ARTICLE EIGHT
Section 1.Nature of Indemnity. Each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is involved in any action, suit, proceeding or claim, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (hereinafter a “proceeding”), by reason of the fact that he or she (or a person of whom he or she is the legal representative), is or was or has agreed to be a director or officer of the Corporation or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, partner, trustee, employee, fiduciary, or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to employee benefit plans, whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer, partner, trustee, employee, fiduciary or agent or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, partner, trustee, employee, fiduciary or agent, shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Corporation to the fullest extent which it is empowered to do so by the DGCL, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended, against all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys’ fees and expenses, judgements, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement incurred in connection with the investigation, preparation to defend or defense of such action, suit, proceeding or claim) and such indemnification shall inure to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors and administrators;provided,however, that, except as provided in Section 2 of this Article Eight, the Corporation shall indemnify any such person seeking indemnification in connection with a proceeding initiated by such person only if such proceeding was authorized by the Board of Directors. The Corporation may, by action of the Board of Directors, provide indemnification to employees and agents of the Corporation with the same scope and effect as the foregoing indemnification of directors and officers.
Section 2.Procedure for Indemnification of Directors and Officers. Any indemnification of a director or officer of the Corporation under Section 1 of this Article Eight or advance of expenses under Section 5 of this Article Eight shall be made promptly, and in any event within 30 days, upon the written request of the director or officer. If a determination by the Corporation that the director or officer is entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Article Eight is required, and the Corporation fails to respond within 60 days to a written request for indemnity, the Corporation shall be deemed to have approved the request. If the Corporation denies a written request for indemnification or advancing of expenses, in whole or in part, or if payment in full pursuant to such request is not made within 30 days, the right to indemnification or advances as granted by this Article Eight shall be enforceable by the director or officer in any court of competent jurisdiction. Such person’s costs and expenses incurred in connection with successfully establishing his right to indemnification, in whole or in part, in any such action shall also be indemnified by the Corporation. 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 standards of conduct which make it permissible under the DGCL for the Corporation to indemnify the claimant for the amount claimed, but the burden of such defense shall be on the Corporation. Neither the failure of the Corporation (including the Board of Directors, independent legal counsel, or its 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 legal counsel, or its 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.
Section 3.Nonexclusivity of Article Eight. The rights to indemnification and the payment of expenses incurred in defending a proceeding in advance of its final disposition conferred in this Article Eight shall not be exclusive of any other right which any person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, provision of the certificate of incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”),By-laws, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise.