A recent decision from the Delaware Court of Chancery belongs in the pantheon of consequential court opinions addressing the nuances, first principles and practical challenges regarding Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. There are many decisions on this topic addressing the right of stockholders to demand inspection of corporate records, but few are
Delaware Supreme Court Decides: Appraisal Suit Not Covered by Securities Claims Definition in D&O Policy
A recent Delaware Supreme Court opinion addressed the titular topic in the matter styled In Re Solera Insurance Coverage Appeals, Nos. 413, 418, 2019 (Del. Oct. 23, 2020). I’m too busy to provide even pithy highlights, but it’s a consequential decision, so I refer you to the overview provided on the Harvard Corporate Law Blog.
Chancery says only Baker Hughes CEO is still on the hook for disclosures in merger with GE Oil & Gas
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.
The Delaware Court of Chancery recently decided it was not “reasonably conceivable” that General Electric Corp. aided and abetted breaches of fiduciary duty by oil field services provider
Is Blasius Still Good Law in Delaware?
Regular readers are familiar with nationally-prominent corporate law scholar and friend of this blog, Professor Stephen Bainbridge, whose prolific scholarship is cited in Delaware corporate law decisions. His encyclopedic grasp of Delaware cases on corporate law rivals that of many experienced Delaware corporate law practitioners.
Should Rales Replace Aronson for Pre-Suit Demand Futility Analysis?
The widely-acclaimed corporate law scholar, and friend of this blog, Prof. Stephen Bainbridge, whose prolific scholarship is cited in Delaware court decisions on corporate law, has penned a brief essay on the titular topic in light of a recent Delaware Court of Chancery opinion by Vice Chancellor Laster styled United Food & Comm. Workers Union
No Cause of Action in Delaware for Conventional Stockholder Oppression
A recent Order of the Delaware Court of Chancery recited the truism reflected in prior Delaware decisions that, generally speaking, unlike in some other states, Delaware does not have a standalone, conventional cause of action for stockholder oppression, per se, as contrasted with a breach of fiduciary duty claim for not acting in the
Chancery Clarifies “Summary” v. “Expedited” Proceedings
A recent letter ruling from the Court of Chancery clarified the procedural distinction between a statutory proceeding considered “summary” in nature, and a case that may involve exigent circumstances for which a Motion to Expedite may be warranted. In PL Wardman Member, LLC v. JBGS/Company Manager, L.L.C., No. 2020-0754-JRS (Del. Ch. Sept. 21, 2020),
Chancery says board faction access to rivals’ control dispute discovery ‘depends’ on adversity and standing
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.
A discovery ruling by the Delaware Court of Chancery in a contest between two board factions for control of Adkins Energy LLC allowed plaintiff Pearl City Elevator, Inc. access
Chancery Declines to Order Reserve for Fraud Claims Against Dissolving Corporation Under DGCL Section 280
There remains a relative paucity of opinions addressing the nuances of the dissolution statute under DGCL Section 280, compared to the Delaware decisions addressing other sections of the DGCL, so we refer to a recent Court of Chancery decision that denies a Motion for Reargument under Rule 59(f) of a ruling that rejected a request
Chancery finds merger charges against directors can’t penetrate Outerwall’s exculpatory clause
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.
In a recent ruling dismissing shareholder charges that Outerwall Inc.’s directors disloyally sold the automated vendor company too cheaply to avoid losing their seats in a looming proxy fight