Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Delaware
-
April 26, 2024
Prince Heirs Push Del. Court To Reject 'Unfettered' Control
Four family members of the late musician Prince who claim to have taken over for two music industry veterans they once entrusted to run his estate urged a Delaware Chancery Court judge on Friday to throw out the managers' lawsuit against them, calling it "unconscionable and unreasonable."
-
April 26, 2024
Storm Clouds Gather Over Delaware's Business Haven Rep
Storm clouds have closed around Delaware's often staid annual corporation law update, with one prominent firm publicly citing this week a perception that Delaware judges have adopted an "increasingly suspicious or negative tone" toward boards, management and the corporate bar, potentially jeopardizing the state's business haven status.
-
April 26, 2024
Investors Ask 3rd Circ. To Revive Row With Maiden Holdings
Investors urged the Third Circuit to revive their suit claiming that reinsurance company Maiden Holdings Ltd. misrepresented its underwriting and risk management practices, saying the lower court's erroneous discovery restriction prevented them from proving their case.
-
April 26, 2024
Microsoft Narrows Virtual Assistant Patent Row Ahead Of Trial
A Delaware federal judge has tossed claims that Microsoft's virtual assistant program infringed a patent initially issued to a company that developed Apple's Siri software, but declined to scratch out allegations on another patent in the dispute, which is teed up for trial early next month.
-
April 26, 2024
Panama Canal Project Fight Sent Back To Chancery
A Delaware federal judge on Thursday remanded litigation arising from a lucrative port project near the Panama Canal in an order that also notes his "deep concerns" over a theory that the dispute belongs in arbitration, made by the companies accused of stealing control of the project.
-
April 26, 2024
TETRA Tech Shareholder Sues In Del. To Stop Poison Pill
A TETRA Technologies Inc. investor has filed a proposed class action in Delaware's Court of Chancery accusing the company of adopting a poison pill as a prohibited anti-takeover weapon rather than an allowable shield for $411 million in tax-advantaged net operating losses.
-
April 26, 2024
Therapy Co. SPAC Investors To Settle Del., Ill. Merger Suits
An attorney for a blank-check company that took ATI Physical Therapy Inc. public told Delaware's Court of Chancery it has agreed to settle two proposed stockholder class actions in conjunction with pending federal class and derivative suits in the Northern District of Illinois.
-
April 25, 2024
Tesla Says Investors May Want To Influence Shareholder Vote
Tesla on Thursday questioned the motives of investors who want billions of dollars in company stock put into a trust, saying that their push to hasten the court's decision in their suit over Elon Musk's compensation plan raises concerns that they want to "elicit commentary" ahead of a shareholder meeting.
-
April 25, 2024
Astellas Can't Block Generic Myrbetriq Amid Patent Suit
A Delaware federal judge has shot down Astellas Pharma's request to issue an injunction blocking rival pharmaceutical companies from selling generic copies of the overactive bladder medication Myrbetriq as they hash out a patent infringement suit, agreeing with a magistrate judge that Astellas isn't likely to win its case.
-
April 25, 2024
Meta Can't Get TTAB To Dismiss Software Biz's TM Challenge
An administrative tribunal has dealt a setback to the tech giant formerly known as Facebook in its legal efforts to register a trademark covering its new moniker, allowing an Italian software company called myMeta to proceed with arguments that it was first.
-
April 25, 2024
GSK Hits Pfizer And BioNTech With COVID Vaccine Patent Suit
GlaxoSmithKline alleged in a suit filed Thursday in Delaware federal court that the COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer and BioNTech infringe five of its patents on mRNA technology, the latest in a series of lawsuits over the vaccines that have generated tens of billions of dollars in revenue.
-
April 25, 2024
PHX Minerals Stockholders Sue In Del. To Change Bylaws
A proposed class of PHX Minerals Inc. stockholders has sued the natural gas and oil mineral company and its board in Delaware state court, arguing that the company's bylaws must be changed to bring them into compliance with the Delaware General Corporation Law.
-
April 25, 2024
Joann Fabric Wins Confirmation Of Prepackaged Ch. 11 Plan
Joann Inc., parent company of retailer Joann Fabric and Crafts, received a Delaware judge's approval of its prepackaged Chapter 11 plan Thursday that will lighten its debt load by $505 million.
