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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

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

Allen Matkins on

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

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

Morris James LLP

Court Of Chancery Holds Stock Issuance Void

Morris James LLP on

Southpaw Credit Opportunity Master Fund LP v. Roma Restaurant Holdings Inc., C.A. 2017-0059-TMR (February 1, 2018) - When stock is issued in violation of a stockholder agreement, the issuance is “void.” This has great...more

K&L Gates LLP

Delaware Supreme Court Shines a (Blurry) Spotlight on Director Compensation Decisions: In re Investors Bancorp, Inc. Stockholder...

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Delaware court decisions in recent years have led a number of companies to adopt stockholder-approved director compensation limits in order to benefit from the stockholder ratification defense, which can prove useful if...more

Morris James LLP

Court Of Chancery Enforces Oral Agreement To Add Directors

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Sarissa Capital Domestic Fund LP v. Innoviva Inc., C.A. 2017-0309-JRS (December 8, 2017) - This is a great explanation of when a director is authorized to enter into an oral agreement that is enforceable, here to add two...more

Morris James LLP

Court Of Chancery Decides It Will Determine Stock Validity In A Section 225 Case

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Southpaw Credit Opportunity Master Fund L.P. v. Roma Restaurant Holdings Inc., C.A. No. 2017-0059-TMR (Oct. 13, 2017)- In a contest over who has been elected to a board of directors under Section 225 of the DGCL, it is...more

Morris James LLP

Court Of Chancery Explains When Entire Fairness Applies To Option Grants And Voting Agreements

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While directors have the right to issue options, when the grant is to themselves and there are specific facts suggesting unfairness, those directors will have the burden of proving the grants were entirely fair in a...more

K&L Gates LLP

Shareholder-Approved Award Limits for Non-employee Directors: Legal Update and Actions to Consider

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A recent Delaware court decision validates the trending practice to add specific limits on non-employee director pay in public company “omnibus” incentive compensation plans, to be approved by shareholders. ...more

Cole Schotz

Delaware Court Orders Sale of Solvent Company’s Stock Despite Shareholder Objections

Cole Schotz on

Delaware General Corporate Law § 226 (the “Custodian Statute”) bestows the Delaware Court of Chancery with the power to appoint a custodian for solvent companies and receivers for insolvent companies in certain circumstances....more

Morris James LLP

Court of Chancery Applies Ratification To Equity Grants Under Stockholder Approved Plan

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Stockholder approval of an equity compensation plan may or may not constitute ratification over awards to the directors under the plan. When it does, the Court of Chancery will review challenges under the business judgment...more

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