DLA Piper LLP (US) continues to forge a track record of success in M&A litigation, not least through its lead partners John Clarke in New York and head of Delaware litigation John Reed in Wilmington. The firm’s Delaware office increasingly puts it in pole position for high-stakes cases, a prime example being Reed’s work for MSG Networks in a post-closing action alleging breach of fiduciary duty by directors in approving the 2021 acquisition of the company by Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. The firm is frequently involved in mid-market transactions and consequent litigation, but it also plays a prominent role in many high-value matters, and Clarke’s work for Bristol-Myers Squibb in an action concerning its 2019 merger with Celgene Corporation is just one example. The firm is active across the US, with Melanie Walker in Los Angeles, Benjamin Schuman in Baltimore, and Jason Hopkins in Dallas all playing central roles in key matters.
Key clients
- UpHealth, Inc.
- MSG Networks, Inc. and 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
- StoneX Group Inc.
- STORE Capital
Work highlights
- Representing Haymaker Sponsor III LLC and Steven J. Heyer, the company's chief executive officer, in litigation in the District Court of Dallas County and the Chancery Court of Delaware.
- Representing Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in an action pending in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York for alleged breach of a contingent value rights agreement entered into in November 2019 in connection with its merger with Celgene Corporation. The asserted damages are unspecified, but allegedly are more than $6 billion.
- Representing GigCapital3, Inc., a special purpose acquisition company, and its officers and directors in an action brought on behalf of a putative class of investors alleging that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties to shareholders by allegedly not disclosing the exact cash-per-share that Gig3 would contribute in its de-SPAC mergers with Lightning eMotors and by including in the merger proxy allegedly false and misleading information regarding Lightning's ability to scale production and projections.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
John Clarke, John Reed