Dissent rights are the rights of shareholders who object to a proposed merger to have their shares valued by the court and receive cash payment of this value from the corporation.
Explanation:
Dissenters' rights are considered to be a part of a state corporate law that gives a corporation's shareholders the right to receive a cash payment for in lieu of the fair value of their shares in case of a acquisition or merger they did not agree to.
Previously mergers and acquisitions required a unanimous vote in their favor from the shareholders of the company. State legislation took away this right, but in turn, gave the shareholders the right to receive the cash payment in lieu of their shares .
As per the appraisal rights, a dissenting shareholder who objects to an transaction such as a merger or consolidation can have his or her shares of the pre-merger or pre-consolidation corporation appraised (valued), and be paid the fair market value of his or her shares by the pre-merger or pre-consolidation corporation.
