2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 35. Corporations, Partnerships, and Associations › Chapter 14. Montana Business Corporation Act › Part 7. Shareholders › 35-14-704. Action without meeting

35-14-704. Action without meeting.
(1) Action required or permitted by this chapter to be taken at a shareholders' meeting may be taken without a meeting if the action is taken by all the shareholders entitled to vote on the action. The action must be evidenced by one or more written consents bearing the date of signature and describing the action taken, be signed by all the shareholders entitled to vote on the action, and be delivered to the corporation for filing by the corporation with the minutes or corporate records.
(2) The articles of incorporation may provide that any action required or permitted by this chapter to be taken at a shareholders' meeting may be taken without a meeting, and without prior notice, if consents in writing setting forth the action to be taken are signed by the holders of outstanding shares having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be required to authorize or take the action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote on the action were present and voted. However, if a corporation's articles of incorporation authorize shareholders to cumulate their votes when electing directors pursuant to 35-14-728, directors may not be elected by less than unanimous written consent. A written consent must bear the date of signature of the shareholder who signs the consent and be delivered to the corporation for filing by the corporation with the minutes or corporate records.
(3) If not otherwise fixed under 35-14-707 and if prior action by the board of directors is not required respecting the action to be taken without a meeting, the record date for determining the shareholders entitled to take action without a meeting is the first date on which a signed written consent is delivered to the corporation. If not otherwise fixed under 35-14-707 and if prior action by the board of directors is required respecting the action to be taken without a meeting, the record date is the close of business on the day the resolution of the board of directors taking the prior action is adopted. No written consent is effective to take the corporate action referred to in the consent unless, within 60 days of the earliest date on which a consent delivered to the corporation as required by this section was signed, written consents signed by sufficient shareholders to take the action have been delivered to the corporation. A written consent may be revoked by a writing to that effect delivered to the corporation before unrevoked written consents sufficient in number to take the corporate action have been delivered to the corporation.
(4) A consent signed pursuant to the provisions of this section has the effect of a vote taken at a meeting and may be described in that manner in any document. Unless the articles of incorporation, the bylaws, or a resolution of the board of directors provides for a reasonable delay to permit tabulation of written consents, the action taken by written consent is effective when written consents signed by sufficient shareholders to take the action have been delivered to the corporation.
(5) If this chapter requires that notice of a proposed action be given to nonvoting shareholders and the action is to be taken by written consent of the voting shareholders, the corporation shall give its nonvoting shareholders written notice of the action not more than 10 days after:
(a) written consents sufficient to take the action have been delivered to the corporation; or
(b) the date on which tabulation of consents is completed pursuant to an authorization under subsection (4). The notice must reasonably describe the action taken and contain or be accompanied by the same material that, under any provision of this chapter, would have been required to be sent to nonvoting shareholders in a notice of a meeting at which the proposed action would have been submitted to the shareholders for action.
(6) If action is taken by less than unanimous written consent of the voting shareholders, the corporation shall give its nonconsenting voting shareholders written notice of the action not more than 10 days after:
(a) written consents sufficient to take the action have been delivered to the corporation; or
(b) the date on which tabulation of consents is completed pursuant to an authorization under subsection (4). The notice must reasonably describe the action taken and contain or be accompanied by the same material that, under any provision of this chapter, would have been required to be sent to voting shareholders in a notice of a meeting at which the action would have been submitted to the shareholders for action.
(7) The notice requirements in subsections (5) and (6) may not delay the effectiveness of actions taken by written consent, and a failure to comply with those notice requirements does not invalidate actions taken by written consent. However, this subsection may not be considered to limit judicial power to fashion any appropriate remedy in favor of a shareholder adversely affected by a failure to give notice within the required time period.
History: En. Sec. 64, Ch. 271, L. 2019.