1932 - Voluntary transfer of corporate assets.
§ 1932. Voluntary transfer of corporate assets. (a) Shareholder approval not required.--The sale, lease, exchange or other disposition of all, or substantially all, the property and assets of a business corporation, when made in the usual and regular course of the business of the corporation, or for the purpose of relocating all, or substantially all, of the business of the corporation, may be made upon such terms and conditions, and for such consideration, as shall be authorized by its board of directors. Except as otherwise restricted by the bylaws, authorization or consent of the shareholders shall not be required for such a transaction. (b) Shareholder approval required.-- (1) A sale, lease, exchange or other disposition of all, or substantially all, the property and assets, with or without the goodwill, of a business corporation, if not made pursuant to subsection (a) or (d) or to section 1551 (relating to distributions to shareholders) or Subchapter D (relating to division), may be made only pursuant to a plan of asset transfer in the manner provided in this subsection. A corporation selling, leasing or otherwise disposing of all, or substantially all, its property and assets is referred to in this subsection and in subsection (c) as the "transferring corporation." (2) The property or assets of a direct or indirect subsidiary corporation that is controlled by a parent corporation shall also be deemed the property or assets of the parent corporation for the purposes of this subsection and of subsection (c). A merger or consolidation to which such a subsidiary corporation is a party and in which a third party acquires direct or indirect ownership of the property or assets of the subsidiary corporation constitutes an "other disposition" of the property or assets of the parent corporation within the meaning of that term as used in this section. (3) The plan of asset transfer shall set forth the terms and conditions of the sale, lease, exchange or other disposition or may authorize the board of directors to fix any or all of the terms and conditions, including the consideration to be received by the corporation therefor. The plan may provide for the distribution to the shareholders of some or all of the consideration to be received by the corporation, including provisions for special treatment of shares held by any shareholder or group of shareholders as authorized by, and subject to the provisions of, section 1906 (relating to special treatment of holders of shares of same class or series). It shall not be necessary for the person acquiring the property or assets of the transferring corporation to be a party to the plan. Any of the terms of the plan may be made dependent upon facts ascertainable outside of the plan if the manner in which the facts will operate upon the terms of the plan is set forth in the plan. Such facts may include, without limitation, actions or events within the control of or determinations made by the corporation or a representative of the corporation. (4) The plan of asset transfer shall be proposed and adopted, and may be amended after its adoption and terminated, by the transferring corporation in the manner provided in this subchapter for the proposal, adoption, amendment and termination of a plan of merger, except section 1924(b) (relating to adoption by board of directors). The procedures of this subchapter shall not be applicable to the person acquiring the property or assets of the transferring corporation. There shall be included in, or enclosed with, the notice of the meeting of the shareholders of the transferring corporation to act on the plan a copy or a summary of the plan and, if Subchapter D of Chapter 15 (relating to dissenters rights) is applicable, a copy of the subchapter and of subsection (c). (5) In order to make effective the plan of asset transfer so adopted, it shall not be necessary to file any articles or other documents in the Department of State. (c) Dissenters rights in asset transfers.-- (1) If a shareholder of a transferring corporation that adopts a plan of asset transfer objects to the plan and complies with Subchapter D of Chapter 15, the shareholder shall be entitled to the rights and remedies of dissenting shareholders therein provided, if any. (2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a sale pursuant to an order of court having jurisdiction in the premises or a sale pursuant to a plan of asset transfer that requires that all or substantially all of the net proceeds of sale be distributed to the shareholders in accordance with their respective interests within one year after the date of sale or to a liquidating trust. (3) See sections 1906(c) (relating to dissenters rights upon special treatment) and 2537 (relating to dissenters rights in asset transfers). (d) Exceptions.--Subsections (b) and (c)(1) shall not apply to a sale, lease, exchange or other disposition of all, or substantially all, of the property and assets of a business corporation: (1) that directly or indirectly owns all of the outstanding shares of another corporation to the other corporation if the voting rights, preferences, limitations or relative rights, granted to or imposed upon the shares of any class of the parent corporation are not altered by the sale, lease, exchange or other disposition; (2) when made in connection with the dissolution or liquidation of the corporation, which transaction shall be governed by the provisions of Subchapter F (relating to voluntary dissolution and winding up) or G (relating to involuntary liquidation and dissolution), as the case may be; or (3) when made in connection with a transaction pursuant to which all the assets sold, leased, exchanged or otherwise disposed of are simultaneously leased back to the corporation. (e) Mortgage.--A mortgage, pledge, grant of a security interest or dedication of property to the repayment of indebtedness (with or without recourse) shall not be deemed a sale, lease, exchange or other disposition for the purposes of this section. (f) Restrictions.--This section shall not be construed to authorize the conversion or exchange of property or assets in fraud of corporate creditors or in violation of law. (g) Presumption.--A corporation will conclusively be deemed not to have sold, leased, exchanged or otherwise disposed of all, or substantially all, of its property and assets, with or without goodwill, if the corporation or any direct or indirect subsidiary controlled by the corporation retains a business activity that represented at the end of its most recently completed fiscal year, on a consolidated basis, at least: (1) 25% of total assets; and (2) 25% of either: (i) income from continuing operations before taxes; or (ii) revenues from continuing operations. (Dec. 18, 1992, P.L.1333, No.169, eff. 60 days; June 22, 2001, P.L.418, No.34, eff. 60 days) 2001 Amendment. Act 34 amended subsecs. (b) and (c)(1) and (2) and added subsec. (g). Cross References. Section 1932 is referred to in sections 1571, 1953 of this title.