Papa Murphy’s Closer to Quick Appeal in Investors’ Merger Suit

Papa Murphy’s Holdings Inc. should get an early trip to the Ninth Circuit to figure out whether its investors have a private right to bring certain merger-related claims, a federal magistrate judge in Washington state recommended.

The take-and-bake pizza chain has shown that an interlocutory appeal is necessary to figure out whether there’s a private right of action for claims under a section of federal securities law dealing with tender offers, a magistrate judge with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington said.

The court in April adopted Magistrate Judge J. Richard Creatura’s earlier recommendation to ...