Morgan Zurn

Zurn received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia and received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.^[1] She began her career as a patent lawyer. She then served as a Deputy Attorney General at the Delaware Department of Justice.^[2]

In September 2018, Governor John Carney nominated Zurn and Kathaleen McCormick to two new vice-chancellor positions on the Delaware Court of Chancery.^[3] Carney praised Zurn's "breadth of knowledge, devotion to public service and passion for her work."^[3] She was confirmed by the Delaware Senate on October 3 and was sworn in on October 4.^[1][4]

In September 2021, Zurn denied the defendants' motion to dismiss a stockholder derivative complaint based on the Boeing 737 MAX crashes that occurred in 2019.^[5][6][7] Two months later, the defendants—members of Boeing's board of directors—settled the litigation for $237.5 million.^[8][9] The settlement agreement obligated Boeing to "add another director to its 12-member board with aviation, engineering or product-safety oversight experience" and to amend its bylaws to "memorialize the separation of the CEO and board chairmanship" roles that the company adopted in 2019 in response to the crashes.^[10]

Also in September 2021, Zurn heard and decided DeMarco v. ChristianaCare Health Services, Inc.,^[11] where the wife of a gravely ill COVID-19 patient sought an injunction forcing Wilmington Hospital to treat her husband with ivermectin.^[12][13] Zurn denied the requested injunction the morning after an expedited evidentiary hearing, holding "Patients, even gravely ill ones, do not have a right to a particular treatment, and medical providers' duty to treat is coterminous with their standard of care."^{[14][15][16][17]} Zurn's decision was cited favorably by courts addressing this issue around the country.^[18]

In 2023, Zurn presided over the settlement approval process in stockholder litigation related to a "novel equity restructuring" proposed by AMC Theatres, a notable meme stock.^[19][20] On July 21, 2023, Zurn rejected the parties' proposed settlement that "would allow the company to issue more shares, sending common shares soaring" up "69% after the closing bell."^[21] In her ruling, Zurn noted that an "unprecedented" number of stockholders—more than 2,800—objected to the proposed settlement.^[21] Zurn observed that "AMC's stockholder base is extraordinary" and that many AMC stockholders "care passionately about their stock ownership and the company."^[21] On August 11, 2023, Zurn approved a revised settlement in the AMC case.^[22]