2023 Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations › Chapter 180 - Business corporations. › 180.1141 - Restrictions on business combinations.

180.1141
Restrictions on business combinations.
(1)
Business combinations during the 3 years after the stock acquisition date. Except as provided in s. 180.1143, a resident domestic corporation may not engage in a business combination with an interested stockholder of the resident domestic corporation for 3 years after the interested stockholder's stock acquisition date unless the board of directors of the resident domestic corporation has approved, before the interested stockholder's stock acquisition date, that business combination or the purchase of stock made by the interested stockholder on that stock acquisition date.
(2)
Business combinations more than 3 years after the stock acquisition date. At any time after the 3-year period described in sub. (1), the resident domestic corporation may engage in a business combination with the interested stockholder but only if any of the following is satisfied:
(a)
The board of directors of the resident domestic corporation has approved, before the interested stockholder's stock acquisition date, the purchase of stock made by the interested stockholder on that stock acquisition date.
(b)
The business combination is approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting stock not beneficially owned by the interested stockholder at a meeting called for that purpose.
(c)
The business combination meets all of the following conditions:
1.
Holders of all outstanding shares of stock of the resident domestic corporation not beneficially owned by the interested stockholder are each entitled to receive per share an aggregate amount of cash and the market value, as of the consummation date, of noncash consideration at least equal to the higher of the following:
a.
The highest of: the market value per share on the announcement date with respect to the business combination, the market value per share on the interested stockholder's stock acquisition date, the highest price per share paid by the interested stockholder, including brokerage commissions, transfer taxes and soliciting dealers' fees, for shares of the same class or series within the 3 years immediately before and including the announcement date of the business combination, or the highest price per share paid by the interested stockholder, including brokerage commissions, transfer taxes and soliciting dealers' fees, for shares of the same class or series within the 3 years immediately before and including the interested stockholder's stock acquisition date; plus, in each case, interest compounded annually from the earliest date on which that highest per share acquisition price was paid or the per share market value was determined, through the consummation date, at the rate for one-year U.S. treasury obligations from time to time in effect; less the aggregate amount of any cash and the market value, as of the dividend payment date, of any noncash dividends paid per share since that date, up to the amount of that interest.
b.
The highest preferential amount per share, if any, to which the holders of shares of that class or series of stock are entitled upon the voluntary or involuntary liquidation of the resident domestic corporation, plus the aggregate amount of dividends declared or due which those holders are entitled to before payment of dividends on another class or series of stock, unless the aggregate amount of those dividends is included in the preferential amount.
2.
The form of consideration to be received by holders of each particular class or series of outstanding stock in the business combination is in cash or, if the interested stockholder previously acquired shares of that class or series, the same form as the interested stockholder previously used to acquire the largest number of shares of that class or series.
(d)
The business combination is a business combination as described in s. 180.1143 (1), (2), (3) or (4).
History:  1989 a. 303; 1991 a. 39.