Bellikoff v. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Bellikoff v. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Opinion of the Court
SUMMARY ORDER
The Consolidated Plaintiffs-Appellants (“Shareholders”) appeal from a judgment of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Preska, J.) granting the motion to dismiss of Appellee PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (“PwC”) pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 9(b), 12(b)(6), 12(b)(7), 19(b) & 23.1. We assume the parties’ familiarity with the facts, procedural history, and issues presented on appeal.
Our review of the District Court’s judgment dismissing the Shareholders’ complaint is plenary because the Shareholders have challenged the “legal precepts applied by the district court in making a discretionary determination.” Scalisi v. Fund Asset Mgmt., L.P., 380 F.3d 133,137 (2d Cir. 2004). In reviewing a grant of a motion to dismiss de novo, we must take “as true all allegations in the complaint, and draw[ ] all reasonable inferences therefrom in the [plaintiffs’] favor.” Koppel v. 4987 Corp., 167 F.3d 125, 130 (2d Cir. 1999) (internal quotation marks omitted).
Because the Shareholders do not appeal the District Court’s conclusion that the complaint did not plead improper director interest or lack of directorial independence with particularized facts as required under Rales, they have not satisfied the applicable pleading requirements in this derivative action, and the District Court therefore did not err in dismissing their complaint.
The judgment of the District Court is AFFIRMED.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Paul BELLIKOFF, derivatively on behalf of Bristol-Myers Squibb, Stephen Guttenberg, derivatively on behalf of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Benjamin Langford, Richard Abeles, Samuel Todd Agris, Anna Provorny, Consolidated v. PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS, LLP, Bristol-Myers Squibb, a Delaware Corporation, Nominal Charles A. Heimbold Jr., Peter R. Dolan, Leif Johansson, Vance D. Coffman, Ellen V. Futter, Louis W. Sullivan, Robert E. Allen, Laurie H. Glimcher, Michael F. Mee, Frederick S. Schiff, Richard J. Lane, Peter S. Ringrose, Louis B. Campbell, Louis V. Gerstner Jr., James D. Robinson III, Kenneth E. Weg, John L. Skule III, Harrison M. Bains Jr., Curtis L. Tomlin, Consolidated
- Status
- Published