Q: If you acquire a company are you required to honor all of the current owner's existing vendor contracts?
A: If you buy the stock of the company, the vendor contracts will continue to be contracts of the company you purchased and will be in force according to their terms. If you buy the assets of the company, the vendor contracts will remain with the seller and you would be free to deal with vendors as you please. Of course, there are many other considerations to take into account when deciding whether to purchase stock or assets.
A: If you buy the stock of a corporation (or membership interest if it is an LLC), then you take all its assets and obligations as of the time of purchase. If you buy the assets of a corporation you can choose what assets and liabilities/obligations you assume. The Agreement should specify what assets and obligations you are buying in an asset purchase and sale, if you are buying the corporation stock, then you are stuck with existing contracts.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
