Justia Delaware Court of Chancery Opinion Summaries

Articles Posted in Delaware Court of Chancery
by
The parties disputed the amount that defendant, Fitracks, must advance to Noam Danenberg in connection with his defense of claims asserted against him by Aetrix, Fitracks' parent, in litigation pending before the district court (Underlying Action). They also disputed the amount that Fitracks must pay Danenberg as indemnification for this proceeding. Judgment was entered in favor of Danenberg for advancements in the amount of $292,019.91 and indemnification in the amount of $276,332.13. Interest on these amounts, compounded quarterly, shall accrue at the legal rate beginning February 27, 2012 through the date of payment. Going forward, unless modified by stipulation, the parties shall follow the procedures set forth in this opinion. View "Danenberg v. Fitracks, Inc." on Justia Law

by
This action was before the court on a motion to preliminarily enjoin an all-cash negotiated tender offer for all of the shares of a biopharmaceutical company. Plaintiffs, shareholders of the target company, claimed that the offer was for an unfair price and was the result of an unfair and flawed sales process. Plaintiffs also claimed that the solicitation materials recommending the tender offer contained materially false and misleading information. As a result, plaintiffs sought to have the tender offer enjoined before its consummation. The court concluded that plaintiffs have failed to show a reasonable likelihood that they would succeed in proving that the challenged transaction was unfair or that the directors breached their fiduciary duties of care or loyalty, including their disclosure obligations, in approving the transaction. Therefore, the court denied plaintiffs' motion to preliminarily enjoin the tender offer. View "In re Micromet, Inc. Shareholders Litigation" on Justia Law

by
This case involved Bancorp's agreement to sell BankAtlantic to BB&T. Plaintiffs, institutional trustees, sued to enforce debt covenants that prohibited Bancorp from selling "all or substantially all" of its assets unless the acquirer assumed the debt. The evidence at trial established that Bancorp was selling substantially all of its assets, and BB&T had not agreed to assume the debt. The ensuing event of default would result in the debt accelerating. Bancorp could not pay the accelerated debt. Because this eventuality would inflict irreparable harm on plaintiffs, the court entered contemporaneously an order permanently enjoining Bancorp from consummating the sale. View "In re BankAtlantic Bancorp, Inc. Litigation" on Justia Law

by
This matter involved a stockholders' suit over the proposed takeover of Delphi by TMH. Based upon the record, the court found that plaintiffs have demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits at least with respect to the allegations against defendant. However, because the deal represented a large premium over market price, because damages were available as a remedy, and because no other potential purchaser had come forth or seemed likely to come forth to match, let alone best, the TMH offer, the court could not find that the balance of the equities favored an injunction over letting the stockholders exercise their franchise, and allowing plaintiffs to pursue damages. Therefore, the court denied plaintiff's request for a preliminary injunction. View "In re Delphi Financial Group Shareholder Litigation" on Justia Law

by
Plaintiff brought his Second Amended Complaint asserting various claims against former business associates, including his former fellow members and Board of Managers members of Aeosphere and two companies with which Aeosphere purportedly had business dealings, Flakt Woods and SEMCO. All of plaintiff's claims related to the dissolution of Aeosphere, which he argued was wrongfully undertaken by the other Managers in order to remove him from a cutting-edge and potentially lucrative fragrance business. Plaintiff further asserted that Flakt Woods and SEMCO aided and abetted breaches of fiduciary duty and were otherwise complicit in these wrongful actions. Flakt Woods and SEMCO moved for dismissal. The court concluded that it did not have personal jurisdiction over Flakt Woods or SEMCO, and that, even if it had personal jurisdiction over SEMCO, the Complaint failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted against SEMCO. Therefore, plaintiff's claims against Flakt Woods and SEMCO were dismissed. Counts II, IV, and V of the Counterclaims were also dismissed for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. View "Matthew v. Laudamiel, et al." on Justia Law

