News & Analysis as of

Fiduciary Duty Shareholder Rights Shareholder Litigation

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

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Don’t Call It a Comeback: A Decade Later, the Corwin Doctrine Still Packs a Knockout Punch

The Delaware Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Corwin v. KKR Financial Holdings LLC1 reshaped the landscape of merger and acquisition litigation by establishing a powerful defense for Delaware companies. Under the Corwin...more

Nossaman LLP

Delaware, Nevada or Texas – Which State’s Corporation Statute Will Reign Supreme?

Nossaman LLP on

To stem the recent tide of high-profile corporate “DExit” moves, Delaware has enacted Substitute 1 to Senate Bill 21 (SB 21) to amend the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) effective March 25, 2025. To lure more...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Delaware Supreme Court to Consider Constitutionality of SB 21

Fenwick & West LLP on

The Delaware Supreme Court has agreed to accept questions certified to the court relating to the constitutionality of Senate Bill 21 (SB 21), which was signed into law back in March 2025. ...more

DLA Piper

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

DLA Piper on

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

Baker Donelson

Delaware Revises Corporate Law to Strengthen Deals and Limit Stockholder Rights

Baker Donelson on

Delaware lawmakers recently enacted Senate Bill 21, a sweeping reform that significantly amends several sections of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL). The law introduces significant revisions aimed at increasing...more

Perkins Coie

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

Perkins Coie on

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

Perkins Coie

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

Perkins Coie on

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

Flaster Greenberg PC

Amendments to Delaware General Corporation Law

Flaster Greenberg PC on

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

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?

Fenwick & West LLP on

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

Montgomery McCracken on

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

Allen Matkins

Is Pareto Optimality The Answer For Controlling Stockholder Transactions?

Allen Matkins on

Yesterday's post concerned the Delaware Supreme Court's decision that the business judgment rule applied to TripAdvisor's decision to reincorporate in Nevada.  Maffei v. Palkon, 2025 WL 384054 (Del. Feb. 4, 2025).  This...more

A&O Shearman

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

A&O Shearman on

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

Allen Matkins

Can One Shareholder Sue Another Shareholder For Breach Of Contract?

Allen Matkins on

One popular theory of the corporation is that it is a nexus of contracts.  As Frank Easterbrook and Daniel Fischel pithily pronounced "Corporations are enduring (relational) contracts."  F. Easterbrook and D. Fischel, The...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Delaware Court of Chancery Concludes That Duty of Oversight Applies to Officers

In an important decision addressing an issue of first impression, the Delaware Court of Chancery determined that corporate officers owe a fiduciary duty of oversight under Delaware law. The case, In re McDonald’s Corporation...more

Winstead PC

Litigating Minority Shareholder Rights - Presentation

Winstead PC on

David F. Johnson presented his paper “Business Divorce: Minority Shareholder Rights In Texas” to the State Bar of Texas’s Business Disputes Course on September 2-3, 2021. This presentation addressed shareholder oppression...more

Allen Matkins

Why Is The General Corporation Law Silent On Shareholder Liability For Corporate Debts?

Allen Matkins on

Today's blog revisits (and answers) a question that I posed nearly eight years ago in this post.  The question was: "Where Exactly Is It Written That Shareholders Aren't Liable For Corporate Debts?"...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

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

Another Door Closes to Federal Court in Judicial Dissolution Cases

Farrell Fritz, P.C. on

Not for the first time, I find myself intrigued by the federal courts’ resistance to hearing state law claims for judicial dissolution of business entities where subject matter jurisdiction otherwise exists based on diversity...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

‘Partial and Elliptical Disclosures’ May Preclude Corwin Doctrine

Under Corwin v. KKR Financial Holdings LLC1 and its progeny, “when disinterested, fully informed, uncoerced stockholders approve a transaction absent a looming conflicted controller,” the irrebuttable business judgment rule...more

Morris James LLP

Court Of Chancery Explains Proper Purpose Analysis

Morris James LLP on

KT4 Partners LLC v. Palantir Technologies Inc., C.A. 2017-0177-JRS (February 22, 2018) - When a demand to inspect corporate records states a purpose other than to value the corporation’s stock, it is often difficult to...more

25 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 1

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide