ARTICLE 3. Standards of Conduct [12370. - 12377.]

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP 3.

in effect

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12370. Section 12370.

Any duties and liabilities set forth in this article shall apply without regard to whether a director is compensated by the corporation.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12371. Section 12371.

(a) A director shall perform the duties of a director, including duties as a member of any committee of the board upon which the director may serve, in good faith, in a manner such director believes to be in the best interests of the corporation and with such care, including reasonable inquiry, as an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances. (b) In performing the duties of a director, a director shall be entitled to rely on information, opinions, reports or statements, including financial statements and other financial data, in each case prepared or presented by: (1) One or more officers or employees of the corporation whom the director believes to be reliable and competent in the matters presented; (2) Counsel, independent accountants or other persons as to matters which the director believes to be within such person’s professional or expert competence; or (3) A committee upon which the director does not serve that is composed exclusively of any or any combination of directors, persons described in paragraph (1), or persons described in paragraph (2), as to matters within the committee’s designated authority, which committee the director believes to merit confidence, so long as, in any such case, the director acts in good faith, after reasonable inquiry when the need therefor is indicated by the circumstances and without knowledge that would cause such reliance to be unwarranted. (c) A person who performs the duties of a director in accordance with subdivisions (a) and (b) shall have no liability based upon any alleged failure to discharge the persons’s obligations as a director.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12372. Section 12372.

(a) Section 12371 governs the duties of directors as to any acts or omissions in connection with the election, selection, or nomination of directors. (b) This section shall not be construed to limit the generality of Section 12371.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12373. Section 12373.

(a) No contract or other transaction between a corporation and one or more of its directors, or between a corporation and any domestic or foreign corporation, firm or association in which one or more of its directors has a material financial interest, is either void or voidable because such director or directors or such other corporation, business corporation, firm or association are parties or because such director or directors are present at the meeting of the board or a committee thereof which authorizes, approves or ratifies the contract or transaction, if: (1) The material facts as to the transaction and as to such director’s interest are fully disclosed or known to the members and such contract or transaction is approved by the members (Section 12224) in good faith, with any membership owned by any interested director not being entitled to vote thereon; (2) The material facts as to the transaction and as to such director’s interest are fully disclosed or known to the board or committee, and the board or committee authorizes, approves or ratifies the contract or transaction in good faith by a vote sufficient without counting the vote of the interested director or directors and the contract or transaction is just and reasonable as to the corporation at the time it is authorized, approved or ratified; or (3) As to contracts or transactions not approved as provided in paragraph (1) or (2), the person asserting the validity of the contract or transaction sustains the burden of proving that the contract or transaction was just and reasonable as to the corporation at the time it was authorized, approved or ratified. Neither a mere common directorship nor a member-patron relationship on terms available to all members constitutes a material financial interest within the meaning of this subdivision. A director is not interested within the meaning of this subdivision in a resolution fixing the compensation of another director as a director, officer or employee of the corporation, notwithstanding the fact that the first director is also receiving compensation from the corporation. (b) No contract or other transaction between a corporation and any corporation, business corporation or association of which one or more of its directors are directors is either void or voidable because such director or directors are present at the meeting of the board or a committee thereof which authorizes, approves or ratifies the contract or transaction, if: (1) The material facts as to the transaction and as to such director’s other directorship are fully disclosed or known to the board or committee, and the board or committee authorizes, approves or ratifies the contract or transaction in good faith by a vote sufficient without counting the vote of the common director or directors or the contract or transaction is approved by the members in good faith; or (2) As to contracts or transactions not approved as provided in paragraph (1), the contract or transaction is just and reasonable as to the corporation at the time it is authorized, approved or ratified. This subdivision does not apply to contracts or transactions covered by subdivision (a).

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12374. Section 12374.

Interested or common directors may be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at a meeting of the board or a committee thereof which authorizes, approves or ratifies a contract or transaction as provided in Section 12373.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12375. Section 12375.

