Commitment and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2022

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

Legal Matters

On November 12, 2021, Sothinathan Sinnathurai filed a purported securities class action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against the Company and certain members of senior management, captioned Sothinathan Sinnathurai v. Novavax, Inc., et al., No. 8:21-cv-02910-TDC (the “Sinnathurai Action”). On January 26, 2022, the court entered an order designating David Truong, Nuggehalli Balmukund Nandkumar, and Jeffrey Gabbert as co-lead plaintiffs in the Sinnathurai Action. The co-lead plaintiffs filed a consolidated amended complaint on March 11, 2022, alleging that the defendants made certain purportedly false and misleading statements concerning the Company’s ability to manufacture NVX-CoV2373 on a commercial scale and to secure the vaccine’s regulatory approval. The amended complaint defines the purported class as those stockholders who purchased the Company’s securities between February 24, 2021 and October 19, 2021. On April 25, 2022, defendants filed a motion to dismiss the consolidated amended complaint.

After the Sinnathurai Action was filed, three derivative lawsuits were filed and are currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland: Robert E. Meyer v. Stanley C. Erck, et al., No. 8:21-cv-02996-TDC (the “Meyer Action”), Shui Shing Yung v. Stanley C. Erck, et al., No. 8:21-cv-03248-TDC (the “Yung Action”), and William Kirst, et al. v. Stanley C. Erck, et al., No. 8:22-cv-00024-TDC (the “Kirst Action”). The derivative lawsuits name members of the board of directors and certain members of senior management as defendants. The company is deemed a nominal defendant. The plaintiffs assert derivative claims arising out of substantially the same alleged facts and circumstances as the Sinnathurai Action. Collectively, the derivative complaints assert claims for breach of fiduciary duty, insider selling, unjust enrichment, violation of federal securities law, abuse of control, waste, and mismanagement. Plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as an award of monetary damages and attorneys’ fees. The Company removed the Kirst Action from the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland, shortly after the case was filed. On February 7, 2022, the plaintiffs in the Kirst Action filed a motion to remand the case to state court. The Company has opposed the remand motion. The parties finished briefing the remand motion on March 8, 2022, and await the Court’s decision. On February 4, 2022, the Court entered an order consolidating the Meyer and Yung Actions (the “Consolidated Derivative Action”). The plaintiffs in the Consolidated Derivative Action filed their consolidated derivative complaint on April 25, 2022. The parties to the Consolidated Derivative Action intend to file a stipulation and proposed order to temporarily stay all proceedings and deadlines in the Consolidated Derivative Action.

On March 29, 2022, Par Sterile Products, LLC (“Par”) submitted a demand for arbitration against the Company with the American Arbitration Association, alleging that the Company breached certain provisions of the Manufacturing and Services Agreement (“MSA”) that the Company entered into with Par in September 2020 to provide fill-finish manufacturing services for NVX-CoV2373. The matter is at a preliminary stage and therefore the potential loss is not reasonably estimable. While the Company maintains that no breach of the MSA has occurred and intends to vigorously defend the matter, if the final resolution of the matter is adverse to the Company, it could have a material impact on the Company's financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

The Company is also involved in various legal proceedings arising in the normal course of business. Although the outcomes of these legal proceedings are inherently difficult to predict, management does not expect the resolution of these legal proceedings to have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.