183.1010(4)(a)1.
1. The date on which the foreign limited liability company receives the mail.
183.1010(4)(a)2.
2. The date shown on the return receipt, if signed on behalf of the foreign limited liability company.
183.1010(4)(a)3.
3. Five days after the mail is deposited in the U.S. mail, if mailed postpaid and correctly addressed.
183.1010(4)(b)
(b) Except as provided in
s. 183.1021 (2g) (b), if the address of the foreign limited liability company's principal office cannot be determined from the records of the department, the foreign limited liability company may be served by publishing a class 3 notice, under
ch. 985, in the community where the foreign limited liability company's principal office or, if not in this state, its registered office, as most recently designated in the records of the department, is located.
183.1010(5)
(5) This section does not limit or affect the right to serve any process, notice or demand required or permitted by law to be served upon a foreign limited liability company in any other manner permitted by law.
183.1011
183.1011
Withdrawal of registration. 183.1011(1)
(1) A foreign limited liability company authorized to transact business in this state may not withdraw from this state until it obtains a certificate of withdrawal from the department.
183.1011(2)
(2) A foreign limited liability company authorized to transact business in this state may apply for a certificate of withdrawal by delivering an application to the department for filing. The application shall include all of the following:
183.1011(2)(a)
(a) The name of the foreign limited liability company and the name of the state or jurisdiction under whose laws it is organized.
183.1011(2)(b)
(b) A statement that the foreign limited liability company is not transacting business in this state and that it surrenders its authority to transact business in this state.
183.1011(2)(c)
(c) A statement that the foreign limited liability company revokes the authority of its registered agent to accept service on its behalf and that it consents to service of process under
s. 183.1010 (3) and
(4) in any civil, criminal, administrative or investigatory proceeding based on a cause of action arising while it was authorized to transact business in this state.
183.1011(2)(d)
(d) An address to which a person may mail a copy of any process against the foreign limited liability company.
183.1011(2)(e)
(e) A commitment to notify the department in the future of any change in the mailing address of the foreign limited liability company principal office.
183.1011 History
History: 1993 a. 112;
1995 a. 27.
183.1011 Annotation
When the legislature provides a specific default term on a topic and the operating agreement does not explicitly refer to that topic, it is reasonable to conclude the parties did not intend to override that default term. If an operating agreement is ambiguous as to whether the members intended to override a particular statutory default term, the statutory default term governs. An operating agreement that does not refer to voting on any particular matter does not explicitly address voting to authorize an action on behalf of an LLC and does not override sub. (1). Lenticular Europe, LLC v. Cunnally,
2005 WI App 33,
279 Wis. 2d 385,
693 N.W.2d 302,
04-1054.
183.1020
183.1020
Grounds for revocation. 183.1020(1)
(1) Except as provided in
sub. (2), the department may bring a proceeding under
s. 183.1021 to revoke the certificate of registration of a foreign limited liability company registered to transact business in this state if any of the following applies:
183.1020(1)(a)
(a) The foreign limited liability company fails to file its annual report with the department within 4 months after it is due.
183.1020(1)(b)
(b) The foreign limited liability company does not pay, within 4 months after they are due, any fees or penalties due the department under this chapter.
183.1020(1)(c)
(c) The foreign limited liability company is without a registered agent or registered office in this state for at least 6 months.
183.1020(1)(d)
(d) The foreign limited liability company does not inform the department under
s. 183.1008 or
183.1009 that its registered agent or registered office has changed, that its registered agent has resigned or that its registered office has been discontinued, within 6 months of the change, resignation or discontinuance.
183.1020(1)(e)
(e) The foreign limited liability company obtained its certificate of registration through fraud.
183.1020(1)(f)
(f) The department receives an authenticated certificate from the secretary of state or other official having custody of limited liability company records in the state or country under whose law the foreign limited liability company is incorporated stating that it has been dissolved or disappeared as the result of a merger.
183.1020(2)
(2) If the department receives a certificate under
sub. (1) (f) and a statement by the foreign limited liability company that the certificate is submitted by the foreign limited liability company to terminate its registration to transact business in this state, the department shall revoke the foreign limited liability company's certificate of registration under
s. 183.1021 (2) (b).
183.1020(3)
(3) A court may revoke under
s. 946.87 the certificate of registration of a foreign limited liability company registered to transact business in this state. The court shall notify the department of the action, and the department shall revoke the foreign limited liability company's certificate of registration under
s. 183.1021 (2) (b).
