ALLEGHENY ENERGY, INC.
AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS
December 6, 2007
ARTICLE I
OFFICES
Section 1. Principal Office. The principal office of the Corporation in the State of Maryland shall be located at such place as the Board of Directors may designate.
Section 2. Additional Offices. The Corporation may have additional offices, including a principal executive office, at such places as the Board of Directors may from time to time determine or the business of the Corporation may require.
ARTICLE II
STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETINGS
Section 1. Place of Meetings. Every meeting of the stockholders shall be held at the principal executive office of the Corporation, or at such other place as shall be set by the Board of Directors and specified in the notice of the meeting.
Section 2. Annual Meetings. An annual meeting of the stockholders of this Corporation shall be held on the second Thursday in May in each year (or if that be a legal holiday, then on the next succeeding business day) or, if so set by the Board of Directors, on any other business day during the month of May for the purpose of electing Directors and for the transaction of such other business within the powers of the Corporation and as may properly be brought before the meeting.
Section 3. Special Meetings.
(a) General. The Chairman of the Board or the Board of Directors may call a special meeting of the stockholders. Subject to subsection (b) of this Section 3, a special meeting of stockholders shall also be called by the Secretary of the Corporation upon the written request of stockholders entitled to cast at least 25 percent of all the votes entitled to be cast at such meeting.
(b) Stockholder Requested Special Meetings. (1) Any stockholder of record seeking to have stockholders request a special meeting shall, by sending written notice to the Secretary (the “Record Date Request Notice”) by registered mail, return receipt requested, request the Board of Directors to fix a record date to determine the stockholders entitled to request a special meeting (the “Request Record Date”). The Record Date Request Notice shall set forth the purpose of the meeting and the matters proposed to be acted on at it, shall be signed by one or more stockholders of record as of the date of signature (or their agents duly authorized
in writing), shall bear the date of signature of each such stockholder (or such agent) and shall set forth all information relating to each such stockholder that must be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of Directors in an election contest (even if an election contest is not involved), or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A (or any successor provision) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Upon receiving the Record Date Request Notice, the Board of Directors may fix a Request Record Date. The Request Record Date shall not precede and shall not be more than ten days after the close of business on the date on which the resolution fixing the Request Record Date is adopted by the Board of Directors. If the Board of Directors, within ten days after the date on which a valid Record Date Request Notice is received, fails to adopt a resolution fixing the Request Record Date and make a public announcement of such Request Record Date, the Request Record Date shall be the close of business on the tenth day after the first date on which the Record Date Request Notice is received by the Secretary.
(2) In order for any stockholder to request a special meeting, one or more written requests for a special meeting signed by stockholders of record (or their agents duly authorized in writing) as of the Request Record Date entitled to cast at least 25 percent (the “Special Meeting Percentage”) of all of the votes entitled to be cast at such meeting (the “Special Meeting Request”) shall be delivered to the Secretary. In addition, the Special Meeting Request shall set forth the purpose of the meeting and the matters proposed to be acted on at it (which shall be limited to those lawful matters set forth in the Record Date Request Notice received by the Secretary), shall bear the date of signature of each such stockholder (or such agent) signing the Special Meeting Request, shall set forth the name and address, as they appear in the Corporation’s books, of each stockholder signing such request (or on whose behalf the Special Meeting Request is signed), the class, series and number of all shares of stock of the Corporation which are owned of record or beneficially by each such stockholder, and the nominee holder for, and number of, shares owned by such stockholder beneficially but not of record, shall be sent to the Secretary by registered mail, return receipt requested, and shall be received by the Secretary within 60 days after the Request Record Date. Any requesting stockholder may revoke his, her or its request for a special meeting at any time by written revocation delivered to the Secretary.
(3) The Secretary shall inform the requesting stockholders of the reasonably estimated cost of preparing and mailing the notice of meeting (including the Corporation’s proxy materials). The Secretary shall not be required to call a special meeting upon stockholder request and such meeting shall not be held unless, in addition to the documents required by paragraph (2) of this Section 3(b), the Secretary receives payment of such reasonably estimated cost prior to the mailing of any notice of the meeting. Unless requested by stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at the meeting, a special meeting need not be called to consider any matter which is substantially the same as a matter voted on at any special meeting of stockholders held in the preceding 12 months.
(4) Except as provided in the next sentence, any special meeting shall be held at such place, date and time as may be designated by the Chairman of the Board or Board of Directors, whoever has called the meeting. In the case of any special meeting called by the Secretary upon the request of stockholders (a “Stockholder Requested Meeting”), such meeting shall be held at such place, date and time as may be designated by the Board of Directors; provided, however, that the date of any Stockholder Requested Meeting shall be not more than 90 days after the record date for such meeting (the “Meeting Record Date”); and provided further that if the Board of Directors fails to designate, within ten days after the date that a valid Special Meeting Request is actually received by the Secretary (the “Delivery Date”), a date and time for a Stockholder Requested Meeting, then such meeting shall be held at 2:00 p.m. local time on the 90th day after the Meeting Record Date or, if such 90th day is not a Business Day (as defined below), on the first preceding Business Day; and provided further that in the event that the Board of Directors fails to designate a place for a Stockholder Requested Meeting within ten days after the Delivery Date, then such meeting shall be held at the principal executive office of the Corporation. In fixing a date for any special meeting, the President, Chief Executive Officer or Board of Directors may consider such factors as he, she or it deems relevant within the good faith exercise of business judgment, including, without limitation, the nature of the matters to be considered, the facts and circumstances surrounding any request for the meeting and any plan of the Board of Directors to call an annual meeting or a special meeting. In the case of any Stockholder Requested Meeting, if the Board of Directors fails to fix a Meeting Record Date that is a date within 30 days after the Delivery Date, then the close of business on the 30th day after the Delivery Date shall be the Meeting Record Date.
(5) If written revocations of requests for the special meeting have been delivered to the Secretary and the result is that stockholders of record (or their agents duly authorized in writing), as of the Request Record Date, entitled to cast less than the Special Meeting Percentage have delivered, and not revoked, requests for a special meeting to the Secretary, the Secretary shall: (i) if the notice of meeting has not already been mailed, refrain from mailing the notice of the meeting and send to all requesting stockholders who have not revoked such requests written notice of any revocation of a request for the special meeting, or (ii) if the notice of meeting has been mailed and if the Secretary first sends to all requesting stockholders who have not revoked requests for a special meeting written notice of any revocation of a request for the special meeting and written notice of the Secretary’s intention to revoke the notice of the meeting, revoke the notice of the meeting at any time before ten days before the commencement of the meeting. Any request for a special meeting received after a revocation by the Secretary of a notice of a meeting shall be considered a request for a new special meeting.
