`
`Daniel Sadeh, Esq.
`HALPER SADEH LLP
`667 Madison Avenue, 5th Floor
`New York, NY 10065
`Telephone: (212) 763-0060
`Facsimile: (646) 776-2600
`Email: sadeh@halpersadeh.com
`
`Counsel for Plaintiff
`
`
`UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
`
`
`Case No:
`
`
`JURY TRIAL DEMANDED
`
`
`
`MICHAEL ZOMBER,
`
`Plaintiff,
`
`v.
`
`BIODELIVERY SCIENCES
`INTERNATIONAL, INC., PETER S.
`GREENLEAF, JEFFREY A. BAILEY,
`TODD C. DAVIS, KEVIN KOTLER,
`VANILA M. SINGH, MARK A. SIRGO,
`and WILLIAM MARK WATSON,
`
`
`Defendants.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATIONS OF THE FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS
`
`Plaintiff Michael Zomber (“Plaintiff”), by Plaintiff’s undersigned attorneys, for Plaintiff’s
`
`complaint against Defendants (defined below), alleges the following based upon personal
`
`knowledge as to Plaintiff and Plaintiff’s own acts, and upon information and belief as to all other
`
`matters, based upon, inter alia, the investigation conducted by and through Plaintiff’s attorneys.
`
`NATURE OF THE ACTION
`
`1.
`
`This is an action against BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. (“BioDelivery”
`
`or the “Company”) and its Board of Directors (the “Board” or the “Individual Defendants”) for
`
`their violations of Sections 14(e), 14(d)(4), and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
`
`1
`
`
`
`Case 1:22-cv-01220 Document 1 Filed 03/05/22 Page 2 of 15 PageID #: 2
`
`“Exchange Act”), 15 U.S.C. §§ 78n(e), 78n(d)(4), and 78t(a), and Rule 14d-9 promulgated
`
`thereunder by the SEC, 17 C.F.R. § 240.14d-9, in connection with the proposed acquisition (the
`
`“Proposed Transaction”) of BioDelivery by Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. (“Collegium”).
`
`JURISDICTION AND VENUE
`
`2.
`
`The claims asserted herein arise under and pursuant to Sections 14(e), 14(d)(4),
`
`and 20(a) of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. §§ 78n(e), 78n(d)(4), and 78t(a)) and Rule 14d-9
`
`promulgated thereunder by the SEC (17 C.F.R. § 240.14d-9).
`
`3.
`
`This Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of this action pursuant to 28
`
`U.S.C. § 1331, and Section 27 of the Exchange Act, 15 U.S.C. § 78aa.
`
`4.
`
`Venue is proper in this District pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b) and Section 27 of
`
`the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. § 78aa(c)) as a substantial portion of the transactions and wrongs
`
`complained of herein had an effect in this District, the alleged misstatements entered and the
`
`subsequent damages occurred in this District, and the Company conducts business in New York
`
`City.
`
`5.
`
`In connection with the acts, conduct and other wrongs alleged in this complaint,
`
`Defendants, directly or indirectly, used the means and instrumentalities of interstate commerce,
`
`including but not limited to, the United States mails, interstate telephone communications and the
`
`facilities of the national securities exchange.
`
`PARTIES
`
`6.
`
`Plaintiff is, and has been at all relevant times hereto, an owner of BioDelivery
`
`common stock.
`
`7.
`
`Defendant BioDelivery is a specialty pharmaceutical company that engages in the
`
`development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products for chronic conditions in the
`
`2
`
`
`
`Case 1:22-cv-01220 Document 1 Filed 03/05/22 Page 3 of 15 PageID #: 3
`
`United States and internationally. The Company is incorporated in Delaware. The Company’s
`
`common stock trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol, “BDSI.”
`
`8.
`
`Defendant Peter S. Greenleaf (“Greenleaf”) is Chairman of the Board of the
`
`Company.
`
`9.
`
`Defendant Jeffrey A. Bailey (“Bailey”) is Chief Executive Officer and a director
`
`of the Company.
`
`10.
`
`11.
`
`12.
`
`13.
`
`14.
`
`15.
