• Feldman v. Marks

    Publication Date: 2024-10-08
    Practice Area: Personal Injury
    Industry: Consulting | Investments and Investment Advisory
    Court: Delaware Superior Court
    Judge: Judge Brennan
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Brian E. Farnan, Michael Farnan, Rosemary J. Piergiovanni, Farnan LLP, Wilmington, DE; Stephen Shackelford, Susman Godfrey L.L.P., New York, NY for plaintiffs.
    for defendant: Joe P. Yeager, Margolis Edelstein, Wilmington, DE for defendant.

    Case Number: N21C-09-206 DJB

    Plaintiffs adequately proved claim of defamation where defendant's litigation filings that contained untrue statements had the effect of maligning plaintiffs' reputation and thus could be reasonably understood by a third party as defamatory.

  • March 21, 2024 | National Law Journal

    Big Law Takes Bigger Bet on Contingency Fee Practices

    Kirkland, Crowell, Quinn and Susman Godfrey, among others, have all had financial gains from contingency fee cases. "We've seen a noticeable increase in interest in building out plaintiff side practices," said Evan Meyerson, at Burford Capital.

    6 minute read

  • Murdick Capital Mgmt. L.P. v. QuarterNorth Energy Inc.

    Publication Date: 2024-03-11
    Practice Area: Mergers and Acquisitions
    Industry: Energy | Investments and Investment Advisory
    Court: Court of Chancery
    Judge: Vice Chancellor Will
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Bradley R. Aronstam, Roger S. Stronach, Benjamin M. Whitney, Ross Aronstam & Moritz LLP, Wilmington, DE; Jordan A. Goldstein, Lauren J. Zimmerman, Babak Ghafarzade, Selendy Gay PLLC, New York, NY for plaintiffs.
    for defendant: Blake Rohrbacher, Matthew W. Murphy, John M. O’Toole, Edmond S. Kim, Spencer V. Crawford, Margaret Rockey, Richards, Layton & Finger, P.A., Wilmington, DE; Harry P. Susman, Susman Godfrey L.L.P., Houston, TX; Thomas W. Briggs, Jr., Kirk Andersen, Morris Nichols Arsht & Tunnell LLP, Wilmington, DE; Andrew K. Glenn, Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes LLP, New York, NY for defendants.

    Case Number: 2024-0106-LWW

    Court declined to preliminarily enjoin invocation of drag-along rights where the invocation was not inconsistent with the terms of the proposed merger agreement or the minority securityholders' agreements and the minority could obtain monetary relief if the court ultimately found an improper invocation.

  • Saba Capital CEF Opportunities 1 LLC v. Nuveen Floating Rate Income Fund

    Publication Date: 2023-12-08
    Practice Area: Securities Litigation
    Industry: Investments and Investment Advisory
    Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
    Judge: Circuit Judge Richard C. Wesley
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: For Plaintiffs-Appellees: Jacob W. Buchdahl, Susman Godfrey LLP, New York, NY, on the brief, Mark P. Musico, Susman Godfrey LLP, New York, NY.
    for defendant: For Defendants-Appellants Nuveen Floating Rate Income Fund, Nuveen Floating Rate Income Opportunity Fund, Nuveen Short Duration Credit Opportunities Fund, Nuveen Global High Income Fund, and Nuveen Senior Income Fund: Parker Rider-Longmaid, Kyser Blakely, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Washington, DC; Scott Musoff, Boris Bershteyn, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, New York, NY; Eben Colby, Emily Jennings, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Boston, MA, on the Brief, Shay Dvoretzky, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Washington, DC. For Defendants-Appellants Terence J. Toth, Jack B. Evans, William C. Hunter, Albin F. Moschner, John K. Nelson, Judith M. Stockdale, Carole E. Stone, Margaret L. Wolff, Robert L. Young, and Matthew Thornton III, in their capacity as Trustees of the Nuveen Trusts: Robert A. Skinner, Douglas Hallward-Driemeier, Amy D. Roy, Ropes & Gray LLP, Boston, MA. For Amicus Curiae The Investment Company Institute in Support of Defendants-Appellants: Susan Olson, Dorothy Donohue, Kenneth Fang, The Investment Company Institute, Washington, DC; Steven A. Engel, David A. Kotler, Michael H. McGinley, Dechert LLP, New York, NY. For Amicus Curiae Bulldog Investors, LLP in Support of Plaintiffs-Appellees: Aaron T. Morris, Andrew W. Robertson, Morris Kandinov LLP, New York, NY.

