Two cases in the Delaware Supreme Court and Delaware Court of Chancery highlight the disclosure obligations of Delaware corporations in two situations: when notifying stockholders of appraisal rights related to a short-form merger, and when notifying stockholders of a written consent action. The rulings apply to all Delaware corporations, but are of particular note for those that are privately held. Public companies will in all likelihood satisfy Delaware’s disclosure standards by complying with applicable federal securities laws. In contrast, many privately held companies are not in the habit of carefully evaluating the level of information disclosed to their stockholders. Further, the rulings mandate disclosure beyond that expressly required on the face of the Delaware General Corporation Law, so a simple read of the applicable statutes will not reveal all applicable disclosure requirements.
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