Explore a case study in M&A where the buyer’s inability to sue the seller is examined due to contractual limitations on claims beyond representations and warranties. M&A Stories December 10, 2020 Introduction: When considering the purchase of a business, it’s…
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Buyer Cannot Sue Seller for Withholding Pending Customer Loss Information
Posted in contracts, due diligence, extra-contractual fraud, fraud in business sale, non-reliance clause Tagged with: asset purchase agreement, Business acquisition, Business Transactions, buyer-seller dispute, contractual limitations, contractual representations, Delaware law, due diligence, fraud, Humana contracts, Legal action, loss of major customer, M&A legal case study
Israeli pharma buyer’s fraud claim against seller of Mexican pharma company tossed out by court
In 2015, Buyer, an Israeli pharma company purchased Target, a Mexican pharmaceutical company, from Sellers, and the intellectual property used by Target from a Sellers affiliate. The total sale price came to $2.3 Billion. After the closing, Buyer claimed that…
Court said it may be reasonable for business buyer to rely on seller oral representation about competition
Target, based out of the Kansas City area, provides movie theater digital marketing/advertising and movie theater concessions. Sellers were the owners of Target. Buyer is a Texas capital investment limited liability company. In early 2015, Sellers circulated a solicitation seeking…
Delaware court holds that buyer of specialty chemical business can sue seller for misrepresenting the environmental liabilities of the business
Target’s business is making specialty chemicals. Its business was originally operated as an American subsidiary of a German based company. Ultimately, Target became the owner of the business. The owners of Target will be referred to as Shareholder. The owners…
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- "as is where is"
- 351 M&A transactions
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- asbestos claims
- asset buyer's assumption of seller's liabilities by contract
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- asset vs stock deal
- Assignment
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- assumption of contract by incorporation by reference
- attorney client privilege
- Attorney's Fee Provision
- bad faith
- bankruptcy sale
- best efforts to secure financing
- bitcoin
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- boilerplate provisions
- bona fide offer
- book value adjustment
- books and records rep and warranty
- boot
- boot
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- breach of contract
- breach of contract
- breach of contract exclusion
- breach of representations and warranties
- breach of seller's covenants
- business cards
- business judgment rule
- buyer assumption of seller liability
- Buyer beware
- buyer connected to seller insiders
- buyer has no regulatory problems
- Buyer payment of seller retained liabilities
- buyer representations and warranties
- buyer's assumption of seller liabilities in asset acquisition
- buyer's covenants
- buyer's stock as currency
- buying distribution business
- C Reorganization
- California
- capitalization of cash flow
- cash
- cash and cash equivalents
- CERCLA or superfund liability
- certificate of insurance
- certificate of need
- CGL Policy
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- choice of law provision
- choice of law provision
- claim against seller's liability insurance
- closing
- co-author
- commercially reasonable efforts
- common interest doctrine
- compliance with all applicable laws
- conditions to closing for buyer's benefit
- consent to assignment
- consent to assignment
- constructive knowledge
- constructive knowledge
- continuity of enterprise exception
- continuity of ownership
- contracts
- contravene strong state public policy
- controlling shareholder fiduciary duty M&A
- copyrights
- corporate overhead
- covenant not to compete
- Covenants
- customer and supplier rep
- customer deposits
- customer list
- customer list
- damages
- de facto merger exception
- death of seller's impact upon noncompetition payments
- deferred closing
- Delaware
- deliberate fraud carveout
- denial of consent must be reasonable
- dental practice sale
- Description of business assets purchased
- determination of purchase price adjustment
- diminuation of value
- direct
- director and officer duty of care
- director liability
- directors and officers insurance policy
- discharge in bankruptcy
- disclosure schedule
- discounted cash flow or DCF
- dispute resolution procedure
- dispute resolution provision
- distressed business acquisitions
- divestitures
- doing deal with company's officer or director
- due diligence
- duty to defend
- Duty to Defend
- Duty to negotiate in good faith
- duty to warn
- earn out
- earn out dispute procedure
- earn outs
- earnout
- earnout as ownership interest in buyer
- EBITDA
- EBITDA
- economic loss doctrine
- employment agreement
- employment agreement
- enforce against nonparty
