(a) Upon determining that one or more grounds exist under Section 33-31-1530(a) to revoke a certificate of authority of a foreign nonprofit corporation, the Secretary of State may serve the foreign corporation with written notice of that determination pursuant to Section 33-31-1510.

If the foreign corporation does not correct each ground for revocation or demonstrate to the reasonable satisfaction of the Secretary of State that each ground for revocation determined by the Secretary of State does not exist within sixty days after service of the notice is perfected under Section 33-31-1510, the Secretary of State shall revoke the foreign corporation's certificate of authority by signing a certificate of revocation that recites the ground or grounds for revocation and its effective date. The Secretary of State shall file the original of the certificate and serve a copy on the foreign corporation under Section 33-31-1510 and, in the case of a public benefit corporation, shall notify the Attorney General in writing.

(b) If the court of Common Pleas of Richland County determines that one or more grounds for revoking the foreign nonprofit's authority to transact business as described in Section 33-31-1530(b) exists, it may enter a decree dissolving the corporation and specifying the effective date of the dissolution, and the clerk of the court shall deliver a certified copy of the decree to the Secretary of State, who shall file it without charging any fee.

Before revoking the foreign nonprofit corporation's authority to transact business in this State, the court shall consider whether:

(1) there are reasonable alternatives to revoking the authority;

(2) revoking the authority is in the public interest, if the corporation is a public benefit corporation; and,

(3) revoking the authority is the best way of protecting the interests of members, if the corporation is a mutual benefit corporation.

The court of common pleas of Richland County may order any other form of relief which it deems proper in the circumstances.

(c) The authority of a foreign corporation to transact business in this State ceases on the date shown on the certificate revoking its certificate of authority.

(d) The Secretary of State's or Richland County Court of Common Pleas revocation of a foreign corporation's certificate of authority appoints the Secretary of State the foreign corporation's agent for service of process in any proceeding based on a cause of action that arose during the time the foreign corporation was authorized to transact business in this State. Service of process on the Secretary of State under this subsection is service on the foreign corporation. Upon receipt of process, the Secretary of State shall mail a copy of the process to the secretary of the foreign corporation at its principal office shown in its most recent notice of change of principal office or in any subsequent communications received from the corporation stating the current mailing address of its principal office, or, if none are on file, in its application for a certificate of authority.

(e) Revocation of a foreign corporation's certificate of authority does not terminate the authority of the registered agent of the corporation.

HISTORY: 1994 Act No. 384, Section 1.