EX-3.1 2 a09-11818_1ex3d1.htm EX-3.1

Exhibit 3.1

 

AMENDMENT TO

AMENDED AND RESTATED BY-LAWS

OF

EXACT SCIENCES CORPORATION

 

Article I, Section 1.10 of the Amended and Restated By-laws of EXACT SCIENCES CORPORATION is hereby deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following:

 

“1.10.   INTRODUCTION OF BUSINESS AT MEETINGS.

 

A.                                    ANNUAL MEETINGS OF STOCKHOLDERS.

 

(1)                                  Nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors and the proposal of other business to be considered by the stockholders may be made at an annual meeting of stockholders (a) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (b) by any stockholder of the Corporation who was a stockholder of record at the time of giving of notice provided for in this Section 1.10, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 1.10.  For the avoidance of doubt, the foregoing clause (b) shall be the exclusive means for a stockholder to bring nominations or business properly before an annual meeting of stockholders (other than matters properly brought under Rule 14a-8 (or any successor rule) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), and such stockholder must comply with the notice and other procedures set forth in Section 1.10 of this By-law to bring such nominations or business properly before an annual meeting of stockholders.

 

(2)                                  For nominations or other business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder pursuant to clause (b) of paragraph (A)(1) of this Section 1.10, (i) the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation, (ii) the stockholder must have provided any updates or supplements to such notice at the times and in the forms required by this Section 1.10, (iii) the stockholder, together with the beneficial owner(s), if any, on whose behalf the nomination or business proposal is made, must have acted in accordance with the representations set forth in the Solicitation Statement (as defined below) required by this Section 1.10 and (iv) the business proposed by the stockholder must otherwise be a proper matter for stockholder action.  To be timely, a stockholder’s written notice shall be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the ninetieth (90th) day nor earlier than the close of business on the one hundred twentieth (120th) day prior to the first anniversary of the date of the preceding year’s annual meeting, provided, however, that if either (i) the date of the annual meeting is more than thirty (30) days before or more than sixty (60) days after the first anniversary date of the preceding year’s annual meeting or (ii) no annual meeting of stockholders were held in the preceding year, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so received not earlier than the close of business on the ninetieth (90th) day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the sixtieth (60th) day prior to such annual meeting or the close of business on the tenth (10th) day

 


 

following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made by the Corporation.  Such stockholder’s written notice shall set forth:

 

(a)                                  as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a director, all information relating to such person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of directors, or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange (including such person’s written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected);

 

(b)                                 as to any other business that the stockholder proposes to bring before the meeting, a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting, the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting and any material interest in such business of each Proposing Person (as defined below);

 

(c)                                  (i) the name and address of the stockholder giving the notice, as they appear on the Corporation’s books, and the names and addresses of the other Proposing Persons (if any) and (ii) as to each Proposing Person the following information: (A) the class or series and number of all shares of capital stock of the Corporation which are, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially or of record by such Proposing Person or any of its affiliates or associates (as such terms are defined in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under the Exchange Act), including any shares of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation as to which such Proposing Person or any of its affiliates or associates has a right to acquire beneficial ownership at any time in the future, (B) all Synthetic Equity Interests (as defined below) in which such Proposing Person or any of its affiliates or associates, directly or indirectly, holds an interest including a description of the material terms of each such Synthetic Equity Interest, including without limitation, identification of the counterparty to each such Synthetic Equity Interest and disclosure, for each such Synthetic Equity Interest, as to (x) whether or not such Synthetic Equity Interest conveys any voting rights, directly or indirectly, in such shares to such Proposing Person, (y) whether or not such Synthetic Equity Interest is required to be, or is capable of being, settled through delivery of such shares and (z) whether or not such Proposing Person and/or, to the extent known, the counterparty to such Synthetic Equity Interest has entered into other transactions that hedge or mitigate the economic effect of such Synthetic Equity Interest, (C) any proxy (other than a revocable proxy given in response to a public proxy solicitation made pursuant to, and in accordance with, the Exchange Act), agreement, arrangement, understanding or relationship pursuant to which such Proposing Person has or shares a right to, directly or indirectly, vote any shares of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation, (D) any rights to dividends or other distributions on the shares of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation, directly or indirectly, owned beneficially by such Proposing Person that are separated or separable from the underlying shares of the Corporation, and (E) any performance-related fees (other than an asset based fee) that such Proposing Person, directly or indirectly, is entitled to based on any increase or decrease in the value of shares of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation or any Synthetic Equity Interests (the disclosures to be made pursuant to the foregoing subclauses (A) through (E) are referred to, collectively, as “Material Ownership Interests”) and (iii) a description of

 

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the material terms of all agreements, arrangements or understandings (whether or not in writing) entered into by any Proposing Person or any of its affiliates or associates with any other person for the purpose of acquiring, holding, disposing or voting of any shares of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation;

 

(d)                                 (i) a description of all agreements, arrangements or understandings by and among any of the Proposing Persons, or by and among any Proposing Persons and any other person (including with any proposed nominees), pertaining to the nomination(s) or other business proposed to be brought before the meeting of stockholders (which description shall identify the name of each other person who is party to such an agreement, arrangement or understanding), and (ii) identification of the names and addresses of other stockholders (including beneficial owners) known by any of the Proposing Persons to support such nominations or other business proposal(s), and to the extent known the class and number of all shares of the Corporation’s capital stock owned beneficially or of record by such other stockholder(s) or other beneficial owner(s); and

 

(e)                                  a statement whether or not the stockholder giving the notice and/or the other Proposing Person(s), if any, will deliver a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of, in the case of a business proposal, at least the percentage of voting power of all of the shares of capital stock of the Corporation required under applicable law to approve the proposal or, in the case of a nomination or nominations, at least the percentage of voting power of all of the shares of capital stock of the Corporation reasonably believed by such Proposing Person to be sufficient to elect the nominee or nominees proposed to be nominated by such stockholder (such statement, the “Solicitation Statement”).

