Delaware Business Litigation Report

Court of Chancery Explains Interaction with PSLRA

Beiser v. PMC-Sierra Inc., C.A. 3893-VCL (Del. Ch. Feb. 26, 2009)

 

Under the federal PSLRA, discovery may be stayed while a motion to dismiss is pending. Parties have tried to get around this stay by filling a books and records complaint in the Court of Chancery. This decision explains when you can get away with that, and holds, not very often.

 

Briefly, a books and records action may only proceed when the plaintiff is not already involved in a federal case over the same issues, when the plaintiff's attorney is also not involved in a pending federal case, and where the plaintiff agrees not to use the materials produced in the Delaware case to prosecute a pending federal case.

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