News & Analysis as of

Fiduciary Duty Board of Directors Motion to Dismiss

Hogan Lovells

Solak v. Mountain Crest Capital: fiduciary duties claims abound for SPAC sponsors and directors

Hogan Lovells on

In Solak v. Mountain Crest Capital, the Delaware Court of Chancery found that a stockholder plaintiff pleaded a viable breach of fiduciary duty claim based on an alleged failure of the board of directors of a SPAC to disclose...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Dismisses Executive Compensation Action For Failure To Plead Demand Futility

Morris James LLP on

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

Venable LLP

Chancery Court Dismisses Equitable Challenge to Advance Notice Bylaws as Unripe

Venable LLP on

Invoking the recent Delaware Supreme Court decision Kellner v. AIM ImmunoTech Inc., 320 A.3d 239 (Del. 2024) (“Kellner”), the Court of Chancery held that equitable challenges to the enforceability of advance notice bylaws are...more

A&O Shearman

Delaware Supreme Court Holds Business Judgment Rule Applies To Controlled Corporation’s Change Of Corporate Domicile From Delaware...

A&O Shearman on

On February 4, 2025, the Delaware Supreme Court, on interlocutory appeal, reversed the decision of the Delaware Court of Chancery to deny defendants’ motion to dismiss breach of fiduciary duty claims against directors and a...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Dismisses Fiduciary Duty Claim Against Directors Based on Disclosures Regarding the Company’s Purposes

Morris James LLP on

Stansell v. Rosensweig, C.A. No. 2023-0180-PAF (Del. Ch. June 12, 2024) - The plaintiff was a stockholder of a company that provided online education resources. Some of the company's customers used its products to cheat on...more

Morris James LLP

Court of Chancery Dismisses Aiding And Abetting Fraud Claim Against Corporate Officers And Directors On Grounds That A Corporation...

Morris James LLP on

Urvan v. AMMO, Inc., Consol. C.A. No. 2023-0470 PRW (Del. Ch. Feb. 27, 2024, corrected Mar. 14, 2024) - It is an axiom of Delaware law that a corporation acts through its human agents. This principle informs the causes of...more

The Volkov Law Group

Episode 322 -- Checking in on Caremark Cases

The Volkov Law Group on

Over the last ten years, we have seen a marked shift from the Delaware Chancery Court chipping away at corporate board member liability claims. In a number of seminal cases involving Boeing airplane crashes (In re the Boeing...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Palkon v. Maffei: Delaware’s Warning Shot to Controlling Stockholders Seeking to Evade Fiduciary Duties by Reincorporating

Foley & Lardner LLP on

In late February, the Chancery Court denied a motion to dismiss a stockholder lawsuit against the controlling stockholder and board of directors of TripAdvisor, Inc., seeking to enjoin a reincorporation of TripAdvisor into...more

Morris James LLP

Entire Fairness Standard Applied to Transaction Benefitting Controllers of Controllers

Morris James LLP on

Tueza v. Lindon, C.A. No. 2022-0130-SG (Del. Ch. Apr. 27, 2023) - Because controlling stockholders of Delaware corporations owe fiduciary duties to both the corporation and to its minority stockholders, the Court of...more

King & Spalding

Aiding and Abetting Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims Against Lender Survive Motion to Dismiss

King & Spalding on

On April 26, 2023, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware denied in part and granted in part motions to dismiss a chapter 7 trustee’s breach of fiduciary duty and aiding and abetting claims. The defendants...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

The Court of Chancery Holds That Corporate Officers, Like Directors, Owe a Duty of Oversight

On January 25, 2023, Vice Chancellor Laster of the Court of Chancery issued a significant decision, finding as a matter of first impression that corporate officers owe a duty of oversight akin to the oversight duties owed by...more

Morris James LLP

Delaware Corporate and Commercial Case Law Year in Review - February 2023

Morris James LLP on

This top ten list summarizes significant decisions of the Delaware Supreme Court and the Delaware Court of Chancery over the past calendar year. Our criteria for selection are that the decision either meaningfully changed...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

‘Mission Critical’ Issues and ‘Red Flags’: What It Means for a Board To Exercise Oversight

Takeaways - Delaware courts have become more willing to allow stockholders to pursue claims that directors breached their duty to oversee risk management and compliance. Directors are most vulnerable to suits where they have...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Resolves Section 225 Dispute and Declines to Invalidate Written Consents

