A Small Phantom Is Still a Phantom: Chancery Declines To Imply Materiality Requirement When the Parties Have Not Done So
In a recently issued opinion in HControl Holdings v. Antin Infrastructure Partners, Chancellor McCormick of the Delaware Court of Chancery allowed a buyer to avoid closing on a transaction based on the failure of a closing condition related to the capitalization representation.
Getting the Deal Through – Corporate Governance 2023
Holly Gregory and Claire Holland have authored the United States chapter of Getting the Deal Through – Corporate Governance 2023, an annual summary of key corporate governance practices in 19 jurisdictions worldwide. Topics addressed in the chapter include: sources of governance rules and practice, shareholders’ rights, duties and liability, anti-takeover devices, board structures, legal duties of the board, and disclosure and reporting requirements. Holly Gregory has served as the contributing editor since 2015.
Potential Control Does Not Equal Actual Control: Business Judgment Rule Protects Oracle-Netsuite Transaction
In a May 12, 2023 opinion following trial and post-trial argument, the Delaware Court of Chancery found for defendants Oracle founder Larry Ellison and CEO Safra Catz in In re Oracle Derivative Litigation, 2017-0337-SG, a shareholder derivative litigation case arising out of Oracle’s US$9.3 billion acquisition of NetSuite. The 10-day bench trial took place in July and August 2022 before Vice Chancellor Glasscock, and included two days of testimony by Catz and one day of testimony by Ellison, among other witnesses. The Court’s decision comes several months after plaintiffs’ voluntary dismissal, following the post-trial argument, of then-defendant Renée James, the Chair of a Special Committee of the Oracle Board overseeing the acquisition.
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors and Preserve Attorney-Client Privilege in the Boardroom: A Word of Caution for Boards Navigating Potential Disputes Among Directors or With Funds They Manage
The boardroom frequently presents attorney-client privilege and work product protection issues. The Delaware Court of Chancery’s recent decision in Hyde Park Venture Partners Fund III, LP v. FairXchange, LLC, C.A. No. 2022-0344-JTL (Del. Ch. March 9, 2023), provides a reminder of the importance of vigilance in considering when and how to limit a director’s access to privileged materials in circumstances where directors’ interests may diverge – particularly where directors manage, or are affiliated with, investment funds owning stock of the Company.
Charlotte Newell Participates in PLI’s “Delaware Law Developments 2023: What All Business Lawyers Need To Know”
On May 1, 2023, Sidley partner Charlotte Newell participated in “Delaware Law Developments 2023: What All Business Lawyers Need to Know,” a program presented by the Practising Law Institute. The annual program provides updates on Delaware law matters, offering insights from leading Delaware corporate law practitioners and jurists.
Procedure Prevails When Applying MFW Framework to Interested Merger
The Delaware Court of Chancery recently issued an opinion that reminds controlling stockholders they can successfully implement a going private merger even when a competing bidder makes an offer that is substantially higher than that offered by the controlling stockholder. The court dismissed a lawsuit brought by former Eidos Therapeutics, Inc. stockholders against Bridgebio Pharma, Inc. and three of its directors over a merger in which Bridgebio, as Eidos’s controlling stockholder, acquired the remaining minority shares of Eidos stock. Smart Loc. Unions & Councils Pension Fund v. BridgeBio Pharma, Inc., No. 2021-1030-PAF, 2022 WL 17986515 (Del. Ch. Dec. 29, 2022).
Indirect Transfers May Not Include Upstairs Entities
The decision in The American Bottling Company v. BA Sports (“American Bottling”)[1] demonstrates that in the context of anti-assignment or change of control provisions, prohibitions against “indirect transfers” (such as those occurring at an entity’s great-grandparent level) are not necessarily triggered by changes at the parent level. This ruling from the Delaware Superior Court, which applied Illinois law, tracks similar rulings applying Delaware law.[2]
In Musk-Twitter Sideshow, Stockholder Standing To Sue for “Lost Premium” Damages Makes Appearance
The on-then-off-then-on-again acquisition of Twitter, Inc. by Elon Musk has generated an unusual amount of attention for corporate litigation. Much of that has focused on the “main show” – the litigation commenced by Twitter seeking to compel Musk to close the transaction. Recently, however, the Delaware Court of Chancery issued a decision in a companion case, brought against Musk directly on behalf of a class of Twitter stockholders. (more…)
Delaware Courts Closely Examine Indemnification Claims for Attorneys’ Fees, “Whether or Not” the Parties Intend
In Samuel J. Heyman 1981 Continuing Tr. v. Ashland LLC (Sep. 12, 2022), the Delaware Supreme Court recently resolved a contractual dispute over potentially massive liability for cleaning up the Arthur Kill waterway in New Jersey. The contract at issue was a stock purchase agreement (SPA) in which Ashland LLC purchased 100% of the stock of an entity owned by a set of trusts affiliated with the Heyman family, but then immediately transferred back a particular property in Linden, New Jersey, to another entity affiliated with the Heyman parties. (more…)
Holly Gregory Breaks Down Succession Business Deals
Holly J. Gregory, co-chair of Sidley’s global Corporate Governance practice, sat down with WIRED to look at the business deals featured on HBO’s hit show “Succession.” In this video interview, she breaks down the deals and gives the inside scoop on everything from loan covenants to corporate mergers.