Agree Realty Corp 8-K, filed Dec 12, 2024
Agree Realty Corp (ADC)
About this 8-K
Agree Realty Corp filed this 8-K on December 12, 2024, reporting on events of December 6, 2024.
Items reported
- Item 5.03: Charter or bylaw amendment, or fiscal year change
- Item 9.01: Financial statements and exhibits
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of report (Date of
earliest event reported): December 12, 2024 (
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
|
(Commission file number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
|
(Address of principal executive offices) |
(Zip code) |
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code) (
Not applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) | |
| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) | |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) | |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading
Symbol(s) |
Name
of each exchange on which registered |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
| Item 5.03. | Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year. |
On December 6, 2024, the Board of Directors of Agree Realty Corporation, a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), amended and restated the Company’s bylaws (the “Bylaws”) to:
| · | implement proxy access by adding Article I, Section 1.13 of the Bylaws to permit a stockholder (or group of up to 20 stockholders), owning 3% or more of the Company’s common stock continuously for at least three years, to nominate and include in the Company’s proxy materials for an annual meeting of stockholders, a number of director nominees not to exceed the greater of two directors or 20% of the number of directors up for election, provided that the stockholder (or group) and each nominee satisfy the requirements specified in the Bylaws; |
| · | allow the Company’s stockholders to amend the Bylaws (previously a power reserved only for the Board), by a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter; and |
| · | add the requirement that an incumbent director offer to resign following an uncontested election in which the director did not receive support from a majority of votes cast (consistent with the provision included in the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines). |
The amended and restated Bylaws also include other ministerial, clarifying and conforming changes.
The foregoing summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Bylaws, as amended, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 3.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 9.01. | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
| (d) | Exhibits |
| Exhibit | Description |
| 3.1 | Amended and Restated Bylaws of Agree Realty Corporation, dated December 6, 2024. |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document). |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| AGREE REALTY CORPORATION | |||
| By: | /s/ Peter Coughenour | ||
| Name: | Peter Coughenour | ||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer and Secretary | ||
Date: December 12, 2024
Exhibit 3.1
SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS
of
AGREE REALTY CORPORATION
(Amended as of December 6, 2024)
ARTICLE I.
STOCKHOLDERS
SECTION 1.01. Annual Meeting. Agree Realty Corporation, a Maryland corporation (the “Corporation”), shall hold an annual meeting of its stockholders to elect directors and transact any other business within its powers on the date and at the time and place set by the Board of Directors. Except as the charter of the Corporation (the “Charter”) or statute provides otherwise, any business may be considered at an annual meeting without the purpose of the meeting having been specified in the notice. Failure to hold an annual meeting does not invalidate the Corporation’s existence or affect any otherwise valid corporate acts.
SECTION 1.02. Special Meeting.
(a) General. At any time in the interval between annual meetings, a special meeting of the stockholders may be called by the Chairman of the Board or the President or by a majority of the Board of Directors by vote at a meeting or in writing (addressed to the Secretary of the Corporation) with or without a meeting; provided that a special meeting of stockholders shall be called by the President in the event a vacancy occurs on the Board from any cause among the Independent Directors (as defined in the Charter) and is not filled by the directors within 30 days after the vacancy occurs. Subject to subsection (b) of this Section 1.02, a special meeting of stockholders shall also be called by the Secretary of the Corporation upon the written request of stockholders entitled to cast not less than a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at such meeting.
(b) Stockholder Requested Special Meetings.
(1) Any stockholder of record seeking to have stockholders request a special meeting shall, by sending written notice to the Secretary (the “Record Date Request Notice”) by registered mail, return receipt requested, request the Board of Directors to fix a record date to determine the stockholders entitled to request a special meeting (the “Request Record Date”). The Record Date Request Notice shall set forth the purpose of the meeting and the matters proposed to be acted on at it, shall be signed by one or more stockholders of record as of the date of signature (or their agents duly authorized in a writing accompanying the Record Date Request Notice), shall bear the date of signature of each such stockholder (or such agent) and shall set forth all information relating to each such stockholder that must be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of directors in an election contest (even if an election contest is not involved), or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A (or any successor provision) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Upon receiving the Record Date Request Notice, the Board of Directors may fix a Request Record Date. The Request Record Date shall not precede and shall not be more than ten days after the close of business on the date on which the resolution fixing the Request Record Date is adopted by the Board of Directors. If the Board of Directors, within ten days after the date on which a valid Record Date Request Notice is received, fails to adopt a resolution fixing the Request Record Date, the Request Record Date shall be the close of business on the tenth day after the first date on which the Record Date Request Notice is received by the Secretary.
(2) In order for any stockholder to request a special meeting, one or more written requests for a special meeting signed by stockholders of record (or their agents duly authorized in a writing accompanying the request) as of the Request Record Date entitled to cast not less than a majority (the “Special Meeting Percentage”) of all of the votes entitled to be cast at such meeting (the “Special Meeting Request”) shall be delivered to the Secretary. In addition, the Special Meeting Request (a) shall set forth the purpose of the meeting and the matters proposed to be acted on at it (which shall be limited to those lawful matters set forth in the Record Date Request Notice received by the Secretary), (b) shall bear the date of signature of each such stockholder (or such agent) signing the Special Meeting Request, (c) shall set forth the name and address, as they appear in the Corporation’s books, of each stockholder signing such request (or on whose behalf the Special Meeting Request is signed), the class, series and number of all shares of stock of the Corporation which are owned by each such stockholder, and the nominee holder for, and number of, shares owned by such stockholder beneficially but not of record, (d) shall be sent to the Secretary by registered mail, return receipt requested, and (e) shall be received by the Secretary within 60 days after the Request Record Date. Any requesting stockholder (or agent duly authorized in a writing accompanying the revocation or the Special Meeting Request) may revoke his, her or its request for a special meeting at any time by written revocation delivered to the Secretary.
(3) The Secretary shall inform the requesting stockholders of the reasonably estimated cost of preparing and delivering the notice of meeting (including the Corporation’s proxy materials). The Secretary shall not be required to call a special meeting upon stockholder request and such meeting shall not be held unless, in addition to the documents required by paragraph (2) of this Section 1.02(b), the Secretary receives payment of such reasonably estimated cost prior to the mailing of any notice of the meeting.
(4) Except as provided in the next sentence, any special meeting shall be held at such place, date and time as may be designated by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President or Board of Directors, whoever has called the meeting. In the case of any special meeting called by the Secretary upon the request of stockholders (a “Stockholder Requested Meeting”), such meeting shall be held at such place, date and time as may be designated by the Board of Directors; provided, however, that the date of any Stockholder Requested Meeting shall be not more than 90 days after the record date for such meeting (the “Meeting Record Date”); and provided further that if the Board of Directors fails to designate, within ten days after the date that a valid Special Meeting Request is actually received by the Secretary (the “Delivery Date”), a date and time for a Stockholder Requested Meeting, then such meeting shall be held at 2:00 p.m. local time on the 90th day after the Meeting Record Date or, if such 90th day is not a Business Day (as defined below), on the first preceding Business Day; and provided further that in the event that the Board of Directors fails to designate a place for a Stockholder Requested Meeting within ten days after the Delivery Date, then such meeting shall be held at the principal executive office of the Corporation. In fixing a date for any special meeting, the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President or Board of Directors may consider such factors as he, she or it deems relevant within the good faith exercise of business judgment, including, without limitation, the nature of the matters to be considered, the facts and circumstances surrounding any request for the meeting and any plan of the Board of Directors to call an annual meeting or a special meeting. In the case of any Stockholder Requested Meeting, if the Board of Directors fails to fix a Meeting Record Date that is a date within 30 days after the Delivery Date, then the close of business on the 30th day after the Delivery Date shall be the Meeting Record Date. The Board of Directors may revoke the notice for any Stockholder Requested Meeting in the event that the requesting stockholders fail to comply with the provisions of paragraph (3) of this Section 3(b).
2
(5) If written revocations of requests for the special meeting have been delivered to the Secretary and the result is that stockholders of record (or their agents duly authorized in writing), as of the Request Record Date, entitled to cast less than the Special Meeting Percentage have delivered, and not revoked, requests for a special meeting to the Secretary, the Secretary shall: (i) if the notice of meeting has not already been mailed, refrain from mailing the notice of the meeting and send to all requesting stockholders who have not revoked such requests written notice of any revocation of a request for the special meeting, or (ii) if the notice of meeting has been mailed and if the Secretary first sends to all requesting stockholders who have not revoked requests for a special meeting written notice of any revocation of a request for the special meeting and written notice of the Secretary’s intention to revoke the notice of the meeting, revoke the notice of the meeting at any time before ten days before the commencement of the meeting. Any request for a special meeting received after a revocation by the Secretary of a notice of a meeting shall be considered a request for a new special meeting.
(6) The Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President or Board of Directors may appoint regionally or nationally recognized independent inspectors of elections to act as the agent of the Corporation for the purpose of promptly performing a ministerial review of the validity of any purported Special Meeting Request received by the Secretary. For the purpose of permitting the inspectors to perform such review, no such purported request shall be deemed to have been delivered to the Secretary until the earlier of (i) five Business Days after receipt by the Secretary of such purported request and (ii) such date as the independent inspectors certify to the Corporation that the valid requests received by the Secretary represent at least a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of stock that would be entitled to vote at such meeting. Nothing contained in this paragraph (6) shall in any way be construed to suggest or imply that the Corporation or any stockholder shall not be entitled to contest the validity of any request, whether during or after such five Business Day period, or to take any other action (including, without limitation, the commencement, prosecution or defense of any litigation with respect thereto, and the seeking of injunctive relief in such litigation).
