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IN MERGER-RELATED SUIT, ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE PREVAILED OVER GARNER CHALLENGE

Sep 11 2017

By: Kevin Stichter and Nathan G. Harrill

In Salberg v. Genworth Financial, Inc., C.A. No. 2017-0018-JRS (Del. Ch. July 27, 2017), the Delaware Court of Chancery denied the demand by the plaintiff stockholders (the “Stockholders”) for books and records from defendant Genworth Financial, Inc. (“Genworth”) under Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. Genworth asserted the attorney-client privilege and the Stockholders sought to invoke the “celebrated” Garner fiduciary exception. While the § 220 demand was made in the context of a pending merger, influential to the ruling was the fact that the requested books and records were relevant to a separate derivative action among the same parties. Although most of the Garner “good cause” factors weighed in favor of an exception to the privilege, the court held that the unique facts and circumstances surrounding the Stockholders’ demand barred them from accessing privileged information that was shielded from discovery in the derivative suit.

CHANCERY COURT DENIES MOTION TO DISMISS AND ALLOWS DERIVATIVE SUIT AGAINST BOARD MEMBERS TO CONTINUE

Aug 30 2017

By: Whitney J. Smith and Michael Bill

In H&N Management Group, Inc. & Aff Cos Frozen Money Purchase Plan v. Robert M. Couch et al., No. 12847-VCMR (Del. Ch. Ct. August 1, 2017), the Court of Chancery denied defendants’ motion to dismiss and held that plaintiffs sufficiently alleged a reason to doubt that the board of AGNC Investment Corp (the “Company”) was adequately informed when approving (i) subsequent renewals of a management agreement between the Company and American Capital Mortgage Management, LLC (the “Manager”) as well as (ii) the acquisition of the Manager for a price of $562 million.

CHOICE OF LAW PROVISION IN STOCKHOLDERS’ AGREEMENT INSUFFICIENT TO CREATE PERSONAL JURISDICTION OVER DELAWARE CORPORATION’S FORMER CEO

Aug 15 2017

By Shoshannah D. Katz and Max E. Kaplan

By order dated August 4, 2017, Vice Chancellor Slights dismissed the complaint seeking to enforce non-compete and non-solicitation provisions in a stockholders’ agreement in EBP Lifestyle Brands Holdings, Inc. v. Boulbain, C.A. No. 2017-0269-JRS (Del. Ch. Aug. 4, 2017), finding that the Delaware Chancery Court lacked personal jurisdiction over the defendant. Specifically, the Court held that defendant’s execution of a stockholders’ agreement governed by Delaware law and concerning a Delaware corporation was insufficient to satisfy the statutory and constitutional requirements to establish personal jurisdiction over an individual not resident or transacting business in Delaware.

CHANCERY COURT VACATES ORDER OF DEFAULT JUDGMENT DUE TO LACK OF SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION

Jul 24 2017

By: Annette Becker and Nolan Thomas

In Organovo Holdings, Inc., v. Georgi Dimitrov, C.A. No. 10536-VCL (Del. Ch. June 5, 2017), the Delaware Court of Chancery granted the defendant’s motion to vacate the entry of a default judgment entered against him, holding that the Court did not have subject matter jurisdiction over the case since the remedies sought by plaintiff were not equitable remedies that provided a basis for subject matter jurisdiction. The Court analyzed the means by which the Court of Chancery, a court of equity, could exercise subject matter jurisdiction over a case, and held that none of those existed in this case.

Court of Chancery Holds that Stockholder Was Not Bound by Stock Transfer Restrictions that Were Not Noted on Stock Certificates, Because Stockholder Did Not Have Actual Knowledge of Such Restrictions When He Acquired the Stock and Did Not Affirmatively Assent to Such Restrictions Thereafter

Jul 20 2017

By Eric E. Freedman and H. Corinne Smith

In Henry v. Phixios Holdings, Inc., C.A. No. 12504-VCMR (Del. Ch. July 10, 2017), the Court of Chancery, interpreting Section 202 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, found that a stockholder had not forfeited his shares by engaging in activities prohibited by stock transfer restrictions contained in a company stockholder agreement, because the restrictions were not printed on the stock certificate and the stockholder did not have actual knowledge of the restrictions at the time that he acquired the stock, and did not agree to the restrictions thereafter. The Court of Chancery therefore rejected the company’s assertions that the individual was a former stockholder rather than a current stockholder, and ordered the company to produce books and records requested by the individual in his capacity as a stockholder.

