In the current global economy, many companies have operations and assets in far-flung corners of the world. These geographically dispersed arrangements have a number of implications for the concerned companies. According to a recent decision from the Delaware Court of Chancery, the arrangements may also have important implications of these companies’ outside directors, at least
Fifth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of BP Deepwater Horizon Derivative Suit
The Deepwater Horizon platform explosion and oil spill took place in the Gulf of Mexico, about 250 miles southeast of Houston. The environmental damage took place in the Gulf and along the Gulf shore in the Southeastern United States. When BP’s shareholders tried to sue the board of directors of BP — a corporation organized under
Tough Week for Fee-Seeking and “Fast Filer” Plaintiffs’ Lawyers
Our legal system is one of our society’s crowning achievements. But for all of its grandeur, our legal system is not without its flaws. Among other things, our system encourages litigiousness that all too often involves frivolous suits and lawyers’-fee driven litigation, including the recent phenomenon of multi-jurisdiction derivative litigation driven by plaintiffs’ lawyers competing
Cornerstone Research Releases Updated Study of M&A Litigation
On April 25, 2012, Cornerstone Research released a report written by Stanford Business School Professor Robert Daines and Cornerstone Research Principal Olga Koumrian entitled “Recent Developments in Shareholder Litigation Involving Mergers and Acquisitions – March 2012 Update” (here). This memorandum is the latest in a series of recent papers documenting the growth in
Taking a Look at the Limits of Indemnification
Indemnification is the first and most important line of defense for the protection of directors and officers. But corporate officials are not always entitled to indemnification. For example, under Delaware law, they cannot claim mandatory indemnification if their defense is not successful. And they cannot seek permissive indemnification is they did not act in good
Takeover Litigation in 2011
In their paper “A Great Game: The Dynamics of State Competition and Litigation” (here), Ohio State Law Professor Steven Davidoff and Notre Dame Finance Professor Matthew Cain analyzed the M&A related litigation during the period 2005 to 2010. I discussed this article in a prior post, here. In a newly released February
All the M&A-Related Litigation Reference Material in One Convenient Location
During last week’s PLUS D&O Symposium, several of the panels discussed the problems surrounding the current onslaught of M&A-related litigation – and appropriately so, as the surging levels of M&A litigation is one of the most distinct and troubling current litigation trends. During the course of the discussion at the conference, several of the
A Small Step Toward Curbing the Follow-On Derivative Suit Curse
One feature of the recent changing mix of corporate and securities litigation has been the rise in the filing of follow-on derivative lawsuits in the wake of securities class action lawsuit filings. As Wilson Sonsini partner Boris Feldman recently noted, “like a moth drawn to a candle,” the derivative bar watches class action filings
Delaware Chancery Court Enters $1.263 Billion Shareholders’ Derivative Suit Award
In an interesting October 14, 2011 post-trial opinion, Delaware Chancellor Leo Strine entered a $1.263 billion award in the Southern Peru Copper Corporation Shareholder Derivative Litigation. The lawsuit relates to Southern Peru’s April 2005 acquisition of Minerva México, a Mexican mining company, from Groupo México, Southern Peru’s controlling shareholder. Chancellor Strine concluded that as a
OFAC Violations: A New Potential Source of D&O Liability Exposure?
In a lawsuit suggesting a new area of potential liability for corporate directors and officers, a shareholder of J.P. Morgan Chase has filed a derivative lawsuit against the company, as nominal defendant, and certain of its directors and officers alleging breaches of fiduciary duty in connection with the company’s recent $88.3 settlement with the U.S.