Deadlock – Delaware Docket

Court of Chancery Applies Entire Fairness Standard to Stock Sale Approved by Interested Board of Directors

May 16 2020

By: Annette Becker and Marissa Leon

In Marion Coster v. UIP Companies, Inc. (C.A. No. 2018-0440-KSJM) the Delaware Court of Chancery (the “Court”) addressed a dispute over the control and ownership of a company following a sale of unissued stock to a company executive. The Court applied the entire fairness standard to review the stock sale transaction and held it was fair in light of a valuation report obtained by the defendants in the case and entered judgment in favor of the defendants validated the stock issuance.

Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen – Deadlocked Management Leads to LLC Dissolution

Sep 26 2017

By Scott E. Waxman and Reese Brammell

In In re GR BURGR, LLC, C.A. No. 12825-VCS (Aug. 25, 2017), the Delaware Court of Chancery exercised its power under Section 18-802 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act to effect the judicial dissolution of GR BURGR, LLC (“GRB”). GRB was a Delaware limited liability company formed by an entity affiliated with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay (“GRUS”) and Rowan Siebel, each owning a 50% membership interest. This structure, along with the LLC Agreement’s lack of a tiebreaker, effectively turned any action requiring a majority vote of the managers into a unanimous vote. The relationship between the members eventually deteriorated, and the company, formed for the purpose of developing and operating burger restaurants, became locked in a stalemate regarding its future operations. GRUS petitioned for dissolution Section 18-802. The Court found that the undisputed facts entitled GRUS to such relief and, rejecting Siebel’s claims that dissolution was not equitable, granted the same.

Chancery Court Enjoins Incumbent Board Members’ Plan to Reduce Number of Board Seats Prior to Contested Election at Annual Meeting

Jul 15 2016

By Remsen Kinne and David Noll

In Pell v. Kill, et al, C.A. No. 12251-VCL (Del. Ch. May, 19, 2016), Vice Chancellor Laster preliminarily enjoined incumbent members of a board of directors from implementing a plan to reduce the number of board seats prior to a directors’ election at an annual meeting after a proxy challenge had been made.

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