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...

More On Suing The CEO For Social Activism

The last few days, I've been writing about the legal issues raised by Jon L. Pritchett and Ed Tiryakian in a recent opinion piece published by The Wall Street Journal.  To sum up the discussion so far, Professor Stephen Bainbridge responded to...

Can Shareholders Sue CEOs For Corporate Social Activism?

In an August 17, 2017 opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal, Jon L. Pritchett and Ed Tiryakian had the following message for shareholders:

A Subsidiary Post

Not too long ago, I wrote about the Securities and Exchange Commission's confusing classification of subsidiaries.  See The Case Of The Wholly Owned, But Not Totally Held, Subsidiary That May Or May Not Be 100% Owned. Since this blog is concerned...

Another "Best Practices" May Not Be Best After All

For years, I've been critical of governance experts who promote "best practices" without any basis that these practices are actually effective, much less the best. For example, the Harvard Law School's Shareholder Rights Project undertook to push...

A Field Guide To Distinguishing Directors From Officers

A colleague who is not a corporate lawyer recently noted that in common parlance directors and officers are often simply lumped together as the "same thing". He suggested that I devote a post to a primer on the differences between directors and...

Even If Enacted, The CHOICE Act May Not Repeal The SEC's Pay Ratio Rule

While prognosticators continue to place odds on whether the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017, H.R. 10, will be enacted, many commentators are claiming that it will "repeal" the Securities and Exchange Commission's pay ratio rule. Even if H.R. 10 is...

Fictitious Name Use Fails To Engender Standing Or Jurisdictional Issue

California Code of Civil Procedure Section 367 requires that every action must be prosecuted in the name of the real party of interest. What happens when a plaintiff sues under a fictitious business name of a dissolved foreign limited liability...

State Controller Defeats Judgment Creditor's Claim To Escheated Funds

Here is the question: