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Shareholder Litigation Directors

Robins Kaplan LLP

Considerations for D&O Insurance in Light of the Changing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Legal Landscape

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After George Floyd’s death in May 2020, companies (including their directors and officers) are facing increasing liability exposure and scrutiny from both sides of the political aisle relating to diversity, equity, and...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Officer Exculpation and the Silicon Valley 150

Effective August 1, 2022, Section 102(b)(7) of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) was amended to permit a Delaware corporation to include in its charter a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of...more

Allen Matkins

A Recent Reminder That Omitting This Averment May Doom A Derivative Claim

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Section 800 of the California Corporations Code applies to actions brought in the name of any domestic or foreign corporation, aka derivative actions.  It is similar, but not the same as, Delaware Court of Chancery Rule 23.1...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

In Rare Decision, Delaware Court of Chancery Imposes Liability on CEO and Acquiror Post-Trial

On March 15, 2023, Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery issued a rare post-trial decision finding a CEO personally liable for millions of dollars in damages for breaching his fiduciary...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

The Ramifications of The Delaware Court of Chancery’s McDonald’s Decision – Beyond Holding That Caremark Oversight Obligations...

Last year, we discussed how stockholder complaints concerning environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) issues were making their way to the courtroom and, specifically, how  the Delaware Court of Chancery and Supreme...more

Bodman

Delaware Court of Chancery Establishes That the Duty of Oversight Extends to Officers

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On January 25, 2023, the Delaware Chancery Court issued its ruling in In re McDonald’s Corporation Stockholder Derivative Litigation, C.A. No. 2021-0324-JTL (Del. Ch. Jan. 26, 2023), holding for the first time that a...more

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

Delaware Court of Chancery Determines That the Duty of Oversight Applies to Corporate Officers

For almost 30 years, the Delaware courts have held that corporate directors are charged with a fiduciary duty of “oversight.” Directors must make sure that their corporations both (1) implement reasonable information and...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Delaware Court of Chancery Applies MFW Factors to ‘Reverse Spinoff

The Court of Chancery’s decision in In re Match Group, Inc. Derivative Litigation1 is the latest example of how the Delaware Supreme Court’s watershed 2014 decision in Kahn v. M & F Worldwide Corp. (MFW)2 has been applied to...more

Bennett Jones LLP

Court Decision Highlights "Nominee" Director Issues

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Key Highlights - - Centerra Judge found the breaches of fiduciary duties the most egregious he had ever seen. - Nominee director principles in Centerra are relevant to directors of corporations governed by the Canada...more

Allen Matkins

A First Sighting Of Zuckerberg Decision In California

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Last year, the Delaware Supreme Court adopted a tripartite test for assessing demand futility allegations in derivative actions. United Food & Commercial Workers Union v. Zuckerberg 262 A.3d 1034 (Del. 2021). Under this...more

A&O Shearman

Delaware Court Of Chancery Applies Contemporaneous Ownership Requirement And Declines To Extend Equitable Derivative Standing

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On May 13, 2022, Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed certain stockholder derivative claims for breaches of fiduciary duty brought against the founder-CEO and other directors of...more

A&O Shearman

Eighth Circuit Affirms Dismissal Of Merger-Related Derivative Suit For Failure To Plead Demand Excusal

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On April 7, 2022, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of derivative claims brought by shareholders of Centene Corporation (the “Corporation”) against directors and officers of the...more

Allen Matkins

California Court Of Appeal Finds Caremark To Be Too Steep A Hill For Plaintiff To Climb

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In January 2018, the media began reporting on  two security vulnerabilities affecting Intel Corporation's microprocessors - dubbed "Spectre" and "Meltdown".  Following these disclosures, Intel's stock price fell and its...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Delaware Supreme Court Enforces Waiver of Statutory Appraisal Rights

Earlier this week, the Delaware Supreme Court issued a significant decision reinforcing Delaware's strong policy favoring private ordering and giving effect to agreements among sophisticated stockholders. The decision...more

Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC

Delaware Supreme Court Finds Fraud Insurable

In a recent decision, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that insuring against fraud does not per se violate Delaware public policy and held that the insured’s D&O policy covered claims alleging securities fraud. RSUI Indemnity...more

Polsinelli

SDNY Rejects Director Liability for Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower Claims, Creating a Split Among Federal District Courts

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Public company directors, who are under constant threat of claims, received welcome news earlier this month.  On December 9, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that corporate directors...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Another Caremark Duty-to-Monitor Suit Survives Motion to Dismiss in Delaware

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Seyfarth Synopsis: The Delaware Chancery Court’s October 1 In re Clovis decision marks the second time in 2019 that a Delaware court has permitted a Caremark duty-to-monitor derivative claim against directors—considered...more

Morris James LLP

Delaware Corporate and Commercial Case Law Year In Review – 2018

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This top ten list summarizes significant decisions of the Delaware Supreme Court and the Delaware Court of Chancery over the past calendar year 2018. The cases selected either meaningfully changed Delaware law or provided...more

K&L Gates LLP

Chancery Court Denies Dismissal of Breach of Fiduciary Duty Claims after Concluding that Stockholder Vote was Not Informed

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In In re Tangoe, Inc. Stockholders Litigation, C.A. No. 2017-0650-JRS (Del. Ch. Nov. 20, 2018), the Delaware Court of Chancery denied the director defendants’ motion to dismiss the stockholder plaintiffs’ claim for breach of...more

Morris James LLP

Court Of Chancery Limits Zapata Test To Properly Filed Complaint

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Busch v. Richardson, C.A. 2017-0868-AGB (November 14, 2018) - A derivative complaint that meets the demand requirements of Rule 23.1 may be subject to later dismissal at the request of a properly formed and functioning...more

Morris James LLP

Court Of Chancery Dismisses Complaint Alleging Aiding and Abetting Claim

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Tilden v. Cunningham, C.A. 2017-0837-JRS (October 26, 2018) - This is an interesting decision for many reasons. It includes a comprehensive analysis of when demand on a board is not excused, when ignoring a forum selection...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

No Damages Found In PLX Technology Stockholders Litigation Suit

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In the recent decision of In re PLX Technology, Inc. S’holders Litig., Consl. C.A. No. 9880-VCL (Del. Ch. Oct. 16, 2018), the Delaware Court of Chancery found that shareholders of PLX Technology Inc. (“PLX”), a semiconductor...more

Morris James LLP

Delaware Superior Court Upholds Coverage For Fraud Claim

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Arch Insurance Company v. Murdock, C.A. N16C-01-104 EMD CCLD (March 1, 2018) - This decision upholds coverage under a D&O policy for a claim alleging fraud by directors. This is not too surprising as the Delaware...more

Morris James LLP

Court of Chancery Explains DGCL Section 141

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Cummings v. Eden, C.A. 13007-VCS (February 20, 2018) - This decision is particularly helpful in clarifying the effect of Section 141 of the DGCL. A transaction that is passed by the vote of even a single disinterested...more

Morris James LLP

Delaware Corporate and Commercial Case Law Year In Review – 2017

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This top ten list summarizes significant decisions of the Delaware Supreme Court and the Delaware Court of Chancery over the past calendar year. Our criteria for selection are that the decision either changed the law in a...more

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