Delaware Chancery Dismisses Claims in Viela Bio Merger Dispute

In a significant decision that clarifies the standards for determining controlling stockholder status, the Delaware Court of Chancery dismissed claims against AstraZeneca and Viela Bio’s directors in connection with Viela’s $ 3 billion sale to Horizon Therapeutics. The case, Sciannella v. AstraZeneca UK Limited et al., addressed whether AstraZeneca, which held a 26.7% stake in Viela, exercised control over the company and whether the merger was subject to business judgment review under Corwin v. KKR Financial Holdings LLC. Vice … Read the rest

D&O Insurance: Delaware Court Applied “Meaningful Linkage” Interrelated Claims Test

In a November 30, 2021 opinion (here), a Delaware Superior Court judge, applying Delaware law, held that the later investigations of the insured policyholder by two regulatory agencies were unrelated to an earlier investigation of the company by one of the agencies. In making this “relatedness” determination, the court declined to apply the “fundamentally identical” standard that some Delaware courts have applied to relatedness issues, but instead applied a “meaningful linkage” test. Because relatedness disputes are so frequent, and because … Read the rest