Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Article 8 of our Articles of Incorporation and Article VI of our Bylaws provide that the Company shall indemnify its officers and directors to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by the South Dakota Business Corporation Act (“SDBCA”). Section 47‑1A‑851 and Section 47‑1A‑856(1) of the SDBCA provide that the Company may indemnify its officers and directors against liability incurred in connection with proceedings in which such persons are parties by reason of being an officer or director of the Company if they (1) acted in good faith; (2) reasonably believed: (a) in the case of conduct in an official capacity, that the conduct was in the best interests of the Company, and (b) in all other cases, that the conduct was at least not opposed to the best interests of the Company; and (3) in the case of any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that the conduct was unlawful. This indemnification may be available for any liabilities arising in connection with this offering. In addition, Section 47‑1A‑856(2)(b) of the SDBCA permits the Company to indemnify an officer of the Company who is a party to a proceeding by reason of being an officer of the Company against liability, except for liability arising out of conduct that constitutes receipt of a financial benefit to which the officer is not entitled, an intentional infliction of harm on the Company or its shareholders, or an intentional violation of criminal law. Section 47‑1A‑857 of the SDBCA permits the Company to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of its officers and directors against any liability which may be asserted against, or incurred by, such persons in their capacities as officers and directors of the Company, whether or not the Company would have power to indemnify or advance expenses to the person against the same liability under the provisions of the SDBCA. The Company maintains officers’ and directors’ liability insurance for the benefit of its officers and directors.
Article VI of our Bylaws and Article 8 of our Articles of Incorporation also provide that the Company may indemnify other persons, for such expenses and liabilities, in such manner and under such circumstances, as the Board of Directors may determine from time to time.
Section 7.3 of Article 7 of our Articles of Incorporation provides that the liability of our directors to the Company or its shareholders shall be limited to the fullest extent permitted by the SDBCA. Section 47‑1A‑202.1(4) of the SDBCA permits a corporation to provide in its articles of incorporation that its directors will not be liable to the corporation or its shareholders for monetary damages for any action taken, or any failure to take any action, as directors, except for liability for receipt of a financial benefit by a director to which the director is not entitled; an intentional infliction of harm on the corporation or its shareholders; a violation of Section 47‑1A‑833 of the SDBCA (relating to unlawful distributions); or an intentional violation of criminal law.
Under Section 47‑1A‑831 of the SDBCA, the Company’s directors are not liable to it or its shareholders for any decision to take or not to take action, or any failure to take any action, as a director, unless the party asserting liability establishes that (1) the indemnification provisions in the Company’s Articles of Incorporation and the SDBCA do not preclude such liability and (2) the challenged conduct consisted or was the result of (a) action not in good faith; (b) a decision (i) which the director did not reasonably believe to be in the Company’s best interests or (ii) as to which the director was not properly informed; (c) a lack of objectivity due to the director’s familial, financial, or business relationship with, or a lack of independence due to the director’s domination or control by, another person having a material interest in the challenged conduct (i) which relationship or which domination or control could reasonably be expected to have affected the director’s judgment respecting the challenged conduct in a manner adverse to the Company and (ii) after a reasonable expectation to such effect has been established, the director has not established that the challenged conduct was reasonably believed by the director to be in the best interests of the Company; (d) a sustained failure of the director to devote attention to ongoing oversight of the business and affairs of the Company, or a failure to devote timely attention, by making, or causing to be made, appropriate inquiry, when particular facts and circumstances of significant concern materialize that would alert a reasonably attentive director to the need therefor; or (e) receipt of a financial benefit to which the director was not entitled or any other breach of the director’s duties to deal fairly with the Company and its shareholders that is actionable under applicable law.
Item 9. Undertakings.
(a) Rule 415 Offering.
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 of 1933;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the 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 the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously described in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;
Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) of this section do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement;
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, 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; and
(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.
(b) Filings Incorporating Subsequent Exchange Act Documents by Reference.
The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that is incorporated by reference in the 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.
(h) Request For Acceleration of Effective Date or Filing of Registration Statement Becoming Effective Upon Filing.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 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 Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 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 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.