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Forum selection clauses have been the focus of many decision highlighted on these pages over the last 18 years. But a pending appeal before the en banc U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit may have an outsized impact on Delaware litigation regarding this issue. In a case involving the Gap, Inc., the federal appellate court will decide whether a forum selection clause can be enforced to require claims to be filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery that would otherwise be filed in Federal Court.
A Reuters article by Alison Frankel describes the somewhat complex and nuanced issue as follows:
… to summarize ruthlessly, the key question is whether companies can avert Exchange Act derivative suits via forum selection provisions mandating litigation in Delaware Chancery Court, which does not have jurisdiction to hear Exchange Act claims – or whether the Exchange Act’s anti-waiver provision precludes enforcement of such forum selection clauses because they require shareholders to surrender a substantive right.
One indication of the importance of the issue is that several prominent former members of the Delaware Court of Chancery and Delaware Supreme Court, including three former Chancellors, have made a submission to the Ninth Circuit to support the enforceability of the forum selection clause at issue–taking a position that is contrary to a holding by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit involving Boeing.
This issue deserves a comprehensive analysis and commentary in the style of a law review article. Many others have published their views, and I expect that there will be no shortage of articles about this case available online. Stay tuned.
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