35-18-328. Authority to indemnify. (1) Except as provided in subsection (4), an individual who is made a party to a proceeding because the individual is or was a trustee or officer may be indemnified against liability incurred in the proceeding if:

(a) the individual conducted business in good faith;

(b) the individual reasonably believed:

(i) in the case of conduct in the individual's official capacity with the cooperative, that the individual's conduct was in the cooperative's best interests; and

(ii) in all other cases, that the individual's conduct was at least not opposed to the cooperative's best interests; and

(c) in the case of any criminal proceeding, the individual had no reasonable cause to believe that the conduct was unlawful.

(2) The termination of a proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent is not, of itself, a determination that the trustee or officer did not meet the standard of conduct described in this section.

(3) A cooperative may not indemnify a trustee or officer under this section:

(a) in connection with a proceeding by or in the right of the cooperative in which the trustee or officer was adjudged liable to the cooperative; or

(b) in connection with any other proceeding charging improper personal benefit to the trustee or officer, whether or not involving action in the trustee's or officer's official capacity, in which the trustee or officer was adjudged liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received by the trustee or officer.

(4) Indemnification permitted under this section in connection with a proceeding by or in the right of the cooperative is limited to reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the proceeding.

History: En. Sec. 4, Ch. 173, L. 2001.