On July 11, 2024, the Supreme Court of Delaware, en banc, issued an important decision in Kellner v. AIM Immunotech Inc.,1 which arose from a challenge in the Delaware Court of Chancery involving advance notice bylaws that...more
On May 31, 2024, the Delaware Court of Chancery issued an important decision addressing several key areas of Delaware law related to merger litigation. The opinion indicates that the court will continue to closely scrutinize...more
In this issue, we discuss recent Delaware court developments regarding officer liability, who can recover “lost-premium” damages, and trends in books and records actions, among other topics....more
12/27/2023
/ Board of Directors ,
Books & Records ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Corporate Officers ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Misappropriation ,
Section 220 Request ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Shareholders ,
Trade Secrets
On January 24, 2023, Skadden presented the fourth and final part of our 15th Annual Securities Litigation and Regulatory Enforcement Update series, “Developments and Trends in Delaware Law: A Review of 2022 and What to Expect...more
For decades, Delaware courts have encouraged stockholders to use the “tools at hand” — before initiating lawsuits — by obtaining corporations’ books and records through 8 Del. C. § 220 (Section 220). As described in prior...more
12/22/2022
/ Board of Directors ,
Books & Records ,
Bylaws ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Delaware ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Enforcement ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Section 220 Request ,
Shareholders ,
Standard of Review
In this issue, we discuss recent Delaware court decisions further developing the bounds around books and records demands. Other articles focus on recent developments concerning advance notice bylaws and the standards used by...more
12/21/2022
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Board of Directors ,
Books & Records ,
Bylaws ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Delaware ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Enforcement ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Shareholders ,
Standard of Review
As discussed in prior issues, Delaware courts have recently refined and limited defenses to Section 220 books and records actions. No longer does a stockholder need to specify the ends to which it might use the books and...more
Class Certification -
Central District of California Denies Class Certification in Securities Fraud Action Concerning Company’s Purchase of ADRs -
Stoyas v. Toshiba Corp., No. 2:15-cv-04194 (C.D. Cal. Jan. 7, 2022) -...more
3/2/2022
/ Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Derivative Suit ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Forum Selection ,
Loss Causation ,
Pleading Standards ,
Scienter ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Litigation ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Standing
This quarter’s issue includes summaries and associated court opinions of selected cases decided in August and September 2021.
Appraisal Rights - Delaware Supreme Court Enforces Sophisticated Investors’ Waiver of Appraisal...more
12/3/2021
/ Appraisal Rights ,
Arkansas Teacher Retirement System v Goldman Sachs Group ,
Board of Directors ,
Caremark claim ,
Cryptocurrency ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Demand Futility ,
Derivative Suit ,
Federal Rule 12(b)(6) ,
FRCP 23(b) ,
FRCP 9(b) ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
PSLRA ,
RICO ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Sherman Act ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Statute of Repose
This quarter’s issue includes summaries and associated court opinions of selected cases principally decided between November 2020 and January 2021.
Derivative Litigation -
Second Circuit Reverses Summary Judgment...more
3/8/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
Board of Directors ,
Books & Records ,
Breach of Duty ,
Caremark claim ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Derivative Suit ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Loss Causation ,
Mergers ,
Pleading Standards ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
Proxy Statements ,
PSLRA ,
Shareholder Litigation
The Delaware Court of Chancery’s docket exploded with expedited “broken” deal litigation in 2020, driven by the impact of COVID-19. Beyond pandemic-related merger litigation, stockholder plaintiffs remained focused on claims...more
On February 20, 2019, Skadden held a webinar titled “2019 M&A and Corporate Litigation Trends.” The panelists were litigation partner and Delaware litigation practice leader Edward Micheletti and litigation counsel Jenness...more
3/1/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Appraisal Rights ,
Books & Records ,
Business Judgment Rule ,
Bylaws ,
Controlling Stockholders ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corwin Doctrine ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Defense Strategies ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Entire Fairness Standard ,
Forum Selection ,
Mergers ,
MFW ,
Minority Shareholders ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Popular ,
Ratification ,
Reversal ,
Section 220 Request ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Shareholder Demands ,
Shareholders ,
Standard of Review
As discussed in an earlier edition of Insights: The Delaware Edition, Sections 204 and 205 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) provide methods for Delaware corporations to unilaterally ratify defective corporate...more
11/30/2018
/ Board of Directors ,
Consent ,
Defective Corporate Acts ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Judicial Review ,
Majority Shareholders ,
Mergers ,
Ratification ,
Reverse Stock Splits ,
Revocation ,
Section 204 ,
Section 205 ,
Self-Interest ,
Shareholder Approval ,
Shareholder Rights ,
Shareholder Votes ,
Stock Issuance ,
Technical Errors
Since they became effective in 2014, Sections 204 and 205 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) have provided mechanisms for a corporation to unilaterally ratify defective corporate acts or seek relief from the Court...more