Bylaws Amendments

[Susan B. Herrick]

I recently took over my late mother's business.  Business owners like myself partner with a large corporation.  We are an advisory group with an executive board that deals directly with the company leaders on our behalf. A fellow business owner, who is also an attorney, wrote the bylaws and has the original and copies of the amendments. When I asked for a copy he refused.  I was then emailed a copy by a past Board Secretary as I put out a general request to all. There was a note on top of the bylaws stating it was amended in 2012 but there was no copy of what that amendment was.  Do I have a right to ask for an original copy and all the amendments since they were drawn up? There is no mention in the Bylaws that anyone should be restricted from seeing the bylaws.  Thank you.

 

[Hieu H. Huynh]

Are you a member of the organization with the bylaws you are asking for?

[Josh Martin]

On 5/27/2017 at 6:51 AM, Susan B. Herrick said:

I recently took over my late mother's business.  Business owners like myself partner with a large corporation.  We are an advisory group with an executive board that deals directly with the company leaders on our behalf. A fellow business owner, who is also an attorney, wrote the bylaws and has the original and copies of the amendments. When I asked for a copy he refused.  I was then emailed a copy by a past Board Secretary as I put out a general request to all. There was a note on top of the bylaws stating it was amended in 2012 but there was no copy of what that amendment was.  Do I have a right to ask for an original copy and all the amendments since they were drawn up? There is no mention in the Bylaws that anyone should be restricted from seeing the bylaws.  Thank you.

If you are a member of the society in question, you have a right to view the current bylaws and the minutes. You do not, strictly speaking, have a right to copies of the bylaws or the minutes, but such a request is routinely granted in most societies, and RONR does note that it is a good practice to give all members a copy of the bylaws.

There is no right in RONR to see past versions of the bylaws or any amendments to the bylaws, but if such documents are kept, it would seem to me that such a request would generally be granted. This information could be gathered from the minutes, which members do have a right to view.

If you are not a member of the society, you do not have a right to view the bylaws or the minutes.