Plan of Complete Liquidation and Dissolution
EX-2.1 2 planofcompleteliquidationa.htm EX-2.1 Document
STRATEGIC REALTY TRUST, INC.
PLAN OF COMPLETE LIQUIDATION AND DISSOLUTION
1.Approval and Effectiveness of Plan. This Plan of Complete Liquidation and Dissolution (the “Plan”) of Strategic Realty Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, and the dissolution of the Company have been determined by the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) to be advisable and in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders (the “Stockholders”), and have been approved by the Board. The Board has directed that the Plan, the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company and the dissolution of the Company pursuant thereto, be submitted to the Stockholders for approval. The Plan shall become effective upon approval of the Plan, and the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company and the dissolution of the Company pursuant thereto, by the Stockholders. The date of the Stockholders’ approval is hereinafter referred to as the “Effective Date.”
2.Voluntary Liquidation and Dissolution. On and after the Effective Date, the Company shall voluntarily liquidate and dissolve in accordance with Section 331 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”). Pursuant to the Plan, the Company shall, acting for itself or in its capacity as the general partner of Strategic Realty Operating Partnership, a Delaware limited partnership (the “Operating Partnership”), sell, convey, transfer and deliver or otherwise dispose of all of the assets of the Company and cause the Operating Partnership to sell, convey, transfer and deliver or otherwise dispose of all of the assets of the Operating Partnership in one or more transactions, without further approval of the Stockholders. Within thirty (30) days after the Effective Date, the officers of the Company shall file a return on Form 966 with the Director of Internal Revenue for and on behalf of the Company.
3.Sales of Assets.
(a)The Company, acting for itself or in its capacity as the general partner of the ODperating Partnership, as appropriate, is authorized to sell or to cause the Operating Partnership and the subsidiaries of the Operating Partnership to sell, upon such terms as may be deemed advisable, any or all of their assets for cash, notes, redemption of equity or such other assets as may be conveniently liquidated or distributed to the Stockholders.
(b)The Company, the Operating Partnership and the Operating Partnership’s subsidiaries shall not authorize or transfer assets pursuant to any sale agreement between the Company, the Operating Partnership or the Operating Partnership’s subsidiaries, on the one hand, and an affiliate of the Company, the Operating Partnership or the Operating Partnership’s subsidiaries, on the other hand, unless a majority of directors, including a majority of independent directors, not otherwise interested in the transaction determine that the transaction is fair and reasonable to the Company, the Operating Partnership or the Operating Partnership’s subsidiaries, as the case may be.
4.Payment of Creditors; Distributions to Stockholders. Subject to Section 8 hereof, the proper officers of the Company are authorized and directed to proceed promptly to: (a) collect its assets; (b) dispose of such assets as are not to be distributed in kind to the Stockholders; (c) pay or create a reserve fund for the payment of or otherwise adequately provide for the payment of all of the liabilities and obligations of the Company, the Operating Partnership and the Operating Partnership’s subsidiaries; (d) pay all expenses incidental to the Plan, including all counsel fees, accountants’ fees, advisory fees and such other fees and taxes as are necessary to effectuate the Plan; (e) cause the Operating Partnership to distribute its remaining assets, either in cash or in kind, to the limited and general partners of the Operating Partnership, in one or more distributions, in accordance with the terms and provisions of the Limited Partnership Agreement of the Operating Partnership; (f) distribute all the remaining assets of the Company, either in cash or in kind, to the Stockholders in one or more distributions, in accordance with the terms and provisions of the Company’s Articles of Amendment and Restatement, as may be amended and supplemented from time to time (the “charter”); and (g) do every other act necessary or advisable to wind up the affairs of the Company, the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries and to dissolve the Company, the Operating Partnership and its subsidiaries. Upon the sale or other disposition of the assets of the Company and the payment of, or provision for, all of the liabilities and obligations of the Company, the Company shall be deemed to have liquidated.
