Recent Decision Confirms Directors’ Right to Access Privileged Communications Between Management and Company Counsel

A recent decision of the Delaware Court of Chancery in the ongoing WeWork/SoftBank litigation addressed a previously unresolved question: can management withhold its communications with company counsel from members of the board of directors on the basis that such communications are privileged?

Building on past Delaware decisions concerning directors’ rights to communications with company counsel, including in the CBS case we previously discussed here, the court clarified that directors are always entitled to communications between management and company counsel unless there is a formal board process to wall off such directors (such as the formation of a special committee) or other actions at the board level demonstrating “manifest adversity” between the company and those directors. See In re WeWork Litigation, C.A. No. 0258-AGB (Del. Ch. August 21, 2020).  In other words, management cannot unilaterally decide to withhold its communications with company counsel from the board (or specified directors management deems to have a conflict).

Continue reading on the Cleary M&A and Corporate Governance Watch blog. This article was republished by the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation.