Books and Records Demand

The Delaware Supreme Court recently handed down a significant decision implicating several common defenses raised to a books and records demand made under Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law.  The opinion is AmerisourceBergen Corporation v. Lebanon County Employees Retirement Fund, No. 60, 2020 (Del. Supr. Dec. 10, 2020).

The decision is an

Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law permits a stockholder or director to make a books and records against a corporation incorporated in Delaware, regardless of where the corporation conducts its business.  Yet many jurisdictions have their own inspection statutes, some of which govern not only entities incorporated or formed in that state, but

It is well established that when a stockholder of a Delaware corporation makes a books and records demand under Section 220 of the DGCL, the stockholder must state a proper purpose for the requested books and records.  “Valuation of a stockholder’s investment in a corporation, particularly where the corporation is privately held, has long