Samuel Bashman on Board of Directors

Chancery Holds That Demand Was Not Wrongfully Refused When Considered by Working Group

In re Kraft Heinz Demand Refused Derivative Stockholder Litig., Consol. C.A. No. 2022-0398-LWW (Del. Ch. July 19, 2024) - By making a demand, a stockholder-plaintiff tacitly concedes that the board can impartially consider...more

12/19/2024 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Demand Futility , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholder Litigation , Shareholders

Court of Chancery Denies Post-Trial Motions Seeking to Enjoin Tesla Defendants

Tornetta v. Musk, C.A. No. 2018-0408-KSJM (Del. Ch. May 28, 2024) - Following the Court of Chancery’s post-trial opinion concerning Elon Musk’s compensation from Tesla (summarized here), Tesla submitted stockholder...more

9/9/2024 / Board of Directors , Shareholder Litigation , Shareholder Proposals , Shareholders

Chancery Holds Plaintiff Fails to Meet Rule 23.1 Pleading Standard, Dismisses Action Arising From T-Mobile Data Hack

Harper v. Sievert, C.A. No. 2022-0819-SG (Del. Ch. May 31, 2024). A stockholder plaintiff brought derivative claims alleging that current and former directors of T-Mobile US, Inc. were liable for aggregating customers’...more

9/9/2024 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Demand Futility , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholder Litigation , Shareholders

Chancery Addresses Acquirer’s Request For Joint Tortfeasor Settlement Credit

In re Columbia Pipeline Grp. Inc. Merger Litig., Consol. C.A. No. 2018-0484-JTL (Del. Ch. May 15, 2024) - In this post-trial decision, the Court addressed an acquirer’s responsibility for damages suffered by a stockholder...more

8/16/2024 / Aiding and Abetting , Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Fiduciary Duty , Mergers , Shareholder Litigation , Shareholders

Chancery Determines Certain Suits and Investigations Against Amazon Were Insufficient to Meet Credible Basis Standard to Inspect...

Wong Leung Revocable Tr. v. Amazon.com Inc., C.A. No. 2023-1251-BWD (Del. Ch. May 1, 2024) - In order to inspect books and records under Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, a stockholder-plaintiff must...more

8/16/2024 / Board of Directors , Books & Records , Breach of Duty , Delaware General Corporation Law , Fiduciary Duty , Section 220 Request , Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) , Shareholder Litigation , Shareholders

Chancery Denies Attorneys’ Fees for Appointment of New Directors Following Assertion of Derivative Claims

In re Oracle Corp. Deriv. Litig., Consol. C.A. No. 2017-0337-SG (Del. Ch. Feb. 7, 2024) - Under the mootness rule, a stockholder plaintiff can be awarded attorneys’ fees when the plaintiff’s litigation efforts result in...more

5/6/2024 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholder Litigation , Shareholders

Chancery Finds Derivative Plaintiffs Breached Duties in Withholding Arbitration Award of the Company

Optimiscorp v. Atkins, C.A. No. 2020-0183-MTZ (Del. Ch. June 1, 2023) - As this decision explains, when stockholder plaintiffs control the derivative claims of the company, they serve as agents of the company and owe the...more

9/28/2023 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholders

Chancery Rules That Separate Accrual Periods Apply to an Information Systems Caremark Claim in Walmart Opioid Litigation

Ontario Provincial Council of Carpenters' Pension Trust Fund v. Walton, C.A. No. 2021-0827-JTL (Del. Ch. Apr. 12, 2023) - To determine the limitations period under laches, a court must determine when a claim accrued....more

8/23/2023 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholder Litigation

Director violated Revlon Duties by Tilting the Sales Process in favor of the Buyer

In re Mindbody Inc. Stockholder Litig., C.A. No. 2019-0442-KSJM (Del. Ch. Mar. 15, 2023) - Under Revlon, to demonstrate that they satisfied their fiduciary duties in connection with a sale of control, directors bear the...more

6/21/2023 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholders

Chancery Dismisses Oversight Claim Based on Board’s Response to Red Flags

In re McDonald's Corp. Stockholder Derivative Litig., CA No. 2021-0324-JTL (Del. Ch. March 1, 2023) - A plaintiff can plead an oversight claim against a board by alleging particularized facts to support an inference that...more

