April 2016 – Delaware Docket

Chancery Court Dismisses Derivative Claims Alleging Breach of Fiduciary Duty in Connection with the Vesting of a Former Director’s Equity Compensation

Apr 18 2016

In Friedman v. Maffei, et al, C.A. No. 11105-VCMR (Del. Ch. Apr. 13, 2016), the Court of Chancery dismissed derivative claims brought by Julie Friedman on behalf of TripAdvisor, Inc. (“TripAdvisor”) concerning the vesting of 200,000 restricted stock units (“RSUs”) of Expedia stock belonging to Dara Khosrowshahi, a former TripAdvisor director and current CEO of Expedia, Inc. (“Expedia”). In considering defendants’ motion to dismiss, the court concluded that Friedman failed to plead particularized facts that raise a reasonable doubt that the TripAdvisor board (the “Board”) validly exercised its business judgment in refusing her demand. Because the plaintiff could not show the Board wrongfully refused her demand, the court granted the motion to dismiss.

Delaware Chancery Court Awards Advancement of Fees in Connection with Post-Merger Indemnification Claims

Apr 12 2016

By: Scott E. Waxman and Sophia Lee Shin

In Joel Z. Hyatt and Albert A. Gore, Jr. v. Al Jazeera America Holdings II, LLC and Al Jazeera International (USA) Inc., the Delaware Court of Chancery reviewed a motion for summary judgment in connection with a dispute regarding the advancement of fees for the litigation of various post-merger indemnification claims. The Chancery Court held that the plaintiffs were entitled to advancement for certain claims, but not for others, depending on whether the underlying facts of each claim required the plaintiffs to defend their actions as former officers or directors.

CHANCERY COURT REAFFIRMS THE ABILITY OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIPS TO CONTRACT AROUND FIDUCIARY DUTIES

Apr 05 2016

By: Scott Waxman and Tony Brown

In Adrian Dieckman v. Regency GP LP, C.A. No. 11130-CB (Del. Ch. Mar. 29, 2016), the Court of Chancery held that a limited partnership agreement can extinguish the common law duty of disclosure that exists under Delaware law. Where a limited partnership agreement expressly eliminated fiduciary duties and replaced them with an alternative contractual governance scheme, the court declined to reinsert a duty of disclosure and determined that additional disclosure obligations are not compelled by the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

Archive:April 2016