For the purposes of a statutory appraisal under Delaware law, a corporation’s fair value is determined “on the date of the merger” ― in other words, at closing, not signing. However, deal terms, including price, are typically...more
The fair value and fair market value appraisal standards applicable in contested buyout and dissenting shareholder valuations cut across state lines, which is one of the main reasons I occasionally highlight significant court...more
A recent Court of Chancery decision adds yet another wrinkle to the appraisal landscape and the potential for appraisal arbitrage. In BCIM Strategic Value Master Fund LP v. HFF, Inc. (Del. Ch. Feb. 2, 2022), the court found...more
The court’s decision in In re Appraisal of Regal Entertainment Group (C.A. No. 2018-0266-JTL (Del. Ch. May 13, 2021)) is the most recent in a line of cases confirming that the deal-price-less-synergies valuation method is the...more
In a string of seminal decisions from 2017 through 2019 (DFC Global, Dell and Aruba), the Delaware Supreme Court re-shaped appraisal jurisprudence, in each case by overturning the Court of Chancery for failing to give...more
Fir Tree Value Master Fund, L.P. v. Jarden Corp., No. 454, 2019 (Del. July 9, 2020) - Adding to its appraisal jurisprudence, the Supreme Court of Delaware recently affirmed the use of the unaffected trading price of a...more
Kruse v. Synapse Wireless, Inc., C.A. No. 12392-VCS (Del. Ch. July 14, 2020) - This case illustrates how appraisal works outside of the public market context when a lack of data hinders a reliable valuation. Here,...more
The Situation: Stockholders sought appraisal—judicial determination of the "fair value" of their stock—in connection with a merger. The Delaware Court of Chancery found that the fair value was equal to the company's...more
In recent decisions, the Delaware Court of Chancery continued to follow the Delaware Supreme Court’s mandate from Aruba, Dell and DFC to rely on market-based metrics, when available, to determine fair value in appraisal...more
In re Appraisal of Panera Bread Co., C.A. No. 2017-0593-MTZ (Del. Ch. Jan. 31, 2020). JAB Holdings B.V. (“JAB”), a private company that also owns Einstein Bros., Caribou Coffee and Krispy Kreme, acquired Panera Bread...more
In the statutory appraisal proceeding, In re Appraisal of Columbia Pipeline Group, Inc., Cons. C.A. No. 12736-VCL (Del. Ch. August 12, 2019), the Delaware Court of Chancery determined that the fair value of Columbia Pipeline...more
In In Re: Appraisal of Stillwater Mining Company, Consol. C.A. No. 2017-0385-JTL (Del. Ch. Aug 21, 2019), the Delaware Court of Chancery (the “Court”) held that the fair value of Stillwater Mining Company (“Stillwater”) at...more
In re Appraisal of Columbia Pipeline Group, Inc., Cons. C.A. Nos. 12736-VCL (Del. Ch. Aug. 12, 2019). In Columbia Pipeline Group, the Court of Chancery applied the appraisal precepts established by the recent appellate...more
In re Appraisal of Stillwater Mining Co., Consol. C.A. No. 2017-0385-JTL (Del. Ch. Aug. 21, 2019). Recent Delaware Supreme Court decisions on appraisal proceedings have stressed the pivotal importance of the deal price in...more
Previously, we reported an important ruling of first impression by the Delaware Superior Court that a shareholder appraisal action against Pillsbury’s client Solera Holdings Inc. was a “Securities Claim” under Solera’s...more
Exposure to claims for appraisal can be a significant risk in merger and acquisition transactions in which dissenter’s appraisal rights are available. This risk has increased in recent years as aggressive investors realized...more
On August 12, 2019, Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery ruled in a post-trial opinion that the fair value of Columbia Pipeline Group, Inc. (“Columbia”) was equal to the deal price in an...more
The first half of 2019 saw several decisions from the Delaware courts that will affect M&A dealmaking - Aruba: Supreme Court awards "deal price less synergies" in closely watched appraisal case - Rejecting the Chancery...more
The Delaware Supreme Court recently issued its highly anticipated decision in the Verition Partners Master Fund Ltd. v. Aruba Networks, Inc. appraisal action. In a per curiam opinion, the Supreme Court reversed the Delaware...more
The decision makes clear that deal price is an appropriate indicator of fair value even where there is only one bidder. In Verition Partners Master Fund, Ltd. v. Aruba Networks, Inc., the Delaware Supreme Court reversed a...more
On April 16, 2019, the Delaware Supreme Court reversed a significant appraisal decision from the Court of Chancery in Verition Partners v. Aruba Networks, Inc., holding that the Chancery Court abused its discretion in using...more
Key Takeaways - Aruba Networks continues the trend toward market-based measures of fair value in statutory appraisal actions and should further limit appraisal arbitrage opportunities. - In a statutory appraisal action,...more
In an April 16, 2019 rejection of the trial court’s analysis in Aruba Networks, the Delaware Supreme Court further clarified its recent pronouncements regarding the use of deal pricing as a measure of fair value in statutory...more
On April 16, 2019, the Delaware Supreme Court issued an en banc opinion in Verition Partners Master Fund Ltd. v. Aruba Networks, Inc., reversing the Delaware Court of Chancery’s decision regarding the fair value of Aruba...more
On April 16, 2019, the Delaware Supreme Court, in a per curiam decision, held that Aruba Networks, Inc.’s (“Aruba”) fair value in an appraisal action was $19.10 per share, reversing the Court of Chancery’s valuation of $17.13...more