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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

NOTE 11 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

The Company may periodically become subject to legal proceedings and claims arising in connection with its business. As of March 31, 2020, no claims or actions pending against the Company that, in the opinion of management, are likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company.

 

IPO Lawsuits

 

On November 8, 2018 and January 28, 2019, two purported class actions were filed in the Superior Court of California, San Mateo County, against the Company and certain of our officers and directors. The actions are entitled Savelstrov v. Menlo Therapeutics Inc., et al., and McKay v. Menlo Therapeutics Inc., et al. The underwriters for our initial public offering were also named as defendants in these lawsuits. The complaints contain identical allegations against the same defendants. Both complaints alleged that the Registration Statement and prospectus for our initial public offering contained false and misleading statements in violation of Sections 11, 12(a)(2) and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 due to allegedly false and misleading statements in connection with our initial public offering. The complaints seek, among other things, an award of damages in an amount to be proven at trial, along with reimbursement of reasonable costs and expenses, including attorneys’ fees and expert fees. The McKay action has been consolidated with the Savelstrov action and the claim for violations of Section 12(a)(2) has been dismissed.

 

The parties have mediated the consolidated lawsuit and reached a settlement, providing for payment to the class of plaintiffs in the amount of $9.5 million in return for a release of all claims against the defendants, including the Company and its current and former officers and directors. The settlement is subject to final documentation and Court approval. The Company’s insurance carriers will pay the vast majority of the settlement amount. Menlo accrued for the remaining settlement amount that is not covered by insurance carriers as of December 31, 2019, which did not have a material impact on its financial statements.

 

Merger Lawsuits

 

Seven lawsuits (collectively, the “Merger Lawsuits”) were filed in various U.S. federal district courts against Foamix and certain other defendants in connection with the Merger. The lawsuits generally alleged that the registration statement on Form S-4 and the prospectus/joint proxy statement included therein included false or misleading information regarding the Merger in violations of Section 14(a) and Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act and/or Rule 14a 9 promulgated under the Exchange Act. In addition, one of the lawsuits alleged that the members of Foamix’s board of directors breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the Merger. The plaintiffs sought, among other things, to enjoin consummation of the Merger, or alternatively rescission or rescissory damages; to compel the individual defendants to disseminate a joint proxy statement/prospectus that does not contain any untrue statements of material fact and that states all material facts required in it or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading; a declaration that defendants violated Sections 14(a) and/or 20(a) of the Exchange Act; a declaration that the Merger Agreement was entered into in breach of fiduciary duty and is therefore invalid and unenforceable; an order directing the individual defendants to commence a sale process for Foamix and obtain a transaction; and an award of costs, including attorneys’ and experts’ fees and expenses, as well as an accounting of damages allegedly suffered by the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs have agreed the Lawsuits were rendered moot by subsequent disclosure, and on April 22, 2020, each of the plaintiffs and defendants named in the Merger Lawsuits entered into a mootness resolution agreement pursuant to which the plaintiffs agreed to dismiss their lawsuits with prejudice as to the named plaintiff and Foamix agreed to pay a de minimis mootness fee to plaintiffs’ counsel. In addition, as of May 4, 2020, each of the Merger Lawsuits has been dismissed.