`
`Defendant Todd C. Davis (“Davis”) is a director of the Company.
`
`Defendant Kevin Kotler (“Kotler”) is a director of the Company.
`
`Defendant Vanila M. Singh (“Singh”) is a director of the Company.
`
`Defendant Mark A. Sirgo (“Sirgo”) is a director of the Company.
`
`Defendant William Mark Watson (“Watson”) is a director of the Company.
`
`Defendants Greenleaf, Bailey, Davis, Kotler, Singh, Sirgo, and Watson are
`
`collectively referred to herein as the “Individual Defendants.”
`
`16.
`
`Defendants BioDelivery and the Individual Defendants are collectively referred to
`
`herein as the “Defendants.”
`
`SUBSTANTIVE ALLEGATIONS
`
`A. The Proposed Transaction
`
`17.
`
`On February 14, 2022, BioDelivery announced that it had entered into a definitive
`
`merger agreement for Collegium to purchase all outstanding shares of BioDelivery for $5.60 per
`
`share in an all-cash transaction. The press release announcing the Proposed Transaction states, in
`
`pertinent part:
`
`Collegium to Acquire BioDelivery Sciences in an All-Cash Deal
`
`February 14, 2022 06:30 ET | Source: BioDelivery Sciences International
`
`
`3
`
`
`
`Case 1:22-cv-01220 Document 1 Filed 03/05/22 Page 4 of 15 PageID #: 4
`
`Transaction is valued at $5.60 per share representing a total equity value of $604
`million
`
`Represents a 54% premium to BDSI stock’s closing price of $3.64 on February
`11, 2022 and a 65% premium to the 30 trading days volume weighted average
`price of $3.40
`
`Transaction expected to close late in the first quarter of 2022
`
`RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioDelivery Sciences
`International, Inc. (NASDAQ: BDSI), a growing specialty pharmaceutical
`company dedicated to patients living with serious and complex chronic conditions,
`today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement for
`Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. (NASDAQ: COLL) to purchase all outstanding
`shares of BDSI at $5.60 per share in an all-cash transaction. This corresponds to a
`total equity value of approximately $604 million (on a fully diluted basis). The
`merger agreement has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of
`both BDSI and Collegium.
`
`Under the terms of the merger agreement, Collegium will promptly commence a
`tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of BDSI’s common stock, and BDSI
`will file a recommendation statement containing the unanimous recommendation
`of the BDSI board that BDSI shareholders tender their shares to Collegium.
`
`“We are pleased to announce the transaction with Collegium, which we view as a
`testament to the attractiveness of our portfolio and long-term value of our brands,”
`said Jeff Bailey, CEO of BDSI. “Our team has worked diligently to grow our
`differentiated products. We believe that this transaction will deliver benefits to
`patients and prescribers and create significant value for our shareholders.”
`
`Terms of the Agreement
`Under the terms of the merger agreement, Collegium will promptly commence a
`tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of BDSI’s common stock at a
`price of $5.60 per share in cash. The consideration represents a 54% premium to
`BDSI common stock’s closing price of $3.64 on February 11, 2022 and a premium
`of 65% over the 30 trading days volume weighted average price of $3.40.
`
`The closing of the tender offer will be subject to a majority of BDSI’s outstanding
`shares being tendered. In addition, the transaction is subject to the expiration or
`termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust
`Improvements Act of 1976 and other customary conditions.
`
`Following completion of the tender offer, Collegium will acquire all remaining
`shares at the same price of $5.60 per share through a second step merger. The
`closing of the transaction is expected to take place late in the first quarter of 2022.
`
`4
`
`
`
`Case 1:22-cv-01220 Document 1 Filed 03/05/22 Page 5 of 15 PageID #: 5
`
`Moelis & Company LLC is acting as exclusive financial advisor and Goodwin
`Procter LLP is acting as legal counsel to BDSI. Jefferies LLC is acting as exclusive
`financial advisor to Collegium and Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP is
`acting as legal counsel to Collegium.
`
`INC.
