The 2013 Amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law
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
The legislation aims to enhance the competitiveness of the Italian capital markets by introducing various reforms regarding the listing process and corporate governance. Listings on Euronext Milan are supported by Bill n....more
The Delaware Court of Chancery issued a post-trial opinion, on January 30, 2024, in Tornetta v. Musk, holding that Tesla’s board of directors (the “Board”) breached its fiduciary duties in awarding CEO Elon Musk (with the...more
The Supreme Court of Delaware recently issued a decision upholding long-standing precedent regarding Delaware’s class vote requirement. The case, In re Fox Corporation/Snap Inc. Section 242 Litigation, concerned amendments to...more
Vinson & Elkins’ Shareholder Activism practice co-heads Lawrence Elbaum and Patrick Gadson will discuss how companies need to prepare against the year round attacks by shareholder activists. In a conversation moderated by...more
A recent opinion from the Delaware Court of Chancery reaffirmed a Delaware corporation’s ability to create a class of stock with voting power that is based on a formula in the certificate of incorporation (Charter) or on...more
Under the California General Corporation Law, a shareholder whose shares are pledged is entitled to vote those shares until the shares have been transferred into the name of the pledgee. Cal. Corp. Code § 702(c). There are...more
Section 709 of the California Corporations Code provides a mechanism for "any shareholder" or "any person who claims to have been denied the right to vote" to obtain a determination by the Superior Court of the validity of...more
Many public companies will be required to include a "say on frequency" proposal at their 2023 annual meeting of stockholders. Since 2010, the Dodd-Frank Act has mandated that public companies submit, no less frequently than...more
While there are a few different forms of “corporate” entities in Israel, this guide will focus on companies and partnerships as these are the entities that the non-Israeli businessman is most likely to set up or invest in if...more
Shareholder activism continued unabated in 2022 and we see very little to suggest that will change in 2023. Overall, the number of activist campaigns were up 36% in 2022. However, activists continue to struggle to...more
The California General Corporation Law permits a corporation to issue shares with no voting rights, provided that at the time one or more classes or series of outstanding shares or debt securities, singly or in the aggregate,...more
In Stream T.V. Networks, Inc. v. SeeCubic, Inc., the Delaware Supreme Court (“Court”) held that section 271 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“D.G.C.L”), which requires stockholder approval for a Delaware corporation...more
In 2021, the Government of Canada proposed regulations that would change the director election process for certain corporations established under the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA). For more information with respect...more
Shareholder voting is viewed as fundamental to keeping boards and managements accountable, and, every year, billions of shares are voted at thousands of shareholder meetings of public companies. However, it is widely...more
“Substantially all” is defined as “[A] determination of whether there is a sale of substantially all assets so as to trigger section 271 depends upon the particular qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the...more
Summary - The SEC recently approved an amendment to Section 312.07 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual which eliminates the requirement that listed companies include abstentions as “votes cast” in matters on which the NYSE...more
Yesterday the SEC approved new proxy rules requiring the use of universal proxy cards by management and shareholders soliciting proxy votes for their candidates in non-exempt director election contests, as well as mandating...more
As expected, the SEC has adopted final rules requiring the use of universal proxy cards in shareholder meetings involving non-exempt contested director elections held after August 31, 2022. In addition, certain amendments...more
Considerations for companies planning for next proxy season should include the following: Risk Factors - ..As discussed in our July 13 post, consider current hot topics, including COVID risks, labor market...more
Alston & Bird will host this live seminar from our Atlanta office in addition to a live webcast. Learn about key developments and issues facing companies and investors and what you need to do to prepare for the 2022 proxy...more
Section 1900(a) is the only provision of the California General Corporation Law that authorizes action by an exactly 50% vote of shareholders. This action, moreover, may be taken without any action on the part of a...more
You are a responsible member of the board of directors of a fashionable cooperative apartment building in New York City. You have been doing this for a long time and are genuinely dedicated to protecting the interests of your...more
Delaware Court of Chancery Denies Motion to Dismiss in Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit Related to Mindbody Inc.’s Billion Dollar Merger with Vista Equity Partners; Second Circuit Unanimously Affirms Lower Court’s Decision...more
[This post revises and updates my earlier post primarily to reflect the contents of the adopting release.] - At an open meeting last week, the SEC voted (once again, three to two) to adopt highly controversial amendments...more