On March 25, 2025, the governor of Delaware signed into law significant changes to Section 144 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”). The changes provide safe harbors to Boards of Directors and controlling...more
The Delaware Supreme Court ruled that Delaware law applies to the interpretation of directors and officers liability (“D&O”) insurance coverage issued to Delaware corporations. RSUI Indem. Co. v. Murdock, et al., 248 A.3d 887...more
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
Morrison v. Berry, C.A. No. 12808-VCG (Del. Ch. June 1, 2020) - Even if fiduciary duty of care claims against a target company’s board of directors are exculpated, an aiding-and-abetting claim against a financial advisor...more
On September 27, 2018, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged Elon Musk, the Chairman and CEO of Tesla, Inc., a publically-traded California-based technology company that specializes in electric...more
Much has been written about what on earth Elon Musk was thinking when he tweeted last month: “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.” The tweet led to a 9% spike in Tesla’s stock price and to a...more
Chelsea Therapeutics: Post-Closing Bad Faith Claim a ‘Rare Bird’ in Delaware Absent Allegations of Self-Interestedness or Lack of Independence - In In re Chelsea Therapeutics International LTD Stockholders Litigation,...more
In one of the largest ever M&A-related recoveries for shareholders, Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster ordered Dole Food Company, Inc.’s Chairman and CEO, David Murdock, and Dole’s former President, COO and General Counsel, C....more
Enforcement actions raise potential disclosure concerns for private equity sponsors exploring investments in public companies - Earlier this year, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced charges...more
The Delaware Court of Chancery recently held, in a case of first impression, that a non-reciprocal fee-shifting bylaw cannot be applied to a claim brought by a former shareholder who had been cashed out of the company before...more
When a significant stockholder in a publicly-held company is considering plans to take the company private, how soon must the stockholder disclose those plans in a Schedule 13D filing?...more
In In re Orchard Enterprises, Inc. Stockholder Litigation, the Delaware Court of Chancery held that the entire fairness standard of review applied to a going-private transaction with a controlling stockholder, even though the...more
During 2013, in addition to the important changes to the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) and the Limited Liability Company Act, described here, the Delaware courts issued a number of decisions that have a direct...more
In In re MFW Shareholder Litigation, C.A. No. 6566-CS, 2013 WL 2436341 (Del. Ch. May 29, 2013), the Delaware Court of Chancery analyzed one of the most important open questions of Delaware corporate law: whether it is...more
On June 13, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced the settlement of administrative proceedings against Revlon, Inc. In the settlement order, the SEC asserted that the company hid information regarding a 2009...more
In In re MFW Shareholders Litigation, on May 29 the Delaware Court of Chancery granted summary judgment in favor of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc. in a class action suit brought by former stockholders of M&F Worldwide...more
In a decision with important implications for structuring going-private transactions, Chancellor Leo E. Strine, Jr. of the Delaware Court of Chancery this week applied the business judgment rule — not the more rigorous entire...more