TITLE 14 CORPORATIONS, PARTNERSHIPS, AND ASSOCIATIONS

Section 2. Business Corporations, 14-2-101 through 14-2-1703.

ARTICLE 11 MERGER AND SHARE EXCHANGE

14-2-1112. "Interested shareholder" defined; exception to vote requirement of Code Section 14-2-1111.

1. As used in this Code section, the term "interested shareholder" refers to the interested shareholder which is party to, or an affiliate of which is party to, the business combination in question.
2. The vote required by Code Section 14-2-1111 does not apply to a business combination if each of the following conditions is met:
   1. The aggregate amount of the cash, and the fair market value as of five days before the consummation of the business combination of consideration other than cash, to be received per share by holders of any class of common shares or any class or series of preferred shares in such business combination is at least equal to the highest of the following:
      1. The highest per share price, including any brokerage commissions, transfer taxes, and soliciting dealers' fees, paid by the interested shareholder for any shares of the same class or series acquired by it:
         1. Within the two-year period immediately prior to the announcement date; or
         2. In the transaction in which it became an interested shareholder, whichever is higher;
      2. The fair market value per share of such class or series as determined on the announcement date or as determined on the determination date, whichever is higher; or
      3. In the case of shares other than common shares, the highest preferential amount per share to which the holders of shares of such class or series are entitled in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of the corporation, provided that this subparagraph shall only apply if the interested shareholder has acquired shares of such class or series within the two-year period immediately prior to the announcement date;
   2. The consideration to be received by holders of any class or series of outstanding shares is to be in cash or in the same form as the interested shareholder has previously paid for shares of the same class or series. If the interested shareholder has paid for shares of any class or series of shares with varying forms of consideration, the form of consideration for such class or series of shares shall be either cash or the form used to acquire the largest number of shares of such class or series previously acquired by it;
   3. After the interested shareholder has become an interested shareholder and prior to the consummation of such business combination:
      1. Unless approved by a majority of the continuing directors, there shall have been:
         1. No failure to declare and pay at the regular date therefor any full periodic dividends, whether or not cumulative, on any outstanding preferred shares of the corporation;
         2. No reduction in the annual rate of dividends paid on any class of common shares, except as necessary to reflect any subdivision of the shares;
         3. An increase in such annual rate of dividends as is necessary to reflect any reclassification, including any reverse share split, recapitalization, reorganization, or any similar transaction which has the effect of reducing the number of outstanding shares; and
         4. No increase in the interested shareholder's percentage ownership of any class or series of shares of the corporation by more than 1 percent in any 12 month period;
      2. The provisions of divisions (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall not apply if the interested shareholder or an affiliate or associate of the interested shareholder did not vote as a director of the corporation in a manner inconsistent with divisions (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (A) of this paragraph and the interested shareholder, within ten days after any act or failure to act inconsistent with divisions (i) and (ii) of subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, notified the board of directors of the corporation in writing that the interested shareholder disapproved thereof and requested in good faith that the board of directors rectify the act or failure to act; and
   4. After the interested shareholder has become an interested shareholder, the interested shareholder has not received the benefit, directly or indirectly, except proportionately as a shareholder, of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges, or other financial assistance or any tax credits or other tax advantages provided by the corporation or any of its subsidiaries, whether in anticipation of or in connection with such business combination or otherwise.

(Code 1981, §14-2-1112, enacted by Ga. L. 1988, p. 1070, § 1.)