Exhibit 3.5
CERTIFICATION OF INCORPORATION
OF
ERIC COMPANY
FIRST. The name of the Corporation is Eric Company.
SECOND. The address of its registered office in the State of Delaware is No. 100 West Tenth Street, in the City of Wilmington, County of New Castle. The name of its registered agent at such address is The Corporation Trust Company.
THIRD. The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of Delaware. Without limiting in any manner the scope and generality of the foregoing, the Corporation shall have the following purposes and powers:
(1) To manufacture, purchase or otherwise acquire, invent in, own, mortgage, pledge, sell, assign and transfer or otherwise dispose of, trade, deal in and deal with goods, wares and merchandise and personal property of every class and description;
(2) To acquire, and pay for in cash, stock or bonds of this corporation or otherwise, the good will, rights, assets and property, and to undertake or assume the whole or any part of the obligations or liabilities of any person, firm, association, or corporation;
(3) To acquire, hold, use, sell, assign, lease, grant licenses in respect of, mortgage or otherwise dispose of letters patent of the United States or any foreign country, patent rights, licenses and privileges, inventions, improvements and processes, copyrights, trade-marks and trade names, relating to or useful in connection with any business of this corporation;
(4) To acquire by purchase, subscription or otherwise, and to receive, hold, own, guarantee, sell, assign, exchange, transfer, mortgage, pledge or otherwise dispose of or deal in and with any of the shares of the capital stock, or any voting trust certificates in respect of the shares of capital stock, scrip, warrants, rights, bonds, debentures, notes, trust receipts, and other securities, obligations, choses in action and evidences of indebtedness or interest issued or created by any corporations, joint stock companies, syndicates, associations, firms, trusts or persons, public or private, or by the government of the United States of America, or by any foreign government, or by any state, territory, province,
municipality or other political subdivision or by any governmental agency, and as owner thereof to possess and exercise all the rights, powers and privileges of ownership, including the right to execute consents and vote thereon, and to do any and all acts and things necessary or advisable for the preservation, protection, improvement and enhancement in value thereof;
(5) To borrow or raise moneys for any of the purposes of the corporation and, from time to time without limit as to amount, to draw, make, accept, endorse, execute and issue promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange, warrants, bonds, debentures and other negotiable or non-negotiable instruments and evidences of indebtedness, and to secure the payment of any thereof and of the interest thereon by mortgage upon or pledge, conveyance or assignment in trust of the whole or any part of the property of the corporation, whether at the time owned or thereafter acquired, and to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of such bonds or other obligations of the corporation for its corporate purposes;
(6) To purchase, receive, take by grant, gift, devise, bequest or otherwise, lease or otherwise acquire, own, hold, improve, employ, use and otherwise deal in and with real or personal property, or any interest therein, wherever
situated, and to sell, convey, lease, exchange, transfer or otherwise dispose of, or mortgage or pledge, all or any of the corporation’s property and assets, or any interest therein, wherever situated;
(7) In general, to possess and exercise all the powers and privileges granted by the General Corporation Law of Delaware or by any other law of Delaware or by this certificate of incorporation together with any powers incidental thereto, so far as such powers and privileges are necessary or convenient to the conduct, promotion or attainment of the business or purposes of the corporation.
The purposes and powers specified in the foregoing paragraphs shall, except where otherwise expressed, be in nowise limited or restricted by reference to, or inference from, the terms of any other paragraph in this Certificate of Incorporation, but the purposes and powers specified in each of the foregoing paragraphs of this Article shall be regarded as independent purposes and powers.
The Corporation shall possess and may exercise all powers and privileges necessary or convenient to effect any or all of the foregoing purposes, or to further any or all of the foregoing powers, and the enumeration herein of any specific purposes or powers shall not be held to limit or restrict in any
manner the exercise by the Corporation of the general powers now or hereafter conferred by the laws of the State of Delaware upon corporations formed under the General Corporation Law of Delaware.
FOURTH. The total number of shares of capital stock which the corporation shall have authority to issue is five hundred (500) which shall consist of one class of Common Stock of the par value of Ten Dollars ($10.00) per share amounting in the aggregate to Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000).
Any amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation which shall increase or decrease the authorized capital stock of the Corporation may be adopted by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the voting stock of the Corporation.
