Your truly is a contributing author for a recently published treatise entitled: “The Art of M&A: A Merger, Acquisition and Buyout Guide” (5th ed. 2019), edited by Alexandra Reed Lajoux. I was asked to attend a book signing at the flagship Barnes & Noble store on 5th Avenue in New York City on August 22, 2019, at noon, in connection … Continue Reading
The Delaware Supreme Court recently announced a decision of great importance for stockholder demands under Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In Tiger v. Boast Apparel, Inc., No. 23, 2019 (Del. Supr. Aug. 7, 2019), the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that: (i) although inspection of records demanded by stockholders pursuant to Section 220 … Continue Reading
The recent Delaware Court of Chancery decision in Windy City Investments Holdings, LLC v. Teachers’ Insurance and Annuity Association of America, C.A. No. 2018-0519-MTZ (Del. Ch. July 26, 2019), discussed an often recurring issue in commercial litigation: a seller of a business who claims that the Earn-Out provisions in the agreement of sale were not … Continue Reading
The Delaware Court of Chancery addressed in a recent opinion the nuances of imposing personal jurisdiction (in a second ruling on the issue in as many days), in connection with someone who served as a de facto manager of an LLC. In Metro Storage International LLC v. Harron, C.A. No. 2018-0937-JTL (Del. Ch. July 19, 2019), the … Continue Reading
A recent Delaware Court of Chancery decision provides an excellent analysis of the requirements for imposing personal jurisdiction based on the Delaware Long Arm Statute, and also addresses the fiduciary duty of disclosure in a thorough manner worthy of careful reading. In Clark v. Davenport, C.A. No. 2017-0839-JTL (Del. Ch. July 18, 2019), the court … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
For those interested in an interpretation of § 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, and under what circumstances directors may be personally liable in connection with issuing dividends, as well as the statute of limitations for claims that § 174 was violated, it remains necessary to read the recent Court of Chancery decision in … Continue Reading
The recent Delaware Chancery Court opinion in Ephrat v. medCPU, Inc., C.A. No. 2018-0052-MTZ (Del. Ch. June 26, 2019), remains noteworthy for two reasons, notwithstanding the large number of advancement decisions interpreting DGCL Section 145 appearing on these pages over the last 14 years: (1) It provides an anthology of prior Delaware decisions granting advancement … Continue Reading
Adding to the multitude of Delaware decisions featured on these pages involving the right of corporate directors and officers to advancement of their fees incurred to defend claims against them, pursuant to DGCL Section 145, or by agreement, we offer highlights of Sider v. Hertz Global Holdings, C.A. No. 2019-0237-KSJM, Order (Del. Ch. June 17, 2019), a … Continue Reading
A recent Delaware Court of Chancery decision interpreted an advance notice bylaw in a manner that disapproves of the attempt by the company to require onerous and extensive questions to be completed and returned within a five-day period before the proposed nominations to the board would be considered. The decision in Saba Capital Master v. … Continue Reading
A recent Delaware Court of Chancery decision is notable for featuring the resolution of a dispute regarding the valid managers of an LLC, and rejecting the “bump-out theory” of replacing LLC managers–that is, incumbent managers need to be removed before their replacements can validly “take their seats”. The ruling in Llamas v. Titus, C.A. No. 2018-0516-JTL (Del. … Continue Reading
A recent Delaware Court of Chancery opinion clarified a few key Section 220 prerequisites that are not otherwise explicit in the statute. The decision styled In re Facebook, Inc., Section 220 Litigation, Cons. C.A. No. 2018-0661-JRS (Del. Ch. rev. May 31, 2019), is notable for the following refinements of well-worn Section 220 requirements for a … Continue Reading
A recent Delaware Court of Chancery decision provides a helpful explanation of the standard of review for claims of excess director compensation, in Stein v. Blankfein, C.A. No. 2017-0354-SG (Del. Ch. May 31, 2019). The decision also explains the prerequisites for stockholder ratification to be sufficient in order to shift the standard from entire fairness … Continue Reading
There are many decisions highlighted on these pages ordering the enforcement of forum selection clauses. A recent transcript ruling is notable for granting expedited proceedings, without ruling on the merits, for a plaintiff who sought to enforce a forum selection clause even though the plaintiff was not a signatory to the agreement with the forum … Continue Reading
A recent Court of Chancery decision explains the prerequisites that must be satisfied to obtain court approval to prohibit the public from viewing documents filed with the court. In The Chemours Co. v. DowDuPont, Inc., C.A. No. 2019-0351-SG (Del. Ch. June 7, 2019), the court denied a motion for confidential treatment and explained why the requirements of Rule … Continue Reading
A recent Delaware Supreme Court opinion addressed the independence and disinterestedness of corporate directors in the context of adequately pleading pre-suit demand futility as a prerequisite for pursuing a derivative claim. In Marchand v. Barnhill (Del. June 19, 2019), the court reversed the Court of Chancery’s dismissal of the case for failure to establish demand futility. … Continue Reading
Over the last 14 years that I have published this blog, I have compiled an annual review with a list of key Delaware corporate and commercial decisions that have widespread utility to practitioners, especially those court decisions that are not widely covered by other legal publications or the mainstream press. On a few occasions, I have prepared a mid-year … Continue Reading
A recent Delaware Court of Chancery decision ordered mandatory indemnification based on success in underlying litigation pursuant to DGCL § 145(c), in the matter styled: Brown v. Rite Aid Corporation, C.A. No. 2017-0480-MTZ (Del. Ch. May 24, 2019). Issue Addressed: Whether dismissal of the underlying litigation based on a technical argument was “success” for purposes of … Continue Reading
A forum selection clause, controlled by Austrian law, was recently interpreted by the Delaware Court of Chancery as a mandatory forum selection clause requiring the dispute to be litigated in Vienna. In Germaninvestments A.G. v. Allomet Corporation, C.A. No. 2018-0666-JRS (Del. Ch. May 23, 2019), the court also determined that the choice of law provision … Continue Reading
A recent Delaware Court of Chancery bench ruling granted advancement in connection with defensive counterclaims against a former officer and director. In Dodelson v. AC Hold Co., Inc., C.A. No. 2019-0029-SG (transcript) (Del. Ch. May 21, 2019), the court interpreted the provisions of a charter with advancement provisions, and reasoned that advancement was warranted. An … Continue Reading
A recent Order by the Delaware Court of Chancery restated the well-established case law that a motion to disqualify counsel that is based an alleged violation of the Delaware Lawyers’ Rules of Professional Conduct will not be granted unless it is shown by clear and convincing evidence that there is not only a violation of … Continue Reading
A recent bench ruling from the Court of Chancery granted a motion to compel production of documents improperly withheld as privileged–and in the process ordered that privilege was waived due to the deficient preparation of the privilege log. See Mountain West Series of Lockton Companies, LLC v. Alliant Insurance Services, Inc., C.A. No. 2019-0226-JTL (transcript) … Continue Reading
This post is an aggregation of miscellaneous worthwhile Delaware corporate litigation developments that was easier to present as one post instead of multiple smaller posts: 1. Case Law Regarding Importance of Formalities to Modify Pretrial Scheduling Orders: A Delaware Supreme Court opinion of several years ago, highlighted on these pages, emphasized that informal extensions of a … Continue Reading
A recent Court of Chancery decision rejected an attempt to recoup advancement based on the terms of an indemnification clause. See Computer Sciences Corporation v. Pulier, C.A. No. 11011-CB (Del. Ch. May 21, 2019), for this recurring issue in Delaware corporate and commercial litigation. Issue Addressed: May a company recoup, via an indemnification claim, the amounts … Continue Reading
