On May 1, 2023, Vice Chancellor Morgan T. Zurn of the Delaware Court of Chancery denied a motion to dismiss a putative stockholder class action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty claim against the directors of a telecommunications company (the “Corporation”) and seeking to enjoin alleged defensive measures.  In re Edgio, Inc. Stockholders Litigation, C.A. No. 2022-0624-MTZ (Del. Ch. May 1, 2023).  The action was brought after the Corporation acquired a portfolio company of an investor (the “Investor”) in exchange for a 35% stake in the post-merger entity and entry into a stockholders’ agreement that allegedly “restricted the [I]nvestor’s voting and transfer rights.”  The stockholders of the Corporation voted in favor of the transaction in advance.  Defendants argued that they were entitled to the “irrebuttable presumption of the business judgment rule” that applies “when a transaction is approved by a fully informed, uncoerced vote of the disinterested stockholders” under Corwin v. KKR Financial Holdings LLC, 125 A.3d 304 (Del. 2015).  The Court, however, found that the relevant provisions in the stockholders’ agreement were subject at the pleading stage to “enhanced scrutiny” as alleged “defensive measures . . . designed to entrench the board.”  The Court held that “Corwin cleansing” does not apply to a claim seeking to enjoin such alleged defensive measures.

On March 1, 2023, Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed derivative claims brought by stockholders for breach of the fiduciary duty of oversight under Caremark against the directors of McDonald’s Corporation (the “Company”). The decision follows the Court’s earlier decision to deny a motion to dismiss similar claims brought against the Company’s officers and to extend the Caremark duty to corporate officers, as discussed here. In re McDonald’s Corp. S’holder Deriv. Litig., Case No. 2021-0324-JTL (Del. Ch. Mar. 1, 2023).

On February 21, 2023, Vice Chancellor Lori W. Will of the Delaware Court of Chancery granted the petition of Lordstown Motors Corporation (the “Company”) under Section 205 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) to validate and declare effective the Company’s certificate of incorporation as amended in connection with a “de-SPAC” merger more than two years ago.  In Re Lordstown Motors Corp., C.A. 2023-0083-LWW (Del. Ch. Feb. 21, 2023).  In advance of the merger, the Company—then a special purpose acquisition company (“SPAC”)—adopted the amendment to increase the number of authorized Class A common shares, which were subsequently issued in connection with the merger.  The Company requested validation from the Court after the approval of the amendment—by a majority of Class A and Class B shares voting together rather than a vote exclusively by the Class A stock—was called into question by a recent decision related to another SPAC.  Because a “significant number of SPACs” had similar provisions and followed a similar process, that decision, Garfield v. Boxed, Inc., No. 2022-0132-MTZ (Del. Ch. Dec. 27, 2022)—discussed in a prior post—resulted in “pervasive uncertainty” regarding their capital structures and the validity of their stock.  Granting the petition, the Court concluded that validation of the charter amendment would be “just and equitable.”  The Court added that its decision “should prove instructive to other companies seeking the court’s assistance to validate similar corporate acts.”

On October 26, 2022, Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster of the Delaware Court of Chancery denied a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction claims of tortious interference asserted against a principal of a private equity fund (the “Fund”), which had been the majority investor of a limited liability company (the “LLC”).  In re P3 Health Grp. Holdings, LLC, Consol. C.A. No. 2021-0518-JTL (Del. Ch. Oct. 26, 2022).  Plaintiff — which had been the second largest investor in the LLC — alleged that defendant tortiously interfered with its contractual rights under the limited liability company agreement in connection with the merger of the LLC with a special purpose acquisition company (“SPAC”).  The Court concluded that the complaint adequately alleged that defendant “participated materially in the management” of the LLC such that he “can be served [process] as an acting manager” and that the “exercise of personal jurisdiction over [defendant] comports with … due process.”

On April 11, 2022, Vice Chancellor Paul A. Fiorvanti of the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed a stockholder challenge to an amendment of the certificate of incorporation of The Trade Desk, Inc. (the “Company”).  According to the complaint, the amendment effectively extended the voting control of the Company’s co-founder, Chairman, and CEO (the “CEO”) by extending the duration of a dual-class stock structure.  Plaintiff asserted claims against the CEO and other directors for breach of fiduciary duties in approving the amendment.  The Court dismissed the complaint because it found that the transaction process complied with the procedural protections necessary for application of the deferential business judgment rule pursuant to Kahn v. M & F Worldwide Corp., 88 A.3d 635 (Del. 2014) (“MFW”).

On June 16, 2022, Vice Chancellor Lori W. Will of the Delaware Court of Chancery granted declaratory judgment in favor of plaintiffs — four members of the board of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”), including its Executive Chairman — against defendants — the other four members of the Company’s board, including its CEO — after the eight-member board had deadlocked in connection with the Company’s impending board election.  In Re Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc., No. CV 2022-0127-LWW (Del. Ch. June 16, 2022).  The case arose after each faction had proposed its own slate of board nominees.  Plaintiffs challenged certain actions allegedly undertaken by the Company at the behest of defendants, such as the issuance of a Company press release purporting to express the Company’s disappointment in the slate proposed by plaintiffs and the retention of counsel on behalf of the Company to pursue litigation against plaintiffs.  Following a trial, the Court held that such actions were unauthorized and contrary to the corporate neutrality principle.  The Court explained that a Delaware corporation “must remain neutral when a there is a legitimate question as to who is entitled to speak or act on its behalf,” and [w]here a board cannot validly exercise its ultimate decision-making power, neither faction has a greater claim to the company’s name or resources.”

On May 13, 2022, Judge Maureen Duffy Lewis of the Superior Court of the State of California for Los Angeles County entered judgement in favor of three taxpayers bringing state constitutional challenges to S.B. 826, a bill for a California law that required the boards of California corporations to include women.  Crest v. Padilla, Case No. 19 STCV 27561 (Cal. Super. Ct. L.A. Cnty. May 13, 2022).  The law mandated that, by December 31, 2021, publicly held companies incorporated in California must appoint at least one woman on boards of four or fewer directors, two women on boards of five directors, and three women on boards of six or more directors.  The Court agreed with plaintiffs that the law violated the California constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.