Merger, Consolidation, Incorporation
Notwithstanding anything else in the Declaration of Trust, the Board may, without Shareholder approval unless such approval is required by the 1940 Act or, after an Exchange Listing, the applicable stock exchange rules, or if such transaction is reasonably anticipated to result in a material dilution of the NAV per Share of the Company, cause and approve a merger, conversion, reorganization or consolidation of the Company, (ii) cause the Shares to be exchanged under or pursuant to any state or federal statute to the extent permitted by law, (iii) cause the Company to incorporate under the laws of a state, commonwealth, possession or colony of the United States, (iv) sell or convey all or substantially all of the assets of the Company or (v) at any time sell or convert into money all or any part of the assets of the Company. Any agreement of merger, reorganization, consolidation, exchange or conversion or certificate of merger, certificate of conversion or other applicable certificate may be signed by a majority of the Board or an authorized officer of the Company and facsimile signatures conveyed by electronic or telecommunication means will be valid.
Derivative Actions
No person, other than a Trustee, who is not a Shareholder will be entitled to bring any derivative action, suit or other proceeding on behalf of the Company. No Shareholder may maintain a derivative action on behalf of the Company unless holders of at least ten percent (10%) of the outstanding Shares join in the bringing of such action.
In addition to the requirements set forth in Section 3816 of the Delaware Statutory Trust Statute, a Shareholder may bring a derivative action on behalf of the Company only if the following conditions are met: (i) the Shareholder or Shareholders must make a pre-suit demand upon the Board to bring the subject action unless an effort to cause the Board to bring such an action is not likely to succeed; and a demand on the Board will only be deemed not likely to succeed and therefore excused if a majority of the Board, or a majority of any committee established to consider the merits of such action, is composed of Board who are not “independent trustees” (as that term is defined in the Delaware Statutory Trust Statute); and (ii) unless a demand is not required under clause (i) above, the Board must be afforded a reasonable amount of time to consider such Shareholder request and to investigate the basis of such claim; and the Board will be entitled to retain counsel or other advisors in considering the merits of the request and may require an undertaking by the Shareholders making such request to reimburse the Company for the expense of any such advisors in the event that the Board determine not to bring such action. For purposes of this paragraph, the Board may designate a committee of one or more trustees to consider a Shareholder demand.
Exclusive Delaware Jurisdiction
Each Trustee, each officer and each person legally or beneficially owning a Share or an interest in a Share of the Company (whether through a broker, dealer, bank, trust company or clearing corporation or an agent of any of the foregoing or otherwise), to the fullest extent permitted by law, including Section 3804(e) of the Delaware Statutory Trust Statute, (i) irrevocably agrees that any claims, suits, actions or proceedings asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs (or similar) doctrine or arising out of or relating in any way to the Company, the Delaware Statutory Trust Statute or the Declaration of Trust (including, without limitation, any claims, suits, actions or proceedings to interpret, apply or enforce (A) the provisions of the Declaration of Trust, or (B) the duties (including fiduciary duties), obligations or liabilities of the Company to the Shareholders or the Board, or of officers or the Board to the Company, to the Shareholders or each other, or (C) the rights or powers of, or restrictions on, the Company, the officers, the Board or the Shareholders, or (D) any provision of the Delaware Statutory Trust Statute or other laws of the State of Delaware pertaining to trusts made applicable to the Company pursuant to Section 3809 of the Delaware Statutory Trust Statute, or (E) any other instrument, document, agreement or certificate contemplated by any provision of the Delaware Statutory Trust Statute or the Declaration of Trust relating in any way to the Company (regardless, in each case, of whether such claims, suits, actions or proceedings (x) sound in contract, tort, fraud or otherwise, (y) are based on common law, statutory, equitable, legal or other grounds, or (z) are derivative or direct claims)), will be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, any other court in the State of Delaware with subject matter jurisdiction, (ii) irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in connection with any such claim, suit, action or proceeding, (iii) irrevocably agrees not to, and waives any right to, assert in any such claim, suit, action or proceeding that (A) it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of such courts or any other court to which proceedings in such courts may be appealed, (B) such claim, suit, action or proceeding is brought in an inconvenient forum, or (C) the venue of such claim, suit, action or proceeding is improper, (iv) consents to process being served in any such claim, suit, action or proceeding by mailing, certified mail, return receipt requested, a copy thereof to such party at the address in effect for notices hereunder, and agrees that such service will constitute good and sufficient service of process and notice thereof; provided, nothing in clause (iv) hereof will affect or limit any right to serve process in any other manner permitted by law, and (v) irrevocably waives any and all right to trial by jury in any such claim, suit, action or proceeding.
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