(7) For purposes of these Bylaws, “Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in the State of Michigan are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
SECTION 1.03. Place of Meetings. Meetings of stockholders shall be held at such place as is set from time to time by the Board of Directors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of Directors may provide that any or all meetings of the stockholders shall not be held at a place, but instead shall be held partially or solely by means of remote communication.
3
SECTION 1.04. Notice of Meetings; Waiver of Notice. Not less than ten nor more than 90 days before each stockholders’ meeting, the Secretary shall give written notice of the meeting to each stockholder entitled to vote at the meeting and each other stockholder entitled to notice of the meeting. The notice shall state the time and place of the meeting and, if the meeting is a special meeting or notice of the purpose is required by statute, the purpose of the meeting. Notice is given to a stockholder when it is personally delivered to him, left at his residence or usual place of business, mailed to him at his address as it appears on the records of the Corporation or by any other means permitted by Maryland law. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, each person who is entitled to notice waives notice if he or she before or after the meeting signs a waiver of the notice which is filed with the records of stockholders’ meetings, or is present at the meeting in person or by proxy. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be given when deposited in the United States mail addressed to the stockholder at the stockholder’s address as it appears on the records of the Corporation, with postage thereon paid.
SECTION 1.05. Quorum; Voting. Unless any statute or the Charter provides otherwise, at a meeting of stockholders, the presence in person or by proxy of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at the meeting constitutes a quorum. The stockholders present either in person or by proxy, at a meeting which has been duly called and convened, may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough stockholders to leave less than a quorum.
Except as otherwise provided in the Charter with respect to directors to be elected by the holders of any class or series of preferred stock of the Corporation and in these Bylaws with respect to the filling of vacancies on the Board of Directors, each director shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast with respect to such director at any meeting of stockholders duly called and at which a quorum is present and directors are to be elected; provided, however, that the directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at a meeting of the stockholders duly called and at which a quorum is present and directors are to be elected if, in connection with such meeting (i) the Secretary of the Corporation shall have received one or more notices that a stockholder or group of stockholders has nominated or proposes to nominate a person or persons for election as a director, which notice(s) purports to be in compliance with the advance notice requirements set forth in Section 1.12 of these Bylaws or the proxy access requirements set forth in Section 1.13 of these Bylaws, irrespective of whether the Board of Directors thereafter determines that any such notice(s) is not in compliance with such requirements, and (ii) as of the fourteenth (14th) day preceding the date on which notice of such meeting of the stockholders is first mailed or otherwise given in accordance with applicable law to the stockholders of the Corporation, such nomination or proposed nomination has not been withdrawn by such stockholder or group of stockholders and would thereby cause the number of nominees and proposed nominees to exceed the number of directors to be elected at such meeting, as determined by the Secretary of the Corporation, irrespective of whether such nomination or proposed nomination is thereafter withdrawn by such stockholder or group of stockholders (a “Contested Election”). If the directors are to be elected by a plurality of the votes cast pursuant to the provisions of the immediately preceding sentence, stockholders shall not be permitted to vote “against” any one or more nominees but shall only be permitted to vote “for” one or more nominees or withhold their votes with respect to one or more nominees. For purposes hereof, a majority of the votes cast means the number of votes cast “for” a director nominee must exceed the number of votes cast “against” that director nominee, with abstentions and broker non-votes not counted as a vote cast either “for” or “against” that director nominee.
4
If, in any election of directors of the Corporation which is not a Contested Election, an incumbent director does not receive a majority of the votes cast and therefore is not re-elected, such incumbent director shall promptly tender his or her resignation as a director, subject to acceptance thereof by the Board of Directors, for consideration by the Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board of Directors. The Nominating and Governance Committee will promptly consider any such tendered resignation and will make a recommendation to the Board of Directors as to whether such tendered resignation should be accepted or rejected, or whether other action should be taken with respect to such offer to resign. Any incumbent director whose tendered resignation is under consideration may not participate in any deliberation or vote of the Nominating and Governance Committee or the Board of Directors regarding such tendered resignation. The Nominating and Governance Committee and the Board of Directors may consider any factors they deem relevant in deciding whether to accept, reject or take other action with respect to any such tendered resignation. Within ninety (90) days after the date on which certification of the stockholder vote on the election of directors is made, the Board of Directors will publicly disclose its decision and rationale regarding whether to accept, reject or take other action with respect to the tendered resignation in a press release, a periodic or current report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or by other public announcement. If any director’s tendered resignation is not accepted by the Board of Directors, such director will continue to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor is elected and qualified or his or her earlier death, retirement, resignation or removal. If any director’s tendered resignation is accepted by the Board of Directors, then such director will thereupon cease to be a director of the Corporation, and the Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may fill the resulting vacancy under the provisions of the Charter, Section 2.05 of these Bylaws and applicable law or may decrease the size of the Board of Directors pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.02 of these Bylaws.
A majority of all the votes cast at a meeting at which a quorum is present is sufficient to approve any other matter which properly comes before the meeting, unless more than a majority of the votes cast is required by statute, the Charter or these Bylaws.
SECTION 1.06. Adjournments. If a quorum shall not be present at any meeting of the stockholders, the chairman of the meeting shall have the sole power to adjourn the meeting from time to time without further notice to a date not more than 120 days after the original record date. Any business which might have been transacted at the meeting as originally notified may be deferred and transacted at any such adjourned meeting at which a quorum shall be present.
SECTION 1.07. General Right to Voter Proxies. Unless the Charter provides otherwise, each outstanding share of stock, regardless of class, is entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to a vote at a meeting of stockholders. In all elections for directors, each share of stock entitled to vote may be voted for as many individuals as there are directors to be elected and for whose election the share is entitled to be voted. A stockholder may vote the stock he or she owns of record either in person or by written proxy signed by the stockholder or by his or her duly authorized attorney in fact. Unless a proxy provides otherwise, it is not valid more than 11 months after its date.
5
SECTION 1.08. Organization and Conduct. Every meeting of stockholders shall be conducted by an individual appointed by the Board of Directors to be chairman of the meeting or, in the absence of such appointment, by the Chairman of the Board or, in the case of a vacancy in the office or absence of the Chairman of the Board, by one of the following officers present at the meeting: the Vice Chairman of the Board, if there be one, the President, the Vice Presidents in their order of rank and seniority, or, in the absence of such officers, a chairman chosen by the stockholders by the vote of a majority of the votes cast by stockholders present in person or by proxy. The Secretary, or, in the Secretary’s absence, an Assistant Secretary, or in the absence of both the Secretary and Assistant Secretaries, a person appointed by the Board of Directors or, in the absence of such appointment, a person appointed by the chairman of the meeting shall act as Secretary. In the event that the Secretary presides at a meeting of the stockholders, an Assistant Secretary, or in the absence of Assistant Secretaries, an individual appointed by the Board of Directors or the chairman of the meeting, shall record the minutes of the meeting. The order of business and all other matters of procedure at any meeting of stockholders shall be determined by the chairman of the meeting. The chairman of the meeting may prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and take such action as, in the discretion of such chairman, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting, including, without limitation, (a) restricting admission to the time set for the commencement of the meeting; (b) limiting attendance at the meeting to stockholders of record of the Corporation, their duly authorized proxies and other such individuals as the chairman of the meeting may determine; (c) limiting participation at the meeting on any matter to stockholders of record of the Corporation entitled to vote on such matter, their duly authorized proxies and other such individuals as the chairman of the meeting may determine; (d) limiting the time allotted to questions or comments by participants; (e) determining when the polls should be opened and closed; (f) maintaining order and security at the meeting; (g) removing any stockholder or any other individual who refuses to comply with meeting procedures, rules or guidelines as set forth by the chairman of the meeting; and (h) concluding a meeting or recessing or adjourning the meeting to a later date and time and at a place announced at the meeting. Unless otherwise determined by the chairman of the meeting, meetings of stockholders shall not be required to be held in accordance with the rules of parliamentary procedure.
SECTION 1.09. Voting of Stock by Certain Holders. Stock of the Corporation registered in the name of a corporation, partnership, trust or other entity, if entitled to be voted, may be voted by the President or a Vice President, a general partner or trustee thereof, as the case may be, or a proxy appointed by any of the foregoing individuals, unless some other person who has been appointed to vote such stock pursuant to a bylaw or a resolution of the governing body of such corporation or other entity or agreement of the partners of a partnership presents a certified copy of such bylaw, resolution or agreement, in which case such person may vote such stock. Any director or other fiduciary may vote stock registered in his or her name as such fiduciary, either in person or by proxy.
Shares of stock of the Corporation directly or indirectly owned by it shall not be voted at any meeting and shall not be counted in determining the total number of outstanding shares entitled to be voted at any given time, unless they are held by it in a fiduciary capacity, in which case they may be voted and shall be counted in determining the total number of outstanding shares at any given time.
6
The Board of Directors may adopt by resolution a procedure by which a stockholder may certify in writing to the Corporation that any shares of stock registered in the name of the stockholder are held for the account of a specified person other than the stockholder. The resolution shall set forth the class of stockholders who may make the certification, the purpose for which the certification may be made, the form of certification and the information to be contained in it; if the certification is with respect to a record date or closing of the stock transfer books, the time after the record date or closing of the stock transfer books within which the certification must be received by the Corporation; and any other provisions with respect to the procedure which the Board of Directors considers necessary or desirable. On receipt of such certification, the person specified in the certification shall be regarded as, for the purposes set forth in the certification, the stockholder of record of the specified stock in place of the stockholder who makes the certification.
SECTION 1.10. Conduct of Voting. At all meetings of stockholders, unless the voting is conducted by inspectors, the proxies and ballots shall be received, and all questions touching the qualification of voters and the validity of proxies, the acceptance or rejection of votes and procedures for the conduct of business not otherwise specified by these Bylaws, the Charter or law, shall be decided or determined by the chairman of the meeting. The Board of Directors, in advance of any meeting, may, but need not, appoint one or more individual inspectors or one or more entities that designate individuals as inspectors to act at the meeting or any adjournment thereof. If an inspector or inspectors are not appointed, the person presiding at the meeting may, but need not, appoint one or more inspectors. Voting on any question or in any election may be viva voce unless the chairman of the meeting shall order that voting be by ballot.
