By Tom Hals
WILMINGTON Del. (Reuters) - Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc
Delaware Court of Chancery Chancellor Andre Bouchard ordered a three-day trial to begin on Oct. 6. Allergan had sought a trial on Nov. 24.
Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management hedge fund and Canada's Valeant sued Allergan on Friday, seeking a court order directing the maker of Botox anti-wrinkle treatment to call a special meeting by mid-November.
Ackman and Valeant hope to use the meeting to oust a majority of Allergan's board, which has been trying to fend off the $49 billion takeover bid.
Allergan on Tuesday said it had scheduled a special meeting for Dec. 18, but Bouchard said it was pretty apparent to him that "Allergan may not want a special meeting at all."
Pershing Square, Allergan's biggest shareholder, alleged that Allergan was trying to avoid a special meeting to give it time to find an alternative deal.
Allergan's lawyer told Bouchard on Wednesday that it needed time to avoid a "bum rush" by Pershing Square and to determine if Pershing Square had violated federal securities laws in obtaining its 9.7 percent stake.
(Reporting by Tom Hals, additional reporting by Caroline Humer in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn and Jonathan Oatis)