-
April 25, 2024
Chancery Seeks More Info About Bond In Truth Social Case
A Delaware vice chancellor said Thursday she needs more information from the sponsor of the blank-check company that took Donald Trump's Truth Social public about a bond it requested during litigation with some of the company's stockholders.
-
April 25, 2024
3rd Circ. Lets Mallinckrodt Off Sanofi's Royalty Hook
A Third Circuit panel said Thursday that Mallinckrodt PLC's Chapter 11 bankruptcy could sever its obligation to pay Sanofi-Aventis US LLC royalties on sales of an autoimmune disease drug, finding that Sanofi's contract to sell Mallinckrodt the rights to the drug created a claim ripe to be extinguished.
-
April 25, 2024
WWE Shareholders Combine Chancery TKO Merger Suits
Delaware's Court of Chancery will decide this summer whether teams led by Block & Leviton, Bernstein Litowitz or Robbins Geller will represent World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. stockholders in a consolidated class suit against founder Vincent McMahon and others over the company's $21 billion merger with the Endeavor Group.
-
April 25, 2024
EEOC Urges 3rd Circ. To Revive Fired Worker's Reprisal Suit
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission urged the Third Circuit to reinstate a former manager's lawsuit accusing a glass company of firing him because he refused to fire his plant's only two Black workers, saying a jury should hear the dispute.
-
April 25, 2024
Weinstein May Be Retried After NY Court Overturns Conviction
Harvey Weinstein seems poised to go to trial again in New York and testify in his own defense after the state's highest court overturned the movie mogul's rape conviction Thursday in a contentious, split opinion that found his first jury proceeding was unfair.
-
April 24, 2024
Nuclear Fuel Co. Investor Sues Over Hair-Trigger 'Poison Pill'
A Centrus Energy Corp. stockholder on Wednesday hit the company, as well as current and former directors, with a proposed class action in Delaware Chancery Court, challenging allegedly hair-trigger shareholder rights "poison pill" restrictions that activate anti-takeover measures based on a relatively low share ownership percentage.
-
April 24, 2024
3 Takeaways On How AI Is Forcing Publicity Rights To Evolve
As digital replicas of someone's voice, image or likeness become easier to create with the help of artificial intelligence, this new era of deepfakes is shining a spotlight on the nation's patchwork of right-of-publicity laws and raising questions over when Congress may act to pass a national framework.
-
April 24, 2024
NGM Biopharma Investor Seeks Stock Appraisal In Del.
An NGM Biopharmaceuticals Inc. stockholder has sued for court appraisal of his stock in Delaware's Court of Chancery after the company closed on a $1.55 per share cash tender offer with an affiliate of venture fund The Column Group on Feb. 25.
-
April 24, 2024
Chancery Lets $344M Carlyle Tax-Payout Suit Move Ahead
A vice chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery on Wednesday refused to toss most claims in a stockholder suit led by a Pittsburgh pension fund targeting a $344 million tax-asset buyout at The Carlyle Group Inc., though she did trim the suit by a single count.
-
April 24, 2024
Noteholders Say Chilean Telecom Lacks US Ties For Ch. 11
A group of WOM SA noteholders asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge to dismiss the Chilean cellphone network operator's Chapter 11 case, saying the company has no connections with the United States and courts here don't have jurisdiction over the company's assets.
-
April 24, 2024
3rd Circ. Won't Let Keystone Coal Escape Black Lung Payout
The Third Circuit on Wednesday denied Keystone Coal Mining Corp.'s request to revoke benefits awarded to a miner with pneumoconiosis under the Black Lung Benefits Act, rejecting its argument that the administrative law judge hearing the case did not properly consider all the evidence.
-
April 24, 2024
Tesla Must Put Musk's Potential Payday In Trust, Investors Say
Class attorneys for Tesla stockholders have asked Delaware's chancellor to seize or shelter in a trust tens of billions in company stock sidelined by a ruling that struck down CEO Elon Musk's 10-year compensation plan in January, pending a fast-track hearing.
Expert Analysis
-
Exploring The Foreign Discovery Trend In Delaware
Despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting the use of Section 1782, recent trends from a Delaware federal court suggest that Delaware remains an appealing forum for such foreign discovery requests, says Florentina Field at Abrams & Bayliss.
