Morgan T. Zurn | |
---|---|
Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery | |
Assumed office October 4, 2018 | |
Appointed by | John Carney |
Preceded by | Seat established |
Personal details | |
Alma mater | University of Virginia (B.A.) University of Pennsylvania Law School (JD) |
Morgan T. Zurn is an American lawyer and judge on the Delaware Court of Chancery.
Zurn received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia and received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.[1] She began her career as a patent lawyer. She then served as a Deputy Attorney General at the Delaware Department of Justice.[2]
In September 2018, Governor John Carney nominated Zurn and Kathaleen McCormick to two new vice-chancellor positions on the Delaware Court of Chancery.[3] Carney praised Zurn's "breadth of knowledge, devotion to public service and passion for her work."[3] She was confirmed by the Delaware Senate on October 3 and was sworn in on October 4.[1][4]
In September 2021, Zurn denied the defendants' motion to dismiss a stockholder derivative complaint based on the Boeing 737 MAX crashes that occurred in 2019.[5][6][7] Two months later, the defendants—members of Boeing's board of directors—settled the litigation for $237.5 million.[8] [9] The settlement agreement obligated Boeing to "add another director to its 12-member board with aviation, engineering or product-safety oversight experience" and to amend its bylaws to "memorialize the separation of the CEO and board chairmanship" roles that the company adopted in 2019 in response to the crashes.[10]
Also in September 2021, Zurn heard and decided DeMarco v. ChristianaCare Health Services, Inc.,[11] where the wife of a gravely ill COVID-19 patient sought an injunction forcing Wilmington Hospital to treat her husband with ivermectin.[12][13] Zurn denied the requested injunction the morning after an expedited evidentiary hearing, holding "Patients, even gravely ill ones, do not have a right to a particular treatment, and medical providers' duty to treat is coterminous with their standard of care."[14][15][16][17] Zurn's decision was cited favorably by courts addressing this issue around the country.[18]
In 2023, Zurn presided over the settlement approval process in stockholder litigation related to a "novel equity restructuring" proposed by AMC Theatres, a notable meme stock.[19][20] On July 21, 2023, Zurn rejected the parties' proposed settlement that "would allow the company to issue more shares, sending common shares soaring" up "69% after the closing bell."[21] In her ruling, Zurn noted that an "unprecedented" number of stockholders—more than 2,800—objected to the proposed settlement.[21] Zurn observed that "AMC's stockholder base is extraordinary" and that many AMC stockholders "care passionately about their stock ownership and the company."[21] On August 11, 2023, Zurn approved a revised settlement in the AMC case.[22]