News & Analysis as of

Fiduciary Duty Shareholder Activism

Morris James LLP

Chancery Excuses Condition in Stockholder Agreement When Company Caused its Non-Occurrence

Morris James LLP on

Chordia v. Lee, C.A. No. 2023-0382-NAC (Del. Ch. Jan. 4, 2024) - In this case, as part of a sale of a majority interest, a stockholder agreement granted the founders the ability to designate members to the board of...more

ArentFox Schiff

Airline 401k Decision Illustrates Continued Takeoff of ESG Litigation

ArentFox Schiff on

A Texas federal judge recently permitted an environmental, social, and governance- (ESG) related Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) case filed by an airline pilot against his employer and its benefits plan to...more

Venable LLP

Court of Chancery Provides Further Guidance on Advance Notice Bylaw Amendments Amidst a Proxy Contest

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Hi In “a tale of wins and losses on both sides,” the Delaware Court of Chancery reiterated that advance notice bylaws adopted amid an approaching proxy contest are reviewed through the lens of enhanced judicial scrutiny to...more

Paul Hastings LLP

Delaware Chancery Upholds Rejection of Advance Notice; Strikes Down Certain Bylaw Amendments

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In Kellner v. AIM Immunotech Inc., et al., Vice Chancellor Will of the Delaware Court of Chancery upheld the company’s rejection of an advance notice of nomination finding that the Board acted reasonably and equitably in...more

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC

[Webinar] 5th Annual Corporate & Securities Counsel Public Company Forum - December 12th, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm CST

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Please join us for our 5th Annual Corporate & Securities Counsel Public Company Forum. This virtual half-day program will feature panel discussions focused on timely and practical guidance related to the latest developments...more

Hogan Lovells

Recent developments in ESG shareholder activism around the world and suggestions for risk mitigation

Hogan Lovells on

Shareholder activism has always been a relevant issue for companies, but in recent years a new variety has emerged and taken hold in the form of ESG shareholder activism. In detail, the approaches and impact of ESG campaigns...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Facts Matter: A Fresh Look at Rights Plans and Fiduciary Duties

In mid-March 2020, concerned about opportunistic activist stockholders, a precipitous decline in oil prices and corresponding stock volatility, as well as uncertainty created by the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the board...more

Jones Day

Delaware Chancery Court Strikes 5% Poison Pill With "Extreme" Features

Jones Day on

The Background: The Delaware Chancery Court held that a board of directors breached its fiduciary duties in adopting a shareholder rights plan, or "poison pill," with an unprecedented combination of "extreme" features,...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Coronavirus Update: Frequent Questions We Are Receiving

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is affecting all aspects of our clients' businesses, not to mention their personal lives. We are fielding numerous legal and practical questions in many different substantive areas and will...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Shareholder Activism Pushes Boundaries of Board Duties

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Under the traditional model of corporate governance, boards of directors owe fiduciary duties to one group, and one group only — the company’s shareholders — to maximize the value of their shares. But, times are changing. In...more

Troutman Pepper

Mergers & Acquisitions 2019: USA Chapter

Troutman Pepper on

2018 M&A Numbers - Following 2017’s market decline, overall M&A volume trended in a positive direction in 2018. While the almost 20,000 transactions closed globally in 2018 did represent a 15 percent drop from the previous...more

Kilpatrick

Department of Labor Warns about Socially Responsible Investing and Shareholder Activism

Kilpatrick on

On April 23, 2018, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued Field Assistance Bulletin 2018-01 (FAB 2018-1) warning its national and regional offices that fiduciaries who invest plan assets based on public policy factors or who...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Activists at the Gate: Court of Chancery Weighs In on Claims Involving Activist Stockholders

Several recent decisions applying Delaware law offer helpful insight about the impact that activist investor involvement has on board decision-making leading to a transaction and how those decisions will be reviewed by the...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

"Directors Must Navigate Challenges of Shareholder-Centric Paradigm"

The corporate governance landscape has become more complicated, making it more difficult for directors to manage the often inconsistent demands of multiple constituencies while pursuing the fundamental fiduciary obligation to...more

Cooley LLP

Alert: DOL Issues Guidance on Shareholder Engagement and Pension Fund Investments

Cooley LLP on

On December 28, the US Department of Labor ("DOL") issued Interpretive Bulletin 2016-01 (published in the Federal Register on December 29, 2016), setting forth its views concerning the legal standards under Sections 402, 403,...more

Cooley LLP

M&A Team News - January 2016

Cooley LLP on

Here is a look back at the top M&A developments that affected deal-making last year and a look forward to our expectations for 2016....more

Allen Matkins

I’m Guessing That The DOL Didn’t Have in Mind Negative Weighing OF ESG Factors

Allen Matkins on

In this post, I noted a recent study by Professor Tracie Woidtke at the University of Tennessee concluding that social-issue shareholder-proposal activism appears to be negatively related to firm value. I therefore raised...more

Allen Matkins

Do Public Pension Funds Breach Their Fiduciary Duties By Pursuing Social Issue Proposals?

Allen Matkins on

Yesterday, UCLA Law School Professor Stephen Bainbridge noted the publication of a recent study that reaches some devastating conclusions for public pension funds.  The study by Professor Tracie Woidtke at the University of...more

Morris James LLP

Proxy Puts: Consider With Caution

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Directors of a Delaware corporation that enters into a financing agreement with a lender may breach their fiduciary duties if the financing agreement contains a common provision allowing the lender to accelerate and demand...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

"Insights Focus: Key Observations for Directors and Senior Executives"

Although Insights is intended to cover a wide range of issues, there are a number of topics we believe will be of particular interest to directors and senior corporate executives. Below is an introduction to these topics and...more

Bracewell LLP

Delaware Supreme Court Rules That Privileged Documents Must Be Produced To Shareholders Investigating Corporate Misconduct

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The Delaware Supreme Court recently held that, in certain circumstances, shareholders may be able to obtain access to privileged, internal documents in order to investigate potential breaches of fiduciary duty. In Wal-Mart...more

Burr & Forman

Delaware Court Dismisses Shareholder Class Action Suit Attacking Corporate Merger

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Almost every proposed corporate merger is met with a shareholder suit against the acquiring company, merger target and the target’s board of directors in which the shareholders assert that the board breached its fiduciary...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Highlights From 2013 And Implications For 2014

During 2013 shareholder activism continued to surge and impact corporate-decision making. The Delaware courts also handed down several significant rulings during the year. ...more

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