Delaware Finalizes Regulation Temporarily Shortening Unclaimed Property Audit Look-Back Period
On November 1, 2012, the Delaware Department of Finance promulgated a final regulation, effective December 1, 2012, that shortens the look-back period for currently ongoing Delaware unclaimed property audits.
Equitable Tolling Applied to Adversary Proceeding Limitation
In Liberty Brands, LLC v. Feit, the Delaware Bankruptcy Court denied the defendants’ motions to dismiss the plaintiff-trustee’s claims to recover unauthorized post-petition transfers under 11 U.S.C. § 549.
Court of Chancery Addresses Validity of Entity Action
In Feeley v. NHAOCG, the Delaware Court of Chancery addressed several important issues regarding the validity of actions taken in violation of a Delaware limited liability company's operating agreement.
Unclaimed Property: Basics and New Developments
According to the Delaware Division of Corporations' website, more than 980,000 business entities are currently formed under Delaware law, including more than half of all publicly traded U.S. companies and more than 63 percent of the Fortune 500.
Third Circuit Affirms Denial of Substantial Contribution Claim and Reaffirms Lebron Test
In a recent decision in In re Tropicana Entertainment, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the denial of a substantial contribution claim filed by the Ad Hoc Consortium of Senior Subordinated Noteholders.
Delaware Court Denies Motion to Stay Order, Pending Appeal
Appellants must justify the need for staying a court’s decision on four criteria, and here, the Third Circuit found that the burden was not met for any of them.
Keyser v. Curtis: Sole Director’s Issuance of Super-Voting Preferred Stock to Himself Fails Entire Fairness Review
In a summary proceeding under Section 225 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, the Court of Chancery in Keyser v. Curtis, applied the entire fairness test to a sole director’s effort to prevent stockholders from electing a new board by issuing a new series of preferred stock with powerful voting rights to himself for one cent per share, held that the issuance was not entirely fair, and determined that the newly issued stock could not be counted in determining whether the plaintiff-stockholders had delivered sufficient written consents to elect a new board.
In re Appraisal of Orchard Enterprises, Inc.: Court of Chancery Declines to Give Liquidation Preference of Preferred Stock Effect in Appraisal of Common Stock
In In re Appraisal of Orchard Enterprises, Inc., the Court of Chancery, in a post-trial decision, determined that the petitioners, certain common stockholders of The Orchard Enterprises, Inc., were entitled to $4.67 per share, rather than the $2.05 per share they received in a going-private transaction.
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. v. Vulcan Materials Co.: Delaware Supreme Court Affirms Four-Month Delay of Hostile Exchange Offer Based on Violations of Confidentiality Agreements
In Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. v. Vulcan Materials Co., the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the Court of Chancery’s decision enjoining Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. from taking any action in connection with its hostile takeover bid for Vulcan Materials Co., including proceeding with its exchange offer and prosecuting its proxy contest, for a period of four months, in order to remedy Martin’s breach of two confidentiality agreements between the companies.
Zucker v. Andreesen: Court of Chancery Dismisses Complaint Challenging Hewlett-Packard CEO’s Severance Package and the Board’s Failure to Plan for CEO Succession
In Zucker v. Andreessen, the Court of Chancery applied the heightened pleading burden under Court of Chancery Rule 23.1 and dismissed a derivative complaint for failure properly to allege demand futility.