Section 180.11045. Merger of indirect wholly owned subsidiary or parent.

 

(1)   Definitions. In this section:

(a) “Holding company" means a corporation that issues shares under sub. (2) (b) and that, during the period beginning with its incorporation and ending with the effective time of a merger under this section, was at all times a wholly owned subsidiary of the parent corporation that is party to the merger.

(b) “Indirect wholly owned subsidiary" means any of the following:

1. A corporation, all of the outstanding shares of each class of which are, prior to the effective time of a merger under this section, owned by a parent corporation indirectly through one or more business entities.

2. A limited liability company organized under ch. 183 , all of the outstanding interests of each class of which are, prior to the effective time of a merger under this section, owned by a parent corporation indirectly through one or more business entities.

(c) “Organizational documents" means, when used in reference to a corporation, the corporation's articles of incorporation and bylaws and, when used in reference to a limited liability company, the limited liability company's operating agreement and articles of organization.

(d) “Parent corporation" means a corporation owning, prior to the effective time of a merger under this section, all of the outstanding shares of each class of another corporation or all of the outstanding interests of each class of another business entity.

(e) “Surviving entity" means the limited liability company or corporation, other than the holding company, surviving a merger under sub. (2) .

(f) “Wholly owned subsidiary" means any of the following:

1. A corporation, all of the outstanding shares of each class of which are owned by a corporation indirectly through one or more business entities or directly.

2. A limited liability company organized under ch. 183 , all of the outstanding interests of each class of which are owned by a corporation indirectly through one or more business entities or directly.

(2)   Merger authorized. Unless the articles of incorporation of the parent corporation specifically provide otherwise, or the parent corporation is a statutory close corporation under ss. 180.1801 to 180.1837 , a parent corporation may merge with or into one of its indirect wholly owned subsidiaries pursuant to s. 180.1101 without approval of the shareholders of the parent corporation or the shareholders or members of the indirect wholly owned subsidiary if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

(a) The parent corporation and the indirect wholly owned subsidiary are the only parties to the merger.

(b) Each share or other interest of the parent corporation outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger is converted in the merger into a share or equal interest of a corporation that was a wholly owned subsidiary of the parent corporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger having the same designation, preferences, limitations, and relative rights as the share or other interest of the parent corporation outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger.

(c) Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, immediately following the effective time of the merger, the organizational documents of the holding company issuing shares in the merger pursuant to sub. (2) (b) contain provisions identical to the organizational documents of the parent corporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger. This requirement does not apply to provisions regarding the incorporator or incorporators, the corporate name, the registered office and agent, and provisions that are subject to amendment under s. 180.1002 . To the extent that the 2nd sentence of s. 180.0852 applied to the parent corporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, the organizational documents of the holding company immediately following the effective time of the merger shall contain provisions implementing that sentence. If s. 180.1706 (2) and (3) applies to the parent corporation, pursuant to s. 180.1706 (1) , immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, the articles of incorporation of the holding company immediately following the effective time of the merger shall contain provisions implementing s. 180.1706 (2) and (3) .

(d) Immediately following the effective time of the merger, the surviving entity is a wholly owned subsidiary of the holding company.

(e) The directors of the parent corporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger are the directors of the holding company immediately following the effective time of the merger.

(f) Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, the organizational documents of the surviving entity immediately following the effective time of the merger contain provisions identical to the organizational documents of the parent corporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger. With respect to a surviving entity that is a corporation, this requirement does not apply to provisions regarding the incorporator or incorporators; the corporate name; the registered office and agent; or provisions that are subject to amendment under s. 180.1002 or any other law permitting amendment of the articles of incorporation without approval of the shareholders. With respect to a surviving entity that is a limited liability company, this requirement does not apply to provisions regarding the organizer or organizers; the entity name; the registered office and agent; references to members rather than shareholders; references to interests, units, or similar terms rather than shares; references to managers rather than directors; or provisions that are subject to amendment under any law permitting amendment of the operating agreement without approval of the members. The organizational documents of the surviving entity immediately following the effective time of the merger may specify a reduced number of classes and shares or other interests that the surviving entity is authorized to issue. To the extent that the 2nd sentence of s. 180.0852 applied to the parent corporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, the organizational documents of the surviving entity immediately following the effective time of the merger shall contain provisions implementing that sentence. If s. 180.1706 (2) and (3) applies to the parent corporation, pursuant to s. 180.1706 (1) , immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, the organizational documents of the surviving entity immediately following the effective time of the merger shall contain provisions implementing s. 180.1706 (2) and (3) . The organizational documents of the surviving entity immediately following the effective time of the merger shall contain provisions that specifically refer to this paragraph and that require all of the following:

1. Any act, other than the election or removal of directors or managers of the surviving entity, for which approval of the shareholders or members of the surviving entity is required under this chapter, ch. 183 , or the surviving entity's organizational documents may be accomplished only with the additional approval of the shareholders of the holding company or any successor to the holding company, by the same vote as is required for approval of the shareholders or members of the surviving entity under this chapter, ch. 183 , or the surviving entity's organizational documents.

