Justia Business Law Opinion Summaries

A plaintiff purchased shares of a company that went public through a direct listing, which involved listing already-issued shares rather than issuing new ones. Following the listing, the company's stock price fell, and the plaintiff filed a class action lawsuit alleging that the registration statement was misleading, thus violating sections 11 and 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933. These sections impose strict liability for any untrue statement or omission of a material fact in a registration statement or prospectus.The district court denied the defendants' motion to dismiss, despite the plaintiff's concession that he could not trace his shares to the registration statement. The court held that it was sufficient for the plaintiff to allege that the shares were of the same nature as those issued under the registration statement. The Ninth Circuit initially affirmed this decision.The United States Supreme Court vacated the Ninth Circuit's decision, holding that section 11 requires plaintiffs to show that the securities they purchased were traceable to the particular registration statement alleged to be false or misleading. On remand, the Ninth Circuit concluded that section 12(a)(2) also requires such traceability. Given the plaintiff's concession that he could not make the required showing, the Ninth Circuit reversed the district court's decision and remanded with instructions to dismiss the complaint in full and with prejudice. View "PIRANI V. SLACK TECHNOLOGIES" on Justia Law

Gary D. LeClair, a founding member of the now-defunct law firm LeClairRyan PLLC, attempted to withdraw from the firm in July 2019. He announced his immediate withdrawal and resignation effective July 31, 2019. However, on July 29, 2019, the firm's other members voted to dissolve the firm and established a Dissolution Committee. The firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 3, 2019, which was later converted to Chapter 7. The bankruptcy trustee listed LeClair as an equity holder, making him liable for some of the firm's tax obligations. LeClair contested this, arguing that he had effectively withdrawn before the bankruptcy filing.The bankruptcy court ruled that LeClair's withdrawal was ineffective because it occurred after the dissolution vote, interpreting the firm's operating agreement to prohibit member withdrawal after a dissolution event. The district court largely affirmed this decision but reversed on a minor point regarding the date of the equity holders list.The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reviewed the case. The court found that the bankruptcy and district courts misinterpreted the operating agreement. The agreement did not prohibit members from withdrawing after a dissolution event; it only barred withdrawal while a member held shares and the firm was still operational. Since LeClair's employment ended on July 31, 2019, his shares were automatically transferred back to the firm, and he ceased to be a member.The Fourth Circuit vacated the district court's judgment and remanded the case for further proceedings, instructing the bankruptcy court to determine if any equitable considerations might still warrant denying LeClair's motion to amend the equity holders list. View "LeClair v. Tavenner" on Justia Law

Sealed Appellant 1, the former CEO of a publicly traded company, and Sealed Appellants 2 and 3, a lawyer and law firm that represented him and the company, appealed an order from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The district court compelled Sealed Appellants 2 and 3 to produce documents withheld under attorney-client privilege in response to grand jury subpoenas. The court found that the crime-fraud exception to attorney-client privilege applied, as there was probable cause to believe that communications between Sealed Appellants 1 and 2 were made to criminally circumvent the company’s internal controls.The district court concluded that the company had an internal control requiring its legal department to review all significant contracts. It found that Sealed Appellant 1 and Sealed Appellant 2 concealed settlement agreements with two former employees who had accused Sealed Appellant 1 of sexual misconduct. These agreements were not disclosed to the company’s legal department or auditors, violating internal controls and resulting in false statements to auditors.The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reviewed the case. It first determined that it had jurisdiction under the Perlman exception, which allows for immediate appeal when privileged information is in the hands of a third party likely to disclose it rather than face contempt. On the merits, the court found no abuse of discretion in the district court’s application of the crime-fraud exception. It held that there was probable cause to believe that the communications were made to circumvent internal controls, thus facilitating or concealing criminal activity. Consequently, the Second Circuit affirmed the district court’s order compelling the production of the documents. View "In Re: Grand Jury Subpoenas Dated September 13, 2023" on Justia Law

