§ 2547 — Valuation procedures

(a) General rule.--If, within 45 days (or such other time period, if any, as required by applicable law) after the date of the notice required by section 2545 (relating to notice to shareholders), or, if such notice was not provided prior to the date of the written demand by the shareholder under section 2546 (relating to shareholder demand for fair value), then within 45 days (or such other time period, if any, required by applicable law) of the date of such written demand, the controlling person or group and the shareholder are unable to agree on the fair value of the shares or on a binding procedure to determine the fair value of the shares, then each shareholder who is unable to agree on both the fair value and on such a procedure with the controlling person or group and who so desires to obtain the rights and remedies provided in this subchapter shall, no later than 30 days after the expiration of the applicable 45-day or other period, surrender to the court certificates representing any of the shares that are certificated shares, duly endorsed for transfer to the controlling person or group, or cause any uncertificated shares to be transferred to the court as escrow agent under subsection (c) with a notice stating that the certificates or uncertificated shares are being surrendered or transferred, as the case may be, in connection with the petition referenced in section 2545 or, if no petition has theretofore been filed, the shareholder may file a petition within the 30-day period in the court praying that the fair value (as defined in this subchapter) of the shares be determined.

(b) Effect of failure to give notice and surrender certificates.--Any shareholder who does not so give notice and surrender any certificates or cause uncertificated shares to be transferred within such time period shall have no further right to receive, with respect to shares the certificates of which were not so surrendered or the uncertificated shares which were not so transferred under this section, payment under this subchapter from the controlling person or group with respect to the control transaction giving rise to the rights of the shareholder under this subchapter.

(c) Escrow and notice.--The court shall hold the certificates surrendered and the uncertificated shares transferred to it in escrow for, and shall promptly, following the expiration of the time period during which the certificates may be surrendered and the uncertificated shares transferred, provide a notice to the controlling person or group of the number of shares so surrendered or transferred.

(d) Partial payment for shares.--The controlling person or group shall then make a partial payment for the shares so surrendered or transferred to the court, within ten business days of receipt of the notice from the court, at a per-share price equal to the partial payment amount. The court shall then make payment as soon as practicable, but in any event within ten business days, to the shareholders who so surrender or transfer their shares to the court of the appropriate per-share amount received from the controlling person or group.

(e) Appointment of appraiser.--Upon receipt of any share certificate surrendered or uncertificated share transferred under this section, the court shall, as soon as practicable but in any event within 30 days, appoint an appraiser with experience in appraising share values of companies of like nature to the registered corporation to determine the fair value of the shares.

(f) Appraisal procedure.--The appraiser so appointed by the court shall, as soon as reasonably practicable, determine the fair value of the shares subject to its appraisal and the appropriate market rate of interest on the amount then owed by the controlling person or group to the holders of the shares. The determination of any appraiser so appointed by the court shall be final and binding on both the controlling person or group and all shareholders who so surrendered their share certificates or transferred their shares to the court, except that the determination of the appraiser shall be subject to review to the extent and within the time provided or prescribed by law in the case of other appointed judicial officers. See 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 5105(a)(3) (relating to right to appellate review) and 5571(b) (relating to appeals generally).

(g) Supplemental payment.--Any amount owed, together with interest, as determined pursuant to the appraisal procedures of this section shall be payable by the controlling person or group after it is so determined and upon and concurrently with the delivery or transfer to the controlling person or group by the court (which shall make delivery of the certificate or certificates surrendered or the uncertificated shares transferred to it to the controlling person or group as soon as practicable but in any event within ten business days after the final determination of the amount owed) of the certificate or certificates representing shares surrendered or the uncertificated shares transferred to the court, and the court shall then make payment, as soon as practicable but in any event within ten business days after receipt of payment from the controlling person or group, to the shareholders who so surrendered or transferred their shares to the court of the appropriate per-share amount received from the controlling person or group.

(h) Voting and dividend rights during appraisal proceedings.--Shareholders who surrender their shares to the court pursuant to this section shall retain the right to vote their shares and receive dividends or other distributions thereon until the court receives payment in full for each of the shares so surrendered or transferred of the partial payment amount (and, thereafter, the controlling person or group shall be entitled to vote such shares and receive dividends or other distributions thereon). The fair value (as determined by the appraiser) of any dividends or other distributions so received by the shareholders shall be subtracted from any amount owing to such shareholders under this section.

(i) Powers of the court.--The court may appoint such agents, including the transfer agent of the corporation, or any other institution, to hold the share certificates so surrendered and the shares surrendered or transferred under this section, to effect any necessary change in record ownership of the shares after the payment by the controlling person or group to the court of the amount specified in subsection (h), to receive and disburse dividends or other distributions, to provide notices to shareholders and to take such other actions as the court determines are appropriate to effect the purposes of this subchapter.

(j) Costs and expenses.--The costs and expenses of any appraiser or other agents appointed by the court shall be assessed against the controlling person or group. The costs and expenses of any other procedure to determine fair value shall be paid as agreed to by the parties agreeing to the procedure.

(k) Jurisdiction exclusive.--The jurisdiction of the court under this subchapter is plenary and exclusive and the controlling person or group, and all shareholders who so surrendered or transferred their shares to the court shall be made a party to the proceeding as in an action against their shares.

(l) Duty of corporation.--The corporation shall comply with requests for information, which may be submitted pursuant to procedures maintaining the confidentiality of the information, made by the court or the appraiser selected by the court. If any of the shares of the corporation are not represented by certificates, the transfer, escrow or retransfer of those shares contemplated by this section shall be registered by the corporation, which shall give the written notice required by section 1528(f) (relating to uncertificated shares) to the transferring shareholder, the court and the controlling shareholder or group, as appropriate in the circumstances.

(m) Payment under optional procedure.--Any amount agreed upon between the parties or determined pursuant to the procedure agreed upon between the parties shall be payable by the controlling person or group after it is agreed upon or determined and upon and concurrently with the delivery of any certificate or certificates representing such shares or the transfer of any uncertificated shares to the controlling person or group by the shareholder.

(n) Title to shares.--Upon full payment by the controlling person or group of the amount owed to the shareholder or to the court, as appropriate, the shareholder shall cease to have any interest in the shares.

Legislative History

Cross References.Section 2547 is referred to in sections 2545, 2546, 2556 of this title.