`INTERNATIONAL,
`SCIENCES
`ABOUT BIODELIVERY
`BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. (NASDAQ: BDSI) is a commercial-stage
`specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to patients living with chronic
`conditions. BDSI has built a portfolio of differentiated pain and neurology products
`and leverages its experienced sales and marketing organization to educate
`prescribers on their unique features. BDSI's products address serious and
`debilitating conditions, including chronic pain, acute migraine and opioid-induced
`constipation.
`
`ABOUT COLLEGIUM
`leading, diversified specialty
`is building a
`Collegium Pharmaceutical
`pharmaceutical company committed to improving the lives of people suffering
`from serious medical conditions. Collegium’s headquarters are located in
`Stoughton, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit the company’s
`website at www.collegiumpharma.com.
`
`18.
`
`On February 18, 2022, Defendants caused to be filed with the SEC a Schedule 14D-
`
`9 Solicitation/Recommendation Statement under Section 14(d)(4) of the Exchange Act (the
`
`“Solicitation Statement”) in connection with the Proposed Transaction.
`
`B. The Solicitation Statement Contains Materially False and Misleading Statements
`and Omissions
`
`19.
`
`The Solicitation Statement, which recommends that BioDelivery shareholders
`
`tender their shares in connection with the Proposed Transaction, omits and/or misrepresents
`
`material information concerning: (i) BioDelivery’s financial projections; (ii) the financial analyses
`
`performed by the Company’s financial advisor, Moelis & Company LLC (“Moelis”), in
`
`connection with its fairness opinion; (iii) potential conflicts of interest involving Moelis; and (iv)
`
`potential conflicts of interest involving Company insiders.
`
`20.
`
`The omission of the material information (referenced below) renders the following
`
`sections of the Solicitation Statement false and misleading, among others: (i) Recommendation of
`
`the Board; (ii) Reasons for the Recommendation of the Board; (iii) Opinion of the Company’s
`
`5
`
`
`
`Case 1:22-cv-01220 Document 1 Filed 03/05/22 Page 6 of 15 PageID #: 6
`
`Financial Advisor; and (iv) Certain Prospective Financial Information.
`
`21.
`
`The tender offer in connection with the Proposed Transaction is set to expire at
`
`12:00 midnight, Eastern Time, at the end of March 18, 2022 (the “Expiration Date”). It is
`
`imperative that the material information that was omitted from the Solicitation Statement be
`
`disclosed to the Company’s shareholders prior to the Expiration Date to enable them to make an
`
`informed decision as to whether to tender their shares. Plaintiff may seek to enjoin Defendants
`
`from closing the tender offer or the Proposed Transaction unless and until the material
`
`misstatements and omissions (referenced below) are remedied. In the event the Proposed
`
`Transaction is consummated, Plaintiff may seek to recover damages resulting from Defendants’
`
`misconduct.
`
`1. Material Omissions Concerning BioDelivery’s Financial Projections
`
`22.
`
`The Solicitation Statement omits material information concerning BioDelivery’s
`
`financial projections.
`
`23. With respect to the Company’s financial projections, the Solicitation Statement
`
`fails to disclose: (1) all line items underlying each set of the Company’s financial projections; (2)
`
`the Company’s net income projections; and (3) a reconciliation of all non-GAAP to GAAP metrics.
`
`24.
`
`The disclosure of this information is material because it would provide the
`
`Company’s shareholders with a basis to project the future financial performance of the Company
`
`and would allow shareholders to better understand the financial analyses performed by the
`
`Company’s financial advisor in support of its fairness opinion. Shareholders cannot hope to
`
`replicate management’s inside view of the future prospects of the Company. Without such
`
`information, which is uniquely possessed by Defendant(s) and the Company’s financial advisor,
`
`the Company’s shareholders are unable to determine how much weight, if any, to place on the
`
`Company’s financial advisor’s fairness opinion in determining whether to tender their shares in
`
`6
`
`
`
`Case 1:22-cv-01220 Document 1 Filed 03/05/22 Page 7 of 15 PageID #: 7
`
`connection Proposed Transaction.
