2016 Tennessee Code
Title 48 - Corporations and Associations
Nonprofit Corporations
Chapter 57 - Meetings and Voting
Part 1 - Meetings and Action Without Meetings
§ 48-57-104. Action by written consent.

(a) Action required or permitted by chapters 51-68 of this title to be taken at a meeting of members may be taken without a meeting if all members entitled to vote on the action consent in writing to taking such action without a meeting. If all members entitled to vote on the action consent in writing to taking such action without a meeting, the affirmative vote of the number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting shall be the act of the members. The action must be evidenced by one (1) or more written consents describing the action taken, signed by each member entitled to vote on the action in one (1) or more counterparts, indicating each signing member's vote or abstention on the action and delivered to the corporation for inclusion in the minutes or filing with the corporate records.

(b) The charter may provide that any action required or permitted by chapters 51-68 of this title to be taken at a members' meeting may be taken without a meeting, and without prior notice, if consents in writing setting forth the action so taken are signed by the members having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be required to authorize or take the action at a meeting at which all memberships entitled to vote on the action were present and voted. The written consent shall bear the date of signature of the member who signs the consent and be delivered to the corporation for inclusion in the minutes or filing with the corporate records.

(c) If not otherwise determined under § 48-57-103 or § 48-57-107, the record date for determining members entitled to take such action without a meeting is the date the first member signs the consent under subsection (a).

(d) A consent signed under this section has the effect of a meeting vote and may be described as such in any document. Unless the charter, bylaws or a resolution of the board of directors provides for a reasonable delay to permit tabulation of written consents, the action taken by written consent shall be effective when written consents signed by sufficient members to take the action are delivered to the corporation.

(e) If chapters 51-68 of this title or the charter requires that notice of proposed action be given to nonvoting members and the action is to be taken by consent of the voting members, then the corporation must give its nonvoting members written notice of the proposed action at least ten (10) days before the action is taken. The notice must contain or be accompanied by the same material that under chapters 51-68 of this title would have been required to be sent to nonvoting members in a notice of meeting at which the proposed action would have been submitted to the members for action.

(f) (1) If action is taken by less than unanimous written consent of the voting members, the corporation must give its non-consenting voting members written notice of the action not more than ten (10) days after:

(A) Written consents sufficient to take the action have been delivered to the corporation; or

(B) Such later date that tabulation of consents is completed pursuant to an authorization under subsection (d).

(2) The notice must reasonably describe the action taken and contain or be accompanied by the same material of this title, as would have been required to be sent to voting members in a notice of a meeting at which the action would have been submitted to the members for action.

(g) The notice requirements in subsections (e) and (f) shall not delay the effectiveness of actions taken by written consent, and a failure to comply with such notice requirements shall not invalidate actions taken by written consent; provided, that this subsection (g) shall not be deemed to limit judicial power to fashion any appropriate remedy in favor of a member adversely affected by a failure to give such notice within the required time period.

(h) An electronic transmission may be used to consent to an action, if the electronic transmission contains or is accompanied by information from which the corporation can determine the date on which the electronic transmission was signed and that the electronic transmission was authorized by the member, the member's agent or the member's attorney-in-fact.

(i) Delivery of a written consent to the corporation under this section is delivery to the corporation's registered agent at its registered office or to the secretary of the corporation at its principal office (or to a designated mailing address such as a post office box if the United States Postal Service does not deliver to the corporation's principal office).