Tyler O'Connell on Shareholders

Chancery Dismisses Derivative Action Arising from $1.2 Billion Stock Sale Based on Plaintiffs’ Failure to Plead Demand Futility

In re Kraft Heinz Co. Deriv. Litig., Cons. C.A. No. 2019-0587-LWW (Del. Ch. Dec. 15, 2021) - The Court of Chancery dismissed an insider-trading action on the grounds that plaintiffs failed to plead that a majority of a...more

3/30/2022 / Breach of Duty , Demand Futility , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholder Litigation , Shareholders

Chancery Dismisses Derivative Action Based On Alleged Liability Under DGCL § 174 For Stock Repurchases and Dividends

In re The Chemours Co. Deriv. Litig., C.A. 2020-0786-SG (Del. Ch. Nov. 1, 2021) - Broadly speaking, Sections 160 and 173 of the DGCL prohibit a corporation from repurchasing stock or issuing dividends if doing so would...more

2/24/2022 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholders

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 Dismisses Implied Covenant Claim For Former Stockholders’ Alleged Improper Demands That Company Take Actions To Achieve...

Pacira Biosciences, Inc. v. Fortis Advisors LLC, C.A. No. 2020-0694-PAF (Del. Ch. Oct. 25, 2021) - There generally cannot be a claim under the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing for conduct that is addressed...more

1/7/2022 / Breach of Contract , Breach of Duty , Fiduciary Duty , Merger Agreements , Mergers , Shareholders

Delaware Court of Chancery Upholds Incumbent Directors’ Decision not to Excuse Stockholders’ Non-Compliance with Advance Notice...

Rosenbaum v. CytoDyn Inc., 2021 WL 4775410 (Del. Ch. Oct. 13, 2021) - The Delaware Court of Chancery recently upheld incumbents’ decision not to include insurgent director nominees on the ballot due to their failure to...more

12/28/2021 / Advance Notice , Board of Directors , Bylaws , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholders

Chancery Dismisses Derivative Claims That Private Equity Sponsors Comprised A Control Group

Patel v. Duncan, C.A. No. 2020-0418-MTZ (Del. Ch. Sept. 30, 2021) - For stockholders to comprise a control group, the alleged group members must be connected in some “legally significant way – such as by contract, common...more

11/18/2021 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Demand Futility , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , 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

Superior Court CCLD Dismisses Complaint Seeking Insurance Coverage for Appraisal Proceeding

Jarden, LLC v. ACE Am. Ins. Co., C.A. No. N20C-03-112 AML CCLD (Del. Super. July 30, 2021) - Director and corporate liability insurance coverage is determined by the specific language of the insurance policies. Last year,...more

9/24/2021 / Appraisal , Appraisal Rights , Business Valuations , Fair Market Value , Mergers , Shareholders

Chancery Finds Breach of Fiduciary Duty Where Defendant Resorted to Extra-Contractual Self-Help

Macrophage Therapeutics, Inc. v. Goldberg, C.A. No. 2019-0137-JRS (Del. Ch. Jun. 23, 2021) (Post-trial Memorandum Opinion) Macrophage Therapeutics, Inc. v. Goldberg, C.A. No. 2019-0137-JRS (Del. Ch. Jun. 23, 2021) (Letter...more

8/17/2021 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Bylaws , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholders

Section 225 Action Filed Eight Months After Removal Barred by Laches

Simple Global, Inc. v. Banasik, C.A. No. 2018-0809-PAF (Del. Ch. June 24, 2021) - Under Delaware law, a director or officer who disputes her removal as such may be subject to equitable defenses if she does not proceed...more

8/17/2021 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholders

Chancery Rejects Plaintiff’s Attempt to Recharacterize Pre-Suit Demands

The Raj & Sonal Abhyanker Fam. Tr. v. Blake, C.A. No. 2020-0521-KSJM (June 17, 2021) - Court of Chancery Rule 23.1 presents a would-be derivative plaintiff with two exclusive options: make a pre-suit demand on the board to...more

7/13/2021 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Demand Futility , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholders

Stockholders Lack Derivative Standing to Challenge Transactions Whose Terms Were Set Before They Became Stockholders

In re SmileDirectClub, Inc., 2021 WL 2182827 (Del. Ch. May 28, 2021) - Under the “contemporaneous ownership rule,” to have standing to bring derivative claims, stockholders in a Delaware corporation must own stock at the...more

6/23/2021 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholder Litigation , Shareholders

Chancery Confirms the Challenges in Pleading Caremark and Non-Shareholder Action Disclosure Claims

Fisher v. Sanborn, C.A. No. 2019-0631-AGB (Del. Ch. Mar. 30, 2021) - Under Court of Chancery Rule 23.1, a plaintiff attempting to bring a derivative action on behalf of a corporation faces a heightened “particularized”...more

4/27/2021 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Caremark claim , Demand Futility , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholders

Chancery Dismisses Stockholder’s Claim that Directors Provided Materially-Deficient Notice of their Intent to Use Equity Bonus...

