A recent Chancery decision recounts the epic tale of a group of business partners who were longtime friends and who later accused each other, after forming a business together, of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty. In Stone & Paper Investors, LLC v. Blanch, C.A. No. 2018-0394-PAF (Del. Ch. July 30, 2021), the court describes
Court of Chancery
Updated “Guidelines for Persons Litigating in the Court of Chancery”
The Delaware Court of Chancery recently published an updated version of Practice Guidelines. Weighing in at 38 single-spaced pages, it must be read by both Chancery litigators and those out-of-state counsel who litigate Chancery cases. The original Practice Guidelines highlighted on these pages, promulgated in 2012, were a mere 18-pages in length.
Courtesy of…
Chancery Clarifies Standard to Shift Fees for Improper Litigation Conduct
For the last 16 years, these pages have featured many highlights of court decisions addressing the right of a stockholder, or a member of an LLC, to demand a company’s “books and records“. Regular readers will recall much commentary about why the exercise of such rights are not for the fainthearted.
Why this decision…
Chancery Allows Claims for Breach of Both Fiduciary Duty and Contract Against LLC Manager
The Delaware Court of Chancery recently explained under what circumstances dual claims will be allowed to proceed for both breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract in the context of the manager of an LLC allegedly using LLC assets for his personal benefit in a manner not shared by all the other LLC members.…
Chancery Recognizes Reverse Veil-Piercing
Regular readers of these pages may recall multiple prior blog posts on both veil-piercing and reverse veil-piercing over the last 16 years. Serious students should review the book on the topic by the renowned corporate law scholar, and a friend of this blog, Professor Stephen Bainbridge. The Delaware Court of Chancery recently recognized reverse-veil-piercing in…
Buyout challenge can’t penetrate MFW business judgment shield, new Chancellor rules
This post was prepared by Frank Reynolds, who has been following Delaware corporate law, and writing about it for various legal publications, for over 30 years.
Delaware’s Court of Chancery recently threw out an attempt to undermine activist investor Carl Icahn’s claim of business judgment protection under the seminal MFW ruling for his buyout of…
Professionalism Perspectives on Court Proceedings via Zoom
My latest ethics column for The Bencher, the national publication of the American Inns of Court, is on the titular topic, available at this hyperlink.
No Such Thing as “Local Counsel” in Delaware Court of Chancery
Courtesy of the Delaware Business Court Insider, we provide our article that appeared in the April 21, 2021 edition on an important topic for Delaware litigators.
No Such Thing as Local Counsel in Delaware Court of Chancery
By: Francis G.X. Pileggi* and Chauna A. Abner**
This is a compilation of selected key Delaware court…
Chancery Provides Guidance on Interpretation of LLC Agreement
The recent Chancery decision in Pearl City Elevator, Inc. v. Gieseke, C.A. No. 2020-0419-JRS (Del. Ch. March 23, 2021), addressed the issue of whether the procedures in an LLC Agreement were correctly followed, such that a party acquired sufficient ownership interest in order to control the board.
This decision is useful for its recitation of…
Chancery Grants Anti-Suit Injunction to Enforce Forum Selection Clause
A recent decision by a Delaware Court of Chancery provides a useful reference for the prerequisites to obtain an injunction in Delaware to enjoin a party from pursuing claims in violation of an exclusive forum selection clause [in another jurisdiction]. In SPay, Inc. v. Stack Media Inc., C.A. No. 2020-0540-JRS (Del. Ch. March 23…