§ 55-12-02.  Disposition of assets requiring shareholder approval.

(a) 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.

(b) The following requirements shall be met for a transaction to be authorized:

(1) The board of directors shall recommend to the shareholders that the proposed transaction be approved unless one of the following circumstances exist, in which event the board of directors shall communicate the basis for not recommending approval of the proposed transaction to the shareholders at the time it submits the proposed transaction to the shareholders:

a. The board of directors determines that, because of conflict of interest or other special circumstances, it should not make a recommendation that the shareholders approve the proposed transaction.

b. G.S. 55-8-26 applies.

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

(c) The board of directors may condition its submission of the proposed transaction on any basis.

(d) The corporation shall notify each shareholder, whether or not entitled to vote, of the proposed shareholders' meeting in accordance with G.S. 55-7-05. 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.

(e) Unless the articles of incorporation, a bylaw adopted by the shareholders, Article 9 or the board of directors (acting pursuant to subsection (c)) require a greater vote or a vote by voting groups, the transaction to be authorized must be approved by a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on the transaction.

(f) After a sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition of property is authorized, the transaction may be abandoned (subject to any contractual rights) without further shareholder action.

(g) A transaction that constitutes a distribution is governed by G.S. 55-6-40 and not by this section. (1925, c. 235; 1929, c. 269; 1939, c. 279; G.S., s. 55-26; 1955, c. 1371, s. 1; 1989, c. 265, s. 1; 2013-153, s. 13.)