SECTION 1.11. Telephone Meetings. The Board of Directors or chairman of the meeting may permit stockholders to participate in meetings of the stockholders by means of a conference telephone or other communications equipment by which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time. Participation in a meeting by these means constitute presence in person at the meeting.
SECTION 1.12. Advance Notice of Stockholder Nominees for Director and Other Stockholder Proposals.
(a) Annual Meetings of Stockholders. (1) Nominations of individuals for election to the Board of Directors and the proposal of other business to be considered by the stockholders may be made at an annual meeting of stockholders (i) pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting, (ii) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (iii) by any stockholder of the Corporation who was a stockholder of record both at the time of giving of notice by the stockholder as provided for in this Section 1.12(a) and at the time of the annual meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has complied with this Section 1.12(a).
(2) For nominations or other business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder pursuant to clause (iii) of paragraph (a)(1) of this Section 1.12, the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation and such other business must otherwise be a proper matter for action by the stockholders. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice shall set forth all information required under this Section 1.12 and shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive office of the Corporation not earlier than the 150th day nor later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the 120th day prior to the first anniversary of the date of mailing of the notice for the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting is advanced or delayed by more than 30 days from the first anniversary of the date of the preceding year’s annual meeting, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the 150th day prior to the date of such annual meeting and not later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the later of the 120th day prior to the date of such annual meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made. The public announcement of a postponement or adjournment of an annual meeting shall not commence a new time period for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above.
7
Such stockholder’s notice shall set forth
| (i) | as to each individual whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a director, (A) the name, age, business address and residence address of such individual, (B) the class, series and number of any shares of stock of the Corporation that are beneficially owned by such individual, (C) the date such shares were acquired and the investment intent of such acquisition and (D) all other information relating to such individual that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of directors in an election contest (even if an election contest is not involved), or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A (or any successor provision) under the Exchange Act and the rules thereunder (including such individual’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected); |
| (ii) | as to any other business that the stockholder proposes to bring before the meeting, a description of such business, the reasons for proposing such business at the meeting and any material interest in such business of such stockholder and any Stockholder Associated Person (as defined below), individually or in the aggregate, including any anticipated benefit to the stockholder and the Stockholder Associated Person therefrom; |
| (iii) | as to the stockholder giving the notice and any Stockholder Associated Person, the class, series and number of all shares of stock of the Corporation which are owned by such stockholder and, to the knowledge of such stockholder, by such Stockholder Associated Person, if any, and the nominee holder for, and number of, shares owned beneficially but not of record by such stockholder and by any such Stockholder Associated Person; |
| (iv) | as to the stockholder giving the notice and any Stockholder Associated Person covered by clauses (ii) or (iii) of this paragraph (2) of this Section 1.12(a), the name and address of such stockholder, as they appear on the Corporation’s stock ledger and current name and address, if different, and of such Stockholder Associated Person; and |
| (v) | to the extent known by the stockholder giving the notice, the name and address of any other stockholder supporting the nominee for election or reelection as a director or the proposal of other business on the date of such stockholder’s notice. |
8
(3) Notwithstanding anything in this subsection (a) of this Section 1.12 to the contrary, in the event the Board of Directors increases or decreases the maximum or minimum number of directors in accordance with Article II, Section 2.02 of these Bylaws, and there is no public announcement of such action at least 130 days prior to the first anniversary of the date of mailing of the notice of the preceding year’s annual meeting, a stockholder’s notice required by this Section 1.12 shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if it shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive office of the Corporation not later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the tenth day following the day on which such public announcement is first made by the Corporation.
(4) For purposes of this Section 1.12, “Stockholder Associated Person” of any stockholder shall mean (i) any person controlling, directly or indirectly, or acting in concert with, such stockholder, (ii) any beneficial owner of shares of stock of the Corporation owned of record or beneficially by such stockholder and (iii) any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with such Stockholder Associated Person.
(b) Special Meetings of Stockholders. Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting. Nominations of individuals for election to the Board of Directors may be made at a special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected (i) pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting, (ii) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (iii) provided that the Board of Directors has determined that directors shall be elected at such special meeting, by any stockholder of the Corporation who is a stockholder of record both at the time of giving of notice provided for in this Section 1.12 and at the time of the special meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who complied with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 1.12. In the event the Corporation calls a special meeting of stockholders for the purpose of electing one or more individuals to the Board of Directors, any such stockholder may nominate an individual or individuals (as the case may be) for election as a director as specified in the Corporation’s notice of meeting, if the stockholder’s notice required by paragraph (2) of this Section 1.12(a) shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive office of the Corporation not earlier than the 150th day prior to such special meeting and not later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time on the later of the 120th day prior to such special meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement is first made of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board of Directors to be elected at such meeting. The public announcement of a postponement or adjournment of a special meeting shall not commence a new time period for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above.
(c) General. (1) If information submitted pursuant to this Section 1.12 by any stockholder proposing a nominee for election as a director or any proposal for other business at a meeting of stockholders shall be inaccurate to a material extent, such information may be deemed not to have been provided in accordance with this Section 1.12. Upon written request by the Secretary or the Board of Directors or any committee thereof, any stockholder proposing a nominee for election as a director or any proposal for other business at a meeting of stockholders shall provide, within five Business Days of delivery of such request (or such other period as may be specified in such request), written verification, satisfactory, in the discretion of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof or any authorized officer of the Corporation, to demonstrate the accuracy of any information submitted by the stockholder pursuant to this Section 1.12. If a stockholder fails to provide such written verification within such period, the information as to which written verification was requested maybe deemed not to have been provided in accordance with this Section 1.12.
9
(2) Except as otherwise provided in Section 1.13 of these Bylaws, only such individuals who are nominated in accordance with this Section 1.12 shall be eligible for election by stockholders as directors, and only such business shall be conducted at a meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting in accordance with this Section 1.12. The chairman of the meeting shall have the power to determine whether a nomination or any other business proposed to be brought before the meeting was made or proposed, as the case may be, in accordance with this Section 1.12.
(3) For purposes of this Section 1.12 and Section 1.13 below, (a) the “date of mailing of the notice” shall mean the date of the proxy statement for the solicitation of proxies for election of directors and (b) “public announcement” shall mean disclosure (i) in a press release reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press, Business Wire, PR Newswire or comparable news service or (ii) in a document publicly filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act.
(4) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 1.12, a stockholder shall also comply with all applicable requirements of state law and of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth in this Section 1.12. Nothing in this Section 1.12 shall be deemed to affect any right of a stockholder to request inclusion of a proposal in, nor the right of the Corporation to omit a proposal from, the Corporation’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 (or any successor provision) under the Exchange Act.
SECTION 1.13. Proxy Access.
(a) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these Bylaws, whenever the Board of Directors solicits proxies with respect to the election of directors at an annual meeting of stockholders, subject to the provisions of this Section 1.13, the Corporation shall include in its proxy statement and related additional soliciting materials relating to the election of directors, if any (the “Company Proxy Materials”), pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, in addition to any individuals nominated for election by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, the name, together with the Required Information (as defined below), of any individual nominated for election to the Board of Directors (each such individual being hereinafter referred to as a “Stockholder Nominee”) by a stockholder or group of no more than 20 stockholders that satisfies the requirements of this Section 1.13 (such individual or group, including as the context requires each member thereof, being hereinafter referred to as the “Eligible Stockholder”). For purposes of this Section 1.13, the “Required Information” that the Corporation shall include in the Company Proxy Materials is (1) the information provided to the Secretary of the Corporation concerning the Stockholder Nominee and the Eligible Stockholder that is required to be disclosed in the Company Proxy Materials by the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act and (2) if the Eligible Stockholder so elects, a written statement in support of the Stockholder Nominee’s candidacy, not to exceed 500 words, delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation at the time the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination (as defined below) required by this Section 1.13 is provided (the “Statement”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Section 1.13, the Corporation may omit from the Company Proxy Materials any information or Statement (or portion thereof) that the Board of Directors determines is materially false or misleading, omits to state any material fact necessary in order to make such information or Statement, in light of the circumstances under which it was provided or made, not misleading, or would violate any applicable law or regulation.