Morris James LLP on

Zhou v. Deng, C.A. No. 2021-0026-JRS (Del. Ch. Apr. 6, 2022) - When deciding a summary proceeding regarding a disputed corporate office under Section 225 of the DGCL, the Court of Chancery may consider whether an election,...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Denies Indemnification to Director After Examining Settlement Agreement

Morris James LLP on

Huret v. Mondobrain, Inc., C.A. No. 2021-0208-SG (Del. Ch. Apr. 27, 2022) - Under Section 145(c) of the DGCL, a director that has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defending a covered proceeding is entitled to...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Revived a Dismissed Claim after Discovery Revealed a Desire for Liquidity that Resulted in a Divergent Interest in M&A...

Morris James LLP on

In re Mindbody, Inc., S’holder Litig., Cons. C.A. No. 2019-0442-KSJM (Del. Ch. Dec. 9, 2021) - A desire for liquidity can result in a divergent interest sufficient to plead fiduciary duty claims against a defendant...more

Goodwin

Delaware Court of Chancery Declines to Dismiss Investment Firm from Stockholder Derivative Suit

Goodwin on

Delaware Court of Chancery Declines to Dismiss Investment Firm from Stockholder Derivative Suit; Delaware Chancery Court Dismisses Majority of Claims Alleging that California Biotech Firm Profited from Nonpublic Information...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Grants Special Litigation Committee’s Zapata Motion, Finds Committee Was Sufficiently Independent and Reasonable

Morris James LLP on

Diep v. Sather, C.A. No. 12760-CM (Del. Ch. July 30, 2021) - Under Zapata, when analyzing a motion to dismiss by a special litigation committee, the court evaluates whether the committee was independent, acted in good...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Dismisses Conclusory Allegations of Gross Negligence and Disloyalty Against Oracle Officers and Directors Related to...

Morris James LLP on

In re Oracle Corp. Derv. Litig., C.A. No. 2017-0337-SG (Del. Ch. June 21, 2021) - While Delaware maintains a notice pleading standard, this decision reflects that conclusory allegations of breach of fiduciary duty leveled...more

Goodwin

SCOTUS Grants Certiorari to Decide Whether Automatic Discovery Stay Applies to Securities Act Cases in State Court

Goodwin on

SCOTUS Grants Certiorari to Decide Whether Automatic Discovery Stay Applies to Securities Act Cases in State Court; Delaware Court of Chancery Dismisses Stockholder Suit Against FedEx for Failure to Make Pre-Litigation...more

Goodwin

A Win for Deal Certainty, Delaware Court of Chancery Orders Closing of Cake Supplier Acquisition

Goodwin on

A Win for Deal Certainty, Delaware Court of Chancery Orders Closing of Cake Supplier Acquisition; Under Armour to Pay $9M to Settle SEC Charges Involving Disclosure Failures; First Circuit Upholds Decision Applying Federal...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Dismisses Derivative Breach of Contract Claim Against Directors for Alleged Violations of Certificate of Incorporation

Morris James LLP on

Lacey v. Mota-Velasco, C.A. No. 2019-0312-SG (Del. Ch. Feb. 11, 2021) - A corporate charter represents a contractual agreement between the corporation and its stockholders. In Lacey, the Court of Chancery addressed...more

Goodwin

Federal Judge Dismisses Facebook Investor Class Action Based on Board Diversity

Goodwin on

Federal Judge Dismisses Facebook Investor Class Action Based on Board Diversity, Virginia Federal Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss Claims that Altria Knew JUUL Was Marketing to Underage Consumers, SEC Brings Claims Against AT&T...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Resolves Dispute Between Competing Special Committees, Finding Second Committee Could Not Voluntarily Dismiss Suit...

Morris James LLP on

In re WeWork Litigation, C.A. No. 2020-0258-AGB (Del. Ch. Dec. 14, 2020) - This decision addresses a matter of first impression arising out of a dispute pitting two special committees of the same company, WeCompany...more

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

If the Shoe Fits . . . . Defendants in Nine West D&O Litigation Fail to Convince Judge to Dismiss Claims for Breach of Fiduciary...

A recent decision by Judge Jed Rakoff of the Southern District of New York highlights the risks faced by directors and officers of companies in financial distress who fail to undertake properly their duties to the company and...more

58 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 3

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide