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  • Tornetta v. Musk

    Publication Date: 2024-12-17
    Practice Area: Corporate Governance
    Industry: Automotive | Manufacturing
    Court: Court of Chancery
    Judge: Chancellor McCormick
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Gregory V. Varallo, Daniel E. Meyer, Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, Wilmington, DE; Jeroen van Kwawegen, Margaret Sanborn-Lowing, Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, New York, NY; Peter B. Andrews, Craig J. Springer, David M. Sborz, Jackson E. Warren, Andrews & Springer LLC, Wilmington, DE; Jeremy S. Friedman, Spencer M. Oster, David F.E. Tejtel, Friedman Oster & Tejtel PLLC; Bedford Hills, New York for plaintiff.
    for defendant: David E. Ross, Garrett B. Moritz, Thomas C. Mandracchia, Ross Aronstam & Moritz LLP, Wilmington, DE; Michael A. Barlow, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, Wilmington, DE; Alex B. Spiro, Christopher D. Kercher, Jonathan E. Feder, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, New York, NY; Kathleen M. Sullivan, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, Los Angeles, CA; Daniel Slifkin, Vanessa A. Lavely, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, New York, NY; Catherine A. Gaul, Randall J. Teti, Ashby & Geddes, P.A., Wilmington, DE; John L. Reed, Ronald N. Brown, III, Caleb G. Johnson, Daniel P. Klusman, DLA Piper LLP (US), Wilmington, DE; William M. Lafferty, Susan W. Waesco, Ryan D. Stottmann, Miranda N. Gilbert, Jacob M. Perrone, Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP, Wilmington, DE; Rudolf Koch, John D. Hendershot, Kevin M. Gallagher, Andrew L. Milam, Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A., Wilmington, DE; Brian T. Frawley, Matthew A. Schwartz, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, New York, NY; A. Thompson Bayliss, Adam K. Schulman, Eliezer Y. Feinstein, Abrams & Bayliss LLP, Wilmington, DE; Kristen R. Seeger, John M. Skakun III, Elizabeth Y. Austin, Sidley Austin LLP, Chicago, IL for defendants.
    Case Number: 2018-0408-KSJM

    Court rejected board's post-trial efforts to obtain stockholder "ratification" of executive compensation award that failed to meet entire fairness standard where ratification was an affirmative defense required to be raised before the close of trial and where material misstatements and omissions in proxy materials meant the vote alone could not ratify a conflicted controller driven award.

  • XRI Inv. Holdings LLC v. Holifield

    Publication Date: 2024-08-06
    Practice Area: Corporate Governance
    Industry: Energy | Investments and Investment Advisory
    Court: Court of Chancery
    Judge: Vice Chancellor Laster
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: A. Thompson Bayliss, Samuel D. Cordle, Eric A. Veres, Abrams & Bayliss LLP, Wilmington, DE; Angela C. Zambrano, Yolanda Cornejo Garcia, Margaret Hope Allen, Sidley Austin LLP, Dallas, TX; Robin Wechkin, Sidley Austin LLP, Issaquah, WA for plaintiff.
    for defendant: Michael W. McDermott, Richard I. G. Jones, Jr., David B. Anthony, Zachary J. Schnapp, Berger McDermott LLP, Wilmington, DE for defendants.
    Case Number: 2021-0619-JTL

    Breach of LLC agreement's no-transfer provision was willful where member was charged with knowledge of the provision and knew that transferring his units was a critical part of a loan transaction he was attempting to close, as the member merely reasonably believed that the LLC would not object to the transaction.

  • In re Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. IV Stockholder Litig.

