Shareholders and Informed Voting: How Much Information Do They Need?

This article will examine attempts by the federal courts to establish standards for materiality, causation and culpability under the federal proxy-solicitation provisions, §14(a) of the 1934 Securities and Exchange Act' and Rule 14a-9.1 This analysis is made difficult by the failure of the courts to clearly delineate the elements of the 14a-9 cause of action. An examination of the major cases in the area will be helpful in unravelling the various strands of analysis followed by the courts.