Delaware Business Litigation Report

Court Of Chancery Explains How To Value A Derivative Claim In Merger

In re Massey Energy Company Derivative and Class Action Litigation, C.A. 5430-VCS (May 31, 2011)

When a company that is subject to derivative litigation is sold in a merger, the value of the derivative claim may be significant.  After all, in most cases, that claim passes to the buyer who arguably should pay something for it.  Here the Court carefully evaluated a derivative claim that it found would survive a motion to dismiss and explains why, in the circumstances of this case, that claim and its possible value did not mean the merger consideration was inadequate.

The way the Court does the analysis here is an excellent example of the way to value such a claim in the merger context.

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