COURT BALKS AT ARTFUL PLEADING: COURT OF CHANCERY LACKED SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION TO HEAR ACTION FOR COLLECTION OF DEBT

Jul 17 2017

By Scott E. Waxman and Max E. Kaplan

In Yu v. GSM Nation, LLC, C.A. No. 12293-VCMR (Del. Ch. July 7, 2017), the Court of Chancery dismissed the complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Looking at the complaint holistically, the Court found plaintiff’s nominal pleading of equitable claims and relief insufficient to create jurisdiction where the alleged non-repayment of debt could be adequately remedied at law.

Cabo Verde Capital’s Merger Into A Foreign Company Severed Stockholder’s Standing To Bring A Books And Records Action In Delaware Chancery Court

Jul 10 2017

By Holly Hatfield and Max E. Kaplan

By letter report dated June 8, 2017, Master of Chancery Morgan T. Zurn recommended dismissal of the complaint in Walker v. Cabo Verde Capital, Inc., C.A. No. 11696-MZ (Del. Ch. June 8, 2017), finding that the plaintiff lacked standing to compel inspection of a non-extant Delaware company’s books and records. Citing recent developments in Delaware law, the Court held that the plaintiff could not satisfy the “stockholder” prerequisite for filing a Section 220 action because all stockholder interest had been previously extinguished by the company’s merger into a foreign corporation.

COURT OF CHANCERY CONSTRUES INDEMNIFICATION CLAUSES FOR LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY OFFICERS

Jul 06 2017

By: Scott Waxman and Michael Bill

In Meyers et al. v. Quiz-Dia LLC et al., No. 9878-VCL (Del. Ch. June 6, 2017), the Court of Chancery, entered a summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs entitling them to indemnification from Quizmark LLC (“Quizmark”) and QCE Gift Card LLC (“QCE Gift Card”). The Chancery Court also determined that the plaintiffs were not entitled to indemnification from Quiz-Dia LLC (“Quiz-Dia”).

The plaintiffs, Greg MacDonald (“MacDonald”) and Dennis Smyth (“Smyth”), were officers of the principal operating entity of Quiznos, QCE LLC (“OpCo”), and claim to have been officers of all of OpCo’s subsidiaries, including Quizmark, QCE Gift Card, and Quiz-Dia (collectively, the “Subs”). By 2012, various investment funds (the “Funds”) had accumulated substantial positions in OpCo’s debt and OpCo was having difficulty operating its business. This granted the Funds the power to declare a default under OpCo’s loan agreements. To neutralize the threat of default, OpCo entered into a complex restructuring transaction which transferred the ultimate ownership of OpCo and its subsidiaries to the Funds (the “Restructuring”). MacDonald and Smythe left Quiznos shortly thereafter.

In Statutory Merger Appraisal Proceeding, Chancery Court, Using Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, Finds Fair Value of Shares to be Below Merger Transaction Price

Jul 03 2017

By Eric E. Freedman and H. Corinne Smith

In In Re Appraisal of SWS Group, Inc., C.A. No. 10554-VCG (Del. Ch. May 20, 2017), the Delaware Court of Chancery, applying discounted cash flow analysis in a statutory appraisal proceeding, determined that the fair value of the stock of SWS Group, Inc. (“SWS”) at the time of its January 2015 merger was $6.38 per share. SWS stockholders had received a mix of cash and stock worth $6.92 per share in the merger transaction. As a result, the valuation determined by the Court in the appraisal proceeding represented a significant discount from the price paid in the merger.

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