ITEM
6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
Nevada
Revised Statutes 78.7502 and 78.751 provide broad authority for the indemnification of directors, officers and certain other persons.
Section
78.7502 of the Nevada Revised Statutes permits a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made
a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative,
except an action by or in the right of the corporation, by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent
of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation,
partnership joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts
paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the action, suit or proceeding if he:
|
(a) |
is
not liable pursuant to Nevada Revised Statute 78.138, or |
|
(b) |
acted
in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and,
with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. |
In
addition, Section 78.7502 permits a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to
any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason
of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation
as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses,
including amounts paid in settlement and attorneys’ fees actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense
or settlement of the action or suit if he:
|
(a) |
is
not liability pursuant to Nevada Revised Statute 78.138; or |
|
(b) |
acted
in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation. |
To
the extent that a director, officer, employee or agent of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of
any action, suit or proceeding referred to above, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter, the corporation is required to indemnify
him against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense.
Section
78.751 of the Nevada Revised Statutes provides that such indemnification may also include payment by the Company of expenses incurred
in defending a civil or criminal action or proceeding in advance of the final disposition of such action or proceeding upon receipt of
an undertaking by the person indemnified to repay such payment if he shall be ultimately found not to be entitled to indemnification
under Section 78.751. Indemnification may be provided even though the person to be indemnified is no longer a director, officer, employee
or agent of the Company or such other entities.
Section
78.752 of the Nevada Revised Statutes allows a corporation to purchase and maintain insurance or make other financial arrangements on
behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation or is or was serving at the request of the
corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise for
any liability asserted against him and liability and expenses incurred by him in his capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent,
or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the corporation has the authority to indemnify him against such liability and expenses.
Other
financial arrangements made by the corporation pursuant to Section 78.752 may include the following:
|
(a) |
the
creation of a trust fund; |
|
|
|
|
(b) |
the
establishment of a program of self-insurance; |
|
|
|
|
(c) |
the
securing of its obligations of indemnification by granting a security interest or other lien on any assets of the corporation; and |
|
|
|
|
(d) |
the
establishment of a letter of credit, guaranty or surety. |
No
financial arrangement made pursuant to Sect ion 78.752 may provide protection for a person adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction,
after exhaustion of all appeals, to be liable for intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of law, except with respect to
the advancement of expenses of indemnification ordered by a court.
Any
discretionary indemnification pursuant to Section 78.7502 of the Nevada Revised Statutes, unless ordered by a court or advanced pursuant
to an undertaking to repay the amount if it is determined by a court that the indemnified party is not entitled to be indemnified by
the corporation, may be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of
the director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances. The determination must be made:
|
(b) |
by
the board of directors by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to the action, suit or proceeding; |
|
(c) |
if
a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to the action, suit or proceeding so orders, by independent
legal counsel in a written opinion, or |
|
(d) |
if
a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to the action, suit or proceeding cannot be obtained, by independent legal
counsel in a written opinion. |
Subsection
7 of Section 78.138 of the Nevada Revised Statutes provides that, subject to certain very limited statutory exceptions, a director or
officer is not individually liable to the corporation or its stockholders or creditors for any damages as a result of any act or failure
to act in his or her capacity as a director or officer, unless it is proven that the act or failure to act constituted a breach of his
or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer and such breach of those duties involved intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing
violation of law. The statutory standard of liability established by Section 78.138 controls even if there is a provision in the corporation’s
articles of incorporation unless a provision in the corporation’s articles of incorporation provides for greater individual liability.
Our
bylaws provide that each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is involved (including, without
limitation, as a witness) in any threatened, pending, or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether formal or informal, civil, criminal,
administrative or investigative (hereinafter a “proceeding”), by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director of
or who is or was serving at our request as a director, officer, employee or agent of this or another corporation or of a partnership,
joint venture, trust, other enterprise, or employee benefit plan (a “covered person”), whether the basis of such proceeding
is alleged action in an official capacity as a covered person shall be indemnified and held harmless by us to the fullest extent permitted
by applicable law, as then in effect, against all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys’ fees, costs, judgments, fines,
ERISA excise taxes or penalties and amounts to be paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such person in connection therewith,
and such indemnification shall continue as to a person who ceased to be a covered person and shall inure to the benefit of his or her
heirs, executors and administrators.
However,
no indemnification shall be provided hereunder to any covered person to the extent that such indemnification would be prohibited by Nevada
state law or other applicable law as then in effect, nor, with respect to proceedings seeking to enforce rights to indemnification, shall
we indemnify any covered person seeking indemnification in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such person except
where such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by our board of directors, nor shall we indemnify any covered person who shall
be adjudged in any action, suit or proceeding for which indemnification is sought, to be liable for any negligence or intentional misconduct
in the performance of a duty.
Our
directors may cause us to purchase and maintain insurance for the benefit of a person who is or was serving as a director, officer, employee
or agent of us or of a corporation of which we are or were a stockholder and his heirs or personal representatives against a liability
incurred by him as a director, officer, employee or agent.
Insofar
as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling
us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission,
such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that
a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director,
officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director,
officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel
the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification
by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.