EX-3.1 2 a2241998zex-3_1.htm EX-3.1

Exhibit 3.1

 

SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED

 

CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

 

OF

 

NIKOLA CORPORATION

 

ARTICLE I

 

The name of the Corporation is Nikola Corporation (the “Corporation”).

 

ARTICLE II

 

The address of the registered office of the Corporation in Delaware is 16192 Coastal Highway, Lewes, DE 19958, County of Sussex, and the name of its registered agent at that address is Harvard Business Services, Inc.

 

ARTICLE III

 

The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which a corporation may be organized under the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”).

 

ARTICLE IV

 

A.            Classes of Stock.  The total number of shares of all classes of capital stock that the Corporation shall have authority to issue is seven hundred fifty million (750,000,000), of which six hundred million (600,000,000) shares shall be Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), and of which one hundred fifty million (150,000,000) shares shall be Preferred Stock, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Preferred Stock”). The number of authorized shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock, without a vote of the holders of the Preferred Stock, or of any series thereof, unless a vote of any such Preferred Stock holders is required pursuant to the provisions established by the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board of Directors”) in the resolution or resolutions providing for the issue of such Preferred Stock, and if such holders of such Preferred Stock are so entitled to vote thereon, then, except as may otherwise be set forth in the certificate of incorporation of the Corporation, the only stockholder approval required shall be the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the Common Stock and the Preferred Stock so entitled to vote, voting together as a single class.

 

B.            Preferred Stock. The Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series, as determined by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is expressly

 

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authorized to provide for the issue, in one or more series, of all or any of the remaining shares of Preferred Stock and, in the resolution or resolutions providing for such issue, to establish for each such series the number of its shares, the voting powers, full or limited, of the shares of such series, or that such shares shall have no voting powers, and the designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights of the shares of such series, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof. The Board of Directors is also expressly authorized (unless forbidden in the resolution or resolutions providing for such issue) to increase or decrease (but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding) the number of shares of any series subsequent to the issuance of shares of that series. In case the number of shares of any such series shall be so decreased, the shares constituting such decrease shall resume the status that they had prior to the adoption of the resolution originally fixing the number of shares of such series.

 

C.            Common Stock.

 

1.             Relative Rights of Preferred Stock and Common Stock. All preferences, voting powers, relative, participating, optional or other special rights and privileges, and qualifications, limitations, or restrictions of the Common Stock are expressly made subject and subordinate to those that may be fixed with respect to any shares of the Preferred Stock.

 

2.             Voting Rights. Except as otherwise required by law or the certificate of incorporation of the Corporation, each holder of Common Stock shall have one vote in respect of each share of stock held by such holder of record on the books of the Corporation for the election of directors and on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders of the Corporation.

 

3.             Dividends. Subject to the preferential rights of the Preferred Stock, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors, out of the assets of the Corporation which are by law available therefor, dividends payable either in cash, in property or in shares of capital stock.

 

4.             Dissolution, Liquidation or Winding Up. In the event of any dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the affairs of the Corporation, after distribution in full of the preferential amounts, if any, to be distributed to the holders of shares of the Preferred Stock, holders of Common Stock shall be entitled, unless otherwise provided by law or the certificate of incorporation of the Corporation, to receive all of the remaining assets of the Corporation of whatever kind available for distribution to stockholders ratably in proportion to the number of shares of Common Stock held by them respectively.

 

ARTICLE V

 

In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred by the laws of the State of Delaware:

 

A.            The Board of Directors is expressly authorized to adopt, amend or repeal the bylaws of the Corporation, without any action on the part of the stockholders, by the vote of at least a majority of the directors of the Corporation then in office. In addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of stock of the Corporation required by law or the certificate of incorporation

 

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of the Corporation, the bylaws may also be adopted, amended or repealed by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of the shares of the capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote in the election of directors, voting as one class.

 

B.            Elections of directors need not be by written ballot unless the bylaws of the Corporation shall so provide.

 

C.            The books of the Corporation may be kept at such place within or without the State of Delaware as the bylaws of the Corporation may provide or as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors.

 

ARTICLE VI

 

A.            The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by a Board of Directors. The authorized number of directors of the Corporation shall be fixed in the manner provided in the bylaws of the Corporation. Other than for those directors elected by the holders of any series of Preferred Stock, which shall be as provided for or fixed pursuant to the provisions of Article IV, Paragraph B hereof, each director shall serve until his or her successor shall be duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation, removal from office, death or incapacity.

 

B.            Subject to the rights of the holders of any series of Preferred Stock then outstanding, newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the authorized number of directors or any vacancies in the Board of Directors resulting from death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal from office or other cause shall be filled solely by a majority vote of the directors then in office, although less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director. If there are no directors in office, then an election of directors may be held in the manner provided by statute. Directors chosen pursuant to any of the foregoing provisions shall hold office until their successors are duly elected and qualified or until their earlier resignation or removal. No decrease in the number of directors constituting the Board of Directors shall shorten the term of any incumbent director. In the event of a vacancy in the Board of Directors, the remaining directors, except as otherwise provided by law, or by the certificate of incorporation or the bylaws of the corporation, may exercise the powers of the full Board of Directors until the vacancy is filled.

 

ARTICLE VII

 

A.            No action required or permitted to be taken at any annual or special meeting of the stockholders may be taken without a meeting and the power of stockholders to consent in writing, without a meeting, to the taking of any action is specifically denied.

 

B.            Special meetings of the stockholders of the Corporation may be called by such persons as provided in the bylaws of the Corporation.

 

C.            Advance notice of stockholder nominations for the election of directors and of business to be brought by stockholders before any meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation shall be given in the manner and to the extent provided in the bylaws of the Corporation.

 

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D.            Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if that court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, another federal or state court situated in the State of Delaware) shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation’s stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of capital stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this Article VII, Paragraph D.

 

E.            Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of capital stock of the corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this Article VII, Paragraph E.

 

ARTICLE VIII

 

A.            Limitation on Liability. To the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as the same exists or as may hereafter be amended (including, but not limited to Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL), a director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director. If the DGCL hereafter is amended to further eliminate or limit the liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Corporation, in addition to the limitation on personal liability provided herein, shall be limited to the fullest extent permitted by the amended DGCL. Any repeal or modification of this paragraph by the stockholders of the Corporation shall be prospective only, and shall not adversely affect any limitation on the personal liability of a director of the Corporation existing at the time of such repeal or modification.

 

B.            Indemnification. Each person who is or was a director or officer of the Corporation or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise (including the heirs, executors, administrators or estate of such person), shall be indemnified and advanced expenses by the Corporation, in accordance with the bylaws of the Corporation, to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights than said law permitted the Corporation to provide prior to such amendment), or any other applicable laws as presently or hereinafter in effect. The right to indemnification and advancement of expenses hereunder shall not be exclusive of any other right that any person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, provision of the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the Corporation, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise.

 

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C.            Insurance. The Corporation may, to the fullest extent permitted by law, purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss incurred by such person in any such capacity or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.

 

D.            Repeal and Modification. Any repeal or modification of the foregoing provisions of this Article VIII shall not adversely affect any right or protection existing hereunder immediately prior to such repeal or modification.

 

ARTICLE IX

 

The affirmative vote of the holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66-2/3%) of the voting power of the shares of the capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, shall be required to amend in any respect or repeal this Article IX, Paragraph A of Article V, or Articles VI, VII or VIII.

 

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