by
This matter was before the court on defendant's Motion to Stay. After Perfumania announced an agreement to acquire defendant, Shirley Anderson, purportedly a stockholder of defendant, filed an action challenging the acquisition in a Florida state court (Florida Action). Arthur Weill filed a Motion to Intervene in the Florida Action; after that motion was denied, Weill filed a stockholder class action complaint similar to Anderson's and moved to consolidate his case with the Florida Action. Plaintiff filed the instant action. All three actions sought to enjoin the takeover of defendant, on behalf of a stockholder class, based upon similar allegations of inadequate disclosure and breach of fiduciary duty. Defendant sought a stay in favor of the Florida Action under the doctrine explained in McWane Cast Iron Pipe Corp. v. McDowell-Wellman Engineering Co. Discounting, as the court found appropriate, the first-filed nature of the Florida Action, the court found nothing that indicated that this matter should be stayed in deference to the Florida Action. To the contrary, the interest of the the state in the behavior of fiduciaries for its corporate citizens convinced the court that the Motion to Stay must be denied. View "Dias v. Purches, et al." on Justia Law

by
Plaintiff sued the State to challenge a demand for payment made by the State under Delaware's escheat law, 12 Del. C. 1101, et seq. The State countersued, seeking a declaration that the sums demanded from plaintiff were proper and authorized under the Statute. Both parties moved for partial judgment on the pleadings. The court found that the rebates at issue fit comfortably within two of the "specifically enumerated" items of property listed in section 1198(11) and therefore granted the State's motion for partial judgment on the pleadings and denied plaintiff's cross-motion. Although the pleadings did not paint a clear picture of the form in which the rebates were issued by plaintiff to its customers, plaintiff's counsel conceded at oral argument that the rebates were issued as either negotiable "checks" or "credits." As such, the rebates consisted of specifically enumerated items of property under section 1198(11), and the State's claims could not be barred by any statute of limitations. View "Staples, Inc. v. Cook, et al." on Justia Law

by
A group of minority investors sued the manager of an LLC for damages, arguing that the manager breached his contractual and fiduciary duties. The court concluded that the manager's course of conduct beached both his contractual and fiduciary duties. Using his control over the LLC, the manager took steps to deliver the LLC to himself and his family on unfair terms. Therefore, the court entered a remedy, taking into account the distribution received by plaintiffs at the auction, and adding interest, compounding monthly at the legal rate, from that time period. Because the manager had made this litigation far more cumbersome and inefficient than it should have been by advancing certain frivolous arguments, the court awarded plaintiffs one-half of their reasonable attorneys' fees and costs under the bad faith exception to the American Rule. View "Auriga Capital Corp., et al. v. Gatz Properties, LLC, et al." on Justia Law

by
In a shareholder derivative action brought in the name of Sunpower, plaintiff claimed that the directors and certain officers of SunPower breached their fiduciary duties by failing to implement or to monitor an effective internal control system, which caused the company to misstate, and then to restate, its financial statements for 2008 and 2009. That restatement also led to related actions in federal court accusing the company and its directors and senior management of violating federal securities laws (Securities Class Action). Plaintiffs sought indemnification for whatever losses the company ultimately incurred from the Securities Class Action and recovery of other damages directly caused by the restatement itself. Defendants moved to stay the derivative action pending resolution of the Securities Class Action. The court found that practical considerations made simultaneous prosecution of both cases unduly complicated, inefficient, and unnecessary. Therefore, the court granted defendant's motion to stay the derivative action. View "Brenner v. Albrecht, et al." on Justia Law

by
This matter involved a request for books and records under Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Plaintiff owned stocked in the defendant corporation and was also a plaintiff in a California state plenary state derivative action, in which it alleged that the defendant directors were liable to the corporation for a breach of their fiduciary duties. Because of the unusual procedural posture of this case, which included statements by the California Court appearing to endorse this action, the court ordered certain records produced. Defendants made production and plaintiffs subsequently filed a motion to compel, arguing that the production was insufficient. The court found that the issue was moot because plaintiff failed to file a third amended complaint before defendants filed and the parties briefed, a demurrer to the second amended complaint in the California action, and because, to the extent plaintiff needed expedited action on this motion to compel in order to file a third amended complaint, it failed to seek it. Defendant's demurrer had been submitted to the California court, which had stated that there would be no amendments to the now-completed briefing and that the second amended complaint would stand or fall with prejudice. Therefore, plaintiff no longer had a proper purpose. View "Amalgamated Bank v. NetApp, Inc." on Justia Law