Latest Case: JUUL Labs, Inc. v. Grove (Business Law)

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JUUL Labs, Inc. v. Grove

Docket: C.A. No. 2020-0005-JTL

Opinion Date: August 13, 2020

Judge: Laster

Areas of Law: Business Law

The Court of Chancery granted Plaintiff JUUL Labs, Inc.'s motion for judgment on the pleadings in this action regarding Defendant Daniel Grove's right to inspect Plaintiff's books and records, holding that Defendant did not waive his right to seek an inspection of books and records under California law but that, under the internal affairs doctrine, Defendant did not have the right to seek an inspection of books and records under California law. Plaintiff was a privately held Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in San Francisco, California. Defendant stated that he might sue Plaintiff in California state court to enforce his right to inspect Plaintiff's books and records under Cal. Corp. Code 1601. Plaintiff filed this action, arguing that Defendant waived his inspection rights and that, to the extent that Defendant did not waive all of his inspection rights, Defendant could not seek inspection under California law. The Court of Chancery held (1) Delaware law governed Plaintiff's internal affairs, and because the scope of Defendant's inspection rights was a matter of internal affairs, Delaware law applied and Defendant could not rely on section 1601 to obtain books and records; and (2) because Defendant did not make a demand for inspection under Delaware law, this decision did not address whether he validly waived his inspection rights.