Derivative lawsuits generally refer to claims made relating to the mismanagement of a corporation or limited liability company. It is brought by a shareholder, as the corporation’s representative. Nickell v. Shanahan, 439 S.W.3d 223, 227 (Mo. 2014). The shareholder is only a nominal plaintiff, and the corporation or limited liability company is the real party…
Legal Articles
Nonprofit Corporation Derivative Actions
A corporate derivative action is one in which a shareholder or member sues on behalf of the corporation and against a director — usually for mismanagement, breach of fiduciary duty and/or some other malfeasance. The reasoning is that the injury is to the corporation and that the corporation, not its members/shareholders, must bring the suit…
Corporate Derivative Shareholder Claims, Beneficiary Trust Claims
With corporations, the directors and officers manage the corporation for the benefit of the shareholders. With trusts, the trustees manage the trust for the benefit of the beneficiaries. When a corporate officer/director commits a wrong against the corporation, or causes another injury to the corporation, a shareholder can bring a derivative on behalf of the…
Corporate Dissolution & Discontinuance, Shareholder Disagreement
There are a number of ways a corporation can be dissolved through a lawsuit in Missouri. Some of the methods depend on the nature of the corporation (e.g., close corporation, statutory close corporation). There are a few which further depend on whether the directors, officers and/or shareholders are in a “gridlock” or “stalemate” with respect…
Corporate Officer-Director Duties, Post Employment Responsibilities
Officers and directors of a corporation occupy a fiduciary position in relation to the corporation and its shareholders. The position is one of trust and officer and directors are obligated to act with fidelity and must subordinate their personal interest to the interest of the corporation should there be a conflict. Johnson v. Duensing, 351 S.W.2d…
Trust Opportunities, Trustee Breach of Loyalty
Corporate directors/officers and trustees are similar in that they are both fiduciaries and owe others (i.e., shareholders or beneficiaries, respectively) a duty of loyalty. As part of the duty of loyalty, the “corporate opportunity doctrine” forbids a corporate director from acquiring for his or her own benefit an opportunity that would have been valuable and…
Business Judgment Rule
In Missouri, the “Business Judgment Rule” is a legal principle which protects directors and officers of a corporation from liability for decisions made within the director’s or officer’s authority that are made in good faith and uninfluenced by any other consideration than the honest belief that the action serves the best interests of the corporation. Betty…
LLC Litigation, Involuntary Dissolution
Although corporations and limited liability companies (“LLC”) have many similar legal characteristics, they do have some dissimilarities when it comes to litigation. Both corporations and LLCs may be involuntarily dissolved by the Missouri attorney general or shareholders or LLC members. There is a clear difference , however, in when a shareholder may move to dissolve a corporation…