Magistrate Judge Fallon Denies Request to Re-Assign Case
In Kelly Services, Inc. v. Kelly & Associates Financial Services, Inc., No. 16-408-JFB-SRF (D. Del. Feb. 26, 2018), a trademark case, Magistrate Judge Fallon denied the plaintiffs’ unopposed request to re-assign the case to another judge. The basis for the plaintiffs’ request was that Judge Fallon had conducted a mediation with the parties in which “substantive”…
The Delaware Supreme Court Provides Guidance on Directors’ Fiduciary Duty of Disclosure
In Appel v. Berkman, the DelawareSupreme Court reversed the Delaware Courtof Chancery’sdismissal of claims relating to themerger of Diamond Resorts International,Inc. (“Diamond”), finding that the stockholdersof Diamond were not fully informedwhen they tendered their shares in a first-step tender offer followed by a back-end mergerunder Section 251(h) of the DelawareGeneral Corporation Law (DGCL). Inreversing the…
2018 Proposed Amendments to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware
Legislation proposing to amend the GeneralCorporation Law of the State of Delaware(DGCL) has been released by the CorporateCouncil of the Corporation Law Section ofthe Delaware State Bar Association and, ifapproved by the Corporation Law Section,is expected to be introduced to the DelawareGeneral Assembly. If enacted, the amendmentswould, among other things: (1) amendSection 262 to apply the…
Creditors’ Committee Cannot Obtain Derivative Standing to Sue Fiduciaries of an LLC
In 2011, the Delaware Court of Chancery surprised many in CML v. Bax by holding that creditors of a limited liability company (LLC) cannot be granted derivative standing to sue members, managers or controllers for breach of fiduciary duty — even if the LLC is insolvent. This created a different regime for LLCs than what…
2018 Proposed Amendments to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware
Legislation proposing to amend the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “General Corporation Law”) has been released by the Corporate Council of the Corporation Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association and, if approved by the Corporation Law Section, is expected to be introduced to the Delaware General Assembly. If enacted, the…
Delaware Chancery Court Rejects Minority Members’ Use of Implied Covenant to Seek Higher Transaction Price in Sale of LLC
Numerous jurisdictions recognize that contracts contain an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing (the implied covenant). Courts have described the implied covenant as “a judicial convention designed to protect the spirit of an agreement when, without violating an express term of the agreement, one side uses oppressive or underhanded tactics to deny the other…
Recent Developments in Delaware Corporate Law
This publication, which highlights recent corporate and alternative entity cases and statutory developments in Delaware, continues our long tradition of providing insight into the development of Delaware law.
Proposed Amendments to Section 204 of the Delaware General Corporation Law Resolve Uncertainty Created by the Reasoning in Nguyen v. View, Inc.
In 2017, the Delaware Court of Chancery in Nguyen v. View, Inc., 2017 WL 2439074 (Del. Ch. June 6, 2017), held in a proceeding brought pursuant to Section 205 (“Section 205”) of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”) that the consummation of a financing by View, Inc. (“View”) that required the…
Attorney Takeaways from Tulane University Law School’s 30th Annual Corporate Law Institute
Please click on the links below to view videos of Richards Layton attorneys and their takeaways from the various panels at Tulane Law School’s 30th Annual Corporate Law Institute. Jennifer V. Barrett discusses “M&A Practice: 2018” John Mark Zeberkiewicz discusses “Practice after Corwin“ Gregory V. Varallo discusses “The Continuing Impact of Appraisal Rights” Nathaniel J. Stuhlmiller…
Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. N.V. v. Westinghouse Elec. Co.: Delaware Supreme Court Reverses Trial Court Decision Construing Post-Purchase Adjustment Provision
In Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. N.V. v. Westinghouse Electric Co., 166 A.3d 912 (Del. 2017), the Delaware Supreme Court reversed the Delaware Court of Chancery’s grant of judgment on the pleadings. The Court of Chancery had held that a dispute over a post-closing purchase price adjustment under the terms of a purchase agreement was to…