A recent Delaware Court of Chancery decision is a treasure trove of fundamental principles applicable to corporate litigation. In Ban v. Manheim, C.A. No.2022-0768-JTL (Del. Ch. May 19, 2025), the 60-plus page post-trial opinion applies an exemplary legal analysis to a complex web of entities controlled by one person, to explain why the valuation
delaware corporate litigation
Vice Chancellor Pens Law Review Article on Delaware Corporate Law
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Commentary
A law review article authored by a Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery that chronicles nine eras of Delaware court decisions on Delaware corporate law, from the State’s founding in 1776 through the present, is featured on the Harvard Law School Corporate Governance blog (where yours truly has published several articles over the…
Prof. Examines Recent Suit For Corporate Records of Delaware Corp–filed in Illinois
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Commentary
The inestimable Professor Bainbridge, one the country’s leading corporate law scholars, has done a deep dive into the issues presented by a recent filing in Illinois for corporate records of a Delaware corporation. The good professor has written three articles on the issues raised, such as the internal affairs doctrine. Despite the oddity of the…
Recent Ethics Column on Spoliation of Evidence
By Francis Pileggi on
For my most recent ethics column for The Bencher, now in its 25th year, I highlighted a recent Delaware Court of Chancery decision on the duty of anyone involved in potential or pending litigation to preserve relevant evidence, including electronic data such as emails and text messages, in order to avoid penalties for spoliation.
Chancery Rules: insider profit, inside info, not always insider trading
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
Frank Reynolds, who has been covering Delaware corporate decisions for various national publications for over 40 years, prepared this article.
The Delaware Court of Chancery recently dismissed a shareholder suit that claimed Palantir Technologies officers and directors reaped exorbitant profits by using insider trading and deceptive disclosures to sell their stock in the analytic software…
Chancery Allows SJ Motion on Director Independence Issue
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
A recent Delaware Court of Chancery decision might carry more impact than its short length might otherwise suggest. In the matter styled In Re Fox Corporation Derivative Litigation, C.A. No. 2023-0419-BWD (Del. Ch. April 28, 2025), the court determined that the defendants could engage in limited discovery in order to file a motion for summary…
Chancery Rejects ‘Controlling Mindset’ for Demand Futility Argument
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
In a recent Chancery decision involving challenges to executive compensation, Eckert v. Hightower, C.A. No. 2024-0569-MTZ (Del. Ch. March 24, 2025), the court reiterates the basic standards that determine if allegations can survive a motion to dismiss when the charter includes an exculpatory clause which requires that a majority of directors have demonstrated a…
Chancery Recites Fundamental Case Management Principles
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
For those litigators who toil in the vineyards of pre-trial disputes over case management, and positioning issues for trial, a recent Chancery ruling is a useful tool that deserves a place in the litigator’s toolbox. The letter ruling captioned as In re Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc. Stockholder Litigation, Cons. C.A. No. 2022-0193-JTL (Del. Ch.
Chancery Finds No Reason for Sears Controller’s Separate Appeal of Damages Ruling
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
Frank Reynolds, who has been covering Delaware corporate decisions for various national publications for over 40 years, prepared this article.
The Court of Chancery recently recommended that the Delaware Supreme Court deny a quick interlocutory appeal of its decision that a Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores investor is entitled to the full share of the…
Big Change to Delaware Corporate Statute
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Commentary
The Delaware Governor signed legislation last night that makes big changes to Delaware corporate law. The new law amended the corporate statute to create a definition for “controlling shareholder” and “disinterested director” as well as adding new prerequisites before a shareholder can demand corporate records. As the editor of The National Law Review’s Delaware Corporate …