UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE TO
TENDER OFFER STATEMENT UNDER SECTION 14(D)(1) OR 13(E)(1)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
(Amendment No. 1)
VOCERA COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
(Name of Subject Company (Issuer))
VOICE MERGER SUB CORP.
a direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of
STRYKER CORPORATION
(Names of Filing Persons (Offeror))
Common Stock, Par Value $0.0003 Per Share
(Title of Class of Securities)
92857F107
(CUSIP Number of Class of Securities)
Robert S. Fletcher
Vice President, Chief Legal Officer
Stryker Corporation
2825 Airview Boulevard
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49002
+1 (269) 385-2600
(Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person Authorized to Receive Notices and Communications on Behalf of Filing Persons)
Copies to:
Richard C. Witzel, Jr.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
155 North Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
+1 (312) 407-0700
CALCULATION OF FILING FEE
Transaction Valuation* | Amount of Filing Fee** | |
$ 2,974,792,414.88 | $ 275,763.26 | |
* | Estimated for purposes of calculating the filing fee only. The transaction valuation was calculated as the sum of (i) 34,951,078 outstanding Shares (as defined below) of the Company (as defined below), multiplied by $79.25, (ii) 1,961,529 Shares issuable pursuant to the Companys restricted stock units, multiplied by $79.25, (iii) 491,239 Shares issuable pursuant to the Companys performance stock units, multiplied by $79.25, (iv) 54,586 Shares issuable pursuant to outstanding rights under the Companys Amended and Restated 2012 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, multiplied by $79.25 and (v) 94,748 Shares issuable pursuant to outstanding stock options, multiplied by $65.56 (which is $79.25 minus the weighted average exercise price for such options of $13.69 per share). The calculation of the filing fee is based on information provided by the Company as of January 5, 2022. |
** | The filing fee was calculated in accordance with Rule 0-11 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Fee Rate Advisory No. 1 for Fiscal Year 2022, issued August 23, 2021, by multiplying the transaction value by 0.0000927. |
☒ | Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing with which the offsetting fee was previously paid. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. |
Amount Previously Paid: $ 275,763.26 | Filing Party: Voice Merger Sub Corp. and Stryker Corporation | |
Form or Registration No.: Schedule TO | Date Filed: January 25, 2022 |
☐ | Check the box if the filing relates solely to preliminary communications made before the commencement of a tender offer. |
Check the appropriate boxes below to designate any transactions to which the statement relates:
☒ | third-party tender offer subject to Rule 14d-1. |
☐ | issuer tender offer subject to Rule 13e-4. |
☐ | going-private transaction subject to Rule 13e-3. |
☐ | amendment to Schedule 13D under Rule 13d-2. |
Check the following box if the filing is a final amendment reporting the results of the tender offer. ☐
If applicable, check the appropriate box(es) below to designate the appropriate rule provision(s) relied upon:
☐ | Rule 13e-4(i) (Cross-Border Issuer Tender Offer) |
☐ | Rule 14d-1(d) (Cross-Border Third-Party Tender Offer) |
This Amendment No. 1 (this Amendment) amends and supplements the Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO filed by Voice Merger Sub Corp., a Delaware corporation (Purchaser), and Stryker Corporation, a Michigan corporation (Parent), with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on January 25, 2022 (together with any subsequent amendments and supplements thereto, the Schedule TO). The Schedule TO relates to the offer by Purchaser to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock, $0.0003 par value per share (the Shares), of Vocera Communications, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company), at a price of $79.25 per Share, net to the holder in cash, without interest and subject to any withholding of taxes, upon the terms and subject to the conditions described in the Offer to Purchase dated January 25, 2022 (together with any amendments or supplements thereto, the Offer to Purchase) and in the accompanying Letter of Transmittal, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, which are annexed to and filed with the Schedule TO as Exhibits (a)(1)(A) and (a)(1)(B), respectively. Purchaser is a direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. This Amendment is being filed on behalf of Parent and Purchaser. Unless otherwise indicated, references to sections in the Schedule TO are references to sections of the Offer to Purchase.
Items 1 through 11.