183.1020 History
History: 1995 a. 27;
2001 a. 44.
183.1021
183.1021
Procedure for and effect of revocation. 183.1021(1)
(1) If the department determines that one or more grounds exist under
s. 183.1020 (1) for revocation of a certificate of registration, the department shall give the foreign limited liability company written notice of the determination by first class mail, addressed to the foreign limited liability company's registered office.
183.1021(2)(a)(a) Within 60 days after the notice takes effect, the foreign limited liability company shall correct each ground for revocation or demonstrate to the reasonable satisfaction of the department that each ground determined by the department does not exist.
183.1021(2)(b)
(b) If the foreign limited liability company fails to satisfy
par. (a), the department may revoke the foreign limited liability company's certificate of registration by entering a notation in the department's records to reflect each ground for revocation and the effective date of the revocation. The department shall give written notice of those facts to the foreign limited liability company by first class mail, addressed to the foreign limited liability company's registered office.
183.1021(2g)(a)(a) If a notice under
sub. (1) or
(2) (b) is returned to the department as undeliverable, the department shall again give written notice to the foreign limited liability company, addressed to the principal office of the foreign limited liability company.
183.1021(2g)(b)
(b) If the notice under
par. (a) is returned to the department as undeliverable or if the foreign limited liability company's principal office cannot be determined from the records of the department, the department shall give the notice by publishing a class 1 notice under
ch. 985 in the official state newspaper.
183.1021(2r)(b)
(b) Five days after its deposit in the U.S. mail, if mailed postpaid and correctly addressed.
183.1021(2r)(c)
(c) On the date shown on the return receipt, if sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, and the receipt is signed by or on behalf of the addressee.
183.1021(3)
(3) The authority of a foreign limited liability company to transact business in this state, other than as provided in
s. 183.1002 (2), ends on the effective date of revocation of its certificate of registration as reflected in the records of the department.
183.1021(4)
(4) If the department or a court revokes a foreign limited liability company's certificate of registration, the foreign limited liability company may be served under
s. 183.1010 (3) and
(4) or the foreign limited liability company's registered agent may be served until the registered agent's authority is terminated, in any civil, criminal, administrative or investigatory proceeding based on a cause of action which arose while the foreign limited liability company was registered to transact business in this state.
183.1021(5)
(5) Revocation of a foreign limited liability company's certificate of registration does not terminate the authority of its registered agent.
183.1021 History
History: 1995 a. 27;
2001 a. 44;
2011 a. 234.
183.1022
183.1022
Appeal from revocation. 183.1022(1)
(1) A foreign limited liability company may appeal the department's revocation of its certificate of registration under
s. 183.1020 (1) to the circuit court for the county where the foreign limited liability company's principal office or, if none in this state, its registered office is located, within 30 days after notice of revocation takes effect under
s. 183.1021 (2r). The foreign limited liability company shall appeal by petitioning the court to set aside the revocation and attaching to the petition copies of its certificate of registration and the department's notice of revocation.
183.1022(2)
(2) The court may order the department to reinstate the certificate of registration or may take any other action that the court considers appropriate.
183.1022(3)
(3) The court's final decision may be appealed as in other civil proceedings.
183.1022 History
History: 1995 a. 27;
2001 a. 44.
SUITS BY AND AGAINST
A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
183.1101
183.1101
Authority to sue on behalf of limited liability company. 183.1101(1)(1) Unless otherwise provided in an operating agreement, an action on behalf of a limited liability company may be brought in the name of the limited liability company by one or more members of the limited liability company, whether or not the management of the limited liability company is vested in one or more managers, if the members are authorized to sue by the affirmative vote as described in
s. 183.0404 (1) (a), except that the vote of any member who has an interest in the outcome of the action that is adverse to the interest of the limited liability company shall be excluded.
183.1101(2)
(2) In an action brought on behalf of a limited liability company, the member bringing the action shall be a member at the time of bringing the action and at the time of the transaction which is the subject of the action or the person's status as a member devolved upon that person by operation of law or under the terms of an operating agreement from a person who was a member at the time of the transaction.
183.1101(3)
(3) In an action brought on behalf of a limited liability company, the complaint shall describe with particularity the authorization of the member to bring the action and the determination of the authorization.
