§ 10A-2A-7.24 — Acceptance of Votes and Other Instruments

Alabama § 10A-2A-7.24

• Jurisdiction: Alabama
• Title 10A: Alabama Business and Nonprofit Entities Code
• Ch. 2A: Alabama Business Corporation Law
• Art. 7: Stockholders
• Div. B: Voting

Text

(a) If the name signed on a vote, ballot, consent, waiver, stockholder demand, or proxy appointment corresponds to the name of a stockholder, the corporation, if acting in good faith, is entitled to accept the vote, ballot, consent, waiver, stockholder demand, or proxy appointment and give it effect as the act of the stockholder.
(b) If the name signed on a vote, ballot, consent, waiver, stockholder demand, or proxy appointment does not correspond to the name of its stockholder, the corporation, if acting in good faith, is nevertheless entitled to accept the vote, ballot, consent, waiver, stockholder demand, or proxy appointment and give it effect as the act of the stockholder if:
(1) the stockholder is an entity and the name signed purports to be that of an officer or agent of the entity;
(2) the name signed purports to be that of an administrator, executor, guardian, or conservator representing the stockholder and, if the corporation requests, evidence of fiduciary status acceptable to the corporation has been presented with respect to the vote, ballot, consent, waiver, stockholder demand, or proxy appointment;
(3) the name signed purports to be that of a receiver or trustee in bankruptcy of the stockholder and, if the corporation requests, evidence of this status acceptable to the corporation has been presented with respect to the vote, ballot, consent, waiver, stockholder demand, or proxy appointment;
(4) the name signed purports to be that of a pledgee, beneficial owner, or attorney-in-fact of the stockholder and, if the corporation requests, evidence acceptable to the corporation of the signatory’s authority to sign for the stockholder has been presented with respect to the vote, ballot, consent, waiver, stockholder demand, or proxy appointment; or
(5) two or more persons are the stockholder as co-tenants or fiduciaries and the name signed purports to be the name of at least one of the co-owners and the person signing appears to be acting on behalf of all the co-owners.
(c) The corporation is entitled to reject a vote, ballot, consent, waiver, stockholder demand, or proxy appointment if the person authorized to accept or reject that instrument, acting in good faith, has reasonable basis for doubt about the validity of the signature on it or about the signatory’s authority to sign for the stockholder.
(d) Neither the corporation or any person authorized by it, nor an inspector of election appointed under Section 10A-2A-7.29, that accepts or rejects a vote, ballot, consent, waiver, stockholder demand, or proxy appointment in good faith and in accordance with the standards of this Section 10A-2A-7.24 or Section 10A-2A-7.22(b) is liable in damages to the stockholder for the consequences of the acceptance or rejection.
(e) Corporate action based on the acceptance or rejection of a vote, ballot, consent, waiver, stockholder demand, or proxy appointment under this section is valid unless the designated court, and if none, the circuit court for the county in which the corporation’s principal office is located in this state, and if none in this state, the circuit court for the county in which the corporation’s most recent registered office is located, determines otherwise.
(f) If an inspector of election has been appointed under Section 10A-2A-7.29, the inspector of election also has the authority to request information and make determinations under subsections (a), (b), and (c). Any determination made by the inspector of election under those subsections is controlling.

Legislative History

(Act 2019-94, §1; Act 2020-73, §7.)