Sec. 2. Unless a corporation‘s articles of incorporation provide otherwise, a corporation has perpetual duration and succession in the corporation’s corporate name and has the same powers as an individual to do all things necessary or convenient to carry out the corporation’s affairs, including the power to do the following:

(1) Sue, be sued, complain, and defend in the corporation’s corporate name.

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Terms Used In Indiana Code 23-17-4-2

  • Bequest: Property gifted by will.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Devise: To gift property by will.
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Personal property: includes goods, chattels, evidences of debt, and things in action. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Property: includes personal and real property. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • United States: includes the District of Columbia and the commonwealths, possessions, states in free association with the United States, and the territories. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
(2) Have a corporate seal or facsimile of a corporate seal, which may be altered at will, to use by impressing or affixing or in any other manner reproducing it. However, the use or impression of a corporate seal is not required and does not affect the validity of any instrument.

(3) Make and amend bylaws not inconsistent with the corporation’s articles of incorporation or with Indiana law for managing the affairs of the corporation.

(4) Purchase, receive, take by gift, devise, or bequest, lease, or otherwise acquire, and own, hold, improve, use, and otherwise deal with, real or personal property, or any legal or equitable interest in property, wherever located.

(5) Sell, convey, mortgage, pledge, lease, exchange, and otherwise dispose of all or any part of the corporation’s property.

(6) Purchase, receive, subscribe for, or otherwise acquire, own, hold, vote, use, sell, mortgage, lend, pledge, or otherwise dispose of, and deal in and with, shares or other interests in, or obligations of any entity.

(7) Make contracts and guaranties, incur liabilities, borrow money, issue notes, bonds, and other obligations and secure any of the corporation’s obligations by mortgage or pledge of any of the corporation’s property, franchises, or income.

(8) Lend money, invest and reinvest the corporation’s funds, and receive and hold real and personal property as security for repayment, except as provided under IC 23-17-13-3.

(9) Be a promoter, a partner, a member, an associate or a manager of any partnership, joint venture, trust, or other entity.

(10) Conduct the corporation’s activities, locate offices, and exercise the powers granted by this article inside or outside Indiana.

(11) Elect directors, elect and appoint officers, and appoint employees and agents of the corporation, define the duties and fix the compensation of directors, officers, employees and agents.

(12) Pay pensions and establish pension plans, pension trusts, and other benefit and incentive plans for the corporation’s current or former directors, officers, employees, and agents.

(13) Make donations not inconsistent with law for the public welfare or for charitable, religious, scientific, or educational purposes and for other purposes that further the corporate interest.

(14) Impose dues, assessments, admission, and transfer fees upon the corporation’s members.

(15) Establish conditions for admission of members, admit members, and issue memberships.

(16) Carry on a business.

(17) Have and exercise powers of a trustee as permitted by law, including those set forth in IC 30-4-3-3.

(18) Purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any individual who:

(A) is or was a director, an officer, an employee, or an agent of the corporation; or

(B) is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, an officer, an employee, or an agent of another entity;

against any liability asserted against or incurred by the individual in that capacity or arising from the individual’s status as a director, an officer, an employee, or an agent, whether or not the corporation would have power to indemnify the individual against the same liability under this article.

(19) Do all things necessary or convenient, not inconsistent with law, to further the activities and affairs of the corporation.

(20) Adopt, either in the corporation’s articles of incorporation or bylaws, a provision establishing exclusive jurisdiction in the circuit or superior courts of any county in Indiana or in the United States district courts of Indiana, for:

(A) any action asserting a claim for breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation to the corporation;

(B) any action asserting a claim arising under:

(i) any provision of this article; or

(ii) the corporation’s articles of incorporation or bylaws; or

(C) any actions otherwise relating to the internal affairs of the corporation.

As added by P.L.179-1991, SEC.1. Amended by P.L.63-2014, SEC.19.