Earn-Out Arrangements – Interview with David Lagasse, Member, Mintz Levin
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing life science R&D (particularly in the realm of drug discovery) and challenging the traditional "human inventorship" requirement for U.S. patents. Recent guidance from the USPTO...more
In 2024, Delaware courts issued multiple instructive decisions on earnout provisions in life sciences M&A transactions. ...more
Negotiating and signing a Letter of Intent (LOI) is a key inflection point in the process of selling your business. Buyers and sellers both want the LOI to ensure a base level of understanding on certain key terms such as...more
The High Court has ruled that earn-out calculations, emailed by the buyer to the sellers in relation to a share sale, were not validly communicated. Earnout calculations and notice provisions - Under an earnout provision...more
Periodically, particularly during economic downturns or times of market uncertainty, the private M&A market experiences a significant increase in the use of earnouts. As was the case following the Great Recession and the...more
Our M&A team is honored to have represented clients in some of the most compelling transactions in 2024, from advising the iconic rock band KISS and its co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in the sale of all assets...more
Orrick’s Tech Exit Series suggests tips for tech companies looking toward an exit. Our market-leading London M&A and Private Equity team writes instalments in the series with contributions from specialists across our broader...more
In Shareholder Representative Services LLC v. Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the Delaware Court of Chancery addressed an earnout dispute, holding that a buyer violated its contract with the seller by failing to use...more
The Delaware Court of Chancery has weighed in on a number of recent cases interpreting earnout provisions in transactional agreements. The Court has demonstrated a reluctance to rule against seller-plaintiffs during the...more
In two significant recent opinions, the Delaware Chancery Court ruled against the buyers of life sciences companies, holding that they failed to apply commercially reasonable efforts to achieve earnout milestones. In Fortis...more
In Trifecta Multimedia Holdings v. WCG Clinical Services, the Delaware Court of Chancery analyzed claims related to an M&A transaction involving an earn-out component. Earn-outs are a common feature of M&A transactions and...more
In recent months, the Delaware Court of Chancery has decided four significant cases regarding merger agreement earnout provisions. Most notably, in one of the largest judgments ever awarded by the Court, it found Johnson &...more
In the October edition of our Public Company Watch, we cover key issues impacting public companies, including a recent SEC enforcement sweep, key takeaways stemming from the SEC’s recent adoption of EDGAR Next, two recent...more
Earnout provisions are common in life sciences and healthtech mergers and acquisitions, particularly when an acquired company may add significant value after closing. This can occur if the acquired business has a product in...more
The mergers and acquisitions (M&A) landscape in the sports industry has remained notably active and attractive to investors, driven by continuous digital transformation and global franchise investments. Since 1985, the sports...more
Appellate court ruling widens scope of NY fee-splitting law to include earnouts - The decision overturned a lower court ruling relating to the sale of part of a dental practice in 2015. The plaintiff agreed to sell...more
The M&A market has witnessed a major increase in the use of earnout deal terms after 2021. The number of deals with earnout provisions jumped from around 20% in 2021 to 33% in 2023....more
Recently, the Delaware Chancery Court and the Third Circuit issued three significant decisions on key issues affecting licensing and M&A transactions in the life sciences industry....more
Getinge, a Swedish public limited company, announced on September 11, 2024 that it completed acquisition of Paragonix Technologies, Inc., a U.S. company specializing in organ transport products and services. According to...more
A pivotal decision by a New York Appellate Division court holding that earnouts based on the future revenue of a dental practice violated the NY Fee Splitting Prohibition could substantially impact the structuring of health...more
In merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions, the earn-out mechanism serves as a strategic tool for conditional payment based on the prospective performance of the acquired entity. This mechanism is particularly prevalent in...more
It’s nice to get paid. Giving up control of your business? Well… that’s a different story. On closing the sale of a business, owners realize a dramatic financial return on their investment. However, few buyers are willing to...more
Do we value our possessions more just because we own them? Sometimes. Does this association of value apply to businesses? Almost always. The Cost of Risk- Buyers and sellers of a business often find themselves with a...more
Deal structure matters, particularly in bankruptcy. The Third Circuit recently ruled that a creditor’s right to future royalty payments in a non-executory contract could be discharged in the counterparty-debtor’s bankruptcy....more
On April 30, 2024, in Himawan, et al. v. Cephalon, Inc., et al., the Delaware Court of Chancery held that the defendant acquiror complied with its contractual obligations to use commercially reasonable efforts to achieve...more