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Motion to Dismiss Merger Agreements

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

Jones Day

Court of Chancery Grants Rare Motion to Dismiss Suit Governed by Entire Fairness Standard

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The electric vehicle company Canoo went public in a de-SPAC transaction in December 2020. After its stock price fell, a stockholder in the SPAC who chose not to redeem his stock sued the SPAC board and its controller for...more

Woodruff Sawyer

Another SPAC Lawsuit That Could Have Benefitted from a Reps Policy

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SPAC lawsuits are increasing in frequency. There was a big jump in the number of SPAC-related cases from 2020 to 2021. Five new securities class actions were filed against SPACs in just the first two months of 2022. Several...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Delaware Chancery Court Signals Heightened Scrutiny of SPAC Boards and Sponsors

The Delaware Chancery Court has issued a decision with major implications for sponsors and directors of Delaware incorporated special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs).  In re MultiPlan Corp. Stockholders Litigation is a...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Refuses to Enforce Alleged Contractual Rights Not Obtained at the “Negotiating Table”

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Obsidian Fin. Grp., LLC v. Identity Theft Guard Solutions, Inc., C.A. No: 2020-0485-JRS (Del. Ch. Apr. 22, 2021) - Delaware is “more contractarian” than many other jurisdictions. Accordingly, as this case illustrates, a...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Payment To Stalking Horse Permissible When Sale Price Less Than Stalking Horse Bid

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In an issue of first impression, in In re Energy Future Holdings Corp., 2021 U.S. App. LEXIS 7400 (3d Cir. Mar. 15, 2021), the Third Circuit addressed the question whether an initial bidder whose break-up fee was disallowed...more

White & Case LLP

Ahead of the pack: US M&A 2019: Key dealmaking decisions from Delaware and New York

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We focus on two H2 2019 rulings that could affect M&A transactions in the future. Genuine Parts: Acceptance of termination fee does not prevent further remedies - In September 2019, the Delaware Chancery Court refused to...more

K&L Gates LLP

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

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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 Finds Prospective Purchaser May Pursue Breach Claims Against Target Despite Termination Fee Payment

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Genuine Parts Company v. Essendant Inc., C.A. No. 2018-0730-JRS (Del. Ch. Sept. 9, 2019). Termination fee provisions are commonplace buy-side protection in M&A transactions intended to recoup a failed prospective...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

The Delaware Court of Chancery Enforces Clear and Unambiguous Terms of Merger Agreement in Finding Termination Fee Provision Did...

The Delaware Court of Chancery’s recent decision, Genuine Parts Company v. Essendant Inc., provides a helpful reminder that Delaware courts will enforce the clear and unambiguous terms of a merger agreement, and will consider...more

A&O Shearman

Delaware Court Of Chancery Denies Motion To Dismiss Merger Agreement Breach Claims Even Though Defendant Paid The Contractual...

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On September 9, 2019, Vice Chancellor Joseph R. Slights III of the Delaware Court of Chancery denied Essendant Inc.’s motion to dismiss an action for breach of a merger agreement brought by Genuine Parts Company...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

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

Hogan Lovells

Quarterly Corporate / M&A Decisions Update: Q4 2018

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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

A&O Shearman

Delaware Court Of Chancery Denies Motion To Dismiss Breach Of Contract Claim For Failure To Use "Commercially Reasonable Efforts"...

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On December 28, 2018, Vice Chancellor Sam Glasscock III of the Delaware Court of Chancery declined to dismiss a breach of contract claim brought by former stockholders of Ception Therapeutics, Inc. (“Ception”) against...more

Morris James LLP

Chancery Declines to Dismiss Claim that Acquirer Failed to Use “Commercially Reasonable Efforts” to Reach Earn-out Milestones

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Himawan v. Cephalon, Inc., C.A. No. 2018-075-SG (Del. Ch. Dec. 28, 2018). Parties in M&A transactions commonly include efforts clauses, like the obligation to use best efforts, commercially reasonable efforts, etc., to...more

K&L Gates LLP

Contract Language Must Be Unambiguous For Chancery Court to Grant Dismissal As Matter of Law

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In Fortis Advisors LLC v. Stora Enso AB letter opinion 180810, Stora Enso AB (the “Defendant”) filed a motion to dismiss the claims by Fortis Advisors LLC (the “Plaintiff”), alleging the merger agreement (the “Merger...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Religious Institutions Update: September 2018 - Lex Est Sanctio Sancta

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Key Cases - Establishment Challenge to Presidential Proclamation Subject to Rational Basis Review - In Trump v. Hawaii, 138 S.Ct. 2392 (2018), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the lowest level of constitutional...more

A&O Shearman

Finding Merger Agreement Provisions Regarding Milestone Payments Ambiguous, Delaware Court Of Chancery Denies Dismissal Of...

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On August 10, 2018, Vice Chancellor Joseph R. Slights III of the Delaware Court of Chancery denied a motion to dismiss breach of contract claims stemming from a merger agreement pursuant to which defendant, Stora Enso AB,...more

Morris James LLP

Court of Chancery Reviews Post-Closing Payments

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Fortis Advisors LLC v. Stora Enso AB, C.A. No. 12291-VCS (Del. Ch. Aug. 10, 2018) - Many merger agreements provide for additional payments after closing depending on the target’s performance....more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Delaware Courts Expand Corwin Line of Cases

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On March 7, 2017, Vice Chancellor Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed the action In re Columbia Pipeline Group, Inc., C.A. No.12152-VCL. Stockholders of Columbia Pipeline Group, Inc. (“CPG”) claimed that CPG’s...more

Robins Kaplan LLP

Your Daily Dose of Financial News

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Japan’s SoftBank hasn’t been shy about bold moves, but its most recent one—the decision to buy American PE giant Fortress Investment Group—is an especially big one. The deal is seen as bolstering SoftBank’s recently announced...more

Hogan Lovells

Preserving or Eliminating Fraud Claims in M&A Transactions (Update)

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In this April 2016 post, we addressed preserving or eliminating extra-contractual fraud claims in M&A transactions. In this follow-up, we discuss a recent Delaware Chancery Court decision that further clarifies the framework...more

McCarter & English, LLP

Delaware Law Updates – Court of Chancery Puts Boards of Directors on Notice that Contracting Away Derivative Claims in a Merger...

Vice Chancellor Glasscock has held that a merger designed to eliminate derivative claims against a majority of directors justified the application of the entire fairness standard of review in a direct challenge to the merger....more

Morris James LLP

Court Upholds but Limits Claims Arising From Merger Agreement

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The Delaware courts regularly address contract claims arising out of merger agreements. Among other recurring issues are whether and how the parties limited claims based on alleged misrepresentations or omissions, whether a...more

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