(a) Unless prohibited by the articles or bylaws, a corporation may loan money or property to, or guarantee the obligation of, any director or officer of the corporation or of its parent, affiliate or subsidiary, provided: (1) The board determines the loan or guaranty may reasonably be expected to benefit the corporation. (2) Prior to consummating the transaction or any part thereof, the loan or guaranty is either: (A) Approved by the members (Section 12224), without counting the vote of the director or officer, if a member. (B) Approved by the vote of a majority of the directors then in office, without counting the vote of the director who is to receive the loan or the benefit of the guaranty. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a corporation may advance money to a director or officer of the corporation or of its parent, affiliate or subsidiary, for any expenses reasonably anticipated to be incurred in the performance of the duties of the director or officer of the corporation or of its parent, affiliate or subsidiary, for any expenses reasonably anticipated to be incurred in the performance of the duties of the director or officer, provided that in the absence of such an advance the director or officer would be entitled to be reimbursed for these expenses by the corporation, its parent, affiliate, or subsidiary. (c) The provisions of subdivisions (a) and (b) do not apply to credit unions, or to the payment of premiums in whole or in part by a corporation on a life insurance policy on the life of a director or officer so long as repayment to the corporation of the amount paid by it is secured by the proceeds of the policy and its cash surrender value, or to loans permitted under any statute regulating any special class of corporations.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12376. Section 12376.

(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 12371, directors of a corporation who approve any of the following corporate actions are jointly and severally liable to the corporation for the benefit of all of the creditors entitled to institute an action under paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (c) or to the corporation in an action by members under paragraph (3) of subdivision (c): (1) The making of any distribution or purchase or redemption of memberships contrary to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 12450). (2) The distribution of assets after institution of dissolution proceedings of the corporation, without paying or adequately providing for all known liabilities of the corporation, excluding any claims not filed by creditors within the time limit set by the court in a notice given to creditors under Chapters 15 (commencing with Section 12620), 16 (commencing with Section 12630), and 17 (commencing with Section 12650). (3) The making of any loan or guarantee contrary to Section 12375. (b) A director who is present at a meeting of the board, or any committee thereof, at which action specified in subdivision (a) is taken and who abstains from voting shall be considered to have approved the action. (c) Suit may be brought in the name of the corporation to enforce the liability: (1) Under paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) against any or all directors liable by the persons entitled to sue under subdivision (c) of Section 12455. (2) Under paragraph (2) or (3) of subdivision (a) against any or all directors liable by any one or more creditors of the corporation whose debts or claims arose prior to the time of the corporate action who have not consented to the corporate action, whether or not they have reduced their claims to judgment. (3) Under paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) against any or all directors liable by any one or more members at the time of any corporate action specified in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) who have not consented to the corporate action, without regard to the provisions of Section 12490. (d) The damages recoverable from a director under this section shall be the amount of the illegal distribution, or if the illegal distribution consists of property, the fair market value of that property at the time of the illegal distribution, plus interest thereon from the date of the distribution at the legal rate on judgments until paid, together with all reasonably incurred costs of appraisal or other valuation, if any, of that property, or the loss suffered by the corporation as a result of the illegal loan or guarantee, but not exceeding, in the case of an action for the benefit of creditors, the liabilities of the corporation owed to nonconsenting creditors at the time of the violation. (e) Any director sued under this section may implead all other directors liable and may compel contribution, either in that action or in an independent action against directors not joined in that action. (f) Directors liable under this section shall also be entitled to be subrogated to the rights of the corporation: (1) With respect to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), against the persons who received the distribution. (2) With respect to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), against the persons who received the distribution. (3) With respect to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a), against the person who received the loan or guarantee. Any director sued under this section may file a cross-complaint against the person or persons who are liable to the director as a result of the subrogation provided for in this subdivision or may proceed against them in an independent action.

Cal. Corporations Code - CORP § 12377. Section 12377.