5.Reserve Fund. The Company, acting for itself or in its capacity as the general partner of the Operating Partnership, as appropriate, is authorized, but not required, to establish, or to cause the Operating Partnership to establish, one or more reserve funds, in a reasonable amount and as may be deemed advisable, to meet known liabilities and liquidating expenses and estimated, unascertained or contingent liabilities and expenses. Creation of a reserve fund may be accomplished by a recording in the Company’s accounting ledgers of any accounting or bookkeeping entry which indicates the allocation of funds so set aside for payment. The Company is also authorized, but not required, to create a reserve fund by placing cash or property in escrow with an escrow agent for a specified term together with payment instructions. Any undistributed amounts remaining in such an escrowed reserve fund at the end of its term shall be returned to the Company, the liquidating trust referred to below or such other successor-in-interest to the Company as may then exist or, if no such entity is then in existence, shall be delivered to the abandoned property unit of the Maryland State Comptroller’s office. The Company may also create a reserve fund by any other reasonable means.
6.Insurance Policies. The Company is authorized, but not required, to procure for itself and/or as general partner to procure for the Operating Partnership, as appropriate, one or more insurance policies, in a reasonable amount and as may be deemed advisable, to cover unknown or unpaid liabilities and liquidating expenses and unascertained or contingent liabilities and expenses.
7.Articles of Dissolution. Upon the sale or the assignment and conveyance of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, and the taking of all actions required under the laws of the State of Maryland in connection with the liquidation and dissolution of the Company, the proper officers of the Company are authorized and directed to file articles of dissolution with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation of Maryland (the “Department”) pursuant to Section 3-407 of the MGCL and to take all other appropriate and necessary action to dissolve the Company under Maryland law. Prior to filing articles of dissolution, the Company shall give notice to its known creditors and employees as required by Section 3-404 of MGCL (alternatively, the Board may determine that the Company has no employees or known creditors) and satisfy all other prerequisites to such filing under Maryland law. Upon the Department’s acceptance of the articles of dissolution for record, as provided by Section 3-408(a) of the MGCL, the Company shall be dissolved.
8.Effect and Timing of Distributions. Upon the complete distribution of all assets of the Company (the “Final Distribution”) to the holders of outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Common Stock”) and the dissolution of the Company as contemplated by Section 7 above, all such shares of Common Stock shall be canceled and no longer deemed outstanding and all rights of the holders thereof as Stockholders shall cease and terminate. The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the liquidation and dissolution of the Company to occur and to pay the Final Distribution to holders of outstanding shares of Common Stock no later than the second anniversary of the Effective Date.
9.Final Distribution as Distribution in Kind of Liquidating Trust Beneficial Interests. In the event that the Board deems it necessary or advisable in order to preserve the Company’s status as a REIT or otherwise avoid the payment of income tax, the Board deems it necessary or advisable in order to enable the Company to terminate its obligation to file quarterly reports and audited annual financial statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) or the Board determines it is otherwise advantageous or appropriate to do so, the Board may cause the Company to pay the Final Distribution as a distribution in kind of beneficial interests in a trust (the “Liquidating Trust”), at such time as the Board deems appropriate in its sole discretion (provided only that any remaining outstanding units of limited partnership interest in the Operating Partnership have been completely redeemed prior to the transfer and assignment mentioned below), substantially as follows:
(a)The Board may create the Liquidating Trust under Maryland statutory or common law and may transfer and assign, and may, as general partner, cause the Operating Partnership to transfer and assign, to the Liquidating Trust all of the assets of the Company, the Operating Partnership and the Operating Partnership’s subsidiaries of every sort whatsoever, including their unsold properties, assets, claims, contingent claims and causes of action, subject to all of their unsatisfied debts, liabilities and expenses, known or unknown, contingent or otherwise. From and after the date of such transfer and assignment of assets (subject to liabilities) to the Liquidating Trust, the Board, the Company, the Operating Partnership and the Operating Partnership’s subsidiaries shall have no interest of any character in and to any such assets and all of such assets shall thereafter by held by the Liquidating Trust.