10
(b) To be eligible to require the Corporation to include a Stockholder Nominee in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13, an Eligible Stockholder must have Owned (as defined below) at least three percent or more of the shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Corporation outstanding from time to time (the “Required Shares”) continuously for at least three years (the “Minimum Holding Period”) preceding and including the date of submission of the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination in accordance with this Section 1.13 and must continuously Own the Required Shares through the date of such annual meeting (and any postponement or adjournment thereof). For purposes of this Section 1.13, an Eligible Stockholder shall be deemed to “Own” only those outstanding shares of Common Stock as to which the Eligible Stockholder possesses both (1) the full voting and investment rights pertaining to such shares and (2) the full economic interest in (including the opportunity for profit from and risk of loss on) such shares; provided that the number of shares calculated in accordance with clauses (1) and (2) shall not include any shares (i) sold by such Eligible Stockholder or any of its Affiliates (as defined below) in any transaction that has not been settled or closed, including short sales, (ii) borrowed by such Eligible Stockholder or any of its Affiliates for any purpose or purchased by such Eligible Stockholder or any of its Affiliates pursuant to an agreement to resell, (iii) that are subject to any option, warrant, forward contract, swap, contract of sale, other derivative or similar instrument, agreement, arrangement or understanding entered into by such stockholder or any of its Affiliates, whether any such instrument, agreement, arrangement or understanding is to be settled with shares or with cash based on the notional amount or value of outstanding shares of Common Stock, in any such case which instrument, agreement, arrangement or understanding has, or is intended to have, the purpose or effect of (A) reducing in any manner, to any extent or at any time in the future, such Eligible Stockholder’s or its Affiliate’s full right to vote or direct the voting of any such shares and/or (B) hedging, offsetting or altering to any degree any gain or loss arising from the full economic ownership of such shares by such Eligible Stockholder or its Affiliate or (iv) for which the Eligible Stockholder has transferred the right to vote the shares other than by means of a proxy, power of attorney or other instrument or arrangement that is unconditionally revocable at any time by the Eligible Stockholder and that expressly directs the proxy holder to vote at the direction of the stockholder. In addition, an Eligible Stockholder shall be deemed to “Own” shares of Common Stock held in the name of a nominee or other intermediary so long as the stockholder retains the full right to instruct how the shares are voted with respect to the election of directors and possesses the full economic interest in the shares of Common Stock. An Eligible Stockholder’s Ownership of shares of Common Stock shall be deemed to continue during any period in which the Eligible Stockholder has loaned such shares provided that the Eligible Stockholder has the power to recall such loaned shares on five Business Days’ notice and has in fact recalled such loaned shares as of the date of submission of the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination and through the date of the annual meeting of stockholders. For purposes of this Section 1.13, the terms “Owned,” “Owning” and other variations of the word “Own” shall have correlative meanings. Whether outstanding shares of Common Stock are “Owned” for these purposes shall be determined by the Board of Directors. In addition, the term “Affiliate” or “Affiliates” shall have the meaning ascribed thereto under the Exchange Act.
11
(c) To be eligible to require the Corporation to include a Stockholder Nominee in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13, an Eligible Stockholder must provide to the Secretary, in proper form and within the times specified below, (1) a written notice expressly electing to have such Stockholder Nominee included in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13 (a “Notice of Proxy Access Nomination”) and (2) any updates or supplements to such Notice of Proxy Access Nomination. To be timely, the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination must be delivered or mailed to and received by the Secretary at the principal executive office of the Corporation not earlier than the 150th day nor later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the 120th day prior to the first anniversary of the date of the proxy statement for the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting of stockholders is advanced or delayed by more than 30 days from the first anniversary of the date of the preceding year’s annual meeting, to be timely, the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination must be so delivered or mailed to and received by the Secretary not earlier than the 150th day prior to the date of such annual meeting and not later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the later of the 120th day prior to the date of such annual meeting, as originally convened, or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such annual meeting is first made. The public announcement of a postponement or an adjournment of an annual meeting shall not commence a new time for the giving of a Notice of Proxy Access Nomination as described above.
(d) To be in proper form for purposes of this Section 1.13, the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination delivered or mailed to and received by the Secretary shall include the following information:
(1) evidence from one or more securities intermediaries that the Eligible Stockholder has continuously Owned, as of the date of submission of the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination to the Secretary of the Corporation, the Required Shares for the Minimum Holding Period in a form that satisfies the requirements as established by the Securities and Exchange Commission for a stockholder proposal under Rule 14a-8 promulgated under the Exchange Act;
(2) the written agreement of the Eligible Stockholder to provide (i) within five Business Days after the record date for the annual meeting of stockholders (A) evidence from one or more securities intermediaries verifying the Eligible Stockholder’s continuous Ownership of the Required Shares through the close of business on the record date in a form that satisfies the requirements as established by the Securities and Exchange Commission for a stockholder proposal under Rule 14a-8 promulgated under the Exchange Act and (B) a written statement by the Eligible Stockholder that such Eligible Stockholder will continue to Own the Required Shares through the date of such annual meeting (and any postponement or adjournment thereof), and (ii) the updates and supplements to the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination at the times and in the forms required by this Section 1.13;
12
(3) a copy of the Schedule 14N (or any successor form) filed or to be filed with the Commission as required by Rule 14a-18 under the Exchange Act;
(4) information that is the same as would be required to be set forth in a stockholder’s notice of nomination pursuant to Section 1.12, including the written consent of the Stockholder Nominee to being named in the Company Proxy Materials as a nominee;
(5) a written undertaking executed by the Stockholder Nominee (i) that such Stockholder Nominee (A) is not, and will not become, a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Corporation in connection with service or action as a director that has not been disclosed to the Corporation and (B) will serve as a director of the Corporation, for the full term, if elected and (ii) attaching a completed Stockholder Nominee questionnaire (which questionnaire shall be provided by the Corporation, upon request by the Eligible Stockholder, and shall include all information relating to the Stockholder Nominee that would be required to be disclosed in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the election of the Stockholder Nominee as a director in an election contest (even if an election contest is not involved), or would otherwise be required in connection with such solicitation, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A (or any successor provision) under the Exchange Act, or would be required pursuant to the rules of any national securities exchange on which any of the securities of the Corporation (the “Company Securities”) are listed or over-the-counter market on which any Company Securities are traded);
(6) the written agreement of the Stockholder Nominee, upon such Stockholder Nominee’s election, to make such acknowledgments, enter into such agreements and provide such information as the Board of Directors requires of all directors at such time, including, without limitation, agreeing to comply with all applicable publicly disclosed corporate governance, conflict of interest, confidentiality and stock ownership and trading policies and guidelines of the Corporation;
(7) a representation that the Eligible Stockholder (i) acquired the Required Shares in the ordinary course of business and not with the intent to change or influence control of the Corporation, and that neither the Eligible Stockholder nor any Stockholder Nominee being nominated thereby presently has such intent, (ii) has not nominated and will not nominate for election to the Board of Directors at the annual meeting of stockholders (or any postponement or adjournment thereof) any individual other than the Stockholder Nominee(s) included in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13, (iii) has not engaged and will not engage in, and has not been and will not be a participant in another person’s, “solicitation,” within the meaning of Rule 14a-1(l) under the Exchange Act, in support of the election of any individual as a director at the annual meeting (or any postponement or adjournment thereof) other than such Stockholder Nominee(s) or a nominee of the Board of Directors, (iv) has complied, and will comply, with all applicable laws and regulations applicable to solicitations and the use, if any, of soliciting material in connection with the annual meeting, including, without limitation, Rule 14a-9 under the Exchange Act, (v) will not distribute to any stockholder any form of proxy for the annual meeting other than the form distributed by the Corporation and (vi) has not provided and will not provide facts, statements or information in its communications with the Corporation and the stockholders that were not or will not be true, correct and complete in all material respects or which omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make such facts, statements or information, in light of the circumstances under which they were or will be provided, not misleading;
13
(8) a written description of any agreement, arrangement or understanding with, including any commitment or assurance to, any person or entity as to how the Proposed Nominee(s), if elected as a director of the Corporation, will act or vote on any issue or question (the “Voting Commitment”) that the Stockholder Nominee is or will be party to if elected as a director of the Corporation, together with a copy of any such Voting Commitment, if written;
(9) a written undertaking that the Eligible Stockholder (i) assumes all liability stemming from any legal or regulatory violation arising out of communications with the stockholders by the Eligible Stockholder, its Affiliates and associates or their respective agents or representatives, either before or after providing a Notice of Proxy Access Nomination pursuant to this Section 1.13, or out of the facts, statements or information that the Eligible Stockholder or its Stockholder Nominee(s) provided to the Corporation pursuant to this Section 1.13 or otherwise in connection with the inclusion of such Stockholder Nominee(s) in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13, and (ii) indemnifies and holds harmless the Corporation and each of its directors, officers and employees against any liability, loss or damages in connection with any threatened or pending action, suit or proceeding, whether legal, administrative or investigative, against the Corporation or any of its directors, officers or employees arising out of any nomination of a Stockholder Nominee or inclusion of such Stockholder Nominee in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13;
(10) a written description of any compensatory, payment or other agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Corporation under which the Stockholder Nominee is receiving or will receive any direct or indirect compensation, reimbursement or indemnification in connection with service or action as a director, together with a copy of any such agreement, arrangement or understanding if written; and
(11) in the case of the nomination by a group, the designation by all group members of one group member that is authorized to act on behalf of all group members with respect to matters relating to the nomination, including withdrawal of the nomination. The Corporation may also require each Stockholder Nominee and the Eligible Stockholder to furnish such other information (i) as may reasonably be required by the Corporation to determine the eligibility of such Stockholder Nominee to serve as an independent director, (ii) that could be material to a stockholder’s understanding of the independence or lack of independence of such Stockholder Nominee or (iii) as may reasonably be required by the Corporation to determine that the Eligible Stockholder meets the criteria for qualification as an Eligible Stockholder.
(e) To be eligible to require the Corporation to include a Stockholder Nominee in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13, an Eligible Stockholder must further update and supplement the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination, if necessary, so that the information provided or required to be provided in such Notice of Proxy Access Information pursuant to this Section 1.13 shall be true and correct as of the record date for the annual meeting of stockholders and as of the date that is ten Business Days prior to such annual meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof, and such update and supplement (or if no updates or supplements are applicable, a written statement from the Eligible Stockholder that there is no such update or supplement) shall be delivered or mailed to and received by the Secretary at the principal executive office of the Corporation not later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the fifth Business Day after the record date for the meeting (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of the record date) and not later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the eighth Business Day prior to the date of the meeting, if practicable, or, if not practicable, on the first practicable date prior to the meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of ten Business Days prior to the meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof).
14
(f) In the event that any facts, statements or information provided by the Eligible Stockholder or a Stockholder Nominee to the Corporation or the stockholders ceases to be true, correct and complete in all material respects or omits a material fact necessary to make such facts, statements or information, in light of the circumstances under which they were provided, not misleading, the Eligible Stockholder or Stockholder Nominee, as the case may be, shall promptly notify the Secretary of the Corporation of any defect in such previously provided facts, statements or information and of the facts, statements or information required to correct any such defect.
