EXHIBIT 99.1
PROVISIONS OF NORTH CAROLINA BUSINESS CORPORATION ACT
REGARDING INDEMNIFICATION
(section mark)55-8-50. Policy statement and definitions.
(a) It is the public policy of this State to enable corporations organized
under this Chapter to attract and maintain responsible, qualified directors,
officers, employees and agents, and, to that end, to permit corporations
organized under this Chapter to allocate the risk of personal liability of
directors, officers, employees and agents through indemnification and insurance
as authorized in this Part.
(b) Definitions in this Part:
(1) "Corporation" includes any domestic or foreign corporation
absorbed in a merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would
have had the obligation or power to indemnify its directors, officers,
employees, or agents, so that a person who would have been entitled to
receive or request indemnification from such corporation if its separate
existence had continued shall stand in the same position under this Part
with respect to the surviving corporation.
(2) "Director" means an individual who is or was a director of a
corporation or an individual who, while a director of a corporation, is or
was serving at the corporation's request as a director, officer, partner,
trustee, employee, or agent of another foreign or domestic corporation,
partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan, or other
enterprise. A director is considered to be serving an employee benefit plan
at the corporation's request if his duties to the corporation also impose
duties on, or otherwise involve services by, him to the plan or to
participants in or beneficiaries of the plan. "Director" includes, unless
the context requires otherwise, the estate or personal representative of a
director.
(3) "Expenses" means expenses of every kind incurred in defending a
proceeding, including counsel fees.
(4) "Liability" means the obligation to pay a judgment, settlement,
penalty, fine (including an excise tax assessed with respect to an employee
benefit plan), or reasonable expenses incurred with respect to a
proceeding.
(4a) "Officer", "employee", or "agent" includes, unless context
requires otherwise, the estate or personal representative of a person who
acted in that capacity.
(5) "Official capacity" means: (i) when used with respect to a
director, the office of director in a corporation; and (ii) when used with
respect to an individual other than a director, as contemplated in G.S.
55-8-56, the office in a corporation held by the officer or the employment
or agency relationship undertaken by the employee or agent on behalf of the
corporation. 'Official capacity' does not include service for any other
foreign or domestic corporation or any partnership, joint venture, trust,
employee benefit plan, or other enterprise.
(6) "Party" includes an individual who was, is, or is threatened to be
made a named defendant or respondent in a proceeding.
(7) "Proceeding" means any threatened, pending, or completed action,
suit, or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, or
investigative and whether formal or informal.
(section mark)55-8-51. Authority to indemnify.
(a) Except as provided in subsection (d), a corporation may indemnify an
individual made a party to a proceeding because he is or was a director against
liability incurred in the proceeding if:
(1) He conducted himself in good faith; and
(2) He reasonably believed (i) in the case of conduct in his official
capacity with the corporation, that his conduct was in its best interests;
and (ii) in all other cases, that his conduct was at least not opposed to
its best interests; and
(3) In the case of any criminal proceeding, he had no reasonable cause
to believe his conduct was unlawful.
(b) A director's conduct with respect to an employee benefit plan for a
purpose he reasonably believed to be in the interests of the participants in and
beneficiaries of the plan is conduct that satisfies the requirement of
subsection (a)(2)(ii).
(c) The termination of a proceeding by judgment, order, settlement,
conviction, or upon a plea of no contest or its equivalent is not, of itself,
determinative that the director did not meet the standard of conduct described
in this section.
(d) A corporation may not indemnify a director under this section:
(1) In connection with a proceeding by or in the right of the
corporation in which the director was adjudged liable to the corporation;
or
(2) In connection with any other proceeding charging improper personal
benefit to him, whether or not involving action in his official capacity,
in which he was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was
improperly received by him.
(e) Indemnification permitted under this section in connection with a
proceeding by or in the right of the corporation that is concluded without a
final adjudication on the issue of liability is limited to reasonable expenses
incurred in connection with the proceeding.
(f) The authorization, approval or favorable recommendation by the board of
directors of a corporation of indemnification, as permitted by this section,
shall not be deemed an act or corporate transaction in which a director has a
conflict of interest, and no such indemnification shall be void or voidable on
such ground.
(section mark)55-8-52. Mandatory indemnification.
Unless limited by its articles of incorporation, a corporation shall
indemnify a director who was wholly successful, on the merits or otherwise, in
the defense of any proceeding to which he was a party because he is or was a
director of the corporation against reasonable expenses incurred by him in
connection with the proceeding.
(section mark)55-8-53. Advance for expenses.
Expenses incurred by a director in defending a proceeding may be paid by
the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such proceeding as
authorized by the board of directors in the specific case or as authorized or
required under any provision in the articles of incorporation or bylaws or by
any applicable resolution or contract upon receipt of an undertaking by or on
behalf of the director to repay such amount unless it shall ultimately be
determined that he is entitled to be indemnified by the corporation against such
expenses.
(section mark)55-8-54. Court-ordered indemnification.
Unless a corporation's articles of incorporation provide otherwise, a
director of the corporation who is a party to a proceeding may apply for
indemnification to the court conducting the proceeding or to another court of
competent jurisdiction. On receipt of an application, the court after giving any
notice the court considers necessary may order indemnification if it determines:
(1) The director is entitled to mandatory indemnification under G.S.
55-8-52, in which case the court shall also order the corporation to pay
the director's reasonable expenses incurred to obtain court-ordered
indemnification; or
(2) The director is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification
in view of all the relevant circumstances, whether or not he met the
standard of conduct set forth in G.S. 55-8-51 or was adjudged liable as
described in G.S. 55-8-51(d), but if he was adjudged so liable his
indemnification is limited to reasonable expenses incurred.