FIFTH. The name and mailing address of the incorporator is as follows:
NAME | MAILING ADDRESS | |
Edward L. Turner III | 53 Wall Street New York, New York 10005 |
SIXTH. The corporation is to have perpetual existence.
SEVENTH. The by-laws may be made, altered, amended or repealed by the Board of Directors. The books of the
Corporation (subject to the provisions of the laws of the State of Delaware) may be kept outside of the State of Delaware at such places as from time to time may be designated by the Board of Directors.
EIGHTH. Whenever a compromise or arrangement is proposed between this Corporation and its creditors or any class of them and/or between this Corporation and its stockholders or any class of them, any court of equitable jurisdiction within the State of Delaware may on the application in a summary way of this Corporation or of any creditor or stockholder thereof or on the application of any receiver or receivers appointed for this Corporation under the provisions of Section 291 of Title 8 of the Delaware Code or on the application of trustees in dissolution or of any receiver or receivers appointed for this Corporation under the provisions of Section 279 of Title 8 of the Delaware Code order a meeting of the creditors or class of creditors, and/or of the stockholders or class of stockholders of this Corporation, as the case may be, to be summoned in such manner as the said court directs. If a majority in number representing three-fourths in value of the creditors or class of creditors, and/or of the stockholders or class of stockholders of this Corporation, as the case may be, agree to any compromise or arrangement and to any reorganization of this Corporation as
consequence of such compromise or arrangement, the said compromise or arrangement and the said reorganization shall, if sanctioned by the court to which the said application has been made, be binding on all the creditors or class of creditors, and/or on all the stockholders or class of stockholders, of this Corporation, as the case may be, and also on this Corporation.
NINTH. (1) The Corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the Corporation) by reason of the fact that he is or was a director or officer of the Corporation, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea ofnolocontendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did
not act in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
(2) The Corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he is or was a director or officer of the Corporation, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his duty to the Corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and
reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or such other court shall deem proper.
(3) The Corporation may indemnify any person who is or was an employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise to the extent and under the circumstances provided by paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article NINTH with respect to a person who is or was a director or officer of the Corporation.
(4) Any indemnification under paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of this Article NINTH (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the Corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the director or officer is proper in the circumstances because he has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth therein. Such determination shall be made (a) by the Board of Directors by a majority vote of a quorum (as defined in the by-laws of the Corporation) consisting of directors who were not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, or (b) if such quorum is not obtainable, or, even if obtainable a quorum of disinterested directors so directs, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (c) by the stockholders.
(5) Expenses incurred in defending a civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding as authorized by the Board of Directors of the Corporation in the manner provided in the next preceding paragraph upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the director, officer, employee or agent to repay such amount unless it shall ultimately be determined that he is entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized in this Article NINTH.
(6) The indemnification provided by this Article NINTH shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under any statute, by-law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in his official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office, and shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.
(7) By action of its Board of Directors, notwithstanding any interest of the directors in the action, the Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance, in such amounts as the Board of Directors deems appropriate, on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or of any corporation a majority of the voting stock of which is owned by the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power or would be required to indemnify him against such liability under the provisions of this Article NINTH or of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
TENTH. Whenever the vote of stockholders at a meeting thereof is required or permitted to be taken for or in connection with any corporate action by any provision of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware the meeting and vote of stockholders may be dispensed with if such action is taken with the written consent of the holders of not less than a majority of all stock entitled to be voted upon such action if a
meeting were held; provided that in no case shall the written consent be by the holders of stock having less than the minimum percentage of the vote required by statute for such action, and provided that prompt notice is given to all stockholders of the taking of corporate action without a meeting and by less than unanimous written consent. Election of Directors need not be by ballot unless the by-laws so provide.
ELEVENTH. The Corporation reserves the right to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this Certificate of Incorporation, in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by statute, and all rights conferred upon stockholders herein are granted subject to this reservation.
THE UNDERSIGNED, being the incorporator hereinbefore named, for the purpose of forming a corporation pursuant to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, do make this certificate, hereby declaring and certifying that this is my act and deed and the facts herein stated are true, and accordingly have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of January, 1975.
/s/ Edward L. Turner III |
Edward L. Turner III |