Delaware Corporation Stockholders Can Waive Inspection Rights
Several years ago, I wrote about stockholder inspection rights. (See Which Financial Information Must a Corporation Provide to its Shareholders? ) This post explains how stockholders of a Delaware corporation can waive inspection rights.
Delaware General Corporation Law Section 220 gives stockholders a right to “inspect for any proper purpose, and to make copies and extracts from…[t]he corporation’s stock ledger, a list of its stockholders, and its other books and records”. Furthermore, “proper purpose” means “a purpose reasonably related to such person’s interest as a stockholder.” (more…)
Enforcing Inspection Rights – “Absolute” Does not Mean “Absolute” in California
In Directors’ Inspection Rights Include (Almost) Anything in California, I discussed corporate directors’ inspection rights. Quoting California Corporations Code Section 1602, I noted that directors have an “absolute right” to inspect corporate records and physical properties. This post explains that in enforcing inspection rights, “absolute” is not really “absolute”.
The fundamental limitation, established in case law, is that a director may not use inspection rights to harm the corporation. (more…)
Directors’ Inspection Rights Include (Almost) Anything in California
I have written about shareholders’ rights to inspect corporate financial records and shareholder lists. This post discusses directors’ inspection rights, which are far greater.
California Corporations Code Section 1602 states:
Every director shall have the absolute right at any reasonable time to inspect and copy all books, records and documents of every kind and to inspect the physical properties of the corporation of which such person is a director and also of its subsidiary corporations, domestic or foreign. Such inspection by a director may be made in person or by agent or attorney and the right of inspection includes the right to copy and make extracts. This section applies to a director of any foreign corporation having its principal executive office in this state or customarily holding meetings of its board in this state. (more…)
Who Gets to See the Shareholder List?
The founder of a closely-held corporate client, knowing that some employees soon would be shareholders, recently asked whether those employee-shareholders would have the right to find out how many shares he owns. Here is the information I provided concerning who gets to see the shareholder list.
Because the client is a California corporation, Corporations Code Section 1600(a) governs who gets to see the shareholder list. That Section states, in relevant part (emphasis added):
A shareholder or shareholders holding at least 5 percent in the aggregate of the outstanding voting shares of a corporation…shall have an absolute right to…inspect and copy the record of shareholders’ names and addresses and shareholdings during usual business hours upon five business days’ prior written demand upon the corporation….
Which Financial Information Must a Corporation Provide to its Shareholders?
The CEO of a client recently asked about the level of financial detail that must be disclosed to a (troublesome) shareholder. The client corporation was formed in Delaware but is located in California, so both states’ laws apply.
California Corporations Code Section 1601 says, in relevant part (emphasis added), that “[t]he accounting books and records of any domestic corporation, and of any foreign corporation keeping any such records in this state or having its principal executive office in this state, shall be open to inspection upon the written demand on the corporation of any shareholder . . . during usual business hours, for a purpose reasonably related to such holder’s interests as a shareholder . . . . Such inspection . . . may be made in person or by agent or attorney, and the right of inspection includes the right to copy and make extracts.”
Which Financial Information Must a Private Company Provide to Employees with Vested Stock Options?
This post is based on a Quora question that I answered (Q and A are somewhat edited). Q. Which financial information must a private company provide to employees with vested stock options?
A. In California, Corporations Code Sections 1500 and 1501 specifies records that must be kept by each corporation. Shareholders’ rights to inspect records are set forth in Sections 1600 and 1601.
I know of no comparable statutory provisions with respect to holders of vested options, however. Unless the stock option plan grants you such rights, the easiest way for you to gain such rights would be to exercise your option with respect to one share and, then, exercise your rights as a shareholder.
Related post: Which Financial Information Must a Corporation Provide to its Shareholders?
Dana H. Shultz, Attorney at Law +1 510-547-0545 dana [at] danashultz [dot] com
This blog does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice, please contact a lawyer directly.
