News & Analysis as of

Motion to Dismiss Controlling Stockholders

Allen Matkins

This Texas Case Illustrates Why Delaware Corporations Are Choosing Nevada

Allen Matkins on

Bright-eyed Athena, the goddess of wisdom, was not birthed of a woman.  Rather, she sprang from the head of Zeus after he swallowed Metis, the pre-Olympian goddess of wisdom...more

Morris James LLP

Dilution Claim in Which a Controller Received Additional Shares in Exchange for Its Interests, Was Exclusively Derivative

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Gentile v. Rossette, 906 A.2d 91, 100 (Del. 2006), held that dilution claims involving a controller can be both derivative and direct. In Gentile, the Delaware Supreme Court found that dilution claims, challenging a...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Dismisses Executive Compensation Action For Failure To Plead Demand Futility

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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

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Sec Lit IQ: MoFo’s Quarterly Federal Securities Litigation and Delaware Corporate Litigation Newsletter (Q1 2025)

In our second edition of MoFo’s quarterly federal securities and Delaware corporate litigation newsletter, we provide a rundown of select developments from the first quarter of 2025. The Ninth Circuit Confirms That...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Dismisses Claims That a Merger Involved a Conflicted Controller but Allows Limited Discovery Into Alleged Disclosure...

Morris James LLP on

Whether a party is a controlling stockholder in a conflicted transaction determines the standard of review. If a stockholder owns more than 50% of the voting shares and therefore can control the board, there is no question it...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

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

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Corwin Cleansing Denied Again: Delaware Court of Chancery Green Lights Claims Alleging Loyalty Breaches Tainting Company Sales...

On May 6, 2021, Vice Chancellor Zurn of the Delaware Court of Chancery issued a 200-page decision denying a motion to dismiss in In re Pattern Energy Group Inc. Stockholders Litigation, a class action challenging the $6.1...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Key Developments in Delaware Corporation Law

Consistent with trends in recent years, in 2019 Delaware corporation law largely was shaped by post-closing suits for money damages against directors who had approved mergers and acquisitions. Two Delaware Supreme Court...more

Stinson - Corporate & Securities Law Blog

Chancery Finds General Counsel Potentially Liable for Misleading Tender Offer Documents

Morrison v. Berry considers Plaintiff’s claims for damages following the purchase of a grocery-store chain, The Fresh Market, Inc. (“Fresh Market” or the “Company”) by Apollo investment entities. The Plaintiff was a former...more

Jones Day

Chancery Court Requires Entire Fairness Review of Tesla CEO Compensation

Jones Day on

The Background: A shareholder challenged an extraordinary and extremely lucrative incentive-based compensation package awarded by Tesla to its chair, CEO, and controlling shareholder, claiming a breach of fiduciary duties. ...more

K&L Gates LLP

Earn-Out Provision Of Merger Agreement Requires Extrinsic Evidence To Aid Interpretation

K&L Gates LLP on

In Western Standard, LLC, v. SourceHOV Holdings, Inc. and Pangea Acquisitions, Inc., C.A. No. 2018-0280-JRS (Del. Ch. July 24, 2019), the Delaware Court of Chancery (the “Court”) refused to the grant SourceHOV Holdings, Inc....more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Denies Motion to Dismiss Claim for Breach of Earn-Out When Unable to “Divine any Meaning” From Provision

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Western Standard, LLC v. SourceHOV Holdings, Inc., C.A. No. 2018-0280-JRS (Del. Ch. July 24, 2019). Defendant Pangea acquired BancTec through a merger agreement that provided for an earn-out to former BancTec stockholders...more

Polsinelli

Disclosures Still Important: Delaware Court of Chancery Assesses Adequacy of Proxy Disclosures in Rejecting Pleading-Stage...

Polsinelli on

Disclosure-based strike suits have died an inglorious and richly-deserved death in Delaware. Lest deal practitioners and their clients be lulled into a false sense of security, recent decisional law drives home the point...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Examining Corwin: Latest Trends and Results

The Delaware Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Corwin v. KKR Financial Holdings LLC1 fashioned a powerful defense in post-closing money damages cases for boards of directors by finding that business judgment deference applies...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Delaware Corporation Law: Trends Impacting M&A and Corporate Litigation in 2019

On February 20, 2019, Skadden held a webinar titled “2019 M&A and Corporate Litigation Trends.” The panelists were litigation partner and Delaware litigation practice leader Edward Micheletti and litigation counsel Jenness...more

Hogan Lovells

Quarterly Corporate / M&A Decisions Update: Q4 2018

Hogan Lovells on

This update is designed to highlight selected important M&A, corporate and commercial court decisions on a quarterly basis. The update contains brief summaries of each decision with links to more robust discussions. ...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

M&A Update: Delaware Supreme Court Clarifies the “Ab Initio” Requirement for Business Judgment Review of Controlling Stockholder...

In Flood v. Synutra Int’l Inc., the Delaware Supreme Court clarified its holding in Kahn v. M&F Worldwide Corp. (“MFW”). ...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Getting to Business Judgment in an Interested Transaction: Controlling Stockholder Must Put Procedural Protections in Place Prior...

In Flood v. Synutra Int’l, Inc., No. 101, 2018, 2018 Del. LEXIS 460 (Del. Oct. 9, 2018), the Delaware Supreme Court (Strine, C.J.) held that a controlling stockholder who pursues a merger with the controlled company will have...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Delaware Chancery Court Finds Absence of Controlling Stockholder Does Not Eliminate Possibility for Adequately Pled Corporate...

On July 26, 2018, Vice Chancellor Glasscock of the Delaware Court of Chancery denied in part and granted in part Defendants’ motion to dismiss in Sciabacucchi v. Charter Communications Corporation et al....more

A&O Shearman

Delaware Court Of Chancery Finds Allegations Of A Controlling Stockholder Group Sufficient To Preclude Dismissal Of Merger-Related...

A&O Shearman on

On June 18, 2018, Vice Chancellor Tamika Montgomery-Reeves of the Delaware Court of Chancery denied a motion to dismiss claims of breach of fiduciary duty brought by a putative class of minority stockholders of Hansen Medical...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Delaware Chancery Court Finds Elon Musk May Be Controlling Stockholder of Tesla Motors

On March 28, 2018, in In re Tesla Motors, Inc. Stockholder Litigation, the Delaware Court of Chancery denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by stockholders of Tesla Motors, Inc. (“Tesla” or the “Company”)....more

A&O Shearman

Delaware Court Of Chancery Denies Corwin Motion To Dismiss, Finding Allegations Of Control Adequately Pleaded As To 22%...

A&O Shearman on

On March 28, 2018, Vice Chancellor Joseph R. Slights III of the Delaware Court of Chancery denied a motion to dismiss several derivative and class action claims brought by stockholders of Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”) asserting that...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

"Two Court of Chancery Deal Litigation Decisions Provide Helpful Guidance"

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

King & Spalding

Delaware Court of Chancery Dismisses Litigation Arising from Controller Buyout of Books-A-Million Under "MFW" Framework

King & Spalding on

On October 10, 2016, the Delaware Court of Chancery issued its decision in In re Books-A-Million, Inc. Stockholders Litigation. The decision, authored by Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster, is important because it applies the...more

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