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Fiduciary Duty Board of Directors Shareholders

Hogan Lovells

In re Cognizant Technology: Third Circuit adopts de novo review for failure to plead demand futility

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In re Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation Derivative Litigation, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, sitting en banc, overruled its prior decision in Blasband v. Rales that applied an...more

Allen Matkins

Is Your Directors And Officers Liability Coverage Illusory?

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Many corporations pay significant amounts for directors and officers liability policies.  Commonly referred to as D&O policies, these policies usually involve three sides.  Directors and officers are likely to have the most...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Holds Plaintiff Fails to Meet Rule 23.1 Pleading Standard, Dismisses Action Arising From T-Mobile Data Hack

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Harper v. Sievert, C.A. No. 2022-0819-SG (Del. Ch. May 31, 2024). A stockholder plaintiff brought derivative claims alleging that current and former directors of T-Mobile US, Inc. were liable for aggregating customers’...more

Morris James LLP

Delaware Supreme Court Reverses MFW Dismissal Due to Inadequate Disclosures Regarding Special Committee’s Advisors’ Material...

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City of Sarasota Firefighters’ Pension Fund v. Inovalon Holdings Inc., No. 305, 2023 (Del. May 1, 2024). The Delaware Supreme Court’s decision in Khan v. M & F Worldwide Corp. (“MFW”) established a cleansing process for a...more

ArentFox Schiff

How Can Our Board Work Better? A Brief, Practical Guide to Legal Considerations for Trade Association Board Governance

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Trade association boards, like the boards of other private companies, often consist of stakeholders who are personally and professionally invested in the organization. Board members typically also possess significant business...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Addresses Acquirer’s Request For Joint Tortfeasor Settlement Credit

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In re Columbia Pipeline Grp. Inc. Merger Litig., Consol. C.A. No. 2018-0484-JTL (Del. Ch. May 15, 2024) - In this post-trial decision, the Court addressed an acquirer’s responsibility for damages suffered by a stockholder...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Determines Certain Suits and Investigations Against Amazon Were Insufficient to Meet Credible Basis Standard to Inspect...

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Wong Leung Revocable Tr. v. Amazon.com Inc., C.A. No. 2023-1251-BWD (Del. Ch. May 1, 2024) - In order to inspect books and records under Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, a stockholder-plaintiff must...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Delaware Chancery Court Finds a ~27% Founding Stockholder Is Not a Controller

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

Woodruff Sawyer

Corporate Barbarians at the Gates: The Attack on Delaware

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All empires eventually decline. For decades, Delaware has held the crown as the premier state of incorporation for domestic companies (and many foreign companies seeking a foothold in the United States capital markets). But...more

Foley Hoag LLP

Massachusetts Business Litigation Session Decides Issues of First Impression in Appraisal Rights Action

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The Court held that a modification of an existing stock restriction that has a material adverse effect on a shareholder’s ability to transfer their shares automatically triggers the shareholder’s appraisal rights and ability...more

Morris James LLP

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

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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

Hogan Lovells

Palkon v. Maffei: Court permits suit challenging conversion to Nevada corporation

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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

Allen Matkins

Nevada Supreme Court Rejects The "Uncontrollable Child" Theory Of Parent-Subsidiary Relationships

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Nevada famously limits directors and officers from personal liability.  However, it would be an overstatement to say that Nevada is a "liability free" jurisdiction.  For example, the Nevada Supreme Court recently held that...more

Morris James LLP

Court of Chancery Grants Special Litigation Committee’s Dismissal of 'Carvana' Derivative Action

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Boards of Delaware corporations control the company’s assets, which includes by default derivative claims for breach of fiduciary duty against the company’s directors and officers. When derivative claims survive dismissal...more

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

Delaware Court Affirms Foundational Principle of Directors’ Fiduciary Duties

At a time when Delaware corporate law is under attack for allegedly becoming unpredictable, the Delaware Court of Chancery on April 30 re-affirmed a fundamental tenet of fiduciary duty – namely, that directors’ fiduciary...more

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Court Dismisses Stockholder Suit Against Meta: Affirms a Firm-Specific Model of Corporate Management

On April 30, 2024, the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed a stockholder lawsuit against social media giant Meta Platforms, Inc., its board of directors and company founder, Mark Zuckerberg. The decision rejected novel...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Dismisses Derivative Action Based on Plaintiff’s Failure to Allege Particularized Facts Demonstrating Demand Futility

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The power to bring a claim for breach of duty causing injury to a Delaware corporation resides with the board of directors. It is part of their duty under Section 141(a) of the Delaware General Corporation Law to manage the...more

Alston & Bird

Seventh Circuit Deals Another Blow to M&A Disclosure Claims

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Our Securities Litigation Group reviews a recent ruling from the Seventh Circuit that could make it more difficult for shareholders to bring M&A disclosure claims....more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Dismisses Caremark Action Based on Insufficient Allegations of Bad Faith

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Clem v. Skinner, et al., C.A. 2021-0240-LWW (Del. Ch. Feb. 19, 2024) - This Caremark decision involved the retail pharmacy company, Walgreens, and concerned billing practices for a particular insulin pen product that gave...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Denies Attorneys’ Fees for Appointment of New Directors Following Assertion of Derivative Claims

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In re Oracle Corp. Deriv. Litig., Consol. C.A. No. 2017-0337-SG (Del. Ch. Feb. 7, 2024) - Under the mootness rule, a stockholder plaintiff can be awarded attorneys’ fees when the plaintiff’s litigation efforts result in...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Invalidates Elon Musk’s $55.8 Billion Pay Package

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Tornetta v. Musk, et al., C.A. 2018-0408-KSJM (Del. Ch. Jan. 30, 2024) - Stockholders of Tesla, Inc. brought a derivative action against Elon Musk and six individual Tesla directors, alleging that the directors breached...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Upholds Challenge to TripAdvisor’s Conversion from a Delaware Corporation into a Nevada Entity

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Palkon v. Maffei, C.A. 2023-0449-JTL (Del. Ch. Feb. 20, 2024) - This decision arose out of TripAdivor’s conversion from a Delaware corporation into a Nevada corporation. The company’s CEO and Chair had voting control and...more

Morgan Lewis

Amendments to DGCL Proposed After Chancery Decisions on M&A Practice and Stockholder Agreements on Corporate Governance Rights

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The Council of the Corporation Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association has proposed amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law that, if enacted by the General Assembly, will address issues raised in three...more

Hogan Lovells

2024 Securities, Shareholder, and M&A Litigation Outlook

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2023 was a busy year, with both the Delaware courts and others, including the U.S. Supreme Court, weighing in on shareholder and M&A litigation issues. The Delaware Court of Chancery issued several notable decisions on issues...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Recent Delaware Law Developments and Proposed Legislative Responses

The last several months have marked an extremely busy time in Delaware corporate law, with regard to decisions out of the Delaware courts, proposed legislative responses, and shifting market practices. In recent weeks in...more

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