The Offer to Purchase is hereby amended and supplemented by amending and restating in its entirety the final subsection entitled Legal Proceedings Relating to the Tender Offer of Section 15Certain Legal Matters; Regulatory Approvals on page 57 of the Offer to Purchase as follows:
Legal Proceedings Relating to the Tender Offer
United States District Court Stockholder Litigation
On January 27, 2022, Matthew Whitfield, a purported stockholder of the Company, filed a complaint against the Company, each member of the Company Board, Purchaser and Parent in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, captioned Whitfield v. Vocera Communications, Inc., et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-00114-UNA (the Whitfield Complaint). The Whitfield Complaint alleges that the defendants violated Sections 14(e) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act, and Rule 14d-9 promulgated thereunder, by omitting material information in the Companys Schedule 14D-9 in connection with the Transactions and that the individual members of the Company Board, Parent and Purchaser acted as controlling persons of the Company within the meaning of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act. The Whitfield Complaint seeks, among other things, an order enjoining consummation of the Transactions; rescission or rescissory damages in the event the Transactions are consummated; an order directing the Company Board to disclose additional information and an award of plaintiffs costs, including reasonable allowance for attorneys fees and experts fees.
Between January 25, 2022 and January 27, 2022, two additional complaints were filed in federal district court by purported stockholders of the Company: (i) Shiva Stein v. Vocera Communications, Inc., et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-00649 (S.D.N.Y.) (the Stein Complaint) and (ii) Gabriel Espinoza v. Vocera Communications, Inc., et al., Case No. 5:22-cv-00551-SVK (N.D. Cal.) (the Espinoza Complaint). Each of the Stein Complaint and the Espinoza Complaint names only the Company and each member of the Company Board as defendants, asserting claims under Sections 14(e) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act, and Rule 14d-9 promulgated thereunder, and that the individual members of the Company Board acted as controlling persons of the Company within the meaning of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act. Each of the Stein Complaint and the Espinoza Complaint alleges, among other things, that defendants omitted certain material facts related to the Transactions from the Schedule 14D-9 filed by the Company. The Espinoza Complaint, in addition, asserts claims for breaches of fiduciary duties and for aiding and abetting the alleged breaches of fiduciary duties. Each of the Stein Complaint and the Espinoza Complaint seeks, among other things, to enjoin the defendants from consummating the Transactions, rescissory damages should the Transactions not be enjoined, and an award of attorneys and experts fees.
Parent and Purchaser believe the allegations in each of the Whitfield Complaint, the Stein Complaint and the Espinoza Complaint are without merit. Additional lawsuits may be filed against Parent, Purchaser, the Company and the Company Board in connection with the Merger Agreement and the Schedule 14D-9. Absent new or different allegations that are material, Parent and Purchaser will not necessarily announce such additional filings.
The foregoing descriptions do not purport to be complete. The foregoing summary of the Whitfield Complaint is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Whitfield Complaint, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit (a)(5)(G) hereto and is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Each of the Stein Complaint and the Espinoza Complaint is qualified in its entirety by reference to those complaints, which are filed as Exhibit (a)(5)(H) and Exhibit (a)(5)(I) hereto, respectively, and incorporated herein by reference.
SIGNATURE
After due inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.
