Omnicare, Inc. v. NCS Healthcare, Inc.
Delaware Supreme Court
818 A.2d 914 (2003)
Relevant factsFree
NCS's board agreed to Genesis's merger terms, including a voting agreement in which two insiders holding a combined majority of shares committed to vote for the merger, and the merger agreement contained no fiduciary-out clause allowing the board to withdraw if a better offer emerged; when Omnicare later submitted a superior competing proposal, the NCS board withdrew its recommendation but the Genesis merger was still guaranteed to pass due to the locked-in majority vote.
IssueFree
Whether deal-protection devices that are designed to force the consummation of a merger and foreclose consideration of any superior transaction are enforceable.