(g) Whenever an Eligible Stockholder consists of a group of more than one stockholder, each provision in this Section 1.13 that requires the Eligible Stockholder to provide any written statements, representations, undertakings, agreements or other instruments or to comply with any other conditions shall be deemed to require each stockholder that is a member of such group to provide such statements, representations, undertakings, agreements or other instruments and to meet such other conditions (which, if applicable, shall apply with respect to the portion of the Required Shares Owned by such stockholder). When an Eligible Stockholder is comprised of a group, a violation of any provision of these Bylaws by any member of the group shall be deemed a violation by the entire group. No person may be a member of more than one group of persons constituting an Eligible Stockholder with respect to any annual meeting of stockholders, and if any person appears as a member of more than one group, it shall be deemed to be a member of the group that owns the greatest aggregate number of shares of the Corporation’s common stock as reflected in the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination, and no shares may be attributed as owned by more than one person constituting an Eligible Stockholder under this Section 1.13. In determining the aggregate number of stockholders in a group, two or more funds that are (1) under common management and investment control, (2) under common management and funded primarily by the same employer (or by a group of related employers that are under common control) or (3) a “group of investment companies,” as such term is defined in Section 12(d)(1)(G)(ii) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (each, a “Qualifying Fund Family”), shall be treated as one stockholder. Not later than the deadline for delivery of the Notice of Proxy Access Nomination pursuant to this Section 1.13, a Qualifying Fund Family whose stock Ownership is counted for purposes of determining whether a stockholder or group of stockholders qualifies as an Eligible Stockholder shall provide to the Secretary such documentation as is reasonably satisfactory to the Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, that demonstrates that the funds comprising the Qualifying Fund Family satisfy the definition thereof.
15
(h) The maximum number of Stockholder Nominees nominated by all Eligible Stockholders and entitled to be included in the Company Proxy Materials with respect to an annual meeting of stockholders shall be no more than the greater of (i) two directors, or (ii) 20% of the number of directors up for election as of the last day on which a Notice of Proxy Access Nomination may be timely delivered pursuant to and in accordance with this Section 1.13 (the “Final Proxy Access Nomination Date”) or, if such percentage is not a whole number, the closest whole number below such percentage; provided that the maximum number of Stockholder Nominees entitled to be included in the Company Proxy Materials with respect to a forthcoming annual meeting of stockholders shall be reduced by the number of individuals who were elected as directors at the immediately preceding or second preceding annual meeting of stockholders after inclusion in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13 and whom the Board of Directors nominates for re-election at such forthcoming annual meeting of stockholders. In the event that one or more vacancies for any reason occur on the Board of Directors after the Final Proxy Access Nomination Date but before the date of the annual meeting of stockholders and the Board of Directors elects to reduce the size of the Board of Directors in connection therewith, the maximum number of Stockholder Nominees eligible for inclusion in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13 shall be calculated based on the number of directors serving as so reduced. Any individual nominated by an Eligible Stockholder for inclusion in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13 whose nomination is subsequently withdrawn or whom the Board of Directors decides to nominate for election to the Board of Directors shall be counted as one of the Stockholder Nominees for purposes of determining when the maximum number of Stockholder Nominees eligible for inclusion in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13 has been reached. Any Eligible Stockholder submitting more than one Stockholder Nominee for inclusion in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13 shall rank such Stockholder Nominees based on the order that the Eligible Stockholder desires such Stockholder Nominees be selected for inclusion in the Company Proxy Materials in the event that the total number of Stockholder Nominees submitted by Eligible Stockholders pursuant to this Section 1.13 exceeds the maximum number of Stockholder Nominees eligible for inclusion in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13(h). In the event the number of Stockholder Nominees submitted by Eligible Stockholders pursuant to this Section 1.13 exceeds the maximum number of nominees eligible for inclusion in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13(h), the highest-ranking Stockholder Nominee from each Eligible Stockholder pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be selected for inclusion in the Company Proxy Materials until the maximum number is reached, proceeding in order of the number of shares of Common Stock (largest to smallest) disclosed as Owned by each Eligible Stockholder in the applicable Notice of Proxy Access Nomination submitted to the Secretary of the Corporation. If the maximum number is not reached after the highest-ranking Stockholder Nominee from each Eligible Stockholder has been selected, this selection process shall continue as many times as necessary, following the same order each time, until the maximum number is reached. The Stockholder Nominees so selected in accordance with this Section 1.13(h) shall be the only Stockholder Nominees entitled to be included in the Company Proxy Materials and, following such selection, if the Stockholder Nominees so selected are not included in the Company Proxy Materials or are not submitted for election for any reason (other than the failure of the Corporation to comply with this Section 1.13), no other Stockholder Nominees shall be included in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13.
16
(i) The Corporation shall not be required to include, pursuant to this Section 1.13, a Stockholder Nominee in the Company Proxy Materials for any annual meeting of stockholders (1) for which meeting the Secretary of the Corporation receives a notice that the Eligible Stockholder or any other stockholder has nominated one or more individuals for election to the Board of Directors pursuant to the advance notice requirements for proposed nominees set forth in Section 1.12, (2) if the Eligible Stockholder who has nominated such Stockholder Nominee has engaged in or is currently engaged in, or has been or is a participant in another person’s, “solicitation,” within the meaning of Rule 14a-1(l) under the Exchange Act, in support of the election of any individual as a director at the annual meeting other than its Stockholder Nominee(s) or a nominee of the Board of Directors, (3) if such Stockholder Nominee would not qualify as an independent director, (4) if the election of such Stockholder Nominee as a director would cause the Corporation to fail to comply with these Bylaws, the charter of the Corporation, the rules and listing standards of any national securities exchange on which any Company Securities are listed or over-the-counter market on which any Company Securities are traded, or any applicable state or federal law, rule or regulation, (5) if such Stockholder Nominee is or has been, within the past three years, an officer or director of a competitor, as defined in Section 8 of the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914, as amended, (6) if such Stockholder Nominee is a defendant in or named subject of a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and other minor offenses) or has been convicted or has pleaded nolo contendere in such a criminal proceeding within the past ten years, (7) if such Stockholder Nominee is subject to any order of the type specified in Rule 506(d) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (8) if the Eligible Stockholder who has nominated such Stockholder Nominee or such Stockholder Nominee provides any facts, statements or information to the Corporation pursuant to this Section 1.13 that is not true, correct and complete in all material respects or that omits a material fact necessary to make such facts, statements or information, in light of the circumstances in which they were provided, not misleading, or that otherwise contravenes any of the agreements, representations or undertakings made by such Eligible Stockholder or Stockholder Nominee pursuant to this Section 1.13 or (9) if the Eligible Stockholder who has nominated such Stockholder Nominee or such Stockholder Nominee fails to comply with any of its obligations pursuant to this Section 1.13, in each instance as determined by the Board of Directors, in its sole discretion.
(j) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, the Board of Directors or the officer of the Corporation presiding at an annual meeting shall declare a nomination by an Eligible Stockholder to be invalid, and such nomination shall be disregarded notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by the Corporation, if (1) the Stockholder Nominee(s) and/or the applicable Eligible Stockholder shall have failed to comply with its or their obligations under this Section 1.13, as determined by the Board of Directors or such officer, or (2) the Eligible Stockholder, or a qualified representative thereof, does not appear at the annual meeting of stockholders to present the nomination of the Stockholder Nominee(s) included in the Company Proxy Materials pursuant to this Section 1.13. For purposes of this Section 1.13(j), to be considered a qualified representative of a stockholder, a person must be a duly authorized officer, manager or partner of such stockholder or must be authorized by a writing executed by such stockholder or an electronic transmission delivered by such stockholder to act for such stockholder as its proxy at the annual meeting of stockholders and such person must produce such writing or electronic transmission, or a reliable reproduction thereof, at such annual meeting.
17
(k) Any Stockholder Nominee who is included in the Company Proxy Materials for an annual meeting of stockholders but either (1) withdraws from or becomes ineligible or unavailable for election to the Board of Directors at such annual meeting or (2) does not receive a number of “for” votes equal to at least 25% of the number of votes cast by stockholders in the election of such Stockholder Nominee at such annual meeting shall be ineligible for inclusion in the Company Proxy Materials as a Stockholder Nominee pursuant to this Section 1.13 for the next two annual meetings of stockholders. For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 1.13(k) shall not prevent any stockholder from nominating any individual to the Board of Directors pursuant to and in accordance with Section 1.12.
(l) This Section 1.13 provides the exclusive method for a stockholder to require the Corporation to include nominee(s) for election to the Board of Directors in the Company Proxy Materials, except to the extent the Company would be required to include a stockholder’s nominees on the Company’s proxy card, pursuant to Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act.
ARTICLE II.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
SECTION 2.01. Function of Directors. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed under the direction of its Board of Directors. All powers of the Corporation may be exercised by or under authority of the Board of Directors, except as conferred on or reserved to the stockholders by statute or by the Charter or Bylaws.
SECTION 2.02. Number of Directors. The Corporation shall have at least three directors. The Corporation shall have the number of directors provided in the Charter until changed as herein provided. A majority of the entire Board of Directors may alter the number of directors set by the Charter to not exceeding 15 nor less than three, but the action may not affect the tenure of office of any director. At least a majority of the directors shall be Independent Directors.
SECTION 2.03. Election and Tenure of Directors. The directors shall be divided into three classes as nearly equal in number as possible. At each successive annual meeting of stockholders, the holders of stock present in person or by proxy at such meeting and entitled to vote thereat shall elect members of each successive class to serve for three year terms and until their successors are elected and qualify. If the number of directors is changed, any increase or decrease shall be apportioned among the classes so as to maintain the number of directors in each class as nearly equal as possible, and any additional director of any class shall, subject to Section 2.05, hold office for a term that shall coincide with the remaining term of that class, but in no case shall a decrease in the number of directors shorten the term of any incumbent director.
