Exhibit 3.1
AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF THE SURVIVING CORPORATION
FIRST
The name of the corporation is IVERIC bio, Inc. (the “Company”).
SECOND
The Company’s registered office in the State of Delaware is located at 251 Little Falls Drive, in the City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, 19808. Its registered agent at such address is Corporation Service Company.
THIRD
The purpose of the Company is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which a corporation may be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (“DGCL”) or any successor statute.
FOURTH
The total number of shares of stock that the Company shall have authority to issue is 100 shares of capital stock, all of which shall be designated Common Stock, having a par value of $0.001.
FIFTH
The following provisions are inserted for the management of the business and the conduct of the affairs of the Company, and for further creation, definition, limitation and regulation of the powers of the Company and its directors, officers and stockholders:
(1) The business and affairs of the Company shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board of Directors”).
(2) The Board of Directors is expressly authorized to make, adopt, alter, amend, change, add to or repeal the bylaws of the Company (the “Bylaws”), without any action on the part of the stockholders, but the stockholders may make additional bylaws and may alter, amend or repeal any bylaw whether adopted by them or otherwise. The Company may in its bylaws confer powers upon the Board of Directors in addition to the foregoing and in addition to the powers and authorities expressly conferred upon the Board of Directors by applicable law.
(3) The number of directors of the Company shall be as from time to time fixed by, or in the manner provided in, the Bylaws. Election of directors need not be by written ballot unless the Bylaws shall so provide.
(4) No director or officer of the Company shall be personally liable to the Company or any of its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer, except for liability (i) for any breach of the director or officer’s duty of loyalty to the Company or its stockholders, (ii) for a director’s or officer’s acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) of a director pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, (iv) for any transaction from which the director or officer derived an improper personal benefit, (v) of an officer in any action by or in the right of the corporation or (vi) for any act or omission occurring before the effective date of this Article FIFTH. Any amendment, repeal or modification of this Article FIFTH shall not adversely affect any right or protection of such director or officer of the Company existing at the time of such amendment, repeal or modification with respect to acts or omissions occurring prior to such amendment, repeal or modification.
(5) In addition to the powers and authority hereinbefore or by statute expressly conferred upon them, the directors are hereby empowered to exercise all such powers and do all such acts and things as may be exercised or done by the Company, subject, nevertheless, to the provisions of the DGCL, this Certificate of Incorporation, and any bylaws adopted by the stockholders; provided, however, that no bylaws hereafter adopted by the stockholders shall invalidate any prior act of the directors which would have been valid if such bylaws had not been adopted.
SIXTH
The Company shall provide indemnification as follows:
1. | Actions, Suits and Proceedings Other than by or in the Right of the Company. The Company shall indemnify each person who was or is a party or 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 Company) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer of the Company, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at the request of the Company, as a director, officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise (including any employee benefit plan) (all such persons being referred to hereafter as an “Indemnitee”), or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), liabilities, losses, judgments, fines (including excise taxes and penalties arising under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974), and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding and any appeal therefrom, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner which Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a manner which Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful. |
2. | Actions or Suits by or in the Right of the Company. The Company shall indemnify any Indemnitee who was or is a party to or threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer of the Company, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at the request of the Company, as a director, officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise (including any employee benefit plan), or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) and, to the extent permitted by law, amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding and any appeal therefrom, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner which Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company, except that no indemnification shall be made under this Section 2 in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Company, unless, and only to the extent, that the Court of Chancery of Delaware or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of such liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) which the Court of Chancery of Delaware or such other court shall deem proper. |
3. | Indemnification for Expenses of Successful Party. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Article SIXTH, to the extent that an Indemnitee has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in Sections 1 and 2 of this Article SIXTH, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, or on appeal from any such action, suit or proceeding, Indemnitee shall be indemnified against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection therewith. Without limiting the foregoing, if any action, suit or proceeding is disposed of, on the merits or otherwise (including a disposition without prejudice), without (i) the disposition being adverse to Indemnitee, (ii) an adjudication that Indemnitee was liable to the Company, (iii) a plea of guilty or nolo contendere by Indemnitee, (iv) an adjudication that Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and (v) with respect to any criminal proceeding, an adjudication that Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful, Indemnitee shall be considered for the purposes hereof to have been wholly successful with respect thereto. |
