Ohio Code 1702.53 – Certified copies as evidence
(A) A copy of the articles or amended articles filed in the office of the secretary of state, certified by the secretary of state, shall be conclusive evidence, except as against the state, that the corporation has been incorporated under the laws of this state; and a copy duly certified by the secretary of state of any certificate of amendment or other certificate filed in the secretary of state’s office shall be prima-facie evidence of such amendment or of the facts stated in any such certificate, and of the observance and performance of all antecedent conditions necessary to the action which such certificate purports to evidence.
Terms Used In Ohio Code 1702.53
- Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
- Articles: includes original articles of incorporation, agreements of merger or consolidation if and only to the extent that articles of incorporation are adopted or amended in the agreements, amended articles, and amendments to any of these, and, in the case of a corporation created before September 1, 1851, the special charter and any amendments to it made by special act of the general assembly or pursuant to general law. See Ohio Code 1702.01
- 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.
- Directors: means the persons vested with the authority to conduct the affairs of the corporation irrespective of the name, such as trustees, by which they are designated. See Ohio Code 1702.01
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Member: means one having membership rights and privileges in a corporation in accordance with its articles or regulations. See Ohio Code 1702.01
- Person: includes , but is not limited to, a nonprofit corporation, a business corporation, a partnership, an unincorporated society or association, and two or more persons having a joint or common interest. See Ohio Code 1702.01
- State: means the United States; any state, territory, insular possession, or other political subdivision of the United States, including the District of Columbia; any foreign country or nation; and any province, territory, or other political subdivision of a foreign country or nation. See Ohio Code 1702.01
(B) A copy of amended articles filed in the office of the secretary of state, certified by the secretary of state, shall be accepted in this state and other jurisdictions in lieu of the original articles, amendments thereto, and prior amended articles.
(C) The original or a copy of the record of minutes of the proceedings of the incorporators of a corporation, or of the proceedings or meetings of the members or any class of members, or of the directors, or of any committee thereof, including any written consent, waiver, release, or agreement entered in such record or minutes, or the original or a copy of a statement that no specified proceeding was had or that no specified consent, waiver, release, or agreement exists, shall, when certified to be true by the secretary or an assistant secretary of a corporation, be received in the courts as prima-facie evidence of the facts stated therein. Every meeting referred to in such certified original or copy shall be deemed duly called and held, and all motions and resolutions adopted and proceedings had at such meeting shall be deemed duly adopted and had, and all elections of directors and all elections or appointments of officers chosen at such meeting shall be deemed valid, until the contrary is proved; and whenever a person who is not a member of a corporation has acted in good faith in reliance upon any such certified original or copy, it is conclusive in the person’s favor.