Blackwells Sues Disney Over Ties to ValueAct in Proxy Fight

  • ValueAct’s oversight of Disney pension funds targeted in suit
  • Disney ties to activist fund not properly disclosed, suit says

Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.

Photographer: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg
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Blackwells Capital LLC asked a Delaware judge to force Walt Disney Co. to hand over records about its relationship with activist investor ValueAct Capital Management and the role it played in a fight over the makeup of the entertainment giant’s board of directors.

Blackwells claimed in a court filing Thursday that Disney didn’t properly disclose financial ties to ValueAct before ValueAct backed Disney’s director candidates in an ongoing proxy fight. ValueAct managed more than $350 million of Disney pension monies over a 10-year period, Blackwells said.