Dealing with an Unsolicited Offer - The Bank Account
In recent years, the global markets (predominantly in the US) have experienced a significant surge in hostile takeovers, largely due to the COVID 19 pandemic, which impacted public companies' equity values and ultimately...more
Since 2005, Japanese courts have reviewed the legality of many poison pills and whether they can withstand the shareholder equality principle. Among those cases, of particular interest have been (a) how courts evaluate...more
How an anti-takeover measure can be justified has been argued in many different ways in the last 20 years. In recent significant decisions involving an injunctive motion by the acquirer triggered by the issuance of a poison...more
Who Needs to Know - Boards of directors of Delaware corporations contemplating the adoption of a stockholder rights plan (a/k/a poison pill)....more
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
In a recent post-trial decision the Delaware Court of Chancery upheld a stockholder challenge to a “poison pill” rights plan adopted by The Williams Companies’ board of directors, declaring the plan unenforceable and issuing...more
On Feb. 26, 2021, the Delaware Court of Chancery ruled that the board of directors of The Williams Companies breached its fiduciary duties by adopting a stockholder rights plan, otherwise known as a poison pill, because the...more
On February 26, 2021, Vice Chancellor Kathaleen S. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery permanently enjoined a stockholder rights plan — or so-called “poison pill” — with a 5% trigger that The Williams Companies, Inc....more
The number of stockholder rights plans (also known as “poison pills”) adopted in 2020 significantly increased compared to prior years. The collapse in public company equity values during the inception of the COVID-19...more
Shareholder rights plans, commonly known as “poison pills,” are arrangements that can be used by companies to stave off hostile takeovers or activist investors seeking to exert control over a company without paying a control...more
Since the release of our recent article “Poison Pills, NOL Poison Pills and the COVID-19 Pandemic” in midApril, we continue to see a surge in the number of companies implementing poison pills (also referred to as shareholder...more
The sixth of a six-part series examining six specific and evolving rights plan provisions. As discussed in greater detail in some of our prior articles, a shareholder rights plan is a protective measure used by a public...more
The fifth of a six-part series examining six specific and evolving rights plan provisions. As discussed in greater detail in some of our prior articles, a shareholder rights plan is a protective measure used by a public...more
The fourth of a six-part series examining six specific and evolving rights plan provisions. As discussed in greater detail in some of our prior articles, a shareholder rights plan is a protective measure used by a public...more
The first of a six-part series examining six specific and evolving rights plan provisions. An increasing number of companies are choosing to adopt shareholder rights plans (otherwise known as “poison pills”) in response to...more
The outbreak of COVID-19 and the efforts around the globe to contain its spread have resulted in dramatic business disruptions and economic turmoil, raising many new considerations for parties participating in proposed or...more
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused significant volatility in stock prices, resulting in severe disparities between stock prices and many corporations’ view of the intrinsic value of their business. This has,...more
As the stock prices of many U.S. public companies have plunged due to the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic, activist investors, private equity firms, and opportunistic buyers may try to acquire stock on the cheap and...more
Market volatility arising from the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to increased hostile takeover activity and shareholder activism as some companies experience market valuations that they believe are not reflective of their...more
The turmoil in US equity markets created by the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many companies facing depressed stock prices, leaving them vulnerable to unsolicited acquisition proposals or activist activity, which has led...more
In light of the precipitous decline in the stock market since the beginning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, public companies should consider whether their existing corporate governance structures enable them to...more
Tailored considerations for boards of directors and management in the current environment. Key Points: ..Hostile takeover activity and stockholder activism often correspond with or follow periods of extreme market...more
Shareholder rights plans were developed more than 30 years ago to fend off opportunistic hostile offers and other abusive takeover transactions. Rights plans deter unauthorized stock accumulations by imposing substantial...more
In In re BioClinica, Inc. Shareholder Litigation, the Delaware Court of Chancery in a memorandum opinion on a motion to expedite examined the cumulative effect of deal protection devices to determine whether they should have...more