annual election for directors, all their acts and proceedings while so holding over, done for and in the name of the corporation, designed to charge upon it any liability or obligation for the services of any such director, or any officer, or attorney or counsel appointed by them, and every such liability or obligation shall be held to be fraudulent and void. See section 23 of General Corporation Law, ante. Liability of directors for making unauthorized dividends. 23. The directors of a stock corporation shall not make dividends, except from the surplus profits arising from the business of such corporation, nor divide, withdraw or in any way pay to the stockholders or any of them, any part of the capital of such corporation, or reduce its capital stock, except as authorized by law. In case of any violation of the provisions of this section, the directors under whose administration the same may have happened, except those who may have caused their dissent therefrom to be entered at large upon the minutes of such directors at the time, or were not present when the same happened, shall jointly and severally be liable to such corporation and to the creditors thereof to the full amount of any loss sustained by such corporation or its creditors respectively by reason of such withdrawal, division or reduction. But this section shall not prevent a division and distribution of the assets of any such corporation remaining after the payment of all its debts and liabilities upon the dissolution of such corporation or the expiration of its charter; nor shall it prevent a corporation from accepting shares of its capital stock in complete or partial settlement of a debt owing to the corporation, which by the board of directors shall be deemed to be bad or doubtful. Thus amended by chap. 354, Laws of 1901. See section 5 of the amendatory act as to its effect. Section 24 repealed by chap. 354, Laws of 1901. Liability of directors for loans to stockholders. § 25. No loan of moneys shall be made by any stock corporation, except a monied corporation, or by any officer thereof out of its funds to any stockholder therein, nor shall any such corporation or officer discount any note or other evidence of debt, or receive the same in payment of any installment or any part thereof due or to become due on any stock in such corporation, or receive or discount any note, or other evidence of debt, to enable any stockholder to withdraw any part of the money paid in by him on his stock. In case of the violation of any provision of this section, the officers or directors making such loan, or assenting thereto, or receiving or discounting such notes or other evidences of debt, shall, jointly and severally, be personally liable to the extent of such loan and interest, for all the debts of the corporation contracted before the repayment of the sum loaned, and to the full amount of the notes or other evidences of debt so received or discounted, with interest from the time such liability accrued. See sections of Penal Code as to certain penalties, post. Transfers of stock by stockholder indebted to corporation. § 26. If a stockholder shall be indebted to the corporation, the directors may refuse to consent to a transfer of his stock until such indebtedness is paid, provided a copy of this section is written or printed upon the certificate of stock. Officers. 27. The directors of a stock corporation may appoint from their number a president, and may appoint a secretary, treas urer, and other officers, agents and employes, who shall respectively have such powers and perform such duties in the management of the property and affairs of the corporation, subject to the control of the directors, as may be prescribed by them or in the by-laws. The directors may require any such officer, agent or employe to give security for the faithful performance of his duties, and may remove him at pleasure. The policy holders of an insurance corporation shall be eligible to election or appointment as its officers. Inspectors and their oath. § 28. The inspectors of election of every stock corporation shall be appointed in the manner prescribed in the by-laws, but the inspectors of the first election of directors and of all previous meetings of the stockholders shall be appointed by the board of directors named in the certificate of incorporation. No director or officer of a monied corporation shall be eligible to election or appointment as inspector. Each inspector shall be entitled to a reasonable compensation for his services, to be paid by the corporation, and if any inspector shall refuse to serve, or neglect to attend at the election, or his office become vacant, the meeting may appoint an inspector in his place unless the by-laws otherwise provide. The inspectors appointed to act at any meeting of the stockholders shall, before entering upon the discharge of their duties, be sworn to faithfully execute the duties of inspector at such meeting with strict impartiality, and according to the best of their ability, and the oath so taken shall be subscribed by them, and immediately filed in the office of the clerk of the county in which such election or meeting shall be held, with a certificate of the result of the vote taken thereat. Books to be kept. § 29. Every stock corporation shall keep at its office, correct books of account of all its business and transactions, and a book to be known as the stock-book, containing the names, alphabetically arranged, of all persons who are stockholders of the corporation, showing their places of residence, the number of shares of stock held by them respectively, the time when they respectively became the owners thereof, and the amount paid thereon. The stock-book of every such corporation shall be open daily, during at least three business hours for the inspection of its stockholders and judgment creditors, who may make extracts therefrom. No transfer of stock shall be valid as against the corporation, its stockholders and creditors for any purpose except to render the transferee liable for the debts of the corpora tion to the extent provided for in this chapter, until it shall have been entered in such book as required by this section, by an entry showing from and to whom transferred. The stock book of every such corporation and the books of account of every bank shall be presumptive evidence of the facts therein so stated in favor of the plaintiff, in any action or proceeding against such corporation or any of its officers, directors or stockholders. Every corporation that shall neglect or refuse to keep or cause to be kept such books, or to keep any, book open for inspection as herein required, shall forfeit to the people the sum of fifty dollars for every day it shall so neglect or refuse. If any officer or agent of any such corporation shall wilfully neglect or refuse to make any proper entry in such book or books, or shall neglect or refuse to exhibit the same, or to allow them to be inspected and extracts taken therefrom as provided in this section, the corporation and such officer or agent shall each forfeit and pay to the party injured a penalty of fifty dollars for every such neglect or refusal, and all damages resulting to him therefrom. Thus amended by chap. 354, Laws of 1901. See section 5 of the amendatory act as to its effect. Annual report to secretary of state. § 30. Every domestic stock corporation and every foreign stock corporation doing business within this state, except moneyed and railroad corporations, shall annually during the month of January, or, if doing business without the United States, before the first day of May, may make a report as of the first day of January, which will state: 1. The amount of its capital stock and the proportion actually issued. 2. The amount of its debts or an amount which they do not exceed. 3. The amount of its assets or an amount which its assets at least equal. 4. The names and addresses of all the directors and officers of the company, and in the case of a foreign corporation, the name also of the person designated in the manner prescribed by the code of civil procedure, as a person upon whom process against the corporation may be served within this state. Such report shall be made by the president or a vice-president or the treasurer or a secretary of the corporation and shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state. If such report be not so made and filed, any such officer who shall thereafter neglect or refuse to make and to file such report, within ten days after written request so to do shall have been made by a creditor or by a stockholder of the corporation, shall forfeit to the people the sum of fifty dollars for every day he shall so neglect or refuse. Thus amended by chap. 415, Laws of 1905, taking effect September 1, 1905. See chap. 690, Laws of 1899, post. Liability of officers for false certificates, reports or public notices. § 31. If any certificate or report made or public notice given by the officers or directors of a stock corporation shall be false in any material representation, the officers and directors signing the same shall jointly and severally be personally liable to any person who has become a creditor or stockholder of the corporation upon the faith of any such certificate, report, notice or any material representation therein to the amount of the debt contracted upon the faith thereof if not paid when due, or of the damage sustained by any purchaser of or subscriber to its stock upon the faith thereof. The liability imposed by this section shall exist in all cases where the contents of any such certificate, report or notice or of any material representation therein shall have been communicated either directly or indirectly to the person so becoming a creditor or stockholder and he became such creditor or stockholder upon the faith thereof. No action can be maintained for a cause of action created by this section unless brought within two years from the time the certificate, report or public notice shall have been made or given by the officers or directors of such corporation. |