(6) The Chairman of the Board of Directors, the President or the Board of Directors may appoint regionally or nationally recognized independent inspectors of elections to act as the agent of the Corporation for the purpose of promptly performing a ministerial review of the validity of any purported Special Meeting Request received by the Secretary. For the purpose of permitting the inspectors to perform such review, no such purported request shall be deemed to have been delivered to the Secretary until the earlier of (i) five Business Days after receipt by the Secretary of such purported request and (ii) such date as the independent inspectors certify to the Corporation that the valid requests received by the Secretary represent at least a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of stock that would be entitled to vote at such meeting. Nothing contained in this paragraph (6) shall in any way be construed to suggest or imply that the Corporation or any stockholder shall not be entitled to contest the validity of any request, whether during or after such five Business Day period, or to take any other action (including, without limitation, the commencement, prosecution or defense of any litigation with respect thereto, and the seeking of injunctive relief in such litigation).
(7) For purposes of these Bylaws, “Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in the State of Maryland are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
Section 4. Notice. Not less than ten nor more than 90 days before each meeting of stockholders, the Secretary shall give to each stockholder entitled to vote at such meeting and to each stockholder not entitled to vote who is entitled to notice of the meeting notice in writing or by electronic transmission stating the time and place of the meeting, if any, and the means of remote communication, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed to be present in person and may vote at the meeting and, in the case of a special meeting or as otherwise may be required by any statute, the purpose for which the meeting is called, either by mail, by presenting it to such stockholder personally, by leaving it at the stockholder’s residence or usual place of business, by transmitting it to the stockholder by an electronic transmission to any address or number of the stockholder at which the stockholder receives electronic transmissions or by any other means permitted by Maryland law. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be given when deposited in the United States mail addressed to the stockholder at the stockholder’s address as it appears on the records of the Corporation, with postage thereon prepaid.
Subject to Section 11(a), any business of the Corporation may be transacted at an annual meeting of stockholders without being specifically designated in the notice, except such business as is required by any statute to be stated in such notice. No business shall be transacted at a special meeting of stockholders except as specifically designated in the notice.
Section 5. Quorum. At any meeting of stockholders, the presence in person or by proxy of stockholders entitled to cast a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at such meeting shall constitute a quorum; but this section shall not affect any requirement under any statute or the Charter for the vote necessary for the adoption of any measure. If, however, such quorum shall not be present at any meeting of the stockholders, the Chairman of the meeting or the stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting, present in person or by proxy, shall have the power to adjourn the meeting from time to time to a date not more than 120 days after the original record date without notice other than announcement at the meeting. At such adjourned meeting at which a quorum shall be present, any business may be transacted which might have been transacted at the meeting as originally notified.
The stockholders present either in person or by proxy, at a meeting which has been duly called and convened, may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough stockholders to leave less than a quorum.
Section 6. Voting. Except as provided in Article III, Section 6, each director shall be elected by a vote of the majority of votes cast with respect to the director at a meeting of stockholders duly called and at which a quorum is present; provided, however, that with respect to a contested election, a plurality of all the votes cast at a meeting of stockholders duly called and at which a quorum is present shall be sufficient to elect a Director. Each share may be voted for as many individuals as there are Directors to be elected and for whose election the share is entitled to be voted. For purposes of this section, a majority of the votes cast (“Majority Vote”) means that the number of shares voted “for” a director must exceed the number of votes “withheld” from that director.
In an uncontested election, except as prohibited by law or by the Charter, any nominee for election as a Director at a meeting of stockholders duly called and at which a quorum is present who fails to receive a Majority Vote shall tender his or her resignation to the Nominating and Governance Committee, or its successor (the “Governance Committee”), for consideration following certification of such vote.
The Governance Committee shall promptly consider the resignation offer, and a range of possible responses based on any facts or circumstances it considers relevant and make a recommendation to the Board of Directors. If each member of the Governance Committee did not receive a Majority Vote at the same election, then the independent Directors who did receive a Majority Vote shall appoint a committee amongst themselves to consider the resignation offers and recommend to the Board of Directors whether to accept them. The Board of Directors will take action on the Governance Committee’s recommendation (or committee of independent Directors’ recommendation) within 90 days following certification of the stockholder vote. The Company will publicly disclose each such resignation and the related action taken by the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors expects that any Director whose resignation is under consideration to abstain from participating in any decision regarding that resignation. However, if the only Directors who received a Majority Vote in the same election constitute three or fewer Directors, all Directors may participate in the action regarding whether to accept the resignation offers.
An election will be deemed to be uncontested if no stockholder provides notice of an intention to nominate one or more candidates to compete with the Board of Directors’ nominees in a Director election in the manner required by these Bylaws, or if any such stockholders have withdrawn all such nominations by the day before the mailing of notice of the meeting to stockholders.
A majority of the votes cast at a meeting of stockholders duly called and at which a quorum is present shall be sufficient to approve any other matter which may properly come before the meeting, unless more than a majority of the votes cast is required by statute or by the Charter. Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless otherwise provided by statute or by the Charter, each outstanding share, regardless of class, shall be entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to a vote at a meeting of stockholders.
Section 7. Proxies. A stockholder may vote the stock the stockholder owns of record either in person or by proxy. A stockholder may sign a writing authorizing another person to act as proxy. Signing may be accomplished by the stockholder or the stockholder’s authorized agent signing the writing or causing the stockholder’s signature to be affixed to the writing by any reasonable means, including facsimile signature. A stockholder may authorize another person to act as proxy by transmitting, or authorizing the transmission of, an authorization by a telegram, cablegram, datagram, electronic mail or any other electronic or telephonic means to the person authorized to act as proxy or to any other person authorized to receive the proxy authorization on behalf of the person authorized to act as the proxy, including a proxy solicitation firm or proxy support service organization. Such proxy or evidence of authorization of such proxy shall be filed with the Secretary of the Corporation before or at the time of the meeting. Unless a proxy provides otherwise, it is not valid more than 11 months after its date. A proxy is revocable by a stockholder at any time without condition or qualification unless the proxy states that it is irrevocable and the proxy is coupled with an interest. A proxy may be made irrevocable for so long as it is coupled with an interest. The interest with which a proxy may be coupled includes an interest in the stock to be voted under the proxy or another general interest in the Corporation or its assets or liabilities.
