State of Delaware
Office of the Secretary of State PAGE 1
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I, EDWARD J. FREEL, SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, DO HEREBY
CERTIFY THE ATTACHED IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF THE CERTIFICATE OF
INCORPORATION OF "HOMETOWN AUTO RETAILERS, INC.", FILED IN THIS OFFICE ON THE
FIFTH DAY OF JUNE, A.D. 1997, AT 9 O'CLOCK A.M.
SEAL
SECRETARY'S OFFICE
1793 DELAWARE 1855
/s/ Edward J. Freel
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Edward J. Freel, Secretary of State
2757864 8100 AUTHENTICATION: 8791862
971413557 DATE: 12-04-97
Certificate of Incorporation
of
Hometown Auto Retailers, Inc.
The undersigned, being a natural person for the purpose of organizing a
corporation for conducting the business and promoting the purposes hereinafter
stated, under the provisions and subject to the requirements of the laws of the
State of Delaware (particularly Chapter 1, Title 8 of the Delaware Code and the
acts amendatory thereof and supplemental thereto, and known, identified and
referred to as the "General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware"), hereby
certifies that:
FIRST: The name of the corporation (hereinafter called the
"corporation") is Hometown Auto Retailers, Inc.
SECOND: The address, including street, number, city and county of
the registered office of the corporation in the State of Delaware is National
Registered Agents, Inc., 9 East Loockerman Street, Dover, Delaware 19901, County
of Kent; and the name of the registered agent of the corporation in the State of
Delaware at such address is National Registered Agents, Inc.
THIRD: The nature of the business and the purposes to be conducted
and promoted by the corporation are to conduct any lawful business, to promote
any lawful purpose, and to engage in any lawful act or activity for which
corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of
Delaware.
FOURTH: The total number of shares of stock which the corporation
shall have authority to issue is 1,000. The par value of each of such shares is
$.001. All such shares are of one class and are shares of Common Stock.
No holder of any of the shares of the stock of the corporation,
whether now or hereafter authorized and issued, shall be entitled as of right to
purchase or subscribe for (1) any unissued stock of any class, or (2) any
additional shares of any class to be issued by reason of any increase of the
authorized capital stock of the corporation of any class, or (3) bonds,
certificates of indebtedness, debentures or other securities convertible into
stock of the corporation, or carrying any right to purchase stock of any class,
but any such unissued stock or such additional authorized issue of any stock or
of other securities convertible into stock, or carrying any right to purchase
stock, may be issued and disposed of pursuant to resolution of the Board of
Directors to such persons, firms, corporations or associations and upon such
terms as may be deemed advisable by the Board of Directors in the exercise of
its discretion.
FIFTH: The name and the mailing address of the incorporator are as
follows:
Name Mailing Address
Howard L. Weinreich Morse, Zelnick, Rose & Lander, LLP
450 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10022
[STAMP]
STATE OF DELAWARE
SECRETARY OF STATE
DIVISION OF CORPORATIONS
FILES 09:00 AM 06/05/1997
971184562 - 2757864
SIXTH: The corporation is to have perpetual existence.
SEVENTH: Whenever a compromise or arrangement is proposed between
this corporation and its creditors or any class of them and/or between this
corporation and its stockholders or any class of them, any court of equitable
jurisdiction within the State of Delaware may, on the application in a summary
way of this corporation or of any creditor or stockholder thereof or on the
application of any receiver or receivers appointed for this corporation under
the provisions of Section 291 of Title 8 of the Delaware Code or on the
application of trustees in dissolution or of any receiver or receivers appointed
for this corporation under the provisions of Section 279 of Title 8 of the
Delaware Code order a meeting of the creditors or class of creditors, and/or of
the stockholder or class of stockholders of this corporation, as the case may
be, to be summoned in such manner as the said court directs. If a majority in
number representing three-fourths in value of the creditors or class of
creditors, and/or of the stockholders or class of stockholders of this
corporation, as the case may be, agree to any compromise or arrangement and to
any reorganization of this corporation as consequence of such compromise or
arrangement, the said compromise or arrangement and the said reorganization
shall, if sanctioned by the court to which the said application has been made,
be binding on all the creditors or class of creditors, and/or on all the
stockholders or class of stockholders, of this corporation, as the case may be,
and also on this corporation.
EIGHTH: For the management of the business and for the conduct of
the affairs of the corporation, and in further definition, limitation and
regulation of the powers of the corporation and of its directors and of its
stockholders or any class thereof, as the case may be, it is further provided:
1. The management of the business and the conduct of the affairs of
the corporation shall be vested in its Board of Directors. The number of
directors which shall constitute the whole Board of Directors shall be fixed by,
or in the manner provided in, the By-Laws. The phrase "whole Board" and the
phrase "total number of directors" shall be deemed to have the same meaning, to
wit, the total number of directors which the corporation would have if there
were no vacancies. No election of directors need be by written ballot.
