Yanan Sun v. Wei Mig Chang

Court of Chancery of Delaware·Decided July 2, 2026·No. 2025-1228-LM·Published

Opinion

COURT OF CHANCERY

OF THE

STATE OF DELAWARE

LOREN MITCHELL LEONARD L. WILLIAMS JUSTICE CENTER MAGISTRATE IN CHANCERY 500 NORTH KING STREET, SUITE 11400 WILMINGTON, DE 19801-3734

Date Submitted: March 17, 2026 Final Report: July 2, 2026

John G. Day, Esquire David L. Finger, Esquire Caneel Radinson-Blasucci, Esquire 1201 N. Orange Street, 7th Floor Prickett, Jones & Elliot, P.A. Wilmington, DE 19801 1310 N. King Street Wilmington, DE 19801

RE: Yanan Sun v. Wei Ming Chang, et al., C.A. No. 2025-1228-LM

Dear Counsel, This action concerns the composition of the board of directors of Marbella Delaware. Plaintiff Yanan Sun and Defendant Wei Ming Chang are the Company’s co-founders, stockholders, and directors. Their personal and business relationships deteriorated, giving rise to a broader dispute concerning the control of the Company.

At the center of that dispute is Yong Song, a business associate of the Company who has been appointed as the Company’s third director.

Sun contends that Song was validly appointed to Marbella Delaware’s board through corporate actions taken in 2023 and later reaffirmed in 2024. Chang disagrees. He argues that the steps taken to appoint Song failed to satisfy Delaware

law and the Corporation’s governing documents. Chang further argues that Song’s appointment arose from a relationship between Sun and Song, which Sun allegedly failed to disclose before the parties executed the relevant agreements. Sun commenced this action pursuant to Sections 205 and 225 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), seeking a declaration that Song was validly appointed as a director of Marbella Delaware.

The Court concludes that Song was validly appointed as a director of Marbella Delaware. The record demonstrates that Chang and Sun agreed to add Song to the board, executed the relevant documents implementing that decision, and subsequently treated Song as a director. Chang failed to establish that any alleged nondisclosure rendered the challenged corporate actions invalid. Accordingly, judgment is entered in Sun’s favor.

This is my Final Report.

I. FACTUAL BACKGROUND A. Marbella Delaware and Its Founders The parties operate a vacation-rental management business serving property owners primarily in California, Washington, Colorado, and Hawaii. 1 They operate several entities under the name Marbella Lane. Wei Ming Chang (“Defendant”) and

1 Docket Item (“D.I.”) 1 at 2–3; D.I. 48 at 3.

Yanan Sun (“Plaintiff”) founded the business together in 2018 when they were married, and spent several years building it into a growing property-management platform.2 In 2022, Plaintiff and Defendant reorganized Marbella Lane’s corporate structure (the “Restructuring”). 3 As part of the Restructuring, they formed Marbella Lane Holdings, Inc. and Marbella Lane (DE), Inc. (collectively, “Marbella Delaware” or the “Company”).4 Plaintiff and Defendant are the sole stockholders of Marbella Lane Holdings, Inc. each holding a fifty-percent ownership interest.5 Marbella Lane Holdings, Inc. wholly owns Marbella Lane (DE), Inc., which serves as the sole member of Marbella Lane LLC, the principal operating entity through which Marbella Lane conducts its business in California.6 Although Marbella Lane operates through multiple affiliated entities, this dispute concerns Marbella Delaware because it is the entity whose board of directors allegedly appointed Song and whose corporate governance is at issue in this action.

2 D.I. 48 at 3.

3 Id.

4 Id.

5 Id.

6 Id.

Although Chang and Sun were married, their personal relationship deteriorated, and they have been separated since November 2022. 7 Their separation did not immediately alter the Company’s governance structure or day-to-day operations. Instead, both founders continued participating in management while attempting to grow the business and address their ongoing financial challenges. As Marbella Delaware’s need for capital and stability increased, so too did its reliance on Yong Song, one of the Company’s property-owner clients, and an investor.8 B. Song’s Expanding Role in the Business Song became increasingly important to Marbella Delaware during 2022 and 2023. 9 He owned multiple properties managed through the Marbella Delaware platform.10 Marbella Delaware also depended on Song for financial support.11 Between late 2022 and early 2024, Song loaned substantial sums to the business while it navigated periods of financial strain.12 By 2023, Song communicated regularly with Plaintiff and Defendant regarding Marbella Delaware’s operations, personnel matters, and initiatives.13 As Marbella Delaware’s financial pressures

7 D.I. 48 at 8.

8 Id. at 3–4.

9 Id. at 4, 6–7.

10 D.I. 1 at 5–6.

11 D.I. 63 at 8–9.

12 D.I. 49 at 4–5.

13 D.I. 48 at 6–8; D.I. 63 at 9–10.

persisted and disagreements between the founders increased, Plaintiff and Defendant began discussing a more formal role for Song within the Company.14 By Spring of 2023, both founders viewed Song as someone capable of contributing to Marbella Delaware beyond the role of customer and lender.15 C. The Parties’ Decision to Formalize Song’s Role In May 2023, a human resources contractor retained by the Company recommended, amongst other things, to have a third person added as a director in an effort to resolve some of the business conflicts between the parties. 16 The parties agreed that Song would be the third party to assist the Company. 17 In June 2023, documents were circulated formalizing Song’s anticipated relationship with Marbella Delaware, including materials relating to his proposed appointment to the Board and a contemplated 10% equity grant. 18 The grant was conditioned on a Section 409A valuation because Company counsel advised that such a valuation was necessary to ensure the options were granted at fair market value.19 Defendant acknowledged signing the Director Agreement (“Director

14 See Trial Tr. at 11–12 (Sun) (“And at that time [May 2023], because of the conflicts Willy and I had, the company cannot run properly.”); JX 6.0006–.0024. 15 See Trial Tr. at 9–11; JX 6.0006.

16 See Trial Tr. at 10; JX 5.

17 See Trial Tr. at 10; JX 5.

18 See JX 6.0004; D.I. 48 at 3–4.

19 See JX 6.0002.

Agreement” or “Agreement”) and the written-consent materials relating to Song’s appointment. Defendant did not dispute that counsel prepared and circulated documents to implement that Agreement. Subsequently, the parties continued to discuss the terms of that grant through late 2023 and into early 2024, including Song’s request that the options be issued in his son’s name. 20 Counsel later circulated an updated Director Agreement reflecting those discussions. 21 D. Marbella Delaware’s Documents Concerning the Board of Directors

Marbella Delaware’s Bylaws (the “Bylaws”) authorized stockholders to elect directors, act by written consent, and fill newly created directorships. For the purposes of the analysis, several provisions are relevant to Song’s purported appointment.

i. Section 8(a) of the Bylaws defines “Requisite Holders” as Plaintiff and Defendant.22

ii. Section 8(b) of the Bylaws provides:

“Except as otherwise provided by statute, the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes of the shares present in person, by remote communication, if applicable, or represented by proxy duly authorized at the meeting and entitled to vote generally on the

20 JX 61.0001–.0018.

21 Id.

22 See JX 14.0005.

election of directors, which must at all times include the affirmative vote of the Requisite Holders.”23

iii. Section 13(a) of the Bylaws provides:

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Yanan Sun v. Wei Mig Chang, (Del. Ct. App. 2026).

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