SECTION 2.04. Removal of Directors. Any director or the entire Board of Directors may be removed only in accordance with the provisions of the Charter.
SECTION 2.05. Vacancy on Board. Subject to the rights of the holders of any class of stock separately entitled to elect one or more directors, the stockholders may elect a successor to fill a vacancy on the Board of Directors which results from the removal of a director. A director elected by the stockholders to fill a vacancy which results from the removal of a director serves for the balance of the term of the removed director. Subject to the rights of the holders of any class of stock separately entitled to elect one or more directors, a majority of the remaining directors, whether or not sufficient to constitute a quorum, may fill a vacancy on the Board of Directors which results from any cause except an increase in the number of directors, and a majority of the entire Board of Directors may fill a vacancy which results from an increase in the number of directors. A director elected by the Board of Directors to fill a vacancy serves until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until his successor is elected and qualifies.
18
SECTION 2.06. Regular Meetings. After each meeting of stockholders at which directors shall have been elected, the Board of Directors shall meet as soon as practicable for the purpose of organization and the transaction of other business. In the event that no other time and place are specified by resolution of the Board, the President or the Chairman, with notice in accordance with Section 2.08, the Board of Directors shall meet immediately following the close of, and at the place of, such stockholders’ meeting. Any other regular meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held on such date and at any place as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may provide, by resolution, the time and place for the holding of regular meetings of the Board of Directors without other notice than such resolution.
SECTION 2.07. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called at any time by the Chairman of the Board or the President or by a majority of the Board of Directors then in office by vote at a meeting, or in writing with or without a meeting. A special meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held on such date and at any place as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors. In the absence of designation such meeting shall be held at such place as may be designated in the call. The Board of Directors may provide, by resolution, the time and place for the holding of special meetings of the Board of Directors without other notice than such resolution.
SECTION 2.08. Notice of Meeting. Except as provided in Section 2.06, the Secretary shall give notice to each director of each regular and special meeting of the Board of Directors. The notice shall state the time and place of the meeting. Notice is given to a director when it is delivered personally to him, left at his residence or usual place of business, or sent by electronic mail, facsimile transmission or telephone, at least 24 hours before the time of the meeting or, in the alternative by mail to his address as it shall appear on the records of the Corporation, at least 72 hours before the time of the meeting. Telephone notice shall be deemed to be given when the director or his or her agent is personally given such notice in a telephone call to which the director or his or her agent is a party. Electronic mail notice shall be deemed to be given upon transmission of the message to the electronic mail address given to the Corporation by the director. Facsimile transmission notice shall be deemed to be given upon completion of the transmission of the message to the number given to the Corporation by the director and receipt of a completed answer-back indicating receipt. Notice by United States mail shall be deemed to be given when deposited in the United States mail properly addressed, with postage thereon prepaid. Unless the Bylaws or a resolution of the Board of Directors provides otherwise, the notice need not state the business to be transacted at or the purposes of any regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors. No notice of any meeting of the Board of Directors need be given to any director who attends except where a director attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened, or to any director who, in writing executed and filed with the records of the meeting either before or after the holding hereof, waives such notice. Any meeting of the Board of Directors, regular or special, may adjourn from time to time to reconvene at the same or some other place, and no notice need be given of any such adjourned meeting other than by announcement.
19
SECTION 2.09. Action by Directors. Unless statute or the Charter or Bylaws requires a greater proportion, the action of a majority of the directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present is action of the Board of Directors. A majority of the entire Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The directors present at a meeting which has been duly called and convened may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough directors to leave less than a quorum. In the absence of a quorum, the directors present by majority vote and without notice other than by announcement may adjourn the meeting from time to time until a quorum shall attend. At any such adjourned meeting at which a quorum shall be present, any business may be transacted which might have been transacted at the meeting as originally notified.
SECTION 2.10. Consent by Directors without a Meeting. Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Board of Directors may be taken without a meeting, if a consent in writing or by electronic transmission to such action is given by each member of the Board of Directors and filed in paper or electronic form with the minutes of proceedings of the Board of Directors.
SECTION 2.11. Meeting by Conference Telephone. Members of the Board of Directors may participate in a meeting by means of a conference telephone or similar communications equipment if all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time. Participation in a meeting by these means constitutes presence in person at a meeting.
SECTION 2.12. Compensation. By resolution of the Board of Directors a fixed sum and expenses, if any, for attendance at each regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors or of committees thereof, and other compensation for their services as such or on committees of the Board of Directors, may be paid to directors. Directors who are full-time employees of the Corporation need not be paid for attendance at meetings of the board or committees thereof for which fees are paid to other directors. A director who serves the Corporation in any other capacity also may receive compensation for such other services, pursuant to a resolution of the directors.
SECTION 2.13. Loss of Deposits. No director shall be liable for any loss which may occur by reason of the failure of any bank, trust company, savings and loan association, or other institution with whom moneys or stock of the Corporation have been deposited.
SECTION 2.14. Surety Bonds. Unless required by law, no director shall be obligated to give any bond or surety or other security for the performance of any of his or her duties.
SECTION 2.15. Organization. At each meeting of the Board of Directors, the Chairman of the Board or, in the absence of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman of the Board, if any, shall act as chairman of the meeting. In the absence of both the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or in the absence of the Chief Executive Officer, the President or in the absence of the President, a director chosen by a majority of the directors present, shall act as chairman of the meeting. The Secretary or, in his or her absence, an Assistant Secretary of the Corporation, or in the absence of the Secretary and all Assistant Secretaries, a person appointed by the Chairman, shall act as Secretary of the meeting.
20
SECTION 2.16. Ratification. The Board of Directors or the stockholders may ratify and make binding on the Corporation any action or inaction by the Corporation or its officers to the extent that the Board of Directors or the stockholders could have originally authorized the matter. Moreover, any action or inaction questioned in any stockholders’ derivative proceeding or any other proceeding on the ground of lack of authority, defective or irregular execution, adverse interest of a director, officer or stockholder, non-disclosure, miscomputation, the application of improper principles or practices of accounting, or otherwise, may be ratified, before or after judgment, by the Board of Directors or by the stockholders, and if so ratified, shall have the same force and effect as if the questioned action or inaction had been originally duly authorized, and such ratification shall be binding upon the Corporation and its stockholders and shall constitute a bar to any claim or execution of any judgment in respect of such questioned action or inaction.
ARTICLE III.
COMMITTEES
SECTION 3.01. Committees. The Board of Directors may appoint from among its members an Executive Committee, an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, a Nominating Committee and other committees composed of one or more directors and delegate to these committees any of the powers of the Board of Directors, except as prohibited by law.
If the Board of Directors has given general authorization for the issuance of stock, a committee of the Board, in accordance with a general formula or method specified by the Board by resolution or by adoption of a stock option or other plan, may fix the terms of stock subject to classification or reclassification and the terms on which any stock may be issued, including all terms and conditions required or permitted to be established or authorized by the Board of Directors.
SECTION 3.02. Committee Procedure. Each committee may fix rules of procedure for its business. Notice of committee meetings shall be given in the same manner as notice for special meetings of the Board of Directors. A majority of the members of a committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business and the act of a majority of those present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the committee. The members of a committee present at any meeting, whether or not they constitute a quorum, may appoint a director to act in the place of an absent member.
SECTION 3.03. Consent by Committees Without a Meeting. Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of a committee of the Board of Directors may be taken without a meeting, if a consent in writing or by electronic transmission to such action is given by each member of the committee and filed in paper or electronic form with the minutes of the committee.
SECTION 3.04. Telephone Meetings. Members of a committee of the Board of Directors may participate in a meeting by means of a conference telephone or other communications equipment if all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time. Participation in a meeting by these means shall constitute presence in person at the meeting.
SECTION 3.05. Emergency. In the event of a state of disaster of sufficient severity to prevent the conduct and management of the affairs and business of the Corporation by its directors and officers as contemplated by the Charter and the Bylaws, any two or more available members of the then incumbent Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum of that Committee for the full conduct and management of the affairs and business of the Corporation in accordance with the provisions of Section 3.01. In the event of the unavailability, at such time, of a minimum of two members of the then incumbent Executive Committee, the available directors shall elect an Executive Committee consisting of any two members of the Board of Directors, whether or not they be officers of the Corporation, which two members shall constitute the Executive Committee for the full conduct and management of the affairs of the Corporation in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this Section. This Section shall be subject to implementation by resolution of the Board of Directors passed from time to time for that purpose, and any provisions of the Bylaws (other than this Section) and any resolutions which are contrary to the provisions of this Section or to the provisions of any such implementary resolutions shall be suspended until it shall be determined by any interim Executive Committee acting under this Section that it shall be to the advantage of the Corporation to resume the conduct and management of its affairs and business under all the other provisions of the Bylaws.
21
SECTION 3.06. Vacancies. Subject to the provisions hereof, the Board of Directors shall have the power at any time to change the membership of any committee, to fill all vacancies, to designate alternate members to replace any absent or disqualified member or to dissolve any such committee.
ARTICLE IV.
OFFICERS
SECTION 4.01. Executive and Other Officers. The Corporation shall have a President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The Corporation may also have a Chairman of the Board, one or more Vice-Presidents, assistant officers, and subordinate officers as may be established by the Board of Directors. A person may hold more than one office in the Corporation except that no person may serve concurrently as both President and Vice-President of the Corporation. The Chairman of the Board shall be a director; the other officers may be directors. The Board of Directors shall designate who shall serve as chief executive officer, who shall have general supervision of the business and affairs of the Corporation, and may designate a chief operating officer, who shall have supervision of the operations of the Corporation. In the absence of any designation the Chairman of the Board, if there be one, shall serve as chief executive officer and the President shall serve as chief operating officer. In the absence of the Chairman of the Board, or if there be none, the President shall be the chief executive officer.
