UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) January 9, 2006
The Cooper Companies, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| DELAWARE | 1-8597 | 94-2657368 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
| 6140 Stoneridge Mall Road, Suite 590, Pleasanton, California | 94588 | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (925) 460-3600
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
| ¨ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ¨ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
| Item 5.03. | Amendment to Articles of Incorporation. |
Attached as Exhibit 3.1 to this report is our Second Restated Certificate of Incorporation, which we filed with the Delaware Secretary of State. In connection with this restatement, we amended our Certificate of Incorporation by eliminating our no longer outstanding Senior Exchangeable Redeemable Preferred Stock, which Delaware law permitted us to do by action of our board of directors. We also attached to the Second Restated Certificate of Incorporation the Certificate of Designations for our Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, which we previously filed as Exhibit 4 to our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 31, 1997.
| Item 9.01. | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit No. |
Description | |
| 3.1 | Second Restated Certificate of Incorporation. |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| THE COOPER COMPANIES, INC. (Registrant) | ||||||||
| Date January 13, 2006 |
||||||||
| /s/ Carol R. Kaufman | ||||||||
| (Signature) | ||||||||
| Name: |
Carol R. Kaufman | |||||||
| Title: |
Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs, Secretary and Chief Administrative Officer | |||||||
EXHIBIT INDEX
| Exhibit No. |
Description | |
| 3.1 | Second Restated Certificate of Incorporation. |
Exhibit 3.1
SECOND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
THE COOPER COMPANIES, INC.
a Delaware corporation
ARTICLE I
The name of the Corporation is The Cooper Companies, Inc.
ARTICLE II
The principal office of the Corporation in the State of Delaware is to be located at 2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400, in the City of Wilmington, in the County of New Castle. The name of its resident agent is The Prentice-Hall Corporation System, Inc., whose address is 2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400, in said city.
ARTICLE III
The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of Delaware.
ARTICLE IV
(a) Number of Shares. The total number of shares of all classes of stock which the corporation shall have authority to issue is 121,000,000 consisting of (i) 120,000,000 shares of Common Stock (“Common Stock”), each share having a par value of $.10, and (ii) 1,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock (“Preferred Stock”), each share having a par value of $.10.”
(b) Preferred Stock. Shares of Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series as may from time to time be determined by the Board of Directors, each of said series to be distinctly designated, and on such terms and for such consideration as shall be fixed by the Board of Directors. All shares of any one series of Preferred Stock shall be alike in every particular, except that there may be different dates from which dividends, if any, thereon shall be cumulative, if made cumulative. The voting powers, if any, and the designations,
preferences and relative, participating, optional, conversion and other special rights of each such series, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, if any, may differ from those of any and all other series at any time outstanding, and the Board of Directors of the Corporation is hereby expressly granted authority to fix by resolution or resolutions adopted prior to the issuance of any shares of a particular series of Preferred Stock, the voting powers, if any, and the designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional, conversion and other special rights, and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions of such series. Pursuant to the authority conferred by this Article Fourth upon the Board of Directors of the Corporation, the Board of Directors created a series of shares of Preferred Stock consisting of 300,000 shares designated as Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock by filing a Certificate of Designation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware (the “Secretary of State”) on October 31, 1997, as amended on March 26, 2003 by a Certificate of Increase (the “Certificate of Designation”), and the voting powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, of the Corporation’s Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock are set forth in the Certificate of Designation attached as Appendix A hereto and are incorporated herein by reference.
ARTICLE V
The minimum amount of capital with which the Corporation will commence business is One Thousand Dollars ($1,000).
ARTICLE VI
The Corporation is to have perpetual existence.
ARTICLE VII
The private property of the stockholders of the Corporation shall not be subject to the payment of corporation debts to any extent whatever.
