23B.12.020 - Sale of assets other than in the regular course of business.

Sale of assets other than in the regular course of business.

(1) A corporation may sell, lease, exchange, or otherwise dispose of all, or substantially all, of its property, otherwise than in the usual and regular course of business, on the terms and conditions and for the consideration determined by the corporation's board of directors, if the board of directors proposes and its shareholders approve the proposed transaction.

     (2) For a transaction to be approved:

     (a) The board of directors must recommend the proposed transaction to the shareholders unless the board of directors determines that because of conflict of interest or other special circumstances it should make no recommendation and communicates the basis for its determination to the shareholders with the submission of the proposed transaction; and

     (b) The shareholders entitled to vote must approve the transaction.

     (3) The board of directors may condition its submission of the proposed transaction on any basis, including the affirmative vote of holders of a specified percentage of shares held by any group of shareholders not otherwise entitled under this title or the articles of incorporation to vote as a separate voting group on the proposed transaction.

     (4) The corporation shall notify each shareholder, whether or not entitled to vote, of the proposed shareholders' meeting in accordance with RCW 23B.07.050. The notice must also state that the purpose, or one of the purposes, of the meeting is to consider the sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition of all, or substantially all, the property of the corporation and contain or be accompanied by a description of the transaction.

     (5) In addition to any other voting conditions imposed by the board of directors under subsection (3) of this section, the transaction must be approved by two-thirds of the voting group comprising all the votes entitled to be cast on the transaction, and of each other voting group entitled under the articles of incorporation to vote separately on the transaction. The articles of incorporation may require a greater or lesser vote than provided in this subsection, or a greater or lesser vote by any separate voting groups provided for in the articles of incorporation, so long as the required vote is not less than a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on the transaction and of each other voting group entitled to vote separately on the transaction.

     (6) After a sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition of property is approved, the transaction may be abandoned, subject to any contractual rights, without further shareholder approval, in a manner determined by the board of directors.

     (7) A transaction that constitutes a distribution is governed by RCW 23B.06.400 and not by this section.

[2009 c 189 § 40; 2003 c 35 § 8; 1989 c 165 § 139.]