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Shareholder Rights

Investors who purchase corporate stock enjoy a number of rights pertaining to their ownership. Unlike partnership law, where the owners of businesses are also the primary managers of the businesses, owners of a corporation generally do not run the company. Shareholders in a corporation are shielded from personal liability for the debts and obligations of the corporation. However, shareholders can lose their investments should the corporation fail.

Laws governing corporations in the United States are fairly standard from one state to the next. The commissioners on uniform state laws drafted the Uniform Business Corporations Act in 1928, though only three states adopted this act. The American Bar Association in 1950 drafted the Model Business Corporation Act, which subsequently has been modified numerous times. The last major redrafting occurred in 1984, but there were substantive revisions in 2002 and 2005. A large majority of states have adopted all or a significant portion of the Model Act. Other states have modified their own state corporation statutes to contain sections similar to the Model Act. Delaware’s corporation statute is also significant, since most large, public corporations are incorporated in that state.

The rights of shareholders depend largely on provisions in a corporation’s charter and by-laws. These are the first documents which a shareholder should consult when determining his or her rights in a corporation. Shareholders also generally enjoy the following types of rights:

  • Voting rights on issues that affect the corporation as a whole
  • Rights related to the assets of the corporation
  • Rights related to the transfer of stock
  • Rights to receive dividends as declared by the board of directors of the corporation
  • Rights to inspect the records and books of the corporation
  • Rights to bring suit against the corporation for wrongful acts by the directors and officers of the corporation
  • Rights to share in the proceeds recovered when the corporation liquidates its assets

Inside Shareholder Rights