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ARTICLE VIII
1. The number of directors of the Corporation shall be fixed by the By-Laws and may be increased or decreased from time to time in the manner specific therein, provided, however, that the number of directors shall not be less than three. In the event of any increase in the number of directors, the additional directors may be elected as in the By-Laws provided. Elections of directors need not be by ballot unless the By-Laws of the Corporation so provide. Any director may be removed from office either with or without cause at any time by the affirmative vote of stockholders of record holding a majority of the outstanding shares of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote, given at a meeting of the stockholders called for that purpose.
2. The Board of Directors, in its discretion, may from time to time (a) declare and pay dividends in cash, in property or in shares of the Corporation’s capital stock, in the case of shares with par value at par, and in the case of shares without par value at par, and in the case of shares without par value at such price as may be fixed by the Board of Directors, upon the shares of stock of the Corporation of any class out of any assets of the Corporation available for dividends; (b) use and apply any of its assets available for dividends in such amount as the Board of Directors in its absolute discretion may deem advisable for working capital, for maintaining, improving or adding to the property of the Corporation, for expansion of its business, for purchasing or acquiring any shares of stock (including capital stock of the Corporation) in accordance with law, or for any other proper purpose; and (c) set apart out of its assets available for dividends such sum or sums as the Board of Directors in its absolute discretion may deem advisable as a reserve or reserves for contingencies, for equalizing dividends, for depreciation, for working capital, for maintaining, improving or adding to the property or business of the Corporation, or for any other purpose it may deem conducive to the best interests of the
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Corporation, and in its discretion at any time may increase, diminish or abolish any such reserve in the manner in which it was created. All such assets available for dividends, until actually declared as dividends, or used and applied as aforesaid, shall be conclusively deemed to have been set apart for one or more of the purposes set forth in the foregoing clause (c); and, anything in this Certificate of Incorporation to the contrary notwithstanding, no holder of any share of stock of the Corporation of any class shall have any right to any dividend thereon unless such dividend shall have been declared by the Board of Directors as aforesaid.
3. No holder of any stock of the Corporation of any class now or hereafter authorized shall have any right as such holder (other than such right, if any, as the Board of Directors in its discretion may determine) to purchase, subscribe for or otherwise acquire any shares of stock of the Corporation of any class now or hereafter authorized, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for any such shares, or any warrants or other instruments evidencing rights or options to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire any such shares, whether such shares, securities, warrants or other instruments be unissued or issued and thereafter acquired by the Corporation.
4. The Board of Directors of the Corporation shall have authority to authorize the issuance from time to time, without any vote or other action by the stockholders, of all or any shares of the stock of the Corporation of any class now or hereafter authorized, and any securities convertible into or exchangeable for any such shares (whether such shares or securities be unissued or issued and thereafter acquired by the Corporation), in each case to such corporations, associations, partnerships, firms, individuals or others, and for such consideration and on such terms as the Board of Directors from time to time in its discretion lawfully may determine, without offering the same or any part thereof to the holders of any stock of the Corporation of any class now or hereafter authorized. In the discretion of the Board of Directors, any such shares or securities may be offered from time to time to the holders of any or all classes of stock to the exclusion of the holders of any all other classes of stock at the time outstanding.
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5. The Corporation, upon vote of the Board of Directors, from time to time may grant rights or options to subscribe for, purchase or otherwise acquire any shares stock of the Corporation of any class now or here-after authorized or any bonds or other obligations or securities of the Corporation. Such rights or options (a) may relate to such amounts of such securities, may be exercisable within such periods, or without limit as to time, at such price or prices and otherwise upon such terms and conditions and may confer such rights and privileges, (b) may be granted for such consideration and on such terms and conditions to such corporations, associations, partnerships, firms, individuals or others or to the bearers or registered holders of warrants or other instruments evidencing such rights or options and (c) may be granted separately or in connection with the issuance of any bonds, debentures, notes or other evidences of indebtedness or stares of stock of the Corporation of any class now or hereafter authorized, or otherwise, all as the Board of Directors may determine. In the discretion of the Board of Directors any such rights or options may be granted from time to time to the holders of any class or classes of stock to the exclusion of the holders of any or all other classes of stock at the time outstanding. No vote or consent of the stockholders of any class or classes shall be necessary to authorize any such action by the Board of Directors.
