United States • Dispute resolution
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M&A litigation: defense

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DLA Piper LLP (US)

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DLA Piper LLP (US) litigation practice tackles cases arising out of mergers, including SPAC deals, allegations of securities fraud and directors’ breaches of fiduciary duty before state and federal courts and the Delaware Court of Chancery. Head of Delaware litigation John Reed represents companies, their boards and special committees in merger-related disputes, and in 2024 secured the dismissal of a shareholder suit against the directors of RTX (formerly Raytheon), alleging that they were conflicted and failed to uphold their fiduciary duties in the merger with United Technologies. Melanie Walker, who splits time between Los Angeles and Chicago, heads the firm’s corporate and securities practice, with particular expertise in SPAC-related cases, notably representing GigAcquisitions3, LLC and its directors against allegations they provided investors with false and misleading information in the leadup to the acquisition of Lightning eMotors. In Wilmington, Ronald Brown also worked on the RTX matter alongside Reed.
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Key clients

  • UpHealth, Inc.
  • MSG Networks, Inc./Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.
  • Japan NuScale Innovation
  • Resource REIT, Inc.
  • Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
  • Bowlero Corporation
  • ActiGraph, LLC
  • Haymaker Sponsor III LLC
  • GigAcquisitions2, LLC
  • GigAcquisitions3, LLC

Work highlights

Represented Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in an action pending in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York for alleged breach of an agreement governing the terms of a series of publicly traded contingent value rights agreement that BMS issued as part of the consideration for its merger with Celgene.
Represented GigCapital3, Inc., a special purpose acquisition company and its officers and directors in an action alleging that defendants breached their fiduciary duties by allegedly not disclosing the exact cash-per-share that Gig3 would contribute in its de-SPAC mergers with Lightning eMotors.

Lawyers

Practice head

John Reed; Melanie Walker

Other key lawyers

Ronald Brown

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