New York Paris Northern California Madrid Washington DC Tokyo São Paulo Beijing London Hong Kong Davis Polk William H. Aaronson Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP 212 450 4000 tel 450 Lexington Avenue 212 701 5800 fax New York, NY 10017 January 31, 2020 VIA Email Office of Chief Counsel Division of Corporation Finance Securities and Exchange Commission 100 F Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20549 via email:
[email protected] Ladies and Gentlemen: We refer to our letter dated January 10, 2020 (the “No-Action Request”), submitted on behalf of L Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), pursuant to which we requested that the Staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission concur with the Company’s view that the shareholder proposal (as revised, the “Proposal”) submitted by John Chevedden (the “Proponent”) may be excluded from the proxy materials the Company intends to distribute in connection with its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2020 Proxy Materials”). In accordance with Rule 14a-8(j), a copy of this submission is being sent simultaneously to the Proponent. The No-Action Request stated the Company’s view that the Proposal may be excluded from the 2020 Proxy Materials because the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) was expected, at its meeting held on January 30, 2020 (the “January Board Meeting”), to consider resolutions approving an amendment to the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) to eliminate the Company’s classified board structure resulting in all directors being elected annually beginning at the Company’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Charter Amendment”), which would substantially implement the Proposal under Rule 14a-8(i)(10).