Expert or Arbitrator? — PE Pathways Podcast
Earn-Out Arrangements – Interview with David Lagasse, Member, Mintz Levin
When selling a private company, Sellers understandably focus on providing bidders with a comprehensive data room packed with detailed documents and information about every aspect of their business. They expect bidders to pore...more
Times of economic volatility often increase disparities between a seller’s valuation and the buyer’s valuation of the same company. Earn-out provisions are one tool frequently used to address such disparities. An earn-out...more
In this episode of PE Pathways, Partners Nick Stawasz and Dan Boland discuss the distinctions between engaging an expert or an arbitrator for resolving post-closing purchase price and earnout disputes in M&A deals. The...more
After two decades practicing law in Silicon Valley and five formative years working on cross-border deals in Europe, I’ve come to appreciate the subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences in how merger and acquisition (M&A)...more
The owner of an Accounting business in California is in advanced discussions to sell her business to a New Jersey-based buyer. Many terms are settled… but the parties have acknowledged that the business is ‘dependent on...more
Negotiating and signing a Letter of Intent (LOI) is a key inflection point in the process of selling your business. Buyers and sellers both want the LOI to ensure a base level of understanding on certain key terms such as...more
The High Court has ruled that earn-out calculations, emailed by the buyer to the sellers in relation to a share sale, were not validly communicated. Earnout calculations and notice provisions - Under an earnout provision...more
Periodically, particularly during economic downturns or times of market uncertainty, the private M&A market experiences a significant increase in the use of earnouts. As was the case following the Great Recession and the...more
In Shareholder Representative Services LLC v. Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the Delaware Court of Chancery addressed an earnout dispute, holding that a buyer violated its contract with the seller by failing to use...more
The Delaware Court of Chancery has weighed in on a number of recent cases interpreting earnout provisions in transactional agreements. The Court has demonstrated a reluctance to rule against seller-plaintiffs during the...more
A pivotal decision by a New York Appellate Division court holding that earnouts based on the future revenue of a dental practice violated the NY Fee Splitting Prohibition could substantially impact the structuring of health...more
Deal structure matters, particularly in bankruptcy. The Third Circuit recently ruled that a creditor’s right to future royalty payments in a non-executory contract could be discharged in the counterparty-debtor’s bankruptcy....more
On April 30, 2024, in Himawan, et al. v. Cephalon, Inc., et al., the Delaware Court of Chancery held that the defendant acquiror complied with its contractual obligations to use commercially reasonable efforts to achieve...more
Ambiguous drafting of earnout provisions in M&A agreements is a perennial source of post-closing disputes. What may have seemed clear to parties in the heat of negotiations can often become less so as time passes,...more
As buyers and sellers engage in negotiations for the sale of a business, often there may be disagreements as to the value and expected growth of that business. One party might currently value the business higher than the...more
Increased use of earnouts is likely to facilitate M&A deals across sectors in Europe. Earnouts are increasingly common in European M&A. The growing prevalence of this contractual provision — in which additional...more
A flexible provision raises questions for buyers and sellers alike. Given the uncertain economic climate of 2023, parties are increasingly turning to earnouts to bridge valuation gaps. As shown by Goodwin’s Private Equity...more
Earlier this month, the ACC hosted an illuminating panel presentation on Life Sciences Litigation: A Look at Milestone Disputes & Recent Trends. Panelists included Lauri Mims and Jennifer Huber, both Partners at Keker Van...more
The American Bar Association (ABA) 2020 – 2021 Private Target Mergers & Acquisitions Deal Points Study[1] analyzed publicly available acquisition agreements for 123 transactions executed and/or completed in 2020 and the first...more
In Shareholder Representative Services LLC v. Albertsons Companies, Inc., 2021 WL 2311455 (Del. Ch. June 7, 2021), the Delaware Court of Chancery (Slights, V.C.) provided key guidance on mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”)...more
In Shareholder Representative Services LLC v Albertsons Companies, Inc., the aggrieved former shareholders of DineInFresh, Inc., d/b/a Plated, sought recovery of earnout consideration from Plated’s acquirer, Defendant,...more
An “earnout” is a deal mechanism used in a merger and acquisition transaction (“M&A Transaction”) which structures the terms upon which a buyer agrees to pay additional consideration to the seller after the closing of the M&A...more
The COVID-19 virus has ushered in unprecedented and challenging times for our country and our global community. From the deeply personal pain and suffering caused by the virus as a health pandemic to behavioral adjustments...more
B&C Holdings, Inc. v. Temperatsure Holdings, LLC, C.A. No. N19C-02-105 AML CCLD (Del. Super. Apr. 22, 2020). As this decision demonstrates, Delaware courts will enforce the plain and ordinary meaning of contractual terms...more
This is certainly a situation where the (purportedly) ancient curse would seem to apply: May you live in interesting times. Living, however, implies moving forward, and that is what the business world is trying to do. ...more