35-2-447. Authority to indemnify. - Montana Statutes

     35-2-447. Authority to indemnify. (1) Except as provided in subsection (4), an individual made a party to a proceeding because the individual is or was a director may be indemnified against liability incurred in the proceeding if the individual:
     (a) engaged in good faith conduct;
     (b) reasonably believed:
     (i) in the case of conduct in the individual's official capacity with the corporation, that the conduct was in its best interests; and
     (ii) in all other cases, that the conduct was at least not opposed to its best interests; and
     (c) in the case of any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct was unlawful.
     (2) A director's conduct with respect to an employee benefit plan for a purpose the director reasonably believed to be in the interests of the participants in and beneficiaries of the plan is conduct that satisfies the requirements of subsection (1)(b)(ii).
     (3) The termination of a proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, or conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent is not, of itself, a determination that the director did not meet the standard of conduct described in this section.
     (4) A corporation may not indemnify a director under this section:
     (a) in connection with a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation in which the director was adjudged liable to the corporation; or
     (b) in connection with any other proceeding that charges improper personal benefit to the director, whether or not involving action in the director's official capacity, in which the director was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received by the director.
     (5) Indemnification permitted under this section in connection with a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation is limited to reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the proceeding.

     History: En. Sec. 102, Ch. 411, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 1281, Ch. 56, L. 2009.