Litigation developments: core M&A and corporate governance doctrines
Compliance Perspectives: Due Diligence and Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO)
Nearly a year ago, Delaware passed Senate Bill 21 (SB 21) into law, enacting sweeping amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL). The amendments included changes to the safe harbors for interested transactions...more
On December 19, 2025, the Delaware Supreme Court issued a significant decision in the long-running litigation over Tesla’s 2018 equity compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk, overturning the cancellation of his option grants....more
In January 2018, Tesla granted a “moonshot” award to Elon Musk, its founder, chair, and CEO. The award represented the largest equity award ever granted to a public company executive, anticipated to have an approximate value...more
In Ameriguard Security Services, Inc. & Garcia v. Anderson, et al., Judge Maria Gall of Nevada’s Eighth Judicial District’s Business Court found that absent fraud or manifest error, the certified stockholder list maintained...more
For years, Delaware has been the default domicile for growing late-stage companies (and most companies generally, for that matter). For the reasons detailed in these CapitalXchange posts from June 2025 and September 2025,...more
On November 6, 2025, the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the Court of Chancery’s dismissal of a shareholder derivative suit challenging a substantial stock option grant awarded to the co-founder and CEO of The Trade Desk,...more
Thinking about where to incorporate your company? While Delaware has long been the go-to choice for startups formed as corporations in the US, we’ve observed that recent changes in the legal landscape and statements by public...more
Texas is in the spotlight after several companies chose to move their legal home from Delaware to Texas. In 2025, Texas overhauled the Texas Business Organizations Code (the TBOC) to make the state more attractive for...more
Texas has reshaped its corporate landscape through four landmark laws designed to provide businesses in Texas with greater governance flexibility and reduced litigation risk....more
In our March article ‘O-H!’ ‘I-N-C!’, we explored why several well-known companies, including Tesla and TripAdvisor, are leaving Delaware and why Ohio presents a compelling alternative. Since then, Delaware has responded with...more
Can a company dismiss its CEO after the controlling shareholder changes? This was the central question in a recent proceeding in which we represented an employer and its new controlling shareholder....more
In re Trade Desk, Inc. Deriv. Litig., Consol. C.A. No. 2022-0461-PAF (Del. Ch. Feb. 14, 2025) - In this decision, the Court of Chancery found that stockholders challenging a controlling stockholder’s equity compensation...more
Recently, Nevada passed new legislation (AB 239) to amend the Nevada Revised Statutes to provide a number of statutory liability protections, including de-emphasizing the use of Delaware case law in interpreting Nevada law....more
In this episode, Mayer Brown partners Andrew Noreuil and Brian Massengill discuss this year’s amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law, which have fundamentally altered the landscape for conflicted transactions. Our...more
Not to be outdone by Delaware and Texas, the Nevada Senate voted unanimously on May 21, 2025, to adopt Assembly Bill No. 239 (AB 239), which provides for significant amendments to the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) governing...more
In re Oracle Corp. Deriv. Litig., C.A. No. 2017-0337 (Del. Jan. 21, 2025) - The Supreme Court affirmed the Court of Chancery’s decision in favor of the defendants in a derivative suit challenging Oracle’s acquisition of...more
Key Points - - While there have been some vocal critics of Delaware corporations law, few major companies have reincorporated in other states, and Delaware incorporation continues to offer substantial benefits to companies...more
Amendments to Section 144 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) broaden safe harbor protections for interested director and officer transactions and extend such protections to controlling stockholder transactions....more
Yesterday’s post concerned the recent decision by U.S. District Court Judge Charles R. Eskridge in Rowe v. Doris, 2025 WL 963590 (S.D. Tex. Mar. 31, 2025). The case involved claims arising from the merger of two Nevada...more
In late March 2025, the Delaware General Assembly enacted, and Governor Matt Meyer signed, bipartisan legislation making significant amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL)....more
On March 25, Delaware governor, Matt Meyer, signed into law Substitute 1 to Senate Bill 21 (SB 21), following its rapid approval by the Delaware state legislature. This legislative measure aims to counter the current trend of...more
Eckert v. Hightower, C.A. No. 2024-0569-MTZ (Del. Ch. Mar. 24, 2025) - A board of directors approved compensation packages for the company’s CEO, who also was its controlling stockholder. The CEO was a member of the...more
On March 25, 2025, Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer signed amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL), introducing notable changes to Sections 144 and 220 of the DGCL. These amendments took immediate effect and may...more
In perhaps one of the most significant revisions to the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL), on March 25, 2025, the governor signed into law amendments overhauling much of the state’s law relating to conflicted...more
Delaware amended the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) to create safe harbors for transactions involving directors, officers and controlling stockholders and to limit both the documents subject to and the purposes...more