EGL buyout
EGL buyout battle goes to court It has been reported that Apollo Management has taken legal action, citing irregularities in the bidding process and abuse of influence by EGL’s chairman & CEO, Jim Crane, leader of the investment group whose buyout bid has already been accepted. (3/29/2007) Apollo claims that it was denied access to relevant information, that it was misled by the EGL Committee’s counsel in terms of the closing date for offers, and that Crane abused his position and influence over EGL’s board and management to prevent a third party from making a competitive offer. Apollo is also seeking to invalidate a $30 million break up fee, payable to the Crane-led investment group should EGL accept an offer from elsewhere, along with a transaction fee up to $15 million. At the same time, Apollo has raised its offer to $41 per EGL share. It has also been reported that mutual fund Federated Kaufmann - another EGL shareholder - has filed suit in an attempt to block the buyout by th...