Section 8. Voting of Stock by Certain Holders. Stock of the Corporation registered in the name of a corporation, partnership, trust or other entity, if entitled to be voted, may be voted by the president or a vice president, a general partner or trustee thereof, as the case may be, or a proxy appointed by any of the foregoing individuals, unless some other person who has been appointed to vote such stock pursuant to a bylaw or a resolution of the governing body of such corporation or other entity or agreement of the partners of a partnership presents a certified copy of such bylaw, resolution or agreement, in which case such person may vote such stock. Any Director or other fiduciary may vote stock registered in his or her name as such fiduciary, either in person or by proxy. Shares of stock of the Corporation directly or indirectly owned by it shall not be voted at any meeting and shall not be counted in determining the total number of outstanding shares entitled to be voted at any given time, unless they are held by it in a fiduciary capacity, in which case they may be voted and shall be counted in determining the total number of outstanding shares at any given time.
Section 9. Inspectors. The Board of Directors, in advance of any meeting, may, but need not, appoint one or more individual inspectors or one or more entities that designate individuals as inspectors to act at the meeting or any adjournment thereof. If an inspector or inspectors are not so appointed, the person presiding at the meeting may, but need not, appoint one or more inspectors. In case any person who may be appointed as an inspector fails to appear or act, the vacancy may be filled by appointment made by the Board of Directors in advance of the meeting or at the meeting by the Chairman of the meeting. The inspectors, if any, shall determine the number of shares outstanding and the voting power of each, the shares represented at the meeting, the existence of a quorum, the validity and effect of proxies, and shall receive votes, ballots or consents, hear and determine all challenges and questions arising in connection with the right to vote, count and tabulate all votes, ballots or consents, determine the result, and do such acts as are proper to conduct the election or vote with fairness to all stockholders. Each such report shall be in writing and signed by him or her or by a majority of them if there is more than one inspector acting at such meeting. If there is more than one inspector, the report of a majority shall be the report of the inspectors. The report of the inspector or inspectors on the number of shares represented at the meeting and the results of the voting shall be prima facie evidence thereof.
Section 10. Organization and Conduct. Every meeting of stockholders shall be conducted by an individual appointed by the Board of Directors to be chairman of the meeting or, in the absence of such appointment, by the Chairman of the Board or, in the case of a vacancy in the office or absence of the Chairman of the Board, by one of the following officers present at the meeting: the Presiding Director of the Board, if there be one, the President, the Vice Presidents in their order of rank and seniority, or, in the absence of such officers, a chairman chosen by the stockholders by the vote of a majority of the votes cast by stockholders present in person or by proxy. The Secretary, or, in the Secretary’s absence, an Assistant Secretary, or in the absence of both the Secretary and Assistant Secretaries, a person appointed by the Board of Directors or, in the absence of such appointment, a person appointed by the chairman of the meeting shall act as secretary of the meeting. In the event that the Secretary presides at a meeting of the stockholders, an Assistant Secretary, or in the absence of Assistant Secretaries an individual appointed by the Board of Directors or the chairman of the meeting, shall record the minutes of the meeting. The order of business and all other matters of procedure at any meeting of stockholders shall be determined by the chairman of the meeting. The chairman of the meeting may prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and take such action as, in the discretion of such chairman, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting, including, without limitation, (a) restricting admission to the time set for the commencement of the meeting; (b) limiting attendance at the meeting to stockholders of record of the Corporation, their duly authorized proxies and other such individuals as the chairman of the meeting may determine; (c) limiting participation at the meeting on any matter to stockholders of record of the Corporation entitled to vote on such matter, their duly authorized proxies and other such individuals as the chairman of the meeting may determine; (d) limiting the time allotted to questions or comments by participants; (e) determining when the polls should be opened and closed; (f) maintaining order and security at the meeting; (g) removing any stockholder or any other individual who refuses to comply with meeting procedures, rules or guidelines as set forth by the chairman of the meeting; and (h) recessing or adjourning the meeting to a later date and time and place announced at the meeting. Unless otherwise determined by the chairman of the meeting, meetings of stockholders shall not be required to be held in accordance with the rules of parliamentary procedure.
Section 11. Nominations and Proposals by Stockholders.
(a) Annual Meetings of Stockholders. (1) Nominations of individuals for election to the Board of Directors and the proposal of other business to be considered by the stockholders may be made at an annual meeting of stockholders (i) pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting, (ii) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (iii) by any stockholder of the Corporation who was a stockholder of record both at the time of giving of notice by the stockholder as provided for in this Section 11(a) and at the time of the annual meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has complied with this Section 11(a).
(2) For nominations or other business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder pursuant to clause (iii) of paragraph (a)(1) of this Section 11, the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation and such other business must otherwise be a proper matter for action by the stockholders. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice shall set forth all information required under this Section 11 and shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive office of the Corporation not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the date of mailing of the notice for the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the mailing of the notice for the annual meeting is advanced or delayed by more than 30 days from the first anniversary of the date of mailing of the notice for the preceding year’s annual meeting, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the 120th day prior to the date of mailing of the notice for such annual meeting and not later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the later of the 90th day prior to the date of mailing of the notice for such annual meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement of the date of mailing of the notice for such meeting is first made. The public announcement of a postponement or adjournment of an annual meeting shall not commence a new time period for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above. Such stockholder’s notice shall set forth (i) as to each individual whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a Director, (A) the name, age, business address and residence address of such individual, (B) the class, series and number of any shares of stock of the Corporation that are beneficially owned by such individual, (C) the date such shares were acquired and the investment intent of such acquisition and (D) all other information relating to such individual that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of Directors in an election contest (even if an election contest is not involved), or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A (or any successor provision) under the Exchange Act and the rules thereunder (including such individual’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a Director if elected); (ii) as to any other business that the stockholder proposes to bring before the meeting, a description of such business, the reasons for proposing such business at the meeting and any material interest in such business of such stockholder and any Stockholder Associated Person (as defined below), individually or in the aggregate, including any anticipated benefit to the stockholder and the Stockholder Associated Person therefrom; (iii) as to the stockholder giving the notice and any Stockholder Associated Person, the class, series and number of all shares of stock of the Corporation which are owned by such stockholder and by such Stockholder Associated Person, if any, and the nominee holder for, and number of, shares owned beneficially but not of record by such stockholder and by any such Stockholder Associated Person; (iv) as to the stockholder giving the notice and any Stockholder Associated Person covered by clauses (ii) or (iii) of this paragraph (2) of this Section 11(a), the name and address of such stockholder, as they appear on the Corporation’s stock ledger and current name and address, if different, and of such Stockholder Associated Person; and (v) to the extent known by the stockholder giving the notice, the name and address of any other stockholder supporting the nominee for election or reelection as a Director or the proposal of other business on the date of such stockholder’s notice.
