(a) Except as provided in subsection (d), a corporation may indemnify an individual made a party to a proceeding because the individual is or was a director against liability incurred in the proceeding if:

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 48-18-502

  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • 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.
  • Employee: includes an officer but not a director. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
  • Individual: includes the estate of an incompetent or deceased individual. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
  • Interest: means either or both of the following rights under the organic law of an unincorporated entity:
    (A) The right to receive distributions from the entity either in the ordinary course or upon liquidation. See Tennessee Code 48-11-201
  • Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
  • Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
  • Proceeding: includes civil suit and criminal, administrative, and investigatory action. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
  • Termination: means the end of an LLC's existence as a legal entity and occurs when the articles of termination are filed with the secretary of state under §. See Tennessee Code 48-202-101
(1) The individual’s conduct was in good faith; and
(2) The individual reasonably believed:

(A) In the case of conduct in the individual’s official capacity with the corporation, that the individual’s conduct was in its best interest; and
(B) In all other cases, that the individual’s conduct was at least not opposed to its best interests; and
(3) In the case of any criminal proceeding, the individual had no reasonable cause to believe the individual’s conduct was unlawful.
(b) A director’s conduct with respect to an employee benefit plan for a purpose the director reasonably believed to be in the interests of the participants in and beneficiaries of the plan is conduct that satisfies the requirement of subdivision (a)(2)(B).
(c) The termination of a proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent is not, of itself, determinative that the director did not meet the standard of conduct described in this section.
(d) A corporation may not indemnify a director under this section:

(1) In connection with a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation in which the director was adjudged liable to the corporation; or
(2) In connection with any other proceeding charging improper personal benefit to the director, whether or not involving action in the director’s official capacity, in which the director was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received by the director.
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