    Publication Date: 2024-06-18
    Practice Area: Mergers and Acquisitions
    Industry: Automotive | Investments and Investment Advisory
    Court: Court of Chancery
    Judge: Vice Chancellor Will
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: P. Bradford deLeeuw, deLeeuw Law LLC, Wilmington, DE; Robert C. Schubert, Willem F. Jonckheer, Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP, San Francisco, CA for plaintiff.
    for defendant: Kevin R. Shannon, Christopher N. Kelly, Daniel M. Rusk IV, Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP, Wilmington, DE; James W. Ducayet, Heather Benzmiller Sultanian, Thomas H. Collier, Sidley Austin LLP, Chicago, IL for defendants.
    Case Number: 2022-0571-LWW

    Breach of fiduciary duty claims arising from de-SPAC transaction dismissed where claims were based on post-merger developments and thus there was no evidence that defendants failed to disclose material information to public stockholders considering redemption or investment.

  • Ontario Provincial Council of Carpenters' Pension Trust Fund v. Walton

    Publication Date: 2023-05-09
    Practice Area: Corporate Governance
    Industry: Distribution and Wholesale | Pharmaceuticals | Retail
    Court: Court of Chancery
    Judge: Vice Chancellor Laster
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Gregory V. Varallo, Mae Oberste, Daniel E. Meyer, Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, Wilmington, DE; Mark Lebovitch, Edward G. Timlin, Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP, New York, NY; Leslie R. Stern, Nathaniel L. Orenstein, Steven L. Groopman, Berman Tabacco, Boston, MA; Ned Weinberger, Mark Richardson, Labaton Sucharow LLP, Wilmington, DE; David MacIsaac, Labaton Sucharow LLP, New York, NY for plaintiffs.
    for defendant: Raymond J. DiCamillo, John M. O’Toole, Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A., Wilmington, DE; Sean M. Berkowitz, Nicholas J. Siciliano, Latham & Watkins LLP, New York, NY; Andrew W. Stern, Charlotte K. Newell, Sidley Austin LLP, New York, NY; William M. Regan, Allison M. Wuertz, Hogan Lovells US LLP, New York, NY; Frank R. Volpe, Sidley Austin LLP, Washington, DC for defendants.
    Case Number: 2021-0827-JTL

    Litigation demand was futile where allegations supported inference that directors and officers knew that the company was violating its legal obligations as a dispenser of prescription opioids in a conscious effort to maximize customer sales and profits.

  • XRI Inv. Holdings LLC v. Holifield

    Publication Date: 2022-09-27
    Practice Area: Corporate Governance
    Industry: Investments and Investment Advisory
    Court: Court of Chancery
    Judge: Vice Chancellor Laster
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: A. Thompson Bayliss, John M. Seaman, Eric A. Veres, Daniel J. McBride, Abrams & Bayliss LLP, Wilmington, DE; Margaret H. Allen, Yolanda C. Garcia, Angela C. Zambrano, Sidley Austin LLP, Dallas, TX for plaintiff.
    for defendant: Michael W. McDermott, Richard I. G. Jones, Jr., David B. Anthony, Zachary J. Schnapp, Berger Harris LLP, Wilmington, DE for defendants.
    Case Number: 2021-0619-JTL

    Though the LLC agreement's provisions required declaring the transfer of member interest void ab initio, case law might need to be reconsidered to allow courts of equity to consider equitable defenses to breach of contract claims.

