In a prior LLC Jungle post — Think Carefully Before Forming an “Out of State” LLC — we reviewed a published opinion (Boschetti v. Pacific Bay Investments Inc.) holding that a claim for Judicial Dissolution of an LLC was...more
A recent Ninth Circuit decision clarifies employers’ obligations to address hostile work environment complaints arising out of employees' off-premises social media activity. In Okonowsky v. Garland (No. 23-55404; Jul. 25,...more
California's Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act provides "The law of the state . . . under which a foreign limited liability company is formed governs all of the following: The organization of the limited liability...more
It’s not every day that New York’s highest court considers a question impacting the business divorce cases that we typically litigate. And even when an interesting business divorce issue does make its way up to Albany, it’s...more
On May 23, 2024, the New York Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal of breach of fiduciary duty claims brought by former shareholders of a fantasy sports company (the “Company”) against its directors and other defendants...more
Last week, I wrote about a recent Delaware case involving an attempt to enforce a non-compete provision in a limited liability company agreement. Sunder Energy, LLC v. Jackson, 2023 WL 8166517. The case was brought in the...more
It is sometimes said that California Corporations Code section 2116 "codifies" the internal affairs doctrine. See, e.g., Drulias v. 1st Century Bancshares, Inc., 30 Cal. App. 5th 696, 705, 241 Cal. Rptr. 3d 843, 851...more
By: Jeffrey M. Haber The internal affairs doctrine is a “conflict of laws principle which recognizes that only one State should have the authority to regulate a corporation’s internal affairs—matters peculiar to the...more
Choice-of-law questions in shareholder derivative lawsuits venued in New York courts involving out-of-state or international entities can be confoundingly difficult, even for appeals court judges....more
Tulane Law School Professor Ann M. Lipton at Tulane Law School begins her forthcoming, Inside Out (or, One State to Rule them All): New Challenges to the Internal Affairs Doctrine, by quoting Delaware Vice Chancellor J....more
As a voice crying in the wilderness, I have for many years proclaimed that the internal affairs doctrine is not as all-encompassing as Delaware and its devotees would like to believe. The limitations on the internal affairs...more
In this paper, Ann Lipton, an Associate Professor at Tulane Law School, contends that the “internal affairs” doctrine has gradually expanded its reach and, perhaps as a result, is now facing new challenges. As applied in...more
The legal concept of “conflicts of laws” is difficult, to say the least, confounding even seasoned litigators and judges, with bulky treatises and entire law school classes devoted to the subject....more
In October 2020, Professor Stephen Bainbridge posed this question of whether shareholder inspection rights are subject to the internal affairs doctrine. His post followed Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster's ruling in Juul...more
As we have discussed in prior client alerts, in the wake of the Delaware Supreme Court’s decision in Salzberg v. Sciabacucci (Salzberg), 227 A.3d 102 (Del. 2020), several California state courts have dismissed claims against...more
Sylebra Capital Partners Master Fund, LTD v. Perelman, et. al., C.A. No. 2019-0843-JRS (Del. Ch. Oct. 9, 2020) - Defendant Scientific Games Corporation (the “Company”) is a gaming and lottery company that reincorporated in...more
A California court ruled that a forum selection provision in a Delaware company’s registration statement requiring that certain securities litigation be brought solely in federal court was enforceable. Wong v. Restoration...more
In this recent post, UCLA Law School Professor Stephen Bainbridge discusses Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster's recent ruling that "stockholder inspection rights are a core matter of internal corporate affairs." 2020 Del....more
JUUL Labs, Inc. v. Grove, C.A. No. 2020-0005-JTL (Del. Ch. Aug. 13, 2020) - Stockholder inspection rights are a core matter of the governance of a corporation. This decision holds that, pursuant to the internal affairs...more
The Delaware Court of Chancery recently made news when it ruled that Delaware law, not California law, applied to a minority shareholder’s request to inspect the books and records of a Delaware corporation with its principal...more
The California legislature has famously extended many provisions of the California General Corporation Law to corporations under the laws of other states. But, as Michael Corleone observed at the beginning The Godfather: Part...more
Professor Ann Lipton at Tulane University Law School has noted a slew of forthcoming papers concerning the internal affairs doctrine in light of Vice Chancellor Laster's holding in Sciabacucchi v. Salzberg, 2018 Del. Ch....more
Professor Mohsen Manesh cites two developments in 2018 as a possible turning point for the internal affairs doctrine: California's enactment of a board gender quota law and Vice Chancellor Laster's ruling in Sciabacucchi v....more
In Pertuis v. Front Roe Restaurants, Inc., 423 S.C. 640, 817 S.E.2d 273 (2018), the South Carolina Supreme Court has provided important new guidance in the area of “piercing the veil” of brother-sister corporations. All five...more
California, unlike the federal government, has codified its prohibition on insider trading. Corporations Code Section 25402 provides...more