Joseph M. Miller v. Twenty Lake Holdings LLC
CourtCourt of Chancery of Delaware
Date FiledAugust 3, 2026
Docket2025-0010-LWW
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
COURT OF CHANCERY
OF THE
STATE OF DELAWARE
LORI W. WILL LEONARD L. WILLIAMS JUSTICE CENTER
VICE CHANCELLOR 500 N. KING STREET, SUITE 11400
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE 19801-3734
August 3, 2026
Kurt M. Heyman, Esquire Matthew F. Davis, Esquire
Emily A. Letcher, Esquire Ellis H. Huff, Esquire
Heyman Enerio Gattuso & Hirzel LLP Nina N. Monzack, Esquire
222 Delaware Avenue, Suite 900 Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP
Wilmington, Delaware 19801 1313 North Market Street, 6th Floor
Wilmington, Delaware 19801
RE: Joseph M. Miller v. Twenty Lake Holdings LLC et al.,
C.A. No. 2025-0010-LWW
Dear Counsel:
I have reviewed the defendants’ letter seeking leave to file a motion for
partial summary judgment, along with the plaintiff’s response letter.1 The
defendants’ request is denied.
“There is no ‘right’ to a summary judgment.”2 “[T]he court may, in its
discretion, deny summary judgment if it decides upon a preliminary examination
of the facts presented that it is desirable to inquire into and develop the facts more
thoroughly at trial in order to clarify the law or its application.”3 That is the case
1
Letter Regarding Leave to File Summ. J. Mot. (Dkt. 134) (“Defs.’ Request”); Letter in
Opp’n to Defs.’ Request for Leave to File Mot. for Summ. J. (Dkt. 136) (“Pl.’s
Response”).
2
Telxon Corp. v. Meyerson, 802 A.2d 257, 262 (Del. 2002) (citation omitted).
3
In re El Paso Pipeline P’rs, L.P. Deriv. Litig., 2014 WL 2768782, at *9 (Del. Ch.
June 12, 2014).
C.A. No. 2025-0010-LWW
August 3, 2026
Page 2 of 3
here because the matters on which the defendants wish to move for summary
judgment are unsuitable for resolution on the papers.
The parties dispute whether the defendants breached certain limited liability
company agreements when calculating the “Book Value” of the plaintiff’s equity.
The defendants assert that the contractual definition of Book Value gives the
managing member absolute discretion to set the mark-to-market value.4 The
plaintiff contends that this discretion is constrained by the requirement that the
mark be set “in accordance with [the] valuation processes currently utilized.”5
The plaintiff points to record evidence—including deposition testimony and
the application of “haircuts” across the portfolio—suggesting that the managing
member abandoned ordinary-course methodologies in favor of an approach
designed to depress the plaintiff’s buyout price.6 The defendants counter that their
process incorporated objective market factors consistent with the managing
member’s historical approach, and that the valuation process inherently involved
subjective judgment.7 Resolving these issues will require the court to assess
4
Defs.’ Request 2-3.
5
Pl.’s Response 4.
6
Id. at 3-5.
7
Defs.’ Request 4.
C.A. No. 2025-0010-LWW
August 3, 2026
Page 3 of 3
credibility and weigh competing valuation evidence, which cannot be done on
summary judgment. 8
Furthermore, the plaintiff’s claim for breach of the implied covenant of good
faith and fair dealing is set to be tried in September. Because the implied covenant
claim arises from the same factual nucleus as the express contract claim, permitting
the defendants to move for partial summary judgment will not meaningfully
streamline the presentation of evidence. Proceeding with summary judgment
briefing is “apt to waste, rather than conserve, the resources of the parties and the
court.”9
Accordingly, it is most efficient to proceed to trial as scheduled. IT IS SO
ORDERED.
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Lori W. Will
Lori W. Will
Vice Chancellor
8
See Cerberus Int’l, Ltd. v. Apollo Mgmt., L.P., 794 A.2d 1141, 1150 (Del. 2002)
(explaining that summary judgment is “inappropriate” when a “matter depends to any
material extent upon a determination of credibility”).
9
Orloff v. Shulman, 2007 WL 1862742, at *1 (Del. Ch. June 20, 2007).