Shareholder Action by Written Consent without a Meeting Any action which may be taken at any meeting of Shareholders may be taken without a meeting and without prior notice if a consent in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by the holders of Shares having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take that action at a meeting at which all Shares entitled to vote on that action were present and voted. All such consents shall be filed with the secretary of the Trust and shall be maintained in the Trust’s records. Any Shareholder giving a written consent or the Shareholder’s proxy holders or a transferee of the Shares or a personal representative of the Shareholder or its respective proxy-holder may revoke the consent by a writing received by the secretary of the Trust before written consents of the number of Shares required to authorize the proposed action have been filed with the secretary. If the consents of all Shareholders entitled to vote have not been solicited in writing and if the unanimous written consent of all such Shareholders shall not have been received, the secretary shall give prompt notice of the action taken without a meeting to such Shareholders. This notice shall be given in the manner specified in the By-Laws.
Special Meetings of Stockholders Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting. Nominations of individuals for election to the Board of Directors may be made at a special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected only (i) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (ii) provided that the special meeting has been called in accordance with paragraph (a) of Section 2.3 for the purpose of electing directors, by any stockholder of the Corporation who is a stockholder of record both at the time of giving of notice provided for in this Section 2.11 and at the time of the special meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting in the election of each individual so nominated and who has complied with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 2.11. In the event the Corporation calls a special meeting of stockholders for the purpose of electing one or more individuals to the Board of Directors, any stockholder may nominate an individual or individuals (as the case may be) for election as a director as specified in the Corporation’s notice of meeting, if the stockholder’s notice, containing the information required by paragraphs (a)(3) and (4) of this Section 2.11, is delivered to the secretary at the principal executive office of the Corporation not earlier than the 120th day prior to such special meeting and not later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on the later of the 90th day prior to such special meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement, if any, is first made of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board of Directors to be elected at such meeting. The public announcement, if any, of a postponement or adjournment of a special meeting shall not commence a new time period for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above.
Meetings of Stockholders (a) Promptly after the date hereof, the Company will take all action necessary in accordance with Delaware Law and its Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws to convene the Company Stockholders' Meeting to be held as promptly as practicable, for the purpose of voting upon this Agreement. The Company will consult with Parent and use its commercially reasonable efforts to hold the Company Stockholders' Meeting on the same day as the Parent Stockholders' Meeting. Promptly after the date hereof, Parent will take all action necessary in accordance with Delaware Law and its Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws to convene the Parent Stockholders' Meeting to be held as promptly as practicable for the purpose of voting upon the issuance of shares of Parent Common Stock by virtue of the Merger. Parent will consult with the Company and will use its commercially reasonable efforts to hold the Parent Stockholders' Meeting on the same day as the Company Stockholders' Meeting. Subject to Sections 5.2(c) and 5.2(d), Parent and the Company will each use its commercially reasonable efforts to solicit from its stockholders proxies in favor of the adoption and approval of this Agreement and the approval of the Merger and will take all other action necessary or advisable to secure the vote or consent of their respective stockholders or stockholders required by the rules of Nasdaq or Delaware Law and all other applicable legal requirements to obtain such approvals.
(b) Subject to Sections 5.2(c) and 5.2(d): (i) the Board of Directors of the Company shall recommend that the Company's stockholders vote in favor of and adopt this Agreement at the Company Stockholders' Meeting, and the Board of Directors of Parent shall recommend that Parent's stockholders vote in favor of the issuance of shares of Parent Common Stock in the Merger at the Parent Stockholders' Meeting; (ii) the Proxy Statement shall include a statement to the effect that the Board of Directors of the Company has recommended that the Company's stockholders vote in favor of and adopt this Agreement at the Company Stockholders' Meeting, and a statement to the effect that the Board of Directors of Parent has recommended that Parent's stockholders vote in favor of the issuance of shares of Parent Common Stock in the Merger at the Parent Stockholders' Meeting; and (iii) neither the Board of Directors of the Company, the Board of Directors of Parent, nor any committee of either shall withdraw, amend or modify, or propose or resolve to withdraw, amend or modify in a manner adverse to the other party, the recommendations set forth in subsections 5.2(b)(i) or 5.2(b)(ii).
