Hi Nigel,

I'm in the U.K. and have raised the issue in the past,  but only to suggest that because of this some SOAC's might want to consider the more complex formation of a PBC as an option going forward.

You are correct about the status of UA's in the UK (Scotland as well as England and Wales - different legal system, as you know). The same holds true in Finland, the country where I received the bulk of my legal education. Over time, though, in both countries the courts would eventually recognise the liability protection afforded by California law as a matter of comity. Long term, I don't see a problem. That said, I'm pretty sure that were I to want to sue someone involved in a SOAC in the UK for actions of the SOAC I'd be able to get through a Directions Hearing and force a trial upon the other party. That's why indemnification is particularly important if UA's are used going forward.

Might I also respectfully suggest that most of us are already part of UA's, albeit of the non registered variety. I would suspect I could make the case that the NCSG, NCUC and GNSO, all of which I'm active in, could currently be construed as UA's under British law and elsewhere and thus I could already be held liable  for the actions of these organs. I don't see where any of the proposed structures would make my individual situation worse going forward.

Kind Regards,

Ed Morris


On Thu, Jul 9, 2015 at 3:20 PM, Nigel Roberts <nigel@channelisles.net> wrote:
One of the leading authorites on this matter, and the real dangers of UA structures is the Gillingham Bus Disaster case (RE GILLINGHAM BUS DISASTER FUND [1958] Ch 300)

https://books.google.com/books?id=s5h4LUHhYC0C&pg=PA145&lpg=PA145&dq=Gillingham+Bus+Disaster+appeal+judgment&source=bl&ots=rGrH81jGKn&sig=jCRoZq2-tiGTN7MUuzoteOS0oPw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=r4KeVbjAHIT2UpHHi4AL&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Gillingham%20Bus%20Disaster%20appeal%20judgment&f=false

Happy reading.




On 09/07/15 15:17, Nigel Roberts wrote:
Unincorporated associations in English, and Scottish law explicitly have
unlimited liability. There is no registration involved, they simply
exist as a matter of law. So if you and I formed a bridge club at our
local pub, and invited members, that would automatically be a UA, would
NOT have legal personality, and the members, and more particularly, the
officers, would have UNlimited liabtliy

The assets of the UA are held on trust, in the legal name of the
officers, for the purposes of the UA.

I am assuming the difference here is that a California unincorporated
assocation is not an unregistered entity but is a creature of statute
(state law), giving limited liability following a registration process.

Is that correct?


Nigel

PS: I apologise for not having read every single email that was sent
before I joined this list last week; as my law professor (a High Court
judge said: "Nothing is obvious to everybody").

On 09/07/15 15:07, Greg Shatan wrote:
Nigel,

A California unincorporated association is a limited liability vehicle,
as it is in certain other jurisdictions.  If we were to go down the
route of have SO/ACs be/create/empower (three different options) a legal
entity, one would expect a choice to be made that would shield SO/ACs
and their members from unlimited legal liability (and there are a
variety of options to do so).  While this should be implicit by now in
this discussion, since it has been explicitly discussed in the past, I'm
glad for the opportunity to make it explicit once again.  Suggesting
someone cross the street is not equivalent to telling them to walk into
traffic.

Greg

On Thu, Jul 9, 2015 at 9:40 AM, Nigel Roberts <nigel@channelisles.net
<mailto:nigel@channelisles.net>> wrote:

    Greg, all

    I have a deadly serious question.

    Why would any Member of an SO voluntarily submit to the danger of
    unlimited monetary liability?

    So why is anyone even considering UA status for more than 10 seconds?


    Nigel

    See

http://www.scvo.org.uk/setting-up-a-charity/decide-on-a-structure/voluntary-or-unincorporated-association/



    On 09/07/15 14:35, Seun Ojedeji wrote:

        On Thu, Jul 9, 2015 at 1:34 PM, Greg Shatan
        <gregshatanipc@gmail.com <mailto:gregshatanipc@gmail.com>
        <mailto:gregshatanipc@gmail.com
        <mailto:gregshatanipc@gmail.com>>> wrote:

             Seun,

             Can you point where this understanding and learning comes
        from? I
             don't think any of this is correct, unless you are
        referring to a
             "council" where each SO/AC is a statutory member of the
        corporation.


        Yes indeed thats what i was referring to

             This is not the case in the "single member model," where
        there is
             only one statutory member.


        Okay thanks for clarifying that for me. So if i get this
        correctly; does
        it mean one of the SO/AC will be a member and then every other
        SO and AC
        exercise their powers through that single member?. Specifically
        which of
        the SO/AC will be member in the single member model?

        However if one of the SO/AC won't have to become a member but
        the entire
        council becoming a UA to fulfill membership requirement, how
        will that
        address some SO/AC not wanting to enter into such legal
        formality? also
        how will accountability of the council be ensured as it could
        then mean
        creating a mini-ICANN board as the council members would have
        the voting
        rights, independence et all. Perhaps the council can be limited
        by its
        governing document, but how will removing council members for
        instance
        be in effect if the populating source(SO/AC) is not a UA.

        Perhaps its not as complicated as i am imagining it so it will
        be good
        to hear some clarifications.

