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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 6, 2022

 

 

IAA, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware 001-38580 83-1030538
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.)

 

IAA, Inc.

Two Westbrook Corporate Center, Suite 500

Westchester, Illinois 60154

(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (708) 492-7000

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2 below):

 

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class Trading symbol Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share IAA New York Stock Exchange

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

 

Emerging growth company ¨

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act: ¨

 

 

 

 

 

Item 5.03.Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.

 

On November 6, 2022, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of IAA, Inc. (the “Company”) approved and adopted an amendment and restatement of the Company’s bylaws (as so amended, the “Bylaws”). The amendments include the following principal changes:

 

Advance Notice – Informational and Disclosure Requirements. The amendments revise the advance notice disclosure requirements contained in the Bylaws to require the stockholder proposing business or nominating directors to provide certain additional information regarding the stockholder and the stockholder’s relationship with the Company. Further, the Bylaws require the stockholder to provide additional information regarding any candidate the stockholder proposes to nominate for election as a director, including all information with respect to such nominee that would be required to be set forth in a stockholder’s notice if such nominee were a stockholder delivering such notice. Additionally, the Bylaws require any candidate for the Board nominated by a stockholder to provide certain representations regarding the absence of certain voting commitments, disclosure of compensation for service, compliance with the Company’s corporate governance and other policies, and intent to serve the entire term. The Bylaws also clarify the Board’s authority to reasonably request additional information from such stockholders and director nominees. All disclosures must be provided with respect to all “participants” (as defined in paragraphs (a)(i)-(vi) of Instruction 3 to Item 4 of Schedule 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) in the solicitation, and must be updated as of the record date for stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting and as of the date that is 10 business days prior to the meeting.

 

Advance Notice – Deadlines and Other. In addition, the amendments revise the deadline in the Bylaws for advance notice of director nominations for an annual meeting of stockholders, if the date of such annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after the one-year anniversary of the immediately preceding year’s annual meeting, to no more than 120 days prior to such annual meeting and no later than 90 days prior to such annual meeting, or, if later, the tenth day following public announcement of the annual meeting. The amendments also revise the deadline in the Bylaws for advance notice of director nominations for a special meeting of stockholders where directors will be elected to no more than 120 days prior to such special meeting and no later than 90 days prior to such special meeting, or, if later, the tenth day following public announcement of the special meeting. The amendments require that all notices, documents or other information required to be delivered pursuant to the advance notice provisions be delivered in writing to the Company’s principal offices. Further, the amendments prohibit stockholders from submitting more nominees than the number of directors up for election at the applicable meeting.

 

Advance Notice – Universal Proxy. The amendments also address the universal proxy rules adopted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by clarifying that no person may solicit proxies in support of a nominee other than the Board’s nominees unless such person has complied with Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act, including applicable notice and solicitation requirements. Further, any stockholder directly or indirectly soliciting proxies from other stockholders must use a proxy card color other than white, with the white proxy card being reserved for the exclusive use by the Board.

 

Exclusive Forum. The Bylaws also adopt an exclusive forum provision designating the U.S. federal courts as the exclusive forum for all claims arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Bylaws further enable the Company to initiate an action against a stockholder to enforce the exclusive forum requirements should the stockholder sue, or threaten to sue, in another jurisdiction.

 

Other Updates. The amendments to the Bylaws also include the following additional updates: (i) revisions relating to adjournment procedures for meetings of stockholders, including to address recent amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), (ii) elimination of the requirement to make a stockholder list available for examination at meetings of stockholders as provided for by recent DGCL amendments, and (iii) revisions to the indemnification provisions therein to clarify certain indemnification rights, update certain procedures related thereto, and expressly provide that such indemnification rights constitute contractual rights of the officers and directors of the Company and are subject to certain limitations with respect to repeal or modification.

 

The amendments also include certain technical, conforming, or clarifying changes to the Bylaws.

 

The foregoing description of the changes contained in the Bylaws does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Bylaws, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 3.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

 

 

 

 

Item 9.01Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits:

 

Exhibit No. Description
3.1 Amended and Restated Bylaws of IAA, Inc., dated November 6, 2022
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

Date: November 7, 2022 IAA, INC.
 
  By:   /s/ Susan Healy
  Name: Susan Healy
  Title:  Executive Vice President,
    Chief Financial Officer
    (Principal Financial Officer)

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 3.1

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED BY-LAWS

 

OF

 

IAA, INC.

 

A Delaware Corporation

 

Effective November 6, 2022

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ARTICLE I  
   
OFFICES  
   
Section 1. Registered Office 1
Section 2. Other Offices 1
     
ARTICLE II  
   
MEETINGS OF STOCKHOLDERS  
   
Section 1. Place of Meetings 1
Section 2. Annual Meetings 1
Section 3. Special Meetings 1
Section 4. Nature of Business at Meetings of Stockholders 1
Section 5. Notice of Nominations for Election to the Board of Directors 6
Section 6. Additional Requirements For Valid Nomination of Candidates to Serve as Director and, If Elected, to Be Seated as Directors 9
Section 7. Notice 10
Section 8. Adjournments 11
Section 9. Quorum 11
Section 10. Voting 11
Section 11. Proxies 12
Section 12. No Action by Written Consent 13
Section 13. List of Stockholders Entitled to Vote 13
Section 14. Record Date 13
Section 15. Stock Ledger 13
Section 16. Conduct of Meetings 14
Section 17. Inspectors of Election 14
Section 18. Delivery to the Corporation 14
     
ARTICLE III  
   
DIRECTORS  
   
Section 1. Number and Election of Directors 15
Section 2. Vacancies 15
Section 3. Duties and Powers 15
Section 4. Meetings 15
Section 5. Organization 15
Section 6. Resignations and Removals of Directors 16
Section 7. Quorum 16
Section 8. Actions of the Board by Written Consent 16

 

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Section 9. Meetings by Means of Conference Telephone 16
Section 10. Committees 16
Section 11. Compensation 17
Section 12. Interested Directors 17
     
ARTICLE IV  
   
OFFICERS  
   
Section 1. General 18
Section 2. Election 18
Section 3. Voting Securities Owned by the Corporation 18
Section 4. Chairman of the Board of Directors 18
Section 5. President 19
Section 6. Vice Presidents 19
Section 7. Secretary 19
Section 8. Treasurer 20
Section 9. Assistant Secretaries 20
Section 10. Assistant Treasurers 20
Section 11. Other Officers 20
     
ARTICLE V  
   
STOCK  
   
Section 1. Form of Certificates 21
Section 2. Signatures 21
Section 3. Lost Certificates 21
Section 4. Transfers 21
Section 5. Dividend Record Date 21
Section 6. Record Owners 22
Section 7. Transfer and Registry Agents 22
     
ARTICLE VI  
   
NOTICES  
   
Section 1. Notices 22
Section 2. Waivers of Notice 23
     
ARTICLE VII  
   
GENERAL PROVISIONS  
   
Section 1. Dividends 23
Section 2. Disbursements 23
Section 3. Fiscal Year 23
Section 4. Corporate Seal 23

 

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ARTICLE VIII  
   
INDEMNIFICATION  
   
Section 1. Power to Indemnify in Actions, Suits or Proceedings other than Those by or in the Right of the Corporation 24
Section 2. Power to Indemnify in Actions, Suits or Proceedings by or in the Right of the Corporation 24
Section 3. Authorization of Indemnification 24
Section 4. Good Faith Defined 25
Section 5. Determination; Claim 25
Section 6. Expenses Payable in Advance 25
Section 7. Nonexclusivity of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses 26
Section 8. Insurance 26
Section 9. Amendment or Repeal; Certain Definitions and Interpretation 26
Section 10. Survival of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses 27
Section 11. Limitation on Indemnification 27
Section 12. Indemnification of Employees and Agents 27
     
ARTICLE IX  
   
Section 1. Forum for Adjudication of Certain Disputes 27
     
ARTICLE X  
   
AMENDMENTS  
   
Section 1. Amendments 29
Section 2. Entire Board of Directors 29

 

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AMENDED AND RESTATED BY-LAWS

 

OF

 

IAA, INC.

 

(hereinafter called the “Corporation”)

 

ARTICLE I

 

OFFICES

 

Section 1. Registered Office. The registered office of the Corporation shall be in the City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, State of Delaware.

 

Section 2. Other Offices. The Corporation may also have offices at such other places, both within and without the State of Delaware, as the Board of Directors may from time to time determine.

 

ARTICLE II

 

MEETINGS OF STOCKHOLDERS

 

Section 1      Place of Meetings. Meetings of the stockholders for the election of directors or for any other purpose shall be held at such time and place, either within or without the State of Delaware, as shall be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may, in its sole discretion, determine that a meeting of the stockholders shall not be held at any place, but may instead be held solely by means of remote communication in the manner authorized by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”).

 

Section 2      Annual Meetings. The Annual Meeting of Stockholders for the election of directors shall be held on such date and at such time as shall be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors. Any other proper business may be transacted at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Board of Directors may postpone, reschedule or cancel any previously scheduled Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

 

Section 3      Special Meetings. Unless otherwise required by law, Special Meetings of Stockholders, for any purpose or purposes, shall be called in the manner provided by the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation, as may be amended and restated from time to time (the “Certificate of Incorporation”). At a Special Meeting of Stockholders, only such business shall be conducted as shall be specified in the notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto).