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. develops therapies for rare disorders and was insured under two director and officer liability insurance programs covering different periods. The first program provided $85 million of coverage for claims made between June 27, 2014, and June 27, 2015 (Tower 1). The second program provided $105 million of coverage for claims made between June 27, 2015, and June 27, 2017 (Tower 2). In 2015, the SEC issued a formal investigation order against Alexion, which led to a subpoena seeking information related to Alexion’s grant-making activities and compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Alexion disclosed this investigation to its Tower 1 insurers.The Superior Court of Delaware found that the SEC investigation and a later securities class action against Alexion were unrelated, placing the securities class action coverage in Tower 2. The court applied the “meaningful linkage” standard and concluded that the connection between the SEC investigation and the securities class action was insufficient to make them related.The Supreme Court of Delaware reviewed the case and disagreed with the Superior Court’s conclusion. The Supreme Court found that the securities class action was meaningfully linked to the wrongful acts disclosed in Alexion’s 2015 notice to its Tower 1 insurers. Both the SEC investigation and the securities class action involved the same underlying wrongful acts, including Alexion’s grant-making activities and compliance with the FCPA. The Supreme Court held that the securities class action claim should be deemed to have been first made during the Tower 1 coverage period, and therefore, coverage should be under Tower 1. The judgment of the Superior Court was reversed. View "In re Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Insurance Appeals" on Justia Law

The case involves a dispute over the decision by the directors, officers, and stockholders of Tripadvisor, Inc. and Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. to change their corporate domiciles from Delaware to Nevada. Plaintiffs, who are stockholders, argue that the Conversions would provide non-ratable benefits to the Defendants, particularly in the form of reduced liability exposure, and thus should be reviewed under the entire fairness standard. Defendants argue that the business judgment rule applies.The Court of Chancery denied Defendants' motion to dismiss, holding that Plaintiffs had adequately alleged that Defendants would receive a non-ratable benefit from the Conversions, thus triggering entire fairness review. The court found that the Conversions could provide a material benefit to the Defendants by reducing their litigation risk and that the Complaint supported a reasonable inference that the Conversions were not entirely fair.On appeal, the Supreme Court of Delaware reversed the Court of Chancery's decision. The Supreme Court held that the business judgment rule, not the entire fairness standard, applies to the Conversions. The Court reasoned that the alleged benefits of reduced liability exposure under Nevada law were too speculative and not material enough to constitute a non-ratable benefit. The Court emphasized the importance of temporality in determining materiality, noting that the absence of any existing or threatened litigation weighed heavily against finding a material, non-ratable benefit. The Court also highlighted the principles of comity and the policy of allowing directors flexibility in determining an entity's state of incorporation. View "Maffei v. Palkon" on Justia Law

Aquarian Foundation, Inc., a non-profit religious organization, alleged that Bruce Lowndes infringed on its copyrights by uploading spiritual teachings of its late founder, Keith Milton Rhinehart, to various websites. Lowndes claimed he had a license from Rhinehart, granted in 1985, to use the materials. Rhinehart passed away in 1999, bequeathing his estate, including the copyrights, to Aquarian.The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington granted partial summary judgment, confirming that Rhinehart's copyrights were properly transferred to Aquarian via his will. After a bench trial, the court ruled against Aquarian on its claims of copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and false designation of origin. The court found that Rhinehart created the works as his own, not as works for hire, and that he had validly licensed them to Lowndes. The court also determined that Lowndes did not breach the licensing agreement and that Aquarian could not terminate the license under 17 U.S.C. § 203(a). The court denied attorneys’ fees to both parties.The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s findings that Rhinehart’s works were not created as works for hire, that he validly licensed the works to Lowndes, and that Lowndes did not breach the licensing agreement. The court also affirmed the decision not to award Lowndes attorneys’ fees under the Lanham Act. However, the Ninth Circuit reversed the district court’s determination regarding the termination of the license, holding that Aquarian’s termination letter in May 2021 was effective. The case was remanded for further proceedings to address any infringement that may have occurred after the license termination, as well as the denial of injunctive relief and attorneys’ fees under the Copyright Act. View "AQUARIAN FOUNDATION, INC. V. LOWNDES" on Justia Law

Shanda Games Limited, a video game company registered in the Cayman Islands, issued proxy materials as part of a freeze-out merger. The lead plaintiff, David Monk, alleged that these materials were materially misleading, causing him to accept the merger price instead of exercising his appraisal rights. The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed Monk’s claims, stating he failed to properly allege loss causation.The district court found that Monk had adequately pleaded that Shanda made two material misstatements but ruled that Monk had failed to plead reliance because the market in ADS was not efficient after the merger announcement. The court also held that the statements about the merger's fairness were inactionable opinions. Monk's motion for reconsideration was denied in part and granted in part, and his motion to add another lead plaintiff was denied. Monk filed a second amended complaint, which was again dismissed for failure to state a claim.The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reviewed the case and held that the district court erred in dismissing Monk’s claims. The appellate court concluded that Monk adequately alleged material misstatements, including the preparation of financial projections, the projections themselves, and the fairness of the merger. The court also found that Monk adequately pleaded scienter, reliance, and loss causation. The court affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded the case for further proceedings. View "In re Shanda Games Ltd. Securities Litigation" on Justia Law

