As previously disclosed, on August 1, 2022, EVO Payments, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“EVO Payments”), Global Payments Inc., a Georgia corporation (“Global Payments”), and Falcon Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Global Payments (“Merger Sub”), entered into a definitive Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, and subject to the terms and conditions thereof, Merger Sub will merge with and into EVO Payments (the “Merger”), with EVO Payments surviving the Merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Global Payments.
On September 6, 2022, EVO Payments filed a preliminary proxy statement with the SEC (the “Preliminary Proxy Statement”). On September 22, 2022, EVO Payments filed a definitive proxy statement with the SEC (the “Definitive Proxy Statement”) for the solicitation of proxies in connection with the special meeting of EVO Payments’ stockholders to be held on October 26, 2022 (the “Special Meeting”), for purposes of voting, among other things, on a proposal to approve and adopt the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger.
Following announcement of the Merger, as of the date of this supplement to the Definitive Proxy Statement (the “supplement”), ten purported stockholders of EVO Payments have filed complaints against EVO Payments, members of the board of directors of EVO Payments (the “Board”) and/or Global Payments alleging claims under (i) Section 14(a) and Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act, (ii) the Georgia Uniform Securities Act of 2008 and/or (iii) New York common law (collectively, the “Complaints”). Seven suits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, one suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, one suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware and one suit was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of Nassau. All of the lawsuits remain pending. The Complaints assert that the defendants made misleading or materially incomplete disclosures regarding the Merger in the Preliminary Proxy Statement or the Definitive Proxy Statement, including but not limited to claims that the Preliminary Proxy Statement or the Definitive Proxy Statement, as applicable, omitted material information regarding the financial projections provided to Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. (“Citi”), as EVO Payments’ financial advisor, the valuation analyses performed by Citi, and alleged actual or potential conflicts of interest of EVO Payments’ management, the Board, and Citi with respect to the Merger. The Complaints generally name EVO Payments, its directors and/or Global Payments as defendants and seek injunctive relief, damages, costs, expenses, and other relief. Additional lawsuits arising out of or relating to the Merger Agreement or the Merger may be filed in the future. In addition to the Complaints, purported stockholders of EVO Payments have delivered demand letters to EVO Payments that, among other things, allege the disclosure contained in the Definitive Proxy Statement is deficient and request that EVO Payments supplement such disclosure prior to the Special Meeting (the “Demand Letters”).
EVO Payments and the Board believe the Complaints and the Demand Letters are without merit, that each of the Preliminary Proxy Statement and the Definitive Proxy Statement fully comply with the Exchange Act and all other applicable law, and that no further disclosure is required. However, solely in order to mitigate the risk of delaying or otherwise adversely affecting the consummation of the Merger and to minimize the expense and distraction of defending such litigation, EVO Payments hereby voluntarily amends and supplements the Definitive Proxy Statement as set forth in this supplement. Nothing in the supplemental disclosures set forth below should be deemed an admission of the legal necessity or materiality under applicable laws of any of the disclosures set forth herein.
The Board unanimously recommends that the EVO Payments stockholders vote “FOR” each of the proposals at the Special Meeting, each as described in the Definitive Proxy Statement.
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