-
Del.'s Tesla Pay Takedown Tells Boards What Not To Do
The Delaware Chancery Court’s ruthless dissection of the Tesla board’s extreme departures from standard corporate governance in its January opinion striking down CEO Elon Musk’s $55 billion pay package offers a blow-by-blow guide to mistakes Delaware public companies can avoid when negotiating executive compensation, say attorneys at Cleary.
-
Del. Dispatch: Clarification On Fiduciary Duties Of Controllers
The Delaware Chancery Court’s January opinion in a Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores' stockholder dispute — holding that a controlling stockholder owes the company and minority shareholders some fiduciary duties when selling shares or voting to change the status quo — suggests instances where investors opposing board decisions should tread carefully, say attorneys at Fried Frank.
-
Reimagining Law Firm Culture To Break The Cycle Of Burnout
While attorney burnout remains a perennial issue in the legal profession, shifting post-pandemic expectations mean that law firms must adapt their office cultures to retain talent, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
-
Series
Competing In Dressage Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My lifelong participation in the sport of dressage — often called ballet on horses — has proven that several skills developed through training and competition are transferable to legal work, especially the ability to harness focus, persistence and versatility when negotiating a deal, says Stephanie Coco at V&E.
-
3 Strategies For Aggressive Judgment Enforcement
As illustrated by the many creditors of Citgo Petroleum Corp. who may walk away empty-handed — despite the company's court-ordered sale — it is important to start investigating counterparty assets and planning for enforcement even before obtaining a judgment, says Brian Asher at Asher Research.
-
Musk Pay Package Ruling Offers Detailed Lesson On Del. Law
Anat Alon-Beck and John Livingstone at Case Western Reserve University discuss the specifics that led Delaware's chancellor to rescind Elon Musk's $55.8 billion Tesla pay package on Jan. 30, how the state’s entire fairness doctrine played into the ruling, and its bigger-picture impact on the executive compensation landscape.
-
Chancery's Sears Ruling Clarifies Stockholder Duties
In a recent landmark decision involving stockholders of Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, the Delaware Chancery Court addressed for the first time what precise duties a controlling stockholder owes, highlighting that controller interference with board action is not per se invalid and that enhanced scrutiny is a reasonableness test, say Christopher Chuff and Taylor Bartholomew at Troutman Pepper.
-
Del. Ruling Adds Momentum For Caremark Plaintiffs
The Delaware Supreme Court's recent opinion in Lebanon County Employees' Retirement Fund v. Collis could be viewed as expanding plaintiffs' ability to viably plead a Caremark claim against directors, so Delaware companies should be on heightened alert and focus on creating a record of board oversight, say attorneys at V&E.
-
The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift
As law firms face ever-increasing risks of cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, the legal industry must implement robust cybersecurity measures and privacy-centric practices to preserve attorney-client privilege, safeguard client trust and uphold the profession’s integrity, says Ryan Paterson at Unplugged.
-
5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money
As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.
-
1869 Case May Pave Off-Ramp For Justices In Trump DQ Fight
In deciding whether former President Donald Trump is disqualified from Colorado's Republican primary ballots, the U.S. Supreme Court could rely on due process principles articulated in a Reconstruction-era case to avert a chaotic or undemocratic outcome, says Gordon Renneisen at Cornerstone Law Group.
-
Series
Playing Competitive Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experience playing competitive tennis has highlighted why prioritizing exercise and stress relief, maintaining perspective under pressure, and supporting colleagues in pursuit of a common goal are all key aspects of championing a successful legal career, says Madhumita Datta at Lowenstein Sandler.
-
The Questions Around Prometheum's SEC-Compliant Strategy
While the rest of the crypto industry has been engaged in a long-running battle to escape the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's jurisdiction, a once-obscure startup called Prometheum has instead embraced the SEC's view to become the first crypto special-purpose broker-dealer, but it's unclear whether it can turn its favored status into a workable business, says Keith Blackman at Bracewell.
-
NY, Del. May Be Trending Against Noncompete Enforceability
While neither New York nor Delaware has statutory restrictions on noncompete provisions, recent legislative actions and judicial decisions indicate a trend against enforcement of restrictive covenants in both equity award and employment agreements, says Irene Bassock at Cohen Buckmann.