PART II – OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
We are from time to time subject to various claims, lawsuits and other legal and administrative proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. Some of these claims, lawsuits and other proceedings may involve highly complex issues that are subject to substantial uncertainties, and could result in damages, fines, penalties, non-monetary sanctions, or relief. We recognize provisions for claims or pending litigation when we determine that an unfavorable outcome is probable, and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. Due to the inherent uncertain nature of litigation, the ultimate outcome or actual cost of settlement may materially vary from estimates. While the outcome of these claims cannot be predicted with certainty, management does not believe that the outcome of any current legal proceedings will have a material adverse impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.
As previously disclosed, on November 8, 2021, a purported stockholder, Leo Lissog Goldstein, filed a Section 220 complaint in Delaware Chancery Court against ExOne (Goldstein v. The ExOne Company, Case No. 2021-0958-KSJM). Mr. Goldstein seeks to discover certain books and records of the company related to the ExOne Merger purportedly in order to investigate, among other things, the events leading up to and the disclosures made in connection with the ExOne Merger. Mr. Goldstein has also moved to intervene and stay the Campanella action, discussed below, until his Section 220 action is complete. Mr. Goldstein dismissed his complaint on February 14, 2023.
As previously disclosed, on November 22, 2021, purported stockholder Pietro Campanella filed a class action lawsuit against ExOne, Desktop Metal, Inc., and former ExOne directors and officers alleging breach of fiduciary duties and aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duties in connection with the ExOne Merger (Campanella v. The ExOne Company et al., Case No. 2021-1013, Case No. 2021-1013-LWW). In particular, Mr. Campanella alleges that ExOne’s proxy statement and supplemental disclosures did not adequately disclose information related to a whistleblower investigation at one of Desktop Metal’s subsidiaries, EnvisionTEC, and the resignation of EnvisionTEC’s CEO.
As previously disclosed, on December 21, 2021, January 14, 2022, February 2, 2022, and February 22, 2022, four alleged shareholders of Desktop Metal stock filed purported securities class action complaints in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. (Luongo v. Desktop Metal, D. Mass., Case No. 1:21-cv-12099-IT; Hathaway v. Desktop Metal, D. Mass., Case No. 1:22-cv-10059-IT; Guzman-Martinez v. Desktop Metal, D. Mass, Case No. 1:22-cv-10173, Xie v. Desktop Metal, Case No. 1:22-cv-10297-IT). Each complaint alleges that Desktop Metal and certain of its officers and directors violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities and Exchange Act by making false or misleading statements regarding EnvisionTEC’s manufacturing and product compliance practices and procedures. On February 4, 2022, the court issued an order consolidating the first three District of Massachusetts securities class actions. On July 7, 2022, the court appointed Sophia Zhou lead plaintiff for the class period of February 17, 2021 through November 15, 2021. The court also vacated its earlier order consolidating the Xie action with the other lawsuits and will allow that action to proceed separately, with a new notice to investors, based on a class period of January 15, 2021 to February 16, 2021. On September 29, 2022, the Court re-consolidated the Xie action with the other actions for all pre-trial proceedings. Plaintiffs filed a Consolidated Complaint on December 19, 2022. On February 28, 2023, Defendants moved to dismiss the Consolidated Complaint. The parties will complete briefing on the motion to dismiss in May 2023 and are awaiting a decision.
As previously disclosed, on July 12, 2022, two alleged shareholders of Desktop Metal stock filed derivative actions purportedly on behalf of Desktop Metal in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. (Keyser v. Fulop, et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-11117; Qi v. Fulop, et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-1118). On July 22, 2022, an alleged shareholder of Desktop Metal stock filed a similar derivative complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware (Cherry v. Fulop, et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-00962). The complaints allege that certain officers and directors of Desktop Metal caused harm to the Company by violating Section 14(A) of the Exchange Act and SEC Rule 14a-9 and breaching their fiduciary duties by making false or misleading statements regarding EnvisionTEC’s manufacturing and product compliance practice and procedures. The matters are stayed pending the outcome of Defendants’ motion to dismiss in the D. Mass. securities class action.
As previously disclosed, on February 9, 2023, purported stockholder Jeffrey Schantz sent a demand letter to the company, requesting certain books and records of the company related to the December 8, 2020 transaction in which Trine Acquisition Corp. (“Trine”), a SPAC, merged with Desktop Metal.