and/or delegate part or all of its rights and duties under the Agreement, but only if, after such assignment and/or delegation, CI has substantial assurance that any delegee shall fully perform its obligations under this Agreement. CI shall not be liable for the delegees failures to perform its obligations to the Client.
10. MISCELLANEOUS
a. The invalidity of any paragraph of this Agreement shall void only that section and not the entire Agreement.
b. This Agreement states the entire agreement of the parties hereto and is intended to be the final, complete and exclusive statement of the terms thereof.
c. This Agreement is reasonably related to the state of Michigan, and the rights and obligations of the parties hereunder, and all performance hereunder, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Michigan. Any action brought relating to this Agreement shall be brought in a state or federal court of appropriate jurisdiction located in the County of Oakland, State of Michigan.
d. Any modification or waiver of this Agreement must be made in writing and signed by both parties. CI's failure to declare the Client in default under this Agreement, after a breach thereof, shall not be a waiver of CI's right to later declare such a default.
e. This Agreement shall bind the parties hereto and their agents, successors and assigns, including the Clients' estates and the executors thereof.
f. The headings in this Agreement are for purposes of reference only, and shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning of this Agreement.
g. Whenever the singular number shall appear here, the same shall include the plural, and the neuter, masculine, and feminine forms shall include each other.
h. This Agreement is executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of such counterparts, taken together, shall be deemed an agreement.
i. Any notices required by the terms of this Agreement shall be made to the parties hereto at the following addresses (or such other address as a party shall later indicate):
To CI: Cryonics Institute
24355 Sorrentino Ct.
Clinton Twp., Michigan 48035
With copies to: David Ettinger
2290 First National Building
Detroit, Michigan 48226
To the Client: ______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
11. DEFINITIONS
a. The "Client" is the undersigned party to this Agreement, and shall include, for
purposes of determining the liability of the undersigned after their deaths, the undersigned’s
heirs, estates and/or successors in interest.
b. The "Pet" is the pet dog whose body is the subject of cryonic suspension under this
Agreement.
c. "Cryonic suspension" is the process whereby: After an individual's death, his/her body
is cooled until the body has reached the frozen state; and the body is then maintained in
the frozen state until such time as the individual's revival to life, the repair of his/her body's
diseases and injuries and his/her rehabilitation into the then‑existing society are thought
practical; and then such revival, repair and rehabilitation are attempted.
d. "Cryonic preparation" shall mean those processes used to render the Pet's body into
a state suitable for long‑term preservation, and which may involve some of the processes
indicated in paragraph 11c hereof.
e. The "Suspension Fee" is the amount set forth in section 2a hereof.
f. "Cryonic treatment" includes all processes and procedures incident to cryonic suspension.
g. Cryonic suspension or storage is "impractical" when, in CI's best good faith judgment, the Pet's timely suspension cannot be effected by CI within the economic constraints imposed by the Suspension Fee, or CI faces the significant possibility of substantial liability if it proceeds with the Pet's cryonic storage.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have signed this Agreement, which is
finally executed at Clinton Township, MI.
CRYONICS INSTITUTE: by _______________________________________________________
It’s Contract Officer, dated _________________________________________________________
And the Client/Member __________________________________________________________ Dated__________________________________________________________________________
Subscribed and sworn to before me this _________ day of ________________ , ______________ .
(Signature of Notary Public)________________________________________________________
Name of Notary__________________________________________________________________
County and State_________________________________________________________________
If two witnesses are used instead of a notary, for each witness please show signature, printed name, address, social security number, and date:
Witness #1 Signature _____________________________________________ Date ___________
Printed Name ___________________________________________________________________
Address ________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Witness #2 Signature ____________________________________ Date ____________________
Printed Name ___________________________________________________________________
Address ________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________