(a) If a corporation does not allow a stockholder who complies with Section 10A-2A-16.02(a) to inspect and copy any records required by that section to be available for inspection, the designated court, and if none, the circuit court for the county in which the corporation’s principal office is located in this state, and if none in this state, the circuit court for the county in which the corporation’s most recent registered office is located may summarily order inspection and copying of the records demanded at the corporation’s expense upon application of the stockholder.

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Terms Used In Alabama Code 10A-2A-16.04

  • circuit: means judicial circuit. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
(b) If a corporation does not within a reasonable time allow a stockholder who complies with Section 10A-2A-16.02(b) to inspect and copy the records required by that section, the stockholder who complies with Section 10A-2A-16.02(c) may apply to the designated court, and if none, the circuit court for the county in which the corporation’s principal office is located in this state, and if none in this state, the circuit court for the county in which the corporation’s most recent registered office is located for an order to permit inspection and copying of the records demanded. The court shall dispose of an application under this subsection on an expedited basis.
(c) If the court orders inspection and copying of the records demanded under Section 10A-2A-16.02(b), it may impose reasonable restrictions on their confidentiality, use, or distribution by the demanding stockholder and it shall also order the corporation to pay the stockholder’s expenses incurred to obtain the order unless the corporation establishes that it refused inspection in good faith because the corporation had:

(1) a reasonable basis for doubt about the right of the stockholder to inspect the records demanded; or
(2) required reasonable restrictions on the confidentiality, use, or distribution of the records demanded to which the demanding stockholder had been unwilling to agree.