Section 46-3-469. Transacting business without certificate of authority

   (a) A foreign electric cooperative that is required under this article to obtain a certificate of authority but fails to do so shall be liable to this state for the years or parts thereof during which it transacted business in this state without a certificate of authority, in an amount equal to all fees which would have been imposed by this article upon such foreign electric cooperative had it duly applied for and received a certificate of authority to transact business in this state as required by this article and thereafter filed all reports required by this article, plus all penalties imposed by this article. The Attorney General, at the direction of the Secretary of State, shall bring proceedings in the name of the state to recover all amounts due this state under this Code section.

(b) No foreign electric cooperative that is required under this article to obtain a certificate of authority shall be permitted to maintain any action or proceeding in any court of this state unless before commencement of the action it shall have obtained such a certificate. No action or proceeding may be maintained in any court of this state by any foreign electric cooperative that is the successor or assignee of such foreign electric cooperative on any right, claim, or demand arising out of the transaction of business by such foreign electric cooperative in this state unless before commencement of the action a certificate of authority shall have been obtained by such foreign electric cooperative or by a foreign electric cooperative which has acquired all or substantially all of its assets.

(c) The failure of a foreign electric cooperative to obtain a certificate of authority to transact business in this state shall render voidable any contract of such foreign electric cooperative arising out of business transacted in this state at the instance of any other party to such contract; but such voidability may be cured by the foreign electric cooperative's obtaining a certificate of authority, provided that such certificate of authority is obtained prior to final judgment in any action wherein this subsection is relied upon. The failure of such foreign electric cooperative to obtain a certificate of authority shall not prevent such foreign electric cooperative from defending any action or proceeding in any court of this state, nor shall any party avail himself of the benefit of subsection (b) of this Code section except upon motion prior to judgment.

Code 1933, § 34C-1720, enacted by Ga. L. 1981, p. 1587, § 1.