(3) Notwithstanding anything in this subsection (a) of this Section 11 to the contrary, in the event the Board of Directors increases or decreases the maximum or minimum number of Directors in accordance with Article III, Section 2 of these Bylaws, and there is no public announcement of such action at least 100 days prior to the first anniversary of the date of mailing of the notice of the preceding year’s annual meeting, a stockholder’s notice required by this Section 11(a) shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if it shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive office of the Corporation not later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the tenth day following the day on which such public announcement is first made by the Corporation.
(4) For purposes of this Section 11, “Stockholder Associated Person” of any stockholder shall mean any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with such stockholder and any person acting, directly or indirectly, in concert with such stockholder in connection with such stockholder’s proposal.
(b) Special Meetings of Stockholders. Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting. Nominations of individuals for election to the Board of Directors may be made at a special meeting of stockholders at which Directors are to be elected (i) pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting, (ii) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (iii) provided that the Board of Directors has determined that Directors shall be elected at such special meeting, by any stockholder of the Corporation who is a stockholder of record both at the time of giving of notice provided for in this Section 11 and at the time of the special meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who complied with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 11. In the event the Corporation calls a special meeting of stockholders for the purpose of electing one or more individuals to the Board of Directors, any such stockholder may nominate an individual or individuals (as the case may be) for election as a Director as specified in the Corporation’s notice of meeting, if the stockholder’s notice required by paragraph (2) of this Section 11(a) shall be delivered to the Secretary at the principal executive office of the Corporation not earlier than the 120th day prior to such special meeting and not later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the later of the 90th day prior to such special meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement is first made of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board of Directors to be elected at such meeting. The public announcement of a postponement or adjournment of a special meeting shall not commence a new time period for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above.
(c) General. (1) Upon written request by the Secretary or the Board of Directors or any committee thereof, any stockholder proposing a nominee for election as a director or any proposal for other business at a meeting of stockholders shall provide, within five Business Days of delivery of such request (or such other period as may be specified in such request), written verification, satisfactory, in the discretion of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof or any authorized officer of the Corporation, to demonstrate the accuracy of any information submitted by the stockholder pursuant to this Section 11. If a stockholder fails to provide such written verification within such period, the information as to which written verification was requested may be deemed not to have been provided in accordance with this Section 11.
(2) Only such individuals who are nominated in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 11 shall be eligible to serve as Directors, and only such business shall be conducted at a meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 11. The chairman of the meeting shall have the power to determine whether a nomination or any business proposed to be brought before the meeting was made or proposed, as the case may be, in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 11 and, if any proposed nomination or business is not in compliance with this Section 11, to declare that such defective nomination or proposal be disregarded.
(3) For purposes of this Section 11, (a) the “date of mailing of the notice” shall mean the date of the proxy statement for the solicitation of proxies for election of Directors and (b) “public announcement” shall mean disclosure (i) in a press release reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press, Business Wire, PR Newswire or comparable news service or (ii) in a document publicly filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act.
(4) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 11, a stockholder shall also comply with all applicable requirements of state law and of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth in this Section 11. Nothing in this Section 11 shall be deemed to affect any right of a stockholder to request inclusion of a proposal in, nor the right of the Corporation to omit a proposal from, the Corporation’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 (or any successor provision) under the Exchange Act.
Section 12. Voting by Ballot. Voting on any question or in any election may be viva voce unless the presiding officer shall order or any stockholder shall demand that voting be by ballot.
Section 13. Meetings by Remote Communication.At the discretion of the Board of Directors and subject to any guidelines and procedures that the Board of Directors may adopt from time to time, stockholders and proxy holders not physically present at a meeting of the stockholders may participate in the meeting of the stockholders by means of remote communication and may be considered present in person and may vote at the meeting of the stockholders, whether the meeting is held at a designated place or solely by means of remote communication. The Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to verify that each person considered present and authorized to vote at the meeting by means of remote communication is a stockholder or proxy holder, the Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to provide the stockholders and proxy holders a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting and to vote on matters submitted to the stockholders, including an opportunity to read or hear the proceedings of the meeting substantially concurrently with the proceedings and in the event any stockholder or proxy holder votes or takes other action at the meeting by means of remote communication, a record of the vote or other action shall be maintained by the Corporation.
Section 14. Informal Action by Stockholders. Unless the Charter requires otherwise, any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the stockholders may be taken without a meeting if a unanimous consent which sets forth the action is given in writing or by electronic transmission by each stockholder entitled to vote on the matter and filed in paper or electronic form with the records of stockholders meetings. Unless the Charter requires otherwise, the holders of any class or series of stock, other than Common Stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, may take action or consent to any action by delivering a consent in writing or by electronic transmission of the stockholders entitled to cast not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take the action at a stockholders meeting if the Corporation gives notice of the action to each stockholder not later than 10 days after the effective time of the action.
Section 15. Control Share Acquisition Act. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Charter or these Bylaws, Title 3, Subtitle 7 of the Maryland General Corporation Law (or any successor statute) shall not apply to any acquisition by any person of shares of stock of the Corporation. This section may be repealed, in whole or in part, at any time, whether before or after an acquisition of control shares and, upon such repeal, may, to the extent provided by any successor bylaw, apply to any prior or subsequent control share acquisition.
ARTICLE III
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. General Powers. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed under the direction of its Board of Directors.
