Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Delaware General Corporation Law
Section 145 of Title 8 of the Delaware Code gives a corporation power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent 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 (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person 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 the person’s conduct was unlawful. The same section also gives a corporation power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent 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 (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification will be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person is adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought determines upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court deems proper. Also, the section states that, to the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any such action, suit or proceeding, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, the person will be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection therewith.
Provisions of the By-Laws
Action in Reliance upon Orders of Regulatory Bodies
No present or future director or officer of the Company will be liable for any act, omission, step or conduct taken or had in good faith which is required, authorized or approved by order issued pursuant to the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, the Federal Power Act, or any state statute regulating the Company or its subsidiaries by reason of their being public utility companies or public utility holding companies, or any amendment to any thereof. In the event that such provisions are found by a court not to constitute a valid defense, each such director and officer will be reimbursed for, or indemnified against, all expenses and liabilities incurred by him or her or imposed on him or her, in connection with, or arising out of, any such action, suit or proceeding based on any act, omission, step or conduct taken or had in good faith as described above.
Right to Indemnification
Each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise subject to or involved in any claim, demand, action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (a “Proceeding”), by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or an officer of the Company or is or was
serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another company or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan (an “Indemnitee”), whether the basis of such Proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, will be indemnified by the Company to the fullest extent permitted or required by the General Corporation Law of State of Delaware (the “DGCL”) and any other applicable law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Company to provide broader indemnification rights than such law permitted the Company to provide prior to such amendment), against all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, Employee Retirement Income Security Act excise taxes or penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such Indemnitee in connection therewith (“Indemnifiable Losses”); provided, however, that, except with respect to Proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification as described below, the Company will indemnify any such Indemnitee in connection with a Proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such Indemnitee only if such Proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board of Directors of the Company.
Right to Advancement of Expenses
The right to indemnification described above includes the right to advancement by the Company of any and all expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees and expenses) incurred in defending any such Proceeding in advance of its final disposition (an “Advancement of Expenses”); provided, however, that, if the DGCL so requires, an Advancement of Expenses incurred by an Indemnitee in his or her capacity as a director or officer (and not in any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such Indemnitee, including without limitation service to an employee benefit plan) will be made only upon delivery to the Company of an undertaking (an “Undertaking”), by or on behalf of such Indemnitee, to repay, without interest, all amounts so advanced if it is ultimately determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal (a “Final Adjudication”) that such Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses. An Indemnitee’s right to an Advancement of Expenses is not subject to the satisfaction of any standard of conduct and is not conditioned upon any prior determination that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification with respect to the related Proceeding or the absence of any prior determination to the contrary.
Right of Indemnitee to Bring Suit
If a claim for indemnification described above is not paid in full by the Company within 60 calendar days after a written claim has been received by the Company (following the final disposition of such proceeding) or if a claim for Advancement of Expenses is not paid in full by the Company within 20 calendar days after a written claim has been received by the Company, the Indemnitee may at any time thereafter bring suit against the Company to recover the unpaid amount of the claim. If successful in whole or in part in any such suit, or in a suit brought by the Company to recover an Advancement of Expenses pursuant to the terms of an Undertaking, the Indemnitee will be entitled to the fullest extent permitted or required by the DGCL, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Company to provide broader reimbursements of prosecution or defense expenses than such law permitted the Company to provide prior to such amendment), to be paid also the expense of prosecuting or defending such suit. In (i) any suit brought by the Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification (but not in a suit brought by the Indemnitee to enforce a right to an Advancement of Expenses) it will be a defense that, and (ii) any suit brought by the Company to recover an Advancement of Expenses pursuant to the terms of an Undertaking, the Company will be entitled to recover such expenses, without interest, upon a Final Adjudication that, the Indemnitee has not met any applicable standard for indemnification set forth in the DGCL. Neither the failure of the Company (including its Board of Directors or a committee thereof, its stockholders or independent legal counsel) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such suit that indemnification of the Indemnitee is proper in the circumstances because the Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in the DGCL, nor an actual determination by the Company (including its Board of Directors or a committee thereof, its stockholders or independent legal counsel)
that the Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, will create a presumption that the Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct or, in the case of such a suit brought by the Indemnitee, be a defense to such suit. In any suit brought by an Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification or to an Advancement of Expenses, or brought by the Company to recover an Advancement of Expenses pursuant to the terms of an Undertaking, the burden of proving that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified, or to such Advancement of Expenses, will be on the Company.
Miscellaneous
The rights to indemnification and to the Advancement of Expenses described above (i) are contract rights and such rights will continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and will inure to the benefit of the Indemnitee’s heirs, executors and administrators and (ii) are not exclusive of any other right that any person may have under any statute, the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, the Company’s By-Laws, any agreement or any vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise. The Company will not be liable to make any payment to an Indemnitee in respect of any Indemnifiable Losses to the extent that the Indemnitee has otherwise actually received payment (net of any expenses incurred in connection therewith and any repayment by the Indemnitee made with respect thereto) under any insurance policy or from any other source in respect of such Indemnifiable Losses.
Insurance
The Company has an insurance policy covering its liabilities and expenses which might arise in connection with its lawful indemnification of its directors and officers for certain of their liabilities and expenses and also covering its officers and directors against certain other liabilities and expenses.