Shareholder action taken by written consent is universally recognized as a valid approval by shareholders and this is expressly confirmed by California statute. The 10-day waiting period acts to delay the effectiveness of the action, which hinders a corporation's ability to act with speed and efficiency when necessary.
Taking action by written consent in place of a meeting is a means shareholders can use to raise important matters outside the normal annual meeting cycle like the election of a new director.
Written consent allows directors and executives to push forth an action via writing or electronic transmission for informed decisions. So, in these cases, establishing consent is a matter of using either PDFs, faxes, or emails that indicate executive approvals.
The action must be evidenced by one or more unrevoked written consents signed by shareholders sufficient to take the action without a meeting, before or after the action, describing the action taken and delivered to the corporation for inclusion in the minutes or filing with the corporate records.
In contrast, the written consent proposal at issue would permit a small group of stockholders (including those who accumulate a short-term voting position through the borrowing of shares) with no fiduciary duties to other stockholders to initiate action with no prior notice either to other stockholders or to the ...
Typically, Stockholder Consents happen around large company decisions that can affect the stockholders' equity. Often times, a written consent will be drafted by the company and then signed by the stockholders in lieu of a physical or virtual meeting of the stockholders.
Written consent is like a remote meeting, except in writing. During a regular meeting, meeting minutes record the actions taken during the meeting. With written consent, the same actions can be taken as long as written consent is completed by the required number of voting shareholders.
Although the directors manage the day to day running of a company, the shareholders are the owners of the company. In order to give the shareholders more control over certain decisions, and to also ensure that minority shareholders are protected, a mechanism called shareholder consents are often included.
Most management actions are protected from judicial scrutiny by the business judgement rule: absent bad faith, fraud, or breach of a fiduciary duty, the judgement of the managers of a corporation is conclusive.
“The rule requires judicial deference to the business judgment of corporate directors so long as there is no fraud or breach of trust, and no conflict of interest.”55 “Thus, 'when the rule's requirements are met, a court will not substitute its judgment for that of the corporation's board of directors.