6. The amount of the authorized stock of the Corporation of any class or classes may be increased or decreased by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote.
7. In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred upon the Board of Directors by statute, the Board of Directors is expressly authorized, without any vote or other action by stockholders other than such as at the time shall be expressly required by statute or by
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the provisions hereof (and amendments hereof, if any) or of the By-Laws, to exercise all of the powers, rights and privileges of the Corporation (whether expressed or implied herein or conferred by statute) and do all acts and things which may be done by the Corporation, including but without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the right
(a) to make, adopt, alter, amend and repeal from time to time by-laws of the Corporation, subject to the right of the stockholders entitled to vote with respect thereto to alter and repeal by-laws made by the Board of Directors;
(b) to determine from, time to time, subject to the laws of the State of Delaware, whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions and regulations the accounts and books of the Corporation (other than the stock ledger) or any of them, shall be open to the inspection of the stockholders; and, except as conferred by the laws of the State of Delaware, no stockholder shall have any right to inspect any account, book or document of the Corporation, unless and until authorized so to do by resolution of the Board of Directors or of the stockholders entitled to vote; and
(c) to mortgage, pledge, hypothecate and otherwise encumber all or any of the property of the Corporation, whether real, personal or mixed.
8. Both the stockholders and the Board of Directors shall have power to hold their meetings within or without the State of Delaware, and the books of the Corporation (so far as not prohibited by the laws of said State) may be kept outside of the State of Delaware.
9. Any contract or other transaction between the Corporation and one or more of its directors, or between the Corporation and any firm of which one or more of its directors are members or employees or in which they are interested, or between the Corporation and any corporation or association of which one or more of its directors are stockholders, members, directors, officers or employees or in which they are interested, shall be valid for all purposes notwithstanding the presence of such director or directors at the meeting of the Board of Directors which acts upon or in reference to such contract or transaction and notwithstanding his or their participation in such action, if the fact of such interest shall be disclosed or known to the Board of Directors and the Board of Directors shall authorize, approve or ratify such contract or
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transaction by a vote sufficient for that purpose, which may include the vote or votes of such director or directors. Such director or directors may also be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at such meeting.
ARTICLE IX
The Corporation reserves the right to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this Certificate of Incorporation in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by law, and all rights and powers conferred herein on stockholders, directors and officers are subject to this reserved power.
ARTICLE X
(a) A director of the Corporation shall not be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived any improper personal benefit. If the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware is amended after approval by the stockholders of this article to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, including removal or limitation of any of the foregoing exceptions, then the liability of a director of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as so amended.
Any repeal or modification of the foregoing paragraph by the stockholders of the Corporation shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a director of the Corporation existing at the time of such repeal or modification.
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(b) (i) Each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, including any appeal therefrom, (hereinafter a “proceeding”) by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer or employee of the Corporation or any predecessor corporation or entity or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation or any predecessor corporation or entity as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to employee benefit plans (hereinafter an “indemnitee”), whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action or inaction in an official capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Corporation to the fullest extent authorized by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than the law permitted the Corporation to provide prior to such amendment), against all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such indemnitee in connection therewith and such indemnification shall continue as to an indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the indemnitee’s heirs, executors and administrators; provided, however, that, except as provided in paragraph (ii) hereof with respect to proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification, the Corporation shall indemnify any such indemnitee in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such indemnitee only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board of Directors of the Corporation. The right to indemnification conferred in this Section shall be a contract right, shall be presumed
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to have been relied upon by directors, officers, employees and agents in electing to serve or continue to serve the Corporation or other entity and shall include the right to be paid by the Corporation the expenses incurred in defending any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition (hereinafter an “advancement of expenses”); provided, however, that, if the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware so requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by an indemnitee in his or her capacity as a director or officer (and not in any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such indemnitee, including without limitation, service to an employee benefit plan) shall be made only upon delivery to the Corporation of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined by final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal that such indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under this paragraph or otherwise (hereinafter an “undertaking”).