  • In The Matter of the Rehab. of Scottish RE (U.S.), Inc., LLC

    Publication Date: 2022-05-03
    Practice Area: Insurance Litigation
    Industry: Insurance | State and Local Government
    Court: Court of Chancery
    Judge: Vice Chancellor Laster
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Peter B. Ladig, GianClaudio Finizio, Bayard, P.A., Wilmington, DE; Diane J. Bartels, Wilmington, DE; James J. Black, III, Jeffrey B. Miceli, Mark W. Drasnin, Black & Gerngross, P.C., Philadelphia, PA; Michael Busenkell, Gellert Scali Busenkell & Brown, LLC, Wilmington, DE for Scottish RE (U.S.), Inc.
    for defendant: Marisa R. DeFeo, Randall S. MacTough, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP, Wilmington, DE; Christopher Viceconte, Gibbons P.C., Wilmington, DE; Daniel Hargraves, Freeborn & Peters LLP, New York, NY; Randall S. MacTough, Zarwin Baum Devito Kaplan Schaer Toddy, PC, Wilmington, DE; Joseph B. Cicero, Gregory Stuhlman, Chipman Brown Cicero & Cole, LLP, Wilmington, DE; R. Stephen McNeill, D. Ryan Slaugh, Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP, Wilmington, DE; Willaim P. Bowden, Catherine A. Gaul, Ricardo Palacio, Ashby & Geddes, Wilmington, DE; John C. Phillips, Jr., Paul S. Seward, Phillips, Goldman, Mclaughlin & Hall, P.A., Wilmington, DE; Joseph C. Schoell, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, Wilmington, DE; Kathleen M. Miller, Smith, Katzenstein & Jenkins, LLP, Wilmington, DE; David A. Felice, Bailey & Glasser, LLP, Wilmington, DE; John G. Harris, Peter C. McGivney, Berger Harris LLP, Wilmington, DE, Garrett B. Moritz, Elizabeth M. Taylor, Ross Aronstam & Moritz LLP, Wilmington, DE; Matthew A. Clemente, R. Bradley Drake, John Grothaus, Sidley Austin LLP, Chicago, IL; Joelle E. Polesky, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, Wilmington, DE, Travis S. Hunter, Renee M. Mosley, Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A., Wilmington, DE; Jarret P. Hitchings, Duane Morris LLP, Wilmington, DE; Joseph Larkin, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Wilmington, DE; Barry M. Klayman, Simon Fraser, Cozen O’Connor, Wilmington, DE; Kevin J. Mangan, Nicholas T. Verna, Womble Bond Dickerson (US) LLP, Wilmington, DE; Jody Barillare, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, Wilmington, DE; Peter H. Kyle, John L. Reed, DLA Piper LLP (US), Wilmington, DE, for shareholders and third-parties.
    Case Number: D69799

    In this case of first impression, the court found that the liquidation standard did not operate as a per se requirement for plan approval.

  • In re Oracle Corp. Derivative Litig.

    Publication Date: 2021-07-07
    Practice Area: Corporate Governance
    Industry: Investments and Investment Advisory | Technology Media and Telecom
    Court: Court of Chancery
    Judge: Vice Chancellor Glasscock
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Joel Friedlander, Jeffrey M. Gorris of Friedlander & Gorris, P.A., Wilmington, DE; Randall J. Baron, David A. Knotts, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP, San Diego, CA; Christopher H. Lyons, Robbins Geller Rud-man & Dowd LLP, Nashville, TN; Brian J. Robbins, Stephen J. Oddo, Gregory Del Gaizo, Robbins LLP, San Diego, CA for lead plaintiff.
    for defendant: Kenneth J. Nachbar, John P. DiTomo, Thomas P. Will, Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP, Wilmington, DE; Sara B. Brody, Jaime A. Bartlett, Sidley Austin LLP, San Francisco, CA; Matthew J. Dolan, Sidley Austin LLP, Palo Alto, CA; Thomas A. Beck, Blake K. Rohrbacher, Susan M. Hannigan, Matthew D. Perri, Daniel E. Kaprow, Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A., Wilmington, DE; Kevin R. Shannon, Berton W. Ashman, Jr., Pot-ter Anderson & Corroon LLP, Wilmington, DE; Arthur H. Aufses, Jonathan M. Wagner, Jason M. Moff, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, New York, NY; Elena C. Norman, Nicholas J. Rohrer, Richard J. Thomas, Benjamin Potts, Kevin P. Rickert, Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP, Wilmington, DE; Peter A. Wald, Latham & Watkins LLP, San Francisco, CA; Blair Connelly, Latham & Watkins LLP, New York, NY for defendants.
    Case Number: D69458

    The court granted motions to dismiss as to two defendants in this breach of fiduciary duty matter, but it de-nied another defendant's motion because that party was not independent and had actively participated in the negotiation of the challenged transaction.

  • Cambria Equity Partners L.P. v. Relight Enter. S.A.

