Wisconsin Statutes > Chapter 185 – Cooperatives


§ 185.01	Definitions
§ 185.02	Purposes
§ 185.03	General powers
§ 185.031	Refunds after forfeiture
§ 185.033	Restriction on changes to articles
§ 185.034	Definitions applicable to indemnification and insurance provisions
§ 185.035	Mandatory indemnification
§ 185.036	Determination of right to indemnification
§ 185.037	Allowance of expenses as incurred
§ 185.038	Additional rights to indemnification and allowance of expenses
§ 185.039	Court-ordered indemnification
§ 185.04	Indemnification and allowance of expenses of employees and agents
§ 185.041	Insurance
§ 185.042	Indemnification and insurance against securities law claims
§ 185.043	Incorporators
§ 185.045	Reserved or registered name
§ 185.05	Articles
§ 185.06	Organization meetings
§ 185.07	Bylaws
§ 185.08	Principal office; registered agent; service of process
§ 185.09	Promotion expense; limitation
§ 185.11	Membership
§ 185.12	Voting
§ 185.13	Member meetings
§ 185.14	Quorum
§ 185.15	Notice to members, stockholders or other persons; waiver
§ 185.21	Stock; authorization, issuance, control, use, rights
§ 185.22	Subscriptions for stock; liability therefor
§ 185.23	Missing securities or records
§ 185.24	Liability of cooperative for wrongful transfers of its securities
§ 185.25	Applicability of ch. 408 to cooperative securities
§ 185.31	Directors; number, election, removal and vacancies
§ 185.32	Directors; meetings, quorum and waiver of notice
§ 185.33	Executive committee
§ 185.34	Action without meeting by directors or members
§ 185.35	Officers
§ 185.36	Compensation and benefits to directors, officers and employees
§ 185.363	Reliance by directors or officers
§ 185.365	Consideration of interests in addition to members’ and stockholders’ interests
§ 185.367	Limited liability of directors and officers
§ 185.37	Liability of directors and members
§ 185.38	Disposition of assets; right to secure debts
§ 185.41	Cooperative contracts
§ 185.42	Recording of cooperative contracts; effect thereof
§ 185.43	Relief against breach or threatened breach
§ 185.44	Application of ss. 185.41 to 185.43; venue of action
§ 185.45	Apportionment and distribution of proceeds
§ 185.47	Financial books and records; penalty for refusal to produce
§ 185.48	Annual reports; filing thereof
§ 185.49	Omission of seal
§ 185.50	Income or franchise tax returns
§ 185.51	Amendments to articles
§ 185.52	Stockholder voting on amendments to articles
§ 185.53	Filing and recording amendments; effect thereof
§ 185.54	Restated articles
§ 185.55	Amendments by bankruptcy court
§ 185.61	Merger and consolidation
§ 185.62	Articles of merger or consolidation; effect thereof
§ 185.63	Division of a cooperative
§ 185.64	Conversion of corporation
§ 185.71	Voluntary dissolution
§ 185.72	Involuntary dissolution
§ 185.73	Liquidation under court supervision
§ 185.74	Property not distributed prior to dissolution
§ 185.75	Unclaimed assets
§ 185.76	Survival of remedy after dissolution
§ 185.81	Admission of foreign cooperatives
§ 185.815	Recording change of principal office or registered agent
§ 185.82	Procedure on filing and recording of documents
§ 185.825	Penalty for false document
§ 185.83	Fees for filing
§ 185.84	Fees or penalty due state
§ 185.85	Forms to be furnished by department of financial institutions
§ 185.91	Voting requirements of articles
§ 185.92	Effect of unauthorized acts
§ 185.93	Member or stockholder derivative actions
§ 185.94	Use of term “cooperative”; penalty for improper use
§ 185.95	Discrimination against association
§ 185.96	Application of chapter
§ 185.97	Title
§ 185.981	Cooperative health care
§ 185.982	Manner of practicing medicine, chiropractic and dentistry; payment; promotional expense
§ 185.983	Requirements of plan
§ 185.985	Inconsistent provisions of the statutes
§ 185.99	Health benefit purchasing cooperatives
§ 185.995	Extensions of credit by electric cooperatives for certain projects

Terms Used In Wisconsin Statutes > Chapter 185 - Cooperatives

Acquire: when used in connection with a grant of power to any person, includes the acquisition by purchase, grant, gift or bequest. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.
Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
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.
Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
Articles: means the articles of incorporation of a cooperative unless the context otherwise requires. See Wisconsin Statutes 185.01
Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
Association: includes both cooperatives and foreign cooperatives. See Wisconsin Statutes 185.01
Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
Board: means the board of directors of a cooperative. See Wisconsin Statutes 185.01
Bylaws: means the bylaws of a cooperative. See Wisconsin Statutes 185.01
Chiropractor: means a person holding a license issued by the chiropractic examining board. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
Cooperative: means an association incorporated under this chapter. See Wisconsin Statutes 185.01
Corporation: means all corporations not associations. See Wisconsin Statutes 185.01
County board: means the county board of supervisors. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
Foreign cooperative: means an association incorporated under a cooperative law of another state which has members residing within this state and which is operating on the following cooperative basis:

(a) No member of the foreign cooperative who is an individual is allowed more than one vote because of the amount of stock or membership capital the member owns therein; and

(b) The foreign cooperative shall not deal in the products of or for nonmembers to an amount greater in value than such as are handled by it for members; and

Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.

Heretofore: means any time previous to the day on which the statute containing it takes effect; "hereafter" means the time after the statute containing such word takes effect. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01

Highway: includes all public ways and thoroughfares and all bridges upon the same. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01

Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. ^{Source: FDIC}

Land: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments and all rights thereto and interests therein. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01

Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.

Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.

Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.

Member: means a person who has been qualified and accepted for membership in an association. See Wisconsin Statutes 185.01

members: as used in this chapter with respect to the right of a member to vote, voting procedure, the required proportion of member votes, actions that must or may be taken by members, the number of members required for a quorum and the eligibility of directors, means a member or members entitled to vote, unless the bylaws provide otherwise. See Wisconsin Statutes 185.01

Membership stock: means any class of stock, continuous ownership of which is required for membership in a cooperative. See Wisconsin Statutes 185.01

Month: means a calendar month unless otherwise expressed. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01

Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.

Municipality: includes cities and villages; it may be construed to include towns. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01

Officers: when applied to corporations include directors and trustees. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01

Patronage: means business done by a patron with a cooperative and, if the bylaws provide, labor performed for a cooperative by a patron. See Wisconsin Statutes 185.01

Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.

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.

Population: means that shown by the most recent regular or special federal census. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01

Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.

Preceding: when used by way of reference to any statute section, means the section next preceding that in which the reference is made. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01

Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.

Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.

railroad company: include any person managing, maintaining, operating or in possession of a railroad, whether as owner, contractor, lessee, mortgagee, trustee, assignee or receiver. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01

Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.

seal: includes the word "seal" the letters "L S" and a scroll or other device intended to represent a seal, if any is affixed in the proper place for a seal, as well as an impression of a seal on the instrument. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01

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.

Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.

Sworn: includes "affirmed" in all cases where by law an affirmation may be substituted for an oath. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01

Temporary restraining order: Prohibits a person from an action that is likely to cause irreparable harm. This differs from an injunction in that it may be granted immediately, without notice to the opposing party, and without a hearing. It is intended to last only until a hearing can be held.

Town: may be construed to include cities, villages, wards or districts. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01

Town board: means the town board of supervisors. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01

Village: means incorporated village. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01