PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN A PROSPECTUS
Item 20. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers. |
Section 23B.08.310, Section 23B.08.320 and Sections 23B.08.500 to 23B.08.603 of the Washington Business Corporation Act, referred to herein as the “Washington Corporation Act”, set out provisions relating to the limitation of liability and indemnification of directors and officers of a corporation. Section 23B.08.320 of the Washington Corporation Act provides that a corporation’s articles of incorporation may contain provisions not inconsistent with law that eliminate or limit the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its shareholders for monetary damages for conduct as a director, other than for certain acts or omissions, including those that involve the intentional misconduct by a director or a knowing violation of law by a director. Specifically, Section 23B.08.560 of the Washington Corporation Act provides that if authorized by (i) the articles of incorporation, (ii) a bylaw adopted or ratified by the shareholders, or (iii) a resolution adopted or ratified, before or after the event, by the shareholders, a company will have the power to indemnify a director made party to a proceeding, or to obligate itself to advance or reimburse expenses incurred in a proceeding, without regard to the limitations on indemnification contained in Section 23B.08.510 through 23B.08.550 of the Washington Corporation Act, provided that no such indemnity shall indemnify any director (i) for acts or omissions that involve intentional misconduct by the director or a knowing violation of the law by the director, (ii) for conduct violating Section 23B.08.310 of the Washington Corporation Act, or (iii) for any transaction from which the director will personally receive a benefit in money, property or services to which the director is not legally entitled.
Furthermore, Section 23B.08.580 of the Washington Corporation Act provides that a corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of an individual who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such corporation, or who, while a director, officer, employee, or agent of such corporation, is or was serving at the request of such corporation as a director, officer, partner, trustee, employee, or agent of another foreign or domestic corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan, or other enterprise, against liability asserted against or incurred by such individual in that capacity or arising from such individual’s status as a director, officer, employee, or agent, whether or not such corporation would have power to indemnify such individual against the same liability under Section 23B.08.510 or 23B.08.520 of the Washington Corporation Act.
Section 7.1 of the Articles of Incorporation of the Company, referred to as the “Articles”, provides that the Company may indemnify, in the manner and to the full extent permitted by law, any person (or the estate of any person) who was or is a party to, or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or complete action, suit or proceeding, whether or not by or in the right of the Company, and whether civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or otherwise, by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director or officer of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise. The Company may, to the full extent permitted by law, purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any such person against any liability which may be asserted against such person. To the full extent permitted by law, the indemnification provided in the Articles does include expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, and, in the manner provided by law, any such expenses may be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding. The indemnification provided in the Articles also is not deemed to limit the right of the Company to indemnify any other person for any such expenses to the full extent permitted by law, and is not deemed exclusive of any other rights to which any person seeking indemnification from the Company may be entitled under any agreement, vote of shareholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in his official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office.
Section 7.2 of the Articles provides that no director of the Company shall be personally liable to the Company or its shareholders for monetary damages for his conduct as a director, except for (i) acts or omissions that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law by the director, (ii) approval of distributions or loans in violation of Section 23B.08.310 of the Washington Corporation Act, or (iii) any transaction from which the director will personally receive a benefit in money, property or services to which the director is not legally entitled.
According to Section 7.2 of the Articles, if the Washington Corporation Act is hereafter amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Company shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the Washington Corporation Act, as so amended. Furthermore, Section 7.2 specifies that any amendment to or repeal of Article 7 of the Articles shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a director of the Company for or with respect to any acts or omissions of such director occurring prior to such amendment or repeal.
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