Litigation developments: fundamental shareholder rights.
On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14159 ”Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” directing the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) to ensure that foreign nationals comply with their...more
The initial months of President Donald Trump’s second term have seen the administration enact several significant new immigration policies that have immediate implications for employers across the United States. Understanding...more
In what represents a victory for private equity and venture capital investors, on Sept. 13, the Delaware Supreme Court issued a decision in Manti Holdings LLC v. Authentix Acquisition Co., confirming the enforceability of...more
In Manti Holdings, LLC v. Authentix Acquisition Co., Inc., No. 354, 2020, 2021 WL 4165159 (Del. Sept. 13, 2021), the Delaware Supreme Court issued an important opinion affirming the use of stockholders agreements by and among...more
Northern District of California Dismisses Traders’ Suit Against Bitmex Crypto Exchange with Prejudice; Delaware Supreme Court Upholds Chancery Court Ruling That Stockholder Appraisal Rights Can Be Waived by Contract;...more
On September 13, the Delaware Supreme Court issued a decision in Manti Holdings LLC v. Authentix Acquisition Co., confirming the enforceability of appraisal waivers by private contract so long as the stockholders agreeing to...more
In this podcast episode, New York Hogan Lovells partner Ryan Philp and senior associate Allison Wuertz discuss litigation developments affecting fundamental shareholder rights, including Section 220 books and records demands,...more
The Federal Circuit, in an opinion by Judge O’Malley, did not hold back in expressing its displeasure in being asked to resolve a claim construction dispute in AntennaSys, Inc., v. AQYR Technologies, Inc. and Windmill...more
In Manichaean Capital, LLC, et al. v. SourceHOV Holdings, Inc., C.A. No. 2017-0673-JRS (Del. Ch. January 30, 2019), certain minority stockholders of a merging company filed a petition with the Delaware Court of Chancery (the...more
Delaware courts have established rules of construction for interpreting insurance policies. Among the most basic of these rules is that clear and unequivocal policy language will be given its plain meaning; and if the...more
The Delaware Court of Chancery in Manti Holdings LLC v. Authentix Acquisition Company recently confirmed that a stockholder agreement may contractually restrict the exercise of statutory appraisal rights. Although the court...more
In City of North Miami Beach Gen. Employees’ Ret. Plan v. Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., C.A. No. 2018-0227-AGB, 2018 WL 2473150 (Del. Ch. June 1, 2018), the Delaware Court of Chancery (Bouchard, C.) denied stockholders of Dr...more
The ability of stockholders to seek and recover statutory appraisal of the value of their shares when dissenting from the consideration offered in a merger transaction has been restrained by recent amendments to the Delaware...more
Appraisal rights have been the subject of increased focus in the current, post-Corwinenvironment, in which a fully-informed noncoerced stockholder vote suffices to dispose of most M&A challenges. In two recent decisions, the...more
City Of North Miami Beach General Employees’ Retirement Plan v. Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc., C.A. No. 2018-0227-AGB (Del. Ch. June 1, 2018) - In a reverse triangular merger, a parent company uses a subsidiary to acquire...more
In a long-awaited decision regarding Delaware’s appraisal statute, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that in determining the fair value of a company, there is no presumption that the agreed upon transaction price is the fair...more
In an appraisal proceeding under Section 262 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, the Delaware Court of Chancery determines the "fair value" of a company's "shares exclusive of any element arising from the accomplishment...more
Section 262 of the DGCL provides a statutory remedy for stockholders who do not vote in favor of certain M&A transactions (generally cash mergers) to petition the corporation to buy their stock at a price equivalent to the...more
With the legislative session drawing to a close, Delaware Governor Jack Markell has signed into law the annual amendments to the General Corporation Law and the Alternative Entity Statutes. In addition to more technical...more
Despite being a court of equity, there are certain instances where the Delaware Court of Chancery demands "strict compliance" with procedural provisions irrespective of the potential for an inequitable outcome. For example,...more