Francis Pileggi Speaks With Law360 on Vice Chancellor’s Concerns Regarding Perceived Breakdown in Civility in Delaware Bar

Wilmington, Del. (September 24, 2025) - Wilmington Managing Partner Francis G.X. Pileggi recently spoke with Law360 for an article regarding Delaware Vice Chancellor Morgan Zurn’s comments indicating that she was “heartbroken” regarding what she perceived to be a recent “breakdown” in "civility and respect" in the state’s bar. The vice chancellor’s remarks, in which she called the previous year an “annus horribilis,” followed final rulings on a $30 million mediated settlement that resolved a five-year dispute over the fairness of Match.com's 2019 reverse spinoff from Barry Diller-controlled IAC/Interactive.

As the article explains, the Match suit “stood out in a period that saw Delaware become a lightning rod for criticism.” During this time, certain companies threatened to leave the state and lawmakers also passed fiercely debated revisions to the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) that critics contended favored corporations.

Mr. Pileggi told Law360 that this episode reflects "two schools of thought fighting for control of the future of the DGCL — and perhaps the character and soul of the Delaware bench and bar as well." He further described, "I share the vice chancellor's concerns about competition for the DGCL's direction . . . . The current manner of the struggle has more of a 'rough and tumble' aspect than most disputes over changes in the DGCL in the past decade and earlier." Mr. Pileggi also noted that "the winner of the first few rounds does not always determine the ultimate victor."

Mr. Pileggi is chair of Lewis Brisbois’ Directors & Officers Litigation Practice and a member of its Complex Business & Commercial Litigation Practice. His litigation practice emphasizes representation in high-stakes disputes of corporations, stockholders, members of boards of directors, members and managers of LLCs, and those with managerial or ownership interests in other forms of entities. He has extensive experience in matters involving fiduciary duties and corporate governance as well as summary proceedings under the DGCL in the Delaware Court of Chancery. For the past 20 years, Mr. Pileggi has maintained the Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation Blog at delawarelitigation.com.

Read the full Law360 article here (subscription required).