A recent Delaware Court of Chancery decision addressed the issue of whether a seller was liable for not disclosing the notification it received prior to closing that one or more key customers were terminating their relationship with the seller’s business. Swipe Acquisition Corporation v. Krauss, C.A. No. 2019-0509-PAF (Del. Ch. Aug. 25, 2020). This
contract interpretation
Chancery Addresses Third-Party Beneficiary Issues
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
A recent Court of Chancery letter ruling provides useful definitions and related statements of Delaware contract law in connection with issues that arose over an asset purchase agreement. In CHS/Community Health Systems, Inc. v. Steward Health Care System LLC, C.A. No. 2019-0165-JRS (Del. Ch. Aug. 21, 2020), the following statements of law provided by the…
Delaware Supreme Clarifies Contract-Based Right to Corporate Records
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Delaware Supreme Court Updates
A recent Delaware Supreme Court decision should be required reading for anyone interested in the latest iteration of Delaware law on the contract-based right to demand “books and records” in the alternative entity context. Delaware’s High Court ruled in Murfey v. WHC Ventures, LLC, Del. Supr., No 294, 2019 (July 13, 2020), that the…
Supreme Court Interprets Key Words in Agreement
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Delaware Supreme Court Updates
A recent Delaware Supreme Court decision is noteworthy for the approach it takes in determining the meaning of a word in an agreement, for example, by parsing the syntax and sentence structure where the word appears in the agreement. In Borealis Power Holdings Inc. v. Hunt Strategic Utility Investment, L.L.C., Del. Supr., No. 68…
Buyer’s Claims Fail Due to Lack of Express Representations by Seller in APA
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
A recent Delaware Court of Chancery decision provides an important lesson about the downside of imprecise drafting, and the need to express with precision how specific risks are to be allocated between the purchaser and seller of a business. In Julius v. Accurus Aerospace Corporation, C.A. No. 2017-0632-MTZ (Del. Ch. Oct. 31, 2019), the…
Signature Alone Not Always Sufficient Evidence of Binding Contract
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Selected Articles by Francis
Extrinsic Evidence Required When Contractual Intent Unclear
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
A recent Delaware Court of Chancery case should win a “candor award” for acknowledging that despite the arguments of both sides regarding the alleged intent of parties in the agreement at issue, the court found that notwithstanding multiple re-readings of both the agreement involved, and the arguments of the parties in their briefs, the court…
Delaware Supreme Court Addresses Damages for Breach of Consent-Rights, and Efficient Breach Theory
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Delaware Supreme Court Updates
A recent Delaware Supreme Court decision is noteworthy for: (1) addressing damages for breach of consent-rights, as well as (2) discussing the concept of efficient breach. In Leaf Invenergy Company v. Invenergy Renewals LLC, No. 308, 2018 (Del. Supr., May 2, 2019), the en banc court also engaged in a rare reversal of a …
Words Prevail Over Conflicting Numbers in Contract
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
A recent Delaware Court of Chancery decision determined that “words” prevailed over “numbers” when they appear next to each other as contract terms in a manner that is inconsistent and contradictory. In Fetch Interactive Television, LLC v. Touchstream Technologies, Inc., C.A. No. 2017-0637-SG (Del. Ch. Jan. 2, 2019), the court described in extensive detail…
Supreme Court Affirms Akorn Decision
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Delaware Supreme Court Updates
The Delaware Supreme Court, in Akorn, Inc. v. Fresenius Kabi AG, et al., Del. Supr., No. 535, 2018 (Dec. 7, 2018), affirmed in a 3-page order, two days after oral argument, the Court of Chancery’s 253-page decision which was highlighted on these pages, and which is thought to be the first Delaware decision to find…