Description of Securities

EX-4.2 2 tm2012562d1_ex4-2.htm EXHIBIT 4.2

 

Exhibit 4.2

 

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES

EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

As of December 31, 2019, Audax Credit BDC Inc. (“we,” “our,” or the “Company”) had one class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended: our common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”). Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meaning ascribed to them in the Annual Report on Form 10-K to which this Description of Securities is attached as an exhibit (the “Form 10-K”).

 

The following description is based on relevant portions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws. This summary is a description of the material terms of, and is qualified in its entirety by, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, each of which is incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Form 10-K, and may not contain all of the information that is important to you. We refer you to the DGCL and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws for a more detailed description of the provisions summarized below.

 

Our authorized stock consists of 100,000,000 shares of Common Stock. There are no outstanding options or warrants to purchase our stock. No Common Stock has been authorized for issuance under any equity compensation plans. Under Delaware law, our stockholders generally are not personally liable for our debts or obligations. Under our certificate of incorporation, our Board of Directors is authorized to classify and reclassify any unissued shares of stock into other classes or series of stock without obtaining stockholder approval.

 

Common Stock

 

All shares of our Common Stock have equal rights as to earnings, assets, dividends and other distributions and voting and, when they are issued, will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. Distributions may be paid to the holders of our Common Stock if, as and when authorized by our Board of Directors and declared by us out of legally available funds. Shares of our Common Stock have no preemptive, exchange, conversion or redemption rights and are freely transferable, except when their transfer is restricted by federal and state securities laws or by contract. In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, each share of our Common Stock would be entitled to share ratably in all of our assets that are legally available for distribution after we pay all debts and other liabilities and subject to any preferential rights of holders of our preferred stock, if any preferred stock is authorized and outstanding at such time. Each share of our Common Stock is entitled to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, including the election of directors. Except as provided with respect to any other class or series of stock, the holders of our Common Stock possess exclusive voting power. There is no cumulative voting in the election of directors, which means that holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock can elect all of our directors, and holders of less than a majority of such shares are not able to elect any directors. In the event that any investor in our Shares is subject to Section 12(d) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), such investor will either (1) seek instructions from its security holders with regard to the voting of all proxies with respect to any stockholder vote and will vote such proxies in accordance with such instructions of its security holders or (2) vote the Shares held by such investor in the same proportion as the vote of all other holders of the Common Stock.

 

 

 

 

 

Provisions of the DGCL and Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

 

Limitation on Liability of Directors and Officers; Indemnification and Advance of Expenses

 

The indemnification of our officers and directors is governed by Section 145 of the DGCL, and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws. Subsection (a) of DGCL Section 145 empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if (1) such person acted in good faith, (2) in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and (3) with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, such person had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful.

  

Subsection (b) of DGCL Section 145 empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if such person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the corporation, and except that no indemnification may be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person has been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Delaware Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought determines upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court deems proper.

 

 

 

 

DGCL Section 145 further provides that to the extent that a present or former director or officer is successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 145, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person will be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding. In all cases in which indemnification is permitted under subsections (a) and (b) of Section 145 (unless ordered by a court), it will be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the applicable standard of conduct has been met by the party to be indemnified. Such determination must be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion or (4) by the stockholders. The statute authorizes the corporation to pay expenses incurred by an officer or director in advance of the final disposition of a proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the director or officer to repay such amount if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized. DGCL Section 145 also provides that indemnification and advancement of expenses permitted under such Section are not to be exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise. DGCL Section 145 also authorizes the corporation to purchase and maintain liability insurance on behalf of its directors, officers, employees and agents regardless of whether the corporation would have the statutory power to indemnify such persons against the liabilities insured.

 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that our directors will not be liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director to the fullest extent permitted by the current DGCL or as the DGCL may hereafter be amended. DGCL Section 102(b)(7) provides that the personal liability of a director to a corporation or its stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty as a director may be eliminated except for liability (1) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (2) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (3) under Section 174 of the DGCL, relating to unlawful payment of dividends or unlawful stock purchases or redemption of stock or (4) for any transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit.

