Author:Zack

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COURT OF CHANCERY DENIES MOTION FOR DECLARATORY JUDGMENT
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COURT OF CHANCERY ANALYZES BOOKS AND RECORDS CLAIM UNDER THE LLC ACT
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Court of Chancery Analyzes LLC Valuation Reports in Connection With Breach of Fiduciary Duty
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Derivative Suit Dismissed for Failing to Plead Demand Futility
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Request for Attorneys’ Fees Denied Under Corporate Benefit Doctrine
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Stockholder Letter Requesting Remedial Action Deemed a Pre-Suit Demand
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Former Derivative Plaintiff Lacks Standing to Pursue Direct Claims Against General Partner
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MANAGERS NOT PROPERLY REMOVED FROM LLC DESPITE SOLE MEMBER’S INTENT
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Court of Chancery Finds that the Implied Contractual Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing Requires Delaware LLC to Exercise Discretion in Good Faith
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Delaware Court of Chancery Dismisses Derivative Suit in Limited Partnership Context for Failing to Make Demand or Show Demand Futility

COURT OF CHANCERY DENIES MOTION FOR DECLARATORY JUDGMENT

By: Scott Waxman and Zack Sager

In DG BF, LLC v. Ray, the Delaware Court of Chancery denied the plaintiffs’ motion for declaratory judgment, which sought confirmation that a manager’s consent was necessary in order to issue a new series of units of a limited liability company and to amend a limited liability company agreement.

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COURT OF CHANCERY ANALYZES BOOKS AND RECORDS CLAIM UNDER THE LLC ACT

By: Scott Waxman and Zack Sager

In Riker v. Teucrium Trading, LLC, the Delaware Court of Chancery granted in part and denied in part a member’s demand for books and records under Section 18-305 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (the “LLC Act”).  The Court also denied the member’s request for attorneys’ fees.

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Court of Chancery Analyzes LLC Valuation Reports in Connection With Breach of Fiduciary Duty

By: Scott Waxman and Zack Sager

In Zachman v. Real Time Cloud Services, LLC, the Delaware Court of Chancery analyzed competing expert reports valuing a Delaware limited liability company in connection with a breach of fiduciary duty claim.  The Court also denied motions to exclude a valuation report and for sanctions relating to discovery abuses, and denied the Delaware limited liability company’s counterclaims for conversion and tortious interference with contract.

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Derivative Suit Dismissed for Failing to Plead Demand Futility

By: Rem Kinne and Zack Sager

In Shabbouei v. Potdevin, C.A. No. 2018-0847-JRS (Del. Ch. Apr. 2, 2020), the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed a derivative suit against the board of directors (the “Board”) of lululemon athletica inc. (the “Company”) by a Company stockholder (“Plaintiff”) for failing to plead demand futility.  The Court held that Plaintiff did not plead with the requisite particularity that the Board was self-interested in a Separation Agreement with the Company’s CEO Laurent Potdevin (“Potdevin”) negotiated by the Board and that the Board’s decision to settle with, instead of firing, Potdevin for cause was outside the bounds of proper business judgment.

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Request for Attorneys’ Fees Denied Under Corporate Benefit Doctrine

By: Annette Becker and Zack Sager

In Martin v. Harbor Diversified, Inc., the Delaware Court of Chancery denied the plaintiff’s request for attorneys’ fees under the corporate benefit doctrine because the corporate benefit produced by the litigation was “a mere externality” to the plaintiff’s ultimate, personal goal of achieving a buyout of his interest in the corporation.

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Stockholder Letter Requesting Remedial Action Deemed a Pre-Suit Demand

By: Joanna Diakos Kordalis and Zack Sager

In Solak v. Welch, the Court of Chancery found that a letter from a stockholder to the board of directors, which requested remedial action to address allegedly excessive non-employee director compensation, was a pre-suit demand and dismissed the stockholder’s complaint for failing to allege wrongful demand refusal.

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Former Derivative Plaintiff Lacks Standing to Pursue Direct Claims Against General Partner

By: Scott Waxman and Zack Sager

In Morris v. Spectra Energy Partners (DE) GP, LP, the Court of Chancery held that the plaintiff, who previously lost standing to maintain a derivative action after it ceased to be a unit holder of a limited partnership, also lacked standing to directly challenge the fairness of the transaction that extinguished its right to pursue the derivative action.

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MANAGERS NOT PROPERLY REMOVED FROM LLC DESPITE SOLE MEMBER’S INTENT

By: Scott Waxman and Zack Sager

In Llamas v. Titus, the Court of Chancery held that, despite the intent of an LLC’s sole member, certain managers of the LLC were not removed as such because the sole member did not expressly remove them.  In its analysis, the Court applied corporate law principles by analogy because the LLC adopted a corporate-like structure.

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Court of Chancery Finds that the Implied Contractual Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing Requires Delaware LLC to Exercise Discretion in Good Faith

By: Scott Waxman and Zack Sager

In Coca-Cola Beverages Florida Holdings, LLC v. Goins, the Court of Chancery granted in part and denied in part a motion to dismiss a claim for breach of the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and, in so doing, found that the discretion afforded to a Delaware limited liability company under an agreement was required to be exercised in good faith.  In addition, the Court analyzed a motion to dismiss claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, quantum meruit, and fraud.

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Delaware Court of Chancery Dismisses Derivative Suit in Limited Partnership Context for Failing to Make Demand or Show Demand Futility

By: Scott Waxman and Zack Sager

In Inter-Marketing Group USA, Inc. v. Armstrong, the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed a derivative suit brought on behalf of a Delaware limited partnership because the plaintiff failed to make demand or show that demand was futile.

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