Chapter 183

183.0503 183.0503 Charging order.

183.0503(1) (1) On application by a judgment creditor of a member or transferee, a court may enter a charging order against the transferable interest of the judgment debtor for the unsatisfied amount of the judgment. Except as otherwise provided in sub. (6), a charging order constitutes a lien on a judgment debtor’s transferable interest and requires the limited liability company to pay over to the person to which the charging order was issued any distribution that otherwise would be paid to the judgment debtor.

183.0503(2) (2) To the extent necessary to effectuate the collection of distributions pursuant to a charging order in effect under sub. (1), the court may do any of the following:

183.0503(2)(a) (a) Appoint a receiver of the distributions subject to the charging order, with the power to make all inquiries the judgment debtor might have made.

183.0503(2)(b) (b) Make all other orders necessary to give effect to the charging order.

183.0503(3) (3) Upon a showing that distributions under a charging order will not pay the judgment debt within a reasonable time, the court may foreclose the lien and order the sale of the transferable interest. Except as otherwise provided in sub. (6), the purchaser at the foreclosure sale obtains only the transferable interest, does not thereby become a member, and is subject to s. 183.0502.

183.0503(4) (4) At any time before foreclosure under sub. (3), the member or transferee whose transferable interest is subject to a charging order under sub. (1) may extinguish the charging order by satisfying the judgment and filing a certified copy of the satisfaction with the court that issued the charging order.

183.0503(5) (5) At any time before foreclosure under sub. (3), a limited liability company or one or more members whose transferable interests are not subject to the charging order may pay to the judgment creditor the full amount due under the judgment and thereby succeed to the rights of the judgment creditor, including the charging order.

183.0503(6) (6) If a court orders foreclosure of a charging order lien against the sole member of a limited liability company, all of the following apply:

183.0503(6)(a) (a) The court shall confirm the sale.

183.0503(6)(b) (b) The purchaser at the sale obtains the member’s entire interest, not only the member’s transferable interest.

183.0503(6)(c) (c) The purchaser thereby becomes a member.

183.0503(6)(d) (d) The person whose interest was subject to the foreclosed charging order is dissociated as a member.

183.0503(7) (7) This chapter does not deprive any member or transferee of the benefit of any exemption law applicable to the transferable interest of the member or transferee.

183.0503(8) (8) This section provides the exclusive remedy by which a person seeking to enforce a judgment against a member or transferee may, in the capacity of judgment creditor, satisfy the judgment from the judgment debtor’s transferable interest.

183.0503 History History: 2021 a. 258.

183.0504 183.0504 Power of legal representative of deceased member. If a member dies, the deceased member’s legal representative may exercise all of the following rights:

183.0504(1) (1) The rights of a transferee provided in s. 183.0502 (3).

183.0504(2) (2) For the purposes of settling the estate, the rights the deceased member had under s. 183.0410.

183.0504 History History: 2021 a. 258.

subch. VI of ch. 183 SUBCHAPTER VI

DISSOCIATION

183.0601 183.0601 Power to dissociate as member; wrongful dissociation.

183.0601(1) (1) A person has the power to dissociate as a member at any time, rightfully or wrongfully, by withdrawing as a member by express will under s. 183.0602 (1).

183.0601(2) (2) A person’s dissociation as a member is wrongful only if any of the following applies:

183.0601(2)(a) (a) The dissociation is in breach of an express provision of a written operating agreement.

183.0601(2)(b) (b) The dissociation occurs before completion of the winding up of the limited liability company and any of the following applies:

183.0601(2)(b)1. 1. The person is expelled as a member by judicial order under s. 183.0602 (6).

183.0601(2)(b)2. 2. The person is dissociated under s. 183.0602 (8).

183.0601(3) (3) A person that wrongfully dissociates as a member is liable to the limited liability company and, subject to s. 183.0801, to the other members for damages caused by the dissociation. The liability is in addition to any debt, obligation, or other liability of the member to the company or the other members.

183.0601 History History: 2021 a. 258.

183.0602 183.0602 Events causing dissociation. A person is dissociated as a member from a limited liability company when any of the following applies:

183.0602(1) (1) The limited liability company knows or has notice of the person’s express will to withdraw as a member, but, if the person has specified a withdrawal date later than the date the company knew or had notice, on that later date.

183.0602(2) (2) An event stated in the operating agreement as causing the person’s dissociation occurs.

183.0602(3) (3) The person’s entire interest is transferred in a foreclosure sale under s. 183.0503 (6).

183.0602(4) (4) The person is expelled as a member pursuant to the operating agreement.

183.0602(5) (5) The person is expelled as a member by the affirmative vote or consent of all the other members if any of the following applies:

183.0602(5)(a) (a) It is unlawful to carry on the limited liability company’s activities and affairs with the person as a member.

183.0602(5)(b) (b) There has been a transfer of all the person’s transferable interest in the company, other than a transfer for security purposes or the entry of a charging order that is in effect under s. 183.0503 and that has not been foreclosed.

183.0602(5)(c) (c) The person is an entity and all of the following apply:

183.0602(5)(c)1. 1. The company notifies the person that it will be expelled as a member because the person has filed a statement of dissolution or the equivalent, the person has been administratively dissolved, the person’s charter or the equivalent has been revoked, or the person’s right to conduct business has been suspended by the jurisdiction of the person’s governing law.

183.0602(5)(c)2. 2. The statement of dissolution or the equivalent has not been withdrawn, rescinded, or revoked, or the person’s charter or the equivalent or right to conduct business has not been reinstated, within 90 days after the notification under subd. 1.