Dated: February 1, 2022
VOICE MERGER SUB CORP. | ||||
By: | /s/ Sean C. Etheridge | |||
Name: Sean C. Etheridge | ||||
Title: Vice President, Secretary | ||||
STRYKER CORPORATION | ||||
By: | /s/ J. Andrew Pierce | |||
Name: J. Andrew Pierce | ||||
Title: Group President, MedSurg and Neurotechnology |
Index No. | ||
(a)(1)(A)** | Offer to Purchase, dated January 25, 2022. | |
(a)(1)(B)** | Form of Letter of Transmittal. | |
(a)(1)(C)** | Form of Letter to Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and Other Nominees. | |
(a)(1)(D)** | Form of Letter to Clients for Use by Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and Other Nominees. | |
(a)(1)(E)** | Summary Advertisement, published January 25, 2022 in The New York Times. | |
(a)(5)(A) | Press Release, dated January 6, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO-C filed by Parent with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on January 7, 2022 (Accession No. 0001193125-22-003677)). | |
(a)(5)(B) | Investor Presentation by Parent, dated January 6, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to the Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO-C filed by Parent with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on January 7, 2022 (Accession No. 0001193125-22-003677)). | |
(a)(5)(C) | Social media post, dated January 6, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.3 to the Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO-C filed by Parent with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on January 7, 2022 (Accession No. 0001193125-22-003677)). | |
(a)(5)(D) | Conference call transcript, dated January 6, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO-C filed by Parent with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on January 7, 2022 (Accession No. 0001193125-22-003782)). | |
(a)(5)(E) | Presentation to Vocera employees, dated January 7, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO-C filed by Parent with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on January 7, 2022 (Accession No. 0001193125-22-004563)). | |
(a)(5)(F)** | Press Release, dated January 25, 2022. | |
(a)(5)(G)* | Complaint, dated January 27, 2022 (Whitfield v. Vocera Communications, Inc., et al.) | |
(a)(5)(H)* | Complaint, dated January 25, 2022 (Shiva Stein v. Vocera Communications, Inc., et al.) | |
(a)(5)(I)* | Complaint, dated January 27, 2022 (Gabriel Espinoza v. Vocera Communications, Inc., et al.) | |
(b) | Not applicable. | |
(d)(1) | Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of January 6, 2022, among Parent, Purchaser and the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by Parent with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on January 11, 2022). | |
(d)(2)** | Non-Disclosure Agreement, dated December 12, 2021, between the Company and Parent. | |
(g) | Not applicable. | |
(h) | Not applicable. | |
107* | Filing Fee Table |
* | Filed herewith |
** | Previously filed on January 25, 2022 as an exhibit to the Schedule TO |
† | Previously incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Schedule TO |
Exhibit (a)(5)(G)
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF DELAWARE
MATTHEW WHITFIELD, | ) | |||
) | ||||
Plaintiff, | ) | |||
) | Case No. | |||
v. |
) | |||
) | JURY TRIAL DEMANDED | |||
VOCERA COMMUNICATIONS, INC., HOWARD E. JANZEN, JOHN N. MCMULLEN, SHARON L. OKEEFE, MIKE BURKLAND, RONALD A. PAULUS, BHARAT SUNDARAM, JULIE ISKOW, BRENT D. LANG, ALEXA KING, VOICE MERGER SUB CORP., and STRYKER CORPORATION, |
) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) |
|||
) | ||||
Defendants. | ) |
COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Plaintiff, by his undersigned attorneys, for this complaint against defendants, alleges upon personal knowledge with respect to himself, and upon information and belief based upon, inter alia, the investigation of counsel as to all other allegations herein, as follows:
NATURE OF THE ACTION
1. This action stems from a proposed transaction announced on January 6, 2022 (the Proposed Transaction), pursuant to which Vocera Communications, Inc. (Vocera or the Company) will be acquired by Stryker Corporation (Parent) and Voice Merger Sub Corp. (Purchaser).
2. On January 6, 2022, Voceras Board of Directors (the Board or Individual Defendants) caused the Company to enter into an agreement and plan of merger (the Merger Agreement) with Parent and Purchaser. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Purchaser commenced a tender offer (the Tender Offer) to purchase all of Voceras outstanding common stock for $79.25 in cash per share. The Tender Offer is set to expire on February 23, 2022.
3. On January 25, 2022, defendants filed a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement (the Solicitation Statement) with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in connection with the Proposed Transaction.
4. The Solicitation Statement omits material information with respect to the Proposed Transaction, which renders the Solicitation Statement false and misleading. Accordingly, plaintiff alleges herein that defendants violated Sections 14(e), 14(d), and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the 1934 Act) in connection with the Solicitation Statement.
JURISDICTION AND VENUE
5. This Court has jurisdiction over all claims asserted herein pursuant to Section 27 of the 1934 Act because the claims asserted herein arise under Sections 14(e), 14(d), and 20(a) of the 1934 Act and Rule 14a-9.
6. This Court has jurisdiction over defendants because each defendant is either a corporation that conducts business in and maintains operations within this District, or is an individual with sufficient minimum contacts with this District so as to make the exercise of jurisdiction by this Court permissible under traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice.
7. Venue is proper under 28 U.S.C. § 1391 because a portion of the transactions and wrongs complained of herein occurred in this District.
