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Chancery Holds that the Majority-of-the-Votes-Cast Voting Standard Applies to Charter Amendment to Increase the Number of...

Salama v. Simon, C.A. No. 2024-1124-JTL (Del. Ch. Nov. 27, 2024) - After a Delaware corporation issued a proxy statement and told the stockholders that an amendment to increase its authorized shares of common stock...more

Court of Chancery Holds Supermajority Vote Not Required for Nevada Reincorporation

Gunderson v. The Trade Desk Inc., C.A. No. 2024-1029-PAF (Del. Ch. Nov. 6, 2024) - The board of a Delaware corporation recommended that the corporation reincorporate as a Nevada corporation subject to a majority vote...more

Court of Chancery Applies the American Rule and Denies Attorneys’ Fees Despite Fiduciary Breach

In re Straight Path Commc’ns Inc. Consol. S’holder Litig., C.A. No. 2017-0486-SG (Del. Ch. Oct. 29, 2024) - The Court of Chancery in this stockholder class action refused to award attorneys’ fees where the Court found the...more

Chancery Dismisses Claims That a Merger Involved a Conflicted Controller but Allows Limited Discovery Into Alleged Disclosure...

Whether a party is a controlling stockholder in a conflicted transaction determines the standard of review. If a stockholder owns more than 50% of the voting shares and therefore can control the board, there is no question it...more

Chancery Dismisses Derivative Action Based on Plaintiff’s Failure to Allege Particularized Facts Demonstrating Demand Futility

The power to bring a claim for breach of duty causing injury to a Delaware corporation resides with the board of directors. It is part of their duty under Section 141(a) of the Delaware General Corporation Law to manage the...more

Chancery Invalidates Elon Musk’s $55.8 Billion Pay Package

Tornetta v. Musk, et al., C.A. 2018-0408-KSJM (Del. Ch. Jan. 30, 2024) - Stockholders of Tesla, Inc. brought a derivative action against Elon Musk and six individual Tesla directors, alleging that the directors breached...more

Chancery Dismisses Double-Derivative Claims for Failure To Plead Demand Futility

City of Hialeah Emps. Ret. Sys. v. Insight Venture Partners, C.A. No. 2022-0846-MTZ (Del. Ch. Dec. 28, 2023) - A venture capital fund invested in two different entities. One of the entities then acquired the other. In the...more

Chancery Holds that LLC Agreement Did Not Confer Jurisdiction Over Contract and Tort Claims

Ramco Asset Mgmt. LLC v. USA Rare Earth, LLC, C.A. No. 2022-0665-SG (Del. Ch. Oct. 20, 2023) - Plaintiffs brought claims alleging improper dilution of their equity interests when transferring their holdings in an...more

2023 Delaware Corporate and Commercial Case Law Year in Review

This top ten list summarizes significant decisions of the Delaware Supreme Court and the Delaware Court of Chancery over the past calendar year. Our criteria for selection are that the decision either meaningfully changed...more

Chancery Denies Advancement for Director Suspected of Leaking Confidential Financial Information

Hoffman v. First Wave BioPharma, Inc., C.A. No. 2023-0097-MTZ (Del. Ch. September 27, 2023) - A company's board of directors suspected one of its members had leaked the company's financial information to a third party and...more

Chancery Approves Reduced Fee Award for Derivative Settlement Based on Therapeutic Benefits

Sciabacucchi v. Howley, C.A. No. 2021-0938-LWW (Del. Ch. July 3, 2023) - A stockholder filed a derivative action alleging breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment in connection with a board compensation committee’s...more

Chancery Denies Books and Records Request Related to Disney’s Opposition to Florida Legislation Prohibiting LGBTQ+ Topics in...