4. | Notification and Defense of Claim. As a condition precedent to an Indemnitee’s right to be indemnified, such Indemnitee must notify the Company in writing as soon as practicable of any action, suit, proceeding or investigation involving such Indemnitee for which indemnity will or could be sought. With respect to any action, suit, proceeding or investigation of which the Company is so notified, the Company will be entitled to participate therein at its own expense and/or to assume the defense thereof at its own expense, with legal counsel reasonably acceptable to Indemnitee. After notice from the Company to Indemnitee of its election so to assume such defense, the Company shall not be liable to Indemnitee for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit, proceeding or investigation, other than as provided below in this Section 4. Indemnitee shall have the right to employ his or her own counsel in connection with such action, suit, proceeding or investigation, but the fees and expenses of such counsel incurred after notice from the Company of its assumption of the defense thereof shall be at the expense of Indemnitee unless (i) the employment of counsel by Indemnitee has been authorized by the Company, (ii) counsel to Indemnitee shall have reasonably concluded that there may be a conflict of interest or position on any significant issue between the Company and Indemnitee in the conduct of the defense of such action, suit, proceeding or investigation or (iii) the Company shall not in fact have employed counsel to assume the defense of such action, suit, proceeding or investigation, in each of which cases the fees and expenses of counsel for Indemnitee shall be at the expense of the Company, except as otherwise expressly provided by this Article SIXTH. The Company shall not be entitled, without the consent of Indemnitee, to assume the defense of any claim brought by or in the right of the Company or as to which counsel for Indemnitee shall have reasonably made the conclusion provided for in clause (ii) above. The Company shall not be required to indemnify Indemnitee under this Article SIXTH for any amounts paid in settlement of any action, suit, proceeding or investigation effected without its written consent. The Company shall not settle any action, suit, proceeding or investigation in any manner which would impose any penalty or limitation on Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s written consent. Neither the Company nor Indemnitee will unreasonably withhold or delay its consent to any proposed settlement. |
5. | Advancement of Expenses. Subject to the provisions of Section 6 of this Article SIXTH, in the event of any threatened or pending action, suit, proceeding or investigation of which the Company receives notice under this Article SIXTH, any expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in defending an action, suit, proceeding or investigation or any appeal therefrom shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such matter; provided, however, that the payment of such expenses incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in advance of the final disposition of such matter shall be made only upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of Indemnitee to repay all amounts so advanced in the event that it shall ultimately be determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal that Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company as authorized in this Article SIXTH; and provided further that no such advancement of expenses shall be made under this Article SIXTH if it is determined (in the manner described in Section 6) that (i) Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Company, or (ii) with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. Such undertaking shall be accepted without reference to the financial ability of Indemnitee to make such repayment. |
6. | Procedure for Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses. In order to obtain indemnification or advancement of expenses pursuant to Section 1, 2, 3 or 5 of this Article SIXTH, an Indemnitee shall submit to the Company a written request. Any such advancement of expenses shall be made promptly, and in any event within 60 days after receipt by the Company of the written request of Indemnitee, unless (i) the Company has assumed the defense pursuant to Section 4 of this Article SIXTH (and none of the circumstances described in Section 4 of this Article SIXTH that would nonetheless entitle the Indemnitee to indemnification for the fees and expenses of separate counsel have occurred) or (ii) the Company determines within such 60-day period that Indemnitee did not meet the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Section 1, 2 or 5 of this Article SIXTH, as the case may be. Any such indemnification, unless ordered by a court, shall be made with respect to requests under Section 1 or 2 only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination by the Company that the indemnification of Indemnitee is proper because Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Section 1 or 2, as the case may be. Such determination shall be made in each instance (a) by a majority vote of the directors of the Company consisting of persons who are not at that time parties to the action, suit or proceeding in question (“disinterested directors”), whether or not a quorum, (b) by a committee of disinterested directors designated by majority vote of disinterested directors, whether or not a quorum, (c) if there are no disinterested directors, or if the disinterested directors so direct, by independent legal counsel (who may, to the extent permitted by law, be regular legal counsel to the Company) in a written opinion, or (d) by the stockholders of the Company. |
