Item 5.03. | Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year. |
At the Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on June 7, 2023 (the “Annual Meeting”), the stockholders of Devon Energy Corporation (“Devon” or the “Company”) approved (i) an amendment to the Company’s Bylaws (the “Bylaw Amendment”) and (ii) amendments to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate Amendment”), as set forth in Appendix B and Appendix C, respectively, of the Company’s 2023 Proxy Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 26, 2023 (the “2023 Proxy Statement”).
The Bylaw Amendment designates the Court of Chancery in the state of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States of America as the exclusive forums for certain claims brought against the Company. The Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) had previously adopted the Bylaw Amendment subject to approval by the Company’s stockholders at the Annual Meeting. The foregoing description of the Bylaw Amendment does not purport to be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to Appendix B to the 2023 Proxy Statement and the Company’s Bylaws, which, effective June 7, 2023, incorporate the Bylaw Amendment. A copy of the Company’s Bylaws is attached as Exhibit 3.2 to this report and is incorporated by reference herein.
The Certificate Amendment limits the personal liability of certain of the Company’s officers to Devon or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duty of care (but not the fiduciary duty of loyalty), subject to the limitations set forth in the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”). The DGCL allows a corporation incorporated in Delaware to include in its certificate of incorporation a provision in the form of the Certificate Amendment. The Board previously adopted the Certificate Amendment subject to approval by the Company’s stockholders at the Annual Meeting. The foregoing description of the Certificate Amendment does not purport to be complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to Appendix C to the 2023 Proxy Statement and the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation, which was filed with the Delaware Secretary of State on June 7, 2023, following the filing of the Certificate Amendment with the Delaware Secretary of State the same day. A copy of the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation is attached as Exhibit 3.1 to this report and is incorporated by reference herein.
Item 5.07 | Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders. |
In connection with the Annual Meeting, proxies were solicited pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. As of the close of business on April 10, 2023, which was the record date for the Annual Meeting, there were 643,843,655 shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding, each of which was entitled to one vote at the Annual Meeting. The following are the voting results for the items of business considered and voted upon at the Annual Meeting, all of which were described in the 2023 Proxy Statement.
| 1. | The stockholders elected each of Devon’s eleven nominees to serve on the Board for a one-year term and until their successor is elected and qualified, or until their earlier resignation, removal or death. The results of the vote with respect to each nominee were as follows: |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
NOMINEE | | VOTES FOR | | | AUTHORITY WITHHELD | | | BROKER NON-VOTES | |
Barbara M. Baumann | | | 402,834,833 | | | | 30,613,948 | | | | 112,931,513 | |
John E. Bethancourt | | | 425,549,894 | | | | 7,898,887 | | | | 112,931,513 | |
Ann G. Fox | | | 393,844,324 | | | | 39,604,457 | | | | 112,931,513 | |
Gennifer F. Kelly | | | 430,521,030 | | | | 2,927,751 | | | | 112,931,513 | |
Kelt Kindick | | | 399,996,278 | | | | 33,452,503 | | | | 112,931,513 | |
John Krenicki Jr. | | | 425,427,338 | | | | 8,021,443 | | | | 112,931,513 | |
Karl F. Kurz | | | 423,255,975 | | | | 10,192,806 | | | | 112,931,513 | |
Michael N. Mears | | | 430,822,765 | | | | 2,626,016 | | | | 112,931,513 | |
Robert A. Mosbacher, Jr. | | | 414,232,049 | | | | 19,216,732 | | | | 112,931,513 | |
Richard E. Muncrief | | | 426,729,462 | | | | 6,719,319 | | | | 112,931,513 | |
Valerie M. Williams | | | 420,944,967 | | | | 12,503,814 | | | | 112,931,513 | |