Section 10A-2A-8.42
Standards of conduct for officers.
THIS SECTION WAS AMENDED BY ACT 2021-299 IN THE 2021 REGULAR SESSION, EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2022. TO SEE THE AMENDED VERSION, SEE THE VERSION LABELED PENDING.
Notwithstanding Division C of Article 3 of Chapter 1:
(a) An officer, when performing in his or her capacity as such, has the duty to act:
(1) in good faith;
(2) with the care that a person in a like position would reasonably exercise under similar circumstances; and
(3) in a manner the officer reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation.
(b) The duty of an officer includes the obligation:
(1) to inform the superior officer to whom, or the board of directors or the board committee to which, the officer reports of information about the affairs of the corporation known to the officer, within the scope of the officer's functions, and known to the officer to be material to that superior officer, board of directors or board committee; and
(2) to inform his or her superior officer, or another appropriate person within the corporation, or the board of directors, or a board committee, of any actual or probable material violation of law involving the corporation or material breach of duty to the corporation by an officer, employee, or agent of the corporation, that the officer believes has occurred or is likely to occur.
(c) In discharging an officer's duties, an officer who does not have knowledge that makes reliance unwarranted is entitled to rely on:
(1) the performance of properly delegated responsibilities by one or more employees of the corporation whom the officer reasonably believes to be reliable and competent in performing the responsibilities delegated; or
(2) information, opinions, reports or statements, including financial statements and other financial data, prepared or presented by one or more employees of the corporation whom the officer reasonably believes to be reliable and competent in the matters presented or by legal counsel, public accountants, or other persons retained by the corporation as to matters involving skills or expertise the officer reasonably believes are matters (i) within the particular person's professional or expert competence or (ii) as to which the particular person merits confidence.
(d) An officer shall not be liable to the corporation or its stockholders for any decision to take or not to take action, or any failure to take any action, as an officer, if the duties of the office are performed in compliance with this section. Whether an officer who does not comply with this section shall have liability will depend in each instance on applicable law, including those principles of Section 10A-2A-8.31 that have relevance.
(Act 2019-94, §1.)