In Re Tyson Foods, Inc. Consolidated Shareholder Litigation

2007 WL 2351071 (Del.Ch. 2007)

Facts

See IN RE TYSON FOODS, INC. CONSOLIDATED SHAREHOLDER LITIGATION 919 A.2d 563 (Del.Ch. 2007). Ds maintain that the challenged stock options were, in fact, “non-qualified stock options” under Tyson’s Stock Incentive Plan and move for judgment on the pleadings as to Count III. Under the spring-loaded option prima face case, a plaintiff must allege that options were issued according to a shareholder-approved employee compensation plan. Second, a plaintiff must allege that the directors that approved spring-loaded (or bullet-dodging) options (a) possessed material non-public information soon to be released that would impact the company’s share price, and (b) issued those options with the intent to circumvent otherwise valid shareholder-approved restrictions upon the exercise price of the options.