Litigation developments: core M&A and corporate governance doctrines
Compliance Perspectives: Due Diligence and Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO)
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
On March 25, 2025, significant amendments to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the DGCL), intended to provide greater certainty to transaction planners in light of recent Delaware case law developments,...more
The governor of the State of Delaware—consistent with his pledge to protect the “Delaware franchise”—recently signed into law amendments to Section 144 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the DGCL) relating to certain...more
Last week, the Delaware Governor signed a bill amending Section 144 of Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) to create a safe harbor from litigation for transactions between corporations and their controlling...more
On March 25, 2025, Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer signed Senate Bill 21 into law. The new laws amend Section 144 of Title 8 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) to change how interested-director, interested-officer and...more
On March 25, 2025, Senate Bill 21, which significantly amends the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL), passed the Delaware General Assembly and was signed into law by Governor Matt Meyer....more
On Friday, the SEC announced settled charges against Vince McMahon, founder, controlling shareholder and former Executive Chair and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, for “knowingly circumventing WWE’s internal accounting...more
In January 2022, Vice Chancellor Lori Will of the Delaware Court of Chancery issued a groundbreaking opinion in In re MultiPlan Corp. Stockholders Litigation that paved the way for SPAC stockholders to bring direct breach of...more
Over the past decade, environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics have featured heavily in social and political discourse. ESG has also become prominent in the boardroom as directors navigate how best to address...more
On February 23, 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order approving an application for market-based rate (MBR) authority to VESI 12 LLC. However, the language in this MBR approval was not...more
In this issue, we cover regulatory developments from the fourth quarter of 2023 impacting the investment management sector, including the use of shareholder rights plans as an alternative to state control share statutes....more
A takeover offer from a controlling shareholder presents a challenge to boards of directors who are tasked with protecting minority shareholders, particularly where some of the directors on the board may have relationships or...more
On February 10, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed amendments to the rules governing beneficial ownership reporting under Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These...more
The Israel Securities Authority (ISA) will soon require public companies to disclose details about independent committees tasked with overseeing transactions with controlling shareholders. The staff position, published in...more
A Delaware Supreme Court case earlier this year, Dohmen v. Goodman (Del. June 23, 2020), provides authoritative guidance on the duty of disclosure of management to stockholders, limited partners and members of limited...more
This is our global initial public offering guide. It will help you navigate the US portion of a global IPO – in other words, an IPO in which you sell locally listed ordinary shares to investors outside the United States under...more
Morrison v. Berry considers Plaintiff’s claims for damages following the purchase of a grocery-store chain, The Fresh Market, Inc. (“Fresh Market” or the “Company”) by Apollo investment entities. The Plaintiff was a former...more
This issue focuses on important, developing areas of Delaware corporation law and deal litigation, including recent trends in Delaware corporate disclosure law, the Delaware Supreme Court’s important ruling in Marchand v....more
Corporate Governance and Securities Law Developments - Directors Can Be Held Liable for Failure to Oversee “Mission Critical” Regulatory Compliance - On October 1, the Delaware Court of Chancery refused to dismiss a...more
This edition provides an overview of key regulatory developments in the past three months relevant to companies listed, or planning to list, on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (HKEx), and their advisers. In...more
Disclosure-based strike suits have died an inglorious and richly-deserved death in Delaware. Lest deal practitioners and their clients be lulled into a false sense of security, recent decisional law drives home the point...more
The Delaware Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Corwin v. KKR Financial Holdings LLC1 fashioned a powerful defense in post-closing money damages cases for boards of directors by finding that business judgment deference applies...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
The Delaware courts issued a number of significant decisions in 2018 that are likely to have ripple effects throughout 2019. Among them were a series of cases that further developed the parameters of the Corwin and MFW...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission voted on December 19, 2018 to propose Rule 12d1-4 (proposed rule) and related amendments to the regulatory framework governing funds that invest in other funds (“fund of funds”...more