ISS and Glass Lewis Update 2017 Proxy Voting Policies
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis (GL), the two most influential proxy advisory firms to stockholders of public companies, recently released updates to their voting policies in 2017, including updates to their policies on “newly public” companies that have adopted anti-takeover protection measures considered “adverse to shareholder rights.” Our […]
Corp. Fin. Posts New Guidance on Banker Fee Disclosure of Alternative Fees for Tender Offers
On November 18, 2016, the Staff of the Division of Corporation Finance issued two new C&DIs that address banker fee disclosures for tender offers on Schedule 14D-9. The new C&DIs clarify that disclosure is required of “all” material terms for compensation including the types of fees payable to the financial […]
Treatment of M&A Non-solicits and Employee Comp Diligence Under New Antitrust Guidelines
Last month, the FTC and DOJ issued a set of antitrust guidelines addressing certain employment and compensation practices that are most likely to occur in the high-tech and healthcare industries where highly-skilled employees are in demand. Specifically, the guidelines clarify that an agreement among competing employers to limit or fix […]
Cybersecurity Diligence in M&A Transactions
Recently, in the midst of an M&A transaction involving Verizon and Yahoo!, news broke of a Yahoo! cybersecurity breach that had occurred approximately two years earlier. This event raised a lot of speculation around what effect the breach may have on the deal, including by how much it might change […]
Federal Antitrust Authorities Step Up Merger Enforcement – Recent Victories Buoy Enforcers
Obama Administration antitrust enforcers have faced criticism over the last year for not being sufficiently aggressive, allegedly leading to concentrated industries to the detriment of consumers. The Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission appear to have responded by stepping up enforcement.The agencies’ efforts are bearing fruit. In just the […]
Federal Court Gives Teeth to Operational Efforts Covenant in Sanofi/Genzyme Earn-Out Dispute
We keep a close eye on developing cases regarding earn-outs and contingent payment rights in light of the prevalent use of these arrangements in life sciences deals and their increasing use in non-life sciences deals. On September 8, 2016, a federal court in New York declined to dismiss a claim […]
Court Gives Energy Transfer the Right to Walk Based on its Counsel’s Inability to Deliver the Required Tax Opinion
In a rare decision involving unusual facts, the Delaware Court of Chancery held that a buyer (Energy Transfer Equity, L.P.) had the right to terminate a signed merger agreement with its target (The Williams Companies, Inc.) that Energy Transfer no longer wished to close due to the unexpected decline in […]
Federal Appeals Court Rejects “Disclosure-Only” Settlement
Yesterday, in In re: Walgreen Co., the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a “disclosure-only settlement” involving Walgreen Co.’s 2014 purchase of Alliance Boots and the combined company’s subsequent reorganization. In a strongly-worded but divided opinion, the Court reversed the district court’s ruling, which approved (albeit reluctantly) the disclosure settlement […]
Webinar Recording: Compensation and Benefits Issues in M&A Transactions
Employee benefits and executive compensation issues rarely drive an M&A transaction. But these issues can result in unexpected delays and can make or break a successful post-closing integration of the companies. This webinar focuses on key employee benefits and executive compensation issues that should be considered by public companies in M&A […]
Shareholder Activism and HSR Collide: DOJ Obtains Record Fine from ValueAct
The Department of Justice Antitrust Division announced on July 12 that ValueAct Capital agreed to pay a record $11 million civil penalty to settle claims that ValueAct purchased over $2.5 billion in Halliburton and Baker Hughes stock with the intention of influencing their proposed $35 billion merger without complying with […]