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Corporate Counsel Fiduciary Duty Corporate Officers

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

The Potential Double Whammy: Will the Company Have to Pay the Legal Fees of Disloyal Former Insiders If the Company Sues Them?

In a real-life case of adding insult to financial injury, companies harmed by the disloyal actions of their former partners, officers, managers or employees (the “former insiders”) may also have to pay their legal fees when...more

K&L Gates LLP

The Continued Evolution of Caremark Oversight Liability

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In the last year, Delaware courts have issued several notable opinions that further define—and in some cases expand—the scope of liability for failures of oversight at a corporation. Claims by shareholders that one or more...more

Bennett Jones LLP

Delaware Court Affirms High Threshold for Breach of Directors' Caremark Duties

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In a recent case, Bricklayers Pension Fund of Western Pennsylvania (derivatively on behalf of Centene Corporation) v Brinkley (Centene), Delaware's Court of Chancery dismissed “Caremark duty claims”—named after the 1996 case...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

2023 Delaware Corporate Law and Litigation Year in Review

Wilson Sonsini is pleased to present the 2023 Delaware Corporate Law and Litigation Year In Review. In 2023, the Delaware courts issued many decisions addressing an array of important topics, including director and officer...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

The Delaware Court of Chancery Confirms that Duty of Oversight Claims Against Corporate Officers Are Subject to the Same High...

In Segway Inc. v. Hong Cai, 2023 Del. Ch. LEXIS 643 (Del. Ch. Dec. 14, 2023), the Delaware Court of Chancery (Will, V.C.) dismissed a claim for breach of fiduciary duty brought by Segway Inc. (the “Company”) against its...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

A&O Shearman

New York Appellate Court Dismisses Breach Of Fiduciary Duty Claims Under Foreign Law, Clarifying That The Internal Affairs...

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On October 13, 2022, a five-judge panel of the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court, First Department, unanimously reversed a trial court decision and dismissed a breach of fiduciary duty action brought by...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

Mintz Edge

Amendment to Delaware Law Permits Exculpation of Officers in Corporate Charters

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Delaware has long permitted corporations to limit or eliminate monetary liability of directors from breach of fiduciary duty of care lawsuits. However, the same protections have not been afforded to a corporation’s officers....more

Robins Kaplan LLP

Be Warned: As Fiduciary Duties Shift, So, Too, Can Privilege Ownership

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Picture this. Years after leaving your in-house counsel role at Company A, you find yourself being deposed in a litigation matter with Company A’s adversary inquiring into your legal notes and internal privileged...more

A&O Shearman

Delaware Court Of Chancery Denies Motion To Dismiss Breach Of Fiduciary Duty Claim Against Director Who Abstained From Merger Vote

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On May 25, 2022, Vice Chancellor Sam Glasscock III of the Delaware Court of Chancery denied a motion to dismiss a stockholder derivative claim against a director of Fat Brands Inc. (the “Corporation”) for alleged breach of...more

K&L Gates LLP

Approval of US$237.5 Million Settlement in Boeing Derivative Action Demonstrates Impact of Section 220 Demand in ESG Litigation

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In a derivative action In re Boeing Company Derivative Litigation, Boeing’s stockholders obtained approval from the Delaware Court of Chancery for a landmark US$237.5 million settlement of derivative claims targeting the...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Delaware Supreme Court Provides Guidance on Board Oversight Obligations

On June 18, 2019, the Delaware Supreme Court issued an opinion addressing the fiduciary obligation of directors and officers to exercise proper oversight over the corporation and to implement a system of controls to ensure...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Hot Topic for 2018 Proxy Season: Director Compensation in Wake of New Delaware Supreme Court Ruling

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In an important recent opinion, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled in In re Investors Bancorp, Inc. Stockholder Litigation that certain director compensation decisions would be reviewed under the “entire fairness” standard...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Corporate Law & Governance Update - August 2016

The Hershey Governance Settlement - On Friday, July 29, the Pennsylvania Attorney General, the Hershey Trust Company and the Milton Hershey School, entered into a written settlement resolving an investigation conducted...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Bankruptcy Court Opinion Clarifies California Law on Duties of Directors & Officers Upon Insolvency

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It is not unusual in the lifecycle of a start-up for the company to hit road blocks and have cash flow issues. During these times, the board and its members will ask the company’s professionals what their fiduciary duties are...more

Winstead PC

Court Holds That An Officer Can Negotiate New Employment Without Breaching Fiduciary Duties

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In Great American Food Chain, Inc. v. Andreottola, a corporate officer and director negotiated and accepted employment with a competitor while still employed with his prior employer. No. 3:14-CV-1727-BK, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS...more

Morris James LLP

Delaware Supreme Court Clarifies Director/Officer Implied Consent Statute and Rejects Hana Ranch

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Rejecting the Court of Chancery’s narrow reading of the director/officer implied consent statute in Hana Ranch, Inc. v. Lent, 424 A.2d 28, 30 (Del. Ch. 1980), an interpretation that had been followed by lower courts for...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

"Dole Ruling Serves as Cautionary Tale for Take-Private Deals"

Earlier this year, in a consolidated breach of fiduciary duty and appraisal action, Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery issued a post-trial opinion that includes many important takeaways for...more

Mintz - Employment, Labor & Benefits...

A WARNing to Directors and Officers — Failure to give proper WARN Act notice may breach your fiduciary duty

At first glance, Stanziale v. MILK072011, looks like someone suing over a bad expiration date and conjures up images of Ron Burgundy proclaiming “milk was a bad choice.” But in actuality Stanziale is much more interesting: it...more

Jackson Walker

How Recent Fiduciary Duty Cases Affect Advice To Directors And Officers Of Delaware And Texas Corporations

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I. Introduction. The conduct of corporate directors and officers is subject to particular scrutiny in the context of business combinations (whether friendly or hostile), executive compensation and other affiliated...more

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

Email Users Beware: Companies and Corporate Officers Should Evaluate Email Practices in Light of Delaware Chancery Court Decision

On September 5, 2013, the Delaware Chancery Court ruled that the attorney-client privilege does not protect from disclosure emails sent by corporate officers to their personal attorneys using the company’s email account. In...more

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