The M&A Word of the Day® from the Book of Jargon® – Global Mergers & Acquisitions Is Poison Pill
On March 28, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) held that it was legal under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act) for a closed-end fund to use a shareholder rights plan...more
The Background: The Delaware Chancery Court held that a board of directors breached its fiduciary duties in adopting a shareholder rights plan, or "poison pill," with an unprecedented combination of "extreme" features,...more
On February 26, 2021, Vice Chancellor Kathaleen S. McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery permanently enjoined a stockholder rights plan — or so-called “poison pill” — with a 5% trigger that The Williams Companies, Inc....more
Shareholder rights plans were developed more than 30 years ago to fend off opportunistic hostile offers and other abusive takeover transactions. Rights plans deter unauthorized stock accumulations by imposing substantial...more