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Breach of Duty Shareholder Litigation Corporate Governance

Stinson - Corporate & Securities Law Blog

Chancery Dismisses Three-Pronged Breach of Fiduciary Claims

The Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed three claims in Ritchie v. Baker (6/25). Broadly speaking, the plaintiff failed to adequately plead demand futility under Court of Chancery Rule 23.1 because the complaint did not...more

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Delaware Supreme Court reverses acquirer’s aiding and abetting liability, setting high bar, following precedent set by its recent...

On June 17, 2025, the Delaware Supreme Court (Court), sitting en banc, reversed a Court of Chancery ruling that had held a bidder liable for aiding and abetting fiduciary breaches of the target’s management....more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Delaware Supreme Court Sets High Bar for Counterparty Aiding and Abetting Liability in M&A Deals

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The Delaware Supreme Court’s June 17, 2025 decision in In re Columbia Pipeline Group Merger Litigation reversed a $199 million damages award against TC Energy for aiding and abetting breaches by fiduciaries of Columbia...more

Wiley Rein LLP

Applying a “Meaningful Linkage” Standard, Delaware Superior Court Concludes Two Lawsuits Do Not “Arise Out Of” Interrelated...

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The Delaware Superior Court has held that an underlying shareholder lawsuit and prior litigation alleging certain common facts did not arise out of Interrelated Wrongful Acts, and did not trigger either the Prior Notice or...more

Hogan Lovells

Landmark Victory secured for Asia Cement Corporation in Hong Kong High Court

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In civil litigation, the parties are strictly bound by their pleadings and it is not permissible to deviate from the same. Serious allegations of fraud or dishonesty must be pleaded distinctly and with the utmost...more

Morris James LLP

Court of Chancery Applies the American Rule and Denies Attorneys’ Fees Despite Fiduciary Breach

Morris James LLP on

In re Straight Path Commc’ns Inc. Consol. S’holder Litig., C.A. No. 2017-0486-SG (Del. Ch. Oct. 29, 2024) - The Court of Chancery in this stockholder class action refused to award attorneys’ fees where the Court found the...more

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

Governance Insights: Dual Fiduciaries – A Cautionary Tale for Nominee Directors

The latest edition of Davies’ Governance Insights is now available. In this issue, we review the Manti Holdings decision from Delaware. For boards, nominees and nominating shareholders, the decision is a reminder of the...more

Allen Matkins

Unreasonableness Or Carelessness Is Insufficient To Prove Liability In Nevada

Allen Matkins on

Nevada's exculpatory statute, NRS 78.138(7), requires a plaintiff to both rebut a statutory presumption of good faith and prove a breach of fiduciary duty involving intentional misconduct, fraud, or a knowing violation of the...more

Flaster Greenberg PC

Amendments to Delaware General Corporation Law

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On March 25, Delaware amended two (2) sections of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) in response to reports that prominent corporations are considering leaving Delaware in light of several significant court...more

Carey Olsen

Shareholder and director remedies under Bermuda law

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There are approximately 16,000 companies registered in Bermuda, of which approximately 14,000 are international companies. As a result, Bermuda is a jurisdiction which deals with a large number of corporate governance...more

Hicks Johnson

SCOTX Ruling Confirms Individual Liability for Corporate Owners Who Commit Torts

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In Texas, as most other states, it is long settled that corporate agents are personally liable for their own tortious or fraudulent conduct—even if the conduct was done in their capacity as a corporate agent. Section 21.223...more

Allen Matkins

When Dismissing A Case Violates Due Process

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When a shareholder sues derivatively, the shareholder is seeking relief not for itself, but for the corporation.  Therefore, it should be expected that the shareholder is not free to compromise or dismiss the suit absent...more

Allen Matkins

Just What Are The Duties Of A Controlling Shareholder And How Should Claims Of Breach Be Brought?

Allen Matkins on

In a recent post, Professor Stephen Bainbridge discusses the question of when a controlling shareholder owes fiduciary duties to minority shareholders.  Knowing when controlling shareholder owes fiduciary duties is one thing,...more

Allen Matkins

Is Your Directors And Officers Liability Coverage Illusory?

Allen Matkins on

Many corporations pay significant amounts for directors and officers liability policies.  Commonly referred to as D&O policies, these policies usually involve three sides.  Directors and officers are likely to have the most...more

Woodruff Sawyer

Corporate Barbarians at the Gates: The Attack on Delaware

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All empires eventually decline. For decades, Delaware has held the crown as the premier state of incorporation for domestic companies (and many foreign companies seeking a foothold in the United States capital markets). But...more

Allen Matkins

Nevada Supreme Court Rejects The "Uncontrollable Child" Theory Of Parent-Subsidiary Relationships

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Nevada famously limits directors and officers from personal liability.  However, it would be an overstatement to say that Nevada is a "liability free" jurisdiction.  For example, the Nevada Supreme Court recently held that...more

A&O Shearman

Delaware Court Of Chancery Invalidates Stockholder Agreement Provisions That Deprive Board Of Key Decision-Making Powers

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On February 23, 2024, Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery invalidated a number of significant provisions in a stockholder agreement between a financial institution (the “Company”) and its...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Closing the Circle: A Stockholder That Nominates a Board Member Is Not Within the Company’s Circle of Confidentiality or Entitled...

Icahn Partners, LP, et al. v. Francis deSouza, et al. and Illumina, Inc., C.A. No. 2023-1045-PAF, order (Del. Ch. Feb. 19, 2024) - Under Delaware law, corporate directors, who bear responsibility for managing the company...more

Venable LLP

Fiduciary Liability Limitations Under Nevada Law Trigger Entire Fairness Review of Conversion from Delaware Due to Controlling...

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The Delaware Court of Chancery, in Palkon v. Maffei, et al., C.A. No. 2023-0449-JTL (Del. Ch. Feb. 20, 2024), determined that a reduction in the liability exposure of a fiduciary due to the conversion of a Delaware...more

Morris James LLP

2023 Delaware Corporate and Commercial Case Law Year in Review

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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 meaningfully changed...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Delaware Supreme Court Decision Shows Continued Momentum for Caremark Plaintiffs

Vinson & Elkins LLP on

A recent opinion from the Delaware Supreme Court could be viewed by some as expanding plaintiffs’ ability to viably plead a duty of oversight (or “Caremark”) claim against directors. In Lebanon County Employees’ Retirement...more

A&O Shearman

Delaware Court Of Chancery Rejects Claims Related To The Acquisition Of An Alleged Controller’s Portfolio Company For Failure To...

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On December 28, 2023, Vice Chancellor Morgan T. Zurn of the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed derivative breach of fiduciary duty and other claims asserted by a plaintiff shareholder after nCino, Inc. (the “Corporation”)...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Books and Records Demands 2023 Recap: Courts Continue To Develop the Law Regarding the Scope of Inspection

As discussed in prior articles, stockholder plaintiffs have increasingly sought to obtain companies’ books and records under 8 Del. C. § 220 (Section 220) and the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act’s analogous provision,...more

Cooley LLP

The ‘State’ of Delaware

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During a panel at the October 2023 Berkeley Fall Forum on Corporate Governance, Delaware Court of Chancery Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick and Vice Chancellor Paul Fioravanti, along with lawyers Shannon Eagan (Cooley),...more

Allen Matkins

Do Corporate Boards Necessarily Breach Their Fiduciary Duties When They Approve Illegal Conduct?

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In a recent blog post on the Business Law Prof Blog, Tulane Law professor Ann M. Lipton opined...more

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