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Books & Records Shareholder Rights Delaware General Corporation Law

Woodruff Sawyer

The ABCs of Corporate Law: Reforming Section 220 Demands

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For many years, plaintiffs’ lawyers have used Section 220 requests to harass Delaware corporations. Typically, books and records demands are intrusive and annoying—and nothing more. However, in some cases, plaintiffs have...more

Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP

Delaware Clarifies Stockholders’ Rights to Inspect Corporate Books and Records

Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) was recently amended by Delaware Senate Bill 21 to reflect the Delaware legislature’s efforts to continue to provide a business-friendly environment and preserve...more

Mayer Brown

Delaware Law Alert: Books and Records Inspection Under the Amended §220

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Delaware has overhauled its framework for stockholder books and records inspection rights. Amendments to Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) §220, enacted on March 25, 2025,1 seek to address the concern that inspection...more

DLA Piper

Amendments to Delaware General Corporation Law Expand Safe Harbor for Controlling Stockholder Transactions and Circumscribe Books...

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The Governor of Delaware has signed into law Senate Bill 21 (SB 21), which amends certain sections of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) governing controlling stockholder transactions under DGCL Section 144 and...more

Venable LLP

Delaware Enacts Corporate Law Amendments Establishing Safe Harbor Protections for Conflicted Transactions and Clarifying...

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In late March 2025, the Delaware General Assembly enacted, and Governor Matt Meyer signed, bipartisan legislation making significant amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL)....more

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

DExit Strategy: Delaware’s Books and Records Reset

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Stockholders of Delaware corporations for many years have had the right to examine stock ledgers, stockholder lists and “books and records” for a “proper purpose” under Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. ...more

Perkins Coie

After Threat of Exodus, Delaware Lawmakers Swiftly Respond: Six Things To Know About Recent Amendments to the DGCL

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Several recent decisions in Delaware courts have driven a variety of companies to publicly initiate actual or threatened reincorporation out of Delaware. After fallout from these cases and corporate actions, Delaware...more

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP

Delaware Enacts Changes to the Delaware General Corporation Law

On March 25, 2025, the Delaware Governor, Matthew Meyer, signed into law Senate Bill 21 (“SB 21”) which amends Sections 144 and 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”). SB 21 codifies (a) the process to...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Delaware Enacts Significant Changes to Delaware General Corporation Law

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As discussed in Foley’s Corporate Governance Update last month, SB 21: Delaware Responds In The DExit Battle, the Delaware legislature has been moving quickly to ensure that Delaware remains the preeminent home of choice for...more

Perkins Coie

Delaware Significantly Narrows Scope of Stockholder Inspection of Corporate Books and Records

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Delaware Governor Matt Meyer signed into law substantive amendments to Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (Section 220), the statute that allows stockholders of corporations organized under Delaware law to...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Delaware Refines and Narrows the Statutory Landscape for Controlling Stockholders and Books & Records Requests

Last week, Delaware approved legislation overhauling the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL). As detailed below, the amendments to the DGCL ease certain restrictions applicable to “conflicted controller” transactions, and...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Delaware Revamps Its General Corporation Law - Will It Be Enough to Keep Companies from Leaving?

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On March 25, 2025, Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer signed into law significant amendments to §§ 144 and 220 the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL)....more

Montgomery McCracken

Delaware’s SB21: March 2025 Amendments to DGCL Sections 144 and 220

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Delaware Governor Matt Meyer signed Senate Bill 21 into law on March 26 this year. Setting aside the polarized rhetoric that occasioned the Bill’s proposal and journey through the approval process, it is significant – and...more

BakerHostetler

Delaware Amends General Corporation Law to Create Safe Harbor for Controller Transactions and Place Limitations on a Stockholders’...

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Last week, the Delaware Governor signed a bill amending Section 144 of Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) to create a safe harbor from litigation for transactions between corporations and their controlling...more

Cooley LLP

Delaware Amends Section 220 – Will Scope of ‘Books and Records’ Production Be Limited?

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On March 25, 2025, the Delaware Legislature enacted Senate Bill 21, significantly amending the Delaware General Corporation Law. Among its notable changes is an effort to narrow document production under Section 220, which...more

WilmerHale

Recent Decisions From Delaware Court of Chancery Slow Trend Toward Wider Inspection in Corporate Books and Records Demands

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Corporate books and records demands are on the rise. And as the Delaware courts have made it easier for shareholders to demonstrate a proper purpose to seek inspection, corporations increasingly must defend these actions by...more

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Delaware Supreme Court Holds That Stockholders Need Ordinarily Only Identify a ‘Credible Basis’ for Possible Wrongdoing, Not...

Last week, the Delaware Supreme Court issued an important decision effectively broadening the scope of stockholder pre-litigation inspection rights. ...more

Proskauer - Minding Your Business

Delaware Chancery Holds Early Committee Appointment Necessary to Cleanse Conflict from Corporate Transactions

In Salladay v. Lev, the Delaware Chancery Court elaborated on how early a corporate board must take protective measures to shield a conflicted transaction from entire fairness review. Salladay involved a motion to dismiss a...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Implications for Section 220 ‘Books and Records’ Demands Following High River Limited Partnership

In High River Ltd. P’ship v. Occidental Petroleum Corp., No. CV 2019-0403-JRS, 2019 WL 6040285 (Del. Ch. Nov. 14, 2019), the Court of Chancery of the state of Delaware recently refused to hold that Section 220 books and...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Court of Chancery Expands Stockholder Right to Corporate Books and Records

In a recent post-trial opinion, Vice Chancellor Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery issued an important decision regarding stockholder books and records demands under Section 220(b) of the Delaware General Corporation...more

White and Williams LLP

Delaware Stockholders Need Only Present Reasonable Inference of Managerial Wrongdoing for Inspection of Company’s Records

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Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law affords stockholders a qualified right to inspect a corporation's books and records. A Section 220 inspection is a powerful stockholder right, and indeed, the Delaware...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

Responding to Books and Records Demands in an Increasingly Digital World - 3 Key Tips

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Stockholder “books and records” requests have become increasingly prevalent in the past decade. These requests can be a used as tools by activist investors to gather information to support demands for corporate change or a...more

A&O Shearman

Delaware Court Of Chancery Grants Books And Records Request Arising From Caremark Claims Related To Facebook User Privacy

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On May 30, 2019, Vice Chancellor Joseph R. Slights III of the Delaware Court of Chancery granted a stockholder demand to inspect Facebook’s books and records in connection with their Caremark claims arising from alleged data...more

WilmerHale

Emails and Texts Could Constitute Corporate Books and Records

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Directors, corporate secretaries and company counsel must be mindful of good corporate housekeeping practices involving the maintenance of corporate books and records. Earlier this year, a handful of Delaware court opinions...more

A&O Shearman

Third Circuit Holds That Statutes Of Limitation May Be Tolled By Books-And-Records Demands Under Delaware Law Despite Inquiry...

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On June 13, 2017, Chief Judge Smith of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversed in part the District Court’s dismissal of claims for breach of contract as untimely. Norman v. Elkin, No. 16-1924 (3d...more

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