Multifarious Meanings of "Person"

Last Friday, I observed that the definitions of "person" found in the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act are oddly incongruous. The California Corporations Code is similarly inharmonious. Section 18 of the Code, which applies to the...

Shareholder Derivative Suit Or Derivative Action?

I have long puzzled over the question of which is correct - "derivative suit" or "derivative action"? Historically, the term "suit" was used for proceedings in equity. California courts have generally regarded shareholder derivative claims as...

Shares of Foreign Subsidiaries

I expect that little or no thought is given to the possible application of California's Corporate Securities Law of 1968 when a corporation incorporates a subsidiary under the laws of a foreign country. However, the issuance of shares to a corporate...

A Shareholder Consent In Its Dotage May Or May Not Be Valid

California Corporations Code Section 603(a) broadly authorizes shareholder action by written consent:

Enforceability Of Exclusive Forum Bylaw May Hinge On The Meaning Of "May"

No California appellate court has yet addressed the validity of forum selection bylaws in a published decision. When the question comes before a California appellate court, the outcome may turn on the meaning of "may" in California Corporations Code...

Buying Assets? Have You Considered This Secretary's Certificate?

California Corporations Code Section 1001 requires approval by the outstanding shares (Corp. Code § 152) of the principal terms of a sale of all or substantially all of a corporation’s assets (unless the transaction is in the usual and regular...

LLC Bound By Agreement Signed By Manager's Manager

Justice Kenneth R. Yegan clearly and concisely frames the question in Western Surety Co. v. La Cumbre Office Partners, LLC, 2017 Cal. App. LEXIS 77 (2017):

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