Montana Code 35-18-326. Trustee or officer conflict of interest
35-18-326. Trustee or officer conflict of interest. (1) A conflict of interest transaction is a transaction with the cooperative in which a trustee of the cooperative has a direct or indirect interest. A conflict of interest transaction is not voidable and may not be the basis for imposing liability on the trustee or officer if the transaction was fair at the time the transaction was entered into.
Terms Used In Montana Code 35-18-326
- Cooperative: means a corporation organized under this chapter or a corporation that becomes subject to the provisions of this chapter. See Montana Code 35-18-102
- 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.
- Member: means each incorporator of a cooperative and each person admitted to and retaining membership in a cooperative as provided by the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the cooperative, including persons admitted to joint membership. See Montana Code 35-18-102
- Person: includes any natural person, firm, association, corporation, business trust, partnership, federal agency, state or political subdivision or an agency of a state or political subdivision, or other organization or group of persons. See Montana Code 35-18-102
- presence: includes in-person or any form of presence utilizing remote communication authorized by a cooperative's articles or bylaws. See Montana Code 35-18-102
- Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
(2)If a trustee or officer has a conflict of interest relating to a transaction, the trustee or officer:
(a)shall disclose to the trustees or members voting on the transaction the existence and nature of the conflict of interest and all facts known to the trustee with respect to the subject matter of the transaction that an ordinarily prudent person would reasonably believe to be material to a judgment about whether or not to proceed with the transaction; and
(b)may not participate, directly or indirectly, in the vote on the transaction.
(3)For the purposes of this section, a trustee or officer of a cooperative has an indirect interest in a transaction if:
(a)another entity in which the trustee or officer has a material interest or in which the trustee or officer is a general partner is a party to the transaction; or
(b)another entity, other than a cooperative or corporation of which the cooperative is a member or shareholder, of which the trustee or officer is a director, officer, or trustee is a party to the transaction.
(4)(a) Except as provided in subsection (4)(b), a conflict of interest transaction is authorized, approved, or ratified if the transaction receives the affirmative vote of a majority of the trustees or officers on the board or committee who do not have a direct or indirect interest in the transaction.
(b)A transaction may not be authorized, approved, or ratified by a single trustee or officer.
(c)If a majority of the trustees or officers on the board or committee who do not have a direct or indirect conflict of interest in the transaction vote to authorize, approve, or ratify the transaction, a quorum is present for the purpose of taking action on the transaction.
(d)The presence of or vote cast by a trustee with a direct or indirect interest in the transaction does not affect the validity of any action taken under this section if the transaction is authorized, approved, or ratified as provided in this section.
(5)The articles or bylaws of the cooperative may impose additional requirements on conflict of interest transactions.