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Merger Agreements Delaware

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Delaware Supreme Court Erects a “Formidable Obstacle” to Proving Counterparty Aiding and Abetting Liability in Merger Transactions

The In re Columbia Pipeline Group Merger Litigation decision clarifies that a buyer may not be found liable for aiding and abetting a seller-side breach of fiduciary duty unless the buyer had actual knowledge—not merely...more

Mayer Brown

Delaware Law Alert: Long Live the Term Sheet—When Term Sheet Provisions Survive the Execution of Definitive Agreements

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Deal parties may be surprised to learn that a term sheet signed as part of early negotiations can, in some circumstances, continue to be binding after the execution of a definitive transaction agreement contemplated by the...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Delaware Reaffirms the Limits of Conditions Precedent to an Indemnification Claim in M&A Disputes

The Delaware Supreme Court recently reversed and remanded the decision of the Chancery Court in Thompson Street Capital Partners IV, L.P. v. Sonova Unites States Hearing Instruments, LLC and provided a new framework to assess...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

Ropes & Gray LLP

Dealmaker's Digest: A Top 10 Bulletin - June 2025

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In Dealmaker’s Digest, read the top 10 latest developments in global transactions. We offer insights into M&A activity across industries and borders. Global M&A activity was mixed in May: aggregate deal value jumped nearly...more

Mayer Brown

Delaware Law Alert: Conditions Precedent Under the Microscope—Key Lessons for M&A Agreements

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In Thompson Street Capital Partners IV, L.P. v. Sonova United States Hearing Instruments, LLC,1 the Delaware Supreme Court recently adopted a complex framework for determining when noncompliance or partial compliance with a...more

Mayer Brown

Delaware Law Alert: Chancery Court Applies Conditional Probability to Calculate Damages in Earnout Dispute

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A recent Delaware Chancery Court opinion offers a significant example of how courts may apply complex probability analysis to determine the amount of damages in an earnout dispute. The case arose from Alexion Pharmaceuticals,...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

Mayer Brown

Delaware Law Alert: Court of Chancery Orders Specific Performance in Acquisition of a Company Approaching Insolvency

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On March 24, 2025, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery issued a post-trial opinion in Desktop Metal, Inc. v. Nano Dimension Ltd.,1 ordering the parties to comply with a merger agreement and close...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Delaware Court of Chancery Allows Amendment of LLC Agreement to Permit Disparate Consideration Where Amendment Provisions Were...

Troutman Pepper Locke on

In Faiz Khan and Ralph Finger v. Warburg Pincus, LLC et al., the Delaware Court of Chancery held that the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing was not applicable to a private equity sponsor’s amendment of a limited...more

Morris James LLP

Court of Chancery Endorses Default Pro-Sandbagging Stance in Representation and Warranty Litigation

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In the M&A context, the term “sandbagging” refers to one party asserting a claim based on a representation made in connection with the transaction despite knowing or having had reason to know pre-closing that the...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

Delaware Chancery Court Enforces Specific Performance and Forces Merger to Close

A recent decision of the Delaware Court of Chancery reinforces the importance of deal certainty, particularly when it comes to efforts-based covenants in merger agreements. In Desktop Metal Inc. v. Nano Dimension Ltd., the...more

Paul Hastings LLP

A Victory for Deal Certainty: Reasonable Best Efforts Covenants Should be Taken Seriously

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The recent decision of the Delaware Court of Chancery in Desktop Metal, Inc. v. Nano Dimension Ltd. and Nano USI I, Inc. provides valuable lessons for both sellers and buyers on deal certainty and reasonable best efforts...more

Jones Day

Earnouts in M&A Transactions: Recent Decisions From Delaware

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In 2024, Delaware courts issued multiple instructive decisions on earnout provisions in life sciences M&A transactions. ...more

Mayer Brown

Delaware Law Alert: Chancery Court Clarifies Delaware’s Position on Sandbagging and the Use of a Transaction Multiple to Calculate...

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AT A GLANCE - The Delaware Chancery Court has issued a notable opinion that confirms Delaware’s position as a pro-sandbagging jurisdiction and clarifies when damages may be computed using a transaction multiple. We...more

Allen Matkins

Nevada Bill Would Expressly Allow Directors To Approve Documents In "Preliminary Form"

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Almost one year ago, Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick ruled that a board of directors of a Delaware corporation must at a "bare minimum" approve an "essentially complete" version of the merger agreement.   Sjunde...more

Jones Day

Delaware Court Rejects Application of D&O Policy's "Bump-Up" Exclusion to Securities Claim Settlement

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In a significant victory for policyholders, the Delaware Superior Court rejected three insurers' attempts to apply their Directors and Officers Liability ("D&O") policies' so-called "bump-up" exclusion to bar coverage for...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Insights: The Delaware Edition - December 2024

In this issue, we explore ongoing corporate law issues involving controlling stockholders, with significant decisions anticipated from the Delaware Supreme Court in 2025; the rise in litigation over earnout provisions in...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Earnout Eruption: Delaware Courts Interpret ‘Best Efforts’ Clauses Amid Surging Earnout Provisions

Over the last several years, Delaware courts — especially the Court of Chancery — have seen an increase in litigation involving earnout provisions in merger agreements. Each of these cases presents unique facts reflecting the...more

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP

The Delaware General Assembly Approves Amendments to the DGCL – Effective August 1, 2024

On June 20, 2024, the Delaware General Assembly passed legislation to amend certain provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) in order to address recent decisions of Delaware’s Court of Chancery and bring...more

A&O Shearman

Market Check: Lessons from The Activision-Microsoft Merger

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On February 29, 2024, the Delaware Court of Chancery issued an opinion on Sjunde AP-Fonden v. Activision Blizzard1 (“Opinion”) that called into question established market practices for mergers, including (i) the process for...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Delaware Court of Chancery Holds That Common Practice of Boards Approving Draft Merger Agreements “Needs to Check Itself”

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A Delaware Court of Chancery opinion issued last week calls into question the common practice of corporate boards approving draft merger agreements. In AP-Fonden v. Activision Blizzard, Inc.,1 Chancellor McCormick declined to...more

Jones Day

Delaware Chancery Requires Supplemental Disclosures Be "Material" for Mootness Fee Awards

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In Short - The Situation: The Delaware Court of Chancery recently held that supplemental disclosures must be "material" to warrant mootness fees in litigation challenging the disclosures for M&A transactions. Anderson v....more

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