 

Section 4      Nature of Business at Meetings of Stockholders.

 

(a)            At an Annual Meeting of Stockholders, only such business shall be conducted as shall have been properly brought before the meeting. To be properly brought before an Annual Meeting, business must be (i) specified in a notice of meeting given by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, (ii) if not specified in a notice of meeting, otherwise brought before the meeting by the Board of Directors or the Chair of the Board of Directors or (iii) otherwise properly brought before the meeting by a stockholder present in person who (A) (1) was a record owner of shares of capital stock of the Corporation (the “shares”) both at the time of giving the notice provided for in this Section 4 of this Article II and at the time of the meeting, (2) is entitled to vote at the meeting, and (3) has complied with this Section 4 of this Article II in all applicable respects or (B) properly made such proposal in accordance with Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (as so amended and inclusive of such rules and regulations, the “Exchange Act”). The foregoing clause (iii) shall be the exclusive means for a stockholder to propose business to be brought before an Annual Meeting of the stockholders. For purposes of this Section 4 of this Article II, “present in person” shall mean that the stockholder proposing that the business be brought before the Annual Meeting, or a qualified representative of such proposing stockholder, appear at such Annual Meeting. A “qualified representative” of such proposing stockholder shall be a duly authorized officer, manager or partner of such stockholder or any other person authorized by a writing executed by such stockholder or an electronic transmission delivered by such stockholder to act for such stockholder as proxy at the meeting of stockholders and such person must produce such writing or electronic transmission, or a reliable reproduction of the writing or electronic transmission, at the meeting of stockholders. Stockholders seeking to nominate persons for election to the Board of Directors must comply with Section 5 and Section 6 of this Article II and this Section 4 of this Article II shall not be applicable to nominations except as expressly provided in Section 5 and Section 6 of this Article II.

 

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(b)            Without qualification, for business to be properly brought before an Annual Meeting by a stockholder, such stockholder must (i) provide Timely Notice (as defined below) thereof in writing and proper form to the Secretary of the Corporation and (ii) provide any updates or supplements to such notice at the times and in the forms required by this Section 4 of this Article II.

 

(c)            To be timely, (a) for purposes of an Annual Meeting of Stockholders, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary must be delivered in accordance with Section 18 of this Article II not less than ninety (90) days nor more than one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the one-year anniversary date of the immediately preceding year’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders; provided, however, that in the event that the Annual Meeting of Stockholders is called for a date that is more than thirty (30) days before or more than sixty (60) days after such anniversary date, or if no Annual Meeting was held in the preceding year, notice by the stockholder in order to be timely must be delivered in accordance with Section 18 of this Article II not more than one hundred twenty (120) days prior to such Annual Meeting nor less than the later of (i) ninety (90) days prior to such Annual Meeting and (ii) the tenth (10th) day following the day on which public disclosure of the date of such Annual Meeting was first made by the Corporation and (b) for purposes of a Special meeting of stockholders, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary must be delivered in accordance with Section 18 of this Article II not more than one hundred twenty (120) days prior to such Special Meeting nor less than the later of (i) ninety (90) days prior to such Special Meeting and (ii) the tenth (10th) day following the day on which public disclosure of the date of such Special Meeting was first made (such notice within such time periods described in clauses (a) and (b), “Timely Notice”). In no event shall the adjournment or postponement of an Annual Meeting, or the announcement thereof, commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of Timely Notice.

 

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(d)            To be in proper form for purposes of this Section 4 of this Article II, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary of the Corporation shall set forth:

 

(i)            As to each Proposing Person (as defined below in this Section 4(d) of this Article II), (A) the name and address of such Proposing Person (including, if applicable, the name and address that appear on the Corporation’s books and records); (B) the class or series and number of shares of the Corporation that are, directly or indirectly, owned of record or beneficially owned (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) by such Proposing Person, except that such Proposing Person shall in all events be deemed to beneficially own any shares of any class or series of the Corporation as to which such Proposing Person has a right to acquire beneficial ownership at any time in the future; (C) the date or dates such shares were acquired;(D) the investment intent of such acquisition and (E) any pledge by such Proposing Person with respect to any of such shares (the disclosures to be made pursuant to the foregoing clauses (A) through (E) are referred to as “Stockholder Information”);

 

(ii)            As to each Proposing Person, (A) the full notional amount of any securities that, directly or indirectly, underlie any “derivative security” (as such term is defined in Rule 16a-1(c) under the Exchange Act) that constitutes a “call equivalent position” (as such term is defined in Rule 16a-1(b) under the Exchange Act) (“Synthetic Equity Position”) and that is, directly or indirectly, held or maintained by such Proposing Person with respect to any shares of any class or series of shares of the Corporation; provided that, for the purposes of the definition of “Synthetic Equity Position,” the term “derivative security” shall also include any security or instrument that would not otherwise constitute a “derivative security” as a result of any feature that would make any conversion, exercise or similar right or privilege of such security or instrument becoming determinable only at some future date or upon the happening of a future occurrence, in which case the determination of the amount of securities into which such security or instrument would be convertible or exercisable shall be made assuming that such security or instrument is immediately convertible or exercisable at the time of such determination; and, provided, further, that any Proposing Person satisfying the requirements of Rule 13d-1(b)(1) under the Exchange Act (other than a Proposing Person that so satisfies Rule 13d-1(b)(1) under the Exchange Act solely by reason of Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E)) shall not be deemed to hold or maintain the notional amount of any securities that underlie a Synthetic Equity Position held by such Proposing Person as a hedge with respect to a bona fide derivatives trade or position of such Proposing Person arising in the ordinary course of such Proposing Person’s business as a derivatives dealer, (B) any rights to dividends on the shares of any class or series of shares of the Corporation owned beneficially by such Proposing Person that are separated or separable from the underlying shares of the Corporation, (C) any material pending or threatened legal proceeding in which such Proposing Person is a party or material participant involving the Corporation or any of its officers or directors, or any affiliate of the Corporation, (D) any other material relationship between such Proposing Person, on the one hand, and the Corporation, or any affiliate of the Corporation, on the other hand, (E) any direct or indirect material interest in any material contract or agreement of such Proposing Person with the Corporation or any affiliate of the Corporation (including, in any such case, any employment agreement, collective bargaining agreement or consulting agreement), (F) any proportionate interest in shares of the Corporation or a Synthetic Equity Position held, directly or indirectly, by a general or limited partnership, limited liability company or similar entity in which any such Proposing Person (1) is a general partner or, directly or indirectly, beneficially owns an interest in a general partner of such general or limited partnership or (2) is the manager, managing member or, directly or indirectly, beneficially owns an interest in the manager or managing member of such limited liability company or similar entity; (G) a representation that such Proposing Person intends or is part of a group which intends to deliver a proxy statement or form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Corporation’s outstanding shares required to approve or adopt the proposal or otherwise solicit proxies from stockholders in support of such proposal, and (H) any other information relating to such Proposing Person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filing required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies or consents by such Proposing Person in support of the business proposed to be brought before the meeting pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act (the disclosures to be made pursuant to the foregoing clauses (A) through (H) are referred to as “Disclosable Interests”); provided, however, that Disclosable Interests shall not include any such disclosures with respect to the ordinary course business activities of any broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee who is a Proposing Person solely as a result of being the stockholder directed to prepare and submit the notice required by these By-Laws on behalf of a beneficial owner; and

 

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(iii)            As to each item of business that the Proposing Person proposes to bring before the Annual Meeting, (A) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the Annual Meeting, the reasons for conducting such business at the Annual Meeting and any material interest in such business of each Proposing Person, (B) the text of the proposal or business (including the text of any resolutions proposed for consideration and in the event that such business includes a proposal to amend the By-Laws, the language of the proposed amendment), (C) a reasonably detailed description of all agreements, arrangements and understandings (x) between or among any of the Proposing Persons or (y) between or among any Proposing Person and any other record or beneficial owner(s) or persons(s) who have a right to acquire beneficial ownership at any time in the future of the shares of any class or series of the Corporation or any other person or entity (including their names) in connection with the proposal of such business by such Proposing Person, and (D) any other information relating to such item of business that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filing required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies in support of the business proposed to be brought before the meeting pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Exchange Act; provided, however, that the disclosures required by this paragraph (iii) shall not include any disclosures with respect to any broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee who is a Proposing Person solely as a result of being the stockholder directed to prepare and submit the notice required by these By-Laws on behalf of a beneficial owner.

 

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For purposes of this Section 4 of this Article II, the term “Proposing Person” shall mean (i) the stockholder providing the notice of business proposed to be brought before an Annual Meeting, (ii) the beneficial owner or beneficial owners, if different, on whose behalf the notice of the business proposed to be brought before the Annual Meeting is made, and (iii) any participant (as defined in paragraphs (a)(ii)-(vi) of Instruction 3 to Item 4 of Schedule 14A promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission) with such stockholder in such solicitation.

 

(e)            The Board of Directors may request that any Proposing Person furnish such additional information as may be reasonably required by the Board of Directors. Such Proposing Person shall provide such additional information within ten (10) days after it has been requested by the Board of Directors.

