Item 6.
Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
The following summarizes certain arrangements by which controlling persons, directors and officers of the Company, a Florida corporation, are indemnified against liability which they may incur in such capacities.
Florida Business Corporation Act (“
FBCA
”)
. Section 607.0850(1) of the FBCA provides that a Florida corporation shall have the power to indemnify any person who was or is a party to any proceeding (other than an action by, or in the right of, the corporation), by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or officer of the corporation or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee, or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise against liability incurred in connection with such proceeding, including any appeal thereof, if he or she acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. The termination of any proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, or conviction or upon a plea of
nolo contendere
or its equivalent shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation or, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonablecause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful.
Section 607.0850(2) of the FBCA provides that a Florida corporation shall have the power to indemnify any person, who was or is a party to any proceeding by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or officer of the corporation or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses and amounts paid in settlement not exceeding, in the judgment of the board of directors, the estimated expense of litigating the proceeding to conclusion, actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the defense or settlement of such proceeding, including any appeal thereof. Such indemnification shall be authorized if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be made under this subsection in respect of any claim, issue, or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable unless, and only to the extent that, the court in which such proceeding was brought, or any other court of competent jurisdiction, shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which such court shall deem proper.
Section 607.0850 of the FBCA further provides that: (i) to the extent that a director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any proceeding referred to in subsection 607.0850(1) or 607.0850(2), or in defense of any claim, issue, or matter therein, he or she shall be indemnified against expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in connection therewith; (ii) indemnification and advancement of expenses provided pursuant to Section 607.0850 is not exclusive; and (iii) the corporation shall have the power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of a director or officer of the corporation against any liability asserted against him or her or incurred by him or her in any such capacity or arising out of his or her status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify him or her against such liabilities under Section 607.0850.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, Section 607.0850 of the FBCA provides that indemnification or advancement of expenses shall not be made to or on behalf of any director or officer if a judgment or other final adjudication establishes that his or her actions, or omissions to act, were material to the cause of action so adjudicated and constitute: (i) a violation of the criminal law, unless the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was lawful or had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful; (ii) a transaction from which the director or officer derived an improper personal benefit; (iii) in the case of a director, a circumstance under which the liability provisions regarding unlawful distributions are applicable; or (iv) willful misconduct or a conscious disregard for the best interests of the corporation in a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor or in a proceeding by or in the right of a shareholder.
Section 607.0831 of the FBCA provides that a director of a Florida corporation, such as the Company, is not personally liable for monetary damages to the corporation or any other person for any statement, vote, decision, or failure to act, regarding corporate management or policy, by a director, unless: (i) the director breached or failed to perform his or her duties as a director; and (ii) the director’s breach of, or failure to perform, those duties constitutes: (A) a violation of criminal law, unless the director had reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was lawful or had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful; (B) a transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit, either directly or indirectly; (C) a circumstance under which the liability provisions regarding unlawful distributions are applicable; (D) in a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor or by or in the right of a shareholder, conscious disregard for the best interest of the corporation, or willful misconduct; or (E) in a proceeding by or in the right of someone other than the corporation or a shareholder, recklessness or an act or omission which was committed in bad faith or with malicious purpose or in a manner exhibiting wanton and willful disregard of human rights, safety, or property.
By-laws
. The Company’s by-laws provide that, except as prohibited under Florida law, it shall indemnify any person who was or is made a party to any proceeding by reason of the fact that he or she was or is a director or officer of the corporation, or a director or officer of the corporation serving as a trustee or fiduciary of an employee benefit plan of the corporation, against liability incurred in connection with such proceeding, including any appeal thereof.
Insurance
. The Company maintains insurance policies insuring its directors and officers against certain liabilities they may incur in their capacity as directors and officers.
Indemnification Agreements
. The Company has entered into indemnification agreements with each of its directors and officers. These agreements establish processes and procedures for indemnification claims.
Item 7.
Exemption from Registration Claimed.
Not applicable.
Item 8.
Exhibits.
The following exhibits are filed as part of this Registration Statement:
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Description of Document
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Item 9.
Undertakings.
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1)
To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:
(i)
To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;
(ii)
To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement; and
(iii)
To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement;
provided
,
however
, that paragraphs (i) and (ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.
(2)
That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
bona fide
offering thereof.
(3)
To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial
bona fide
offering thereof.
The undersigned Registrant further undertakes that, insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.