2017 Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 187. Religious societies.
187.21 Indemnification of directors and officers.
187.21 Indemnification of directors and officers.
(1) An incorporated Roman Catholic church shall indemnify a director or officer, to the extent he or she has been successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of a proceeding, for all reasonable expenses incurred in the proceeding if the director or officer was a party because he or she is a director or officer of the incorporated Roman Catholic church.
(2)
(a) In cases not included under sub. (1), an incorporated Roman Catholic church may indemnify a director or officer against liability incurred by the director or officer in a proceeding to which the director or officer was a party because he or she is a director or officer of the incorporated Roman Catholic church, unless liability was incurred because the director or officer breached or failed to perform a duty he or she owes to the incorporated Roman Catholic church and the breach or failure to perform constitutes any of the following:
1. A willful failure to deal fairly with the incorporated Roman Catholic church or its members in connection with a matter in which the director or officer has a material conflict of interest.
2. A violation of criminal law, unless the director or officer had reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was lawful or no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful.
3. A transaction from which the director or officer derived an improper personal profit.
4. Willful misconduct.
(b) Determination of whether an incorporated Roman Catholic church will indemnify a director or officer under this subsection shall be made under s. 187.22.
(c) The termination of a proceeding by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or upon a plea of no contest or an equivalent plea, does not, by itself, create a presumption that indemnification of the director or officer is not permitted under this subsection.
(3) A director or officer who seeks indemnification under this section shall make a written request to the incorporated Roman Catholic church.
(4)
(a) The obligation of an incorporated Roman Catholic church to indemnify under sub. (1) and its authority to indemnify under sub. (2) may be limited by its articles of incorporation under s. 187.24.
(b) A director or officer may not seek indemnification under this section if the director or officer has previously received indemnification or allowance of expenses from any person, including the incorporated Roman Catholic church, in connection with the same proceeding.