 

(f)            A Proposing Person shall update and supplement its notice to the Corporation of its intent to propose business at an Annual Meeting, if necessary, so that the information provided or required to be provided in such notice pursuant to this Section 4 of this Article II shall be true and correct (i) as of the record date for stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting and (ii) as of the date that is ten (10) business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, and such update and supplement shall be delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation in accordance with Section 18 of this Article II in the case of clause (i) above, not later than five (5) business days after the record date for stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, and in the case of clause (ii) above, not later than eight (8) business days prior to the date for the meeting or, if practicable, any adjournment or postponement thereof (and, if not practicable, on the first practicable date prior to the date to which the meeting has been adjourned or postponed). For the avoidance of doubt, the obligation to update and supplement as set forth in this paragraph or any other Section of these By-Laws shall not limit the Corporation’s rights with respect to any deficiencies in any notice provided by a stockholder, extend any applicable deadlines hereunder or enable or be deemed to permit a stockholder who has previously submitted notice hereunder to amend or update any proposal or to submit any new proposal, including by changing or adding matters, business or resolutions proposed to be brought before a meeting of the stockholders.

 

(g)            Notwithstanding anything in these By-Laws to the contrary, no business shall be conducted at an Annual Meeting that is not properly brought before the meeting in accordance with this Section 4 of this Article II. The person presiding over the meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine that the business was not properly brought before the meeting in accordance with this Section 4 of this Article II, and if he or she should so determine, he or she shall so declare to the meeting and any such business not properly brought before the meeting shall not be transacted.

 

(h)            This Section 4 of this Article II is expressly intended to apply to any business proposed to be brought before an Annual Meeting of Stockholders other than any proposal made in accordance with Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act and included in the Corporation’s proxy statement. In addition to the requirements of this Section 4 of this Article II with respect to any business proposed to be brought before an Annual Meeting, each Proposing Person shall comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act with respect to any such business. Each Proposing Person shall furnish such additional information as may be reasonably required by the Board of Directors within ten (10) days after it has been requested by the Board of Directors. Nothing in this Section 4 of this Article II shall be deemed to affect the rights of stockholders to request inclusion of proposals in the Corporation’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.

 

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(i)            For purposes of these By-Laws, “public disclosure” shall mean disclosure in a press release reported by a national news service or in a document publicly filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Sections 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

 

Section 5      Notice of Nominations for Election to the Board of Directors.

 

(a)            Except as may be otherwise provided in the Certificate of Incorporation with respect to the right of holders of preferred stock of the Corporation to nominate and elect a specified number of directors in certain circumstances, nominations of any person for election to the Board of Directors at an Annual Meeting or at a Special Meeting (but only if the election of directors is a matter specified in the notice of meeting given by or at the direction of the person calling such Special Meeting) may be made at such meeting only (i) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, including by any committee or persons authorized to do so by the Board of Directors or these By-Laws, or (ii) by a stockholder present in person (A) who was a record owner of shares of the Corporation both at the time of giving the notice provided for in this Section 5 of this Article II and at the time of the meeting, (B) is entitled to vote at the meeting, and (C) has complied with this Section 5 and Section 4 of this Article II as to such notice and nomination. For purposes of this Section 5 of this Article II, “present in person” shall mean that the stockholder proposing that the business be brought before the meeting of the Corporation, or a qualified representative of such stockholder, appear at such meeting. A “qualified representative” of such proposing stockholder shall be a duly authorized officer, manager or partner of such stockholder or any other person authorized by a writing executed by such stockholder or an electronic transmission delivered by such stockholder to act for such stockholder as proxy at the meeting of stockholders and such person must produce such writing or electronic transmission, or a reliable reproduction of the writing or electronic transmission, at the meeting of stockholders. The foregoing clause (ii) shall be the exclusive means for a stockholder to make any nomination of a person or persons for election to the Board of Directors at an Annual Meeting or Special Meeting.

 

(b)            Without qualification, for a stockholder to make any nomination of a person or persons for election to the Board of Directors at an Annual Meeting or Special Meeting, the stockholder must (A) provide Timely Notice (as defined in Section 4(c) of this Article II) thereof in writing and in proper form to the Secretary of the Corporation, (B) provide the information, agreements and questionnaires with respect to such stockholder and its candidate for nomination as required by this Section 5 and Section 6 of this Article II and (C) provide any updates or supplements to such notice at the times and in the forms required by this Section 5 and Section 6 of this Article II. In no event may a Nominating Person provide Timely Notice with respect to a greater number of director candidates than are subject to election by stockholders at the applicable meeting. If the Corporation shall, subsequent to such notice, increase the number of directors subject to election at the meeting, such notice as to any additional nominees shall be due on the later of (A) the conclusion of the time period for Timely Notice, or (B) the tenth (10th) day following the date of public disclosure (as defined in Section 4 of this Article II) of such increase.

 

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(c)            To be in proper form for purposes of this Section 5 of this Article II, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary of the Corporation shall set forth:

 

(i)            As to each Nominating Person (as defined below), the Stockholder Information (as defined in Section 4(c)(i) of this Article II, except that for purposes of this Section 5 of this Article II the term “Nominating Person” shall be substituted for the term “Proposing Person” in all places it appears in Section 4(c)(i) of this Article II);

 

(ii)            As to each Nominating Person, any Disclosable Interests (as defined in Section 4(c)(ii) of this Article II, except that for purposes of this Section 5 of this Article II the term “Nominating Person” shall be substituted for the term “Proposing Person” in all places it appears in Section 4(c)(ii) of this Article II and the disclosure with respect to the business to be brought before the meeting in Section 4(c)(ii) of this Article II shall be made with respect to the election of directors at the meeting); and provided that, in lieu of including the information set forth in Section 4(d)(ii)(H) of this Article II, the Nominating Person’s notice for purposes of this Section 5 shall include a representation as to whether the Nominating Person intends or is part of a group which intends to deliver a proxy statement and/or form of proxy to (x) holders of at least the percentage of the Corporation’s outstanding capital stock required to elect any nominee, and (y) the holders of shares representing at least 67% of the voting power of shares entitled to vote on the election of directors in support of director nominees other than the Corporation’s nominees in accordance with Rule 14a-19 promulgated under the Exchange Act; and

 

(iii)            As to each candidate whom a Nominating Person proposes to nominate for election as a director, (A) all information with respect to such candidate for nomination that would be required to be set forth in a stockholder’s notice pursuant to this Section 5 and Section 6 of this Article II if such candidate for nomination were a Nominating Person, (B) all information relating to such candidate for nomination that is required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of directors in a contested election pursuant to Section 14(a) under the Exchange Act (including such candidate’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement and accompanying proxy card as a nominee and to serving as a director for a full term if elected), (C) a description of any direct or indirect material interest in any material contract or agreement between or among any Nominating Person, on the one hand, and each candidate for nomination or his or her respective associates or any other participants in such solicitation, on the other hand, including, without limitation, all information that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 under Regulation S-K if such Nominating Person were the “registrant” for purposes of such rule and the candidate for nomination were a director or executive officer of such registrant (the disclosures to be made pursuant to the foregoing clauses (A) through (C) are referred to as “Nominee Information”), and (D) a completed and signed questionnaire, representation and agreement as provided in Section 6(a) of this Article II.

 

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For purposes of this Section 5 of this Article II, the term “Nominating Person” shall mean (i) the stockholder providing the notice of the nomination proposed to be made at the meeting, (ii) the beneficial owner or beneficial owners, if different, on whose behalf the notice of the nomination proposed to be made at the meeting is made, and (iii) any other participant in such solicitation.

 

(d)            The Board of Directors may request that any Nominating Person furnish such additional information as may be reasonably required by the Board of Directors. Such Nominating Person shall provide such additional information within ten (10) days after it has been requested by the Board of Directors.

 

(e)            A stockholder providing notice of any nomination proposed to be made at a meeting shall further update and supplement such notice, if necessary, so that the information provided or required to be provided in such notice pursuant to this Section 5 of this Article II shall be true and correct (i) as of the record date for stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting and (ii) as of the date that is ten (10) business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, and such update and supplement shall be delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation in accordance with Section 18 of this Article II not later than, in the case of clause (i) above, five (5) business days after the record date for stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, and, in the case of clause (ii) above, not later than eight (8) business days prior to the date for the meeting or, if practicable, any adjournment or postponement thereof (and, if not practicable, on the first practicable date prior to the date to which the meeting has been adjourned or postponed). For the avoidance of doubt, the obligation to update and supplement as set forth in this paragraph or any other Section of these By-Laws shall not limit the Corporation’s rights with respect to any deficiencies in any notice provided by a stockholder, extend any applicable deadlines hereunder or enable or be deemed to permit a stockholder who has previously submitted notice hereunder to amend or update any nomination or to submit any new nomination.

