Item 4.01. Change in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant.
(a) Dismissal of independent registered public accounting firm
On August 24, 2022, the Audit Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board of Directors of FiscalNote Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) approved the dismissal of Marcum LLP (“Marcum”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, effective as of August 24, 2022. Marcum served as the independent registered public accounting firm of Duddell Street Acquisition Corp. (“DSAC”), the Company’s predecessor, prior to the business combination among DSAC, Grassroots Merger Sub, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of DSAC, and FiscalNote Intermediate Holdco, Inc. (formerly FiscalNote Holdings, Inc.) on July 29, 2022 (the “Closing Date”).
The reports of Marcum on DSAC’s balance sheet as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 and financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the period from August 28, 2020 (date of inception) through December 31, 2020, did not contain an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion, and were not qualified or modified as to uncertainties, audit scope or accounting principles except for an explanatory paragraph regarding substantial doubt about DSAC’s ability to continue as a going concern.
During the period from August 28, 2020 (date of inception) through December 31, 2020, the year ended December 31, 2021 and the subsequent interim period through August 24, 2022, there were no disagreements with Marcum on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial disclosure or auditing scope or procedure, which disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of Marcum, would have caused it to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreement or reportable events as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act, other than a previously disclosed material weakness in DSAC’s internal control over financial reporting identified by DSAC, which resulted in the restatement of DSAC’s financial statements for certain periods.
(b) Newly Appointed Independent Registered Public Accountant
On August 24, 2022, the Committee approved the engagement of RSM US LLP (“RSM”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm to audit the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2022.
During the period from August 28, 2020 (inception) to the date the Committee approved the engagement of RSM as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, neither DSAC nor the Company, as applicable, consulted with RSM on matters that involved the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on DSAC’s or the Company’s consolidated financial statements or any other matter that was either the subject of a disagreement or reportable event.
The Company has provided Marcum with a copy of the foregoing disclosures and has requested that Marcum furnish the Company with a letter addressed to the SEC stating whether it agrees with the statements made by the Company set forth above. A copy of Marcum’s letter, dated August 25, 2022, is filed as Exhibit 16.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
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