Simeone v. The Walt Disney Company, C.A. No. 2022-1120-LWW (Del. Ch. June 27, 2023) - The Walt Disney Company opposed Florida legislation that limits instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida...more

Chancery Grants Single-Member Special Litigation Committee’s Motion To Terminate Derivative Claims

In re Baker Hughes, a GE Company, Derivative Litigation, C.A. No. 2019-0201-LWW (Del. Ch. Apr. 17, 2023) - After the Court of Chancery made a pleadings stage determination that the demand was futile, a board of directors...more

Delaware Supreme Court Permits Substitution of Bankruptcy Trustee as Plaintiff to Resolve “Procedural Conundrum”

Lenois v. Lawal, No. 33, 2021 (Del. Dec. 9, 2021) - A company’s bankruptcy filing during an appeal of a dismissal of a derivative action presents questions of who, if anyone, has the standing to pursue the company’s...more

Chancery Allows Fiduciary Duty Claims to Proceed against Minority Members Who Blocked Financings in Order to Bankrupt Company and...

Skye Mineral Investors, LLC v. DXS Capital (U.S.) Ltd., C.A. No. 2018-0059-JRS (Del. Ch. Feb. 24, 2020) (Slights, V.C.). Where parties to an LLC agreement do not unambiguously disclaim fiduciary duties, then Delaware law...more

Chancery Dismisses Stockholder Claims that a Minority Owner was a Controlling Stockholder or that a Majority of the Board was...

In re: Essendant, Inc. Stockholder Litigation, C.A. No. 2018-0789-JRS (Del. Ch. Dec. 30, 2019). When as here a Delaware corporation’s charter contains an exculpation provision under Section 102(b)(7) of the Delaware...more

Court of Chancery Grants Inspection of Books and Records into CBS-Viacom Merger But Narrows Scope of Required Production of...

A stockholder seeking the books and records of a Delaware corporation to investigate alleged management misconduct must establish a “credible suspicion.” Even where a stockholder meets that burden, it will only be entitled to...more

Delaware Supreme Court Clarifies: No Presumption of Confidentiality for Documents Produced Pursuant to a Books and Records Request

Tiger v. Boast Apparel, Inc., C.A. No. 23, 2019 (Del. Aug. 7, 2019). The Delaware Supreme Court held that documents produced pursuant to a request for books and records under Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation...more

Chancery Dismisses Derivative and Direct Claims Claims Upon Finding Shareholder Plaintiffs Sold Shares Without Preserving Rights...

It is well-settled in Delaware that a stockholder seeking to pursue derivative claims must own shares at the time of the wrong and continuously through the life of any litigation. Similarly, direct claims based on injury to...more

Delaware Corporate and Commercial Case Law Year in Review - 2018

This top ten list summarizes significant decisions of the Delaware Supreme Court and the Delaware Court of Chancery over the past calendar year 2018. Originally published in Transaction Advisors....more

Delaware Corporate and Commercial Case Law Year In Review – 2017

This top ten list summarizes significant decisions of the Delaware Supreme Court and the Delaware Court of Chancery over the past calendar year. Our criteria for selection are that the decision either changed the law in a...more

Court of Chancery Dismisses Derivative Action for Failure to Plead Demand Futility

A cardinal principle of Delaware law is that directors manage the business and affairs of a Delaware corporation. This includes decisions regarding whether to pursue claims against officers and directors whose breach of duty...more

Court Upholds Stockholder's Share Ownership and Books-and-Records Request

Companies often defend against stockholder requests to inspect books and records by contending that the plaintiff stockholder lacks a proper purpose or that his or her stated purpose is not the real purpose. Less common is a...more

Court of Chancery Dismisses Post-Closing Challenge to Merger Transaction

Stockholders who believe that a board breached its fiduciary duties in connection with information provided to stockholders asked to vote for a merger transaction can either seek to enjoin the transaction or seek damages...more

Delaware Corporate and Commercial Case Law Year In Review – 2016

Morris James attorneys Lewis Lazarus, Albert Manwaring and Albert Carroll authored an article published in Transaction Advisors titled Delaware Corporate and Commercial Case Law Year in Review – 2016. The article summarizes...more

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