`
`25. When a company discloses non-GAAP financial metrics in a Solicitation Statement
`
`that were relied upon by its board of directors in recommending that shareholders exercise their
`
`corporate suffrage rights in a particular manner, the company must also disclose, pursuant to SEC
`
`Regulation G, all projections and information necessary to make the non-GAAP metrics not
`
`misleading, and must provide a reconciliation (by schedule or other clearly understandable
`
`method) of the differences between the non-GAAP financial metrics disclosed or released with the
`
`most comparable financial metrics calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. 17 C.F.R.
`
`§ 244.100.1
`
`26.
`
`The above-referenced omitted information, if disclosed, would significantly alter
`
`the total mix of information available to the Company’s shareholders.
`
`2. Material Omissions Concerning Moelis’ Analyses
`
`27.
`
`In connection with the Proposed Transaction, the Solicitation Statement omits
`
`material information concerning analyses performed by Moelis.
`
`28.
`
`The Solicitation Statement fails to disclose the following concerning Moelis’
`
`“Discounted Cash Flow Analysis”: (1) the terminal value of the Company; (2) the present value of
`
`ELYXYB; (3) the present value of the Company’s net operating losses (NOL); (4) the individual
`
`inputs and assumptions underlying the (i) range of discount rates of 7.00% to 11.25%, and (ii)
`
`
`1 Mary Jo White, Keynote Address, International Corporate Governance Network Annual
`Conference: Focusing the Lens of Disclosure to Set the Path Forward on Board Diversity, Non-
`GAAP, and Sustainability (June 27, 2016), https://www.sec.gov/news/speech/chair-white-icgn-
`speech.html (footnotes omitted) (last visited Mar. 5, 2022) (“And last month, the staff issued
`guidance addressing a number of troublesome practices which can make non-GAAP disclosures
`misleading: the lack of equal or greater prominence for GAAP measures; exclusion of normal,
`recurring cash operating expenses; individually tailored non-GAAP revenues; lack of
`consistency; cherry-picking; and the use of cash per share data. I strongly urge companies to
`carefully consider this guidance and revisit their approach to non-GAAP disclosures.”).
`
`7
`
`
`
`Case 1:22-cv-01220 Document 1 Filed 03/05/22 Page 8 of 15 PageID #: 8
`
`perpetuity growth rate range of (35%) to (15%); (5) the commercial risk-adjusted forecasts for
`
`ELYXYB; and (6) the Company’s NOL balance and projected NOL utilization.
`
`29.
`
`The Solicitation Statement fails to disclose the following concerning Moelis’
`
`“Selected Precedent Transactions Analysis”: (1) the financial metrics of each transaction Moelis
`
`observed in its analyses, including the upfront TEV and LTM revenue of each company; (2) the
`
`value of each transaction; (3) the closing date of each transaction; and (4) the basis for applying
`
`the multiple reference ranges of multiples.
`
`30.
`
`The Solicitation Statement fails to disclose the following concerning Moelis’
`
`“Selected Publicly Traded Companies Analysis”: (1) the financial metrics of each company Moelis
`
`observed in its analyses, including each company’s 2022E Revenue and 2022E EBITDA; and (2)
`
`the basis for applying the multiple reference ranges of multiples.
`
`31.
`
`The valuation methods, underlying assumptions, and key
`
`inputs used
`
`by Moelis in rendering its purported fairness opinion must be fairly disclosed to the Company’s
`
`shareholders. The description of Moelis’ fairness opinion and analyses, however, fails to include
`
`key inputs and assumptions underlying those analyses.
`
`32. Without the information described above, the Company’s shareholders are unable
`
`to fully understand Moelis’ fairness opinion and analyses, and are thus unable to determine how
`
`much weight, if any, to place on them in determining whether to tender their shares in connection
`
`with the Proposed Transaction. This omitted information, if disclosed, would significantly alter
`
`the total mix of information available to the Company’s shareholders.
`
`3. Material Omissions Concerning Potential Conflicts of Interest Involving
`Moelis
`
`
`The Solicitation Statement omits material information concerning potential
`
`33.
`
`conflicts of interest involving Moelis.
`
`8
`
`
`
`Case 1:22-cv-01220 Document 1 Filed 03/05/22 Page 9 of 15 PageID #: 9
`
`34.
