Most limited liability company and partnership statutes make no mention of ‘deadlock’ as grounds to order the involuntary dissolution of a business. Deadlock arises when the members or partners are no longer able to pursue the basic agreements on which the business was organized, typically an operating agreement or partnership…
Deadlock in a limited liability company or partnership occurs when the members can no longer pursue the purpose of the business as agreed in an operating agreement or partnership agreement. A ‘minority veto’ occurs when a minority member or partner uses the unanimity requirement to block the will of majority.…
A limited liability company operating agreement may be amended informally by oral agreement or by a course of conduct. The party that claims amendment of an operating agreement by a course of conduct must establish the clear and mutual intent of the parties to agree to the amendment. A clear…
The business judgment rule insulates decisions made in good faith and in the best interests of the enterprise from being subject to judicial second guessing ordinary business decisions Majority shareholders that failed to pay dividends to a non-employee minority shareholders in valid exercise of business judgment rule did not…
Any action that the managers of a Limited Liability Company might take at a meeting can also be taken by executing a written consent. An action by written consent may, in some circumstances, avoid the need to assemble a quorum of the managers. The managers of an LLC many be…
‘Business Divorce’ refers to disputes in which the owners of a closely held business, whether a corporation, limited liability company, partnership or limited partnership, must separate their business interests. In many cases, such as oppressed minority shareholder cases or oppressed LLC member cases, there are allegations that those in control…
New York does not recognize a cause of action for minority oppression of a member of a limited liability company. Judicial dissolution is a remedy available to the minority LLC member when the majority is unwilling or unable to promote the purpose of the company or continuing the business has…
A trial court reasons that because a member-managed limited liability company is similar in management to a partnership, the court may reason from partnership law in fashioning a remedy for an expelled member. The majority members of the LLC, who voted under the Operating Agreement, to compel the withdrawal of…
In valuing the shares of a minority shareholder, a trial court must consider any valuation technique that is generally acceptable in the financial communities. Determining fair value is an art, not a science. Directors that hold a majority interest in a closely held business have a duty to deal fairly…
The Single Business Theory permits a court to treat related businesses as though they were one enterprise. Courts apply the single business theory in rare cases to prevent injustice. Pertuis v. Front Roe Rests., Inc., 2018 S.C. LEXIS 85 (2018) Statutes: S.C. Code Ann. § 33-18-420; S.C. Code Ann. §…