2. If the surviving entity is a limited liability company, any act, other than the election or removal of managers of the surviving entity, for which approval of the shareholders of the surviving entity would be required under this chapter if the surviving entity were a corporation may be accomplished only with the additional approval of the shareholders of the holding company or any successor to the holding company, by the same vote as would be required for approval of the shareholders under this chapter if the surviving entity were a corporation.

3. If the surviving entity is a limited liability company, any amendment of the organizational documents of the surviving entity that would be required under this chapter to be included in the articles of incorporation of the surviving entity if the surviving entity were a corporation, other than an amendment specified in s. 180.1002 , may be accomplished only with the additional approval of the shareholders of the holding company or any successor to the holding company, by the same vote as would be required for approval of the shareholders under this chapter if the surviving entity were a corporation.

4. If the surviving entity is a limited liability company, the affairs of the surviving entity are managed by or under the direction of a group of managers consisting of individuals who have the same fiduciary duties toward the surviving entity and its members as the directors of a corporation have toward the corporation and its shareholders and who are liable for breach of their duties to the same extent as directors of a corporation.

(g) In the opinion of the board of directors of the parent corporation, the shareholders of the parent corporation do not have a gain or loss under the Internal Revenue Code as a result of the merger.

(3)   Articles of merger. The surviving entity shall include in the articles of merger under s. 180.1105 a statement that the merger was approved in accordance with this section and that the requirements of sub. (2) have been satisfied.

(4)   Effect of merger. All of the following occur when a merger under sub. (2) takes effect:

(a) To the extent that the restrictions of s. 180.1131 , 180.1141 , or 180.1150 applied to the parent corporation and its shareholders immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, the restrictions apply to the holding company and its shareholders immediately following the effective time of the merger to the same extent as if the holding company were the parent corporation as the corporation existed immediately prior to the effective time of the merger. For purposes of ss. 180.1130 , 180.1132 , 180.1141 , 180.1142 , 180.1143 , and 180.1150 , the shares of the holding company acquired in the merger are deemed to have been acquired at the time and for the price and form of consideration that the shares of the parent corporation that were converted in the merger were acquired.

(b) If immediately prior to the effective time of the merger s. 180.1141 , 180.1142 , or 180.1150 did not apply to a shareholder of the parent corporation, the section does not apply to the shareholder as a shareholder of the holding company solely by reason of the merger.

(c) If the corporate name of the holding company immediately following the effective time of the merger is the same as the corporate name of the parent corporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, the shares of the holding company into which the shares of the parent corporation are converted in the merger are represented by the certificates that previously represented shares of the parent corporation.

(d) A shareholder of the parent corporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger retains any right that the shareholder had immediately prior to the effective time of the merger to institute or maintain a derivative proceeding in the right of the parent corporation.

(e) No act of the surviving entity that requires the additional approval of the shareholders of the holding company or any successor company pursuant to sub. (2) (f) shall give rise to dissenters' rights under ss. 180.1301 to 180.1331 for the shareholders or the beneficial shareholders of the holding company or any successor to the holding company.

(f) To the extent that shares of the parent corporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger constituted shares of a preexisting class, the shares of the holding company immediately following the effective time of the merger constitute shares of a preexisting class to the same extent as if the holding company were the parent corporation as the parent corporation existed immediately prior to the effective time of the merger. Shares or interests of the surviving entity do not constitute shares of a preexisting class for purposes of s. 180.1705 . For purposes of s. 180.1707 , to the extent that shares of the parent corporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger constituted shares of a preexisting class, the shares or interests of the surviving entity constitute shares of a preexisting class to the same extent as if the surviving entity were the parent corporation as the parent corporation existed immediately prior to the effective time of the merger.

(g) To the extent that the provisions of s. 180.1706 (4) applied to the parent corporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, the provisions apply to the holding company immediately following the effective time of the merger to the same extent as if the holding company were the parent corporation as the corporation existed immediately prior to the effective time of the merger. To the extent that the provisions of s. 180.1706 (4) applied to the parent corporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, if the surviving entity is a corporation, the provisions apply to the surviving entity immediately following the effective time of the merger to the same extent as if the surviving entity were the parent corporation as the corporation existed immediately prior to the effective time of the merger. To the extent that the provisions of s. 180.1706 (4) applied to the parent corporation immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, if the surviving entity is a limited liability company, the provisions apply to the corresponding provisions of the organizational documents of the surviving entity immediately following the effective time of the merger to the same extent as if the surviving entity were the parent corporation as the corporation existed immediately prior to the effective time of the merger.

(h) To the extent that immediately prior to the effective time of the merger shareholders of the parent corporation had rights or were subject to obligations or restrictions of the types referred to in s. 180.0627 (2) , 180.0630 (4) , 180.0722 (2) , 180.0730 (1) , or 180.0731 (1) , the rights, obligations, or restrictions apply to the shareholders of the holding company immediately following the effective time of the merger to the same extent as if the holding company were the parent corporation as the corporation existed immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, unless the agreement, waiver, proxy, or trust establishing the rights, obligations, or restrictions specifies otherwise.

2005 a. 476 .