5/18/2023 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Caremark claim , Derivative Suit , Duty of Loyalty , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholder Litigation

Chancery Resolves Section 225 Dispute and Declines to Invalidate Written Consents

Zhou v. Deng, C.A. No. 2021-0026-JRS (Del. Ch. Apr. 6, 2022) - When deciding a summary proceeding regarding a disputed corporate office under Section 225 of the DGCL, the Court of Chancery may consider whether an election,...more

8/8/2022 / Board of Directors , Breach of Contract , Breach of Duty , Fiduciary Duty , Motion to Dismiss , Shareholders

Chancery Denies Indemnification to Director After Examining Settlement Agreement

Huret v. Mondobrain, Inc., C.A. No. 2021-0208-SG (Del. Ch. Apr. 27, 2022) - Under Section 145(c) of the DGCL, a director that has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defending a covered proceeding is entitled to...more

8/8/2022 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Fiduciary Duty , Indemnification , Motion to Dismiss

Chancery Upholds Claims Against Controller’s Family Member

In re Straight Path Communications Inc. Consol. Stockholder Litig., C.A. No. 2017-0486-SG (Del. Ch. Feb. 17, 2022) - This summary judgment decision arose out of a transaction involving the company Straight Path....more

8/5/2022 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Controlling Stockholders , Fiduciary Duty

Chancery Holds Plaintiffs Adequately Pled Wrongful Refusal Where Board Did Not Correct Unauthorized Charter Amendments

Drachman v. Cukier, C.A. No. 2019-0728-LWW (Del. Ch. Oct. 29, 2021) - To survive a motion to dismiss in the demand refusal context, the plaintiff must allege facts that create a reasonable doubt that the board’s decision...more

1/11/2022 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Demand Futility , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholders

Chancery Applies Recent Zuckerberg Decision and Holds That Demand Was Not Excused

Genworth Fin., Inc. Consol. Deriv. Litig., C.A. No. 11901-VCS (Del. Ch. Sept. 29, 2021) - In a demand futility analysis, Delaware courts have traditionally applied the Rales and Aronson decisions. However, the Delaware...more

12/17/2021 / Board of Directors , Demand Futility , Derivative Suit , Initial Public Offering (IPO)

Chancery Rejects MFW Defense Based on Failure to Disclose That a Conflicted Controller Participated in Arbitration Proceedings...

Ligos v. Isramco, Inc., C.A. No. 2020-0435-SG (Del. Ch. Aug. 31, 2021) - Under MFW, a conflicted controller transaction may get the benefit of business judgment review when conditioned on two procedural protections...more

11/10/2021 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Fiduciary Duty , Mergers , Shareholders

Chancery Denies Motion to Dismiss in Part Because Certain Discussions Between CEO and Acquirer Were not Disclosed in Proxy When...

Teamsters Local 237 Additional Security Benefit Fund v. Caruso, C.A. No. 2020-0620-PAF (Del. Ch. Aug. 31, 2021) - Under Revlon, a director must focus on obtaining a transaction that provides the maximum value for...more

11/4/2021 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Fiduciary Duty , Mergers , Shareholders

Chancery Grants Special Litigation Committee’s Zapata Motion, Finds Committee Was Sufficiently Independent and Reasonable

Diep v. Sather, C.A. No. 12760-CM (Del. Ch. July 30, 2021) - Under Zapata, when analyzing a motion to dismiss by a special litigation committee, the court evaluates whether the committee was independent, acted in good...more

9/21/2021 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Derivatives , Fiduciary Duty , Motion to Dismiss

Chancery Dismisses Derivative Breach of Contract Claim Against Directors for Alleged Violations of Certificate of Incorporation

Lacey v. Mota-Velasco, C.A. No. 2019-0312-SG (Del. Ch. Feb. 11, 2021) - A corporate charter represents a contractual agreement between the corporation and its stockholders. In Lacey, the Court of Chancery addressed...more

3/31/2021 / Board of Directors , Breach of Contract , Breach of Duty , Fiduciary Duty , Motion to Dismiss

Samuel Bashman

Morris James LLP

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