In this issue, we discuss Delaware court developments, including the first-ever dismissal of a SPAC disclosure complaint, as well as rulings pertaining to financial advisor conflict and disclosure law, state laws involving...more
The first half of 2024 has been a watershed moment for the development of controller law in the Delaware courts. Among the highlights, the Delaware Supreme Court reexamined and confirmed that transactions involving a...more
The Delaware Supreme Court recently issued two opinions weighing in on the scope of disclosures involving board advisors in connection with M&A transactions that warrant close attention. In both rulings — each written en banc...more
The Court of Chancery’s decision in In re Match Group, Inc. Derivative Litigation1 is the latest example of how the Delaware Supreme Court’s watershed 2014 decision in Kahn v. M & F Worldwide Corp. (MFW)2 has been applied to...more
The Delaware Supreme Court recently affirmed a Court of Chancery ruling granting a Special Litigation Committee’s motion to terminate a shareholder derivative action that had survived a motion to dismiss. The split decision...more
In the first published decision of a court of appeal outside Delaware, on April 28, 2022, the California Court of Appeal in Wong v. Restoration Robotics, Case No. A161489, affirmed the trial court’s decision to enforce a...more
As previously discussed in our Sept. 10, 2020, client alert, in Wong v. Restoration Robotics, Inc., Case No. 18-CIV-02609 (Cal. Super. Ct. Sept. 1, 2020), the Superior Court of California for the County of San Mateo dismissed...more
In Tola v. Bryant, No. 16150, 2022 Cal. App. LEXIS 241 (Cal. App. Mar. 24, 2022), the First Appellate District of the California Court of Appeal applied Delaware’s new formulation of the test for determining whether a...more
On March 16, 2022, in a unanimous decision the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed a Superior Court ruling that a securities class action and a later-filed opt out action were related claims, and thus the subsequent action was...more
In 2021, 182 securities class actions were filed against issuers of stock listed on US exchanges. This statistic means that the total number of annual filings in 2021 was down 13% compared to 2020. As highlighted in our...more
Delaware Court of Chancery Dismisses Marriott Data Breach Derivative Suit; DOJ Announces Creation of National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team; Fifth Circuit Applies New Standard for Disgorgement Orders In Securities Cases to...more
Delaware Court of Chancery Finds that Director’s Email on Outside Email System Remains Confidential; Delaware Supreme Court Overrules Longstanding Precedent Regarding Derivative Versus Direct Standing; SEC Files Crowdfunding...more
On September 23, 2021—in United Food and Commercial Workers v. Zuckerberg—the Delaware Supreme Court endorsed a new universal three-part demand futility test. The decision will likely have far-reaching consequences, including...more
Northern District of California Dismisses Traders’ Suit Against Bitmex Crypto Exchange with Prejudice; Delaware Supreme Court Upholds Chancery Court Ruling That Stockholder Appraisal Rights Can Be Waived by Contract;...more
SCOTUS Grants Certiorari to Decide Whether Automatic Discovery Stay Applies to Securities Act Cases in State Court; Delaware Court of Chancery Dismisses Stockholder Suit Against FedEx for Failure to Make Pre-Litigation...more
In a recent decision, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that insuring against fraud does not per se violate Delaware public policy and held that the insured’s D&O policy covered claims alleging securities fraud. RSUI Indemnity...more
New York Federal Court Dismisses Securities Fraud Claims Against Alkermes for Lack of Fraudulent Intent; Fourth Circuit Affirms District Court’s Denial of Leave to File Amended Complaint Against Triangle Capital as Futile;...more
Delaware Court of Chancery Allows Stockholder Litigation to Proceed Against Viacom-CBS Over $30B Merger; Ninth Circuit Affirms Dismissal with Prejudice of Securities Class Action Against Tesla; Second Circuit Affirms...more
IN THIS ISSUE - Illinois Federal Judge Finds COVID-19, Not TD Ameritrade, Responsible for Losses; Supreme Court to Address Scope and Application of Basic Presumption of Classwide Reliance in Securities Class Actions;...more
Last week, the Delaware Supreme Court issued an important decision effectively broadening the scope of stockholder pre-litigation inspection rights. ...more
Delaware Supreme Court Holds Appraisal Action is Not “Securities Claim” Covered by D&O Insurance Policy; Delaware Supreme Court Affirms Dismissal of Derivative Claims Against Life Sciences Company For Failure to Plead Demand...more
The Delaware Supreme Court upheld the validity of exclusive federal forum provisions included in Delaware certificates of incorporation requiring actions arising under the Securities Act of 1933 to be filed in federal court...more
In Salzberg v. Sciabacucchi, No. 346, 2019 (Del. Mar. 18, 2020), the Delaware Supreme Court upheld the validity of corporate charter provisions designating federal courts as the exclusive forum for the litigation of claims...more
On March 18, 2020, the Delaware Supreme Court reversed the Delaware Court of Chancery and held that Delaware corporations can adopt federal forum selection provisions for claims arising under the Securities Act of 1933 (the...more
This issue includes summaries and associated court opinions of selected cases principally decided between October 2019 and January 2020. ...more