(section mark)55-8-55. Determination and authorization of indemnification.
(a) A corporation may not indemnify a director under G.S. 55-8-51 unless
authorized in the specific case after a determination has been made that
indemnification of the director is permissible in the circumstances because he
has met the standard of conduct set forth in G.S. 55-8-51.
(b) The determination shall be made:
(1) By the board of directors by majority vote of a quorum consisting
of directors not at the time parties to the proceeding;
(2) If a quorum cannot be obtained under subdivision (1), by majority
vote of a committee duly designated by the board of directors (in which
designation directors who are parties may participate), consisting solely
of two or more directors not at the time parties to the proceeding;
(3) By special legal counsel (i) selected by the board of directors or
its committee in the manner prescribed in subdivision (1) or (2); or (ii)
if a quorum of the board of directors cannot be obtained under subdivision
(1) and a committee cannot be designated under subdivision (2), selected by
majority vote of the full board of directors (in which selection directors
who are parties may participate); or
(4) By the shareholders, but shares owned by or voted under the
control of directors who are at the time parties to the proceeding may not
be voted on the determination.
(c) Authorization of indemnification and evaluation as to reasonableness of
expenses shall be made in the same manner as the determination that
indemnification is permissible, except that if the determination is made by
special legal counsel, authorization of indemnification and evaluation as to
reasonableness of expenses shall be made by those entitled under subsection
(b)(3) to select counsel.
(section mark)55-8-56. Indemnification of officers, employees, and agents.
Unless a corporation's articles of incorporation provide otherwise:
(1) An officer of the corporation is entitled to mandatory
indemnification under G.S. 55-8-52, and is entitled to apply for
court-ordered indemnification under G.S. 55-8-54, in each case to the same
extent as a director;
(2) The corporation may indemnify and advance expenses under this Part
to an officer, employee, or agent of the corporation to the same extent as
to a director; and
(3) A corporation may also indemnify and advance expenses to an
officer, employee, or agent who is not a director to the extent, consistent
with public policy, that may be provided by its articles of incorporation,
bylaws, general or specific action of its board of directors, or contract.
(section mark)55-8-57. Additional indemnification and insurance.
(a) In addition to and separate and apart from the indemnification
provided for in G.S. 55-8-51, 55-8-52, 55-8-54, 55-8-55 and 55-8-56, a
corporation may in its articles of incorporation or bylaws or by contract
or resolution indemnify or agree to indemnify any one or more of its
directors, officers, employees, or agents against liability and expenses in
any proceeding (including without limitation a proceeding brought by or on
behalf of the corporation itself) arising out of their status as such or
their activities in any of the foregoing capacities; provided, however,
that a corporation may not indemnify or agree to indemnify a person against
liability or expenses he may incur on account of his activities which were
at the time taken known or believed by him to be clearly in conflict with
the best interests of the corporation. A corporation may likewise and to
the same extent indemnify or agree to indemnify any person who, at the
request of the corporation, is or was serving as a director, officer,
partner, trustee, employee, or agent of another foreign or domestic
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise or as
trustee or administrator under an employee benefit plan. Any provision in
any articles of incorporation, bylaw, contract, or resolution permitted
under this section may include provisions for recovery from the corporation
of reasonable costs, expenses, and attorneys' fees in connection with the
enforcement of rights to indemnification granted therein and may further
include provisions establishing reasonable procedures for determining and
enforcing the rights granted therein.
(b) The authorization, adoption, approval, or favorable recommendation
by the board of directors of a public corporation of any provision in any
articles of incorporation, bylaw, contract or resolution, as permitted in
this section, shall not be deemed an act or corporate transaction in which
a director has a conflict of interest, and no such articles of
incorporation or bylaw provision or contract or resolution shall be void or
voidable on such grounds. The authorization, adoption, approval, or
favorable recommendation by the board of directors of a nonpublic
corporation of any provision in any articles of incorporation, bylaw,
contract or resolution, as permitted in this section, which occurred on or
prior to July 1, 1990, shall not be deemed an act or corporate transaction
in which a director has a conflict of interest, and no such articles of
incorporation, bylaw provision, contract or resolution shall be void or
voidable on such grounds. Except as permitted in G.S. 55-8-31, no such
bylaw, contract, or resolution not adopted, authorized, approved or
ratified by shareholders shall be effective as to claims made or
liabilities asserted against any director prior to its adoption,
authorization, or approval by the board of directors.
(c) A corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of an
individual who is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the
corporation, or who, while a director, officer, employee, or agent of the
corporation, is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a
director, officer, partner, trustee, employee, or agent of another foreign
or domestic corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee
benefit plan, or other enterprise, against liability asserted against or
incurred by him in that capacity or arising from his status as a director,
officer, employee, or agent, whether or not the corporation would have
power to indemnify him against the same liability under any provision of
this act.
(section mark)55-8-58. Application of Part.
(a) If articles of incorporation limit indemnification or advance for
expenses, indemnification and advance for expenses are valid only to the
extent consistent with the articles.
(b) This Part does not limit a corporation's power to pay or reimburse
expenses incurred by a director in connection with his appearance as a
witness in a proceeding at a time when he has not been made a named
defendant or respondent to the proceeding.
(c) This Part shall not affect rights or liabilities arising out of
acts or omissions occurring before July 1, 1990.