Virginia § 13.1-696 - Definitions

§ 13.1-696. Definitions

As used in this article:

"Corporation" includes any corporation and any domestic or foreign predecessor entity of a corporation in a merger or other transaction in which the predecessor's existence ceased upon consummation of the transaction.

"Director" or "officer" means an individual who is or was a director or officer, respectively, of a corporation or who, while a director or officer of the corporation, is or was serving at the corporation's request as a director, officer, manager, partner, trustee, employee, or agent of another entity or employee benefit plan. A director or officer is considered to be serving an employee benefit plan at the corporation's request if the individual's duties to the corporation also impose duties on, or otherwise involve services by, the individual to the plan or to participants in or beneficiaries of the plan. "Director" or "officer" includes, unless the context requires otherwise, the estate or personal representative of a director or officer.

"Liability" means the obligation to pay a judgment, settlement, penalty, fine, including any excise tax assessed with respect to an employee benefit plan, or expenses incurred with respect to a proceeding.

"Official capacity" means (i) when used with respect to a director, the office of director in a corporation and (ii) when used with respect to an officer, as contemplated in § 13.1-702, the office in a corporation held by the officer. "Official capacity" does not include service for any other entity or employee benefit plan.

"Party" means an individual who was, is, or is threatened to be made a defendant or respondent in a proceeding.

"Proceeding" means any threatened, pending, or completed action, suit, or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, arbitrative, or investigative and whether formal or informal.

Code 1950, § 13.1-3.1; 1968, c. 570; 1975, c. 500; 1979, c. 99; 1985, c. 522; 2005, c. 765; 2009, c. 587; 2019, c. 734.