2. After the original or other By-Laws of the corporation have been
adopted, amended, or repealed, as the case may be, in accordance with the
provisions of Section 109 of the General Corporation Law of the State of
Delaware, and after the corporation has received any payment for any of its
stock, the power to adopt, amend, or repeal the By-Laws of the corporation may
be exercised by the Board of Directors of the corporation; provided, however,
that any provision for the classification of directors of the corporation for
staggered terms pursuant to the provisions of subsection (d) of Section 141 of
the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware shall be set forth in an
initial By-Law or in a By-Law adopted by the stockholders entitled to vote of
the corporation unless provisions for such classification shall be set forth in
this certificate of incorporation.
3. Whenever the corporation shall be authorized to issue only one class of
stock each outstanding share shall entitle the holder thereof to notice of, and
the right to vote at, any meeting of stockholders. Whenever the corporation
shall be authorized to issue more than one class of stock no outstanding share
of any class of stock which is denied voting power under the provisions of the
certificate of incorporation shall entitle the holder thereof to the right to
vote at any meeting of stockholders except as the provisions of paragraph (c)(2)
of Section 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware shall
otherwise require; provided, that no share of any such class which is otherwise
denied voting power shall entitle the holder thereof to vote upon the increase
or decrease in the number of authorized shares of said class.
NINTH: A director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable
to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of
fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the
director's duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts
or omissions not in good faith or which involve
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intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of
the Delaware General Corporation Law, or (iv) for any transaction from which the
director derived an improper personal benefit.
TENTH: (a) Right to Indemnification. 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 or proceeding, 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 a director or officer,
of the Corporation or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a
director, officer, employee 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, employee or agent or in any
other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, shall be
indemnified and held harmless by the Corporation to the fullest extent
authorized by the Delaware General Corporation Law, as the same exists or may
hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent
that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification
rights than said law permitted the Corporation to provide prior to such
amendment), against all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys' fees,
judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties and amounts paid or to be paid
in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such person in connection
therewith and such indemnification shall continue as to a person who has ceased
to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of
his or her heirs, executors and administrators: provided, however, that, except
as provided in paragraph (b) hereof, the Corporation shall indemnify any such
person seeking indemnification in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof)
initiated by such person only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was
authorized by the board of directors of the Corporation. The right to
indemnification conferred in this Section shall be a contract right and shall
include the right to be paid by the Corporation the expenses incurred in
defending any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition: provided,
however, that, if the Delaware General Corporation Law requires, the payment of
such expenses incurred by a director or officer (in his or her capacity as a
director or officer and not in any other capacity in which service was or is
rendered by such person while a director or officer, including, without
limitation, service to an employee benefit plan) in advance of the final
disposition of a proceeding, shall be made only upon delivery to the Corporation
of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such director or officer, to repay all
amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined that such director or
officer is not entitled to be indemnified under this Section or otherwise. The
Corporation may, by action of its 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.
(b) Right of Claimant to Bring Suit. If a claim under paragraph (a) of
this Section is not paid in full by the Corporation within thirty days after a
written claim has been received by the Corporation, the claimant may at any time
thereafter bring suit against the Corporation to recover the unpaid amount of
the claim and, if successful in whole or in part, the claimant shall be entitled
to be paid also the expense of prosecuting such claim. It shall be a defense to
any such action (other than an action brought to enforce a claim for expenses
incurred in defending any proceeding in advance of its final disposition where
the required undertaking, if any is required, has been tendered to the
Corporation) that the claimant has not met the standards of conduct which make
it permissible under the Delaware General Corporation Law for the Corporation to
indemnify the claimant for the amount claimed, but the burden of proving such
defense shall be on the Corporation. Neither the failure of the Corporation
(including its Board of Directors, independent 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
Delaware General Corporation Law, 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 or conduct,
shall be a defense to the action or create a presumption that the claimant has
not met the applicable standard of conduct.
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(c) Non-Exclusivity of Rights. The right to indemnification and the
payment of expenses incurred in defending a proceeding in advance of its final
disposition conferred in this Section 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, by-law, agreement, vote of stockholders or
disinterested directors or otherwise.
(d) Insurance. The Corporation may maintain insurance, at its expense, to
protect itself and any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation
or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise
against any such expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Corporation
would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or
loss under the Delaware General Corporation Law.
ELEVENTH: From time to time any of the provisions of this
certificate or incorporation may be amended, altered or repealed, and other
provisions authorized by the laws of the State of Delaware at the time in force
may be added or inserted in the manner and at the time prescribed by said laws,
and all rights at any time conferred upon the stockholders of the corporation by
this certificate of incorporation are granted subject to the provisions of this
Article ELEVENTH.
Dated: June 18, 1996
/s/ Howard L. Weinreich
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Howard L. Weinreich, Incorporator
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