 

(f)            In addition to the requirements of this Section 5 of this Article II with respect to any nomination proposed to be made at a meeting, each Nominating Person shall comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act with respect to any such nominations. Each Nominating Person shall furnish such additional information as may be reasonably required by the Board of Directors within ten (10) days after it has been requested by the Board of Directors. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5 of this Article II, unless otherwise required by law, (i) no Nominating Person shall solicit proxies in support of director nominees other than the Corporation’s nominees unless such Nominating Person has complied with Rule 14a-19 promulgated under the Exchange Act in connection with the solicitation of such proxies, including the provision to the Corporation of notices required thereunder in a timely manner and (ii) if any Nominating Person (A) provides notice pursuant to Rule 14a-19(b) promulgated under the Exchange Act and (B) subsequently fails to comply with the requirements of Rule 14a-19(a)(2) and Rule 14a-19(a)(3) promulgated under the Exchange Act, including the provision to the Corporation of notices required thereunder in a timely manner, then the Corporation shall disregard any proxies or votes solicited for the Nominating Person’s candidates. Upon request by the Corporation, if any Nominating Person provides notice pursuant to Rule 14a-19(b) promulgated under the Exchange Act, such Nominating Person shall deliver to the Corporation, no later than five (5) business days prior to the applicable meeting, reasonable evidence that it has met the requirements of Rule 14a-19(a)(3) promulgated under the Exchange Act.

 

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Section 6      Additional Requirements For Valid Nomination of Candidates to Serve as Director and, If Elected, to Be Seated as Directors.

 

(a)            To be eligible to be a candidate for election as a director of the Corporation at a meeting, a candidate must be nominated in the manner prescribed in Section 5 of this Article II and the candidate for nomination, whether nominated by the Board of Directors or by a stockholder of record, must have previously delivered (in accordance with the time period prescribed for delivery in a notice to such candidate given by or on behalf of the Board of Directors), to the Secretary of the Corporation in accordance with Section 18 of this Article II, (i) a completed written questionnaire (which questionnaire shall be provided by the Corporation upon written request of any shareholder of record therefor) with respect to the background, qualifications, stock ownership and independence of such proposed nominee, and such additional information with respect to such proposed nominee as would be required to be provided by the Corporation pursuant to Schedule 14A if such proposed nominee were a participant in the solicitation of proxies by the Corporation in connection with such meeting and (ii) a written representation and agreement (in the form provided by the Corporation upon written request of any shareholder of record therefor) that such candidate for nomination (A) is not and, if elected as a director during his or her term of office, will not become a party to (1) any agreement, arrangement or understanding with, and has not given and will not give any commitment or assurance to, any person or entity as to how such proposed nominee, if elected as a director of the Corporation, will act or vote on any issue or question (a “Voting Commitment”) that has not been disclosed to the Corporation or (2) any Voting Commitment that could limit or interfere with such proposed nominee’s ability to comply, if elected as a director of the Corporation, with such proposed nominee’s fiduciary duties under applicable law, (B) is not, and will not become a party to, any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any person or entity other than the Corporation with respect to any direct or indirect compensation or reimbursement for service as a director that has not been disclosed therein or to the Corporation, (C) if elected as a director of the Corporation, will comply with all applicable corporate governance, conflict of interest, confidentiality, stock ownership and trading and other policies and guidelines of the Corporation applicable to directors and in effect during such person’s term in office as a director (and, if requested by any candidate for nomination, the Secretary of the Corporation shall provide to such candidate for nomination all such policies and guidelines then in effect) and (D) if elected as director of the Corporation, intends to serve the entire term until the next meeting at which such candidate would face re-election.

 

(b)            The Board of Directors may also require any proposed candidate for nomination as a director of the Corporation to furnish such other information as may reasonably be requested by the Board of Directors in writing prior to the meeting of stockholders at which such candidate’s nomination is to be acted upon, and such proposed candidate shall provide such additional information within five (5) business days after it has been so requested. Further, the Board of Directors may require any proposed candidate for nomination as a director of the Corporation to submit to interviews with the Board of Directors or any committee thereof, and such proposed candidate shall make himself or herself available for any such interviews within ten (10) business days after such interviews have been requested by the Board of Directors or any committee thereof.

 

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(c)            A candidate for nomination as a director shall further update and supplement the materials delivered pursuant to this Section 6 of this Article II, if necessary, so that the information provided or required to be provided pursuant to this Section 6 of this Article II shall be true and correct as of the record date for stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting and as of the date that is ten (10) business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, and such update and supplement shall be delivered to the Secretary of the Corporation in accordance with Section 18 of this Article II not later than five (5) business days after the record date for stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of such record date), and not later than eight (8) business days prior to the date for the meeting or, if practicable, any adjournment or postponement thereof (and, if not practicable, on the first practicable date prior to the date to which the meeting has been adjourned or postponed) (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of ten (10) business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof). For the avoidance of doubt, the obligation to update and supplement as set forth in this paragraph or any other Section of these By-Laws shall not limit the Corporation’s rights with respect to any deficiencies in any notice provided by a stockholder, extend any applicable deadlines hereunder or enable or be deemed to permit a stockholder who has previously submitted notice hereunder to amend or update any proposal or to submit any new proposal, including by changing or adding nominees, matters, business or resolutions proposed to be brought before a meeting of the stockholders.

 

(d)            No candidate shall be eligible for nomination as a director of the Corporation at a meeting unless such candidate for nomination and the Nominating Person seeking to place such candidate’s name in nomination has complied with Section 5 and this Section 6 of this Article II, as applicable. The person presiding over the meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine that a nomination was not properly made in accordance with Section 5 and this Section 6 of this Article II, and if he or she should so determine, he or she shall so declare such determination to the meeting, the defective nomination shall be disregarded and any ballots cast for the candidate in question (but in the case of any form of ballot listing other qualified nominees, only the ballots cast for the nominee in question) shall be void and of no force or effect.

 

(e)            Notwithstanding anything in these By-Laws to the contrary, no candidate for nomination at a meeting shall be eligible to be seated as a director of the Corporation unless nominated and elected in accordance with Section 5 and this Section 6 of this Article II.

 

Section 7      Notice. Whenever stockholders are required or permitted to take any action at a meeting, a written notice of the meeting shall be given which shall state the place, if any, date and hour of the meeting, the means of remote communications, if any, by which stockholders and proxyholders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such meeting, and, in the case of a Special Meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called. Unless otherwise required by law, written notice of any meeting shall be given not less than ten (10) nor more than sixty (60) days before the date of the meeting to each stockholder entitled to notice of and to vote at such meeting.

 

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Section 8      Adjournments. Any meeting of the stockholders may be adjourned from time to time to reconvene at the same or some other place, if any, and notice need not be given of any such adjourned meeting if the time and place, if any, thereof and the means of remote communications, if any, by which stockholders and proxyholders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such adjourned meeting are (i) announced at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken, (ii) displayed, during the time scheduled for the meeting, on the same electronic network used to enable stockholders and proxy holders to participate in the meeting by means of remote communication, (iii) set forth in the notice of meeting given in accordance with Section 7 of this Article II, or (iv) are provided in any other manner permitted by the DGCL. At the adjourned meeting, the Corporation may transact any business which might have been transacted at the original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than thirty (30) days, notice of the adjourned meeting in accordance with the requirements of Section 7 of this Article II shall be given to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at the meeting. If after the adjournment a new record date for determination of stockholders entitled to vote is fixed for the adjourned meeting, the Board of Directors shall fix as the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of such adjourned meeting the same or an earlier date as that fixed for determination of stockholders entitled to vote at the adjourned meeting, and shall give notice of the adjourned meeting to each stockholder of record entitled to vote at such meeting as of the record date so fixed for notice of such adjourned meeting.

 

Section 9      Quorum. Unless otherwise required by applicable law or the Certificate of Incorporation, the holders of a majority of the Corporation’s capital stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote thereat, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at all meetings of the stockholders for the transaction of business. A quorum, once established, shall not be broken by the withdrawal of enough votes to leave less than a quorum. If, however, such quorum shall not be present or represented at any meeting of the stockholders, the stockholders entitled to vote thereat, present in person or represented by proxy, shall have power to adjourn the meeting from time to time, in the manner provided in Section 7 hereof, until a quorum shall be present or represented.

 

Section 10      Voting. Unless otherwise required by law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By-Laws, or permitted by the rules of any stock exchange on which the Corporation’s shares are listed and traded, any question brought before any meeting of the stockholders shall be decided by the vote of the holders of a majority of the total number of votes of the Corporation’s capital stock represented at the meeting and entitled to vote on such question, voting as a single class.

 

Each director shall be elected by the vote of a majority of votes cast with respect to that director’s election at any meeting for the election of directors at which a quorum is present, provided that if, as of the tenth (10th) day preceding the date the Corporation first provides notice of such meeting in accordance with Section 7 of this Article II, the number of nominees exceeds the number of directors to be elected (a “Contested Election”), the directors shall be elected by the vote of a plurality of the votes cast. For purposes of this Section 10 of this Article II, a “majority of votes cast” shall mean that the number of votes cast “for” a director’s election exceeds the number of votes cast “against” that director’s election (with “abstentions” and “broker non-votes” not counted as votes cast either “for” or “against” that director’s election). In the event an incumbent director fails to receive a majority of votes cast in an election that is not a Contested Election, such incumbent director shall immediately tender his or her resignation in accordance with the procedures established by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Board of Directors shall determine whether to accept the resignation or take other action, through a process managed by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and following a recommendation of that committee. If such director’s resignation is not accepted by the Board of Directors, such director shall continue to serve until his successor is duly elected, or until his subsequent death, retirement, removal or resignation in accordance with its terms.