- enforceability of non-owner noncompete
- entire fairness
- environment representations and warranties
- environmental
- environmental problems
- environmental remediation
- equitable contribution
- equitable estoppel
- escrow
- excluded liabilities
- excluded or retained liabilites
- exclusive remedy
- exclusivity provision
- excuse for untimely indemnification claim
- executory contracts
- extension by contract in Delaware
- extension of closing
- extra-contractual fraud
- F reorganization
- failure to make timely purchase price payment
- fair insider deal
- Family and Medical Leave Act
- FDIC approval
- federal employer liability
- federal employment discrimination liability
- federal multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability
- federal securities fraud
- federal wage and hour violations
- fee based upon buyer debt assumption
- financial representation and warranty
- financing acquisition issues
- financing contingency
- for cause termination
- force majeure
- foreign income tax
- form over substance
- forum non conveniens doctrine
- forum selection clause
- franchise sale
- fraud
- fraud carveout
- fraud carveout
- fraud in business sale
- fraud in the inducement exception
- fraudulent concealment
- fraudulent inducement
- fraudulent intent
- fraudulent omission
- full disclosure
- full disclosure rep
- full disclosure rep
- further assurance provision
- further assurance provision
- governmental approval
- governmental approval of transaction
- Guaranty
- guaranty of related acquisition agreements
- handshake redemption obligation
- hinder, delay or defraud
- hiring seller's employees
- implied assumption of seller contract/liability
- implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing
- implied duty of good faith and fair dealing
- implied warranty of merchantability
- indemnification
- indemnification cap
- indemnification for pre-closing product loss
- independent trustee
- inequitable
- insider
- insurance broker duty
- insurance coverage
- insurance requirements
- integration clause
- Intellectual Property
- Internal Revenue Code Section 1377 election
- investment banker/business broker
- joint venture
- judgement for intentional misrepresentation
- key employees of target
- land use issues
- layoff notice law or Warn Act
- leases
- leases
- letter of intent
- liens
- liquidated damages provision
- loss payee
- lost profits
- M&A agreement
- MAE rep
- major shareholders exclusion
- material
- material contracts
- material rep and warranty breach
- Medi-Cal provider agreements
- membership interest purchase agreement
- mere continuation
- mere continuation exception
- merger
- merger agreement
- midco transaction
- minority business participation program
- misappropriation of likeness
- misleading personal financial statement
- missing attachment to acquisition document
- modification as counteroffer
- multi-employer pension plan
- mutual mistake
- mutual mistake
- negligent misrepresentation
- net working capital adjustment
- New York
- no kickback or bribe rep
- no oral modifications of contract
- no pending government investigations or inquiries
- no solicitation of seller employees
- No Undisclosed Liabilities
- non-reliance clause
- nonbinding
- nonbusiness income
- nonbusiness income/sale of subsidiary
- noncompete area
- noncompetition covenant term
- nondischargeable debt in bankruptcy
- nondisclosure agreement
- nondisclosure provision
- nonqualified preferred stock
- nonsolicitation of employees and customers
- nonsolicitation of former customers
- note payment amount adjustment
- notice
- notice provision
- officer duty of care
- officer or director's fiduciary duty to disclose
- offset or setoff provision
- offset right
- One class of stock
- oral contract
- oral copyright agreement
- overly complicated language in contract
- owner liability for company breach of financing deal
- Ownership of Target Law Firm File
- parol evidence rule
- patents
- payroll tax
- percentage of purchase price
- permits and certificates
- personal goodwill
- personal guaranty
- personal guaranty of company debt by selling shareholder
- personal guaranty of lease
- Personal Name
- photo or image
- piercing veil of acquisition subsidiary
- post asset purchase issues
- post closing covenants
- post signing asset valuation
- post-closing adjustments for pre-closing sales and services
- post-closing sales tax
- PPP loan
- PPP loan assumption
- pre-closing management agreement
- pre-closing operating arrangement
- pre-closing sales tax
- preservation of due diligence materials
- prior-material-breach doctrine
- private equity
- Problem with distributors
- Problem with Investment Banker/Broker/Finder Fee
- problem with mandatory arbitration clause
- Problem with products
- problem with prorations
- problem with purchase price adjustment
- problem with seller co-owners
- problem with seller contract
- Problem with seller lessor or landlord
- Problem with seller owner's competition
- problem with seller's owner
- Problem with Union Pensions
- Problem with Vendors and Suppliers
- Problems when business fails after closing
