Has the SPAC Bubble Burst? Part 2: The SEC’s New Rules
Has the SPAC Bubble Burst? Lessons Learned From the Early Days of SPAC Mania
FCPA Compliance Report - Karen Woody on JPMorgan and Nikola SEC Enforcement Actions
Compliance Into The Weeds - Year End Review, Part 1
Compliance Into The Weeds - Red Flags and SPACs
Reps & Warranties Insurance: Sealing The Deal
Understanding SPAC Transactions: What it Takes to Be “SPAC Ready"
Don’t Step on a Crack in the SPAC/deSPAC Insurance Claim Process
Fast Track to IPO: Why Are Series A Startups Snatching Topflight CFOs?
The Brave New Frontier of Securing D&O Insurance for SPACs and deSPACs
Compliance and Coronavirus-Michael Beber on M&A, IPOs and SPACs During and After Covid-19
In Solak v. Mountain Crest Capital, the Delaware Court of Chancery found that a stockholder plaintiff pleaded a viable breach of fiduciary duty claim based on an alleged failure of the board of directors of a SPAC to disclose...more
Solak v. Mountain Crest Capital LLC, et al., C.A. No. 2023-0469-SG (Del. Ch. Oct. 18, 2024) - The Court of Chancery found that the plaintiff stated legally-sufficient claims in connection with a merger transaction against...more
In In re Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. IV Stockholder Litigation, the Delaware Court of Chancery for the first time dismissed breach of fiduciary duty claims against directors involved in a merger with a special purpose...more
Since Vice Chancellor Lori Will’s seminal decision in In re MultiPlan Corp. Stockholders Litigation in January 2022, the Delaware Court of Chancery has seen a wave of lawsuits accusing special purpose acquisition companies...more
In In re MultiPlan Stockholders Litigation, the Delaware Court of Chancery reasoned that common special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) governance and compensation structures create potential conflicts between on the one...more
The electric vehicle company Canoo went public in a de-SPAC transaction in December 2020. After its stock price fell, a stockholder in the SPAC who chose not to redeem his stock sued the SPAC board and its controller for...more
Since the Delaware Court of Chancery’s January 2022 decision in In re MultiPlan Corp. Stockholders Litigation,1 plaintiffs in Delaware had enjoyed a long and unbroken string of motion to dismiss victories in suits alleging...more
The Delaware Court of Chancery’s recent decision in In re Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. IV Stockholder Litigation,1 marks the Chancery Court’s first total dismissal of a complaint alleging breaches of fiduciary duties in...more
Special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”) have been in the litigation spotlight recently. As SPAC disputes play out in courts nationwide, one especially interesting field of play is in the Delaware Chancery courts where...more
Laidlaw v. GigAcquisitions2, LLC, C.A. No. 2021-0821-LWW (Del. Ch. Mar. 1, 2023) - In the aftermath of a SPAC merger, the plaintiff (a public stockholder) brought claims for breaches of fiduciary duty against the SPAC's...more
It’s a pattern we often see in boom-and-bust cycles—disputes rising in the period after a wave crests. SPAC deal volume hit an unprecedented high in 2021, but then slowed down in 2022 alongside IPOs. However, the fallout from...more
Delman v. GigAcquisitions3 LLC, C.A. No. 2021-0679-LWW (Del. Ch. January 4, 2023) - Delaware law establishes that fiduciaries of a corporation cannot be exempted from "their loyalty obligation and the attendant equitable...more
On March 1, 2023, the Delaware Court of Chancery issued its third decision concerning fiduciary duties in connection with de-SPAC transactions (and impliedly, SPAC formation). See Laidlaw v. GigAcquisitions2. The case...more
With all the SPAC activity and scrutiny over the past several years, it was only a matter of time before the Delaware courts had an opportunity to weigh in on SPAC stockholder litigation. Early last year, in January...more
The Delaware Court of Chancery yesterday denied a motion to dismiss a class action alleging that the directors and sponsor of a special-purpose acquisition company (a “SPAC”) breached their fiduciary duties by disloyally...more
MultiPlan: Chancery court assesses fiduciary duties in the context of de-SPAC transactions - The Delaware Court of Chancery declined to dismiss, at the pleading stage, breach of fiduciary duty claims made against a SPAC's...more
In the wake of the wave of special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) deal activity in recent years, SPAC-related litigation is on the rise, particularly in Delaware. ...more
With more than 600 special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”) currently looking for merger partners, private companies are likely being courted by a number of SPAC suitors....more
In Brown v. Matterport, Inc., et al., C.A. No. 2021-0595-LWW (Del. Ch. Jan. 10, 2022), the Delaware Court of Chancery held that transfer restrictions restricting trade of stock “outstanding immediately” after a de-SPAC merger...more
In In re MultiPlan Corp. Stockholders Litigation, the Delaware Court of Chancery denied defendants’ motions to dismiss and ruled that the plaintiffs’ may proceed with their claims that a the insiders of a special purpose...more
On March 7, 2022, Vice Chancellor Lori W. Will of the Delaware Court of Chancery denied a motion to stay a putative class action brought by legacy stockholders of DiamondPeak Holding Corp., a special purpose acquisition...more
Takeaways - Despite a decline in securities class action filings in 2021, we saw a spike in SPAC-related lawsuits and continued activity in event-driven suits focused on issues of cybersecurity, the pandemic and...more
A recent Delaware Chancery Court decision highlights the liability risks faced by directors and sponsors of special purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”) and the importance of robust disclosure in protecting against those...more
The Delaware Chancery Court has issued a decision with major implications for sponsors and directors of Delaware incorporated special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). In re MultiPlan Corp. Stockholders Litigation is a...more
Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Securities Fraud Class Action Against Alkermes; Delaware Court of Chancery Allows SPAC Litigation to Proceed; Ex-Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes Convicted on Four Counts of Fraud; Second...more