Delaware Reworks General Corporation Law

On March 25, 2025, Delaware enacted sweeping changes to the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) to provide certainty to key areas of Delaware corporate law.  The changes are expected to reduce the tide of redomestications to other states and reduce litigation risks for corporations and their boards of directors.  The key changes include new safe harbor protections for one or more directors, officers, or controlling shareholders/groups, from liability where they may not be independent in a transaction and changes to stockholders’ rights to inspect books and records.

Related Party Liability Protections

Section 144 of the DGCL relates to interested directors, officers and controlling stockholder transactions. In essence, Section 144 provides a safe harbor against liability claims for transactions between a corporation and its officers, directors, or controlling stockholders where conflicts, such as a financial interest, exist.  Section 144 prevents a transaction from being declared void or voidable solely due to the conflict of interest, as long as certain conditions