Indiana § 23-1-30-5 - Acceptance of signature

§ 23-1-30-5. Acceptance of signature

Sec. 5. (a) If the name signed on or submitted with a vote, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment corresponds to the name of a shareholder, the corporation if acting in good faith is entitled to accept the vote, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment and give it effect as the act of the shareholder.

(b) If the name signed on or submitted with a vote, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment does not correspond to the name of its shareholder, the corporation if acting in good faith is nevertheless entitled to accept the vote, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment and give it effect as the act of the shareholder if:

(1) the shareholder is an entity and the name purports to be that of an officer or agent of the entity;

(2) the name purports to be that of an administrator, executor, guardian, or conservator representing the shareholder and, if the corporation requests, evidence of fiduciary status acceptable to the corporation has been presented with respect to the vote, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment;

(3) the name purports to be that of a receiver or trustee in bankruptcy of the shareholder and, if the corporation requests, evidence of this status acceptable to the corporation has been presented with respect to the vote, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment;

(4) the name purports to be that of a pledgee, beneficial owner, or attorney-in-fact of the shareholder and, if the corporation requests, evidence acceptable to the corporation of the person's authority to act for the shareholder has been presented with respect to the vote, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment; or

(5) two (2) or more persons are the shareholder as cotenants or fiduciaries and the name purports to be the name of at least one (1) of the coowners and the person acting appears to be acting on behalf of all the coowners.

(c) The inspectors or the persons making a determination of the validity of proxies shall specify the information upon which they rely in determining the validity of a proxy. The corporation is entitled to reject a vote, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment if the secretary or other officer or agent authorized to tabulate votes, acting in good faith, has reasonable basis for doubt about:

(1) the validity of the signature on a writing or about the signatory's authority to sign for the shareholder; or

(2) the validity of an electronic submission or the submitter's authority to make the electronic transmission.

(d) The corporation and its officer or agent who accepts or rejects a vote, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment in accordance with the standards of this section are not liable in damages to the shareholder for the consequences of the acceptance or rejection.

(e) Corporate action based on the acceptance or rejection of a vote, consent, waiver, or proxy appointment under this section is valid unless a court of competent jurisdiction determines otherwise.

As added by P.L.149-1986, SEC.14. Amended by P.L.9-1998, SEC.2.