Section 2. Number, Tenure and Qualifications. The number of Directors shall be fixed only by a vote of the Board of Directors, provided that the number thereof shall never be less than the minimum number required by the Maryland General Corporation Law, and further provided that the tenure of office of a Director shall not be affected by any decrease in the number of Directors. Directors need not be stockholders in the Corporation.
Section 3. Vacancies. If for any reason any or all the Directors cease to be Directors, such event shall not terminate the Corporation or affect these Bylaws or the powers of the remaining Directors hereunder. Except as may be provided by the Board of Directors in setting the terms of any class or series of preferred stock, any vacancy on the Board of Directors may be filled only by a majority of the remaining Directors, even if the remaining Directors do not constitute a quorum. Any Director elected to fill a vacancy shall serve for the remainder of the full term of the class in which the vacancy occurred and until a successor is elected and qualifies.
Section 4. Place of Meetings. Every meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held at the principal executive office of the Corporation, or at such other place in or out of the State of Maryland as the Board of Directors may from time to time determine or shall be specified in the notice of the meeting.
Section 5. Annual or Regular Meetings. An annual meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held immediately after and at the same place as the annual meeting of stockholders, no notice other than this Bylaw being necessary. In the event such meeting is not so held, the meeting may be held at such time and at any place or by means of remote communication as shall be specified in a notice given as hereinafter provided for special meetings of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may provide, by resolution, the time and place for the holding of regular meetings of the Board of Directors without other notice than such resolution.
Section 6. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by or at the request of the Chairman of the Board, the Presiding Director, the Executive Committee or by a majority of the Directors then in office. The person or persons authorized to call special meetings of the Board of Directors may fix any place as the place for holding any special meeting of the Board of Directors called by them or may fix remote communication as the means by which any special meeting of the Board of Directors called by them will be held. The Board of Directors may provide, by resolution, the time and place, if any, and the means of remote communication, if any, for the holding of special meetings of the Board of Directors without other notice than such resolution.
Section 7. Notice. Notice of any special meeting of the Board of Directors shall be delivered personally or by telephone, electronic mail, facsimile transmission, United States mail or courier to each Director at his or her business or residence address. Notice by personal delivery, telephone, electronic mail or facsimile transmission shall be given at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Notice by United States mail shall be given at least three days prior to the meeting. Notice by courier shall be given at least two days prior to the meeting. Telephone notice shall be deemed to be given when the Director or his or her agent is personally given such notice in a telephone call to which the Director or his or her agent is a party. Electronic mail notice shall be deemed to be given upon transmission of the message to the electronic mail address given to the Corporation by the Director. Facsimile transmission notice shall be deemed to be given upon completion of the transmission of the message to the number given to the Corporation by the Director and receipt of a completed answer-back indicating receipt. Notice by United States mail shall be deemed to be given when deposited in the United States mail properly addressed, with postage thereon prepaid. Notice by courier shall be deemed to be given when deposited with or delivered to a courier properly addressed. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any annual, regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors need be stated in the notice, unless specifically required by statute or these Bylaws.
Section 8. Action by Written Consent; Telephone or Electronic Meetings
.
(a) Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Board of Directors may be taken without a meeting if a unanimous written consent which sets forth the action is signed by all Directors on the Board and filed with the minutes or corporate records of Board proceedings.
(b) Members of the Board of Directors may participate in meetings of the Board of Directors by means of a conference telephone or other communications equipment by which all persons participating can simultaneously hear each other. Participation in a meeting by these means constitutes presence in person at the meeting.
Section 9. Quorum. A majority of the Board of Directors, but in no case less than the number of Directors required by the Maryland General Corporation Law, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If, at any meeting of the Board there shall be less than a quorum present, a majority of those present may adjourn the meeting from time to time until a quorum shall have been obtained. If, pursuant to applicable law, the Charter or these Bylaws, the vote of a majority of a particular group of Directors is required for action, a quorum must also include a majority of such group.
The Directors present at a meeting which has been duly called and convened may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough Directors to leave less than a quorum.
Section 10. Voting. The action of the majority of the Directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the action of the Board of Directors, unless the concurrence of a greater proportion is required for such action by applicable law, the Charter or these Bylaws. If enough Directors have withdrawn from a meeting to leave less than a quorum but the meeting is not adjourned, the action of the majority of the Directors still present at such meeting shall be the action of the Board of Directors, unless the concurrence of a greater proportion is required for such action by applicable law, the Charter or these Bylaws.
Section 11. Organization and Conduct. At each meeting of the Board of Directors, the Chairman of the Board or, in the absence of the Chairman, the Presiding Director of the Board, if any, shall act as Chairman. In the absence of both the Chairman and the Presiding Director, a Director chosen by a majority of the Directors present shall act as Chairman. The Secretary or, in his or her absence, an Assistant Secretary of the Corporation or, in the absence of the Secretary and all Assistant Secretaries, a person appointed by the Chairman of the meeting shall act as Secretary of the meeting.
Section 12. Executive Committee and Other Committees. The Board, by resolution adopted by a majority of the entire Board, may appoint from among its members an Executive Committee and one or more other committees, each consisting of one or more Directors, except that the Audit Committee shall consist of at least three members. The Chairman of the Board shall be a member of the Executive Committee. Except as prohibited by law or by the Charter or by resolution of the Board, the Executive Committee shall have all the powers of the Board when the Board is not in session and each other committee shall have such powers as the Board shall confer. In the absence of any member of any such committee, the members thereof present at any meeting, whether or not they constitute a quorum, may appoint a Director to act in the place of such absent member. Each such committee may fix its own rules of procedure, and may meet when and as provided by such rules or by resolution of the Board of Directors with notice given in the same manner as notice for special meetings of the Board of Directors; but in every case the presence of a majority shall be necessary to constitute a quorum at a meeting. The action of a majority of the committee members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the action of such committee. Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the members of the Executive or any other committee may be taken without a meeting if a unanimous written consent which sets forth the action signed by all members of the committee and filed with the minutes or corporate records of committee proceedings. Members of any committee may participate in meetings of such committee by means of conference telephone or other communications equipment by which all persons participating can simultaneously hear each other. Participation in a meeting by these means constitutes presence in person at the meeting. The majority of the entire Board of Directors shall have the power at any time to change the members of the Executive Committee, except the Chairman thereof, and to change, at any time, the members of the other committees, to fill vacancies in any committee by election from the Directors, and to discharge any of the other committees.
