Samsung C&T shareholders should vote against a takeover by the Samsung affiliate Cheil Industries, the proxy adviser service Glass Lewis & Company said. The merger has questionable strategic merit, poor financial terms, regressive deal protection and is an opaque process, Glass Lewis said in the report. The deal is being fought by the activist shareholder Elliott Associates. Glass Lewis' report comes after a more favorable assessment of the deal by a Korean court as the battle between Elliott and Korea's biggest conglomerate continues to twist and turn ahead of a shareholders' meeting to decide the outcome on July 17. The merger is a key part of Samsung's attempt to complete a once-in-a-generation leadership transition. The deal is "profoundly unattractive for SCT investors and exceedingly advantageous for Cheil," Glass Lewis said, referring to Samsung C&T.