s the State of Delaware continues taking drastic measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Campaign Manager Chris Coffey released the following statement:
“All across the country we are seeing unprecedented measures to limit the spread of COVID-19. From San Francisco to Washington, DC, governments are closing schools, bars, restaurants and even gyms to make sure this virus is contained while also doing everything they can to ensure that businesses and their workers are as uninhibited by these actions as possible. In New York, the courts have even halted all eviction proceedings.
“But of course, in Delaware’s Chancery Court, where nothing works as it’s supposed to, that’s not the case. Rather than follow the lead of governmental and judicial institutions across the nation, Chancellor Andre Bouchard has decided to proceed with a Chancery Court hearing on the TransPerfect case on March 30th. The court has called for both parties in the TransPerfect case to appear at a hearing with Skadden Arps, the law firm that has already collected over $14 million in legal fees since being appointed as TransPerfect’s custodian by Chancellor Bouchard, a former Skadden partner.
“In calling for this hearing so suddenly during a sweeping public health crisis, Chancellor Bouchard is giving TransPerfect’s lawyers no time to prepare, effectively given the constraints COVID-19 has placed on the company’s legal team. It’s a wildly unfair and reckless attempt to give preferential treatment for the Skadden lawyers he has protected from the beginning of this custodianship. The hearing must be delayed immediately. Though the Chancery’s history has often shown its ruling to appear predetermined, the very least they can do is pretend they aren’t completely automatic.”
Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 5,000 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the issue. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to fight for more transparency in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org.