Section 13. Independent Presiding Director. The independent members of the Board of Directors shall designate an independent Presiding Director who will preside at the executive sessions of the independent Directors. The position of the independent Presiding Director shall be rotated every two years among the independent members of the Company’s Executive Committee and the Chairs of the Company’s Management Compensation and Development and the Nominating and Governance Committees, commencing with an annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders. The duties and powers of the Presiding Director include the following: (i) presiding at all meetings of the Board at which the Chairman is not present, including executive sessions of the independent directors; (ii) serving as liaison between the Chairman and the independent directors; (iii) providing input to management on information to be sent to the Board and approving information sent to the Board; (iv) approving meeting agendas for the Board; (v) approving meeting schedules to assure that there is sufficient time for discussion of all agenda items; (vi) calling meetings of the independent directors; and (vii) if requested by major stockholders, ensuring that he or she is available for consultation and direct communication.
Section 14. Remuneration. In addition to reimbursement of his or her reasonable expenses incurred in attending meetings or otherwise in connection with his or her attention to the affairs of the Company, each Director as such, and as a member of the Executive Committee or of any other committee of the Board, shall be entitled to receive such remuneration in such form and at such rates as may be fixed from time to time by the Board of Directors.
Section 15. Loss of Deposits. No Director shall be liable for any loss which may occur by reason of the failure of the bank, trust company, savings and loan association, or other institution with whom moneys or stock have been deposited.
Section 16. Surety Bonds. Unless required by law, no Director shall be obligated to give any bond or surety or other security for the performance of any of his or her duties.
Section 17. Reliance. Each Director, officer, employee and agent of the Corporation shall, in the performance of his or her duties with respect to the Corporation, be fully justified and protected with regard to any act or failure to act in reliance in good faith upon the books of account or other records of the Corporation, upon an opinion of counsel or upon reports made to the Corporation by any of its officers or employees or by the adviser, accountants, appraisers or other experts or consultants selected by the Board of Directors or officers of the Corporation, regardless of whether such counsel or expert may also be a Director.
Section 18. Certain Rights of Directors. A Director shall have no responsibility to devote his or her full time to the affairs of the Corporation.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
Section 1. General Provisions. The Executive Officers of the Corporation shall be elected annually by the Board of Directors and shall include a President and Chief Executive Officer (who shall be a Director), a Secretary and a Treasurer and may include a Chairman of the Board (who shall be a Director), one or more Vice Presidents, one or more Assistant Secretaries, and one or more Assistant Treasurers. The Board of Directors may also elect such other officers, agents and employees as the Board may deem necessary or desirable; provided, however, that the Chief Executive Officer may appoint one or more Vice Presidents, Assistant Secretaries and Assistant Treasurers or other officers. Any two offices, except those of President and Vice President, may be held by the same person, but no officer shall execute, acknowledge or verify any instrument in more than one capacity, if such instrument is required by law to be executed, acknowledged or verified by any two or more officers. A vacancy in any office that may be filled by only by the Board of Directors may only be filled by the Board of Directors and a vacancy in any office which may be filled by the Board of Directors or an officer may only be filled by the Board of Directors or such officer. Election of an officer or agent shall not of itself create contract rights between the Corporation and such officer or agent.
Section 2. Term of Office. The term of office of all officers shall be one year and until their respective successors are elected and qualify, subject, however, to the provision for removal contained in the Charter.
Section 3. Resignation. Any officer of the Corporation may resign at any time by giving written notice of his or her resignation to the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, the Chairman of the Board, the President or the Secretary. Any resignation shall take effect immediately upon its receipt or at such later time specified in the notice of resignation. The acceptance of a resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective unless otherwise stated in the resignation. Such resignation shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the Corporation.
Section 4. Chief Executive Officer. The Board of Directors may designate a Chief Executive Officer. In the absence of such designation, the President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation. The Chief Executive Officer shall have general responsibility for implementation of the policies of the Corporation, as determined by the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee, and for the management of the business and affairs of the Corporation. He or she may execute any deed, mortgage, bond, contract or other instrument, except in cases where the execution thereof shall be expressly delegated by the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee or by these Bylaws to some other officer or agent of the Corporation or shall be required by law to be otherwise executed; and in general shall perform all duties incident to the office of Chief Executive Officer and such other duties as determined by the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee from time to time.
Section 5. Chief Operating Officer. The Board of Directors may designate a Chief Operating Officer. The Chief Operating Officer shall have the responsibilities and duties as determined by the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee or the Chief Executive Officer.
Section 6. Chief Financial Officer. The Board of Directors may designate a Chief Financial Officer. The Chief Financial Officer shall have the responsibilities and duties as determined by the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee or the Chief Executive Officer.
Section 7. Chairman of the Board. The Board of Directors shall designate a Chairman of the Board. The Chairman of the Board shall preside over the meetings of the Board of Directors and of the stockholders at which he or she shall be present. The Chairman of the Board shall perform such other duties as determined by the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee.
Section 8. Presiding Director. The Board of Directors may designate a Presiding Director from among its members, other than the Chairman of the Board, who shall be independent pursuant to the rules of the New York Stock Exchange. The Presiding Director shall be authorized to perform the duties of the Chairman of the Board during any absence of the Chairman of the Board and such other duties as set forth in these Bylaws or as otherwise determined by the Board of Directors.
Section 9. President. In the absence of a designation of a Chief Operating Officer by the Board of Directors, the President shall be the Chief Operating Officer. He or she may execute any deed, mortgage, bond, contract or other instrument, except in cases where the execution thereof shall be expressly delegated by the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee or by these Bylaws to some other officer or agent of the Corporation or shall be required by law to be otherwise executed; and in general shall perform all duties incident to the office of President and such other duties as determined by the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee from time to time.
Section 10. Vice Presidents. In the absence of the President or in the event of a vacancy in such office, the Vice President (or in the event there be more than one Vice President, the Vice Presidents in the order designated at the time of their election or, in the absence of any designation, then in the order of their election) shall perform the duties of the President and when so acting shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the President; and shall perform such other duties as from time to time determined by the President, the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee. The Board of Directors may designate one or more Vice Presidents as Executive Vice President or Senior Vice Presidents or as Vice President for particular areas of responsibility.
