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Mergers Merger Agreements Delaware General Corporation Law

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

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

White & Case LLP

Analysis of Lost Premium Damages Provisions Following the Adoption of DGCL Section 261 Amendments

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Effective August 1, 2024, Delaware adopted a set of amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "DGCL") intended to address, among other things, the Delaware Chancery Court's 2023 decision in Crispo v. Musk. In...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

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

Farrell Fritz, P.C.

“Draft Dodging”:  Approving “Nearly Final” Merger Agreement Becomes Dangerous in Delaware

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The board of directors of any Delaware corporation proposing to merge is required under Delaware law to adopt a resolution approving the merger agreement.  In the real world of M&A practice, however, the version of the merger...more

DarrowEverett LLP

How New Delaware Amendments Impact Stockholder, Merger Agreements

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Over the summer, Delaware enacted a number of amendments to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”). The amendments were largely crafted in response to several recent decisions by the Delaware...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Series of Delaware Court of Chancery Decisions Highlights Importance of Earnout Drafting

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In recent months, the Delaware Court of Chancery has decided four significant cases regarding merger agreement earnout provisions. Most notably, in one of the largest judgments ever awarded by the Court, it found Johnson &...more

Morris James LLP

2024 Delaware General Corporation Law Amendments

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As part of the annual process of reviewing and updating the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), Delaware’s state legislature recently approved 2024 amendments. In summary, these include the following changes... ...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

Lost-Premium Damages under Merger Agreement – Proposed Amendment to the DGCL in Light of Crispo vs. Musk

On March 28, 2024, the Council of the Corporation Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association (“DSBA”) issued proposed amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), which, if signed into law, would become...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Proposed DGCL Amendments Would Expressly Authorize Stockholders’ Agreements and Align DGCL Provisions with Current M&A Practices

On March 28, 2024, the Council of the Corporation Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association (DSBA) approved proposed amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) in order to align the DGCL’s provisions...more

Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP

M&A in Brief: Q1 2024

In a letter ruling, the Delaware Chancery Court held that where neither the target nor the acquiror was a Delaware entity, the transaction documents between the parties could not confer jurisdiction in the Chancery Court...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

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

The Delaware Court of Chancery Puts Practitioners on Notice Regarding Voting Formalities Around Merger Agreements

In Ap-Fonden v. Activision Blizzard, Inc., C.A. No. 2022-1001-KSJM, 2024 WL 863290 (Del. Ch. Feb. 29, 2024), the Delaware Court of Chancery (McCormick, C.) declined to dismiss a claim alleging that the Board of Directors of...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

‘Busted Deals’ and Damages: Court of Chancery Clarifies Who Can Recover ‘Lost-Premium’ Damages

In October 2023, Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick of the Court of Chancery addressed an issue of first impression in Crispo v. Musk, C.A. No 2022-0666-KSJM, holding that “a provision purporting to define a target...more

Hogan Lovells

Q1 2022 Quarterly Corporate / M&A decisions updates

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Below is our Corporate / M&A decisions update covering decisions in the first quarter of 2022. This update is designed to highlight selected important M&A, corporate, and commercial court decisions on a quarterly basis....more

Hogan Lovells

Q3 2021 Quarterly Corporate / M&A decisions updates

Hogan Lovells on

Below is our Corporate / M&A decisions update covering decisions in the third quarter of 2021. This update is designed to highlight selected important M&A, corporate, and commercial court decisions on a quarterly basis. The...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Developments in Delaware Corporation Law

The Delaware Court of Chancery’s docket exploded with expedited “broken” deal litigation in 2020, driven by the impact of COVID-19. Beyond pandemic-related merger litigation, stockholder plaintiffs remained focused on claims...more

Morris James LLP

The Court of Chancery Enforces Fee-Shifting Provision Against Unsuccessful Petitioner Who Also Had Waived its Appraisal Remedy in...

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The Court of Chancery’s latest decision in the Manti Holdings, LLC, et al. v. Authentix Acquisition Company, Inc., C.A. No. 2017-0887-SG (Del. Ch. 8/11/20) stockholder appraisal litigation provides additional clarity about...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

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

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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

White and Williams LLP

Delaware Chancery Court Addresses the Seller’s Preservation of Privilege Post-Closing

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Preserving privilege with respect to pre-closing communications between a selling corporation’s counsel and its management is an important negotiation point in many transactions, so that the seller can prevent the buyer from...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

Delaware Court Addresses Treatment of Sellers' Attorney-Client Privilege in Merger

Last week, Vice Chancellor Kathaleen S. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery issued a decision, Shareholder Representative Services LLC v. RSI Holdco, LLC, addressing when a selling company's attorney-client privilege...more

A&O Shearman

Delaware Court Of Chancery Holds Merger Agreement Preserved Sellers' Ability To Assert Privilege Over Pre-Merger Attorney-Client...

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On May 29, 2019, Vice Chancellor Kathaleen S. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery ruled that plaintiff Shareholder Representative Services LLC (“Shareholder Representative”) as the designated representative of Radixx...more

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