Item 8.01. Other Events.
As previously disclosed, on April 9, 2018, VeriFone Systems, Inc. (the “Company” or “Verifone”) entered into the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of April 9, 2018 (the “Merger Agreement”), among the Company, Vertex Holdco LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Parent”), and Vertex Merger Sub LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub will be merged with and into the Company (the “Merger”), with the Company continuing as the surviving company in the Merger. Parent and Merger Sub are owned by an investor group led by the private equity investment firm Francisco Partners. On May 21, 2018, the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a definitive proxy statement (the “Definitive Proxy Statement”) with respect to the special meeting of the Company’s stockholders scheduled to be held on June 19, 2018, in connection with the Merger (the “Special Meeting”).
Litigation Related to the Merger
As previously disclosed, in connection with the Merger, two putative class action lawsuits,Scarantino v.VeriFone Systems, Inc., et al., Case No. 1:18-cv-00752-VAC-CJB, andByrne v.VeriFone Systems, Inc., et al., Case No. 4:18-cv-02926-YGR, were filed on May 17, 2018, against the Company and its directors in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware and the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, respectively. On May 30, 2018, a third lawsuit,Raul v.VeriFone Systems, Inc., et al., Case No. 3:18-cv-03215-JSW, was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and on June 1, 2018, a fourth lawsuit,Lowinger v. VeriFone Systems, Inc. et al. Case No. 1:18-cv-00829-UNA was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.
The complaints generally allege that the preliminary proxy statement filed by the Company with the SEC on May 7, 2018, in connection with the Merger misrepresents and/or omits certain purportedly material information. The allegations relate to the Company’s financial projections, the valuation analyses performed by Qatalyst Partners, the background of the Merger, and any potential conflicts of interest of the Company’s management or directors with respect to the Merger. The complaints allege that such misrepresentations and/or omissions render the proxy statement false and misleading and accordingly allege violations of Section 14(a) and Section 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), as well as Rule 14a-9 promulgated under the Exchange Act. The complaints seek, among other things, an injunction against the consummation of the Merger, costs of the action, including plaintiffs’ attorneys’ and experts’ fees, declaratory relief, and any other relief the courts may deem just and proper. On May 25, 2018, the plaintiff in theByrne action filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to enjoin the holding of the Special Meeting until certain additional information is disclosed in the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement.
While the Company believes that the actions lack merit and that the disclosures in the Definitive Proxy Statement comply fully with applicable law, in order to avoid the expense and distraction of litigation and following discussions with counsel for plaintiffs in theScarantino andByrne actions, the Company has determined to voluntarily supplement the Definitive Proxy Statement with the supplemental disclosures set forth below (the “Supplemental Disclosures”).
Nothing in the Supplemental Disclosures shall be deemed an admission of the legal necessity or materiality under applicable law of the Supplemental Disclosures. To the contrary, the Company specifically denies all allegations that any of the Supplemental Disclosures, or any other additional disclosures, were or are required.
The Company’s Board of Directors continues to unanimously recommend that you vote “FOR” the adoption of the Merger Agreement and “FOR” the other proposals being considered at the Special Meeting.
Supplemental Disclosures to Definitive Proxy Statement
These Supplemental Disclosures should be read in conjunction with the Definitive Proxy Statement, which should be read in its entirety. All page references in the information below are to pages in the Definitive Proxy Statement, and all capitalized terms used below shall have the meanings set forth in the Definitive Proxy Statement. Paragraph references used herein refer to the proxy statement before any additions or deletions resulting from the supplemental disclosures. Underlined text shows text being added to a referenced disclosure in the Definitive Proxy Statement. The information contained herein speaks only as of June 6, 2018 unless the information indicates that another date applies.
The Section of the Proxy Statement titled “The Merger—Background of the Merger” is hereby supplemented by amending the paragraph on Page 32 that begins “On February 26, 2018 . . .” as follows to add the underlined sentence: