{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/13.1-790.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/13.1-790.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/13.1-790.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/13.1-790.html"}],"law_id":77944,"edition_id":1,"section_id":77944,"structure_id":14746,"section_number":"13.1-790","catch_line":"Right of action","history":"2011, c. 698.","full_text":"A\n\nThe duties of directors and officers under this article, the obligation of a benefit corporation to prepare and make available the annual benefit report required under § 13.1-791, and the general and any specific public benefit purpose of a benefit corporation may be enforced only in a benefit enforcement proceeding. No person may bring an action or assert a claim against a benefit corporation or its directors or officers with respect to the duties of directors and officers under this article and the general and any specific public benefit purpose of the benefit corporation except in a benefit enforcement proceeding.B\n\nA benefit enforcement proceeding may be commenced or maintained only:1\n\nDirectly by the benefit corporation; or2\n\nDerivatively by:\n\t\t\t\ta. A shareholder of the benefit corporation;\n\t\t\t\tb. A director of the benefit corporation; or\n\t\t\t\tc. Other persons as specified in the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the benefit corporation.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":279488,"text":"The duties of directors and officers under this article, the obligation of a benefit corporation to prepare and make available the annual benefit report required under § 13.1-791, and the general and any specific public benefit purpose of a benefit corporation may be enforced only in a benefit enforcement proceeding. No person may bring an action or assert a claim against a benefit corporation or its directors or officers with respect to the duties of directors and officers under this article and the general and any specific public benefit purpose of the benefit corporation except in a benefit enforcement proceeding.","type":"section","prefixes":["A"],"prefix":"A","entire_prefix":"A","prefix_anchor":"A","level":1,"next_prefix":"B"},"1":{"id":279489,"text":"A benefit enforcement proceeding may be commenced or maintained only:","type":"section","prefixes":["B"],"prefix":"B","entire_prefix":"B","prefix_anchor":"B","level":1,"prior_prefix":"A","next_prefix":"B1"},"2":{"id":279490,"text":"Directly by the benefit corporation; or","type":"section","prefixes":["B","1"],"prefix":"1","entire_prefix":"B1","prefix_anchor":"B1","level":2,"prior_prefix":"B","next_prefix":"B2"},"3":{"id":279491,"text":"Derivatively by:\n\t\t\t\ta. A shareholder of the benefit corporation;\n\t\t\t\tb. A director of the benefit corporation; or\n\t\t\t\tc. Other persons as specified in the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the benefit corporation.","type":"section","prefixes":["B","2"],"prefix":"2","entire_prefix":"B2","prefix_anchor":"B2","level":2,"prior_prefix":"B1"}},"ancestry":[{"id":14746,"edition_id":1,"name":"Benefit Corporations","identifier":"22","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12983,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:49:41","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:49:41","permalink":{"id":150841,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14746,"identifier":"22","token":"13.1\/9\/22","url":"\/13.1\/9\/22\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12983,"edition_id":1,"name":"Virginia Stock Corporation Act","identifier":"9","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12744,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:06","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:06","permalink":{"id":150163,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12983,"identifier":"9","token":"13.1\/9","url":"\/13.1\/9\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12744,"edition_id":1,"name":"Corporations","identifier":"13.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":147493,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12744,"identifier":"13.1","token":"13.1","url":"\/13.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":76214,"structure_id":14746,"section_number":"13.1-782","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/13.1-782\/","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-782","metadata":false},{"id":74800,"structure_id":14746,"section_number":"13.1-783","catch_line":"Application and effect of article","url":"\/13.1-783\/","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-783","metadata":false},{"id":68368,"structure_id":14746,"section_number":"13.1-784","catch_line":"Formation of benefit corporations","url":"\/13.1-784\/","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-784","metadata":false},{"id":59299,"structure_id":14746,"section_number":"13.1-785","catch_line":"Election of status after formation","url":"\/13.1-785\/","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-785","metadata":false},{"id":80830,"structure_id":14746,"section_number":"13.1-786","catch_line":"Termination of status","url":"\/13.1-786\/","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-786","metadata":false},{"id":56480,"structure_id":14746,"section_number":"13.1-787","catch_line":"Corporate purposes","url":"\/13.1-787\/","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-787","metadata":false},{"id":67347,"structure_id":14746,"section_number":"13.1-788","catch_line":"Standard of conduct for directors","url":"\/13.1-788\/","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-788","metadata":false},{"id":81713,"structure_id":14746,"section_number":"13.1-789","catch_line":"Limitation upon liability of officers","url":"\/13.1-789\/","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-789","metadata":false},{"id":77944,"structure_id":14746,"section_number":"13.1-790","catch_line":"Right of action","url":"\/13.1-790\/","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-790","metadata":false},{"id":74425,"structure_id":14746,"section_number":"13.1-791","catch_line":"Annual benefit report","url":"\/13.1-791\/","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-791","metadata":false},{"id":67913,"structure_id":14746,"section_number":"13.1-792","catch_line":"Reserved","url":"\/13.1-792\/","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-792","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":81713,"structure_id":14746,"section_number":"13.1-789","catch_line":"Limitation upon liability of officers","url":"\/13.1-789\/","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-789","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":74425,"structure_id":14746,"section_number":"13.1-791","catch_line":"Annual benefit report","url":"\/13.1-791\/","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-791","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/13.1-790\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2011. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 698<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":74425,"section_number":"13.1-791","catch_line":"Annual benefit report","order_by":null,"url":"\/13.1-791\/"}],"permalink":{"id":150875,"object_type":"law","relational_id":77944,"identifier":"13.1-790","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-790","url":"\/13.1-790\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/13.1-790\/","token":"13.1\/9\/22\/13.1-790","dublin_core":{"Title":"Right of action","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 13.1-790","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A.<\/span> The duties of directors and officers under this article, the obligation of a benefit corporation<\/span> to prepare and make available the annual benefit report required under § 13.1-791<\/a>, and the general and any specific public benefit<\/span> purpose of a benefit corporation<\/span> may be enforced only in a benefit enforcement proceeding<\/span>. No person<\/span> may bring an action or assert a claim against a benefit corporation<\/span> or its directors or officers with respect to the duties of directors and officers under this article and the general and any specific public benefit<\/span> purpose of the benefit corporation<\/span> except in a benefit enforcement proceeding<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