`
`The Solicitation Statement provides that, “[i]n the past two years, Moelis has been
`
`acting as a financial advisor to the Company including in connection with the Transactions.”
`
`35.
`
`The Solicitation Statement, however, fails to disclose the timing and nature of the
`
`past services Moelis and/or its affiliates provided the Company and/or its affiliates, including the
`
`amount of compensation Moelis received or expects to receive for providing each service within
`
`the past two years of the date of its fairness opinion. See 17 C.F.R. § 229.1015(b)(4) (requiring
`
`disclosure of all material relationships between a company and its financial advisors and the
`
`compensation received by the advisors during the past two years).
`
`36.
`
`Disclosure of a financial advisor’s compensation and potential conflicts of interest
`
`to shareholders is required due to their central role in the evaluation, exploration, selection, and
`
`implementation of strategic alternatives and the rendering of any fairness opinions. Disclosure of
`
`a financial advisor’s potential conflicts of interest may inform shareholders on how much weight
`
`to place on that analysis.
`
`37.
`
`The omission of the above-referenced information renders the Solicitation
`
`Statement materially incomplete and misleading. This information, if disclosed, would
`
`significantly alter the total mix of information available to the Company’s shareholders.
`
`4. Material Omissions Concerning Company Insiders’ Potential Conflicts of
`Interest
`
`38.
`
`The Solicitation Statement omits material information concerning potential
`
`conflicts of interest involving Company insiders.
`
`39.
`
`The Solicitation Statement fails to disclose the details of all employment-related
`
`and compensation-related discussions and negotiations concerning the Company’s officers and
`
`directors, including the parties to such communications, when they occurred, and the specific
`
`content discussed/communicated.
`
`9
`
`
`
`Case 1:22-cv-01220 Document 1 Filed 03/05/22 Page 10 of 15 PageID #: 10
`
`40.
`
`Any communications
`
`regarding post-transaction employment during
`
`the
`
`negotiation of the underlying transaction must be disclosed to shareholders. This information is
`
`necessary for shareholders to understand potential conflicts of interest of management and the
`
`Board. Such information may illuminate the motivations that would prevent fiduciaries from acting
`
`solely in the best interests of the Company’s shareholders.
`
`41.
`
`The above-referenced omitted information, if disclosed, would significantly alter
`
`the total mix of information available to the Company’s shareholders.
`
`COUNT I
`For Violations of Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act
`Against All Defendants
`Plaintiff repeats and re-alleges each and every allegation contained in the foregoing
`
`42.
`
`paragraphs as if fully set forth herein.
`
`43.
`
`Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act states, in relevant part:
`
`It shall be unlawful for any person to make any untrue statement of a material fact
`or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made,
`in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading . . . in
`connection with any tender offer or request or invitation for tenders[.]
`
`44.
`
`During the relevant period, Defendants, individually and in concert, directly or
`
`indirectly, disseminated or approved the false and misleading Solicitation Statement specified
`
`above, which failed to disclose material facts necessary in order to make the statements made, in
`
`light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in violation of Section
`
`14(e) of the Exchange Act.
`
`45.
`
`Each of the Individual Defendants, by virtue of their positions within the Company
`
`as officers and/or directors, were aware of materially false and/or misleading and/or omitted
`
`information but failed to disclose such information, in violation of Section 14(e) of the Exchange
`
`Act. Defendants, by use of the mails and means and instrumentalities of interstate commerce,
`
`10
`
`
`
`Case 1:22-cv-01220 Document 1 Filed 03/05/22 Page 11 of 15 PageID #: 11
`
`solicited and/or permitted the use of their names to file and disseminate the Solicitation Statement
`
`with respect to the Proposed Transaction.
`
`46.
`
`The false and misleading statements and omissions in the Solicitation Statement are
`
`material in that a reasonable shareholder would consider them important in deciding whether to
`
`tender their shares in connection with the Proposed Transaction.
`
`47.
`
`Defendants acted knowingly or with deliberate recklessness in filing or causing the
`
`filing of the materially false and misleading Solicitation Statement.
`
`48.
`
`49.