PARTIES
8. Plaintiff is, and has been continuously throughout all times relevant hereto, the owner of Vocera common stock.
9. Defendant Vocera is a Delaware corporation and maintains its principal executive offices at 525 Race Street, San Jose, CA 95126. Voceras common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol VCRA.
10. Defendant Brent D. Lang is Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of the Company.
11. Defendant Howard E. Janzen is a director of the Company.
12. Defendant John N. McMullen is a director of the Company.
13. Defendant Sharon L. OKeefe is a director of the Company.
14. Defendant Mike Burkland is a director of the Company.
15. Defendant Ronald A. Paulus is a director of the Company.
16. Defendant Bharat Sundaram is a director of the Company.
17. Defendant Julie Iskow is a director of the Company.
18. Defendant Alexa King is a director of the Company.
19. The defendants identified in paragraphs 10 through 18 are collectively referred to herein as the Individual Defendants.
20. Defendant Parent is a Michigan corporation and a party to the Merger Agreement.
21. Defendant Purchaser is a Delaware corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent, and a party to the Merger Agreement.
SUBSTANTIVE ALLEGATIONS
Background of the Company and the Proposed Transaction
22. Vocera provides clinical communication and workflow solutions that help protect and connect team members, increase operational efficiency, enhance quality of care and safety, and humanize the healthcare experience.
23. More than 2,300 facilities worldwide, including nearly 1,900 hospitals and healthcare facilities, have selected Vocera solutions to enable their workforce to communicate and collaborate with co-workers and engage with patients and families.
24. On January 6, 2022, Voceras Board caused the Company to enter into the Merger Agreement.
25. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Purchaser commenced the Tender Offer to acquire all of Voceras outstanding common stock for $79.25 in cash per share.
26. According to the press release announcing the Proposed Transaction:
Stryker (NYSE: SYK) announced today a definitive merger agreement to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Vocera Communications, Inc. (NYSE: VCRA) for $79.25 per share, or a total equity value of approximately $2.97 billion and a total enterprise value of approximately $3.09 billion (including convertible notes). Vocera, which was founded in 2000, has emerged as a leading platform in the digital care coordination and communication category. The importance of this growing segment has continued to expand throughout the pandemic as it aims to reduce cognitive overload for caregivers and enables them to deliver the best patient care possible. . . .
Under the terms of the merger agreement, Stryker will commence a tender offer for all outstanding shares of common stock of Vocera for $79.25 per share in cash. The boards of directors of both Stryker and Vocera have unanimously approved the transaction. The closing of the transaction is subject to expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, completion of the tender offer and other customary closing conditions.
The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022 and is expected to have a neutral impact to net earnings per diluted share in 2022.
The Solicitation Statement Omits Material Information, Rendering It False and Misleading
27. Defendants filed the Solicitation Statement with the SEC in connection with the Proposed Transaction.
28. As set forth below, the Solicitation Statement omits material information with respect to the Proposed Transaction, which renders the Solicitation Statement false and misleading.
29. First, the Solicitation Statement omits material information regarding the Companys financial projections.
30. The Solicitation Statement fails to disclose: (i) all line items used to calculate the projections; and (ii) a reconciliation of all non-GAAP to GAAP metrics.
31. The disclosure of projected financial information is material because it provides stockholders with a basis to project the future financial performance of a company, and allows stockholders to better understand the financial analyses performed by the companys financial advisor in support of its fairness opinion.
32. Second, the Solicitation Statement omits material information regarding the analyses performed by the Companys financial advisor in connection with the Proposed Transaction, Evercore.
33. With respect to Evercores Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, the Solicitation Statement fails to disclose: (i) the terminal values of the Company; (ii) the individual inputs and assumptions underlying the discount rates and perpetuity growth rates; (iii) Evercores basis for selecting the multiples used in the analysis; and (iv) the number of fully diluted shares outstanding used in the analysis.
34. With respect to Evercores Selected Transactions Analysis, the Solicitation Statement fails to disclose: (i) the transactions observed in the analysis; (ii) the individual multiples and metrics for the transactions; (iii) the announcement and closing dates of the transactions; and (iv) the total values of the transactions.
35. With respect to Evercores Equity Research Analyst Price Targets analysis, the Solicitation Statement fails to disclose: (i) the price targets observed in the analysis; and (ii) the sources thereof.