183.1101(4)
(4) If an action brought on behalf of a limited liability company is successful, in whole or in part, as a result of a judgment, compromise or settlement of the action, the court may award the member bringing the action reasonable expenses, including reasonable attorney fees, from any recovery in the action or from the limited liability company.
183.1101 History
History: 1993 a. 112;
1995 a. 400.
183.1102
183.1102
Effect of lack of authority to sue. The lack of authority of a member to sue on behalf of a limited liability company may not be asserted by the limited liability company as a basis for bringing a subsequent suit on the same cause of action.
183.1102 History
History: 1993 a. 112;
1995 a. 400.
MERGER; CONVERSION
183.1200
183.1200
Definitions. In this subchapter:
183.1200(1)
(1) "Business entity" means a domestic business entity and a foreign business entity.
183.1200(2)
(2) "Domestic business entity" means a corporation, as defined in
s. 180.0103 (5), a domestic limited liability company, a limited partnership, as defined in
s. 179.01 (7), or a corporation, as defined in
s. 181.0103 (5).
183.1200(3)
(3) "Foreign business entity" means a foreign limited liability company, a foreign limited partnership, as defined in
s. 179.01 (4), a foreign corporation, as defined in
s. 180.0103 (9), or a foreign corporation, as defined in
s. 181.0103 (13).
183.1200 History
History: 2001 a. 44.
183.1201(1)(1) Unless the context requires otherwise, in this subchapter, "limited liability company" includes a domestic limited liability company and a foreign limited liability company.
183.1201(2)
(2) Unless otherwise provided in an operating agreement, one or more limited liability companies may merge with or into one or more other business entities if the merger is permitted under the applicable laws of the jurisdiction that governs each such other business entity and each business entity approves the plan of merger in the manner required by the laws applicable to the business entity.
183.1201(3)
(3) Interests in a limited liability company that is a party to a merger may be exchanged for or converted into cash, property, shares, obligations of or interests in the surviving business entity, or of any other business entity.
183.1201 History
History: 1993 a. 112;
2001 a. 44.
183.1202(1)(1) Unless otherwise provided in an operating agreement and except as provided in
s. 180.11045 (2), a limited liability company that is a party to a proposed merger shall approve the plan of merger by an affirmative vote of members as described in
s. 183.0404 (1) (a). Unless otherwise provided in an operating agreement or waived by the members, a limited liability company may obtain the approving vote of its members only after providing the members with not less than 10 nor more than 50 days' written notice of its intent to merge accompanied by the plan of merger.
183.1202(2)
(2) Unless otherwise provided in an operating agreement, the manager or managers of a limited liability company may not approve a merger without also obtaining the approval of the limited liability company's members under
sub. (1).
183.1202(3)
(3) Each business entity, other than a domestic limited liability company, that is a party to a proposed merger shall approve the merger in the manner required by the laws applicable to the business entity.
183.1202(4)
(4) Each business entity that is a party to the merger shall have any rights to abandon the merger that are provided for in the plan of merger or in the laws applicable to the business entity.
183.1202(5)
(5) Upon approval of a merger, the limited liability company shall notify each member of the approval and of the effective date of the merger.
183.1202(6)
(6) After a merger is authorized, and at any time before the articles of merger are filed with the department, the planned merger may be abandoned, subject to any contractual rights, without further action on the part of the shareholders or other owners, in accordance with the procedure set forth in the plan of merger or, if none is set forth, in the manner determined by the governing body of any business entity that is a party to the merger.
183.1203
183.1203
Plan of merger. The plan of merger shall include all of the following:
183.1203(1)
(1) The name, form of business entity, and identity of the jurisdiction governing each business entity that is a party to the merger and the name, form of business entity, and identity of the jurisdiction of the surviving business entity with, or into, which each other business entity proposes to merge.
183.1203(2)
(2) The terms and conditions of the proposed merger.
183.1203(3)
(3) The manner and basis of converting the interests in each business entity that is a party to the merger into shares, interests, obligations, or other securities of the surviving business entity or any other business entity or into cash or other property in whole or in part.
183.1203(4)
(4) Amendments to the articles of organization or other similar governing document of the surviving business entity.
183.1203(5)
(5) Other necessary or desirable provisions relating to the proposed merger.
183.1204(1)(1) The surviving business entity shall deliver to the department articles of merger that include all of the following:
183.1204(1)(b)
(b) The effective date and time of the merger, if the merger is to take effect at a time other than the close of business on the date of filing the articles of merger under
s. 183.0111.
