Each covenant by Associate contained herein shall be independent and severable from the others, and in the event that any provision of this Agreement should be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein shall not in any way be affected thereby. The presence of a claim or cause of action by Associate against Alliance Data shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement of Associate’s obligations under this Agreement.  Should any provision of this Agreement be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the parties agree to negotiate in good faith a valid, legal and enforceable provision effectuating the original intent of the parties.