Exhibit 3.1
AMENDED AND RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
CREDO PETROLEUM CORPORATION
FIRST: The name of the Corporation is CREDO Petroleum Corporation (hereinafter the “Corporation”).
SECOND: The address of the registered office of the Corporation in the State of Delaware is 2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400, Wilmington, County of New Castle, 19808. The name of its registered agent at that address is Corporation Service Company.
THIRD: The purpose of the Corporation 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 set forth in Title 8 of the Delaware Code (the “GCL”).
FOURTH: The total number of shares of stock which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is one thousand (1000) shares of Common Stock, each having a par value of one cent ($0.01).
FIFTH: The following provisions are inserted for the management of the business and the conduct of the affairs of the Corporation, and for further definition, limitation and regulation of the powers of the Corporation and of its directors and stockholders:
(1) The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors.
(2) The directors shall have concurrent power with the stockholders to make, alter, amend, change, add to or repeal the By-Laws of the Corporation.
(3) The number of directors of the Corporation shall be as from time to time fixed by, or in the manner provided in, the By-Laws of the Corporation. Election of directors need not be by written ballot unless the By-Laws so provide.
(4) 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 Corporation, subject, nevertheless, to the provisions of the GCL, this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, and any By-Laws adopted by the stockholders; provided, however, that no By-Laws hereafter adopted by the stockholders shall invalidate any prior act of the directors which would have been valid if such By-Laws had not been adopted.
SIXTH: Meetings of stockholders may be held within or without the State of Delaware, as the By-Laws may provide. The books of the Corporation may be kept (subject to any provision contained in the GCL) outside the State of Delaware at such place or places as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors or in the By-Laws of the Corporation.
SEVENTH: The Corporation reserves the right to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this Amended and Restated 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.
EIGHTH:
(1) General. A director of the Corporation shall not be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted under the DGCL as currently in effect or as the same may hereafter be amended.
(2) Amendment. No amendment, modification or repeal of this Article Eighth, nor the adoption of any provision of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation inconsistent with this Article Eighth, shall adversely affect any right or protection of a director that exists at the time of such amendment, modification or repeal.
NINTH:
(1) General. The Corporation shall indemnify to the fullest extent permitted by and in the manner permissible under the DGCL, as amended from time to time (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than said law permitted the Corporation to provide prior to such amendment), any person made, or threatened to be made, a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, or proceeding, whether criminal, civil, administrative, or investigative, by reason of the fact that such person (a) is or was a director or officer of the Corporation or any predecessor of the Corporation or (b) served any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise as a director, officer, partner, trustee, employee or agent at the request of the Corporation or any predecessor of the Corporation; provided, however, that except as provided in Section (4) of Article Ninth, the Corporation shall indemnify any such person seeking indemnification in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such person only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized in advance by the Board of Directors.
(2) Advancement of Expenses. The right to indemnification conferred in this Article Ninth shall be a contract right and shall include the right to be paid by the Corporation the expenses incurred in defending any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition, such advances to be paid by the Corporation within twenty days after the receipt by the Corporation of a statement or statements from the claimant requesting such advance or advances from time to time; provided, however, that if the DGCL requires, the payment of such expenses incurred by a director or officer in his or her capacity as a director or officer (and not in any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such person while a director or officer, including, without limitation, service to an employee benefit plan) in advance of the final disposition of a proceeding, shall be made only upon delivery to the Corporation of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined by a final judicial decision from which there is no right of appeal that such director or officer is not entitled to be indemnified under this Article Ninth or otherwise.
