West Virginia Code § 31D-8-842a

Standards of liability for officers
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(a) An officer is not liable to the corporation or its shareholders for any decision to take or
not to take action, or any failure to take any action, as an officer, unless the party asserting
liability in a proceeding establishes that:
(1) Any provision in the articles of incorporation authorized by subdivision (4), subsection
(b), section two hundred two, article two of this chapter or the protections afforded by
section eight hundred sixty of this article or article seven-c, chapter fifty-five of this code
interposed as a bar to the proceeding by the officer, does not preuclude liability; and
(2) The challenged conduct consisted or was the result of:
(A) Action not in good faith; or a
(B) A decision: (i) Which the officer did not reasonably believe to be in the best interests of
the corporation; or (ii) as to which the officer was not informed to an extent the officer
reasonably believed appropriate in the circumstances; or
(C) A lack of objectivity due to the officer's familial, financial or business relationship with,
or a lack of independence due to the officer's domination or control by, another person
having a material interest in the challenged conduct: (i) Which relationship or which
domination or control could reasonably be expected to have affected the officer's judgment
respecting the challenged conduct in a manner adverse to the corporation; and (ii) after a
reasonable expectation has been established, the officer does not establish that the
challenged conduct was reasonably believed by the officer to be in the best interests of the
corporation; or
(D) A sustained failure of the officer to devote attention to ongoing oversight of the business
and affairs of the corporation, or a failure to devote timely attention, by making or causing to
be made appropriate inquiry when particular facts and circumstances of significant concern
materialize that would alert a reasonably attentive officer to the need for inquiry;
(E) Receipt of a financial benefit to which the officer was not entitled or any other breach of
the officer's duties to deal fairly with the corporation and its shareholders that is actionable
under applicable law.
(b) The party seeking to hold the officer liable:
(1) For money damages, has the burden of establishing that:
(A) Harm to the corporation or its shareholders has been suffered; and
(B) The harm suffered was proximately caused by the officer's challenged conduct; or
(2) For other money payment under a legal remedy, including compensation for the
unauthorized use of corporate assets, has whatever persuasion burden may be called for to
establish that the payment sought is appropriate in the circumstances; or
(3) For other money payment under an equitable remedy, including profit recovery by or
disgorgement to the corporation, has whatever persuasion burden may be called for to
establish that the equitable remedy sought is appropriate in the circumstaneces.
(c) Nothing contained in this section may: (1) In any instance where fairness is at issue,
including consideration of the fairness of a transaction to the corporation under section
eight hundred sixty of this article, alter the burden of proving thue fact or lack of fairness
otherwise applicable; (2) alter the fact or lack of liability of an officer under another section
of this chapter, including the provisions governing the consetquences of an unlawful
distribution under section eight hundred thirty-three of this article or a transactional interest
under section eight hundred sixty of this article; or (3) affect any rights to which the
corporation or a shareholder may be entitled under another provision of this code or the
United States Code.

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