Legal Question in Business Law in California
I am a US Citizen and a 50% shareholder of an Italian SRL (LLC) that was created in Verona, Italy back in 2006. I have a 40% Italian partner and a 10% Italian partner who is also the sole director of the company. We are all now in a dispute and I would like to verify that jurisdiction would be in Italy where the company was "incorporated". Does a US, EU or Italian law exist regarding jurisdiction for shareholder disputes? Wouldn't Italy be the only court that could govern the internal affairs of an Italian Corporation? Thanks for the help!
1 Answer from Attorneys
Not all shareholder disputes are alike, and not all are governed by same rules. How and where this particular dispute must be resolved will depend in part on the nature of the dispute, in part upon the law of Italy (and, if applicable, of Verona and/or of Veneto, the region in Italy where Verona is located), and in part upon the corporation's bylaws. The laws of California and of the U.S. may very well matter, too. You should consult with a qualified attorney asap.
Good luck.