    Case Number: 22-407

    Firm's Bylaws Amendment Violates ICA as Restriction on Shareholders, Not on Shares

  • Gemedy Inc. v. The Carlyle Group Inc.

    Publication Date: 2023-10-16
    Practice Area: Intellectual Property
    Industry: E-Commerce | Investments and Investment Advisory | Software
    Court: U.S. District Court of Delaware
    Judge: District Judge Connolly
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Comrie Barr Flinn, Alberto E. Chavez, Young, Conaway, Stargatt & Taylor LLP, Wilmington, DE; Mark L. D. Wawro, Max L. Tribble, Susman Godfrey, LLP, Houston, TX; Tamar Lusztig, Susman Godfrey, LLP, New York, NY for plaintiff.
    for defendant: Jack B. Blumenfeld, Alexandra M. Cumings, Ryan D. Stottmann, William M. Lafferty, Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP, Wilmington, DE; Michael B. Carlinsky, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, New York, NY; Kevin P.B. Johnson, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, Redwood Shores, CA; Patrick D. Curran, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, Boston, MA for defendants.

    Case Number: 23-157-CFC

    Defendants could remove case under federal officer removal statute by alleging that it had acquired the right to use plaintiff's intellectual property via federal government contracts after the government allegedly obtained "unlimited right" to the intellectual property.

  • In re Pattern Energy Group. Inc. Sec. Litig.

    Publication Date: 2023-04-11
    Practice Area: Mergers and Acquisitions
    Industry: Investments and Investment Advisory
    Court: U.S. District Court of Delaware
    Judge: District Judge Noreika
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Sue L. Robinson, Brian E. Farnan, Michael J. Farnan, Farnan LLP, Wilmington, DE; Andrew J. Entwistle, Entwistle & Cappucci LLP, Austin, TX; Vincent R. Cappucci, Arthur V. Nealon, Brendan J. Brodeur, Jonathan H. Beemer, Jessica A. Margulis, Entwistle & Cappucci LLP, New York, NY; Marc M. Seltzer, Krysta Kauble Pachman, Susman Godfrey L.L.P., Los Angeles, CA for plaintiffs.
    for defendant: A. Thompson Bayliss, April M. Ferraro, Christopher Fitzpatrick Cannataro, Abrams & Bayliss LLP, Wilmington, DE; Alan S. Goudiss, K. Mallory Brennan, Sherman & Sterling LLP, New York, NY; Christian E. Myrold, Shearman & Sterling LLP, San Francisco, CA; Matthew D. Stachel, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, Wilmington, DE; Jaren Janghorbani, Geoffrey Chepiga, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, New York, NY for defendants.

    Case Number: 20-275 (MN) (JLH)

    Court hearing claims under §14(a) properly excluded shareholders who sold their stock after the merger approval vote but before closing, since their alleged pecuniary injury did not directly arise from the challenged merger.

  • Columbus Life Ins. Co. v. Wilmington Trust Co.

    Publication Date: 2023-02-28
    Practice Area: Insurance Law
    Industry: Insurance | Investments and Investment Advisory
    Court: Delaware Superior Court
    Judge: Judge Wallace
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Donald L. Gouge, Donald L. Gouge, Jr., LLC, Wilmington, DE; Michael J. Miller, Joseph M. Kelleher, Charles J. Vinicombe, Phillip J. Farinella, Cozen O’Connor, Philadelphia, PA for plaintiff.
    for defendant: Steven L. Caponi, Matthew B. Goeller, K&L Gates LLP, Wilmington, DE; Steven Sklaver, Krysta Kauble Pachman, Susman Godfrey LLP, Los Angeles, CA; Ari Ruben, Susman Godfrey LLP, New York, NY for defendants.

