jill-ex41_11.htm



 

Exhibit 4.1

 

DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES

REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

J.Jill, Inc. (the “Company,” “J.Jill,” “we,” “us,” and “our”) has one class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”): our common stock, par value $0.01 per share.

The following is a summary of all material characteristics of our capital stock as set forth in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws. The summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, each of which is incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of which this Exhibit 4.1 is a part. 

exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and the applicable provisions of Delaware law. 

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

Capital Stock 

Under our certificate of incorporation our authorized capital stock consists of 250,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. As of the date of this filing, no shares of preferred stock are issued and outstanding. 

Common Stock 

Voting Rights 

The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share of common stock on each matter properly submitted to the stockholders on which the holders of shares of common stock are entitled to vote, including the election of directors, and do not have cumulative voting rights. 

Dividend Rights 

The holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends when, as, and if declared by our board of directors out of legally available funds. 

All shares of our common stock are entitled to share equally in any dividends our board of directors may declare from legally available sources, subject to the terms of any outstanding preferred stock. Provisions of our debt agreements and other contracts, including requirements under our certificate of incorporation, may impose restrictions on our ability to declare dividends with respect to our common stock. 

Liquidation Rights 

Upon a liquidation or dissolution of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary and subject to the rights of the holders of any preferred stock, all shares of our common stock are entitled to share equally in the assets available for distribution to holders of common stock after payment of all of our prior obligations, including any then-outstanding preferred stock. 

 

 



 

 

Other Matters 

The holders of our common stock have no preemptive rights. All of the outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and nonassessable. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to our common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of common stock are subject to the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that may be issued in the future. 

 

Transfer Agent and Registrar 

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC. 

Securities Exchange 

The shares of our common stock are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “JILL.” 

Preferred Stock 

Our board of directors may, by a majority vote, issue, from time to time, up to an aggregate of 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and fix or alter the designations, preferences, rights and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions of the shares of each such series thereof, including the dividend rights, dividend rates, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption (including sinking fund provisions), redemption prices, liquidation preferences and the number of shares constituting any series or designations of such series Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of common stock. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible future financings and acquisitions and other corporate purposes could, under certain circumstances, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us and might affect the market price of our common stock. 

Certain Anti-Takeover, Limited Liability and Indemnification Provisions 

Certain provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws summarized below may be deemed to have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, deter or prevent a tender offer or takeover attempt that a stockholder might consider to be in its best interests, including attempts that might result in a premium being paid over the market price for the shares held by stockholders. 

“Blank Check” Preferred Stock 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that our board of directors may, by a majority vote, issue shares of preferred stock. Preferred stock could be issued by our board of directors to increase the number of outstanding shares making a takeover more difficult and expensive. 

No Cumulative Voting 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that stockholders do not have the right to cumulative votes in the election of directors. 

Stockholder Action by Written Consent 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that, prior to the date on which TowerBrook ceases to beneficially own more than 50% of the outstanding shares of our common stock (the “Triggering Event”), any action required to be or that may be taken at any meeting of stockholders may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if and only if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the stockholders having not less than the minimum number of votes necessary to take such action. 

 

 



 

 

Classified Board 

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that, our board of directors have three classes of directors: 


	
 
	
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Class I consists of directors whom serve an initial one-year term; 





	
 
	
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Class II consists of directors whom serve an initial two-year term; and 





	
 
	
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Class III consists of directors whom serve an initial three-year term.




 

The number of directors on our board of directors may be fixed by at least two-thirds of the members of our board of directors then in office; provided, however, that prior to the Triggering Event, the number of directors on our board of directors may not be increased or decreased without the approval of a majority of the directors that have been appointed by TowerBrook then in office. 

Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations 

Our bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to bring business before an annual meeting of stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at an annual meeting of stockholders, must provide timely notice thereof in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice generally must be delivered to and received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, that, in the event that the date of such meeting is advanced more than 30 days prior to, or delayed by more than 60 days after, the anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting of our stockholders, a stockholder’s notice to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such meeting or, if the first public announcement of the date of such annual meeting is less than 100 days prior to the date of such annual meeting, the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made. Our bylaws also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. These provisions may preclude stockholders from bringing matters before an annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at an annual meeting of stockholders. 

Special Meetings of Stockholders 

Subject to the rights of the preferred stock, special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by the chairman of our board of directors or by a resolution adopted by a majority of our board of directors. Stockholders are not permitted to call a special meeting of stockholders, to require that the chairman call such a special meeting, or to require that our board of directors request the calling of a special meeting of stockholders. 

Removal of Directors 

Until the Triggering Event, any director may be removed from office at any time, with or without cause, by holders of a majority of the voting power of our outstanding common stock. Our certificate of incorporation provides that, after the Triggering Event, our directors may be removed only for cause by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2⁄3% of the voting power of our outstanding common stock. This requirement of a supermajority vote to remove directors could enable a minority of our stockholders to prevent a change in the composition of our board. 

Super-Majority Approval Requirements 

The Delaware General Corporation Law generally provides that the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on any matter is required to amend a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, unless either a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws require a greater percentage. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that, at any time after the Triggering Event, the affirmative vote of holders of 66 2⁄3% of our outstanding common stock are required 

 

 



 

 

to amend, alter, change or repeal our certificate of incorporation or bylaws. Our bylaws may also be amended or repealed by a majority vote of our board of directors. Prior to the Triggering Event, the requirement of a super-majority vote to approve amendments to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could enable a minority of our stockholders to exercise veto power over any such amendments. 

Limitation of Officer and Director Liability and Indemnification Agreements 

Our certificate of incorporation limits the liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law and provides that we provide them with customary indemnification. 

 

We expect to enter into indemnification agreements with each of our executive officers and directors that provide them, in general, with customary indemnification in connection with their service to us or on our behalf. 

Forum Selection 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each such case subject to such Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein. However, it is possible that a court could find our forum selection provision to be inapplicable or unenforceable. 

Delaware Anti-Takeover Law 

We have elected to be exempt from the restrictions imposed under Section 203 of the DGCL. However, our certificate of incorporation contains similar provisions providing that we may not engage in certain “business combinations” with any “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that such stockholder becomes an interested stockholder unless: 


	
 
	
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prior to such time, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; 





	
 
	
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upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an “interested stockholder,” the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced (excluding certain shares); or 





	
 
	
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on or subsequent to such time, the business combination is approved by the Board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder.




Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with that person’s affiliates and associates, owns, or within the previous three years owned, 15% or more of our voting stock. 

Under some circumstances, this provision may make it more difficult for a person who is an interested stockholder to effect various business combinations with us for a three-year period. 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that TowerBrook and its various affiliates, successors and transferees are not be deemed to be “interested stockholders” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them, and accordingly are not be subject to this provision. 

 

 



 

 

Corporate Opportunity 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the doctrine of “corporate opportunity” does not apply against TowerBrook, any of our non-employee directors who are employees, affiliates or consultants of TowerBrook or its affiliates (other than us or our subsidiaries) or any of their respective affiliates in a manner that would prohibit them from investing in competing businesses or doing business with our customers.