Section 46-3-306. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees, and agents; purchase and maintenance of liability insurance; notice to members of payment of indemnification

   (a) As used in this Code section, the term "the electric membership corporation" shall include, in addition to the surviving or new electric membership corporation, any merging or consolidating electric membership corporation, including any merging or consolidating electric membership corporation of a merging or consolidating electric membership corporation, absorbed in a merger or consolidation so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of such merging or consolidating electric membership corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such merging or consolidating electric membership corporation as a director, officer, employee, or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this Code section with respect to the resulting or surviving electric membership corporation as he would if he had served the resulting or surviving electric membership corporation in the same capacity, provided that no indemnification under subsections (b) and (c) of this Code section which are permitted by this subsection shall be mandatory under this subsection or any bylaw of the surviving or new electric membership corporation without the approval of such indemnification by the board of directors or members of the surviving or new electric membership corporation, in the manner provided in paragraphs (1) and (3) of subsection (e) of this Code section.

(b) An electric membership corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending, or completed action or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the electric membership corporation), by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the electric membership corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the electric membership corporation as a director, officer, employee, or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise, against expenses, including attorney's fees, judgments, fines, and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action or proceeding if he acted in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the electric membership corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not of itself create a presumption that the person did not act in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the electric membership corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.

(c) An electric membership corporation shall have the power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or who is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending, or completed action or suit by, or in the right of, the electric membership corporation to procure a judgment in its favor, by reason of the fact he is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the electric membership corporation or is or was serving at the request of the electric membership corporation as a director, employee, or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise, against expenses, including attorney's fees, actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit, if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the electric membership corporation; except that no indemnification shall be made in respect to any claim, issue, or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the electric membership corporation, unless and only to the extent that the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the court shall deem proper.

(d) To the extent that a director, officer, employee, or agent of an electric membership corporation has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in defense of any action, suit, or proceeding referred to in subsections (b) and (c) of this Code section or in defense of any claim, issue, or matter therein, he shall be indemnified against expenses, including attorney's fees, actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection therewith.

(e) Any indemnification under subsections (b) and (c) of this Code section, unless ordered by a court, shall be made by the electric membership corporation only as authorized in the specific case, upon a determination that indemnification of the director, officer, employee, or agent is proper in the circumstances because he has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (b) and (c) of this Code section. Such determination shall be made:

   (1) By the board of directors by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to such action, suit, or proceeding;

   (2) If such a quorum is not obtainable or, even if obtainable, if a quorum of disinterested directors so directs, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion; or

   (3) By the affirmative vote of the members present and voting at the meeting at which such determination is made.

(f) Expenses incurred in defending a civil or criminal action, suit, or proceeding may be paid by the electric membership corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit, or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the director, officer, employee, or agent to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the electric membership corporation as authorized in this Code section.

(g) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by or granted pursuant to this Code section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights, in respect to indemnification or otherwise, to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, resolution, or agreement, either specifically or in general terms approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the members entitled to vote thereon, taken at a meeting, the notice of which specified that such bylaw, resolution, or agreement would be placed before the members, both as to action by a director, officer, employee, or agent in his official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office or position, except that no such other rights, in respect to indemnification or otherwise, may be provided or granted to a director, officer, employee, or agent pursuant to this subsection by an electric membership corporation with respect to the liabilities described in divisions (b)(3)(A)(i) through (b)(3)(A)(iii) of Code Section 46-3-321.

(h) An electric membership corporation shall have the power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the electric membership corporation or who is or was serving at the request of the electric membership corporation as a director, officer, employee, or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the electric membership corporation would have the power to indemnify him against such liability under this Code section.

(i) If any expenses or other amounts are paid by way of indemnification, otherwise than by court order or action by the members or by an insurance carrier pursuant to insurance maintained by the electric membership corporation, the electric membership corporation, not later than the next annual meeting of members, unless such meeting is held within three months from the date of such payment, and in any event, within 15 months from the date of such payment, shall send to its members who are entitled to vote for the election of directors a statement specifying the persons paid, the amounts paid, and the nature and status at the time of such payment of the litigation or threatened litigation. Such statement shall be provided to the members in the manner provided in subsection (a) of Code Section 46-3-263 for giving notice of members' meetings.

(j) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by or granted pursuant to this Code section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee, or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors, and administrators of such a person.

Code 1933, § 34C-617, enacted by Ga. L. 1981, p. 1587, § 1; Ga. L. 1988, p. 1451, § 2; Ga. L. 1989, p. 14, § 46.