 

For purposes of this Section 1.10 of these By-laws, the term “Proposing Person” shall mean the following persons: (i) the stockholder of record providing the notice of nominations or business proposed to be brought before a stockholders’ meeting, and (ii) the beneficial owner(s), if different, on whose behalf the nominations or business proposed to be brought before a stockholders’ meeting is made.  For purposes of this Section 1.10 of these By-laws, the term “Synthetic Equity Interest” shall mean any transaction, agreement or arrangement (or series of transactions, agreements or arrangements), including, without limitation, any derivative, swap, hedge, repurchase or so-called “stock borrowing” agreement or arrangement, the purpose or effect of which is to, directly or indirectly:  (a) give a person or entity economic benefit and/or risk similar to ownership of shares of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation, in whole or in part, including due to the fact that such transaction, agreement or arrangement provides, directly or indirectly, the opportunity to profit or avoid a loss from any increase or decrease in the value of any shares of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation, (b) mitigate loss to, reduce the economic risk of or manage the risk of share price changes for, any person or entity with respect to any shares of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation, (c) in any manner otherwise provide the opportunity to profit or avoid a loss from any decrease in the value of any shares of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation, or (d) increase or decrease the voting power of any person or entity with respect to any shares of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation.

 

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(3)                                  A stockholder providing timely notice of nominations or business proposed to be brought before a meeting of stockholders shall further update and supplement such notice, if necessary, so that the information (including, without limitation, the Material Ownership Interests information) provided or required to be provided in such notice pursuant to this By-law shall be true and correct as of the record date for the meeting and as of the date that is ten (10) business days prior to such meeting of stockholders, and such update and supplement shall be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the fifth (5th) business day after the record date for the meeting (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of the record date), and not later than the close of business on the eighth (8th) business day prior to the date for the meeting (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of ten (10) business days prior to the meeting).

 

(4)                                  Notwithstanding anything in the second sentence of paragraph (A)(2) of this Section 1.10 to the contrary, in the event that the number of directors to be elected to the Board of Directors of the Corporation is increased and there is no public announcement by the Corporation naming all of the nominees for director or specifying the size of the increased Board of Directors at least seventy (70) days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting (or, if the annual meeting is held more than thirty (30) days before or sixty (60) days after such anniversary date, at least seventy (70) days prior to such annual meeting), a stockholder’s notice required by this Section 1.10 shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if it shall be received by the Secretary at the principal executive office of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the tenth (10th) day following the day on which such public announcement is first made by the Corporation.

 

B.                                    SPECIAL MEETINGS OF STOCKHOLDERS.

 

Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting.  Nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors may be made at a special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting (a) by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or (b) provided that the Board of Directors has determined that directors shall be elected at such meeting, by any stockholder of the Corporation who is a stockholder of record at the time of giving of notice of the special meeting, who shall be entitled to vote at the meeting and who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 1.10 (including the procedures to update and supplement the notice).  If the Corporation calls a special meeting of stockholders for the purpose of electing one or more directors to the Board of Directors, any such stockholder may nominate a person or persons (as the case may be), for election to such position(s) as specified in the Corporation’s notice of meeting, if (i) such stockholder delivers written notice thereof to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not earlier than the ninetieth (90th) day prior to such special

 

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meeting nor later than the later of (x) the close of business on the sixtieth (60th) day prior to such special meeting or (y) the close of business on the tenth (10th) day following the day on which public announcement is first made of the date of such special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board of Directors to be elected at such meeting, (ii) such stockholder’s written notice includes the information required to be provided in subparagraphs (a), (c), (d) and (e) of paragraph (A)(2) of this Section 1.10, and (iii) such stockholder has provided updates or supplements (if any) to such notice at the times and in the forms required by paragraph (A)(3) of this Section 1.10.  For the avoidance of doubt, for a stockholder to bring nominations before a special meeting of stockholders, such stockholder must comply with the notice and other procedures set forth in this Section 1.10 and this shall be the exclusive means for a stockholder to bring such nominations properly before a special meeting.

 

C.                                    GENERAL.

 

(1)                                  Only such persons who are nominated in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 1.10 shall be eligible to serve as directors and only such business shall be conducted at a meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the meeting in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 1.10.  Except as otherwise provided by law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By-Laws, the chairman of the meeting shall have the power and duty to determine whether a nomination or any business proposed to be brought before the meeting was made or proposed, as the case may be, in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section 1.10 and, if any proposed nomination or business is not in compliance herewith, to declare that such defective proposal or nomination shall be disregarded.

 

(2)                                  In no event shall the adjournment, postponement or rescheduling of any previously scheduled meeting of stockholders commence a new time period for the giving of a stockholder’s notice under this Section 1.10.  For purposes of this Section 1.10, “public announcement” shall mean disclosure in a press release reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press, PR Newswire, Reuters or comparable national news service or in a document publicly filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

 

(3)                                  Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 1.10, a stockholder shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth herein. Nothing in this Section 1.10 shall be deemed to affect any rights of (i) stockholders to have proposals included in the Corporation’s proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 (or any successor rule) under the Exchange Act and, to the extent required by such Rule, have such proposals considered and voted on at an annual meeting of stockholders or (ii) the holders of any series of Preferred Stock to elect directors under specified circumstances.”

 

 

Adopted and effective as of April 24, 2009.

 

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