Overview
Robinson Bradshaw represents public and private companies, boards of directors, equity sponsors and lenders in merger and acquisition litigation, general corporate litigation, and securities litigation and arbitration.
Our public company litigation experience includes derivative suits, hotly contested and fully litigated public company takeover disputes involving a hostile suitor or suitors, and typical class action shareholder suits often filed after the announcement of a public company merger or acquisition. We also defend lenders in suits alleging breach of loan commitments and tortious interference.
Our attorneys have extensive experience in disputes concerning privately held corporations, partnerships and LLCs. We have represented both minority and majority shareholders in "squeeze out" and other fiduciary litigation, deadlock situations, suits involving alleged diversion of assets and business opportunities, and "Meiselman" actions.
We defend securities claims against commercial banks, investment bankers, underwriters and issuers, and we have significant experience defending public corporations accused of proxy fraud or facing proxy battles and unwanted takeovers by hostile suitors. We also defend officers and directors against claims based on secondary theories of liability, such as control person liability, respondeat superior, and aiding and abetting. In addition, we represent stock brokerage firms in disputes with their clients or brokers.
Experience
- Represent a publicly traded company and its CEO, CFO and directors in a securities class action brought under Rule 10b-5 and Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act for alleged misrepresentations about a deal between two retail food companies.
- Advise companies and individuals regarding inspection and information rights, including books and records demands on Delaware corporations under Section 220.
- Represented the former CFO of a publicly traded technology company in defending securities and misrepresentation claims brought by term loan lenders and purchasers of convertible notes.
- Represented a publicly traded company in defending a securities class action brought in the Western District of North Carolina under Rule 10b-5 and Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act.
- Represented a public company in responding to a shareholder demand regarding a supplier diversity program.
- Represented a biotech company in a dispute over an investment banking engagement in the Southern District of New York following its strategic acquisition by a publicly traded company.
- Advised an investor in a startup company spun out of a research university regarding dilution and information rights issues under investing agreements.
- Represented investors regarding derivative claims involving more than $300 million in real estate investments and obtained approval of a settlement by 51 real estate LLCs with more than 1,400 individual members.
- Represented strategic acquirers and private equity sponsors in litigation involving numerous going-private transactions.
- Represented major public companies incorporated in North Carolina in merger litigation defending deal protection provisions.
- Represented the minority shareholders of a closely held family corporation in litigation concerning management and distribution disputes.
- Represented a private equity sponsor-seller in the successful resolution of an earnout and post-closing claims dispute following the sale of a portfolio company to a publicly traded buyer.
- Represented Carlyle Group and Hellman & Friedman in PPDI Merger Shareholder Litigation. In re PPDI Litigation, 11 CVS 1486 (N.C. Bus. Ct. 2011-12).
- Represented special committee members in various merger and derivative lawsuits.
Accolades
Honors & Recognitions
- Best Law Firms, Charlotte Tier 1 for litigation - securities, 2012-26
