News & Analysis as of

Merger Agreements Mergers Corporate Counsel

Troutman Pepper Locke

Navigating Employee Integration in Mergers and Acquisitions: Lessons From Pretty Woman — Hiring to Firing Podcast

Troutman Pepper Locke on

In this episode of Hiring to Firing, hosts Tracey Diamond and Emily Schifter discuss the challenges of integrating employees during and after mergers and acquisitions through the lens of the classic film Pretty Woman. Joined...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

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

Vinson & Elkins LLP on

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

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

Cooley LLP

Diving Into Delaware’s Enforcement of Specific Performance in M&A Transactions

Cooley LLP on

Most M&A agreements include specific performance provisions that allow either party, under certain circumstances, to seek to have a court force the other party to comply with its contractual obligations. In M&A deals, a...more

Cooley LLP

Delaware Double Whammy Casts Doubt on M&A Practices

Cooley LLP on

Delaware courts recently issued important decisions that impact M&A dealmakers and lawyers. In this post, we dive into two cases that serve as a reminder that Delaware grounds review of corporate actions in statutory...more

A&O Shearman

Market Check: Lessons from The Activision-Microsoft Merger

A&O Shearman on

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

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Insights From Delaware Litigators: What We’re Watching in 2024

In 2023, the Delaware courts continued to be called upon to elaborate important rules of corporate law. The year’s docket brought further development in a number of areas, including oversight liability, “busted deal”...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

US and EU Regulators Increase Scrutiny of Vertical Mergers

US Regulators Pursue an Expansive View of Antitrust Laws - For almost two years, industry participants have felt the effects of the Biden administration’s “big is bad” approach to antitrust — not only in technology sectors,...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Recent M&A Developments: What Can Boards of Directors Expect in 2022?

Editor’s Note: Akin Gump is pleased to publish the first in a series of blog posts covering significant issues U.S. boards of directors may expect to face in 2022. In addition to ongoing pressures on the part of boards of...more

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Delaware Court of Chancery Holds That ‘Effect of Termination’ Provision Bars Party Who Terminated Merger Agreement From Also...

In its recent decision in Yatra Online, Inc. v. Ebix, Inc., Case No. 2020-0444-JRS, 2021 WL 3855514 (Del. Ch. Aug. 30, 2021) (Slights, V.C.), the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed plaintiff’s breach of contract and other...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

The Anthem-Cigna Merger Litigation Saga: Key Insights for Future Deals

On May 3, 2021, Anthem, Inc. secured its win over Cigna Corp.'s pursuit of a $1.85 billion breakup fee following the collapse of their proposed $54 billion merger. In a brief order, Justice Karen L. Valihura, writing for the...more

Proskauer Rose LLP

Are Antitrust Risk Allocation Provisions in Merger Agreements Worthless?

Proskauer Rose LLP on

Megamergers that deprive the American consumer of competition are illegal. But the urge to merge is often so strong that antitrust risks rarely prevent behemoths from the attempt. Long before parties sign deals, issue press...more

White & Case LLP

Ahead of the pack: US M&A 2019: Key dealmaking decisions from Delaware and New York

White & Case LLP on

We focus on two H2 2019 rulings that could affect M&A transactions in the future. Genuine Parts: Acceptance of termination fee does not prevent further remedies - In September 2019, the Delaware Chancery Court refused to...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

Preserving A Seller’s Attorney-Client Privilege Post-Closing

Amundsen Davis LLC on

As is the case in most merger transactions, both the buyer and seller retain their own counsel. Generally speaking, pre-closing communications between the buyer or seller and their counsel are subject to the attorney-client...more

White & Case LLP

Defying gravity: US M&A H1 2019: Three key M&A decisions from Delaware courts

White & Case LLP on

The first half of 2019 saw several decisions from the Delaware courts that will affect M&A dealmaking - Aruba: Supreme Court awards "deal price less synergies" in closely watched appraisal case - Rejecting the Chancery...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Delaware Court of Chancery Confirms Ability of Stockholders to Assert Third-Party Beneficiary Claims Under Merger Agreements

Troutman Pepper Locke on

A common provision in merger agreements is denial of the right of non-parties to the agreement to assert third-party beneficiary claims. The use of this provision left open the question whether stockholders of a disappearing...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Preserving Privilege Post-Merger

The Delaware Court of Chancery recently upheld a provision in a merger agreement that prevented the buyer from using privileged emails between the seller and its attorneys in post-closing litigation. The decision, in...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Delaware Chancery Court Provides Useful Guidance for Protecting Pre-Merger Privileges in Post-Closing Litigation Between Buyers...

In Shareholder Representative Services LLC v. RSI Holdco, LLC, No. 2018-0517-KSJM, 2019 WL 2290916 (Del. Ch. May 29, 2019), the Delaware Court of Chancery reaffirmed that a target company may protect its pre-merger privileged...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

2018 Delaware Corporate Law and Litigation Year In Review

In 2018, the Delaware courts issued a broad range of important decisions addressing various corporate law and governance issues. Those decisions are relevant for public and private companies and will help shape...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Two Recent Delaware Decisions Provide Practical Transaction Guidance

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Two year-end decisions by the Delaware Court of Chancery provide practical guidance for mergers and other transactions, one on the meaning of “commercially reasonable efforts” and other commonly used standards of efforts and...more

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Buyer’s Recourse: Delaware Court Validates Merger Termination Under Rarely Enforced Escape Clause

• In a rare move, the Delaware Court of Chancery affirmed a buyer’s contractual right to terminate a $4.75 billion merger based on a sudden and sustained decline in the seller’s business. • The decision provides guidance to...more

BCLP

European Court of Justice Clarifies Scope of Gun Jumping Prohibition

BCLP on

Over the last year, we have noted an increased crackdown by competition agencies on so-called “gun jumping” – that is, the implementation of a merger before mandatory merger clearances are received. On 31 May 2018, the...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Key Developments in Delaware Corporation Law in 2017

Developments in appraisal law, the application of Corwin v. KKR Financial Holdings LLC in post-closing damages actions and the potential expansion of Kahn v. M&F Worldwide Corporation (MFW) — a case examining the standard of...more

Mintz

“No Shop” Clause Radioactive for Merger’s “Failing Firm” Defense

Mintz on

Last week a Delaware federal district court unsealed its earlier opinion blocking the merger of two radioactive waste disposal companies. The court rejected the parties’ failing firm defense, citing the merger agreement’s “no...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

"Key Developments in Delaware Corporation Law in 2016"

Significant changes in Delaware merger litigation and settlement practice in 2016, as well as noteworthy case law developments and trends, will continue to affect merger parties and litigants in 2017 and beyond....more

26 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 2

"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