Washington Code 24.03A.215 – Inspection by members
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(1) A member of a nonprofit corporation may inspect and copy, during regular business hours at a reasonable location specified by the corporation, any of the records the corporation is required to maintain under RCW 24.03A.210(2), if the member delivers to the corporation an executed notice in the form of a record at least five business days before the date on which the member wishes to inspect and copy the records.
Terms Used In Washington Code 24.03A.215
- 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.
- Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
(2) Subject to the limitations set forth in subsections (3) and (4) of this section, a member of a nonprofit corporation may inspect and copy, during regular business hours at a reasonable location specified by the corporation, any of the following records of the corporation, if the member delivers to the corporation an executed notice in the form of a record at least five business days before the date on which the member wishes to inspect and copy the records:
(a) Excerpts from those minutes and records required to be maintained under RCW 24.03A.210(1);
(b) Accounting records of the corporation described in RCW 24.03A.210(3); and
(c) Subject to RCW 24.03A.240, the membership list described in RCW 24.03A.210(4).
(3) A nonprofit corporation may withhold from inspection under this section:
(a) Those portions of records that contain information protected by the attorney-client privilege or related work product;
(b) The address of any member who is known to the corporation to be a participant in the address confidentiality program described in chapter 40.24 RCW or any similar program established by law;
(c) Those portions of records, which, if disclosed, would be reasonably likely to result in harm to the corporation or a third party, such as disciplinary actions involving nondirector members, identities of job applicants, discussions of strategic acquisitions, records that are required to be kept confidential under obligations to a third party, etc.; or
(d) Any information that a nonprofit corporation is required to keep confidential under any other law.
(4) A member may inspect and copy the records described in subsection (2) of this section only if the:
(a) Member’s demand is made in good faith and for a proper purpose;
(b) Member describes with reasonable particularity the purpose and the records the member desires to inspect;
(c) Member agrees in the form of a record to reasonable restrictions required by the board on the use or distribution of the records; and
(d) Records are directly connected with this purpose.
(5) The right of inspection granted by this section may not be abolished or limited by a nonprofit corporation’s articles or bylaws.
(6) This section does not affect the:
(a) Right of a member to inspect records as part of discovery in connection with litigation; or
(b) Power of any court of competent jurisdiction, independently of this chapter, to compel the production of corporate records for examination.
NOTES:
Effective date—2021 c 176: See note following RCW 24.03A.005.