(a) For the purposes of this section, “agent” means any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or other agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another foreign or domestic corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, or was a director, officer, employee or agent of a foreign or domestic corporation which was a predecessor corporation of the corporation or of another enterprise at the request of the predecessor corporation; “proceeding” means any threatened, pending or completed action or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative; and “expenses” includes without limitation attorneys’ fees and any expenses of establishing a right to indemnification under subdivision (d) or paragraph (3) of subdivision (e). (b) A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any proceeding (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor) by reason of the fact that the person is or was an agent of the corporation, against expenses, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred in connection with the proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the corporation and, in the case of a criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct of the person was unlawful. The termination of any proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner that the person reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the corporation or that the person had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful. (c) A corporation shall have power 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 by or in the right of the corporation, to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was an agent of the corporation, against expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of the action if the person acted in good faith, in a manner the person believed to be in the best interests of the corporation and with that care, including reasonable inquiry, as an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would use under similar circumstances. No indemnification shall be made under this subdivision: (1) In respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which the person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation in the performance of the person’s duty to the corporation, unless and only to the extent that the court in which the proceeding is or was pending shall determine upon application that, in view of all the circumstances of the case, the person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for the expenses which the court shall determine; (2) Of amounts paid in settling or otherwise disposing of a threatened or pending action, with or without court approval; or (3) Of expenses incurred in defending a threatened or pending action which is settled or otherwise disposed of without court approval. (d) To the extent that an agent of a corporation has been successful on the merits in defense of any proceeding referred to in subdivision (b) or (c) or in defense of any claim, issue, or matter therein, the agent shall be indemnified against expenses actually and reasonably incurred by the agent in connection therewith. (e) Except as provided in subdivision (d), any indemnification under this section shall be made by the corporation only if authorized in the specific case, upon a determination that indemnification of the agent is proper in the circumstances because the agent has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subdivision (b) or (c), by: (1) A majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who are not parties to the proceeding; (2) Approval of the members (Section 12224), with the persons to be indemnified not being entitled to vote thereon; or (3) The court in which the proceeding is or was pending upon application made by the corporation or the agent or the attorney or other person rendering services in connection with the defense, whether or not the application by the agent, attorney or other person is opposed by the corporation. (f) Expenses incurred in defending any proceeding may be advanced by the corporation prior to the final disposition of the proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the agent to repay the amount unless it shall be determined ultimately that the agent is entitled to be indemnified as authorized in this section. (g) No provision made by a corporation to indemnify its or its subsidiary’s directors or officers for the defense of any proceeding, whether contained in the articles, bylaws, a resolution of members or directors, an agreement or otherwise, shall be valid unless consistent with this section. Nothing contained in this section shall affect any right to indemnification to which persons other than the directors and officers may be entitled by contract or otherwise. (h) No indemnification or advance shall be made under this section, except as provided in subdivision (d) or paragraph (3) of subdivision (e), in any circumstance where it appears: (1) That it would be inconsistent with a provision of the articles, bylaws, a resolution of the members or an agreement in effect at the time of the accrual of the alleged cause of action asserted in the proceeding in which the expenses were incurred or other amounts were paid, which prohibits or otherwise limits indemnification; or (2) That it would be inconsistent with any condition expressly imposed by a court in approving a settlement. (i) A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any agent of the corporation against any liability asserted against or incurred by the agent in that capacity or arising out of the agent’s status as such whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify the agent against that liability under the provisions of this section. (j) This section does not apply to any proceeding against any trustee, investment manager, or other fiduciary of a pension, deferred compensation, saving, thrift, or other retirement, incentive, or benefit plan, trust, or provision for any or all of the corporation’s directors, officers, employees, and persons providing services to the corporation or any of its subsidiary or related or affiliated corporations, in the person’s capacity as such, even though the person may also be an agent as defined in subdivision (a) of the employer corporation. A corporation shall have power to indemnify the trustee, investment manager or other fiduciary to the extent permitted by subdivision (e) of Section 12320.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026