- Problems with Bankruptcy Auction Sales
- Problems with business records
- Problems with Competitors
- problems with condition of assets
- problems with creditors of distressed business
- problems with customers
- Problems with Deferred Purchase Price
- Problems with Deposits
- Problems with Description of Assets
- Problems with description of purchase price
- Problems with distressed business seller unexpired tenant leases
- problems with divestitures
- Problems with due diligence
- problems with earnouts
- problems with employees
- Problems with financials
- problems with financing transaction
- problems with forum selection clauses
- Problems with franchise deals
- problems with general liability insurance
- Problems with governments
- problems with insurance
- Problems with intellectual property
- problems with leases
- problems with pensions
- problems with post-closing litigation in inconvenient form
- Problems with post-closing management of business
- problems with receivables
- Problems with sale of auto dealerships
- problems with seller's employees
- problems with seller's lender
- Problems with seller's pre-closing errors & omissions
- Problems with seller's projections
- problems with seller's real property
- problems with subordination rights
- problems with successor liability
- problems with taxes
- product line exception
- projections
- projections
- promissory estoppel
- promissory note
- prudence
- public information exclusion
- punitive damages
- purchase agreement
- purchase price
- purchase price adjustment
- purchase price reduction
- quality of earnings assessment
- ratifying unassumed contract by post-closing action
- reasonably equivalent value
- receipt of buyer equity or security
- receipt of buyer equity or security
- receivables
- recoupment doctrine
- reformation
- reformation of contract
- reliance
- remote use of trademark out of territory
- representation and warranty about customers
- representations and warranties
- rescission
- rescission
- retaliation
- retention bonus
- revenue and profit projections
- reverse termination or breakup fee
- Revlon doctrine
- Right of publicity
- risk of post closing payments
- royalty
- S corporation
- sale leaseback
- sale of assets of business
- sale of business to ESOP
- sale of product line
- sales order
- sales tax
- sales tax imposed on equity sale of DRE
- sales tax risk
- SBA approval re PPP loan
- scienter
- Section 1377 election
- Section 363 sale
- securing buyer's note
- securing deferred purchase price
- security agreement
- seller carried purchase price
- seller knowledge
- seller owner responsibility for underreported sales tax
- seller owners equity interest in buyer
- seller ownership in buyer
- seller rep of no federal employer liability
- seller's age discrimination claims
- seller's covenants
- seller's federal injunctions
- seller's unemployment experience rating
- seller's warranty claims
- seller's workers compensation experience rating
- Selling shareholders problem with their board of directors
- severance benefits
- sexual harassment
- shareholder approval of deal
- shareholder buyout of partner
- shareholder personal guaranty of target lease
- shareholder release
- sharing transaction tax deduction benefits
- sick time
- signing LOI with revisions by signer
- specific performance
- state and local tax
- state approval of nonprofit hospital
- state franchise/income tax
- statute of frauds
- statute of limitations
- stay bonus
- step-down provision
- stock purchase agreement
- stock sale
- strategic acquisition
- strategic acquisition
- structure of transaction
- subordination
- substance over form
- substantially all assets
- success fee
- successor liability
- sufficiency of assets rep
- supply problems
- survival of covenants
- survival of reps and warranties
- tangible net worth
- target's stock options
- tax
- tax benefit sharing
- tax deferred reorganization
- tax penalties and additions
- Taxation
- termination of M&A agreement
- termination or breakup fee
- third party
- third party beneficiary clause
- time of the essence
- timely objection to indemnification claim
- tolling
- tolling
- tort misrepresentation in M&A
- tortious interference with prospective economic advantage
- trade secret misappropriation
- trade secret misappropriation by former seller employee
- trademark infringement
- trademarks
- transferee liability for taxes IRC Section 6901
- TRO/preliminary injunction before filing for arbitration
- tying fraud to economic loss
- typo or scriverner's error
- UCC search
- Uncategorized
- Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act or Uniform Voidable Transfer Act
- union fringe benefits
- union liabilities
- unitary business
- unjust enrichment
- unliquidated or disputed claim
- unwanted assets
- vacation time
- valuation
- value added tax or VAT
- waiver of contractual provision
- waiver of jury trial
- waiver of removal to federal court
- waiver provision
- willful breach carveout
- willing buyer or procuring cause
- Withholding Post-closing payments
- working capital adjustment
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