Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors
Other than the following, there have been no material changes from the risk factors disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 filed with the SEC on February 12, 2025.
Trade policies, tariffs and related government actions may cause a decline in economic activity and have a material adverse impact on our business.
The U.S. government has recently indicated its intent to alter its approach to international trade policy and in some cases to renegotiate, or potentially terminate, certain existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements and treaties with foreign countries, and has made proposals and taken actions related thereto. Most recently, the United States has imposed or sought to impose significant increases to tariffs on foreign goods imported into the United States, including from China, Canada and Mexico, such as steel and aluminum. In response to such actions, some foreign governments, including China, have instituted retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. goods. Further governmental actions related to the imposition of tariffs or other trade barriers by the United States or foreign countries or changes to international trade agreements or policies, or uncertainty related to any such actions, could further increase costs, decrease margins, reduce the competitiveness of products and services offered by our current and future tenants and adversely affect the revenues and profitability of our tenants whose businesses rely on goods imported from such impacted jurisdictions. Such action, changes or uncertainty could also increase the costs and decrease margins on our development or expansion projects. Any of these impacts could depress economic activity and have a material adverse effect on the businesses of our current and future tenants as well as on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our bylaws designate any state court of competent jurisdiction in the State of Maryland and the United States District Court located within the State of Maryland, as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders and provide that claims relating to causes of action arising under the Securities Act may only be brought in federal district courts, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that the stockholders believe is a more favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents.
Our bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, any state court of competent jurisdiction in the State of Maryland, or, if such state courts do not have jurisdiction, the United States District Court located within the State of Maryland will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, other than actions arising under federal securities laws, (ii) any Internal Corporate Claim, as such term is defined in the Maryland General Corporation Law (the “MGCL”), and any action or proceeding asserting any Internal Corporate Claim, including, without limitation, (a) any claim, or any action or proceeding asserting a claim, based on an alleged breach of any duty owed by any of our directors, officers, employees or agents to us or to our stockholders, or (b) any claim, or any action or proceeding asserting a claim, against us or any of our directors, officers, employees, or agents arising pursuant to any provision of the MGCL or our charter or bylaws, or (iii) any other action or proceeding asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers, employees, or agents that is governed by the internal
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affairs doctrine. These choice of forum provisions will not apply to actions or proceedings under federal securities laws, including claims arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Furthermore, our bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. This provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that the stockholder believes is more favorable for disputes against us or our directors, officers, employees, or agents, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, employees, and agents.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.