SECTION 4.02. Chief Executive Officer. The Board of Directors may designate a Chief Executive Officer. In the absence of such designation, the Chairman of the Board shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation. The Chief Executive Officer shall have general responsibility for implementation of the policies of the Corporation, as determined by the Board of Directors, and for the management of the business and affairs of the Corporation. He or she may execute any deed, mortgage, bond, contract or other instrument, except in cases where the execution thereof shall be expressly delegated by the Board of Directors or by these Bylaws to some other officer or agent of the Corporation or shall be required by law to be otherwise executed; and in general shall perform all duties incident to the office of Chief Executive Officer and such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors from time to time.
22
SECTION 4.03. Chief Operating Officer. The Board of Directors may designate a Chief Operating Officer. The Chief Operating Officer shall have the responsibilities and duties as set forth by the Board of Directors or the Chief Executive Officer.
SECTION 4.04. Chief Financial Officer. The Board of Directors may designate a Chief Financial Officer. The Chief Financial Officer shall have the responsibilities and duties as set forth by the Board of Directors or the Chief Executive Officer.
SECTION 4.05. Chairman of the Board. The Chairman of the Board, if one be elected, shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and of the stockholders at which he or she shall be present. Unless otherwise specified by the Board of Directors, he or she shall be the chief executive officer of the Corporation and perform the duties customarily performed by chief executive officers, and may perform any duties of the President. In general, the Chairman of the Board shall perform all such duties as are from time to time assigned to him or her by the Board of Directors.
SECTION 4.06. Executive Chairman of the Board. The Board of Directors may designate an Executive Chairman of the Board. The Executive Chairman of the Board shall have all powers commonly incident to such position or that are or from time to time may be delegated to him by the Board of Directors or that are or may at any time be authorized or required by law.
SECTION 4.07. President. Unless otherwise specified by the Board of Directors, the President shall be the chief operating officer of the Corporation and perform the duties customarily performed by a chief operating officer of a corporation. If no chief executive officer is appointed, he or she shall also serve as the chief executive officer of the Corporation. The President may sign and execute, in the name of the Corporation, all authorized deeds, mortgages, bonds, contracts or other instruments, except in cases in which the signing and execution thereof shall have been expressly delegated to some other officer or agent of the Corporation. In general, he or she shall perform such other duties usually performed by a president of a corporation and such other duties as are from time to time assigned to him or her by the Board of Directors or the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation. Unless otherwise provided by resolution of the Board of Directors, the President, in the absence of the Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer, shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and of the stockholders at which he or she shall be present.
SECTION 4.08. Vice-Presidents. The Vice-President or Vice-Presidents, at the request of the chief executive officer or the President, or in the President’s absence or during his inability to act, shall perform the duties and exercise the functions of the President, and when so acting shall have the powers of the President. If there be more than one Vice-President, the Board of Directors may determine which one or more of the Vice-Presidents shall perform any of such duties or exercise any of such functions, or if such determination is not made by the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, or the President may make such determination; otherwise any of the Vice-Presidents may perform any of such duties or exercise any of such functions. The Vice-President or Vice-Presidents shall have such other powers and perform such other duties, and have such additional descriptive designations in their titles (if any), as are from time to time assigned to them by the Board of Directors, the chief executive officer, or the President.
23
SECTION 4.09. Secretary. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the meetings of the stockholders, of the Board of Directors and of any committees, in books provided for the purpose; he or she shall see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of the Bylaws or as required by law; he or she shall be custodian of the records of the Corporation; he or she may witness any document on behalf of the Corporation, the execution of which is duly authorized, see that the corporate seal is affixed where such document is required or desired to be under its seal, and, when so affixed, may attest the same; and, in general, the Secretary shall perform all duties incident to the office of a secretary of a corporation, and such other duties as are from time to time assigned to him or her by the Board of Directors, the chief executive officer, or the President.
SECTION 4.10. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have charge of and be responsible for all funds, securities, receipts and disbursements of the Corporation, and shall deposit, or cause to be deposited, in the name of the Corporation, all moneys or other valuable effects in such banks, trust companies or other depositories as shall, from time to time, be selected by the Board of Directors; he or she shall render to the President and to the Board of Directors, whenever requested, an account of the financial condition of the Corporation; and, in general, the Treasurer shall perform all the duties incident to the office of a treasurer of a corporation, and such other duties as are from time to time assigned to him or her by the Board of Directors, the chief executive officer, or the President.
SECTION 4.11. Assistant and Subordinate Officers. The assistant and subordinate officers of the Corporation are all officers below the office of Vice-President, Secretary, or Treasurer. The assistant or subordinate officers shall have such duties as are from time to time assigned to them by the Board of Directors, the chief executive officer, or the President.
SECTION 4.12. Election, Tenure and Removal of Officers. The Board of Directors shall elect the officers. The Board of Directors may from time to time authorize any committee or officer to appoint assistant and subordinate officers. Election or appointment of an officer, employee or agent shall not of itself create contract rights. All officers shall be appointed to hold their offices, respectively, during the pleasure of the Board. The Board of Directors (or, as to any assistant or subordinate officer, any committee or officer authorized by the Board) may remove an officer at any time. The removal of an officer does not prejudice any of his contract rights. The Board of Directors (or, as to any assistant or subordinate officer, any committee or officer authorized by the Board) may fill a vacancy which occurs in any office for the unexpired portion of the term.
SECTION 4.13. Compensation. The Board of Directors shall have power to fix the salaries and other compensation and remuneration, of whatever kind, of all officers of the Corporation. No officer shall be prevented from receiving such salary by reason of the fact that he or she is also a director of the Corporation. The Board of Directors may authorize any committee or officer, upon whom the power of appointing assistant and subordinate officers may have been conferred, to fix the salaries, compensation and remuneration of such assistant and subordinate officers.
24
ARTICLE V.
DIVISIONAL TITLES
SECTION 5.01. Conferring Divisional Titles. The Board of Directors may from time to time confer upon any employee of a division of the Corporation the title of President, Vice-President, Treasurer or Controller of such division or any other title or titles deemed appropriate, or may authorize the Chairman of the Board or the President to do so. Any such titles so conferred may be discontinued and withdrawn at any time by the Board of Directors, or by the Chairman of the Board of Directors or the President if so authorized by the Board of Directors. Any employee of a division designated by such a divisional title shall have the powers and duties with respect to such division as shall be prescribed by the Board of Directors, the Chairman of the Board or the President.
SECTION 5.02. Effect of Divisional Titles. The conferring of divisional titles shall not create an office of the Corporation under Article IV unless specifically designated as such by the Board of Directors; but any person who is an officer of the Corporation may also have a divisional title.
ARTICLE VI.
STOCK
SECTION 6.01. Certificates for Stock. Except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws, this Section shall not be interpreted to limit the authority of the Board of Directors to issue some or all of the shares of any or all of the Corporation’s classes or series without certificates. Each stockholder, upon written request to the Secretary of the Corporation, shall be entitled to a certificate or certificates which shall represent and certify the number of shares of each class of stock he or she holds in the Corporation. Each stock certificate shall include on its face the name of the Corporation, the name of the stockholder or other person to whom it is issued, and the class of stock and number of shares it represents. It shall be in such form, not inconsistent with law or with the Charter, as shall be approved by the Board of Directors or any officer or officers designated for such purpose by resolution of the Board of Directors. Each stock certificate shall be signed by the Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the President, or a Vice-President, and countersigned by the Secretary, an Assistant Secretary, the Treasurer, or an Assistant Treasurer. Each certificate may be sealed with the actual corporate seal or a facsimile of it or in any other form and the signatures may be either manual or facsimile signatures. A certificate is valid and may be issued whether or not an officer who signed it is still an officer when it is issued. A certificate may not be issued until the stock represented by it is fully paid.
SECTION 6.02. Transfers. The Board of Directors shall have power and authority to make such rules and regulations as it may deem expedient concerning the issue, transfer and registration of certificates of stock; and may appoint transfer agents and registrars thereof. The duties of transfer agent and registrar may be combined.
Upon surrender to the Corporation or the transfer agent of the Corporation of a stock certificate duly endorsed or accompanied by proper evidence of succession, assignment or authority to transfer, the Corporation shall issue a new certificate to the person entitled thereto, cancel the old certificate and record the transaction upon its books.
25
The Corporation shall be entitled to treat the holder of record of any share of stock as the holder in fact thereof and, accordingly, shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such share or on the part of any other person, whether or not it shall have express or other notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by the laws of the State of Maryland.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, transfers of shares of any class of stock will be subject in all respects to the Charter of the Corporation and all of the terms and conditions contained therein.
SECTION 6.03. Record Dates and Closing of Transfer Books. The Board of Directors may set a record date or direct that the stock transfer books be closed for a stated period for the purpose of making any proper determination with respect to stockholders, including which stockholders are entitled to notice of a meeting, vote at a meeting, receive a dividend, or be allotted other rights. The record date may not be prior to the close of business on the day the record date is fixed nor, subject to Section 1.06, more than 90 days before the date on which the action requiring the determination will be taken; the transfer books may not be closed for a period longer than 20 days; and, in the case of a meeting of stockholders, the record date or the closing of the transfer books shall be at least ten days before the date of the meeting.
SECTION 6.04. Stock Ledger. The Corporation shall maintain a stock ledger which contains the name and address of each stockholder and the number of shares of stock of each class which the stockholder holds. The stock ledger may be in written form or in any other form which can be converted within a reasonable time into written form for visual inspection. The original or a duplicate of the stock ledger shall be kept at the offices of a transfer agent for the particular class of stock, or, if none, at the principal office in the State of Maryland or the principal executive offices of the Corporation.
