The fusillade of learned commentary on recent developments in Delaware corporate law, known colloquially as SB 21, continues apace. The Delaware Legislature passed legislation in March that statutorily defines controlling shareholder and director independence, via an amendment to DGCL Section 144. It also imposes additional prerequisites in order for a shareholder to demand corporate books
section 220
Facebook investors can search one more Section 220 category for board’s $5 billion settlement rationale
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
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 Chancery Court recently allowed a Facebook Inc. shareholder plaintiff to inspect the directors’ electronic communications concerning how the company ended up paying $5 billion for a…
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…
Vice Chancellor Does Not Follow Prior Section 220 Decisions
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
A recently published Delaware Court of Chancery decision must be read by anyone who seeks to understand the latest iteration of Delaware law involving Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law in connection with demands by stockholders for corporate books and records. Lebanon County Employees’ Retirement Fund v. AmerisourceBergen Corporation, No. 2019-0527-JTL (Del.…
Chancery orders 11th hour records for CBS Corp. investor’s probe of Viacom merger plan
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
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 recent Court of Chancery decision gave a CBS Corp. shareholder access to the broadcaster’s internal documents regarding an imminent merger with former corporate sibling Viacom Inc. after finding…
Confidentiality Agreement Not Always Required for Section 220 Demands
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Delaware Supreme Court Updates
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…
Chancery Clarifies Section 220 Principles
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
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…
Chancery Denies Section 220 Demand for Corporate Books and Records
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
A recent post-trial decision from the Delaware Court of Chancery denied a claim for corporate books and records based on DGCL § 220 after finding that there was no credible basis for wrongdoing to support the stated investigative purpose for the demand. Hoeller v. Tempur Sealy International, Inc., C.A. No. 2018-0336-JRS (Del. Ch.…
Company Required to Produce Emails Among Management to Stockholders
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Delaware Supreme Court Updates
The Delaware Supreme Court recently issued an opinion that clarifies the duty of a company to produce emails among its management in a Section 220 case. In KT4 Partners LLC v. Palantir Technologies, Inc., Del. Supr., No. 281, 2018 (Jan. 29, 2019), Delaware’s High Court addressed a demand under Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL)…
Chancery Rejects Claims for Books and Records Per Section 220, For Lack of Proper Purpose
By Francis Pileggi on
Posted in Court of Chancery Updates
Beiser v. PMC-Sierra, Inc., (Del. Ch., Feb. 26, 2009), read opinion here. This Chancery Court opinion rejected a claim under DGCL Section 220 for books and records of a corporation based on the court’s finding that the "proper purpose" for such a demand was not satisfied. The reasoning was that this suit was an…