(ii) If a claim under paragraph (i) is not paid in full by the Corporation within sixty days after a written claim has been received by the Corporation, except in the case of a claim for an advancement of expenses, in which case the applicable period shall be twenty days, the indemnitee may at any time thereafter bring suit against the Corporation to recover the unpaid amount of the claim. If successful in whole or in part in any such suit or in a suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the indemnitee shall also be entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting or defending such suit. In any suit brought by the indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification hereunder (but not in a suit brought by an indemnitee to enforce a right to an advancement of expenses) it shall be a defense that the indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware. Neither the failure of the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel or stockholders) to have made a
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determination prior to the commencement of such suit that indemnification of the indemnitee is proper in the circumstances because the indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, nor an actual determination by the Corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel or stockholders) that the indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall create a presumption that the indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct or, in the case of such a suit brought by the indemnitee, be a defense to such suit. In any suit brought by the indemnitee to enforce a right hereunder, or by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the burden of proving that the indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified or to such advancement of expenses under this Section or otherwise shall be on the Corporation.
(iii) The rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses conferred herein shall not be exclusive of any other right which any person may have or hereafter acquire under this Certificate of Incorporation, any statute, by-law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise.
(iv) The Corporation may maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect itself and any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
(v) The Corporation may, to the extent authorized from time to time by the Board of Directors, grant rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses, to any agent of the corporation to the fullest extent of the provisions hereof with respect to the indemnification and advancement of expense of directors, officers and employees of the Corporation.
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(vi) The Corporation may, upon authorization by the Board of Directors, enter into contracts providing indemnification to any person who would otherwise be entitled to indemnification pursuant to this paragraph (b), which contracts may contain such other terms and conditions deemed advisable by the Board of Directors and not inconsistent with the provisions of this paragraph (b). However, failure of the Corporation to enter into such a contract with any person shall in no way be deemed to limit in any fashion the rights otherwise provided to such person in this paragraph (b).
* * *
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Appendix A
CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATIONS
of
SERIES A JUNIOR PARTICIPATING PREFERRED STOCK
of
THE COOPER COMPANIES, INC.
(Pursuant to Section 151 of the
Delaware General Corporation Law)
The Cooper Companies, Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (hereinafter called the “Corporation”), hereby certifies that the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation as required by Section 151 of the General Corporation Law at a meeting duly called and held on October 29, 1997.
RESOLVED, that pursuant to the authority granted to and vested in the Board of Directors of this Corporation (hereinafter called the “Board of Directors” or the “Board”) in accordance with the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation of this Corporation, the Board of Directors hereby creates a series of Preferred Stock, par value S.10 per share (the “Preferred Stock”), of the Corporation and hereby states the designation and number of shares, and fixes the relative rights, powers and preferences, and qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof as follows:
Section 1. Designation and Amount. The shares of such series shall be designated as “Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock” (the “Series A Preferred Stock”) and the number of shares constituting the Series A Preferred Stock shall be 300,000. Such number of shares may be increased or decreased by resolution of the Board of Directors; provided, that no decrease shall reduce the number of shares of Series A Preferred Stock to a number less than the number of shares then outstanding plus the number of shares reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding options, rights or warrants or upon the conversion of any outstanding securities issued by the Corporation convertible into Series A Preferred Stock.
Section 2. Dividends and Distributions.
