The last several months have marked an extremely busy time in Delaware corporate law, with regard to decisions out of the Delaware courts, proposed legislative responses, and shifting market practices. In recent weeks in...more
On October 31, 2023, in Crispo v. Musk, Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery issued a decision addressing an important question that arises in mergers and acquisitions: if one of the parties...more
On July 6, 2023, the Delaware Court of Chancery issued an important opinion that seeks to further limit the “merger tax” imposed on many companies in the context of significant M&A transactions. The court declared that future...more
During an M&A process, the seller and its stockholders may consider whether it would be beneficial to exercise any drag-along rights under its stockholder agreements or equity plans. Drag-along rights generally allow a subset...more
On November 30, 2020, Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery issued a post-trial decision addressing contractual issues related to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sale of a collection...more
On December 18, 2019, the Delaware Court of Chancery issued a 119-page post-trial memorandum opinion 1) rejecting a buyer's argument that the target company had breached representations and warranties in the parties' merger...more
1/7/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Breach of Contract ,
Buyers ,
Contract Termination ,
Corporate Governance ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Fraudulent Inducement ,
Material Adverse Effects ,
Merger Agreements ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
Representations and Warranties ,
Sellers
In a 137-page post-trial opinion, Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery ruled that an activist stockholder of PLX Technology (PLX) had acted through a principal who served on the PLX board of...more
10/25/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
Activist Investors ,
Aiding and Abetting ,
Board of Directors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Mergers ,
Sale of Assets ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Shareholders
In a 246-page post-trial decision issued this week, the Delaware Court of Chancery ruled that a buyer could terminate a $4.75 billion public company acquisition because of material adverse effects that had occurred at the...more
The Delaware Court of Chancery recently addressed important issues concerning the information rights of directors designated by a significant stockholder, as well as a board committee's ability to withhold information from...more
In another significant M&A decision from the New York Supreme Court, the controlling stockholder of a Delaware corporation failed to obtain judicial deference under the so-called "MFW" framework for its merger with the...more
On December 14, 2017, the Delaware Supreme Court issued its much-anticipated opinion in the Dell appraisal case, Dell, Inc. v. Magnetar Global Event Driven Master Fund Ltd., affirming in part, and reversing in part, the...more
Two recent appraisal decisions from the Delaware Court of Chancery provide additional guidance on when the court will defer to the merger price as evidence of fair value. In the first decision, In re Appraisal of PetSmart,1...more