    Case Number: N19C-11-175-PRW CCLD

    Court declined summary judgment on fraud claims arising from stranger-originated life insurance policies as the parties had genuine factual disputes over whether each acted knowingly or recklessly in maintaining the policies despite having knowledge or inquiry notice as to the void nature of the insurance policies.

  • Fairstead Capital Mgmt. LLC v. Blodgett

    Publication Date: 2023-01-24
    Practice Area: Contracts
    Industry: Investments and Investment Advisory
    Court: Court of Chancery
    Judge: Vice Chancellor Laster
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Ryan Stottmann, Thomas P. Will, Morris Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP, Wilmington, DE; Michael B. Carlinsky, Rollo C. Baker, Jonathan Feder, Alison Lo, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart &Sullivan, LLP, New York, NY for plaintiffs.
    for defendant: David E. Ross, Holly E. Newell, A. Gage Whirley, Ross Aronstam & Moritz LLP, Wilmington, DE; Jacob W. Budchdahl, Elisha B. Barron, Susman Godfrey LLP, New York, NY for defendant.

    Case Number: 2022-0673-JTL

    The court granted plaintiffs' request for summary judgment and a permanent injunction barring defendant from litigating claims he pursued through arbitration.

  • In re Pattern Energy Group Inc. Sec. Litig.

    Publication Date: 2022-04-12
    Practice Area: Securities Litigation
    Industry: Energy | Investments and Investment Advisory
    Court: U.S. District Court of Delaware
    Judge: District Judge Noreika
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Sue L. Robinson, Brian E. Farnan, Michael J. Farnan, Farnan LLP, Wilmington, DE; Andrew J. Entwistle, Entwistle & Cappucci LLP, Austin, TX; Vincent R. Cappucci, Arthur V. Nealon, Brendan J. Brodeur, Jonathan H. Beemer, Jessica A. Margulis, Entwistle & Cappucci LLP, New York, NY; Marc M. Seltzer, Krysta Kauble Pachman, Susman Godfrey L.L.P., Los Angeles, CA for plaintiffs.
    for defendant: A. Thompson Bayliss, April M. Kirby, Abrams & Bayliss LLP, Wilmington, DE; Alan S. Goudiss, K. Mallory Brennan, Shearman & Sterling LLP, New York, NY; Christina E. Myrold, Shearman & Sterling LLP, San Francisco, CA for defendants.

    Case Number: D69781

    Motion to dismiss Exchange Act violations denied where plaintiffs plausibly alleged that defendant board had acknowledged that a competing merger offer constituted a better value and would provide stockholders with a higher price, and knew at the time of voting to approve another offer that the competing bidder was willing to continue discussing more favorable terms of merger.

  • Columbus Life Ins. Co. v. Wilmington Trust Co.

    Publication Date: 2021-03-03
    Practice Area: Insurance Law
    Industry: Financial Services and Banking | Insurance | Investments and Investment Advisory
    Court: Delaware Superior Court
    Judge: Judge Wallace
    Attorneys: For plaintiff: Donald L. Gouge, Jr., Donald L. Gouge, Jr., LLC, Wilmington, DE; Michael J. Miller, Joseph M. Kelleher Philip J. Farinella, Cozen O’Connor, Philadelphia, PA for plaintiff.
    for defendant: Steven L. Caponi, Matthew B. Goeller, K&L Gates LLP, Wilmington, DE; Ari Ruben, Susman Godfrey LLP, New York, NY; Steven G. Sklaver, Susman Godfrey LLP, Los Angeles, CA for defendant.

    Case Number: D69312

    Although stranger-oriented life insurance policy holder could not maintain void policy under theories of estoppel or waiver, insurance company's acceptance of holder as owner and beneficiary and acceptance of payment of premiums could support fraud claim against insurer.