55-7-46. Payment of expenses.
On termination of the derivative proceeding, the court may:
(1) Order the corporation to pay the plaintiff's reasonable expenses, including attorneys' fees, incurred in the proceeding if it finds that the proceeding has resulted in a substantial benefit to the corporation;
(2) Order the plaintiff to pay any defendant's reasonable expenses, including attorneys' fees, incurred in defending the proceeding if it finds that the proceeding was commenced or maintained without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose; or
(3) Order a party to pay an opposing party's reasonable expenses, including attorneys' fees, incurred as a result of the filing of a pleading, motion, or other paper, if the court, after reasonable inquiry, finds that the pleading, motion, or other paper was not well grounded in fact or was not warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law, and that it was interposed for an improper purpose, such as to harass or to cause unnecessary delay or needless increase in the cost of litigation. (1995, c. 149, s. 1.)
Structure North Carolina General Statutes
North Carolina General Statutes
Chapter 55 - North Carolina Business Corporation Act
§ 55-7-03 - Court-ordered meeting.
§ 55-7-04 - Action without meeting.
§ 55-7-05 - Notice of meeting.
§ 55-7-09 - Remote participation in meetings; meetings held solely by remote participation.
§ 55-7-20 - Shareholders' list for meeting.
§ 55-7-21 - Voting entitlement of shares.
§ 55-7-21.1 - Rights of holders of debt securities.
§ 55-7-23 - Shares held by nominees.
§ 55-7-24 - Corporation's acceptance of votes.
§ 55-7-25 - Quorum and voting requirements for voting groups.
§ 55-7-26 - Action by single and multiple voting groups.
§ 55-7-27 - Greater quorum or voting requirements.
§ 55-7-28 - Voting for directors; cumulative voting.
§ 55-7-31 - Shareholders' agreements.
§ 55-7-40 - Shareholders' derivative actions.
§ 55-7-43 - Stay of proceedings.
§ 55-7-45 - Discontinuance or settlement.
§ 55-7-46 - Payment of expenses.
§ 55-7-47 - Applicability to foreign corporations.
§ 55-7-48 - Suits against directors of public corporations.