Subdivision 1.Actions creating rights.

A shareholder of a corporation may dissent from, and obtain payment for the fair value of the shareholder’s shares in the event of, any of the following corporate actions:

Ask a business law question, get an answer ASAP!
Thousands of highly rated, verified business lawyers.
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(a) unless otherwise provided in the articles, an amendment of the articles that materially and adversely affects the rights or preferences of the shares of the dissenting shareholder in that it:

(1) alters or abolishes a preferential right of the shares;

(2) creates, alters, or abolishes a right in respect of the redemption of the shares, including a provision respecting a sinking fund for the redemption or repurchase of the shares;

(3) alters or abolishes a preemptive right of the holder of the shares to acquire shares, securities other than shares, or rights to purchase shares or securities other than shares;

(4) excludes or limits the right of a shareholder to vote on a matter, or to cumulate votes, except as the right may be excluded or limited through the authorization or issuance of securities of an existing or new class or series with similar or different voting rights; except that an amendment to the articles of an issuing public corporation that provides that section 302A.671 does not apply to a control share acquisition does not give rise to the right to obtain payment under this section; or

(5) eliminates the right to obtain payment under this subdivision;

(b) a sale, lease, transfer, or other disposition of property and assets of the corporation that requires shareholder approval under section 302A.661, subdivision 2, but not including a disposition in dissolution described in section 302A.725, subdivision 2, or a disposition pursuant to an order of a court, or a disposition for cash on terms requiring that all or substantially all of the net proceeds of disposition be distributed to the shareholders in accordance with their respective interests within one year after the date of disposition;

(c) a plan of merger, whether under this chapter or under chapter 322C, to which the corporation is a constituent organization, except as provided in subdivision 3, and except for a plan of merger adopted under section 302A.626;

(d) a plan of exchange, whether under this chapter or under chapter 322C, to which the corporation is a party as the corporation whose shares will be acquired by the acquiring organization, except as provided in subdivision 3;

(e) a plan of conversion is adopted by the corporation and becomes effective;

(f) an amendment of the articles in connection with a combination of a class or series under section 302A.402 that reduces the number of shares of the class or series owned by the shareholder to a fraction of a share if the corporation exercises its right to repurchase the fractional share so created under section 302A.423; or

(g) any other corporate action taken pursuant to a shareholder vote with respect to which the articles, the bylaws, or a resolution approved by the board directs that dissenting shareholders may obtain payment for their shares.

Subd. 2.Beneficial owners.

(a) A shareholder shall not assert dissenters’ rights as to less than all of the shares registered in the name of the shareholder, unless the shareholder dissents with respect to all the shares that are beneficially owned by another person but registered in the name of the shareholder and discloses the name and address of each beneficial owner on whose behalf the shareholder dissents. In that event, the rights of the dissenter shall be determined as if the shares as to which the shareholder has dissented and the other shares were registered in the names of different shareholders.

(b) A beneficial owner of shares who is not the shareholder may assert dissenters’ rights with respect to shares held on behalf of the beneficial owner, and shall be treated as a dissenting shareholder under the terms of this section and section 302A.473, if the beneficial owner submits to the corporation at the time of or before the assertion of the rights a written consent of the shareholder.

Subd. 3.Rights not to apply.

(a) Unless the articles, the bylaws, or a resolution approved by the board otherwise provide, the right to obtain payment under this section does not apply to a shareholder of (1) the surviving corporation in a merger with respect to shares of the shareholder that are not entitled to be voted on the merger and are not canceled or exchanged in the merger or (2) the corporation whose shares will be acquired by the acquiring organization in a plan of exchange with respect to shares of the shareholder that are not entitled to be voted on the plan of exchange and are not exchanged in the plan of exchange.

(b) If a date is fixed according to section 302A.445, subdivision 1, for the determination of shareholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote on an action described in subdivision 1, only shareholders as of the date fixed, and beneficial owners as of the date fixed who hold through shareholders, as provided in subdivision 2, may exercise dissenters’ rights.

(c) Notwithstanding subdivision 1, the right to obtain payment under this section, other than in connection with a plan of merger adopted under section 302A.613, subdivision 4, or 302A.621, is limited in accordance with the following provisions:

(1) The right to obtain payment under this section is not available for the holders of shares of any class or series of shares that is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT LLC, the Nasdaq Global Market, the NASDAQ Global Select Market, the Nasdaq Capital Market, or any successor to any such market.

(2) The applicability of clause (1) is determined as of:

(i) the record date fixed to determine the shareholders entitled to receive notice of, and to vote at, the meeting of shareholders to act upon the corporate action described in subdivision 1; or

(ii) the day before the effective date of corporate action described in subdivision 1 if there is no meeting of shareholders.

(3) Clause (1) is not applicable, and the right to obtain payment under this section is available pursuant to subdivision 1, for the holders of any class or series of shares who are required by the terms of the corporate action described in subdivision 1 to accept for such shares anything other than shares, or cash in lieu of fractional shares, of any class or any series of shares of a domestic or foreign corporation, or any other ownership interest of any other organization, that satisfies the standards set forth in clause (1) at the time the corporate action becomes effective.

Subd. 4.Other rights.

The shareholders of a corporation who have a right under this section to obtain payment for their shares, or who would have the right to obtain payment for their shares absent the exception set forth in paragraph (c) of subdivision 3, do not have a right at law or in equity to have a corporate action described in subdivision 1 set aside or rescinded, except when the corporate action is fraudulent with regard to the complaining shareholder or the corporation.