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Corporate Governance Shareholder Litigation

Allen Matkins

Is Your Directors And Officers Liability Coverage Illusory?

Allen Matkins on

Many corporations pay significant amounts for directors and officers liability policies.  Commonly referred to as D&O policies, these policies usually involve three sides.  Directors and officers are likely to have the most...more

Allen Matkins

After More Than A Year, Questions Remain Regarding Caremark and Officers

Allen Matkins on

Last year, Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster famously held that officers could be subject to liability under the Caremark doctrine.  In re McDonald’s Corp., 289 A.3d 343 (Del. Ch. Jan. 26, 2023).    The Caremark doctrine...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Delaware Chancery Court Finds a ~27% Founding Stockholder Is Not a Controller

On July 2, 2024, the Delaware Chancery Court in Sciannella v. AstraZeneca dismissed stockholder claims in connection with the $3 billion merger of Viela Bio and Horizon Therapeutics in 2021. The merger was approved by Viela’s...more

Troutman Pepper

"Market Practice" 2024 DGCL Amendments Become Effective

Troutman Pepper on

The amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) are effective yesterday, August 1, and will apply retroactively to agreements and contracts that a Delaware corporation entered into, or that a Delaware...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Officer Exculpation and the Silicon Valley 150: Year Two

Last year, we reviewed proxy statements filed by companies in the Silicon Valley 150 (SV150) to see whether they included an officer exculpation proposal in their proxy statements for stockholder meetings held from August 1,...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Delaware Enacts Controversial Market Practice Amendments to Its General Corporation Law

Foley & Lardner LLP on

Delaware’s Legislature passed significant amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) in June, at the end of its legislative session. These amendments were signed into law by Governor John Carney on July...more

A&O Shearman

Delaware Court Of Chancery Holds That Corwin Cleansing Applies To Claims Related To Reduction Of Acquisition Price

A&O Shearman on

On June 21, 2024, Vice Chancellor Nathan A. Cook of the Delaware Court of Chancery granted a motion to dismiss a putative stockholder class action asserting breach of fiduciary duty claims against the officers and directors...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Delaware Supreme Court Clarifies Standards Applicable To Advance Notice Bylaws

On July 11, 2024, the Supreme Court of Delaware, en banc, issued an important decision in Kellner v. AIM Immunotech Inc.,1 which arose from a challenge in the Delaware Court of Chancery involving advance notice bylaws that...more

Woodruff Sawyer

Corporate Barbarians at the Gates: The Attack on Delaware

Woodruff Sawyer on

All empires eventually decline. For decades, Delaware has held the crown as the premier state of incorporation for domestic companies (and many foreign companies seeking a foothold in the United States capital markets). But...more

Sands Anderson PC

Before Doing Your Own Workplace Investigation—a Cautionary Tale

Sands Anderson PC on

A few years ago, a friend of mine was part of an organization that received complaints about one of its leaders, which led to questions about whether the leader should be fired. The organization debated internally about what...more

Foley Hoag LLP

Massachusetts Business Litigation Session Decides Issues of First Impression in Appraisal Rights Action

Foley Hoag LLP on

The Court held that a modification of an existing stock restriction that has a material adverse effect on a shareholder’s ability to transfer their shares automatically triggers the shareholder’s appraisal rights and ability...more

White & Case LLP

German Federal Court of Justice Significantly Increases Standard for Legitimate Environmental Benefit Claims

White & Case LLP on

German companies must clarify the meaning of a "climate neutral" claim directly in advertisements. For the first time, the German Federal Court of Justice ("FCJ") has established a standard for the legitimacy of environmental...more

Mayer Brown

DGCL Amendments Proposed to Address Recent Delaware Court of Chancery Decisions Affecting Stockholder Agreements, Board Approvals...

Mayer Brown on

Three recent decisions from the Delaware Court of Chancery (the “Court”) have upended long-standing market practice related to, among other matters, stockholder agreements, board approvals of merger agreements and the...more

Allen Matkins

Does Revlon Make Nevada Tense?

Allen Matkins on

In Revlon, Inc. v. MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, Inc., 506 A.2d 173, 182 (1986), the Delaware Supreme Court famously held that when the sale of a corporation becomes inevitable,  the board of directors' duty changed from the...more

Allen Matkins

Does Guzman Supply An Answer To Moelis?

Allen Matkins on

I always enjoy hearing from readers of this blog.  Recently, I wrote: Reading these statutes together, it is relatively clear that Nevada, like Delaware, permits the articles of incorporation to vary the mandate that...more

Cooley LLP

Controversial Delaware legislation breezes through Delaware Senate

Cooley LLP on

Controversy notwithstanding, the proposed amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law in Senate Bill 313 have reportedly “sailed through” the Delaware Senate and are scheduled to move to the Delaware House this week....more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

MFW Framework Inapplicable Where Conflicts Are Not Adequately Disclosed to Stockholders

Following other recent decisions addressing the applicability and scope of Kahn v. M&F Worldwide Corp. (“MFW”), including In re Match Group Inc., Derivative Litigation and Tornetta v. Musk, on May 1, 2024, the Delaware...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Proposed Amendments to the DGCL Address Issues Raised by Recent Delaware Court Decisions

On March 28, 2024, the Council of the Corporation Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association approved legislation proposing to amend the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) in response to recent Delaware Court of...more

Allen Matkins

Nevada Supreme Court Rejects The "Uncontrollable Child" Theory Of Parent-Subsidiary Relationships

Allen Matkins on

Nevada famously limits directors and officers from personal liability.  However, it would be an overstatement to say that Nevada is a "liability free" jurisdiction.  For example, the Nevada Supreme Court recently held that...more

Latham & Watkins LLP

Corporates and Dealmakers Must Prepare For Increased UK Class Action Claims

Latham & Watkins LLP on

While class actions are well established in the US, they are increasingly common in the UK, driven by market volatility, availability of litigation funding, legal reforms, regulatory settlements, and growing scrutiny of...more

Dechert LLP

After Delaware Court of Chancery Subjects Reincorporation Decision to Entire Fairness, Delaware Supreme Court Says Not so Fast

Dechert LLP on

The Delaware Court of Chancery issued an order in Palkon v. Maffei on February 20, 2024, holding that a decision by the boards of directors and the controller of TripAdvisor, Inc. (“TripAdvisor”) and Liberty TripAdvisor...more

Allen Matkins

Judge Finds Demand Futility Is A "Live" Issue

Allen Matkins on

A recent ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Anthony J. Battaglia addresses whether demand futility is an affirmative defense that must be asserted in an answer or raised in a motion to dismiss.  In re Franklin Wireless, 2024...more

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Clarity for M&A Practitioners: Proposed DGCL Amendments Bridge the Gap between Recent Delaware Chancery Court Decisions and Market...

The proposed amendments would address recent case law decisions in Activision, Moelis and Crispo that uprooted well-established market practice with respect to the enforceability of certain provisions of stockholder...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Seventh Circuit Decision Outlines Framework To Allow Courts To Evaluate Individual Mootness Fees in Merger Challenge Lawsuits

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Jorge Alcarez, et al. v. Akorn Inc., et al. mapped out one means by which a court may evaluate mootness fees paid to individual shareholders after the voluntary dismissal...more

Goodwin

Delaware Supreme Court Holds That Boards Must Satisfy the MFW Framework in Controller Transactions to Obtain Business Judgment...

Goodwin on

In 2014, the Delaware Supreme Court held in Kahn v. M&F Worldwide Corp. (“MFW”) that a court will apply the entire fairness standard of review to freeze-out merger transactions between a controlled corporation and its...more

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