B.<\/span> A benefit enforcement proceeding<\/span> may be commenced or maintained only: <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

1.<\/span> Directly by the benefit corporation<\/span>; or <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

2.<\/span> Derivatively by:\n\t\t\t\ta. A shareholder<\/span> of the benefit corporation<\/span>;\n\t\t\t\tb. A director of the benefit corporation<\/span>; or\n\t\t\t\tc. Other persons<\/span> as specified in the articles of incorporation<\/span> or bylaws of the benefit corporation<\/span>. <\/i><\/a><\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nRIGHT OF ACTION (\u00a7 13.1-790)\n\nA. The duties of directors and officers under this article, the obligation of a\nbenefit corporation to prepare and make available the annual benefit report\nrequired under § 13.1-791, and the general and any specific public benefit\npurpose of a benefit corporation may be enforced only in a benefit enforcement\nproceeding. No person may bring an action or assert a claim against a benefit\ncorporation or its directors or officers with respect to the duties of directors\nand officers under this article and the general and any specific public benefit\npurpose of the benefit corporation except in a benefit enforcement proceeding.\n\nB. A benefit enforcement proceeding may be commenced or maintained only:\n\n 1. Directly by the benefit corporation; or\n\n 2. Derivatively by:\n \t\t\t\ta. A shareholder of the benefit corporation;\n \t\t\t\tb. A director of the benefit corporation; or\n \t\t\t\tc. Other persons as specified in the articles of incorporation or bylaws\n of the benefit corporation.\n\nHISTORY: 2011, c. 698.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}