Genelux Corporation v. Roeder

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE GENELUX CORPORATION and § RONALD SIMUS, § No. 631, 2015 § Plaintiffs Below- § Cross-Appellees, § Court Below: Court of Chancery § of the State of Delaware v. § § C.A. No. 10042-VCM ALBERT ROEDER and BYRON § GEORGIOU, § § Defendants Below- § Cross-Appellants, § § and § § DR. ALADAR SZALAY, § § Intervenor Below- § Cross-Appellant. § Submitted: June 9, 2016 Decided: June 9, 2016 Before STRINE, Chief Justice; HOLLAND, VALIHURA, VAUGHN, and SEITZ, Justices, constituting the Court en Banc. ORDER This 9th day of June 2016, having considered this matter on the briefs, the plaintiffs’ motion to supplement the cross-appeal to show mootness, and the defendants’ response to that motion, we find it evident that: Only one narrow issue remains on this cross-appeal, which is whether the Court of Chancery abused its discretion by not awarding a more generous fee-shifting award to the defendants. The plaintiffs argue that even that issue is now moot because they have made a full payment of the financial amounts in controversy. The only response to that contention is that this case presents one of the rare situations when this court should consider a moot dispute because the underlying issue is sufficiently important, will likely recur, and could evade review if we do not act now. We disagree. This cross-appeal now raises only a moot issue about whether the Court of Chancery properly exercised its case-specific discretion in applying settled principles of law. There being no financial consequences left in controversy, the case is moot and the cross-appeal is dismissed on that basis. IT IS SO ORDERED. BY THE COURT: /s/ Leo E. Strine, Jr. Chief Justice 2