(b)Simultaneously with such transfer and assignment, shares of beneficial interest in the Liquidating Trust shall be deemed to be distributed to each holder of shares of Common Stock, all of whom shall automatically and without any need for notice or presentment be deemed to hold corresponding shares of beneficial interest in the Liquidating Trust. Such distribution of shares of beneficial interest in the Liquidating Trust shall constitute the Final Distribution of all of the assets of the Company to the Stockholders under Section 8 above.
(c)The initial trustees of the Liquidating Trust shall be designated by the Board.
(d)The declaration of trust or other instrument governing the Liquidating Trust (the “Declaration of Trust”) shall provide, among other things, that, immediately following such transfer, assignment and distribution, each share of beneficial interest in the Liquidating Trust shall have a claim upon the assets of the Liquidating Trust that is the substantial economic equivalent of the claims each share of Common Stock had upon the combined assets of the Company and the Operating Partnership immediately prior to the transfer, assignment and distribution. The Declaration of Trust shall further provide that the Liquidating Trust’s activities shall be limited to conserving, protecting and selling the assets transferred to it and distributing the proceeds therefrom, including holding such assets for the benefit of the holders of beneficial interests in the Liquidating Trust, temporarily investing such proceeds and collecting income therefrom, providing for the debts, liabilities and expenses of the Company and the Operating Partnership, paying liquidating distributions to the holders of shares of beneficial interest in the Liquidating Trust and taking other actions as may be deemed necessary or appropriate by the trustees to conserve and protect the assets of the Liquidating Trust and provide for the orderly liquidation thereof.
(e)Approval of the Plan shall constitute the approval by the Stockholders of the transfer and assignment to the Liquidating Trust, the form and substance of the Declaration of Trust as approved by the Board and the appointment of trustees selected by the Board.
10.Termination of Exchange Act Registration. Immediately prior to any transfer to the Liquidating Trust, or at such other time as the Board considers appropriate, the Board and the proper officers of the Company are authorized to cause the Company to file a Form 15 (or take other appropriate action) to terminate the registration of the Common Stock under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
11.Interpretation; General Authority. The Board, the trustees of the Liquidating Trust and the proper officers of the Company are hereby authorized to interpret the provisions of the Plan and are hereby authorized and directed to take such actions, to give such notices to creditors, stockholders and governmental entities, to make such filings with governmental entities and to execute such agreements, conveyances, assignments, transfers, certificates and other documents, as may, in their judgment, be necessary or advisable in order to wind up expeditiously the affairs of the Company and complete the liquidation and dissolution thereof, including, without limitation: (a) the execution of any contracts, deeds, assignments or other instruments necessary or appropriate to sell or otherwise dispose of any or all property of the Company, the Operating Partnership, the Operating Partnership’s subsidiaries or the Liquidating Trust, whether real or personal, tangible or intangible; (b) the appointment of other persons to carry out any aspect of the Plan; and (c) the temporary investment of funds in such medium as the Board or the trustees of the Liquidating Trust may deem appropriate.
12.Director Compensation. The independent members of the Board shall continue to receive compensation until the Final Distribution, provided that they remain members of the Board.
13.Indemnification. The Company and/or the Board shall reserve sufficient assets and/or obtain or maintain such insurance (including, without limitation, directors and officers insurance) as shall be necessary or advisable to provide the continued indemnification of the directors, officers and agents of the Company and such other parties whom the Company has agreed to indemnify, to the maximum extent provided by the charter and bylaws of the Company, any existing indemnification agreement to which the Company is a party and applicable law. At the discretion of the Board, such insurance may include coverage for the periods after the dissolution of the Company, including periods after the termination of any Liquidating Trust, and may include coverage for trustees, officers, employees and agents of such Liquidating Trust.
14.Governing Law. The validity, interpretation and performance of the Plan shall be controlled by and construed under the laws of the State of Maryland.
15.Termination of Plan of Liquidation; Amendment. Prior to the acceptance for record of the Company’s articles of dissolution by the Department, the Board may terminate the Plan for any reason, subject to and contingent upon the approval of such termination by the Company’s stockholders. Notwithstanding approval of the Plan by the Stockholders, the Board or the trustees of the Liquidating Trust may make certain modifications or amendments to the Plan without further action by or approval of the Stockholders to the extent permitted under law.