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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>56361</law_id><section_number>13.1-875</section_number><catch_line>Definitions</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>38.2-2702</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="13.1">Corporations</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="10">Virginia Nonstock Corporation Act</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="9">Indemnification</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>In this article:
		&#x201C;Corporation&#x201D; includes any <span class="dictionary">domestic corporation</span> and any domestic or foreign predecessor <span class="dictionary">entity</span> of a <span class="dictionary">domestic corporation</span> in a merger or other transaction in which the predecessor&#x2019;s existence ceased upon consummation of the transaction.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Director</span>&#x201D; or &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">officer</span>&#x201D; means an <span class="dictionary">individual</span> who is or was a <span class="dictionary">director</span> or <span class="dictionary">officer</span>, respectively, of a corporation or who, while a <span class="dictionary">director</span> or <span class="dictionary">officer</span> of the corporation, is or was serving at the corporation&#x2019;s request as a <span class="dictionary">director</span>, <span class="dictionary">officer</span>, manager, partner, trustee, employee, or agent of another foreign or <span class="dictionary">domestic corporation</span>, limited <span class="dictionary">liability</span> company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan, or other <span class="dictionary">entity</span>. A <span class="dictionary">director</span> or <span class="dictionary">officer</span> is considered to be serving an employee benefit plan at the corporation&#x2019;s request if such <span class="dictionary">person</span>&#x2019;s duties to the corporation also impose duties on, or otherwise involve services by, such <span class="dictionary">person</span> to the plan or to participants in or beneficiaries of the plan. &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Director</span>&#x201D; or &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">officer</span>&#x201D; includes, unless the context requires otherwise, the estate or personal representative of a <span class="dictionary">director</span> or <span class="dictionary">officer</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Expenses</span>&#x201D; includes <span class="dictionary">counsel</span> fees.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Liability</span>&#x201D; means the obligation to pay a <span class="dictionary">judgment</span>, <span class="dictionary">settlement</span>, <span class="dictionary">penalty</span>, fine, including any excise tax assessed with respect to an employee benefit plan, or reasonable <span class="dictionary">expenses</span> incurred with respect to a <span class="dictionary">proceeding</span>.
		&#x201C;Official capacity&#x201D; means, (i) when used with respect to a <span class="dictionary">director</span>, the office of <span class="dictionary">director</span> in a corporation; or (ii) when used with respect to an <span class="dictionary">officer</span>, as contemplated in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Indemnification of officers" href="/13.1-881/">13.1-881</a>, the office in a corporation held by the <span class="dictionary">officer</span>. &#x201C;Official capacity&#x201D; does not include service for any other foreign or <span class="dictionary">domestic corporation</span> or any partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan, or other <span class="dictionary">entity</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Party</span>&#x201D; means an <span class="dictionary">individual</span> who was, is, or is threatened to be made a named <span class="dictionary">defendant</span> or respondent in a <span class="dictionary">proceeding</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Proceeding</span>&#x201D; means any threatened, pending, or completed action, suit, or <span class="dictionary">proceeding</span>, whether civil, criminal, administrative, arbitrative, or investigative and whether formal or informal.</p></section></text><history>1985, c. 522; 2007, c. 925; 2009, c. 587.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
