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

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