Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
The Registrant is incorporated under the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law (“WBCL”). Under Section 180.0851(1) of the WBCL, the Registrant is required to indemnify a director or officer, to the extent such person is successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of a proceeding, for all reasonable expenses incurred in the proceeding if such person was a party because he or she was a director or officer of the Registrant. In all other cases, the Registrant is required by Section 180.0851(2) of the WBCL to indemnify a director or officer against liability incurred in a proceeding to which such person was a party because he or she was an officer or director of the Registrant, unless it is determined that he or she breached or failed to perform a duty owed to the Registrant and the breach or failure to perform constitutes: (i) a willful failure to deal fairly with the Registrant or its shareholders in connection with a matter in which the director or officer has a material conflict of interest; (ii) a violation of criminal law, unless the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was lawful or no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful; (iii) a transaction from which the director or officer derived an improper personal profit; or (iv) willful misconduct. Section 180.0858(1) of the WBCL provides that, subject to certain limitations, the mandatory indemnification provisions do not preclude any additional right to indemnification or allowance of expenses that a director or officer may have under the Registrant’s articles of incorporation, bylaws, a written agreement or a resolution of the Board of Directors or shareholders.
Section 180.0859 of the WBCL provides that it is the public policy of the State of Wisconsin to require or permit indemnification, allowance of expenses and insurance to the extent required or permitted under Sections 180.0850 to 180.0858 of the WBCL for any liability incurred in connection with a proceeding involving a federal or state statute, rule or regulation regulating the offer, sale or purchase of securities.
Section 180.0828 of the WBCL provides that, with certain exceptions, a director is not liable to a corporation, its shareholders, or any person asserting rights on behalf of the corporation or its shareholders, for damages, settlements, fees, fines, penalties or other monetary liabilities arising from a breach of, or failure to perform, any duty resulting solely from his or her status as a director, unless the person asserting liability proves that the breach or failure to perform constitutes any of the four exceptions to mandatory indemnification under Section 180.0851(2) referred to above.
Under Section 180.0833 of the WBCL, directors of the Registrant against whom claims are asserted with respect to the declaration of an improper dividend or other distribution to shareholders to which they assented are entitled to contribution from other directors who assented to such distribution and from shareholders who knowingly accepted the improper distribution, as provided therein.
Article VIII of the Registrant’s Bylaws contains provisions that generally parallel the indemnification provisions of the WBCL and cover certain procedural matters not dealt with in the WBCL. The Registrant is insured against certain liabilities which it may incur by reason of Article VIII of its Bylaws. In addition, officers and directors are insured, at the Registrant’s expense, against certain liabilities which might arise out of their employment and which might not be subject to indemnification under the Bylaws.
The Plan also provides that members of the Board of Directors, as well as employees administering the Plan, will not be held liable for any action taken or failure to act under or in connection with the Plan or any award granted thereunder, except as to matters as to which they are adjudged in a relevant action, suit or proceeding to have acted in bad faith in the performance of their duties under the Plan.
Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.
Not applicable.