Section 11. Secretary. The Secretary shall (a) keep the minutes of the proceedings of the stockholders, the Board of Directors and committees of the Board of Directors in one or more books provided for that purpose; (b) see that all notices are duly given in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws or as required by law; (c) be custodian of the corporate records and of the seal of the Corporation; (d) keep a register of the post office address and e-mail address of each stockholder which shall be furnished to the Secretary by such stockholder; (e) have general charge of the stock transfer books of the Corporation; and (f) in general perform such other duties as from time to time determined by the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee.
Section 12. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have the custody of the funds and securities of the Corporation and shall keep full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements in books belonging to the Corporation and shall deposit all moneys and other valuable effects in the name and to the credit of the Corporation in such depositories as may be designated by the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee. In the absence of a designation of a Chief Financial Officer by the Board of Directors, the Treasurer shall be the Chief Financial Officer of the Corporation.
The Treasurer shall disburse the funds of the Corporation as may be ordered by the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee, taking proper vouchers for such disbursements, and shall render to the President and the Board of Directors, at the regular meetings of the Board of Directors or whenever it may so require, an account of all his or her transactions as Treasurer and of the financial condition of the Corporation.
Section 13. Assistant Secretaries and Assistant Treasurers. The Assistant Secretaries and Assistant Treasurers, in general, shall perform such duties as determined by the Secretary or Treasurer, respectively, or by the President, the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee. The Assistant Treasurers shall, if required by the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee, give bonds for the faithful performance of their duties in such sums and with such surety or sureties as shall be satisfactory to the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee.
Section 14. Contracts. The Board of Directors or the Executive Committee or another committee of the Board of Directors within the scope of its delegated authority may authorize any officer or agent to enter into any contract or to execute and deliver any instrument in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation and such authority may be general or confined to specific instances. Any agreement, deed, mortgage, lease or other document shall be valid and binding upon the Corporation when duly authorized or ratified by action of the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee or such other committee and executed by an authorized person.
Section 15. Checks, Notes, Etc. All checks and drafts on the Corporation’s bank accounts and all bills of exchange and promissory notes, and all acceptances, obligations and other instruments for the payment of money, shall be signed by such officer or officers, agent or agents, as shall be authorized from time to time by the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE V
STOCK
Section 1. Certificates. Except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws, this Section shall not be interpreted to limit the authority of the Board of Directors to issue some or all of the shares of any or all of its classes or series without certificates. Each stockholder, upon written request to the Secretary of the Corporation, shall be entitled to a certificate or certificates which shall represent and certify the number of shares of each class of stock held by him, her or it in the Corporation. Each certificate shall be signed by the Chairman of the Board, the President or a Vice President and countersigned by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary or the Treasurer or an Assistant Treasurer and may be sealed with the seal, if any, of the Corporation. The signatures may be either manual or facsimile. Certificates shall be consecutively numbered; and if the Corporation shall, from time to time, issue several classes of stock, each class may have its own number series. A certificate is valid and may be issued whether or not an officer who signed it is still an officer when it is issued. Each certificate representing shares which are restricted as to their transferability or voting powers, which are preferred or limited as to their dividends or as to their allocable portion of the assets upon liquidation or which are redeemable at the option of the Corporation, shall have a statement of such restriction, limitation, preference or redemption provision, or a summary thereof, plainly stated on the certificate. If the Corporation has authority to issue stock of more than one class, the certificate shall contain on the face or back a full statement or summary of the designations and any preferences, conversion and other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as to dividends and other distributions, qualifications and terms and conditions of redemption of each class of stock and, if the Corporation is authorized to issue any preferred or special class in series, the differences in the relative rights and preferences between the shares of each series to the extent they have been set and the authority of the Board of Directors to set the relative rights and preferences of subsequent series. In lieu of such statement or summary, the certificate may state that the Corporation will furnish a full statement of such information to any stockholder upon request and without charge. If any class of stock is restricted by the Corporation as to transferability, the certificate shall contain a full statement of the restriction or state that the Corporation will furnish information about the restrictions to the stockholder on request and without charge.
Section 2. Transfer of Shares. Shares of stock of the Corporation evidenced by certificates shall be transferred on the books of the Corporation by the holder thereof in person or by his duly authorized attorney upon surrender and cancellation of certificates for the same number of shares, duly endorsed or accompanied by proper instruments of assignment and transfer, with such proof of the authenticity of the signature as the Corporation or its agents may reasonably require.
Uncertificated shares are transferable on the books of the Corporation upon receipt of the proper transfer documents, instructions and assignments as may be reasonably required by the Corporation or its agents.
The Corporation shall be entitled to treat the holder of record of any share of stock as the holder in fact thereof and, accordingly, shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such share or on the part of any other person, whether or not it shall have express or other notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by the laws of the State of Maryland.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, transfers of shares of any class of stock will be subject in all respects to the Charter and all of the terms and conditions contained therein.
Section 3. Replacement Certificate. The President, the Secretary or the Treasurer or any other officer designated by the Board of Directors may direct a new certificate to be issued in place of any certificate previously issued by the Corporation alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the person claiming the certificate to be lost, stolen or destroyed. When authorizing the issuance of a new certificate, an officer designated by the Board of Directors may, in his or her discretion and as a condition precedent to the issuance thereof, require the owner of such lost, stolen or destroyed certificate or the owner’s legal representative to advertise the same in such manner as he or she shall require and/or to give bond, with sufficient surety, to the Corporation to indemnify it against any loss or claim which may arise as a result of the issuance of a new certificate.
Section 4. Record Dates. The Directors may set, in advance, a date as the record date for the purpose of determining stockholders entitled to notice of, or to vote at, any meeting of stockholders, or stockholders entitled to receive payment of any dividend or the allotment of any rights, or in order to make a determination of stockholders for any other proper purpose. Such date in any case shall not be prior to the close of business on the day the record date is set and shall be not more than 90 days, and in the case of a meeting of stockholders, not less than ten days before the date of the meeting.
In lieu of fixing a record date, the Board of Directors may direct that the stock transfer books be closed for a stated period but not longer than 20 days. If the stock transfer books are closed for the purpose of determining stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders, such books shall be closed for at least ten days before the date of the meeting.
