Are Resolutions Legally Binding?

Are resolutions legally binding?
Most resolutions are not of a legally binding nature. In other words, their implementation is not mandatory. However, depending on the entity that adopts these texts, and their form and content, the resolutions may create obligations for States and may have a certain status of law.

Businesses frequently utilize resolutions as a tool to make significant decisions and changes. But are they enforceable in court? Yes, in a nutshell, but it depends on the kind of resolution and the circumstances surrounding its adoption.

Let’s start by defining what a resolution is. A formal statement of a group’s or an organization’s decision or intention is known as a resolution. In the business sector, boards of directors or shareholders frequently pass resolutions to decide issues like corporate governance, finances, and strategic planning.

Ordinary resolutions and special resolutions are the two categories of resolutions to think about when it comes to legal binding. Ordinary resolutions must have a simple majority of votes to pass, whereas exceptional resolutions normally need at least 75% of the votes to pass.

Ordinary resolutions are enforceable, but they are not always so. An employee who feels that a salary rise is unfair or unequal, for instance, may contest a regular decision to raise compensation. However, the decision is likely to be maintained in court if it was made in accordance with the company’s bylaws and other legal criteria.

However, because they need a higher level of approval, special resolutions are typically more enforceable. Special resolutions are often used to make significant changes to a corporation, such amending its bylaws or dissolving the corporation.

Does Companies House require the filing of shareholder resolutions?

The corporation should keep a record of shareholder resolutions even though they are not required to be lodged with Companies House. Resolutions adopted by shareholders are normally noted in the meeting minutes, which should be kept on file for at least ten years.

Some shareholder resolutions, though, might have to be submitted to regulatory bodies. A change to the company’s articles of association, for instance, may be part of a shareholder resolution that must be lodged with Companies House.

Resolutions are enforceable in law, although it relies on the circumstances surrounding their adoption. Ordinary resolutions are typically enforceable if they were passed in accordance with the law, but special resolutions are more so because they demand a greater level of consent. The corporation should keep a record of shareholder resolutions even though they are not required to be lodged with Companies House.