Explore a real M&A case (Sapp v. Indus. Action Services, LLC) involving earnout disputes and the legal battle between expert determination and arbitration. Learn the key findings, implications, and the court’s role in resolving EBITDA threshold disagreements. M&A Stories November…
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Navigating Earnout Disputes: Expert Determination vs. Arbitration
Posted in arbitration vs expert determination, problems with earnouts Tagged with: accounting firm, arbitration, asset sale, Buyer-seller disagreement, case reference, court intervention, Earnout disputes, EBITDA thresholds, expert determination, Industrial Services, Legal Actions, M&A Disputes, Sapp v. Indus. Action Services LLC, Third Circuit Court
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- Due Diligence Gives Buyers the Right to Walk Away from a Bad Deal
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- customer list
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- deferred closing
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- Description of business assets purchased
- determination of purchase price adjustment
- diminuation of value
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- directors and officers insurance policy
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- EBITDA
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- entire fairness
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- executory contracts
- extension by contract in Delaware
- extension of closing
- extra-contractual fraud
- F reorganization
- failure to make timely purchase price payment
- fair insider deal
- Family and Medical Leave Act
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- fee based upon buyer debt assumption
- financial representation and warranty
- financing acquisition issues
- financing contingency
- for cause termination
- force majeure
- foreign income tax
- form over substance
- forum non conveniens doctrine
- forum selection clause
- franchise sale
- fraud
- fraud carveout
- fraud carveout
- fraud in business sale
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- fraudulent intent
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- further assurance provision
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- hiring seller's employees
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- independent trustee
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- insurance coverage
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- Internal Revenue Code Section 1377 election
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- misappropriation of likeness
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- modification as counteroffer
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- mutual mistake
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- negligent misrepresentation
- net working capital adjustment
- New York
- no kickback or bribe rep
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- non-reliance clause
- nonbinding
- nonbusiness income
- nonbusiness income/sale of subsidiary
- noncompete area
- noncompetition covenant
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- nondischargeable debt in bankruptcy
- nondisclosure agreement
- nondisclosure provision
- nonqualified preferred stock
- nonsolicitation of employees and customers
- nonsolicitation of former customers
- note payment amount adjustment
- notice
- notice provision
- objection -reasonable detail
- officer duty of care
- offset or setoff provision
- offset right
- One class of stock
- oral contract
- oral copyright agreement
- overly complicated language in contract
- owner liability for company breach of financing deal
- Ownership of Target Law Firm File
- parol evidence rule
- patents
- payroll tax
- percentage of purchase price
- permits and certificates
- personal goodwill
- personal guaranty
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- personal guaranty of lease
- Personal Name
- photo or image
- piercing veil of acquisition subsidiary
- post asset purchase issues
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- post signing asset valuation
- post-closing adjustments for pre-closing sales and services
- post-closing sales tax
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- private equity
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- Problems when business fails after closing
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- Problems with distressed business seller unexpired tenant leases
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- Problems with due diligence
- problems with earnouts
- problems with employees
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- problems with financing transaction
- problems with forum selection clauses
- Problems with franchise deals
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- Problems with governments
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- Problems with intellectual property
- problems with leases
- problems with noncompetition covenants
- problems with oral M&A promises
- problems with pensions
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- Problems with post-closing management of business
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- Problems with Real Estate Leases
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- problems with regulatory industry acquisitions
- Problems with sale of auto dealerships
- problems with seller nondisclosure
- problems with seller's employees
- problems with seller's lender
- Problems with seller's pre-closing errors & omissions
- Problems with seller's projections
- problems with seller's real property
- problems with seller's unemployment insurance experience rating
- problems with sharing tax benefits
- problems with subordination rights
- problems with successor liability
- problems with taxes
- Problems with typos
- product line exception
- projections
- projections
- promissory estoppel
- promissory note
- prudence
- public information exclusion
- punitive damages
- purchase agreement
- purchase price
- purchase price adjustment
- purchase price reduction
- quality of earnings assessment
- ratifying unassumed contract by post-closing action
- reasonably equivalent value
- receipt of buyer equity or security
- receipt of buyer equity or security
- receivables
- recoupment doctrine
- reformation
- reformation of contract
- reliance
- remote use of trademark out of territory
- representation and warranty about customers
- representations and warranties
- rescission
- rescission
- restrictive post-closing covenants
- retaliation
- retention bonus
- revenue and profit projections
- reverse termination or breakup fee
- Revlon doctrine
- Right of publicity
- risk of post closing payments
- royalty
- S corporation
- sale leaseback
- sale of assets of business
- sale of business to ESOP
- sale of product line
- sales order
- sales tax
- sales tax imposed on equity sale of DRE
- sales tax risk
- SBA approval re PPP loan
- scienter
- Section 1377 election
- Section 363 sale
- securing buyer's note
- securing deferred purchase price
- security agreement
- seller carried purchase price
- seller knowledge
- seller owner responsibility for underreported sales tax
- seller owners equity interest in buyer
- seller ownership in buyer
- seller rep of no federal employer liability
- seller's age discrimination claims
- seller's covenants
- seller's federal injunctions
- seller's unemployment experience rating
- seller's warranty claims
- seller's workers compensation experience rating
- Selling shareholders problem with their board of directors
- severance benefits
- sexual harassment
- shareholder approval of deal
- shareholder buyout of partner
- shareholder personal guaranty of target lease
- shareholder release
- sharing transaction tax deduction benefits
- sick time
- signing LOI with revisions by signer
- specific performance
- state and local tax
- state approval of nonprofit hospital
- state franchise/income tax
- statute of frauds
- statute of limitations
- stay bonus
- step-down provision
- stock purchase agreement
- stock sale
- strategic acquisition
- strategic acquisition
- structure of transaction
- subordination
- substance over form
- substantially all assets
- success fee
- successor liability
- sufficiency of assets rep
- supply problems
- survival of covenants
- survival of reps and warranties
- tangible net worth
- target's stock options
- tax
- tax benefit sharing
- tax deferred reorganization
- tax penalties and additions
- Taxation
- termination of M&A agreement
- termination or breakup fee
- third party
- third party beneficiary clause
- time of the essence
- timely objection to indemnification claim
- tolling
- tolling
- tort misrepresentation in M&A
- tortious interference with prospective economic advantage
- trade secret misappropriation
- trade secret misappropriation by former seller employee
- trademark infringement
- trademarks
- transferee liability for taxes IRC Section 6901
- TRO/preliminary injunction before filing for arbitration
- tying fraud to economic loss
- typo or scriverner's error
- UCC search
- Uncategorized
- Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act or Uniform Voidable Transfer Act
- union fringe benefits
- union liabilities
- unitary business
- unjust enrichment
- unliquidated or disputed claim
- unwanted assets
- vacation time
- valuation
- waiver of contractual provision
- waiver of jury trial
- waiver of removal to federal court
- waiver provision
- willful breach carveout
- willing buyer or procuring cause
- Withholding Post-closing payments
- working capital adjustment
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