7. | Remedies. The right to indemnification or advancement of expenses as granted by this Article SIXTH shall be enforceable by Indemnitee in any court of competent jurisdiction. Neither the failure of the Company to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such action that indemnification is proper in the circumstances because Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct, nor an actual determination by the Company pursuant to Section 6 of this Article SIXTH that Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall be a defense to the action or create a presumption that Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct. In any suit brought by Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification, or brought by the Company to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Company shall have the burden of proving that Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified, or to such advancement of expenses, under this Article SIXTH. Indemnitee’s expenses (including attorneys’ fees) reasonably incurred in connection with successfully establishing Indemnitee’s right to indemnification, in whole or in part, in any such proceeding shall also be indemnified by the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in any suit brought by Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification hereunder it shall be a defense that the Indemnitee has not met any applicable standard for indemnification set forth in the DGCL. |
8. | Limitations. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article SIXTH, except as set forth in Section 7 of this Article SIXTH, the Company shall not indemnify an Indemnitee pursuant to this Article SIXTH in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such Indemnitee unless the initiation thereof was approved by the Board of Directors of the Company. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article SIXTH, the Company shall not indemnify an Indemnitee to the extent such Indemnitee is reimbursed from the proceeds of insurance, and in the event the Company makes any indemnification payments to an Indemnitee and such Indemnitee is subsequently reimbursed from the proceeds of insurance, such Indemnitee shall promptly refund indemnification payments to the Company to the extent of such insurance reimbursement. |
9. | Subsequent Amendment. No amendment, termination or repeal of this Article SIXTH or of the relevant provisions of the DGCL or any other applicable laws shall adversely affect or diminish in any way the rights of any Indemnitee to indemnification under the provisions hereof with respect to any action, suit, proceeding or investigation arising out of or relating to any actions, transactions or facts occurring prior to the final adoption of such amendment, termination or repeal. |
10. | Other Rights. The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by this Article SIXTH shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which an Indemnitee seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any law (common or statutory), agreement or vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in Indemnitee’s official capacity and as to action in any other capacity while holding office for the Company, and shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to be a director or officer, and shall inure to the benefit of the estate, heirs, executors and administrators of Indemnitee. Nothing contained in this Article SIXTH shall be deemed to prohibit, and the Company is specifically authorized to enter into, agreements with officers and directors providing indemnification rights and procedures different from those set forth in this Article SIXTH. In addition, the Company may, to the extent authorized from time to time by its Board of Directors, grant indemnification rights to other employees or agents of the Company or other persons serving the Company and such rights may be equivalent to, or greater or less than, those set forth in this Article SIXTH. |
11. | Partial Indemnification. If an Indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Article SIXTH to indemnification by the Company for some or a portion of the expenses (including attorneys’ fees), liabilities, losses, judgments, fines (including excise taxes and penalties arising under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974) or amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee in connection with any action, suit, proceeding or investigation and any appeal therefrom but not, however, for the total amount thereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the portion of such expenses (including attorneys’ fees), liabilities, losses, judgments, fines (including excise taxes and penalties arising under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974) or amounts paid in settlement to which Indemnitee is entitled. |
12. | Insurance. The Company may purchase and maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect itself and any director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise (including any employee benefit plan) against any expense, liability or loss incurred by him or her in any such capacity, or arising out of his or her status as such, whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL. |
13. | Savings Clause. If this Article SIXTH or any portion hereof shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall nevertheless indemnify each Indemnitee as to any expenses (including attorneys’ fees), liabilities, losses, judgments, fines (including excise taxes and penalties arising under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974) and amounts paid in settlement in connection with any action, suit, proceeding or investigation, whether civil, criminal or administrative, including an action by or in the right of the Company, to the fullest extent permitted by any applicable portion of this Article SIXTH that shall not have been invalidated and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. |
14. | Definitions. Terms used herein and defined in Section 145(h) and Section 145(i) of the DGCL shall have the respective meanings assigned to such terms in such Section 145(h) and Section 145(i). |
SEVENTH
Meetings of the stockholders may be held within or outside the State of Delaware, as the Bylaws may provide. The books of the Company may be kept (subject to any provision contained in the DGCL) outside the State of Delaware at such place or places as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors or imposed by other provisions of this Certificate of Incorporation, the Bylaws, the DGCL, or other applicable law, or by any contract or agreement to which the Company is or may become a party.
EIGHTH
The Company 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 express reservation.