Section 23-1-35-1 - Standards of conduct; liability; reaffirmation of corporate governance rules; presumption(a) A director shall, based on facts then known to the director, discharge the duties as a director, including the director's duties as a member of a committee: (2) with the care an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would exercise under similar circumstances; and(3) in a manner the director reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation.(b) In discharging the director's duties a director is entitled to rely on information, opinions, reports, or statements, including financial statements and other financial data, if prepared or presented by:(1) one (1) or more officers or employees of the corporation whom the director reasonably believes to be reliable and competent in the matters presented;(2) legal counsel, public accountants, or other persons as to matters the director reasonably believes are within the person's professional or expert competence; or(3) a committee of the board of directors of which the director is not a member if the director reasonably believes the committee merits confidence.(c) A director is not acting in good faith if the director has knowledge concerning the matter in question that makes reliance otherwise permitted by subsection (b) unwarranted.(d) A director may, in considering the best interests of a corporation, consider the effects of any action on shareholders, employees, suppliers, and customers of the corporation, and communities in which offices or other facilities of the corporation are located, and any other factors the director considers pertinent.(e) A director is not liable for any action taken as a director, or any failure to take any action, regardless of the nature of the alleged breach of duty, including alleged breaches of the duty of care, the duty of loyalty, and the duty of good faith, unless: (1) the director has breached or failed to perform the duties of the director's office in compliance with this section; and(2) the breach or failure to perform constitutes willful misconduct or recklessness.(f) In enacting this article, the general assembly established corporate governance rules for Indiana corporations, including in this chapter, the standards of conduct applicable to directors of Indiana corporations, and the corporate constituent groups and interests that a director may take into account in exercising the director's business judgment. The general assembly intends to reaffirm certain of these corporate governance rules to ensure that the directors of Indiana corporations, in exercising their business judgment, are not required to approve a proposed corporate action if the directors in good faith determine, after considering and weighing as they deem appropriate the effects of such action on the corporation's constituents, that such action is not in the best interests of the corporation. In making such determination, directors are not required to consider the effects of a proposed corporate action on any particular corporate constituent group or interest as a dominant or controlling factor. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, directors are not required to render inapplicable any of the provisions of IC 23-1-43, to redeem any rights under or to render inapplicable a shareholder rights plan adopted pursuant to IC 23-1-26-5, or to take or decline to take any other action under this article, solely because of the effect such action might have on a proposed acquisition of control of the corporation or the amounts that might be paid to shareholders under such an acquisition. Certain judicial decisions in Delaware and other jurisdictions, which might otherwise be looked to for guidance in interpreting Indiana corporate law, including decisions relating to potential change of control transactions that impose a different or higher degree of scrutiny on actions taken by directors in response to a proposed acquisition of control of the corporation, are inconsistent with the proper application of the business judgment rule under this article. Therefore, the general assembly intends: (1) to reaffirm that this section allows directors the full discretion to weigh the factors enumerated in subsection (d) as they deem appropriate; and(2) to protect both directors and the validity of corporate action taken by them in the good faith exercise of their business judgment after reasonable investigation.(g) In taking or declining to take any action, or in making or declining to make any recommendation to the shareholders of the corporation with respect to any matter, a board of directors may, in its discretion, consider both the short term and long term best interests of the corporation, taking into account, and weighing as the directors deem appropriate, the effects thereof on the corporation's shareholders and the other corporate constituent groups and interests listed or described in subsection (d), as well as any other factors deemed pertinent by the directors under subsection (d). If a determination is made with respect to the foregoing with the approval of a majority of the disinterested directors of the board of directors, that determination shall conclusively be presumed to be valid unless it can be demonstrated that the determination was not made in good faith after reasonable investigation.(h) For the purposes of subsection (g), a director is disinterested if: (1) the director does not have a conflict of interest, within the meaning of section 2 of this chapter, in connection with the action or recommendation in question;(2) in connection with matters described in IC 23-1-32 the director is disinterested (as defined in IC 23-1-32-4(d)); (3) in connection with any matter involving or otherwise affecting:(A) a control share acquisition (as defined in IC 23-1-42-2) or any matter related to a control share acquisition under IC 23-1-42 or other provisions of this article;(B) a business combination (as defined in IC 23-1-43-5) or any matter related to a business combination under IC 23-1-43 (including a person becoming an interested shareholder) or other provisions of this article; or(C) any transaction that may result in a change of control (as defined in IC 23-1-22-4) of the corporation; the director is not an employee of the corporation; and
(4) in connection with any matter involving or otherwise affecting: (A) a control share acquisition (as defined in IC 23-1-42-2) or any matter related to a control share acquisition under IC 23-1-42 or other provisions of this article;(B) a business combination (as defined in IC 23-1-43-5) or any matter related to a business combination under IC 23-1-43 (including a person becoming an interested shareholder) or other provisions of this article; or(C) any transaction that may result in a change of control (as defined in IC 23-1-22-4) of the corporation; the director is not an affiliate or associate of, or was not nominated or designated as a director by, a person proposing any of the transactions described in clause (A), (B), or (C).
(i) A person may be disinterested under this section even though the person is a director or shareholder of the corporation.As added by P.L. 149-1986, SEC.19. Amended by P.L. 227-1989, SEC.2; P.L. 133-2009, SEC.27.