`
`By reason of the foregoing, Defendants violated Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act.
`
`Because of the false and misleading statements in the Solicitation Statement,
`
`Plaintiff is threatened with irreparable harm.
`
`COUNT II
`For Violations of Section 14(d)(4) of the Exchange Act and Rule 14d-9 Promulgated
`Thereunder
`Against All Defendants
`Plaintiff repeats and re-alleges each and every allegation contained in the foregoing
`
`50.
`
`paragraphs as if fully set forth herein.
`
`51. Defendants caused the Solicitation Statement to be issued with the intent to solicit
`
`shareholder support for the Proposed Transaction.
`
`52.
`
`Section 14(d)(4) of the Exchange Act and SEC Rule 14d-9 promulgated thereunder
`
`require full and complete disclosure in connection with tender offers. Specifically, Section
`
`14(d)(4) states, in relevant part:
`
`Any solicitation or recommendation to the holders of such a security to accept or
`reject a tender offer or request or invitation for tenders shall be made in accordance
`with such rules and regulations as the Commission may prescribe as necessary or
`appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors.
`
`
`
`53.
`
`SEC Rule 14d-9(d), adopted to implement Section 14(d)(4) of the
`
`Exchange Act, states, in relevant part:
`
`11
`
`
`
`Case 1:22-cv-01220 Document 1 Filed 03/05/22 Page 12 of 15 PageID #: 12
`
`Any solicitation or recommendation to holders of a class of securities referred to in
`section 14(d)(1) of the Act with respect to a tender offer for such securities shall
`include the name of the person making such solicitation or recommendation and
`the information required by Items 1 through 8 of Schedule 14D-9 (§ 240.14d-101)
`or a fair and adequate summary thereof[.]
`
`54.
`
`In accordance with SEC Rule 14d-9, Item 8 of Schedule 14D-9 requires that a
`
`company:
`
`Furnish such additional material information, if any, as may be necessary to make
`the required statements, in light of the circumstances under which they are made,
`not materially misleading.
`
`55.
`
`During the relevant period, Defendants, individually and in concert, directly or
`
`indirectly, disseminated or approved the false and misleading Solicitation Statement specified
`
`above, which failed to disclose material facts necessary in order to make the statements made, in
`
`light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in violation of Section
`
`14(d)(4) of the Exchange Act and SEC Rule 14d-9.
`
`56.
`
`Each of the Individual Defendants, by virtue of their positions within the Company
`
`as officers and/or directors, were aware of materially false and/or misleading and/or omitted
`
`information but failed to disclose such information, in violation of Section 14(d)(4) of the
`
`Exchange Act and SEC Rule 14d-9. Defendants, by use of the mails and means and
`
`instrumentalities of interstate commerce, solicited and/or permitted the use of their names to file
`
`and disseminate the Solicitation Statement with respect to the Proposed Transaction.
`
`57.
`
`Defendants acted knowingly or with deliberate recklessness in filing the materially
`
`false and misleading Solicitation Statement which omitted material information.
`
`58.
`
`The false and misleading statements and omissions in the Solicitation Statement are
`
`material in that a reasonable shareholder would consider them important in deciding whether to
`
`tender their shares in connection with the Proposed Transaction.
`
`12
`
`
`
`Case 1:22-cv-01220 Document 1 Filed 03/05/22 Page 13 of 15 PageID #: 13
`
`COUNT III
`Violations of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act
`Against the Individual Defendants
`Plaintiff repeats and re-alleges each and every allegation contained in the foregoing
`
`59.
`
`paragraphs as if fully set forth herein.
`
`60.
`
`The Individual Defendants acted as control persons of the Company within the
`
`meaning of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act as alleged herein. By virtue of their senior positions
`
`as officers and/or directors of the Company and participation in and/or awareness of the
`
`Company’s operations and/or intimate knowledge of the false statements contained in the
`
`Solicitation Statement filed with the SEC, they had the power to and did influence and control,
`
`directly or indirectly, the decision-making of the Company, including the content and
`
`dissemination of the false and misleading Solicitation Statement.
`
`61.
