Biography
Matthew S. Connors is a partner in Weil’s Securities Litigation practice group, where he focuses on litigating securities, M&A, derivative, fiduciary duty, and other complex corporate matters in federal and state courts throughout the country. Matthew also counsels boards of directors, board committees, and senior management on a broad range of corporate governance, business, and regulatory matters, and provides representation in connection with proxy contests and governmental, regulatory, and internal investigations.
Recent experience includes:
- AMC Entertainment – representing AMC and its board of directors in expedited Delaware fiduciary duty litigation relating to AMC’s issuance and conversion of AMC Preferred Equity Units.
- The Gores Group – representing Gores and its SPAC directors and officers in litigations arising out of de-SPAC transactions.
- Willis Towers Watson – representing Willis and certain of its officers and directors in connection with federal securities and state fiduciary duty litigation relating to Willis’s “merger of equals” with Towers Watson.
- Brookfield – representing Brookfield in stockholder litigation relating to Brookfield’s acquisitions of Rouse Properties and GGP, as well as Delaware appraisal actions relating to Rouse.
- Churchill Capital – representing Churchill and its SPAC directors and officers in litigation arising out of a de-SPAC transaction.
- Fidelity National Financial – representing FNF in a Delaware appraisal action seeking $90 million in additional consideration in connection with FNF’s $4.2 billion acquisition of Lender Processing Services. Following a four-day trial, the court ruled that petitioner, an appraisal arbitrageur, was entitled to no additional consideration.
- iStar – representing the outside, non-management directors of iStar, a Maryland real estate investment trust, in responding to a stockholder demand concerning an equity incentive compensation plan and related litigation in Maryland state courts, including an appeal to the Maryland Court of Appeals. Motion to dismiss all claims affirmed.
- Morgan Stanley – representing Morgan Stanley as a financial advisor in stockholder litigation relating to Endurance International’s acquisition of Constant Contact. Plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their claims following motion to dismiss argument.
- AMC Entertainment – representing AMC and certain of its officers and directors in connection with federal securities and derivative litigation arising out of AMC’s acquisitions of Carmike and Odeon.
- ATMI – representing ATMI and its board of directors in stockholder litigation in Connecticut state court arising out of Entegris’s acquisition of ATMI. Motion to strike all claims granted.
- A private software company – counseling the board of directors regarding an internal investigation into revenue recognition and sales practices.
Matthew also devotes time to pro bono matters, including having argued a criminal appeal before the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division (First Department).
Prior to joining the Firm, Matthew served as a law clerk to Vice Chancellor John W. Noble (retired) of the Delaware Court of Chancery.