 

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Unless otherwise provided in the Certificate of Incorporation, and subject to Section 14(a) of this Article II, each stockholder represented at a meeting of the stockholders shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote for each share of the capital stock entitled to vote thereat held by such stockholder. Such votes may be cast in person or by proxy as provided in Section 11 of this Article II. The Board of Directors, in its discretion, or the officer of the Corporation presiding at a meeting of the stockholders, in such officer’s discretion, may require that any votes cast at such meeting shall be cast by written ballot.

 

Section 11      Proxies. Each stockholder entitled to vote at a meeting of the stockholders may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy, but no such proxy shall be voted upon after three years from its date, unless such proxy provides for a longer period. Except as otherwise provided by law, a proxy shall be irrevocable only if it states that it is irrevocable and if, and only as long as, it is coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable power. A stockholder may revoke any proxy which is not irrevocable by attending the meeting and voting in person or by delivering to the Secretary of the Corporation a revocation of the proxy or a new proxy bearing a later date. Without limiting the manner in which a stockholder may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy, the following shall constitute a valid means by which a stockholder may grant such authority:

 

(i) A stockholder may execute a writing authorizing another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy. Execution may be accomplished by the stockholder or such stockholder’s authorized officer, director, employee or agent signing such writing or causing such person’s signature to be affixed to such writing by any reasonable means, including, but not limited to, by facsimile signature.

 

(ii) A stockholder may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy by transmitting or authorizing the transmission of a telegram, cablegram, electronic mail or other means of electronic transmission to the person who will be the holder of the proxy or to a proxy solicitation firm, proxy support service organization or like agent duly authorized by the person who will be the holder of the proxy to receive such transmission, provided that any such telegram, cablegram, electronic mail or other means of electronic transmission must either set forth or be submitted with information from which it can be determined that the telegram, cablegram or other electronic transmission was authorized by the stockholder. If it is determined that such telegrams, cablegrams or other electronic transmissions are valid, the inspectors or, if there are no inspectors, such other persons making that determination shall specify the information on which they relied.

 

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Any copy, facsimile telecommunication or other reliable reproduction of the writing or transmission authorizing another person or persons to act as proxy for a stockholder may be substituted or used in lieu of the original writing or transmission for any and all purposes for which the original writing or transmission could be used; provided, however, that such copy, facsimile telecommunication or other reproduction shall be a complete reproduction of the entire original writing or transmission.

 

Any stockholder directly or indirectly soliciting proxies from other stockholders must use a proxy card color other than white, which shall be reserved for the exclusive use by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 12      No Action by Written Consent. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any Annual or Special Meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation may be taken only upon the vote of the stockholders at an Annual or Special Meeting duly called and may not be taken by written consent of the stockholders.

 

Section 13      List of Stockholders Entitled to Vote. The officer of the Corporation who has charge of the stock ledger of the Corporation shall prepare and make, at least ten (10) days before every meeting of the stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, arranged in alphabetical order, and showing the address of each stockholder and the number of shares registered in the name of each stockholder. Such list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose germane to the meeting, during ordinary business hours, for a period of at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting (i) on a reasonably accessible electronic network, provided that the information required to gain access to such list is provided with the notice of the meeting, or (ii) during ordinary business hours, at the principal place of business of the Corporation. In the event that the Corporation determines to make the list available on an electronic network, the Corporation may take reasonable steps to ensure that such information is available only to stockholders of the Corporation.

 

Section 14.      Record Date. In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at any meeting of the stockholders or any adjournment thereof, the Board of Directors may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board of Directors, and which record date shall not be more than sixty (60) nor less than ten (10) days before the date of such meeting. If no record date is fixed by the Board of Directors, the record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the stockholders shall be at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held. A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of the stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the Board of Directors may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting.

 

Section 15.      Stock Ledger. The stock ledger of the Corporation shall be the only evidence as to who are the stockholders entitled to examine the stock ledger, the list required by Section 13 of this Article II or the books of the Corporation, or to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of the stockholders.

 

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Section 16      Conduct of Meetings. The Board of Directors of the Corporation may adopt by resolution such rules and regulations for the conduct of any meeting of the stockholders as it shall deem appropriate. Except to the extent inconsistent with such rules and regulations as adopted by the Board of Directors, the chairman of any meeting of the stockholders shall have the right and authority to prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and to do all such acts as, in the judgment of such chairman, are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting. Such rules, regulations or procedures, whether adopted by the Board of Directors or prescribed by the chairman of the meeting, may include, without limitation, the following: (i) the establishment of an agenda or order of business for the meeting; (ii) the determination of when the polls shall open and close for any given matter to be voted on at the meeting; (iii) rules and procedures for maintaining order at the meeting and the safety of those present; (iv) limitations on attendance at or participation in the meeting to stockholders of record of the Corporation, their duly authorized and constituted proxies or such other persons as the chairman of the meeting shall determine; (v) restrictions on entry to the meeting after the time fixed for the commencement thereof; and (vi) limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments by participants.

 

Section 17      Inspectors of Election. In advance of any meeting of the stockholders, the Board of Directors, by resolution, the Chairman or the President shall appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting and make a written report thereof. One or more other persons may be designated as alternate inspectors to replace any inspector who fails to act. If no inspector or alternate is able to act at a meeting of the stockholders, the chairman of the meeting shall appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting. Unless otherwise required by applicable law, inspectors may be officers, employees or agents of the Corporation. Each inspector, before entering upon the discharge of the duties of inspector, shall take and sign an oath faithfully to execute the duties of inspector with strict impartiality and according to the best of such inspector’s ability. The inspector shall have the duties prescribed by law and shall take charge of the polls and, when the vote is completed, shall make a certificate of the result of the vote taken and of such other facts as may be required by applicable law.

 

Section 18      Delivery to the Corporation. Article VI notwithstanding, whenever this Article II requires one or more persons (including a record or beneficial owner of stock) to deliver a document or information to the Corporation or any officer, employee or agent thereof (including any notice, request, questionnaire, revocation, representation or other document or agreement), such document or information shall be in writing exclusively (and not in an electronic transmission) and shall be delivered to the principal offices of the Corporation exclusively by hand (including, without limitation, overnight courier service) or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, and the Corporation shall not be required to accept delivery of any document not in such written form or so delivered. For the avoidance of doubt, the Corporation expressly opts out of Section 116 of the DGCL with respect to the delivery of information and documents to the Corporation required by this Article II.

 

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ARTICLE III

 

DIRECTORS

 

Section 1.      Number and Election of Directors. The Board of Directors shall consist of the number of directors as set forth in, or as determined pursuant to, the Certificate of Incorporation and these By-laws. Until the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the Board of Directors shall be classified pursuant to Section 141(d) of the DGCL and in accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation. Each director elected in accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation shall hold office until such director’s successor is duly elected and qualified, or until such director’s earlier death, resignation or removal. Directors need not be stockholders.

 

Section 2.      Vacancies. Any vacancy in the Board of Directors, however resulting, may be filled in the manner provided in and to the extent permitted under the Certificate of Incorporation.

 

Section 3.      Duties and Powers. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors which may exercise all such powers of the Corporation and do all such lawful acts and things as are not by statute or by the Certificate of Incorporation required to be exercised or done by the stockholders.

 

Section 4.      Meetings. The Board of Directors and any committee thereof may hold meetings, both regular and special, either within or without the State of Delaware. Regular meetings of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof may be held without notice at such time and at such place as may from time to time be determined by the Board of Directors or such committee, respectively. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the Chairman, if there be one, the President, or a majority of directors then in office. Special meetings of any committee of the Board of Directors may be called by the chairman of such committee, if there be one, the President, or a majority of the directors serving on such committee. Notice thereof stating the place, date and hour of the meeting shall be given to each director (or, in the case of a committee, to each member of such committee) either by mail not less than forty-eight (48) hours before the date of the meeting, by telephone, telegram or electronic means on twenty-four (24) hours’ notice, or on such shorter notice as the person or persons calling such meeting may deem necessary or appropriate in the circumstances.

 

Section 5.      Organization. At each meeting of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof, the Chairman of the Board of Directors or the chairman of such committee, as the case may be, or, in his or her absence or if there be none, a director chosen by a majority of the directors present, shall act as chairman. Except as provided below, the Secretary of the Corporation shall act as secretary at each meeting of the Board of Directors and of each committee thereof. In case the Secretary shall be absent from any meeting of the Board of Directors or of any committee thereof, an Assistant Secretary shall perform the duties of secretary at such meeting; and in the absence from any such meeting of the Secretary and all the Assistant Secretaries, the chairman of the meeting may appoint any person to act as secretary of the meeting. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the members of each committee of the Board of Directors may appoint any person to act as secretary of any meeting of such committee and the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary of the Corporation may, but need not if such committee so elects, serve in such capacity.

 

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Section 6.      Resignations and Removals of Directors. Any director of the Corporation may resign from the Board of Directors or any committee thereof at any time, by giving notice in writing or by electronic transmission to the Chairman of the Board of Directors, if there be one, the President or the Secretary of the Corporation and, in the case of a committee, to the chairman of such committee, if there be one. Such resignation shall take effect at the time therein specified or, if no time is specified, immediately; and, unless otherwise specified in such notice, the acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective. Any director may be removed only in the manner provided in, and only to the extent permitted under, the Certificate of Incorporation. Any director serving on a committee of the Board of Directors may be removed from such committee at any time by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 7.      Quorum. Except as otherwise required by law, or the Certificate of Incorporation or the rules and regulations of any securities exchange or quotation system on which the Corporation’s securities are listed or quoted for trading, at all meetings of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof, a majority of the entire Board of Directors or a majority of the directors constituting such committee, as the case may be, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business and the act of a majority of the directors or committee members present at any meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the Board of Directors or such committee, as applicable. If a quorum shall not be present at any meeting of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof, the directors present thereat may adjourn the meeting from time to time, without notice other than announcement at the meeting of the time and place of the adjourned meeting, until a quorum shall be present.

