EX-4 15 certofincorp.txt EXHIBIT 1 OF FORM 8K 2-18-03 Exhibit 99.12 Exhibit 1 CERTIFICATION OF INCORPORATION OF Ferrellgas Finance Corp., Inc. The undersigned, for the purpose of incorporating and organizing a corporation under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, hereby adopts the following Articles of Incorporation: FIRST: The name of the corporation is FERRELLGAS FINANCE CORP. SECOND: The address of the corporation's initial registered office in the State of Delaware is 1209 Orange Street, in the city of Wilmington, County of New Castle, Delaware 19801. The name of the corporation's initial registered agent at such address is The Corporation Trust Company. THIRD: The purpose of the corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware. FOURTH: The corporation shall have authority to issue 2000 shares of Common Stock having a par value of $1.00 per share. FIFTH: The name and mailing address of the incorporator is Trenton D. Hampton, One Liberty Plaza, Liberty, Missouri 64068. SIXTH: The name of the person who is to serve as the sole director until the first annual meeting of stockholders, or until his successor is elected and shall qualify, is James E. Ferrell, whose mailing address is One Liberty Plaza, Liberty, Missouri 64068. SEVENTH: The duration of the corporation is perpetual. EIGHTH: 1. ELIMINATION OF CERTAIN LIABILITY OF DIRECTORS. 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, except for liability (i) for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. If the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware is amended subsequent to the date hereof to authorize corporate action further limiting or eliminating the personal liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the corporation shall be limited or eliminated to the fullest extent permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as so amended. Any repeal or modification of the foregoing paragraph by the stockholders of the corporation shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a director of the corporation existing at the time of such repeal or modification. 1 2. INDEMNIFICATION AND INSURANCE. (a) Right to Indemnification. Each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is involved in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (hereinafter a "proceeding"), by reason of the fact that he or she, or a person of whom he or she is the legal representative, 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 or other enterprise, including service with respect to employee benefit plans, whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, shall be indemnified and held harmless by the corporation to the fullest extent authorized by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, 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), against all expense, liability and loss (including attorneys' fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties and amounts paid or to be paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such person in connection therewith and such indemnification shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors and administrators: provided, however, that except as provided in paragraph (b) hereof, the corporation shall indemnify any such person seeking indemnification in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such person only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the board of directors of the corporation. The right to indemnification conferred in this Section shall be a contract right and shall include the right to be paid by the corporation the expenses incurred in defending any such proceeding in advance of its final disposition: provided, however, that, if the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware requires, the payment of such expenses incurred by a director or officer in his or her capacity as a director or officer (and not in any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such person while a director or officer, including, without limitation, service to an employee benefit plan) in advance of the final disposition of a proceeding, shall be made only upon delivery to the corporation of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such director or officer, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined that such director or officer is not entitled to be indemnified under this Section or otherwise. The corporation may, by action of its Board of Directors, provide indemnification to employees and agents of the corporation with the same scope and effect as the foregoing indemnification of directors and officers. 2 (b) Right of Claimant to Bring Suit. If a claim under paragraph (a) of this Section is not paid in full by the corporation within thirty days after a written claim has been received by the corporation, the claimant may at any time thereafter bring suit against the corporation to recover the unpaid amount of the claim and, if successful in whole or in part, the claimant shall be entitled to be paid also the expense of prosecuting such claim. It shall be a defense to any such action (other than an action brought to enforce a claim for expenses incurred in defending any proceeding in advance of its final disposition where the required undertaking, if any is required, has been tendered to the corporation) that the claimant has not met the standards of conduct which make it permissible under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware to indemnify the claimant for the amount claimed, but the burden of proving such defense shall be on the corporation. Neither the failure of the corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such action that indemnification of the claimant is proper in the circumstances because he or she has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, nor an actual determination by the corporation (including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) that the claimant has not met such applicable standard or conduct, shall be a defense to the action or create a presumption that the claimant has not met the applicable standard of conduct. (c) Non-Exclusivity of Rights. The right to indemnification and the payment of expenses incurred in defending a proceeding in advance of its final disposition conferred in this Section shall not be exclusive of any other right which any person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, provision of the Certificate of Incorporation, by-law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise. (d) Insurance. The corporation may at its option maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect itself and any director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any such expense, liability or loss, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware. NINTH: The Board of Directors of the corporation is authorized and empowered to make, alter, amend or repeal any or all of the Bylaws of the corporation, subject to the power of the stockholders of the corporation to make, alter, amend or repeal any or all of the Bylaws of the corporation. TENTH: The Corporation reserves the right at any time and from time to time to amend, alter, change, or repeal any provision contained in these Articles of Incorporation, in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by law; and all rights conferred upon stockholders, directors, or any other persons whomsoever by and pursuant to these Articles of Incorporation in their present form or as hereafter amended are granted subject to this reservation. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has hereunto set his hand this 16th day of January, 2003. /s/ Trenton D. Hampton, Incorporator ---------------------------------------------- Trenton D. Hampton, Incorporator