A recent Court of Chancery decision is notable for its analysis of an issuance of shares approved by a sole director–but without stockholder approval. In the matter of Applied Energetics, Inc. v. Farley, C.A. No. 2018-0489-TMR (Del. Ch. Jan. 24, 2019), the court considered a somewhat unusual set of facts that included a shell corporation, at the time of the issuance of stock being contested, that only had one director–although the bylaws required a minimum of three directors.  A stockholder…

A recent Delaware Supreme Court decision is must-reading for those who need to know the latest iteration of Delaware law on the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. In Oxbow Carbon & Minerals Holdings, Inc. v. Crestview-Oxbow Acquisition, LLC, Del. Supr. No. 536, 2018 (Jan. 17, 2019), Delaware’s High Court provided the latest articulation of Delaware law on the multi-faceted doctrine of the implied covenant of good faith and fairing dealing. In connection…

A recent Delaware Court of Chancery decision addressed the important issue of the right of directors to be given access to corporate records. In Schnatter v. Papa John’s International, Inc., C.A. No. 2018-0542-AGB (Del. Ch. Jan. 15, 2019), Delaware’s court of equity considered a claim under Section 220(d) of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) by the founder and largest stockholder of the Papa John’s pizza chain who was forced out as the CEO…

A recent decision of the United States Supreme Court addressed the frequently encountered issue of arbitrability—that is, whether a court or an arbitrator should decide whether or not a particular issue is subject to arbitration based on the arbitration clause in an agreement. This decision is noteworthy because the issue often arises about how to handle an argument that a claim is subject to arbitration when that claim is frivolous (at least in one party’s…

A recent Delaware Court of Chancery decision determined that “words” prevailed over “numbers” when they appear next to each other as contract terms in a manner that is inconsistent and contradictory. In Fetch Interactive Television, LLC v. Touchstream Technologies, Inc., C.A. No. 2017-0637-SG (Del. Ch. Jan. 2, 2019), the court described in extensive detail the claims and counterclaims between parties who had entered into licensing agreements and a sublicense for a patent, amid deteriorating personal…

A recent Delaware decision is noteworthy because of its clarification of when the statute of limitations begins to run in connection with the alleged breach of a contractual indemnification clause. The Superior Court ruled that an indemnification claim for environmental remediation liability accrued when the seller refused to indemnify the buyer–and not when the buyer discovered the contamination on which the indemnification claim was based. See Cooper Industries v. CBS Corp., C.A. No. N18C-03-175-WCC-CCLD (Del. Super., Jan. 10, 2019). The…

For the 14th year, we provide a list of key Delaware corporate and commercial decisions from the prior year. This year, our list is co-authored by Chauna Abner in addition to yours truly, and appeared in the following article published in the Delaware Business Court Insider on January 2, 2019: For the 14th year, we have created an annual list of important corporate and commercial decisions of the Delaware Supreme Court and the Delaware…