Litigation developments: core M&A and corporate governance doctrines
Compliance Perspectives: Due Diligence and Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO)
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
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
On March 25, Delaware Governor Matt Meyer enacted a sweeping reform of the state’s corporate law, signing Senate Bill 21 into effect. The bill, which received bipartisan support in the legislature, aims to attract and retain...more
On March 2025, a sweeping reform of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) took effect. SB 21 codifies safe harbors for conflicted transactions, clarifies director independence standards, and significantly tightens...more
Our Securities Litigation and Securities Groups discuss the final version of Delaware’s SB 21 that brings the most impactful changes to Delaware corporate law in decades....more
The Delaware Legislature passed, and Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer signed on March 25, 2025, the landmark Senate Bill 21. Senate Bill 21 amends the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "DGCL") in significant ways, with broad...more
On March 25, 2025, the Governor of Delaware signed into law Senate Bill 21 (SB 21) which amends Sections 144 and 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) to codify and clarify safe harbors for transactions involving...more
Last week, Delaware approved legislation overhauling the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL). As detailed below, the amendments to the DGCL ease certain restrictions applicable to “conflicted controller” transactions, and...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
On March 25, 2025, Delaware Governor Matt Meyer signed into law Senate Bill 21, amending Sections 144 and 220 of Title 8 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL). The legislation responds to recent concerns over...more
In an effort to maintain its status as the leading state for incorporation, Delaware has made historic and significant changes to its General Corporation Law (DGCL) that make it more difficult for shareholders to challenge...more
On March 25, 2025, Delaware Governor Matt Meyer signed into law significant amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) that are designed to reduce excessive stockholder litigation and reinforce the authority of...more
On Tuesday evening, following two hours of debate and five failed amendments, bipartisan Senate Bill 21 (“SB 21”) passed the Delaware House and was quickly signed by Delaware Governor Matt Meyer. SB 21, which, in part, was a...more
On January 21, 2025, the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the Court of Chancery’s decision in In re Oracle Corp. Derivative Lit., finding that a less than 50% stockholder does not owe fiduciary duties absent evidence of either...more
On February 17, 2025, Delaware’s legislative leaders and Governor announced landmark legislation and initiatives that would, if enacted into law, result in welcome and much-needed amendments to Delaware corporate law to...more
Yesterday's post concerned the Delaware Supreme Court's decision that the business judgment rule applied to TripAdvisor's decision to reincorporate in Nevada. Maffei v. Palkon, 2025 WL 384054 (Del. Feb. 4, 2025). This...more
On July 2, 2024, the Delaware Chancery Court in Sciannella v. AstraZeneca dismissed stockholder claims in connection with the $3 billion merger of Viela Bio and Horizon Therapeutics in 2021. The merger was approved by Viela’s...more
In Kahn v. M&F Worldwide, 88 A.3d 635 (Del. 2014) (MFW), the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that a controlling stockholder transaction involving a freeze-out merger, which is structured to include approval by a well-functioning...more
In Palkon v. Maffei, the Delaware Court of Chancery permitted stockholders to pursue claims that the board of directors of TripAdvisor breached their fiduciary duties in converting TripAdvisor from a Delaware corporation to a...more
In the case of Carvana Co. Stockholders Litigation, the Delaware Court of Chancery followed the special litigation committee’s (SLC’s) recommendation and dismissed a stockholder complaint alleging that the company’s...more
In the recent decision West Palm Beach Firefighters’ Pension Fund v. Moelis & Company, Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery ruled that certain provisions of a stockholder agreement contravened...more
On February 23, 2024, the Court issued an opinion3 invalidating certain provisions of a stockholder agreement, which, in part, contractually constrain the Board’s discretion to exercise control over the business and affairs...more
On January 17, 2024, the Delaware Supreme Court issued a significant decision affirming that the Delaware General Corporation Law (the DGCL) does not require companies with multiple classes of common stock to obtain separate...more
In October 2023, Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick of the Court of Chancery addressed an issue of first impression in Crispo v. Musk, C.A. No 2022-0666-KSJM, holding that “a provision purporting to define a target...more
Triggering Delaware’s entire fairness review in stockholder litigation was once considered outcome determinate, but that view has waned. Numerous decisions have shown that defendants can overcome the unified fair process and...more