 

Section 8.      Actions of the Board by Written Consent. Unless otherwise provided in the Certificate of Incorporation or these By-Laws, any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board of Directors or of any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting, if all the members of the Board of Directors or such committee, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing or by electronic transmission, and the writing or writings or electronic transmission or transmissions are filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Board of Directors or such committee. Such filing shall be in paper form if the minutes are maintained in paper form and shall be in electronic form if the minutes are maintained in electronic form.

 

Section 9.      Meetings by Means of Conference Telephone. Unless otherwise provided in the Certificate of Incorporation or these By-Laws, members of the Board of Directors of the Corporation, or any committee thereof, may participate in a meeting of the Board of Directors or such committee by means of a conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, and participation in a meeting pursuant to this Section 9 of this Article III shall constitute presence in person at such meeting.

 

Section 10.      Committees. The Board of Directors may designate one or more committees, each committee to consist of one or more of the directors of the Corporation. Each member of a committee must meet the requirements for membership, if any, imposed by applicable law and the rules and regulations of any securities exchange or quotation system on which the securities of the Corporation are listed or quoted for trading. The Board of Directors may designate one or more directors as alternate members of any committee, who may replace any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of any such committee. Subject to the rules and regulations of any securities exchange or quotation system on which the securities of the Corporation are listed or quoted for trading, in the absence or disqualification of a member of a committee, and in the absence of a designation by the Board of Directors of an alternate member to replace the absent or disqualified member, the member or members thereof present at any meeting and not disqualified from voting, whether or not such member or members constitute a quorum, may unanimously appoint another qualified member of the Board of Directors to act at the meeting in the place of any absent or disqualified member. Any committee, to the extent permitted by law and provided in the resolution establishing such committee, shall have and may exercise all the powers and authority of the Board of Directors in the management of the business and affairs of the Corporation, and may authorize the seal of the Corporation to be affixed to all papers which may require it. Each committee shall keep regular minutes and report to the Board of Directors when required. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Article III, the resolution of the Board of Directors establishing any committee of the Board of Directors and/or the charter of any such committee may establish requirements or procedures relating to the governance and/or operation of such committee that are different from, or in addition to, those set forth in these By-Laws and, to the extent that there is any inconsistency between these By-Laws and any such resolution or charter, the terms of such resolution or charter shall be controlling.

 

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Section 11.      Compensation. The directors shall be paid their expenses, if any, of attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors and may be paid a fixed sum for attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors or a stated salary for service as director, payable in cash or securities. No such payment shall preclude any director from serving the Corporation in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefor. Members of special or standing committees may be allowed like compensation for service as committee members.

 

Section 12.      Interested Directors. No contract or transaction between the Corporation and one or more of its directors or officers, or between the Corporation and any other corporation, partnership, association or other organization in which one or more of its directors or officers are directors or officers or have a financial interest, shall be void or voidable solely for this reason, or solely because the director or officer is present at or participates in the meeting of the Board of Directors or committee thereof which authorizes the contract or transaction, or solely because any such director’s or officer’s vote is counted for such purpose if: (i) the material facts as to the director’s or officer’s relationship or interest and as to the contract or transaction are disclosed or are known to the Board of Directors or the committee, and the Board of Directors or committee in good faith authorizes the contract or transaction by the affirmative votes of a majority of the disinterested directors, even though the disinterested directors be less than a quorum; or (ii) the material facts as to the director’s or officer’s relationship or interest and as to the contract or transaction are disclosed or are known to the stockholders entitled to vote thereon, and the contract or transaction is specifically approved in good faith by vote of the stockholders; or (iii) the contract or transaction is fair as to the Corporation as of the time it is authorized, approved or ratified by the Board of Directors, a committee thereof or the stockholders. Common or interested directors may be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at a meeting of the Board of Directors or of a committee which authorizes the contract or transaction.

 

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ARTICLE IV

 

OFFICERS

 

Section 1.      General. The officers of the Corporation shall be chosen by the Board of Directors and shall be a President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. The Board of Directors, in its discretion, also may choose a Chairman of the Board of Directors (who must be a director) and one or more Vice Presidents, Assistant Secretaries, Assistant Treasurers and other officers. Any number of offices may be held by the same person, unless otherwise prohibited by law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By-Laws. The officers of the Corporation need not be stockholders of the Corporation nor, except in the case of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, need such officers be directors of the Corporation.

 

Section 2.      Election. The Board of Directors, at its first meeting held after each Annual Meeting of Stockholders, shall elect the officers of the Corporation who shall hold such titles, and their offices for such terms and shall exercise such powers and perform such duties as shall be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors; and each officer of the Corporation shall hold office until such officer’s successor is elected and qualified, or until such officer’s earlier death, resignation or removal. Any officer elected by the Board of Directors may be removed at any time by the Board of Directors. Any vacancy occurring in any office of the Corporation shall be filled by the Board of Directors. The salaries of all officers of the Corporation shall be fixed by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 3.      Voting Securities Owned by the Corporation. Powers of attorney, proxies, waivers of notice of meeting, consents and other instruments relating to securities owned by the Corporation may be executed in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation by the President or any Vice President or any other officer authorized to do so by the Board of Directors and any such officer may, in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation, take all such action as any such officer may deem advisable to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of security holders of any corporation in which the Corporation may own securities and at any such meeting shall possess and may exercise any and all rights and power incident to the ownership of such securities and which, as the owner thereof, the Corporation might have exercised and possessed if present. The Board of Directors may, by resolution, from time to time confer like powers upon any other person or persons.

 

Section 4.      Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Chairman of the Board of Directors, if there be one, shall preside at all meetings of the stockholders and of the Board of Directors. The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, unless the Board of Directors designates the President to serve as the Chief Executive Officer, and, except where by law the signature of the President is required, the Chairman of the Board of Directors shall possess the same power as the President to sign all contracts, certificates and other instruments of the Corporation which may be authorized by the Board of Directors. During the absence or disability of the President, the Chairman of the Board of Directors shall exercise all the powers and discharge all the duties of the President. The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall also perform such other duties and may exercise such other powers as may from time to time be assigned by these By-Laws or by the Board of Directors.

 

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Section 5.      President. The President shall, subject to the control of the Board of Directors and, if there be one, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, have general supervision of the business of the Corporation and shall see that all orders and resolutions of the Board of Directors are carried into effect. The President shall execute all bonds, mortgages, contracts and other instruments of the Corporation requiring a seal, under the seal of the Corporation, except where required or permitted by law to be otherwise signed and executed and except that the other officers of the Corporation may sign and execute documents when so authorized by these By-Laws, the Board of Directors or the President. In the absence or disability of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, or if there be none, the President shall preside at all meetings of the stockholders and, provided the President is also a director, the Board of Directors. If there be no Chairman of the Board of Directors, or if the Board of Directors shall otherwise designate, the President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation. The President shall also perform such other duties and may exercise such other powers as may from time to time be assigned to such officer by these By-Laws or by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 6.      Vice Presidents. At the request of the President or in the President’s absence or in the event of the President’s inability or refusal to act (and if there be no Chairman of the Board of Directors), the Vice President, or the Vice Presidents if there are more than one (in the order designated by the Board of Directors), 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. Each Vice President shall perform such other duties and have such other powers as the Board of Directors from time to time may prescribe. If there be no Chairman of the Board of Directors and no Vice President, the Board of Directors shall designate the officer of the Corporation who, in the absence of the President or in the event of the inability or refusal of the President to act, 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.

 

Section 7.      Secretary. The Secretary shall attend all meetings of the Board of Directors and all meetings of the stockholders and record all the proceedings thereat in a book or books to be kept for that purpose; the Secretary shall also perform like duties for committees of the Board of Directors when required. The Secretary shall give, or cause to be given, notice of all meetings of the stockholders and special meetings of the Board of Directors, and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors, the Chairman of the Board of Directors or the President, under whose supervision the Secretary shall be. If the Secretary shall be unable or shall refuse to cause to be given notice of all meetings of the stockholders and special meetings of the Board of Directors, and if there be no Assistant Secretary, then either the Board of Directors or the President may choose another officer to cause such notice to be given. The Secretary shall have custody of the seal of the Corporation and the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary, if there be one, shall have authority to affix the same to any instrument requiring it and when so affixed, it may be attested by the signature of the Secretary or by the signature of any such Assistant Secretary. The Board of Directors may give general authority to any other officer to affix the seal of the Corporation and to attest to the affixing by such officer’s signature. The Secretary shall see that all books, reports, statements, certificates and other documents and records required by law to be kept or filed are properly kept or filed, as the case may be.