SECTION 6.05. Certification of Beneficial Owners. The Board of Directors may adopt by resolution a procedure by which a stockholder of the Corporation may certify in writing to the Corporation that any shares of stock registered in the name of the stockholder are held for the account of a specified person other than the stockholder. The resolution shall set forth the class of stockholders who may certify; the purpose for which the certification may be made; the form of certification and the information to be contained in it; if the certification is with respect to a record date or closing of the stock transfer books, the time after the record date or closing of the stock transfer books within which the certification must be received by the Corporation; and any other provisions with respect to the procedure which the Board considers necessary or desirable. On receipt of a certification which complies with the procedure adopted by the Board in accordance with this Section, the person specified in the certification is, for the purpose set forth in the certification, the holder of record of the specified stock in place of the stockholder who makes the certification.
SECTION 6.06. Lost Stock Certificates. The Board of Directors of the Corporation may determine the conditions for issuing a new stock certificate in place of one which is alleged to have been lost, stolen, or destroyed, or the Board of Directors may delegate such power to any officer or officers of the Corporation. In their discretion, the Board of Directors or such officer or officers may refuse to issue such new certificate save upon the order of some court having jurisdiction in the premises. When authorizing the issuance of anew certificate, an officer designated by the Board of Directors may, in his or her discretion and as a condition precedent to the issuance thereof, require the owner of such lost, stolen or destroyed certificate or the owner’s legal representative to give bond, with sufficient surety, to the Corporation to indemnify it against any loss or claim which may arise as a result of the issuance of a new certificate.
26
SECTION 6.07. Fractional Stock; Issuance of Units. The Board of Directors may issue fractional stock or provide for the issuance of scrip, all on such terms and under such conditions as they may determine. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Charter or these Bylaws, the Board of Directors may issue units consisting of different securities of the Corporation. Any security issued in a unit shall have the same characteristics as any identical securities issued by the Corporation, except that the Board of Directors may provide that for a specified period securities of the Corporation issued in such unit may be transferred on the books of the Corporation only in such unit.
SECTION 6.08. Exemption from Control Share Acquisition Statute. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Charter or these Bylaws, Title 3, Subtitle 7 of the Maryland General Corporation Law, or any successor statute (the “MGCL”), shall not apply to any acquisition by any person of shares of stock of the Corporation. This section may be repealed, in whole or in part, at any time, whether before or after an acquisition of control shares and, upon such repeal, may, to the extent provided by any successor bylaw, apply to any prior or subsequent control share acquisition.
ARTICLE VII.
FINANCE
SECTION 7.01. Annual Statement of Affairs. The President or chief accounting officer shall prepare annually a full and correct statement of the affairs of the Corporation, to include a balance sheet and a financial statement of operations for the preceding fiscal year. The statement of affairs shall be submitted at the annual meeting of the stockholders and, within 20 days after the meeting, placed on file at the Corporation’s principal office.
SECTION 7.02. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be the twelve calendar months period ending December 31 in each year, unless otherwise provided by the Board of Directors.
SECTION 7.03. Dividends. If declared by the Board of Directors at any meeting thereof, the Corporation may pay dividends on its shares in cash, property, or in shares of the capital stock of the Corporation, unless such dividend is contrary to law or to a restriction contained in the Charter.
SECTION 7.04. Contracts. To the extent permitted by applicable law, and except as otherwise prescribed by the Charter or these Bylaws with respect to certificates for shares, the Board of Directors may authorize any officer, employee, or agent of the Corporation to enter into any contract or execute and deliver any instrument in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation. Such authority may be general or confined to specific instances.
27
ARTICLE VIII.
INDEMNIFICATION AND ADVANCE OF EXPENSES
SECTION 8.01. Procedure. To the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, the Corporation shall indemnify and, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, shall pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to (a) any individual who is a present or former director or officer of the Corporation and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity or (b) any individual who, while a director or officer of the Corporation and at the request of the Corporation, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner or trustee of another entity and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity. The Corporation may, with the approval of its Board of Directors or any duly authorized committee thereof, provide such indemnification and advance for expenses to a person who served a predecessor of the Corporation in any of the capacities described in (a) or (b) above and to any employee or agent of the Corporation or a predecessor of the Corporation.
Any indemnification, or payment of expenses in advance of the final disposition of any proceeding, shall be made promptly, and in any event within 60 days, upon the written request of the director or officer entitled to seek indemnification (the “Indemnified Party”). The right to indemnification and advances hereunder shall be enforceable by the Indemnified Party in any court of competent jurisdiction, if the Corporation denies such request, in whole or in part, or no disposition thereof is made within 60 days. The Indemnified Party’s costs and expenses incurred in connection with successfully establishing his right to indemnification, in whole or in part, in any such action shall also be reimbursed by the Corporation. It shall be a defense to any action for advance for expenses that (a) a determination has been made that the facts then known to those making the determination would preclude indemnification or (b) the Corporation has not received both (i) an undertaking as required by law to repay such advances in the event it shall ultimately be determined that the standard of conduct has not been met and (ii) a written affirmation by the Indemnified Party of such Indemnified Party’s good faith belief that the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the Corporation has been met.
SECTION 8.02. Exclusivity, Etc. The indemnification and advance of expenses provided by the Charter and these Bylaws shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which a person seeking indemnification or advance of expenses may be entitled under any law (common or statutory), or any agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or other provision that is consistent with law, both as to action in his official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding office or while employed by or acting as agent for the Corporation, shall continue in respect of all events occurring while a person was a director or officer after such person has ceased to be a director or officer, and shall inure to the benefit of the estate, heirs, executors and administrators of such person. All rights to indemnification and advance of expenses under the Charter of the Corporation and hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract between the Corporation and each director or officer of the Corporation who serves or served in such capacity at any time while this By-Law is in effect. Nothing herein shall prevent the amendment of this By-Law, provided that no such amendment shall diminish the rights of any person hereunder with respect to events occurring or claims made before its adoption or as to claims made after its adoption in respect of events occurring before its adoption. Any repeal or modification of this By-Law shall not in any way diminish any rights to indemnification or advance of expenses of such director or officer or the obligations of the Corporation arising hereunder with respect to events occurring, or claims made, while this By-Law or any provision hereof is in force.
28
SECTION 8.03. Severability; Definitions. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this Article VIII shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision hereof. The phrase “this By-Law” in this Article VIII means this Article VIII in its entirety.
ARTICLE IX.
SUNDRY PROVISIONS
SECTION 9.01. Books and Records. The Corporation shall keep correct and complete books and records of its accounts and transactions and minutes of the proceedings of its stockholders and Board of Directors and of any executive or other committee when exercising any of the powers of the Board of Directors. The books and records of a Corporation may be in written form or in any other form which can be converted within a reasonable time into written form for visual inspection. Minutes shall be recorded in written form but may be maintained in the form of a reproduction. The original or a certified copy of the Bylaws shall be kept at the principal office of the Corporation.
SECTION 9.02. Corporate Seal. The Board of Directors shall provide a suitable seal, bearing the name of the Corporation, which shall be in the charge of the Secretary. The Board of Directors may authorize one or more duplicate seals and provide for the custody thereof. If the Corporation is required to place its corporate seal to a document, it is sufficient to meet the requirement of any law, rule, or regulation relating to a corporate seal to place the word “Seal” adjacent to the signature of the person authorized to sign the document on behalf of the Corporation.
SECTION 9.03. Bonds. The Board of Directors may require any officer, agent or employee of the Corporation to give a bond to the Corporation, conditioned upon the faithful discharge of his duties, with one or more sureties and in such amount as may be satisfactory to the Board of Directors.
SECTION 9.04. Voting Upon Shares in Other Corporations. Stock of other corporations or associations, registered in the name of the Corporation, may be voted by the President, a Vice-President, or a proxy appointed by either of them. The Board of Directors, however, may by resolution appoint some other person to vote such shares, in which case such person shall be entitled to vote such shares upon the production of a certified copy of such resolution.
SECTION 9.05. Mail. Any notice or other document which is required by these Bylaws to be mailed shall be deposited in the United States mails, postage prepaid.
SECTION 9.06. Execution of Documents. A person who holds more than one office in the Corporation may not act in more than one capacity to execute, acknowledge, or verify an instrument required by law to be executed, acknowledged, or verified by more than one officer.
29
SECTION 9.07. Reliance. Each director, officer, employee and agent of the Corporation shall, in the performance of his or her duties with respect to the Corporation, be fully justified and protected with regard to any act or failure to act in reliance in good faith upon the books of account or other records of the Corporation, upon an opinion of counsel or upon reports made to the Corporation by any of its officers or employees or by the adviser, accountants, appraisers or other experts or consultants selected by the Board of Directors or officers of the Corporation, regardless of whether such counsel or expert may also be a director.
SECTION 9.08. Certain Rights of Directors, Officers, Employees and Agents. The directors shall have no responsibility to devote their full time to the affairs of the Corporation. Any director or officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, in his or her personal capacity or in a capacity as an affiliate, employee, or agent or any other person, or otherwise, may have business interests and engage in business activities similar to or in addition to those of or relating to the Corporation.
SECTION 9.09. Amendments. Subject to the special provisions of Section 2.02, in accordance with the Charter, these Bylaws may be repealed, altered, amended or rescinded by the vote of two-thirds of the Board of Directors (including at least a majority of the Independent Directors) at a meeting held in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws, and the stockholders may, at any meeting of the stockholders held in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws, repeal, alter, amend or rescind any provision of these Bylaws if any such repeal, alteration, amendment or rescission is approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter.
30