§ 12.02. Sale of assets other than in regular course of activities

(a) A corporation may sell, lease, exchange, or otherwise dispose of all, or substantially all, of its property (with or without the good will), other than in the usual and regular course of its activities on the terms and conditions and for the consideration determined by the corporation‘s board, if the proposed transaction is authorized by subsection (b) of this section.

(b) Unless this title, the articles, bylaws, or the board of directors or members (acting pursuant to subsection (d) of this section) require a greater vote or voting by class, the proposed transaction to be authorized must be approved:

(1) by the board;

(2) by the members by two-thirds of the votes cast or a majority of the voting power, whichever is less; and

(3) in writing by any person or persons whose approval is required by a provision of the articles authorized by section 10.30 of this title for an amendment to the articles or bylaws.

(c) If the corporation does not have members, the transaction must be approved by a vote of a majority of the directors in office at the time the transaction is approved. In addition the corporation shall provide notice of any directors’ meeting at which such approval is to be obtained in accordance with subsection 8.22(c) of this title. The notice must also state that the purpose, or one of the purposes, of the meeting is to consider the sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition of all, or substantially all, of the property or assets of the corporation and contain or be accompanied by a copy or summary of a description of the transaction.

(d) The board may condition its submission of the proposed transaction, and the members may condition their approval of the transaction, on receipt of a higher percentage of affirmative votes or on any other basis.

(e) If the corporation seeks to have the transaction approved by the members at a membership meeting, the corporation shall give notice to its members of the proposed membership meeting in accordance with section 7.05 of this title. The notice must also state that the purpose, or one of the purposes, of the meeting is to consider the sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition of all, or substantially all, of the property or assets of the corporation and contain or be accompanied by a copy or summary of a description of the transaction.

(f) If the board needs to have the transaction approved by the members by written consent or written ballot, the material soliciting the approval shall contain or be accompanied by a copy or summary of a description of the transaction.

(g) A public benefit corporation must give written notice to the Attorney General 20 days before it sells, leases, exchanges, or otherwise disposes of all, or substantially all, of its property if the transaction is not in the usual and regular course of its activities unless the Attorney General has given the corporation a written waiver of this subsection.

(h) After a sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition of property is authorized, the transaction may be abandoned (subject to any contractual rights) without further action by the members or any other person who approved the transaction in accordance with the procedures set forth in the resolution proposing the transaction or, if none is set forth, in the manner determined by the board of directors. (Added 1995, No. 179 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1997.)

§ 12.02. Sale of assets other than in regular course of business

(a) A sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition of assets, other than a disposition described in section 12.01 of this title, requires approval of the corporation‘s shareholders if the disposition would leave the corporation without a significant continuing business activity. If a corporation retains a business activity that represented at least 25 percent of the total assets at the end of the most recently completed fiscal year and 25 percent of either income from continuing operations before taxes or revenues from continuing operations for that fiscal year, in each case of the corporation and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, the corporation will conclusively be deemed to have retained a significant continuing business activity.

(b) For a transaction to be authorized:

(1) the board of directors must recommend the proposed transaction to the shareholders unless the board of directors determines that because of conflict of interest or other special circumstances it should make no recommendation and communicates the basis for its determination to the shareholders with the submission of the proposed transaction; and

(2) the shareholders entitled to vote must approve the transaction.

(c) The board of directors may condition its submission of the proposed transaction on any basis.

(d) The corporation shall notify each shareholder, whether or not entitled to vote, of the proposed shareholders’ meeting in accordance with section 7.05 of this title. The notice must also state that the purpose, or one of the purposes, of the meeting is to consider the sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition of all, or substantially all, the property of the corporation and contain or be accompanied by a description of the transaction.

(e) Unless the articles of incorporation or the board of directors (acting pursuant to subsection (c) of this section) require a greater vote or a vote by voting groups, the transaction to be authorized must be approved by a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on the transaction.

(f) After a sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition of property is authorized, the transaction may be abandoned (subject to any contractual rights) without further shareholder action.

(g) A transaction that constitutes a distribution is governed by section 6.40 of this title and not by this section. (Added 1993, No. 85, § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 1994; amended 2007, No. 190 (Adj. Sess.), § 99, eff. June 6, 2008.)