Pascal v. Czerwinski, C.A. No. 2020-0320-SG (Del. Ch. Dec. 16, 2020) - This decision concerned a motion to dismiss a stockholder’s direct claim that Director-Defendants breached their duties by providing a...more

2/9/2021 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholders

Chancery Analogizes to Bylaw Provisions to Conclude that Noteholder was Bound to Forum Selection Clause in Amended Note

Mack v. Rev Worldwide, Inc., C.A. No. 2019-0123-MTZ (Del. Ch. Dec. 30, 2020) - Plaintiff loaned defendant $2.5 million through six secured convertible promissory notes. Each of the notes contained an exclusive forum...more

1/27/2021 / Bylaws , Forum Selection , Noteholders , Promissory Notes , Shareholders

Chancery Declines to Order Specific Performance of $5.8 Billion Luxury Hotel Deal Scuttled by COVID-19 Changes to Hotel Business...

AB Stable VIII LLC v. MAPS Hotels and Resorts One LLC, C.A. No. 2020-0310-JTL (Del. Ch. Nov. 30, 2020) - Parties to a sale and purchase agreement (“SPA”) had planned to close a deal to sell fifteen luxury hotels for $5.8...more

1/22/2021 / Board of Directors , Breach of Contract , Mergers , Shareholders

Chancery Dismisses Derivative Action for Failure to Plead Demand Futility Despite Unocal Enhanced Scrutiny

Gottlieb v. Duskin, C.A. No. 2019-0639-MTZ (Del. Ch. Nov. 20, 2020) - Defendants moved to dismiss a derivative action for failure to plead demand futility under Rule 23.1. The complaint alleged that the director...more

1/22/2021 / Board of Directors , Breach of Duty , Demand Futility , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholders

Chancery Dismisses Action For Plaintiffs’ Failure to Join Indispensable Parties

Germaninvestments AG and Richard Herrling, individually and on behalf of AHMR GmbH v. Allomet Corporation and Yanchep LLC, C.A. No. 2018-0666-JRS (Del. Ch. Nov. 20, 2020) - Under Court of Chancery Rule 12(b)(7), a...more

1/19/2021 / Breach of Contract , Dismissals , Motion to Dismiss , Shareholders

Mindbody Deal Case Provides Conflict Takeaways For Boards

The Delaware Court of Chancery's recent decision in In re: Mindbody Inc. Stockholders Litigation is important reading for lawyers whose practices include evaluating, addressing and — when necessary — litigating potential...more

12/4/2020 / Board of Directors , Books & Records , Breach of Duty , Fiduciary Duty , Section 220 Request , Shareholder Litigation , Shareholders

Chancery Questions Utility of Aronson Test, Dismisses Derivative Suit of Facebook Stockholder for Failure To Allege Demand...

United Food and Comm. Workers Union v. Zuckerberg, C.A. No. 2018-0671-JTL (Del. Ch. Oct. 26, 2020) - In its recent decision in United Food and Comm. Workers Union v. Zuckerberg, the Court of Chancery discussed the legal...more

12/3/2020 / Breach of Duty , Demand Futility , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Pleadings , Shareholder Litigation , Shareholders

Chancery Rebukes Party for “Distracting” and “Detrimental” Rule 11 Arguments

POSCO Energy Co., Ltd. v. FuelCell Energy, Inc., C.A. No. 2020-0713-MTZ (Del. Ch. Oct. 22, 2020) - Under Court of Chancery Rule 15, a Delaware plaintiff may request leave from the Court to amend or supplement a complaint....more

12/2/2020 / Books & Records , Section 220 Request , Shareholder Litigation , Shareholders

High Court Affirms Deal Price Was Reliable Indicator of Fair Value Despite Flawed Process

Brigade Leveraged Capital Structures Fund Ltd. v. Stillwater Mining Co., C.A. No. 427, 2019 (Del. Oct. 12, 2020) - This case illustrates that, notwithstanding a flawed process for the sale of a company, the deal price may...more

12/2/2020 / Appraisal , Appraisal Rights , Fair Market Value , Shareholders

Chancery Holds Statutory Rights to Inspect Books and Records of a Delaware Corporation are Subject to the Internal Affairs...

JUUL Labs, Inc. v. Grove, C.A. No. 2020-0005-JTL (Del. Ch. Aug. 13, 2020) - Stockholder inspection rights are a core matter of the governance of a corporation. This decision holds that, pursuant to the internal affairs...more

9/22/2020 / Books & Records , Choice-of-Law , Internal Affairs Doctrine , Section 220 Request , Shareholders

Chancery Dismisses Challenge to Top Executives’ Stock Awards in Disney-Fox Merger, Finds Plaintiff Lacks Standing to Pursue...

Brokerage Jamie Goldenberg Komen Rev TRU U/A 06/10/08 Jamie L Komen Trustee for the Benefit of Jamie Goldenberg Komen v. Breyer, C.A. No. 2018-0773-AGB (Del. Ch. June 26, 2020) - Following a merger that alters a...more

8/4/2020 / Breach of Duty , Derivative Suit , Fiduciary Duty , Shareholders , Standing

Chancery Rejects Argument that Books and Records Plaintiff Could “Retroactively” Comply with Statutory Demand Requirements

Martinez v. GPB Capital Holdings, LLC, C.A. No. 2019-1005-SG (Del. Ch. June 9, 2020) - The Delaware Court of Chancery largely entered judgment on the pleadings in favor of GPB Capital Holdings, LLC (“Defendant”), the...more

7/29/2020 / Board of Directors , Books & Records , Breach of Duty , Fiduciary Duty , Section 220 Request , Shareholders

Tyler O'Connell

Morris James LLP

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