In connection with the proposed acquisition of Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (“Pacific Biosciences”) by Illumina, Inc. (“Illumina”), five lawsuits were filed, with each lawsuit naming Pacific Biosciences and its directors as defendants. Three putative class action complaints, captionedWangv.Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc., et al., No.3:18-cv-7450 (N.D. Cal.),Morrison v. Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc., et al., No.3:18-cv-7654 (N.D. Cal.), andSpeiser v. Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc., et al.,No. 3:19-cv-0072 (N.D. Cal.), were filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on December 11, 2018, December 20, 2018, and January 4, 2019, respectively. A fourth putative class action complaint, captionedRosenblatt v. Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc., et al., No.1:18-cv-2005 (D. Del.), was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware on December 18, 2018. An individual complaint, captionedWashington v. Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc., et al., No.5:18-cv-7614 (N.D. Cal.), was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on December 19, 2018. Each of the lawsuits asserted claims under Section 14(a) and Section 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in connection with the disclosures contained in Pacific Biosciences’ preliminary proxy statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the Securities Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on December 5, 2018, Pacific Biosciences’ definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on December 18, 2018, or both. The complaints sought a variety of equitable and injunctive relief including, among other things, enjoining the consummation of the acquisition and awarding the plaintiffs costs and attorneys’ fees.
Although Pacific Biosciences management believed that the claims were without merit, Pacific Biosciences agreed to make supplemental disclosures in exchange for plaintiffs’ agreement that the supplemental disclosures would moot their claims. Pacific Biosciences made these supplemental disclosures in a proxy statement amendment on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on January 18, 2019.
On January 29, 2019, all parties to each of the lawsuits reached an agreement pursuant to which Pacific Biosciences would pay a total of $300,000 in attorneys’ fees to the plaintiffs. On January 29, 2019, each plaintiff filed a voluntary dismissal of his or her lawsuit.