A recent decision by the Delaware Chancery Court suggests that a litigant might forego the ability to file a books and records request if it waits to do so until after the lawsuit is filed. Last month the Delaware Chancery Court dismissed just such an action, characterizing the request for a books and records inspection after the filing of a lawsuit as “inherently contradictory” and an improper attempt to “sue first, ask questions later.”

Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law allows stockholders to inspect books and records of a Delaware corporation for any proper purpose and to compel inspection if such inspection is refused. Section 220 is typically used prior to the filing of a lawsuit as a means to develop information to support a plaintiff’s claims before it has access to discovery rules.  The corollaries to a Section 220 demand in the limited partnership and limited liability company contexts are known as a Section 17-305 demand and a Section 18-305 demand, respectively.