Nonprofit Basics: How To Wind up a California Charity
I always enjoy hearing from readers of this blog. Recently, I wrote: Reading these statutes together, it is relatively clear that Nevada, like Delaware, permits the articles of incorporation to vary the mandate that...more
A recent ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Anthony J. Battaglia addresses whether demand futility is an affirmative defense that must be asserted in an answer or raised in a motion to dismiss. In re Franklin Wireless, 2024...more
Like many questions in the law, the answer to the question of whether a member of a California nonprofit corporation may maintain a derivative action is "it depends"....more
On February 23, 2024, a decision by Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster in the Delaware Chancery Court invalidated parts of a shareholder agreement between Moelis & Company and its Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and founder,...more
On February 23, 2024, Vice Chancellor Travis Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery issued his 131-page decision in West Palm Beach Firefighters’ Pension Fund v. Moelis & Co., No. 2023-0309-JTL. The case involved a...more
On February 23, 2024, Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery issued a decision concluding that some provisions of a stockholder agreement purporting to give a large stockholder various governance...more
Professor Stephen Bainbridge recently commented on a decision by Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster finding that Section 141(a) of the Delaware General Corporation Law trumps most of the provisions of a so-called "new wave"...more
Over the years, I have commented on the fact that the California Court of Appeal has yet to apply In re Caremark International Inc., 698 A.2d 959 (Del. Ch. 1996) to the directors of a California corporation. Last Friday,...more
Earlier this month the Electrical Workers Pension Fund, Local 103, I.B.E.W. filed a verified class action complaint in the Delaware Court of Chancery against Fox Corporation. (Case No. 2022-1007-MTZ (filed Nov. 4, 2022)). ...more
The Nicene Creed as approved by the Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D. included the following: "τὸ ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκπορευόμενον (who proceeds from the father). About 200 years later at the Third Council of Toledo, the...more
Section 204(a)(9) of the California Corporations Code allows the articles of incorporation to include a provision requiring the approval of the shareholders (Section 153) or the approval of the outstanding shares (Section...more
The California Secretary of State's website provides certain information with respect to a wide range of domestic and foreign entities registered to transact intrastate business, including corporations, limited liability...more
As noted in yesterday's post, Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber is asking U.S. District Court Judge R. Gary Klausner to dismiss a challenge to California's board quota statutes. In her motion to dismiss, the Secretary of...more
Dissenters' rights under California's General Corporation Law do not exist unless there are "dissenting shares", a term defined in Section 1300(b) of the California Corporations Code. In order to qualify as "dissenting...more
William Romanowski is a former NFL linebacker who later became the majority shareholder, director, and "public face" of Nutrition 53, Inc. When the company's second largest shareholder was allegedly denied inspection of the...more
Section 1800 of the California Corporations Code provides a procedure for the involuntary dissolution of a corporation. The process begins with the filing of a verified complaint, but only those persons listed in the statute...more
California, unlike the federal government, has codified its prohibition on insider trading. Corporations Code Section 25402 provides...more
Our November 16, 2017 post discussed one aspect of the California Court of Appeal’s opinion in Central Laborers’ Pension Fund v. McAfee, Inc., 2017 Cal. App. LEXIS 1008. The case arose from Intel Corporation’s acquisition of...more
As I have mentioned on numerous occasions, California has its own insider trading statute – California Corporations Code Section 25402. The statute is included in the California Corporate Securities Law of 1968. In general,...more
Nevada law endows a board of directors “full control over the affairs of the corporation”. NRS 78.120(1). This control is subject only to such limitations as may be provided by NRS chapter 7, or the articles of...more
I have long puzzled over the question of which is correct – “derivative suit” or “derivative action”? Historically, the term “suit” was used for proceedings in equity. California courts have generally regarded shareholder...more
Yesterday’s post concerned asked the question whether shareholders can sue CEOs for social activism. The answer is of course, yes. The more interesting question is whether shareholders will win the suit. To answer that...more
In May, I wrote about Judge Peter H. Kirwan’s ruling in Drulias v. 1st Century Bancshares, Inc., (Cal. Super. Ct. Case No. 16-CV-294673, Nov. 18, 2016). As readers may recall, Judge Kirwan declined to approve a disclosure...more
Two recent decisions, one from the Delaware Court of Chancery and one from the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, refused to apply bylaws that impaired a shareholder/member plaintiff’s ability to pursue...more