(c) Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the Board of Directors of the Company from withholding, withdrawing, amending or modifying its recommendation in favor of the Merger if (i) a Company Superior Offer (as defined below) is made to the Company and is not withdrawn, (ii) neither the Company nor any of its representatives shall have violated any of the restrictions set forth in Section 5.4(a), and (iii) the Board of Directors of the Company concludes in good faith, after consultation with its outside counsel, that, in light of such Company Superior Offer, the withholding, withdrawal, amendment or modification of such recommendation is required in order for the Board of Directors of the Company to comply with its fiduciary obligations to the Company's stockholders under applicable law. Nothing contained in this Section 5.2 shall limit the Company's obligation to hold and convene the Company Stockholders' Meeting (regardless of whether the recommendation of the Board of Directors of the Company shall have been withdrawn, amended or modified). For purposes of this Agreement, "COMPANY SUPERIOR OFFER" shall mean an unsolicited, bona fide written offer made by a third party to consummate any of the following transactions: (i) a merger, consolidation, business combination, recapitalization or similar transaction involving the Company, pursuant to which the stockholders of the Company immediately preceding such transaction hold less than 50% of the equity interest in the surviving or resulting entity of such transaction; (ii) a sale or other disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of its assets, or (iii) the acquisition by any person or group (including by way of a tender offer or an exchange offer or issuance by the Company), directly or indirectly, of beneficial ownership or a right to acquire beneficial ownership of shares representing in excess of 50% of the voting power of the then outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company, in each case on terms that the Board of Directors of the Company determines, in its reasonable judgment (after consultation with its financial advisor) to be more favorable to the Company stockholders from a financial point of view than the terms of the Merger; provided, however, that any such offer shall not be deemed to be a "COMPANY SUPERIOR OFFER" if any financing required to consummate the transaction contemplated by such offer is not committed and is not likely in the judgment of the Company's Board of Directors to be obtained by such third party on a timely basis.
Annual Meetings of Stockholders (1) Nominations of persons for election to the Board at an annual meeting of stockholders may be made (A) by or at the direction of the Board or a committee appointed by the Board, or (B) by any stockholder of the Corporation (i) who is a stockholder of record on the date of the giving of the notice provided for in this Section 17(a), on the record date for the determination of the stockholders entitled to vote at such annual meeting of stockholders and at the time of such annual meeting of stockholders, (ii) who is entitled to vote at the annual meeting of stockholders, and (iii) who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 17(a) as to such nominations, including, but not limited to, the procedures regarding such notice’s timeliness and required form.
(2) For a stockholder’s notice of nomination of persons for election to the Board at an annual meeting of stockholders to be brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder pursuant to Section 17(a)(1)(B) of these Bylaws, the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof, in proper written form, to the Secretary. To be considered timely, a stockholder’s notice of nomination must be delivered to, or mailed and received by, the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not earlier than the close of business on the one hundred twentieth (120th) calendar day, and not later than the close of business on the ninetieth (90th) calendar day, prior to the first anniversary of the immediately preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that no annual meeting was held in the previous year or the annual meeting is called for a date that is more than thirty (30) calendar days earlier or more than sixty (60) calendar days later than such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder in order to be timely must be so delivered or received not earlier than the close of business on the one hundred twentieth (120th) calendar day prior to the date of such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the ninetieth (90th) calendar day prior to the date of such annual meeting or, if the first public disclosure of the date of such annual meeting is less than one hundred (100) calendar days prior to the date of such annual meeting, the tenth (10th) calendar day following the day on which public disclosure of the date of such annual meeting is first made by the Corporation. In no event shall any adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting or the public disclosure thereof commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above. To be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice of nomination to the Secretary (whether given pursuant to this Section 17(a) or Section 17(b) of these Bylaws) shall set forth in writing the following: (a) as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a director (i) the name, age, business address and residence address of such person; (ii) the principal occupation and employment of such person; (iii) the class and series and number of shares of each class and series of capital stock of the Corporation which are owned beneficially or of record by such person (which information shall be supplemented not later than ten (10) calendar days after the record date for the meeting to disclose such ownership as of the record date); (iv) such person’s executed written consent to being named in the Corporation’s proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected; (v) all information relating to such person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made with the SEC in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the election of directors in a contested election pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act (or pursuant to any law or statute replacing such section), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; (vi) a description of all direct and indirect compensation and other material monetary agreements, arrangements and understandings during the past three years, and any other material relationships, between or among such person being nominated, on the one hand, and the stockholder and any Stockholder Associated Person, on the other hand, including, without limitation all information that would be required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 promulgated under Regulation S-K of the Exchange Act if the stockholder making the nomination and any Stockholder Associated Person were the “registrant” for purposes of such rule and the person being nominated were a director or executive officer of such registrant; and (vii) the information, questionnaire and agreement required under Section 16 of these Bylaws; and (b) as to the stockholder giving the notice (i) the name and record address of such stockholder, as they appear on the Corporation’s stock