On March 6, 2017, in a decision authored by Justice Margot Botsford, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the dismissal of an action for breach of fiduciary duty brought by former shareholders of EMC Corporation against its directors in connection with its merger with Dell Inc., finding that the claims could only have been brought derivatively.  Int’l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Loc. No. 129 Benefit Fund v. Tucci, SJC-12137 (Mass. Mar. 6, 2017).  In its decision, the Court clarified that “the general rule of Massachusetts corporate law is that a director of a Massachusetts corporation owes a fiduciary duty to the corporation itself, and not its shareholders.”  Further, the Court found that the injury alleged—the undervaluation of EMC in the transaction—“qualifies as a direct injury to the corporation” and “fit[s] squarely within the framework of a derivative action,” which plaintiffs as former shareholders did not—and could not—bring.   

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On February 27, 2017, Vice Chancellor Sam Glasscock III of the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed for lack of standing a lawsuit for inspection of corporate books and records brought by a former stockholder squeezed out in a two-step merger.  Weingarten v. Monster Worldwide Inc., C.A. No. 12931-VCG, 2017 WL 752179 (Del. Ch. Feb. 27, 2017).  As noted by the Court, this case presented an issue of first impression:  whether a plaintiff seeking corporate records under Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, 8 Del. C. § 220, must be a stockholder at the time the complaint is filed.  Based on the language of the statute, the Court held that the former stockholder lacked standing to bring a Section 220 action because he no longer owned shares following the merger.

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On January 19, 2017, Vice Chancellor Joseph R. Slights of the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed a shareholder derivative suit claiming a breach of fiduciary duty by the directors of United Parcel Service, Inc. (“UPS”) for an alleged failure of oversight in connection with UPS’s compliance with laws governing the transportation and delivery of cigarettes.  Horman v. Abney, C.A. No. 12290-VCS (Del. Ch. Jan. 19, 2017).  Specifically, the Court found that plaintiffs failed to plead adequately that making a demand on UPS’s board to pursue the claims would have been futile because the complaint did not contain factual allegations sufficient to support a reasonable inference that the director defendants faced a substantial likelihood of personal liability.  

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On January 19, 2017, Vice Chancellor Tamika Montgomery-Reeves of the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed a derivative suit brought by a shareholder of Mattel, Inc. (“Mattel”), after its board of directors declined to sue management to recover payments made to its former CEO under severance and consulting agreements.  Andersen v. Mattel, Inc., C.A. No. 11816-VCMR (Del. Ch. Jan. 19, 2017).  Vice Chancellor Montgomery-Reeves found that plaintiff failed to plead sufficiently particularized facts alleging gross negligence or bad faith, where the board made its decision after an investigation of the underlying events and also considered the potential consequences of the contemplated litigation.

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On December 5, 2016, the Supreme Court of the State of Delaware reversed a dismissal of a shareholder derivative action after finding that the complaint adequately pled that a majority of the directors of Zynga Inc. (“Zynga”) lacked the independence to impartially consider a lawsuit asserting breach of fiduciary duty claims against Zynga’s controlling stockholder and former CEO and another director.  Sandys v. Pincus, C.A. No. 9512-CB (Del. Dec. 5, 2016). 

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On November 30, 2016, Vice Chancellor Sam Glasscock III of the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed a pair of shareholder derivative suits against nominal defendant The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (“BNYM”) that sought to hold certain of its current and former directors and officers liable for allegedly causing or permitting certain misconduct to occur in the bank’s foreign exchange business.  Zucker v. Hassell, et al., C.A. No. 11625-VCG (Del. Ch. Ct. Nov. 30, 2016); Kops v. Hassell, et al., C.A. No. 11982-VCG (Del. Ch. Ct. Nov. 30, 2016).  The Court dismissed both complaints for failure to adequately plead that BNYM’s board of directors wrongfully refused the shareholders’ respective litigation demands, further reinforcing the difficulties that would-be plaintiffs face in satisfying the pleading standards required to obtain derivative standing to sue on behalf of a Delaware corporation.   

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On October 18, 2016, Chancellor Andre Bouchard of the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed a shareholder derivative action against the directors of Capital One Financial Corporation (“Capital One”), finding that plaintiff failed to plead demand futility in connection with his breach of fiduciary duty claims.  Reiter v. Fairbank, C.A. No. 11693-CB, 2016 WL 6081823 (Del. Ch. Oct. 18, 2016).  The Court held that the allegations—relying in large part on records obtained from Capital One under Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which the Court found were incorporated by reference into the complaint—did not “reasonably permit . . . an inference that the defendants consciously allowed Capital One to violate the law” so as to demonstrate bad faith and excuse the demand requirement.

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On August 31, 2016, Vice Chancellor Sam Glasscock III of the Delaware Court of Chancery granted in part and denied in part a motion to dismiss derivative claims against eleven directors of Duke Energy Corp. (“Duke”).  In re Duke Energy Corp. Derivative Litig., No. 7705-VCG, 2016 WL 4543788 (Del. Ch. Aug. 31, 2016).  The Court made two key rulings: 1) some, but not all, of plaintiffs’ claims were precluded by a prior ruling by a North Carolina court; and 2) for the non-precluded claims, plaintiffs adequately alleged demand futility.  

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On August 1, 2016, Vice Chancellor Tamika Montgomery-Reeves of the Delaware Chancery Court granted a motion to dismiss “Caremark” claims against directors of Qualcomm, Inc. for failure to plead that demand on the board of directors was futile, finding that the complaint failed to set forth particularized allegations of fact supporting an inference that a majority of the board faced a substantial likelihood of personal liability.  Melbourne Mun. Firefighter’s Pension Trust v. Paul E. Jacobs, et al. and Qualcomm, Inc., C.A. No. 10872, memo. op. (Del. Ch. Aug 1, 2016).  The complaint alleged that directors and officers of Qualcomm consciously disregarded antitrust enforcement actions in several international jurisdictions, ignored red flags regarding the firm’s compliance with international antitrust laws, and failed to remedy its business practices to comply with international antitrust laws, resulting in the imposition of fines and judgments against the company from multiple regulators in a number of jurisdictions, including a $975 million fine issued by the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China. 

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On July 18, 2016, a unanimous panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a shareholder derivative action against Wynn Resorts, Limited (“Wynn Resorts”) and eleven individuals—including Steve Wynn—who sit or sat on its board of directors.  La. Mun. Police Employees’ Retirement Sys. v. Wynn, __ F. 3d __, No. 14-15695, 2016 WL 3878228, (9th Cir. July 18, 2016).  Its ruling confirmed that the federal courts may dismiss, sua sponte, a “stateless” defendant if necessary to perfect their diversity jurisdiction; that trial court determinations regarding demand futility are reviewed for abuse of discretion in the Ninth Circuit; and that plaintiffs alleging demand futility must plead their case with particularity.   

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On June 15, 2016, Chancellor Andre G. Bouchard of the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed a derivative action against current and former directors of Lululemon Athletica, Inc., finding that plaintiffs’ claims were precluded by a previous dismissal of similar allegations in a New York based action.  Laborers District Council Constr. Indus. Pension Fund v. Bensoussan et al., C.A. No. 11293-CB (Del. Ch. June 14, 2016).

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