If no record date is fixed and the stock transfer books are not closed for the determination of stockholders, (a) the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall be at the close of business on the day on which the notice of meeting is mailed or the 30th day before the meeting, whichever is the closer date to the meeting; and (b) the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to receive payment of a dividend or an allotment of any other rights shall be the close of business on the day on which the resolution of the Board of Directors, declaring the dividend or allotment of rights, is adopted.
When a determination of stockholders entitled to vote at any meeting of stockholders has been made as provided in this section, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof, except when (i) the determination has been made through the closing of the transfer books and the stated period of closing has expired or (ii) the meeting is adjourned to a date more than 120 days after the record date fixed for the original meeting, in either of which case a new record date shall be determined as set forth herein.
Section 5. Seal. The Board of Directors shall provide a suitable corporate seal, in such form and bearing such inscriptions as it may determine. Whenever the Corporation is permitted or required to affix its seal to a document, it shall be sufficient to meet the requirements of any law, rule or regulation relating to a seal to place the word “(SEAL)” adjacent to the signature of the person authorized to execute the document on behalf of the Corporation.
Section 6. Stock Ledgers. Original or duplicate stock ledgers, containing the names and addresses of the stockholders of the Corporation and the number of shares of stock of each class held by them respectively, shall be, kept at the principal office of the Corporation or at the office of its counsel, accountants or transfer agent.
Section 7. Fractional Stock; Issuance of Units. The Board of Directors may issue fractional stock or provide for the issuance of scrip, all on such terms and under such conditions as they may determine. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Charter or these Bylaws, the Board of Directors may issue units consisting of different securities of the Corporation. Any security issued in a unit shall have the same characteristics as any identical securities issued by the Corporation, except that the Board of Directors may provide that for a specified period securities of the Corporation issued in such unit may be transferred on the books of the Corporation only in such unit.
ARTICLE VI
FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of the Corporation shall begin on the first day of January and end on the thirty-first day of December following.
ARTICLE VII
DISTRIBUTIONS
Section 1. Authorization. Dividends and other distributions upon the stock of the Corporation may be authorized by the Board of Directors, subject to the provisions of law and the Charter. Dividends and other distributions may be paid in cash, property or stock of the Corporation, subject to the provisions of law and the Charter.
Section 2. Contingencies. Before payment of any dividends or other distributions, there may be set aside out of any assets of the Corporation available for dividends or other distributions such sum or sums as the Board of Directors may from time to time, in its absolute discretion, think proper, consistent with the Charter, as a reserve fund for contingencies, for equalizing dividends or other distributions, for repairing or maintaining any property of the Corporation or for such other purpose as the Board of Directors shall determine to be in the best interest of the Corporation, and the Board of Directors may modify or abolish such reserve.
ARTICLE VIII
INDEMNIFICATION AND ADVANCE OF EXPENSES
To the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law in effect from time to time, the Corporation shall indemnify and, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, shall pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to (a) any individual who is a present or former Director or officer of the Corporation and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity or (b) any individual who, while a Director or officer of the Corporation and at the request of the Corporation, serves or has served as a director, officer, partner or trustee of another corporation, real estate investment trust, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise and who is made or threatened to be made a party to the proceeding by reason of his or her service in that capacity. The Corporation may, with the approval of its Board of Directors or any duly authorized committee thereof, provide such indemnification and advance for reasonable expenses to a person who served a predecessor of the Corporation in any of the capacities described in (a) or (b) above and to any employee (other than a Director or officer) or agent of the Corporation or a predecessor of the Corporation.
The indemnification and payment of expenses provided in this Article VIII shall not be deemed exclusive of or limit in any way other rights to which any person seeking indemnification or payment of expenses may be or may become entitled under any bylaw, regulation, insurance, agreement or otherwise. It shall be a defense to any action for advance for expenses that (i) a determination has been made that the facts then known to those making the determination would preclude indemnification or (ii) the Corporation has not received both (A) an undertaking as required by law to repay such advances in the event it shall ultimately be determined that the standard of conduct has not been met and (B) a written affirmation by the Indemnified Party of such Indemnified Party’s good faith belief that the standard of conduct necessary for indemnification by the Corporation has been met.
Any indemnification or payment of costs and expenses in advance of the final disposition of any proceeding, shall be made promptly, and in any event within 60 days, upon the written request of the individual entitled to seek indemnification (the “Indemnified Party”). The right to indemnification and advances hereunder shall be enforceable by the Indemnified Party in any court of competent jurisdiction, if (i) the Corporation denies such request, in whole or in part, or (ii) no payment thereof is made within 60 days. The Indemnified Party’s costs and expenses (including attorney’s fees) incurred in connection with successfully establishing his or her right to indemnification, in whole or in part, in any such action shall also be paid or reimbursed by the Corporation.
The rights provided to any person in this Article shall be enforceable against the Corporation by each such person who shall be presumed to have relied upon this Article in serving or continuing to serve in any of the capacities described in (a) or (b) above. The provisions of this Article VIII shall be applied to proceedings whether or not made or commenced prior to the date hereof. All rights to indemnification and advance of expenses under the Charter of the Corporation and hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract between the Corporation and each director or officer of the Corporation who serves or served in such capacity at any time while this Article VIII is in effect. Neither amendment nor repeal of this Article, nor the adoption or amendment of any other provision of the Bylaws or Charter inconsistent with this Article, shall apply to or affect in any respect the applicability of this Article VIII with respect to any act or failure to act which occurred prior to such amendment, repeal or adoption.
The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any Indemnified Party against any liability asserted against and incurred by any Indemnified Party in any protected capacity or arising out of his or her position. The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on its behalf in respect of any liability that it may incur to provide indemnification under the Charter, this Article VIII, or law.
The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this Article VIII shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision hereof.
ARTICLE IX
WAIVER OF NOTICE
Whenever any notice is required to be given pursuant to the Charter or these Bylaws or pursuant to applicable law, a waiver thereof in writing or by electronic transmission delivered by the person or persons entitled to such notice, whether before or after the time stated therein and filed with the records of the meeting, shall be deemed equivalent to the giving of such notice. Neither the business to be transacted at nor the purpose of any meeting need be set forth in the waiver of notice, unless specifically required by statute. The attendance of any person at any meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except where such person attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business on the ground that the meeting is not lawfully called or convened.
ARTICLE X
AMENDMENTS
The exclusive power to make, alter and repeal the Bylaws of the Corporation is vested in the Board of Directors and may be exercised by a majority of the entire Board.