`
`Each of the Individual Defendants was provided with or had unlimited access to
`
`copies of the Solicitation Statement and other statements alleged by Plaintiff to be misleading prior
`
`to and/or shortly after these statements were issued and had the ability to prevent the issuance of
`
`the statements or cause the statements to be corrected. As officers and/or directors of a publicly
`
`owned company, the Individual Defendants had a duty to disseminate accurate and truthful
`
`information with respect to the Solicitation Statement, and to correct promptly any public
`
`statements issued by the Company which were or had become materially false or misleading.
`
`62.
`
`In particular, each of the Individual Defendants had direct and supervisory
`
`involvement in the operations of the Company, and, therefore, is presumed to have had the power
`
`to control or influence the particular transactions giving rise to the securities violations as alleged
`
`herein, and exercised the same. The Individual Defendants were provided with or had unlimited
`
`access to copies of the Solicitation Statement and had the ability to prevent the issuance of the
`
`statements or to cause the statements to be corrected. The Solicitation Statement at issue contains
`
`13
`
`
`
`Case 1:22-cv-01220 Document 1 Filed 03/05/22 Page 14 of 15 PageID #: 14
`
`the recommendation of the Individual Defendants to tender their shares pursuant to the Proposed
`
`Transaction. Thus, the Individual Defendants were directly involved in the making of the
`
`Solicitation Statement.
`
`63.
`
`In addition, as the Solicitation Statement sets forth at length, and as described
`
`herein, the Individual Defendants were involved in negotiating, reviewing, and approving the
`
`Proposed Transaction. The Solicitation Statement purports to describe the various issues and
`
`information that they reviewed and considered—descriptions which had input from the Individual
`
`Defendants.
`
`64.
`
`By virtue of the foregoing, the Individual Defendants have violated Section 20(a)
`
`of the Exchange Act.
`
`65.
`
`As set forth above, the Individual Defendants had the ability to exercise control
`
`over and did control a person or persons who have each violated Sections 14(e), 14(d)(4), and Rule
`
`14d-9 promulgated thereunder, by their acts and omissions as alleged herein. By virtue of their
`
`positions as controlling persons, the Individual Defendants are liable pursuant to Section 20(a) of
`
`the Exchange Act. As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ conduct, the Company’s
`
`shareholders will be irreparably harmed.
`
`PRAYER FOR RELIEF
`
`WHEREFORE, Plaintiff prays for judgment and relief as follows:
`
`A.
`
`Preliminarily and permanently enjoining Defendants and all persons acting in
`
`concert with them from proceeding with, consummating, or closing the Proposed Transaction and
`
`the tender offer in connection with the Proposed Transaction, unless and until Defendants disclose
`
`and disseminate the material information identified above to the Company’s shareholders;
`
`14
`
`
`
`Case 1:22-cv-01220 Document 1 Filed 03/05/22 Page 15 of 15 PageID #: 15
`
`B.
`
`In the event Defendants consummate the Proposed Transaction, rescinding it and
`
`setting it aside or awarding Plaintiff rescissory damages;
`
`C.
`
`Declaring that Defendants violated Sections 14(e), 14(d)(4), and 20(a) of the
`
`Exchange Act, and Rule 14d-9 promulgated thereunder;
`
`D.
`
`Awarding Plaintiff reasonable costs and expenses incurred in this action, including
`
`counsel fees and expenses and expert fees; and
`
`E.
`
`Granting such other and further relief as the Court may deem just and proper.
`
`JURY TRIAL DEMANDED
`
`Plaintiff hereby demands a trial by jury.
`
`Dated: March 5, 2022
`
`
`
`
`
` Respectfully submitted,
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`HALPER SADEH LLP
`
`By: /s/ Daniel Sadeh
`Daniel Sadeh, Esq.
`Zachary Halper, Esq. (to be admitted pro hac
`vice)
`667 Madison Avenue, 5th Floor
`New York, NY 10065
`Telephone: (212) 763-0060
`Facsimile: (646) 776-2600
`Email: sadeh@halpersadeh.com
` zhalper@halpersadeh.com
`
`Counsel for Plaintiff
`
`
`15
`
`