Corporations Flashcards
what does a promoter do prior to the corporation ever being formed?
procuring capital and entering into contracts in order to get funding for the corporation
Can a promoter be liable for actions they did before the corporation ever formed?
Yes. A promoter is personally liable because they’re a fiduciary of the corporation
A promoter is personally liable if they knowingly act on behalf of a corporation before incorporation and is jointly and severally liable for all liabilities created while so acting
what is a corporation?
a distinct legal entity that can conduct business in its own right by buying, selling, and holding property or by suing or being sued, and by lasting
forever.
why are corporations typically formed?
to limit liability and promote investment/money growth
What are the 3 typical parties involved in a corporation?
1) Officers: people who run the corporation on a daily basis
2) Shareholders: investors who own shares, aka, the ultimate residuary interest in the corporation
3) Directors: elected by shareholders and responsible for the major decisions of the corporation
who is a promoter of a corporation?
A person who tries to form the corporation by procuring capital and entering into contracts in order to get funding for the corporation
are corporations liable for contracts entered into before the corporation existed?
no, but the promoter will be
what is a novation?
A mutual agreement between the corporation, promoter, and third party that shifts the liability for a pre-corporation agreement from the promoter onto the corporation
what is an incorporator?
The party who actually creates the corporation
How does an incorporator create the corporation?
They must sign and file the articles of incorporation, and pay a fee
are incorporators responsible for pre-corporation actions/agreements of promoters?
No, incorporators are not liable
when does a corporation “officially” form?
When the Secretary of State accepts the fee paid by the incorporator and files the submitted articles of incorporation
what is ultra vires?
an old school doctrine referring to acts beyond the powers of the corporation.
If a corp commits ultra vires by acting outside the scope of its stated purpose, then the shareholders, the corp itself, or even the govt can initiate proceedings to stop the acts
What info/terms typically are included in the articles of incorporation?
-The name of the corporation. Must include a word like “corporation,” “inc.,” or “limited”
-the name and address of the agent of the corporation
-the names and addresses of the incorporators
-the duration of the corp
-the purpose of the corp
-the number of authorized shares
what are easier to amend: the bylaws or the articles of incorporation?
Bylaws are easier to amend. Articles can only be amended if all the shareholders agree to it
If the articles of incorporation and bylaws conflict, which wins?
the articles of corporation
What is a De Facto corporation?
A defective corporation, i.e., one that wasn’t properly formed
Are Defective (De Facto) Corporations still treated as being valid?
They will be treated like a normal corporation so long as the organizers:
1) made a good faith effort to comply with the incorporation process; and
2) they had no actual knowledge of the defect in the incorporation attempt
what is “piercing the veil” in relation to shareholder personal liability?
Normally, shareholders aren’t personally liable for a corporation’s debts.
However, a court may “pierce the veil” of
limited liability and go after shareholders’ personal funds in order to satisfy the corporation’s debts. This is typically done to avoid unfairness or fraud
Are shareholders liable for the debts of a corporation?
Typically, no. Shareholders are only personally liable for the amount they invested into the corporation
This doesn’t apply if the veil is pierced
what two rights typically come with owning a share of a corporation?
Voting rights and economic rights
what factors are used to decide whether a court can “pierce the veil” and make shareholders personally liable for all the corporation’s debts?
1) Alter ego: The investor or shareholder are treating the corporation not like a separate entity, but like their own alter ego (ex. intermingling your funds with the company’s funds)
2) Under-capitalization: failing to maintain funds sufficient to cover
foreseeable liabilities
3) Fraud: parties engaged in fraud or fraud-like behaviors
what makes preferred stock better than common stock?
Holders of preferred stock have preference over common stock with respect to dividends (payments to shareholders) and liquidation proceeds
how are the number of authorized shares set?
it’s set forth in the articles of incorporation. If the corp wants to change the number of max shares, they need to amend the articles.
what are authorized shares?
The maximum number of shares that the corp director can sell/issue to the public
what are outstanding shares?
Shares that were issued and still remain in the possession of shareholders
what are treasury shares?
Shares that were previously issued to shareholders but bought back by the corporation
what are issued shares?
The shares from the authorized pool of shares that the corp has actually sold off
what is a stock’s par value?
an arbitrary price a corporation puts on their stock
is par value required to be placed on a stock?
No. A company can choose to sell their stock at par value. If the corp do choose to sell at par value, it must sell the shares for at least the minimum par value amount.
what is watered stock?
The corporation sets a par value amount and sells the stock for less than the stated amount. That less-than par stock is called watered stock
What is a stock subscription?
When someone agrees in advance to buy stock before the corporation is formed.
Can a subscriber back out of a stock subscription?
If the subscription was before incorporation, the subscription cannot be revoked for up to 6 months
What are preemptive rights?
Right to acquire stock to maintain the percentage of ownership any time new shares are issued
ex. You own 25% of a corp. New shares are issued and dilute your ownership percentage to 20%. If you have a preemptive right, you are entitled to enough shares so that your percentage goes back up to 25% ownership
what’s the default rule in most jurisdictions for preemptive rights?
shareholders don’t have preemptive rights unless negotiated for or included them in the articles
who can issue a dividend (direct payment to shareholders)?
Only the board of directors
what are the two main ways a corporation distributes money out to its shareholders?
1) When the corporation buys back shares from the shareholders
2) The corporation directly pay the shareholders (called a dividend)
When can the board of directors NOT issue dividends?
1) if the corp is insolvent
2) If, by issuing the dividend, the corporation would become insolvent
What happens if the board issue an unlawful dividend?
the board of directors are now personally liable, both jointly and severally, to the corporation for the amount in excess of the lawful amount
A director won’t be liable if they relied in good faith on a financial statement when they approved the unlawful dividend
what is a cumulative preferred share, and how does its priority work?
it’s a combination of currently owed and past owed shares (ex. a preferred share that was owed last year gets combined into a preferred share that’s owed this year)
what is a participating preferred share, and how does its priority work?
It works like a normal preferred stock, where it gets paid before the common stock. But once its preferred stock gets paid, it gets to get back in line as a common stock, thereby double dipping
What are the two situations where a corporation can restrict
a shareholder’s ability to freely sell their shares?
1) Closely held corporations
2) federal restrictions
What is a 10b-5 action?
Securities fraud. Involves a private person buying or selling stock or other securities suing someone
when can a closely held corporation restrict a shareholder’s ability to sell their shares?
the restriction must be conspicuously noted. A restriction isn’t unenforceable if the shareholder doesn’t know about it.
What sort of sale/trade restrictions can a closely held corp use?
1) right a first refusal
2) corp has an option to buy
3) any sale requires the corp’s consent
how does a court test to see if a closely held corp’s trade restrictions are legal?
It’s a reasonability test. Is it reasonable to restrict to maintain stock trade/sale restrictions so that the corp can maintain its status as a closely held corp?
what are the elements necessary for a private person to bring a 10b-5 action against someone?
1) Plaintiff bought the security
2) transaction involved interstate commerce
3) defendant engaged in deceptive or fraudulent conduct
4) Conduct related to material information
5) Defendant acted with scienter (intentionally or recklessly done)
6) plaintiff relied on defendant’s conduct
7) plaintiff suffered harm
what constitutes damages in a 10b-5 action?
out of pocket costs, i.e., the difference between the stock’s value and the
price the plaintiff paid or received
punitive damages are not available in a 10b-5
Under a 10b-5 action, can a statement of opinion or prediction be grounds for an action?
No. To constitute fraudulent or deceptive conduct, a defendant’s statement must be an untrue statement of a material fact