| FORM 3 | UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES
Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 | | OMB APPROVAL | | OMB Number: | 3235-0104 | | Expires: | February 28, 2011 | | Estimated average burden | | hours per response | 0.5 |
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1. Name and Address of Reporting Person*
(Street)
| 2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year)
11/02/2009 | 3. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
DARDEN RESTAURANTS INC
[DRI]
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4. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)| X | Director | | 10% Owner | | Officer (give title below) | | Other (specify below) | |
| 5. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)
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6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
| X | Form filed by One Reporting Person | | Form filed by More than One Reporting Person |
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| Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned |
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| 1. Title of Security (Instr.
4)
| 2.
Amount of Securities Owned (Instr.
4)
| 3. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr.
5)
| 4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr.
5)
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Table II - Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities) |
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| 1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 4) | 2. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)
| 3. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 4) | 4. Conversion or Excercise Price of Derivative Security
| 5. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5)
| 6. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5)
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| Date Exercisable | Expiration Date | Title | Amount or Number of Shares |
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| Explanation of Responses: |
| No securities are beneficially owned |
Remarks:
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| Douglas E. Wentz, Attorney-in-fact for HARKER, VICTORIA D. | 11/03/2009 |
| ** Signature of Reporting Person | Date |
| Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly. |
| * If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 5(b)(v). |
| ** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations
See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
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| Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient,
see Instruction 6 for procedure. |
| Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number. |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints
each of Paula J. Shives, William R. White, III, C. Bradford Richmond, Valerie
Collins and Douglas E. Wentz, signing singly, the undersigned's true and lawful
attorney-in-fact to:
(1) execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the undersigned's
capacity as a current or retired officer and/or director of Darden Restaurants,
Inc. (the "Company"), Forms 3, 4, and 5 in accordance with Section 16(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder ("Section 16"), and
Form 144 pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
("Rule 144");
(2) do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the undersigned
which may be necessary or desirable to complete and execute any such Form 3, 4,
or 5, or Form 144, complete and execute any amendment or amendments thereto, and
timely file such form with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission, the New York Stock Exchange and any other stock exchange or similar
authority; and
(3) take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with the
foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit to,
in the best interest of, or legally required by, the undersigned, it being
understood that the documents executed by such attorney-in-fact on behalf of the
undersigned pursuant to this Power of Attorney shall be in such form and shall
contain such terms and conditions as such attorney-in-fact may approve in such
attorney-in-fact's discretion.
The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power and
authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever requisite,
necessary, or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights and powers
herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or
could do if personally present, with full power of substitution or revocation,
hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-in-fact, or such
attorney-in-fact's substitute or substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to be
done by virtue of this power of attorney and the rights and powers herein
granted. The undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing attorneys-in-fact, in
serving in such capacity at the request of the undersigned, are not assuming,
nor is the Company assuming, any of the undersigned's responsibilities to comply
with Section 16 and Rule 144.
This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the
undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4, and 5 and Form 144 with
respect to the undersigned's holdings of and transactions in securities issued
by the Company, unless earlier revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing
delivered to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney to be
executed as of this 2nd day of November, 2009.
Signature: /s/ Victoria Harker
Print name: Victoria Harker