183.0602(5)(d) (d) The person is an unincorporated entity that has been dissolved and whose activities and affairs are being wound up.

183.0602(6) (6) On application by the limited liability company or a member in a direct action under s. 183.0801, the person is expelled as a member by judicial order because any of the following applies:

183.0602(6)(a) (a) The person has engaged, or is engaging, in wrongful conduct that has adversely and materially affected, or will adversely and materially affect, the company’s activities and affairs.

183.0602(6)(b) (b) The person has willfully or persistently committed, or is willfully or persistently committing, a material breach of the operating agreement or the person’s duties or obligations under s. 183.0409.

183.0602(7) (7) In the case of an individual, any of the following applies:

183.0602(7)(a) (a) The individual dies.

183.0602(7)(b) (b) In a member-managed limited liability company, any of the following applies:

183.0602(7)(b)1. 1. A guardian or general conservator for the individual is appointed.

183.0602(7)(b)2. 2. A court orders that the individual has otherwise become incapable of performing the individual’s duties as a member under this chapter or the operating agreement.

183.0602(8) (8) In a member-managed limited liability company, any of the following applies:

183.0602(8)(a) (a) The person becomes a debtor in bankruptcy.

183.0602(8)(b) (b) The person signs an assignment for the benefit of creditors.

183.0602(8)(c) (c) The person seeks, consents to, or acquiesces in the appointment of a trustee, receiver, or liquidator of the person or of all or substantially all the person’s property.

183.0602(9) (9) In the case of a person that is a testamentary or living trust or is acting as a member by virtue of being a trustee of such a trust, the trust’s entire transferable interest in the limited liability company is distributed.

183.0602(10) (10) In the case of a person that is an estate or is acting as a member by virtue of being a personal representative of an estate, the estate’s entire transferable interest in the limited liability company is distributed.

183.0602(11) (11) In the case of a person that is not an individual, the existence of the person terminates.

183.0602(16) (16) The limited liability company dissolves and completes winding up.

183.0602 History History: 2021 a. 258.

183.0603 183.0603 Effect of dissociation.

183.0603(1) (1) If a person is dissociated as a member, all of the following apply:

183.0603(1)(a) (a) The person’s right to participate as a member in the management and conduct of the limited liability company’s activities and affairs terminates.

183.0603(1)(b) (b) The person’s duties and obligations under s. 183.0409 as a member end with regard to matters arising and events occurring after the person’s dissociation.

183.0603(1)(c) (c) Subject to s. 183.0504 and subch. X, any transferable interest owned by the person in the person’s capacity as a member immediately before dissociation is owned by the person solely as a transferee.

183.0603(2) (2) A person’s dissociation as a member of a limited liability company does not of itself discharge the person from any debt, obligation, or other liability to the limited liability company or the other members which the person incurred while a member.

183.0603 History History: 2021 a. 258.

subch. VII of ch. 183 SUBCHAPTER VII

DISSOLUTION AND WINDING UP

183.0701 183.0701 Events causing dissolution.

183.0701(1) (1) A limited liability company is dissolved, and its activities and affairs must be wound up, upon the occurrence of any of the following:

183.0701(1)(a) (a) An event or circumstance that the operating agreement states causes dissolution.

183.0701(1)(b) (b) The affirmative vote or consent of all the members.

183.0701(1)(c) (c) The passage of 90 consecutive days during which the company has no members unless, before the end of the period, all of the following occur:

183.0701(1)(c)1. 1. Consent to admit at least one specified person as a member is given by transferees owning the rights to receive a majority of distributions as transferees at the time the consent is to be effective.

183.0701(1)(c)2. 2. At least one person becomes a member in accordance with the consent.

183.0701(1)(d) (d) On application by a member, the entry by a court of competent jurisdiction of an order dissolving the company on any of the following grounds:

183.0701(1)(d)1. 1. That the conduct of all or substantially all the company’s activities and affairs is unlawful.

183.0701(1)(d)2. 2. That it is not reasonably practicable to carry on the company’s activities and affairs in conformity with the articles of organization and the operating agreement.

183.0701(1)(d)3. 3. That the managers or those members in control of the company have done any of the following:

183.0701(1)(d)3.a. a. Acted, or are acting or will act, in a manner that is illegal or fraudulent.

183.0701(1)(d)3.b. b. Acted, or are acting, in a manner that is oppressive and was, is, or will be directly harmful to the applicant.

183.0701(1)(e) (e) The department has given notice of administrative dissolution under s. 183.0708 (3) (b), unless the limited liability company is subsequently reinstated under s. 183.0709 or pursuant to judicial review under ss. 227.52 to 227.58.

183.0701(2) (2) In a proceeding brought under sub. (1) (d) 3., the court may order a remedy other than dissolution.

183.0701 History History: 2021 a. 258.

183.0701 Annotation When one limited liability company member intentionally made an outrageous offer to buy out the other member, but did nothing to close the transaction when the other accepted and opposed every motion brought by the offeree, as well as those requested by the court appointed receiver, the offeror’s behavior not only lacked good faith but also was oppressive under s. 183.0902 [now this section]. Decker v. Decker, 2006 WI App 247, 298 Wis. 2d 141, 726 N.W.2d 664, 04-3112.

183.0702 183.0702 Winding up.

183.0702(1) (1) A dissolved limited liability company shall wind up its activities and affairs and, except as otherwise provided in s. 183.0703, the limited liability company continues after dissolution only for the purpose of winding up.

183.0702(2) (2)