(A) Subject to the prior and superior rights of the holders of any shares of any class or series of stock of this Corporation ranking prior and superior to the Series A Preferred Stock with respect to dividends, the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock, in preference to the holders of Common Stock, par value $.10 per share (the
“Common Stock”), of the Corporation, and of any other stock ranking junior to the Series A Preferred Stock, shall be entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available for the purpose, quarterly dividends payable in cash on the first day of March, June, September and December in each year (each such date being referred to herein as a “Quarterly Dividend Payment Date”), commencing on the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date after the first issuance of a share or fraction of a share of Series A Preferred Stock, in an amount per share (rounded to the nearest cent) equal to the gutter of (a) $1.00 or (b) subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, 100 times the aggregate per share amount of all cash dividends, and 100 times the aggregate per share amount (payable in kind) of all non-cash dividends or other distributions, other than a dividend payable in shares of Common Stock or a subdivision of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise), declared on the Common Stock since the immediately preceding Quarterly Dividend Payment Date or, with respect to the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, since the first issuance of any share or fraction of a share of Series A Preferred Stock. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the amount to which holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
(B) The Corporation shall declare a dividend or distribution on the Series A Preferred Stock as provided in paragraph (A) of this Section 2 immediately after it declares a dividend or distribution on the Common Stock (other than a dividend payable in shares of Common Stock); provided that, in the event no dividend or distribution shall have been declared on the Common Stock during the period between any Quarterly Dividend Payment Date and the next subsequent Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, a dividend of $1.00 per share on the Series A Preferred Stock shall nevertheless be payable on such subsequent Quarterly Dividend Payment Date.
(C) Dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative on outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock from the Quarterly Dividend Payment Date next preceding the date of issue of such shares, unless the date of issue of such shares is prior to the record date for the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in which case dividends on such shares shall begin to accrue from the date of issue of such shares, or unless the date of issue is a Quarterly Dividend Payment Date or is a date after the record date for the determination of holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock entitled to receive a quarterly dividend and before such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in either of which events such dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative from such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date. Accrued but unpaid dividends shall not bear interest. Dividends paid on the shares of Series A Preferred Stock in an amount
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less than the total amount of such dividends at the time accrued and payable on such shares shall be allocated pro rata on a share-by-share basis among all such shares at the time outstanding. The Board of Directors may fix a record date for the determination of holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock entitled to receive payment of a dividend or distribution declared thereon, which record date shall be not more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for the payment thereof.
Section 3. Voting Rights. The holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall have the following voting rights:
(A) Subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, each share of Series A Preferred Stock shall entitle the holder thereof to 100 votes on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders of the Corporation. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the number of votes per share to which holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event shall be adjusted by multiplying such cumber by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
(B) Except as otherwise provided herein, in any other Certificate of Designations creating a series of Preferred Stock or any similar stock, or by law, the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock and the holders of shares of Common Stock and any other capital stock of the Corporation having general voting rights shall vote together as one class on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders of the Corporation.
(C) Except as set forth herein, or as otherwise provided by law, holders of Series A Preferred Stock shall have no special voting rights and their consent shall not be required (except to the extent they are entitled to vote with holders of Common Stock as set forth herein) for taking any corporate action.
Section 4. Certain Restrictions.
(A) Whenever quarterly dividends or other dividends or distributions payable on the Series A Preferred Stock as provided in Section 2 are in arrears, thereafter and until all accrued and unpaid dividends and distributions, whether or not declared, on shares of Series A Preferred Stock outstanding shall have been paid in full, the Corporation shall not:
(i) declare or pay dividends, or make any other distributions, on any shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series A Preferred Stock;
(ii) declare or pay dividends, or make any other distributions, on any
A-3
shares of stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series A Preferred Stock, except dividends paid ratably on the Series A Preferred Stock and all such parity stock on which dividends are payable or in arrears in proportion to the total amounts to which the holders of all such shares are then entitled;
(iii) redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration shares of any stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series A Preferred Stock, provided that the Corporation may at any time redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire shares of any such junior stock in exchange for shares of any stock of the Corporation ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon dissolution, liquidation or winding up) to the Series A Preferred Stock; or
(iv) redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of Series A Preferred Sock, or any shares of stock ranking on a parity with the Series A Preferred Stock, except in accordance with a purchase offer made in writing or by publication (as determined by the Board of Directors) to all holders of such shares upon such terms as the Board of Directors, after consideration of the respective annual dividend rates and other relative rights and preferences of the respective series and classes, shall determine in good faith will result in fair and equitable treatment among the respective series or classes.
