The "Compass Rose" Method for Corporate Witness Interviews
On June 30, 2022, Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery denied a motion to dismiss stockholder derivative claims for alleged breaches of fiduciary duty against the CEO/Chairman of an...more
On 15 March 2022, ClientEarth announced that it had written to Shell's board of directors informing them of its intent to bring a claim on behalf of the company for the board's failure to implement a Paris Agreement compliant...more
We’ve written from time to time, about the need to allege pre-suit demand or demand futility where a shareholder seeks to sue derivatively on behalf of a corporation for whom the court has appointed a receiver....more
Welcome to this year’s edition of Winter Case Notes in which I highlight a collection of recent court decisions of interest to business divorce aficionados by way of brief synopses with links to the decisions for those who...more
On October 30, 2019, the Delaware Court of Chancery struck a major blow against the plaintiffs’ bar’s efforts to lower the statutory hurdle to maintaining stockholder derivative claims. A stockholder of Ultragenyx...more
On August 28, 2019, Vice Chancellor Joseph R. Slights III of the Delaware Court of Chancery denied a motion to stay filed by the special litigation committee formed by defendant Blue Bell Creameries, Inc. (“BBGP”) in...more
On February 12, 2019, Vice Chancellor Kathaleen S. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery granted a motion to dismiss a stockholder derivative suit against the former CEO and directors of United Continental Holdings,...more
The North Carolina's Supreme Court's recently issued opinion in Azure Dolphin, LLC v. Barton, 2018 N.C. LEXIS 1036 caught my eye because it involved an interpretation of California Corporations Code Section 15910.02 which...more
On November 14, 2018, Chancellor Andre G. Bouchard of the Delaware Court of Chancery granted a motion to dismiss a stockholder derivative suit asserting breach of fiduciary duty claims against certain directors of Richardson...more
The wheels of justice turn slowly. Two years ago, I wrote about Judge Robert C. Jones's ruling in Weinfeld v. Minor, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30117 (D. Nev. Mar. 8, 2016). In that ruling, Judge Jones tackled tackled the...more
The decision to bring a lawsuit on behalf of a corporation is entrusted to the corporation’s board of directors. A shareholder may not maintain a derivative lawsuit on behalf of a corporation without first making a demand on...more
In a “sweet” decision for corporate boards, on January 20, 2017, Maryland’s highest court ruled in Oliveira v. Sugarman that the decision of the full board to refuse a shareholder demand is not subject to the heightened...more
In In re Zagg Inc. Shareholder Derivative Action, No. 15-4001, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 11095 (10th Cir. June 20, 2016), the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit held that stockholders of a Utah-based, Nevada...more
This issue focuses on important, developing areas of Delaware corporation law and deal litigation, including the Court of Chancery’s clarification of its evolving views about disclosure-based deal litigation settlements;...more
Recent Delaware cases have helped clarify the limits of what the Court of Chancery will consider in a books-and-records demand under 8 Del. C. § 220, and one case has adopted a novel condition that defendants may seek to...more
In a recent decision out of the Delaware Court of Chancery – Friedman v. Maffei et al., C.A. No. 111105-VCMR – the court’s second-newest member, Vice Chancellor Montgomery-Reeves, dismissed a proposed derivative complaint on...more
In Oliveira v. Sugarman, No. 1980 September Term 2014 (Jan. 28, 2016), the Maryland Court of Special Appeals held that the decision of a board of directors of a Maryland corporation to refuse a stockholder demand is entitled...more
Delaware’s requirements for stockholders to maintain derivative actions reflect the twin principles of director management and control and accountability. Because directors manage the business and affairs of Delaware...more
Teamsters Union 25 Health Services & Insurance Plan v. Baiera, C.A. No. 9503-CB (July 13, 2015) - A transaction with a controlling stockholder that is the subject of a derivative complaint still requires that a...more
This is an interesting decision because it interprets the seldom-used Delaware Savings Statute [10 Del. C. Section 8118]. ...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, in Unión de Empleados de Muelles de Puerto Rico PRSSA Welfare Plan, v. UBS Financial Services Inc. of Puerto Rico, No. 11-1605, --- F.3d ----, 2013 WL 49818 (1st Cir. Jan. 4,...more