        Regards


             Greg

             On Thursday, July 9, 2015, Seun Ojedeji
        <seun.ojedeji@gmail.com <mailto:seun.ojedeji@gmail.com>
             <mailto:seun.ojedeji@gmail.com
        <mailto:seun.ojedeji@gmail.com>>> wrote:

                 I understand the powers would be bestowed on the council
                 individuals and not their source position;

                 For instance one of the option is to populate the
community
                 council with leaders of SO/AC, which IMO would be the
        cheapest
                 route in this model so they would be occupying a
        virtual seat
                 and exercise those powers when required. It would also
        allow the
                 various SO/AC internet accountability mechanisms
apply to
                 council including removal of members.

                 However, I then learnt that the council cannot be
formed by
                 SO/AC leader positions but rather to the occupants of
that
                 position. This would mean having to rewrite the
        bylaw/document
                 forming the council often since leaders of those
        positions are
                 dynamic and could change at anytime. Will be good to
        know if
                 that is no longer the case

                 Regards
                 Sent from Google nexus 4
                 kindly excuse brevity and typos.

                 On 7 Jul 2015 2:56 pm, "Roelof Meijer"
        <Roelof.Meijer@sidn.nl <mailto:Roelof.Meijer@sidn.nl>>
                 wrote:

                     Interesting, we’re back on the subject of a single
        member
                     structure. It was written off before

                     Cheers,

                     Roelof

                     From:
        <accountability-cross-community-bounces@icann.org
        <mailto:accountability-cross-community-bounces@icann.org>> on
                     behalf of Roelof Meijer <roelof.meijer@sidn.nl
        <mailto:roelof.meijer@sidn.nl>>
                     Date: woensdag 22 april 2015 15:56
                     To: "avri@acm.org <mailto:avri@acm.org>"
        <avri@acm.org <mailto:avri@acm.org>>,
                     "accountability-cross-community@icann.org
        <mailto:accountability-cross-community@icann.org>"
                     <accountability-cross-community@icann.org
        <mailto:accountability-cross-community@icann.org>>
                     Subject: Re: [CCWG-ACCT] member organization and
single
                     membership structure

                     Hi Avri,

                     The sole membership construction, is a possibility
        described
                     in the legal document in several places: the
        comments by the
                     legal experts on the PCCWG mechanism template (page
        64) and
                     the Community Council mechanism template (page
69). I
                     sent several emails about it to the WP1 list,
        suggesting to
                     look in the possibility as indeed it would not
        necessitate
                     every SO and AC to become a legal entity. And, as
        you do,
                     suggesting: "make the „Community Council” the sole
        member of
                     ICANN (and thus a formal legal entity), consisting
        of either
                     the SO and AC chairs or SO/AC elected
        representatives” (from
                     an email of 14 April).

                     And I would think it would enable the SO’s and AC’s
                     themselves to continue appointing directors, as
        they do now.
                     But that’s just guessing, based on the fact that
        the SO’s
                     and AC’s themselves would not change status

                     Best,

                     Roelof

                     From: Avri Doria <avri@acm.org
<mailto:avri@acm.org>>
                     Organization: Technicalities
                     Reply-To: "avri@acm.org <mailto:avri@acm.org>"
        <avri@acm.org <mailto:avri@acm.org>>
                     Date: woensdag 22 april 2015 15:09
                     To: "accountability-cross-community@icann.org
        <mailto:accountability-cross-community@icann.org>"
                     <accountability-cross-community@icann.org
        <mailto:accountability-cross-community@icann.org>>
                     Subject: Re: [CCWG-ACCT] member organization and
single
                     membership structure

                     Hi,

                     On 22-Apr-15 08:26, Roelof Meijer wrote:

                         2)
                         What I find quite frustrating is that I have
            raised the
                         point of the possibility (or not) of a single
            membership
                         structure – an option mentioned by Sidley and
            Adler &
                         Colving in their legal advice – several times
            by now
                         without getting any substantial reaction. I am
            not aware
                         that any serious effort to investigate this has
            led to a
                         formal write-off.


                     In some way that might lessen the complexity of
        making most
                     SOAC an individual legal entity.

                     How would it work?  Would we continue to appoint
        Directors
                     just as we do now?

                     Or would there need to be some sort of Members
        Council that
                     took actions, working simliarly to the the
        executive board
                     or community council idea?

                     thanks

                     avri





------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     Avast logo <http://www.avast.com/>

                     This email has been checked for viruses by Avast
        antivirus
                     software.
        www.avast.com <http://www.avast.com> <http://www.avast.com/>



                     _______________________________________________
                     Accountability-Cross-Community mailing list
        Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org
        <mailto:Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org>

https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community


                 _______________________________________________
                 Accountability-Cross-Community mailing list
        Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org
        <mailto:Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org>

https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community




        --

------------------------------------------------------------------------

             /Seun Ojedeji,
             Federal University Oye-Ekiti
             web: http://www.fuoye.edu.ng
             Mobile: +2348035233535 <tel:%2B2348035233535>
             //alt
        email:<http://goog_1872880453>seun.ojedeji@fuoye.edu.ng
        <mailto:seun.ojedeji@fuoye.edu.ng>
             <mailto:seun.ojedeji@fuoye.edu.ng
        <mailto:seun.ojedeji@fuoye.edu.ng>>/

                 The key to understanding is humility - my view !




        _______________________________________________
        Accountability-Cross-Community mailing list
        Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org
        <mailto:Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org>

https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community

    _______________________________________________
    Accountability-Cross-Community mailing list
    Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org
    <mailto:Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org>
    https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community



_______________________________________________
Accountability-Cross-Community mailing list
Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org
https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community