(B) The Corporation shall not permit any subsidiary of the Corporation to purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of stock of the Corporation unless the Corporation could, under paragraph (A) of this Section 4, purchase or otherwise acquire such shares at such time and in such manner.
Section 5. Reacquired Shares. Any shares of Series A Preferred Stock purchased or otherwise acquired by the Corporation in any manner whatsoever shall be retired and canceled promptly after the acquisition thereof. All such shares shall upon their cancellation become authorized but unissued shares of Preferred Stock and may be reissued as part of a new series of Preferred Stock subject to the conditions and restrictions on issuance set forth herein, in the Certificate of Incorporation, or in any other Certificate of Designations creating a series of Preferred Stock or any similar stock or as otherwise required by law.
Section 6. Liquidation, dissolution or Winding Up. (A) Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, voluntarily or otherwise, no distribution shall be made (1) to the holders of shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series A Preferred Stock unless, prior thereto, the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall have received an amount per share (the “Series A Liquidation Preference”) equal to $100 per share, plus an amount equal to accrued and unpaid dividends and distributions thereon, whether or not declared, to the dare of such payment, provided that the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall be entitled to receive an aggregate amount per share, subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, equal to 100 times the aggregate amount to be distributed per share to holders of shares of Common Stock, or (2) to the holders of shares
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of stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series A Preferred Stock, except distributions made ratably on the Series A Preferred Stock and all such parity stock in proportion to the total amounts to which the holders of all such shares are entitled upon such liquidation, dissolution or winding up. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the aggregate amount to which holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event under the proviso in clause (1) of the preceding sentence shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that are outstanding immediately prior to such event.
(B) In the event, however, that there are not sufficient assets available to permit payment in full of the Series A Liquidation Preference and the liquidation preferences of all other classes and series of stock of the Corporation, if any, that rank on a parity with the Series A Preferred Stock in respect thereof, then the assets available for such distribution shall be distributed ratably to the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock and the holders of such parity shares in proportion to their respective liquidation preferences.
(C) Neither the merger or consolidation of the Corporation into or with another corporation nor the merger or consolidation of any other corporation into or with the Corporation shall be deemed to be a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation within the meaning of this Section 6.
Section 7. Consolidation, Merger, etc. In case the Corporation shall enter into any consolidation, merger, combination or ether transaction in which the shares of Common Stock are exchanged for or changed into other stock or securities, cash and/or any other property, then in any such case each share of Series A Preferred Stock shall at the same time be similarly exchanged or changed into an amount per share, subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, equal to 100 times the aggregate amount of stock, securities, cash and/or any other property (payable in kind), as the case may be, into which or for which each share of Common Stock is changed or exchanged. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the amount set forth in the preceding sentence with respect to the exchange or change of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
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Section 8. No Redemption. The shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall not be redeemable by the Company.
Section 9. Rank. The Series A Preferred Stock shall rank, with respect to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up, junior to all series of any other class of the Corporation’s Preferred Stock, except to the extent that any such other series specifically provides that it shall rank on a parity with or junior to the Series A Preferred Stock.
Section 10. Amendment. At any time any shares of Series A Preferred Stock are outstanding, the Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation shall not be amended in any manner which would materially alter or change the powers, preferences or special rights of the Series A Preferred Stock so as to affect them adversely without the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock, voting separately as a single class.
Section 11. Fractional Shares. Series A Preferred Stock may be issued in fractions of a share that shall entitle the holder, in proportion to such holder’s fractional shares, to exercise voting rights, receive dividends, participate in distributions and to have the benefit of all other rights of holders of Series A Preferred Stock.
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