Two brothers, Jim and Charles, manage two LLCs, JHD Properties, LLC, and Berry Hill Properties, LLC, which were established by their father as part of his estate plan. Each brother, along with two other siblings, holds a 25% equity interest in the LLCs through individual trusts. The LLCs own approximately sixty-eight acres of undeveloped land in Wake County, North Carolina. The operating agreements of the LLCs require unanimous agreement between the two managers for any binding action. Since 2018, Jim and Charles have been unable to agree on the use or sale of the property, leading to a managerial deadlock.The plaintiffs, James H.Q. Davis Trust and William R.Q. Davis Trust, filed an action seeking judicial dissolution of the LLCs, arguing that it had become impracticable to conduct the business of the LLCs due to the deadlock. The Business Court granted the motion to intervene by the Charles B.Q. Davis Trust and later denied the Charles Trust’s motion to dismiss. Both parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment. The Business Court granted summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs, concluding that the deadlock made it impracticable to conduct the LLCs' business in conformance with the operating agreements.The Supreme Court of North Carolina reviewed the case and affirmed the Business Court’s decision. The Court held that judicial dissolution was appropriate because the managerial deadlock prevented the LLCs from conducting any economically useful activity and there was no mechanism in the operating agreements to break the deadlock. The Court concluded that it was not practicable for the managers to operate the LLCs in accordance with the operating agreements, thus affirming the grant of summary judgment for the plaintiffs. View "Davis Trust v. JHD Properties, LLC" on Justia Law

Christine Berger and Brian Repnow were in a decade-long relationship but never married. During their relationship, they accumulated various properties and businesses. In August 2021, Berger filed a lawsuit seeking partition, conversion, promissory estoppel, and unjust enrichment, requesting an equitable division of their accumulated real and personal property or monetary damages. Repnow claimed sole ownership of the properties and requested denial of Berger's claims.The District Court of Mercer, South Central Judicial District, held a two-day bench trial in October 2023. The court granted Berger's partition claim for the Expansion Drive property, awarding her sole ownership, and determined that the other properties and vehicles were solely owned by Repnow. The court also granted Berger's unjust enrichment claim, awarding her $64,000 for her contributions to Repnow's properties, and denied the claims of conversion and promissory estoppel. The court awarded the Dream Girls Boutique business to Repnow and Powerhouse Nutrition to Berger.The North Dakota Supreme Court reviewed the case. The court affirmed the district court's finding that the parties intended to share ownership of the Expansion Drive property and the award of Powerhouse Nutrition to Berger. However, it reversed the decision to award 100% of the Expansion Drive property to Berger, stating that the district court should have considered the parties' respective ownership interests and made an equitable division. The court also found that the district court failed to complete the unjust enrichment analysis and adequately explain the $64,000 award.The North Dakota Supreme Court remanded the case for the district court to determine the parties' respective ownership interests in the Expansion Drive property and make an award consistent with those interests. The court also instructed the district court to complete the unjust enrichment analysis and provide a clear explanation for the $64,000 award if necessary. View "Berger v. Repnow" on Justia Law

Charles Youree, Jr. filed a lawsuit against two business entities, Recovery House of East Tennessee, LLC and RHT Holdings, LLC, seeking to hold them liable for a judgment he previously obtained against another entity, Recovery Solutions Network, LLC (RSN), by piercing the corporate veil. When the defendants did not respond, a default judgment was entered against them. The defendants moved to vacate the default judgment, arguing that the complaint did not plead the necessary elements for piercing the corporate veil and that their failure to respond was due to excusable neglect, though they later withdrew the excusable neglect argument. The trial court denied the motion to vacate, finding that the complaint stated a claim under the Allen factors.The Court of Appeals reversed the trial court's decision, holding that the correct standard for piercing the corporate veil was the three-element test from Continental Bankers Life Insurance Co. of the South v. Bank of Alamo, rather than the Allen factors. The appellate court found that the complaint failed to plead the necessary elements under the Continental Bankers standard and remanded the case to the trial court for further proceedings.The Supreme Court of Tennessee reviewed the case and affirmed the Court of Appeals' decision. The court held that the Continental Bankers elements are the correct framework for piercing the corporate veil in all cases, whether involving a parent-subsidiary relationship or a corporation-shareholder relationship. The court found that the plaintiff's complaint did not sufficiently allege the elements required under the Continental Bankers standard, specifically the elements of control used to commit fraud or wrong and causation of injury. Consequently, the trial court erred in denying the motion to vacate the default judgment. The case was remanded to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. View "Youree v. Recovery House of East Tennessee, LLC" on Justia Law