Connecticut General Statutes 33-831 – Sale or other disposition of assets leaving no significant continuing business activity
(a) A sale, lease, exchange or other disposition of assets, other than a disposition described in section 33-830, requires approval of the corporation‘s shareholders if any such disposition would leave the corporation without a significant continuing business activity. If a corporation retains a business activity that represented at least twenty-five per cent of total assets at the end of the most recently completed fiscal year, and twenty-five per cent of either income from continuing operations before taxes or revenues from continuing operations for such fiscal year, for the corporation and each of its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, the corporation will conclusively be deemed to have retained a significant continuing business activity.
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 33-831
- Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
- 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.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
(b) A disposition that requires approval of the shareholders under subsection (a) of this section shall be initiated by a resolution of the board of directors authorizing the disposition. After adoption of such a resolution, the board of directors shall submit the proposed disposition to the shareholders for their approval. The board of directors shall also transmit to the shareholders a recommendation that the shareholders approve the proposed disposition, unless (1) the board of directors makes a determination that because of conflicts of interest or other special circumstances it should not make such a recommendation, or (2) section 33-754 applies. If subdivision (1) or (2) of this subsection applies, the board of directors must transmit to the shareholders the basis for so proceeding.
(c) The board of directors may condition its submission of a disposition to the shareholders under subsection (b) of this section on any basis.
(d) If a disposition is required to be approved by the shareholders under subsection (a) of this section, and if the approval is to be given at a meeting, the corporation shall notify each shareholder, whether or not entitled to vote, of the meeting of shareholders at which the disposition is to be submitted for approval. The notice shall also state that the purpose, or one of the purposes, of the meeting is to consider the disposition and shall contain a description of the disposition, including the terms and conditions thereof and the consideration to be received by the corporation therefor.
(e) Unless the certificate of incorporation or the board of directors, acting pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, requires a greater vote or a vote by voting groups, and except as provided in subsection (i) of this section, the disposition to be authorized must be approved by a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast on the disposition.
(f) After a disposition has been approved by the shareholders under subsection (b) of this section, and at any time before the disposition has been consummated, the disposition may be abandoned by the corporation without action by the shareholders, subject to any contractual rights of other parties to the disposition.
(g) A disposition of assets in the course of dissolution under sections 33-880 to 33-903, inclusive, is not governed by this section.
(h) The assets of a direct or indirect consolidated subsidiary shall be deemed the assets of the parent corporation for the purposes of this section.
(i) Notwithstanding any provision of subsection (e) of this section to the contrary, a transaction of the type described in subsection (a) of this section of a corporation which was incorporated under the laws of this state, whether under chapter 599 of the general statutes, revision of 1958, revised to January 1, 1995, or any other general law or special act, prior to January 1, 1997, to be authorized by such corporation shall, unless the certificate of incorporation expressly provides otherwise, be approved by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of (1) the voting power of each voting group of such corporation entitled to vote thereon, and (2) the voting power of each class of stock of such corporation outstanding prior to January 1, 1997, whether or not otherwise entitled to vote thereon.