Articles by Tom Hals

Delaware Law to Allow Big Investors Greater Sway Over US Corporate Boards

Delaware is poised to adopt changes to its widely used corporate law that critics argue could weaken U.S. boards of directors in favor of influential investors such as private-equity firms. State lawmakers last week approved a bill that gives a …

Compensation for Injured Passengers on Singapore Airlines Could Vary Dramatically

Passengers injured by severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday are likely eligible for compensation, but the amount each receives could differ dramatically even for identical injuries due to an international treaty. One passenger died and the airline …

Catholic Nuns Sue Smith & Wesson to Halt its Assault-Style Weapons Sales

A group of Catholic nuns have sued the board of Smith & Wesson to try to force the gunmaker to abandon the manufacture, marketing and sales of assault-style rifles that have been used in U.S. mass shootings. The nuns, in …

Bayer Ordered to Pay $1.56B in Latest Trial Loss Over Roundup Weedkiller

A Missouri jury ordered Bayer to pay $1.56 billion to four plaintiffs who claimed the company’s Roundup weedkiller caused injuries including cancer, a verdict that could intensify investor pressure on the German drugs and agricultural chemicals company to change its …

Judge Rejects Newsmax Bid to Narrow Smartmatic Lawsuit Over 2020 US Election

A Delaware judge on Wednesday rejected Newsmax Media’s bid to narrow the allegedly defamatory statements that the right-wing U.S. television network must defend in a lawsuit by voting machine company Smartmatic USA involving the 2020 presidential election. Smartmatic, whose U.S. …

Tesla Directors Pay $735M to Settle Shareholder Lawsuit Over Excess Compensation

Tesla Inc.’s directors will return $735 million to the company to settle claims they grossly overpaid themselves in one of the largest shareholder settlements of its kind, according to a Monday filing in a Delaware court. The settlement resolves a …

Lawsuit Dismissed Over McDonald’s Board’s Severance Pay to Fired CEO

McDonald’s Corp’s board cannot be sued for allowing former CEO Steve Easterbrook to keep tens of millions of dollars when the restaurant chain fired him for having a relationship with an employee, a Delaware judge ruled on Wednesday. The directors …

U.S. Court Rejects J&J Bankruptcy Strategy for Thousands of Talc Lawsuits

A U.S. appeals court on Monday shot down Johnson & Johnson’s attempt to offload tens of thousands of lawsuits over its talc products into bankruptcy court. The ruling marked the first major repudiation of an emerging legal strategy with the …

Shareholders Can Sue McDonald’s Ex-Executive in Landmark Ruling

Shareholders can sue McDonald Corp’s former global chief people officer for the damage they claim he caused to the restaurant chain by allegedly allowing a culture of sexual harassment to flourish, according to a groundbreaking legal ruling. The decision marks …

FTX Customers File Class Action to Lay Claim to Dwindling Assets

FTX customers filed a class action lawsuit against the failed crypto exchange and its former top executives including Sam Bankman-Fried on Tuesday, seeking a declaration that the company’s holdings of digital assets belong to customers. The lawsuit is the latest …