 

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Section 8.      Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have the custody of the corporate funds and securities 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. The Treasurer shall disburse the funds of the Corporation as may be ordered by the Board of Directors, taking proper vouchers for such disbursements, and shall render to the President and the Board of Directors, at its regular meetings, or when the Board of Directors so requires, an account of all transactions as Treasurer and of the financial condition of the Corporation. If required by the Board of Directors, the Treasurer shall give the Corporation a bond in such sum and with such surety or sureties as shall be satisfactory to the Board of Directors for the faithful performance of the duties of the office of the Treasurer and for the restoration to the Corporation, in case of the Treasurer’s death, resignation, retirement or removal from office, of all books, papers, vouchers, money and other property of whatever kind in the Treasurer’s possession or under the Treasurer’s control belonging to the Corporation.

 

Section 9.      Assistant Secretaries. Assistant Secretaries, if there be any, shall perform such duties and have such powers as from time to time may be assigned to them by the Board of Directors, the President, any Vice President, if there be one, or the Secretary, and in the absence of the Secretary or in the event of the Secretary’s inability or refusal to act, shall perform the duties of the Secretary, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the Secretary.

 

Section 10.      Assistant Treasurers. Assistant Treasurers, if there be any, shall perform such duties and have such powers as from time to time may be assigned to them by the Board of Directors, the President, any Vice President, if there be one, or the Treasurer, and in the absence of the Treasurer or in the event of the Treasurer’s inability or refusal to act, shall perform the duties of the Treasurer, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the Treasurer. If required by the Board of Directors, an Assistant Treasurer shall give the Corporation a bond in such sum and with such surety or sureties as shall be satisfactory to the Board of Directors for the faithful performance of the duties of the office of Assistant Treasurer and for the restoration to the Corporation, in case of the Assistant Treasurer’s death, resignation, retirement or removal from office, of all books, papers, vouchers, money and other property of whatever kind in the Assistant Treasurer’s possession or under the Assistant Treasurer’s control belonging to the Corporation.

 

Section 11.      Other Officers. Such other officers as the Board of Directors may choose shall perform such duties and have such powers as from time to time may be assigned to them by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may delegate to any other officer of the Corporation the power to choose such other officers and to prescribe their respective duties and powers.

 

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ARTICLE V

 

STOCK

 

 

Section 1.      Form of Certificates. Except as otherwise provided in a resolution approved by the Board of Directors, all shares of capital stock of the Corporation issued shall be uncertificated shares.

 

Section 2.      Signatures. Any or all of the signatures on a certificate may be a facsimile. In case any officer, transfer agent or registrar who has signed or whose facsimile signature has been placed upon a certificate shall have ceased to be such officer, transfer agent or registrar before such certificate is issued, it may be issued by the Corporation with the same effect as if such person were such officer, transfer agent or registrar at the date of issue.

 

Section 3.      Lost Certificates. The Board of Directors may direct a new certificate or uncertificated shares be issued in place of any certificate theretofore 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 of stock to be lost, stolen or destroyed. When authorizing such issuance of a new certificate or uncertificated shares, the Board of Directors may, in its discretion and as a condition precedent to the issuance thereof, require the owner of such lost, stolen or destroyed certificate, or such owner’s legal representative, to advertise the same in such manner as the Board of Directors shall require and/or to give the Corporation a bond in such sum as it may direct as indemnity against any claim that may be made against the Corporation on account of the alleged loss, theft or destruction of such certificate or the issuance of such new certificate or uncertificated shares.

 

Section 4.      Transfers. Stock of the Corporation shall be transferable in the manner prescribed by applicable law and in these By-Laws. Transfers of stock shall be made on the books of the Corporation, and in the case of certificated shares of stock, only by the person named in the certificate or by such person’s attorney lawfully constituted in writing and upon the surrender of the certificate therefor, properly endorsed for transfer and payment of all necessary transfer taxes; or, in the case of uncertificated shares of stock, upon receipt of proper transfer instructions from the registered holder of the shares or by such person’s attorney lawfully constituted in writing, and upon payment of all necessary transfer taxes and compliance with appropriate procedures for transferring shares in uncertificated form; provided, however, that such surrender and endorsement, compliance or payment of taxes shall not be required in any case in which the officers of the Corporation shall determine to waive such requirement. With respect to certificated shares of stock, every certificate exchanged, returned or surrendered to the Corporation shall be marked “Cancelled,” with the date of cancellation, by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Corporation or the transfer agent thereof. No transfer of stock shall be valid as against the Corporation for any purpose until it shall have been entered in the stock records of the Corporation by an entry showing from and to whom transferred.

 

Section 5.      Dividend Record Date. In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any rights or the stockholders entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of stock, or for the purpose of any other lawful action, the Board of Directors may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted, and which record date shall be not more than sixty (60) days prior to such action. If no record date is fixed, the record date for determining stockholders for any such purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board of Directors adopts the resolution relating thereto.

 

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Section 6.      Record Owners. The Corporation shall be entitled to recognize the exclusive right of a person registered on its books as the owner of shares to receive dividends, and to vote as such owner, and to hold liable for calls and assessments a person registered on its books as the owner of shares, and shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such share or shares on the part of any other person, whether or not it shall have express or other notice thereof, except as otherwise required by law.

 

Section 7.      Transfer and Registry Agents. The Corporation may from time to time maintain one or more transfer offices or agencies and registry offices or agencies at such place or places as may be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors.

 

ARTICLE VI

 

NOTICES

 

Section 1.      Notices. Whenever written notice is required by law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By-Laws, to be given to any director, member of a committee or stockholder, such notice may be given by mail, addressed to such director, member of a committee or stockholder, at such person’s address as it appears on the records of the Corporation, with postage thereon prepaid, and such notice shall be deemed to be given at the time when the same shall be deposited in the United States mail. Without limiting the manner by which notice otherwise may be given effectively to stockholders, any notice to stockholders given by the Corporation under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By-Laws shall be effective if given by a form of electronic transmission if consented to by the stockholder to whom the notice is given. Any such consent shall be revocable by the stockholder by written notice to the Corporation. Any such consent shall be deemed to be revoked if (i) the Corporation is unable to deliver by electronic transmission two (2) consecutive notices by the Corporation in accordance with such consent and (ii) such inability becomes known to the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Corporation or to the transfer agent, or other person responsible for the giving of notice; provided, however, that the inadvertent failure to treat such inability as a revocation shall not invalidate any meeting or other action. Notice given by electronic transmission, as described above, shall be deemed given: (i) if by facsimile telecommunication, when directed to a number at which the stockholder has consented to receive notice; (ii) if by electronic mail, when directed to an electronic mail address at which the stockholder has consented to receive notice; (iii) if by a posting on an electronic network, together with separate notice to the stockholder of such specific posting, upon the later of (A) such posting and (B) the giving of such separate notice; and (iv) if by any other form of electronic transmission, when directed to the stockholder. Notice to directors or committee members may be given personally or by telegram, telex, cable or by means of electronic transmission.

 

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Section 2.      Waivers of Notice. Whenever any notice is required by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By-Laws, to be given to any director, member of a committee or stockholder, a waiver thereof in writing, signed by the person or persons entitled to notice, or a waiver by electronic transmission by the person or persons entitled to notice, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent thereto. Attendance of a person at a meeting, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except where the person attends the meeting for the express purpose of objecting at the beginning of the meeting to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any Annual or Special Meeting of Stockholders or any regular or special meeting of the directors or members of a committee of directors need be specified in any written waiver of notice unless so required by law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By-Laws.

 

ARTICLE VII

 

GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

Section 1.      Dividends. Dividends upon the capital stock of the Corporation, subject to the requirements of the DGCL and the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation, if any, may be declared by the Board of Directors at any regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors (or any action by written consent in lieu thereof in accordance with Section 8 of Article III hereof), and may be paid in cash, in property, or in shares of the Corporation’s capital stock. Before payment of any dividend, there may be set aside out of any funds of the Corporation available for dividends such sum or sums as the Board of Directors from time to time, in its absolute discretion, deems proper as a reserve or reserves to meet contingencies, or for purchasing any of the shares of capital stock, warrants, rights, options, bonds, debentures, notes, scrip or other securities or evidences of indebtedness of the Corporation, or for equalizing dividends, or for repairing or maintaining any property of the Corporation, or for any proper purpose, and the Board of Directors may modify or abolish any such reserve.

 

Section 2.      Disbursements. All checks or demands for money and notes of the Corporation shall be signed by such officer or officers or such other person or persons as the Board of Directors may from time to time designate.

 

Section 3.      Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be fixed by resolution of the Board of Directors.

 

Section 4.      Corporate Seal. The corporate seal shall have inscribed thereon the name of the Corporation, the year of its organization and the words “Corporate Seal, Delaware”. The seal may be used by causing it or a facsimile thereof to be impressed or affixed or reproduced or otherwise.

 

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ARTICLE VIII

 

INDEMNIFICATION

 

Section 1      Power to Indemnify in Actions, Suits or Proceedings other than Those by or in the Right of the Corporation. Subject to Section 3 of this Article VIII, the Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL as it presently exists or may hereafter be amended, any person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the Corporation) (a “Proceeding”), by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the Corporation, or while serving as a director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise (a “covered person”), against all liability and loss suffered and expenses (including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred by such covered person in connection with such Proceeding if such covered person acted in good faith and in a manner such covered person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal Proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe such covered person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any Proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the covered person did not act in good faith and in a manner which such covered person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that such covered person’s conduct was unlawful.