ledger, and the name and address of any Stockholder Associated Person; (ii) (A) the class and series and number of shares of each class and series of capital stock of the Corporation which are, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially and/or of record by such stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person, documentary evidence of such record or beneficial ownership, and the date or dates such shares were acquired and the investment intent at the time such shares were acquired, (B) any Derivative Instrument directly or indirectly owned beneficially by such stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person and any other direct or indirect right held by such stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person to profit from, or share in any profit derived from, any increase or decrease in the value of shares of the Corporation, (C) any proxy, contract, arrangement, understanding, or relationship pursuant to which such stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person has a right to vote any shares of any security of the Corporation, (D) any Short Interest indirectly or directly held by such stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person in any security issued by the Corporation, (E) any rights to dividends on the shares of the Corporation owned beneficially by such stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person that are separated or separable from the underlying shares of the Corporation, (F) any proportionate interest in shares of the Corporation or Derivative Instruments held, directly or indirectly, by a general or limited partnership in which such stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person is a general partner or, directly or indirectly, beneficially owns an interest in a general partner, and (G) any performance-related fees (other than an asset-based fee) that such stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person is entitled to based on any increase or decrease in the value of shares of the Corporation or Derivative Instruments, if any, as of the date of such notice, including without limitation any such interests held by members of such stockholder’s or any Stockholder Associated Person’s immediate family sharing the same household (which information shall, in each case, be supplemented by such stockholder and any Stockholder Associated Person not later than ten (10) calendar days after the record date for the meeting to disclose such ownership as of the record date); (iii) a description of all arrangements or understandings between such stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person and each proposed nominee and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the nomination(s) are to be made by such stockholder; (iv) any material interest of such stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person in the election of such proposed nominee, individually or in the aggregate, including any anticipated benefit to the stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person therefrom; (v) a representation that such stockholder is a holder of record of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at such meeting and that such stockholder intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to nominate the person or persons named in its notice; (vi) a representation from the stockholder as to whether the stockholder or any Stockholder Associated Person intends or is part of a group which intends (A) to deliver a proxy statement and/or form of proxy to holders of at least the percentage of the Corporation’s outstanding capital stock required to elect the person proposed as a nominee and/or (B) otherwise to solicit proxies from stockholders in support of the election of such person; (vii) whether and the extent to which any agreement, arrangement or understanding has been made, the effect or intent of which is to increase or decrease the voting power of such stockholder or such Stockholder Associated Person with respect to any shares of the capital stock of the Corporation, without regard to whether such transaction is required to be reported on a Schedule 13D or other form in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act or any successor provisions thereto and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and (viii) any other information relating to such stockholder and any Stockholder Associated Person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made with the SEC in connection with solicitations of proxies for the election of directors in a contested election pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act (or pursuant to any law or statute replacing such section) and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. In addition to the information required above, the Corporation may require any proposed nominee to furnish such other information as may reasonably be required by the Corporation to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as an independent director of the Corporation or that could be material to a reasonable stockholder’s understanding of the independence, or lack thereof, of such nominee.
(3) Notwithstanding anything in this Section 17 to the contrary, in the event that the number of directors to be elected to the Board at an annual meeting of the stockholders is increased and there is no public disclosure by the Corporation, naming all of the nominees for directors or specifying the size of the increased Board, at least ninety (90) calendar days prior to the first anniversary of the date of the immediately preceding year’s annual meeting, a stockholder’s notice required by this Section 17 shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if it shall be delivered to, or mailed and received by, the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the tenth (10th) calendar day following the day on which such public disclosure is first made by the Corporation.
Shareholder Action by Written Consent Any action which may be taken by Shareholders by vote may be taken without a meeting if the holders entitled to vote thereon of the proportion of Shares required for approval of such action at a meeting of Shareholders pursuant to Section 10.4 consent to the action in writing and the written consents are filed with the records of the meetings of Shareholders. Such consent shall be treated for all purposes as a vote taken at a meeting of Shareholders.
Trustee Action by Written Consent Without a Meeting To the extent not inconsistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act, any action that may be taken at any meeting of the Board of Trustees or any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting and without prior written notice if a consent or consents in writing setting forth the action so taken is signed by the Trustees having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take that action at a meeting at which all Trustees on the Board of Trustees or any committee thereof, as the case may be, were present and voted. Written consents of the Trustees may be executed in one or more counterparts. A consent transmitted by electronic transmission (as defined in Section 3806 of the DSTA) by a Trustee shall be deemed to be written and signed for purposes of this Section. All such consents shall be filed with the secretary of the Trust and shall be maintained in the Trust’s records.
