I am forwarding two posts by Priya Cherian Huskins, Esq. of Woodruff Sawyer – Ms. Huskins’ posts highlight recent Delaware Supreme Court holdings in Marchand which are or should be important considerations for all boards and board committees.
In the post immediately below (click the link) Ms. Huskins discusses the court’s holding that the board (and its committees) must have monitoring processes in place. As an example, whereas it is a management responsibility to design, implement, monitor, and update risk management (or ERM) and compliance processes, and it is often said that it is the responsibility of the board (or of a committee of the board in conjunction with the board) to oversee that management has done so (i.e., a duty to oversee), Marchand makes it clear that the board/board committee oversight responsibility is an active and diligent oversight responsibility and that the board/board committee must also itself have oversight processes in place – both management and the board/board committee must design, implement, monitor and update processes to satisfy their different responsibilities, and the board/board committee can be found to be in breach of its oversight responsibilities if it fails to do so.
Here is the link to Ms. Huskins’ post pertaining to Marchand and board/board committee oversight and monitoring processes: Delaware Supreme Court Underscores the Importance of Board-Level Monitoring in Marchand (Duty of Loyalty) https://woodruffsawyer.com/do-notebook/board-level-monitoring/
In the second post (click the link below) Ms. Huskins discusses the holding in Marchand pertaining to director independence, and as I often refer to independence as situational independence. You might be aware that whether or not a director is independent in a particular situation can be extremely important as it can impact whether or not the board/board committee has properly performed its responsibilities, the burden of proof or standard that will apply in evaluating whether or not the board/board committee has performed its responsibilities, whether or not the business judgment rule will or might apply, and whether or not the action, decision or vote by the board/board committee in the particular circumstance is valid and enforceable.
The issue of independence is determined by the court on a legal and factual basis depending on the law, facts and admissible evidence in the particular situation. For example, as you might be aware (and you should be aware), when evaluating whether a director is sufficiently independent from the CEO for the purpose of that director making a decision pertaining to that CEO, or when evaluating whether a director is sufficiently independent for the purpose of making a decision pertaining to a control or M&A transaction, or whether a director is sufficiently independent when making a decision pertaining to an evaluation or investigation pertaining to the actions of or an accusation against an executive officer, the courts do in fact also look at not only the direct and extended family relationships and connections between the director and the person(s) involved in or benefiting from the transaction, but also variously can consider their direct and indirect social and business groups, clubs, friends and activities; the co-ownership of assets; and whether the director might feel hesitant to act with independence for any particular reason including, for example, the importance of that directorship to the director, the extent to which the director and the other person(s) have children in the same schools or school classes together, spousal and significant other connections, and other similar relationships and connections, etc.
You get the point – whereas not too many years ago, whether or not a director is sufficiently situational independent was a much less potentially complicated evaluation and issue, those times have changed and are now long gone. Here is the link to Ms. Huskins’ post pertaining to Marchand and the evaluation of director independence: Delaware Supreme Court Further Clarifies Its View of Director Independence in Marchand https://woodruffsawyer.com/do-notebook/delaware-supreme-court-marchand-director-independence/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=blog-management-liability
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Remember, every case and situation is different. It is important to obtain and evaluate all of the evidence that is available, and to apply that evidence to the applicable standards and laws. You do need to consult with an attorney and other professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for legal or other services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation or as legal or other professional advice or representation.
Thank you for reading this website. I ask that you also pass it along to other people who would be interested as it is through collaboration that great things and success occur more quickly.
Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only.
I am also the Chair of the Business Law Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco.
Blogs: Trust, estate/probate, power of attorney, conservatorship, elder and dependent adult abuse, nursing home and care, disability, discrimination, personal injury, responsibilities and rights, and other related litigation, and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com; Business, D&O, board, director, audit committee, shareholder, founder, owner, and investor litigation, governance, responsibilities and rights, compliance, investigations, and risk management http://auditcommitteeupdate.com
The following are copies of the tables of contents of three of the more formal materials that I have written over the years about accounting/auditing, audit committees, and related legal topics – Accounting and Its Legal Implications was my first formal effort, which resulted in a published book that had more of an accounting and auditing focus; Chapter 5A, Audit Committee Functions and Responsibilities, for the California Continuing Education of the Bar has a more legal focus; and the most recent Tate’s Excellent Audit Committee Guide (February 2017) also has a more legal focus:
Accounting and Its Legal Implications
Tate’s Excellent Audit Committee Guide
The following are other summary materials that you might find useful:
From a prior blog post which you can find at https://wp.me/p75iWX-dk if the below scan is too difficult to read:
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A blog discussing the law, D&O, governance, liability and other aspects of public and private businesses, not for profit organizations, and governmental entities – see additional detail below - note: sometimes I post information just to pass it along on these topics (not an endorsement), and sometimes I provide only brief comments or no comments, not a more full discussion. 