A record-setting year for M&A deal activity, 2015 also yielded several important legal decisions and highlighted significant trends that are likely to influence M&A market participants in 2016 and beyond.
Increased...more
U.S. companies listed on the NASDAQ and NYSE, as well as certain listed companies in Canada and Europe, with annual shareholder meetings scheduled between March 1, 2016 and June 30, 2016 may now register through January 31,...more
In a December 21, 2015 transcript ruling, the Delaware Chancery Court invalidated the provisions of VAALCO Energy, Inc.’s charter and bylaws that allow for removal of directors only “for cause” even though VAALCO’s board is...more
The year is coming to an end and the 2016 proxy season is on the horizon. This quick reference guide identifies considerations based on themes from 2015, offers recommendations and resources for the upcoming season, and...more
In a November 30, 2015 decision, the Delaware Supreme Court upheld the Delaware Chancery Court’s $76 million damages award against RBC Capital in In re Rural/Metro Corp. S’holders Litig. The ruling, however, notably rejected...more
Companies in the Russell 3000 and Russell MicroCap Index with annual meetings scheduled between February 1, 2016 and September 15, 2016 may submit updates to their self-selected compensation benchmarking peer groups from 9:00...more
In a recent decision in an appraisal action, the Delaware Chancery Court reaffirmed the Court’s reluctance to substitute its own calculation of the “fair value” of a target company’s stock for the purchase price derived...more
In an October 1st decision (In re Zale Corporation), the Delaware Chancery Court dismissed claims that Zale Corporation’s directors breached their fiduciary duties in connection with Zale’s agreement to merge with Signet. ...more
10/14/2015
/ Acquisition Agreements ,
Aiding and Abetting ,
Bad Faith ,
Board of Directors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Controlling Stockholders ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Duty of Care ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Adviser ,
Financial Institutions ,
Glass Lewis ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Merger Agreements ,
Merrill Lynch ,
Professional Liability ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Revlon Standard ,
Stocks
In an October 2, 2015 decision, Corwin, et al. v. KKR Financial Holdings LLC., et al., the Delaware Supreme Court clarified that once a merger closes, as long as it has been approved by a fully informed vote of the...more
10/6/2015
/ Board of Directors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Controlling Stockholders ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Fairness Standard ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Holding Company ,
Merger Agreements ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Revlon Standard ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Stock-for-Stock Merger ,
Stockholder Agreements
In a September 11, 2015, decision, the Delaware Chancery Court denied a former officer and director advance reimbursement of legal fees in a dispute with his company, despite his insistence that multiple corporate documents...more
9/22/2015
/ Advancement ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Director Removal ,
Indemnification Clauses ,
Legal Fees ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Shareholders' Agreements ,
Standstill Agreements ,
Summary Judgment ,
Young Lawyers
In its August 27th post-trial opinion, In re Dole Food Co., Inc. Stockholder Litigation, the Delaware Chancery Court held Dole executives David Murdock and Michael Carter personally liable for $148 million in damages for...more
8/31/2015
/ Aiding and Abetting ,
Breach of Duty ,
Buy-Out Agreements ,
Controlling Stockholders ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Dole Food ,
Fairness Standard ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Financial Adviser ,
Independent Director ,
Merger Agreements ,
MFW ,
Minority Shareholders ,
Popular ,
Private Offerings ,
Stocks
In a statement that would mark a stark change in approach, an IRS official recently indicated that the IRS may begin requiring that companies seeking to effect tax-free spinoffs conduct active businesses that represent a...more
5/28/2015
/ Acquisitions ,
Alibaba ,
Business Development ,
Corporate Counsel ,
E-Commerce ,
IRS ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
REIT ,
Small Business ,
Spinoffs ,
Yahoo!
On May 14, 2015, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that claims against independent directors must be dismissed when a company charter provision shields directors from monetary liability for breach of the duty of care and the...more
Urged on by activists and institutional shareholders, a large number of companies with real estate holdings pursued real estate investment trust (REIT) conversions or spinoffs in 2014. At least half a dozen companies...more
On January 23, 2015, the Staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued a no-action letter that allows certain tender offers for non-convertible debt securities to remain open for five business days,...more
The Federal District Court’s November 4th ruling in Allergan, Inc. vs. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. raises “serious questions” for the takeover partnership employed by Valeant and Pershing Square in their...more
On October 24th, the Delaware Chancery Court dismissed a lawsuit challenging the merger of Crimson Exploration and Contango Oil & Gas. Minority Crimson stockholders alleged that Oaktree Capital Management, Crimson’s largest...more
On October 10, 2014, Vice Chancellor Travis Laster ruled that RBC Capital was liable to the former stockholders of Rural/Metro Corporation for $75.8 million – representing 83% of the total damages – for aiding and abetting...more
10/13/2014
In a May 2, 2014 ruling relating to activist hedge fund Third Point LLC’s proxy battle with auction house Sotheby’s, the Delaware Chancery Court found that Third Point was not likely to succeed in its argument that the...more
In a recent decision, Chen v. Howard-Anderson, the Delaware Chancery Court once again questioned the reasonableness of how a board conducted the sale of a company when it permitted stockholder claims to go to trial....more
In a March 14, 2014 decision that has received little commentary, an Ohio federal court in Spachman v. Great American Insurance Co. took the extraordinary step of enjoining a tender offer by Great American Insurance, a...more
On March 14, 2014, the Delaware Supreme Court upheld the Court of Chancery’s 2013 decision in In re MFW Shareholders Litigation, holding that in going-private mergers where there is a controlling stockholder, the use of both...more
On March 14, 2014, the Delaware Supreme Court upheld the Court of Chancery’s 2013 decision in In re MFW Shareholders Litigation, holding that in going-private mergers where there is a controlling stockholder, the use of both...more
Delaware courts have increasingly shined a spotlight on what they consider to be conflicts of interest for sell-side financial advisors. On March 7th, the Delaware Chancery Court hit these conflicts with a laser beam. In a...more
A recent Delaware Chancery Court opinion in American Capital Acquisition Partners, LLC, et. al. v. LPL Holdings, Inc., et.al. held that a seller’s claim that its buyer diverted opportunities from the acquired business to a...more