South Carolina § 33-6-300 - Shareholders' preemptive rights.

§ 33-6-300. Shareholders' preemptive rights.

(a) The shareholders of a corporation have a preemptive right to acquire the corporation's unissued shares except to the extent the articles of incorporation otherwise provide.

(b) Unless a statement is included in the articles of incorporation that 'the corporation elects not to have preemptive rights' (or words of similar import), the following principles apply except to the extent the articles of incorporation expressly provide otherwise:

(1) The shareholders of the corporation have a preemptive right, granted on uniform terms and conditions prescribed by the board of directors to provide a fair and reasonable opportunity to exercise the right, to acquire proportional amounts of the corporation's unissued shares upon the decision of the board of directors to issue them.

(2) A shareholder may waive his preemptive right. A waiver evidenced by a writing is irrevocable even though it is not supported by consideration.

(3) There is no preemptive right with respect to:

(i) shares issued as compensation to directors, officers, agents, or employees of the corporation, its subsidiaries, or affiliates;

(ii) shares issued to satisfy conversion or option rights created to provide compensation to directors, officers, agents, or employees of the corporation, its subsidiaries, or affiliates;

(iii) shares authorized in the articles of incorporation that are issued within six months from the effective date of incorporation;

(iv) shares sold otherwise than for money.

(4) Holders of shares of any class without general voting rights but with preferential rights to distributions or assets have no preemptive rights with respect to shares of any class.

(5) Holders of shares of any class with general voting rights but without preferential rights to distributions or assets have no preemptive rights with respect to shares of any class with preferential rights to distributions or assets unless the shares with preferential rights are convertible into or carry a right to subscribe for or acquire shares without preferential rights.

(6) Shares subject to preemptive rights that are not acquired by shareholders may be issued to any person for a period of one year after being offered to shareholders at a consideration set by the board of directors that is not lower than the consideration set for the exercise of preemptive rights. An offer at a lower consideration or after the expiration of one year is subject to the shareholders' preemptive rights.

(c) For purposes of this section, "shares" includes a security convertible into or carrying a right to subscribe for or acquire shares.

(d) The sale or other disposition by the corporation of shares or securities not subject to a preemptive right under this section, or under the articles of incorporation as permitted by this section, shall not impair any remedy which any shareholder may have for a breach of duty by the board of directors.

HISTORY: Derived from 1976 Code SECTION 33-11-210 [1962 Code SECTION 12-16.21; 1952 Code SECTION 12-275; 1942 Code SECTION 7688; 1932 Code SECTION 7688; Civ. C. '22 SECTION 4262; Civ. C. '12 SECTION 2795; Civ. C. '02 SECTION 1851; 1899 (22) 54; 1903 (24) 72; 1904 (24) 436; 1962 (52) 1996; 1963 (53) 327; 1964 (53) 1910; 1981 Act No. 146, SECTION 2; Repealed, 1988 Act No. 444, SECTION 2]; 1988 Act No. 444, SECTION 2.