 

Our bylaws provide for the indemnification of any person to the fullest extent permitted, and in the manner provided, by the current DGCL or as the DGCL may hereafter be amended. In addition, we have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and officers in order to effect the foregoing except to the extent that such indemnification would exceed the limitations on indemnification under Section 17(h) of the 1940 Act.

 

Election of Directors

 

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that the election of a director by stockholders requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the votes cast by stockholders present in person or by proxy at an annual or special meeting of stockholders duly called for such purpose and entitled to vote thereat. Under our certificate of incorporation, our Board of Directors may amend the bylaws to alter the vote required to elect directors.

 

 

 

 

Number of Directors; Vacancies

 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that the number of directors will be set only by the Board of Directors in accordance with our bylaws. Our bylaws provide that a majority of our entire Board of Directors may at any time increase or decrease the number of directors. However, unless our bylaws are amended, the number of directors may never be less than four (4) nor more than ten (10). Under the DGCL, directors may be removed with or without cause by the holders of a majority of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors. However, under our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, any vacancy on the Board of Directors, whether resulting from an enlargement of the Board of Directors or stockholder vote, may be filled only by an affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors then in office. The limitations on the ability of our stockholders to fill vacancies on the Board of Directors could make it more difficult for a third-party to acquire, or discourage a third-party from seeking to acquire, control of us.

 

Action by Stockholders

 

Under our certificate of incorporation, stockholder action can be taken only at an annual or special meeting of stockholders or by unanimous written consent in lieu of a meeting. This may have the effect of delaying consideration of a stockholder proposal until the next annual meeting.

 

Advance Notice Provisions for Stockholder Nominations and Stockholder Proposals

 

Our bylaws provide that with respect to an annual meeting of stockholders, nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors and the proposal of business to be considered by stockholders may be made only (1) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, (2) pursuant to a notice of meeting or (3) by a stockholder who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has complied with the advance notice procedures of the bylaws. Nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors at a special meeting may be made only (1) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (2) so long as the Board of Directors has determined that directors will be elected at such special meeting, by a stockholder who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has complied with the advance notice provisions of the bylaws.

 

The purpose of requiring stockholders to give us advance notice of nominations and other business is to afford our Board of Directors a meaningful opportunity to consider the qualifications of the proposed nominees and the advisability of any other proposed business and, to the extent deemed necessary or desirable by our Board of Directors, to inform stockholders and make recommendations about such qualifications or business, as well as to provide a more orderly procedure for conducting meetings of stockholders. Although our bylaws do not give our Board of Directors any power to disapprove stockholder nominations for the election of directors or proposals recommending certain action, they may have the effect of precluding a contest for the election of directors or the consideration of stockholder proposals if proper procedures are not followed and of discouraging or deterring a third party from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or to approve its own proposal without regard to whether consideration of such nominees or proposals might be harmful or beneficial to us and our stockholders.

 

 

 

 

Stockholder Meetings

 

Our bylaws provide that any action required or permitted to be taken by stockholders at an annual meeting or special meeting of stockholders may only be taken if it is properly brought before such meeting and our certificate of incorporation provides that, in lieu of such a meeting, any such action may be taken by the unanimous written consent of our stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws also provide that, except as otherwise required by law, special meetings of the stockholders can only be called by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, our Chief Executive Officer or the Board of Directors. In addition, our bylaws establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting of stockholders, including proposed nominations of candidates for election to the Board of Directors. Stockholders at an annual meeting may only consider proposals or nominations specified in the notice of meeting or brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, or by a stockholder of record on the record date for the meeting who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has delivered to the Secretary of the Company timely written notice in proper form of the stockholder’s intention to bring such business before the meeting. These provisions could have the effect of delaying stockholder actions that are favored by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities until the next stockholder meeting.

 

Calling of Special Meetings of Stockholders

 

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that special meetings of stockholders may only be called by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, our Chief Executive Officer or the Board of Directors.

  

Conflict with 1940 Act

 

Our bylaws provide that, if and to the extent that any provision of the DGCL or any provision of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws conflicts with any provision of the 1940 Act, the applicable provision of the 1940 Act will control.