Native corporation may be able to refuse to seat winning director candidate who refused to sign confidentiality agreement and code of conduct; issue was not ripe in the case.
The Eyak Corporation is the Alaska Native Village Corporation for Cordova, formed pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.[1] Eyak’s board is made up of nine members who serve staggered three-year terms; each year, three directors are up for election. Eyak’s bylaws require several qualifications to serve on the board. Only one qualification is in dispute here: “Any person who is elected or selected to be a Director shall be seated as a Director only after he or she executes an acknowledgment agreeing to comply with the Corporation’s code of conduct and executes the Corporation’s confidentiality agreement.” The requirement to execute these two documents (collectively referred to as the Agreements) has been in place since 2012.Lucas Borer previously served on the Eyak board from 1985-1989 and ran for the board again unsuccessfully in 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2018. In 2015 Borer corresponded with the chair of Eyak’s board of directors, criticizing Eyak’s bylaws and the Agreements. Eyak declined to amend its governing documents at that time.Borer ran again in 2019. At the top of the candidate application form, the qualifications for directors were clearly stated. Borer signed the form, right below a statement that read: “I understand that the information set forth above will be relied upon by The Eyak Corporation in the preparation of its election materials for the upcoming Annual Meeting of Shareholders.”
Adds precedent that influences how ANCSA corporations, regulators, and shareholders interpret governance rights and remedies.