Court Of Chancery Explains Rights Of Preferred Stock
LC Capital Master Fund, Ltd. v. James, C.A. 5214-VCS (March 8, 2010)
Lately, there seems to be a lot of interest in the rights of preferred stock compared to the rights of common stock and how the board of directors should act when caught in the middle of their conflicting claims. This decision summarizes the past decisions and explains what to do.
Here are some "rules" to go by:
1. When the certificate of incorporation speaks to the preferred stock's rights on an issue, that controls and the board does not need to consider granting greater rights to the preferred. The charter ends the discussion.
2. When the certificate of incorporation is silent on an issue and leaves the preferred in the same position as the common [such as on the right to get the highest price for the company in a merger] then the board needs to consider the preferred and common as having the same rights and owed the same fiduciary duty.
3. When the issue somehow falls in a gap between the preferreds rights under the certificate of incorporation and the rights of the common stock, get a good lawyer. Seriously, the board needs to do its best to strike a fair balance under the circumstances.