    Publication Date: 2021-06-23
    Practice Area: Mergers and Acquisitions
    Industry: Energy | Investments and Investment Advisory
    Court: Court of Chancery
    Judge: Vice Chancellor Zurn
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: John G. Harris, Richard I. G. Jones, Jr., Berger Harris LLP, Wilmington, DE; Lydia Ferrarese, Mark Weissman, Herzfeld & Rubin, P.C., New York, NY for plaintiffs.
    for defendant: Philip A. Rovner, Jonathan A. Choa, Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP, Wilmington, DE; John J. Kuster, Deborah R. Sands, Sidley Austin LLP, New York, NY for defendants.
    Case Number: D69440

    Aiding and abetting claim failed where third-party merely engaged in arms-length negotiation of purchase, and was not even initially aware of the existence of minority stockholders and simply negotiated protections for itself upon learning of their existence.

  • Otto Candies LLC v. KPMG, LLP

    Publication Date: 2020-09-09
    Practice Area: Damages
    Industry: Financial Services and Banking | Accounting
    Court: Court of Chancery
    Judge: Vice Chancellor Zurn
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: David E. Ross, Ross, Aronstam & Moritz LLP, Wilmington, DE; Terry L. Wit, Juan P. Morillo, Derek L. Shaffer, Lauren H. Dickie, and David H. Needham, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, San Francisco, CA and Washington, DC for plaintiffs.
    for defendant: Kevin R. Shannon, Matthew F. Davis, and Christopher N. Kelly, Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP, Wilmington, DE; Gregory G. Ballard and Jose F. Sanchez, Sidley Austin LLP, New York, NY; Todd Schiltz, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, Wilmington, DE; Robert A. Scher and Jonathan H. Friedman, Foley & Lardner LLP, New York, NY; Timothy Jay Houseal, Jennifer M. Kinkus, William E. Gamgort, Young Conaway Stargatt & T aylor LLP, Wilmington, DE; Ana C. Reyes, Williams & Connolly, LLP, Washington, DC for defendants.
    Case Number: D69113

    Negligence action under vicarious liability failed where plaintiffs failed to establish existence of agency or joint venture relationship between defendant and alleged tortfeasor due to the lack of written agreement as required by applicable Mexico law or existence of required elements under applicable Delaware or New York law to find agency or joint venture relationship.

  • In re Coty Inc. Stockholder Litig.

    Publication Date: 2020-09-02
    Practice Area: Corporate Governance
    Industry: Consumer Products
    Court: Court of Chancery
    Judge: Chancellor Bouchard
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Ned Weinberger, Labaton Sucharow LLP, Wilmington, DE; John Vielandi and David MacIsaac, Labaton Sucharow LLP, New York, NY; Joel Friedlander, Jeffrey M. Gorris and Christopher P. Quinn, Friedlander & Gorris, P.A., Wilmington, DE; Jeremy S. Friedman and David F.E. Tejtel, Friedman Oster & Tejtel PLLC, Bedford Hills, NY; D. Seamus Kaskela, Kaskela Law LLC, Newtown Square, PA for plaintiffs.
    for defendant: Kevin R. Shannon, J. Matthew Belger and Nicholas D. Mozal of Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP, Wil-mington, DE; Gregory P. Williams, Raymond J. DiCamillo, Angela Lam and Kevin M. Regan, Richards Layton & Finger, P.A, Wilmington, DE; James W. Ducayet, Nilofer Umar, Benjamin Friedman and Zarine Alam, Sidley Austin LLP, Chicago, IL; Paul J. Lockwood, Alyssa S. O’Connell and Bonnie W. David, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Wilmington, DE; Lauren E. Aguiar, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, New York, NY; Patricia L. Enerio and Aaron M. Nelson, Heyman Enerio Gattuso & Hirzel LLP, Wilmington, DE for defendants and nominal defendant.
    Case Number: D69105

    Stockholder alleged sufficient facts to support their claims for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty, so the court denied defendants' motion to dismiss.