is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant, or is or was serving at the request of the Registrant as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in and not opposed to the best interests of the Registrant and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, such person had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. Determination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent shall not, of itself, create a presumption that a person did not act in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in and not opposed to the best interests of the Registrant, and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe his conduct was lawful.
Additionally, Article 7 of the Bylaws provides that the Registrant shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Registrant to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant, or is or was serving at the request of the Registrant as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Registrant, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his duty to the Registrant unless and only to the extent that the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the court shall deem proper.
Article 7 of the Bylaws also provides that any decision as to indemnification shall be made:
| • | | by the board of directors of the Registrant by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to such action, suit or proceeding; or |
| • | | if such a quorum is not obtainable, or even if obtainable, if a quorum of disinterested directors so directs, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion; or |
In addition, the board of directors of the Registrant has authorized indemnification of expenses incurred by an officer or director in defending a civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding. Indemnification pursuant to these provisions is not exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise and shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director or officer. The Registrant may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Registrant.
Further, Article 7 of the Bylaws provides that the indemnity provided will be extended to the directors, officers, employees and agents of any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger that, if its separate existence had continued, would have had the power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under the provisions of the Bylaws with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have had with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.
The Registrant currently maintains an insurance policy relating to its directors and officers, under which policy such directors and officers are insured, within the limits and subject to the limitations of the policy, against certain expenses in connection with the defense of certain claims, actions, suits or proceedings, and certain liabilities which might be imposed as a result of such claims, actions, suits or proceedings, which may be brought against them by reason of being or having been such directors or officers.
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