 

Section 2      Power to Indemnify in Actions, Suits or Proceedings by or in the Right of the Corporation. Subject to Section 3 of this Article VIII, the Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless, to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL as it presently exists or may hereafter be amended, any covered person against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such covered person in connection with the defense or settlement of any Proceeding by or in the right of the Corporation to procure a judgment in its favor as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation; except that no indemnification shall be made in connection with any Proceeding in which such covered person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (the “Court of Chancery”) or 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 covered person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

 

Section 3      Authorization of Indemnification. Except as provided in Section 4 of this Article VIII, any indemnification under this Article VIII shall be made by the Corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the covered person is proper in the circumstances because such covered person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Section 1 or Section 2 of this Article VIII, as the case may be. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (i) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such Proceeding, even though less than a quorum, (ii) by a committee of such directors designated by a majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, (iii) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion or (iv) by the stockholders. Such determination shall be made, with respect to former directors and officers, by any person or persons having the authority to act on the matter on behalf of the Corporation. To the extent, however, that a present or former director or officer of the Corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any Proceeding described above, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such covered person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith, without the necessity of authorization in the specific case.

 

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Section 4      Good Faith Defined. For purposes of any determination under Section 3 of this Article VIII, a person shall be deemed to have acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, or, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, to have had no reasonable cause to believe such person’s conduct was unlawful, if such person’s action is based on the records or books of account of the Corporation or another enterprise, including financial statements, or on information supplied to such person by the directors or officers of the Corporation or another enterprise in the course of their duties, or on the advice of legal counsel for the Corporation or another enterprise or on information or records given or reports made to the Corporation or another enterprise by an independent certified public accountant or by an appraiser, financial advisor or other expert selected with reasonable care by or on behalf of the Corporation or another enterprise. The provisions of this Section 4 of this Article VIII shall not be deemed to be exclusive or to limit in any way the circumstances in which a person may be deemed to have met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Section 1 or Section 2 of this Article VIII, as the case may be.

 

Section 5      Determination; Claim. Notwithstanding, if a claim for indemnification (following the final disposition of such Proceeding) under this Article VIII is not paid in full within sixty (60) days, or a claim for advancement of expenses under this Article VIII is not paid in full within thirty (30) days, after a written claim therefor has been received by the Corporation the claimant may thereafter (but not before) file suit to recover the unpaid amount of such claim and, if successful in whole or in part, shall be entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting such claim to the fullest extent permitted by law. In any such action the Corporation shall have the burden of proving that the claimant was not entitled to the requested indemnification or payment of expenses under applicable law.

 

Section 6      Expenses Payable in Advance. Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by any covered person in defending any Proceeding shall be paid, and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by any employee or agent of the Corporation may be paid, by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of such Proceeding; provided, however, that such payment of expenses in advance of the final disposition of the Proceeding shall be made only upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such covered person to repay all amounts advanced if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized in this Article VIII. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by former directors and officers or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the Corporation deems appropriate.

 

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Section 7      Nonexclusivity of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses. The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this Article VIII shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under the Certificate of Incorporation, these By-Laws, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office, it being the policy of the Corporation that indemnification of the persons specified in Section 1 and Section 2 of this Article VIII shall be made to the fullest extent permitted by law. The provisions of this Article VIII shall not be deemed to preclude the indemnification of any person who is not specified in Section 1 or Section 2 of this Article VIII but whom the Corporation has the power or obligation to indemnify under the provisions of the DGCL, or otherwise.

 

Section 8      Insurance. The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director or officer of the Corporation, or is or was a director or officer of the Corporation serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power or the obligation to indemnify such person against such liability under the provisions of this Article VIII.

 

Section 9      Amendment or Repeal; Certain Definitions and Interpretation. The provisions of this Article VIII shall constitute a contract between the Corporation, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, each individual who serves or has served as a director or officer of the Corporation (whether before or after the adoption of these By-Laws), in consideration of such person’s performance of such services, and pursuant to this Article VIII the Corporation intends to be legally bound to each such current or former director or officer of the Corporation. With respect to current and former directors and officers of the Corporation, the rights conferred under this Article VIII are present contractual rights and such rights are fully vested, and shall be deemed to have vested fully, immediately upon adoption of theses By-Laws. With respect to any directors or officers of the Corporation who commence service following adoption of these By-Laws, the rights conferred under this provision shall be present contractual rights and such rights shall fully vest, and be deemed to have vested fully, immediately upon such director or officer commencing service as a director or officer of the Corporation. Any repeal or modification of the foregoing provisions of this Article VIII shall not adversely affect any right or protection (i) hereunder of any person in respect of any act or omission occurring prior to the time of such repeal or modification or (ii) under any agreement providing for indemnification or advancement of expenses to an officer or director of the Corporation in effect prior to the time of such repeal or modification.

 

For purposes of this Article VIII, references to “the Corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors or officers, so that any person who is or was a director or officer of such constituent corporation, or is or was a director or officer of such constituent corporation 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 this Article VIII with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued. The term “another enterprise” as used in this Article VIII shall mean any other corporation or any partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise of which such person is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent. For purposes of this Article VIII, references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the Corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director or officer with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation” as referred to in this Article VIII.

 

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Section 10      Survival of Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses. The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this Article VIII shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director or officer and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

 

Section 11      Limitation on Indemnification. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Article VIII to the contrary, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification (which shall be governed by Section 5 of this Article VIII), the Corporation shall not be obligated to indemnify any director or officer (or his or her heirs, executors or personal or legal representatives) or advance expenses in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such person unless such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized or consented to by the Board of Directors.

 

Section 12      Indemnification of Employees and Agents. The Corporation may, to the extent authorized from time to time by the Board of Directors, provide rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses to employees and agents of the Corporation similar to those conferred in this Article VIII to directors and officers of the Corporation.

 

ARTICLE IX

 

FORUM FOR ADJUDICATION OF CERTAIN DISPUTES

 

Section 1      Forum for Adjudication of Certain Disputes. Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum (an “Alternative Forum Consent”), the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, stockholder, employee or agent of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation’s stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against the Corporation or any director, officer, stockholder, employee or agent of the Corporation arising out of or relating to any provision of the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By-laws (as either may be amended from time to time), or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Corporation or any director, officer, stockholder, employee or agent of the Corporation governed by the internal affairs doctrine of the State of Delaware; provided, however, that, in the event that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware lacks subject matter jurisdiction over any such action or proceeding, the sole and exclusive forum for such action or proceeding shall be another state or federal court located within the State of Delaware, in each such case, unless the Court of Chancery (or such other state or federal court located within the State of Delaware, as applicable) has dismissed a prior action by the same plaintiff asserting the same claims because such court lacked personal jurisdiction over an indispensable party named as a defendant therein; provided, further, that this exclusive choice of forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Failure to enforce the foregoing provisions would cause the Corporation irreparable harm and the Corporation shall be entitled to equitable relief, including injunctive relief and specific performance, to enforce the foregoing provisions. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this Article IX.

 

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Subject to the preceding provisions of this Article IX, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause or causes of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including all causes of action asserted against any defendant to such complaint. If any action the subject matter of which is within the scope of clauses (i) through (iv) of the first sentence of this Article IX is filed in a court other than the courts in the State of Delaware (a “Foreign Action”) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to (i) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts in the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the provisions of clauses (i) through (iv) of the first sentence of this Article IX and (ii) having service of process made upon such stockholder in any such action by service upon such stockholder’s counsel in the Foreign Action as agent for such stockholder. Failure to enforce the foregoing provisions would cause the Corporation irreparable harm and the Corporation shall be entitled to equitable relief, including injunctive relief and specific performance, to enforce the foregoing provisions.

 

Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any security of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this Article IX. The existence of any prior Alternative Forum Consent shall not act as a waiver of the Corporation’s ongoing consent right as set forth above in this Article IX with respect to any current or future actions or claims. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this Article IX shall not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any other claim for which the federal courts of the United States have exclusive jurisdiction.

 

If any provision or provisions of this Article IX shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any circumstance for any reason whatsoever, (a) the validity, legality and enforceability of such provisions in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of this Article IX (including, without limitation, each portion of any paragraph of this Article IX containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby and (b) the application of such provision to other persons or entities and circumstances shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.

 

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ARTICLE X

 

AMENDMENTS

 

Section 1.      Amendments. These By-Laws may be altered, amended or repealed, in whole or in part, or new By-Laws may be adopted by the stockholders or by the Board of Directors; provided, however, that notice of such alteration, amendment, repeal or adoption of new By-Laws be contained in the notice of such meeting of the stockholders or Board of Directors, as the case may be. All such amendments must be approved by either the holders of a majority of the outstanding capital stock entitled to vote thereon or by a majority of the entire Board of Directors then in office. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in these By-Laws, any repeal or modification of Article VIII of these By-Laws shall not adversely affect any rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses of a director or officer of the Corporation existing at the time of such repeal or modification with respect to any acts or omissions occurring prior to such repeal or modification.

 

Section 2.      Entire Board of Directors. As used in this Article X and in these By-Laws generally, the term “entire Board of Directors” means the total number of directors which the Corporation would have if there were no vacancies.

 

* * *

 

Adopted as of: November 6, 2022

 

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