(3) Procedure for Indemnification. To obtain indemnification under this Article Ninth, a claimant shall submit to the Corporation a written request, including therein or therewith such documentation and information as is reasonably available to the claimant and is reasonably necessary to determine whether and to what extent the claimant is entitled to indemnification. Upon written request by a claimant for indemnification pursuant to the first sentence of this Section (3) of
Article Ninth, a determination, if required by applicable law, with respect to the claimant’s entitlement thereto shall be made as follows: (a) if requested by the claimant or if there are no Disinterested Directors (as hereinafter defined), by Independent Counsel (as hereinafter defined), or (b) by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even though less than a quorum, or by a majority vote of a committee of Disinterested Directors designated by a majority vote of Disinterested Directors, even though less than a quorum. If it is so determined that the claimant is entitled to indemnification, payment to the claimant shall be made within 10 days after such determination.
(4) Certain Remedies. If a claim under Section (1) of this Article Ninth is not paid in full by the Corporation within thirty days after a written claim pursuant to Section (3) of this Article Ninth has been received by the Corporation, the claimant may at any time thereafter bring suit against the Corporation to recover the unpaid amount of the claim and, if successful in whole or in part, the claimant shall be entitled to be paid also the reasonable expense of prosecuting such claim. It shall be a defense to any such action (other than an action brought to enforce a claim for expenses incurred in defending any proceeding in advance of its final disposition where the required undertaking, if any, has been tendered to the Corporation) that the claimant has not met the standard of conduct which makes it permissible under the DGCL for the Corporation to indemnify the claimant for the amount claimed, but the burden of proving such defense shall be on the Corporation. Neither the failure of the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, Independent Counsel or stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such action that indemnification of the claimant is proper in the circumstances because he or she has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in the DGCL, nor an actual determination by the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, Independent Counsel or stockholders) that the claimant has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall be a defense to the action or create a presumption that the claimant has not met the applicable standard of conduct.
(5) Binding Effect. If a determination shall have been made pursuant to Section (3) of this Article Ninth that the claimant is entitled to indemnification, the Corporation shall be bound by such determination in any judicial proceeding commenced pursuant to Section (4) of this Article Ninth.
(6) Validity of this Article. The Corporation shall be precluded from asserting in any judicial proceeding commenced pursuant to Section 4 of this Article Ninth that the procedures and presumptions of this Article Ninth are not
valid, binding and enforceable and shall stipulate in such proceeding that the Corporation is bound by all the provisions of this Article Ninth.
(7) Nonexclusivity, etc. The right to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses incurred in defending a proceeding in advance of its final disposition conferred in this Article Ninth shall not be exclusive of any other right which any person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, provision of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, bylaws, agreement, vote of stockholders or Disinterested Directors or otherwise. No repeal or modification of this Article Ninth shall in any way diminish or adversely affect the rights of any present or former director or officer of the Corporation or any predecessor thereof hereunder in respect of any occurrence or matter arising prior to any such repeal or modification.
(8) Insurance. The Corporation may maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect itself and any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.
(9) Indemnification of Other Persons. The Corporation may grant rights to indemnification, and rights to the advancement by the Corporation of expenses incurred in defending any proceeding in advance of its final disposition, to any present or former employee or agent of the Corporation or any predecessor of the Corporation to the fullest extent of the provisions of this Article Ninth with respect to the indemnification and advancement of expenses of directors and officers of the Corporation.
(10) Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Article Ninth shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason whatsoever: (a) the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Article Ninth (including, without limitation, each portion of any paragraph of this Article Ninth containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby and (b) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Article Ninth (including, without limitation, each such portion of any paragraph of this Article Ninth containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested by the provision held invalid, illegal or unenforceable.
(11) Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Article Ninth:
(a) “Disinterested Director” means a director of the Corporation who is not and was not a party to the matter in respect of which indemnification is sought by the claimant and otherwise has no material interest in the matter as determined by the Board.
(b) “Independent Counsel” means a law firm, a member of a law firm, or an independent practitioner that is experienced in matters of Delaware corporation law and shall include any such person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would not have a conflict of interest in representing either the Corporation or the claimant in an action to determine the claimant’s rights under this Article Ninth. Independent Counsel shall be selected by the Board of Directors.