Counting Votes and Recording Action of Meetings The vote upon any resolution submitted to any meeting of Holders of Securities of any series shall be by written ballots on which shall be subscribed the signatures of the Holders of Securities of such series or of their representatives by proxy and the principal amounts and serial numbers of the Outstanding Securities of such series held or represented by them. The permanent chairman of the meeting shall appoint two inspectors of votes who shall count all votes cast at the meeting for or against any resolution and who shall make and file with the secretary of the meeting their verified written reports in duplicate of all votes cast at the meeting. A record, at least in duplicate, of the proceedings of each meeting of Holders of Securities of any Series shall be prepared by the secretary of the meeting and there shall be attached to said record the original reports of the inspectors of votes on any vote by ballot taken thereat and affidavits by one or more persons having knowledge of the fact, setting forth a copy of the notice of the meeting and showing that said notice was given as provided in Section 1502 and, if applicable, Section 1504. Each copy shall be signed and verified by the affidavits of the permanent chairman and secretary of the meeting and one such copy shall be delivered to the Company and another to the Trustee to be preserved by the Trustee, the latter to have attached thereto the ballots voted at the meeting. Any record so signed and verified shall be conclusive evidence of the matters therein stated.
Merger Without Meeting of Stockholders Notwithstanding Section 2.8, in the event that Parent, the Purchaser and the Parent Subsidiaries shall acquire and then hold at least 90% of the outstanding Shares pursuant to the Offer or otherwise, the parties hereto agree to take all necessary and appropriate action to cause the Merger to become effective as soon as practicable after the acceptance for payment of and payment for Shares by the Purchaser pursuant to the Offer without a meeting of stockholders of the Company, in accordance with Section 253 of the DGCL.
Determination of Voting Rights; Conduct and Adjournment of Meetings (1) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Indenture, the Trustee may make such reasonable regulations as it may deem advisable for any meeting of Holders of Securities of such series in regard to proof of the holding of Securities of such series and of the appointment of proxies and in regard to the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes, the submission and examination of proxies, certificates and other evidence of the right to vote, and such other matters concerning the conduct of the meeting as it shall deem appropriate. Except as otherwise permitted or required by any such regulations, the holding of Securities shall be proved in the manner specified in Section 104 and the appointment of any proxy shall be proved in the manner specified in Section 104 or by having the signature of the person executing the proxy witnessed or guaranteed by any trust company, bank or banker authorized by Section 104 to certify to the holding of Bearer Securities. Such regulations may provide that written instruments appointing proxies, regular on their face, may be presumed valid and genuine without the proof specified in Section 104 or other proof.
(2) The Trustee shall, by an instrument in writing, appoint a temporary chairman of the meeting, unless the meeting shall have been called by the Company or by Holders of Securities as provided in Section 1502(2), in which case the Company or the Holders of Securities of the series calling the meeting, as the case may be, shall in like manner appoint a temporary chairman. A permanent chairman and a permanent secretary of the meeting shall be elected by vote of the Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series represented at the meeting.
(3) At any meeting, each Holder of a Security of such series or proxy shall be entitled to one vote for each $1,000 principal amount of Securities of such series held or represented by him; provided, however, that no vote shall be cast or counted at any meeting in respect of any Security challenged as not Outstanding and ruled by the chairman of the meeting to be not Outstanding. If the Securities of such series are issuable in minimum denominations of less than $1,000, then a Holder of such a Security in a principal amount of less than $1,000 shall be entitled to a fraction of one vote which is equal to the fraction that the principal amount of such Security bears to $1,000. The chairman of the meeting shall have no right to vote, except as a Holder of a Security of such series or proxy.
(4) Any meeting of Holders of Securities of any series duly called pursuant to Section 1502 at which a quorum is present may be adjourned from time to time by Persons entitled to vote a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Securities of such series represented at the meeting; and the meeting may be held as so adjourned without further notice.
Meetings of Preferred Securityholders No annual meeting of Securityholders is required to be held. The Administrative Trustees, however, shall call a meeting of Securityholders to vote on any matter upon the written request of the Preferred Securityholders of record of 25% of the Preferred Securities (based upon their Liquidation Amount) and the Administrative Trustees or the Property Trustee may, at any time in their discretion, call a meeting of Preferred Securityholders to vote on any matters as to which Preferred Securityholders are entitled to vote. Preferred Securityholders of record of 50% of the Preferred Securities (based upon their Liquidation Amount), present in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of Securityholders. If a quorum is present at a meeting, an affirmative vote by the Preferred Securityholders of record present, in person or by proxy, holding more than 66-2/3% of the Preferred Securities (based upon their Liquidation Amount) held by the Preferred Securityholders of record present, either in person or by proxy, at such meeting shall constitute the action of the Securityholders, unless this Trust Agreement requires a greater number of affirmative votes.