36. With respect to Evercores Premiums Paid Analysis, the Solicitation Statement fails to disclose: (i) the transactions observed in the analysis; and (ii) the premiums paid in the transactions.
37. When a bankers endorsement of the fairness of a transaction is touted to shareholders, the valuation methods used to arrive at that opinion as well as the key inputs and range of ultimate values generated by those analyses must also be fairly disclosed.
38. The omission of the above-referenced material information renders the Solicitation Statement false and misleading.
39. The above-referenced omitted information, if disclosed, would significantly alter the total mix of information available to the Companys stockholders.
COUNT I
(Claim for Violation of Section 14(e) of the 1934 Act Against Defendants)
40. Plaintiff repeats and realleges the preceding allegations as if fully set forth herein.
41. Section 14(e) of the 1934 Act states, in relevant part, that:
It shall be unlawful for any person to make any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading . . . in connection with any tender offer or request or invitation for tenders[.]
42. Defendants disseminated the misleading Solicitation Statement, which contained statements that, in violation of Section 14(e) of the 1934 Act, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, omitted to state material facts necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.
43. The Solicitation Statement was prepared, reviewed, and/or disseminated by defendants.
44. The Solicitation Statement misrepresented and/or omitted material facts in connection with the Proposed Transaction as set forth above.
45. By virtue of their positions within the Company and/or roles in the process and the preparation of the Solicitation Statement, defendants were aware of this information and their duty to disclose this information in the Solicitation Statement.
46. The omissions in the Solicitation Statement are material in that a reasonable shareholder will consider them important in deciding whether to tender their shares in connection with the Proposed Transaction. In addition, a reasonable investor will view a full and accurate disclosure as significantly altering the total mix of information made available.
47. Defendants knowingly or with deliberate recklessness omitted the material information identified above in the Solicitation Statement, causing statements therein to be materially incomplete and misleading.
48. By reason of the foregoing, defendants violated Section 14(e) of the 1934 Act.
49. Because of the false and misleading statements in the Solicitation Statement, plaintiff is threatened with irreparable harm.
50. Plaintiff has no adequate remedy at law.
COUNT II
(Claim for Violation of 14(d) of the 1934 Act Against Defendants)
51. Plaintiff repeats and realleges the preceding allegations as if fully set forth herein.
52. Section 14(d)(4) of the 1934 Act states:
Any solicitation or recommendation to the holders of such a security to accept or reject a tender offer or request or invitation for tenders shall be made in accordance with such rules and regulations as the Commission may prescribe as necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors.
53. Rule 14d-9(d) states, in relevant part:
Any solicitation or recommendation to holders of a class of securities referred to in section 14(d)(1) of the Act with respect to a tender offer for such securities shall include the name of the person making such solicitation or recommendation and the information required by Items 1 through 8 of Schedule 14D-9 (§ 240.14d-101) or a fair and adequate summary thereof[.]
Item 8 requires that directors must furnish such additional information, if any, as may be necessary to make the required statements, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not materially misleading.
54. The Solicitation Statement violates Section 14(d)(4) and Rule 14d-9 because it omits the material facts set forth above, which renders the Solicitation Statement false and/or misleading.
55. Defendants knowingly or with deliberate recklessness omitted the material information set forth above, causing statements therein to be materially incomplete and misleading.
56. The omissions in the Solicitation Statement are material to plaintiff, and he will be deprived of his entitlement to make a fully informed decision with respect to the Proposed Transaction if such misrepresentations and omissions are not corrected prior to the expiration of the Tender Offer.
57. Plaintiff has no adequate remedy at law.
COUNT III
(Claim for Violation of Section 20(a) of the 1934 Act
Against the Individual Defendants, Parent, and Purchaser)
58. Plaintiff repeats and realleges the preceding allegations as if fully set forth herein.
59. The Individual Defendants, Parent, and Purchaser acted as controlling persons of Vocera within the meaning of Section 20(a) of the 1934 Act as alleged herein. By virtue of their positions as directors of Vocera and participation in and/or awareness of the Companys operations and/or intimate knowledge of the false statements contained in the Solicitation Statement filed with the SEC, they had the power to influence and control and did influence and control, directly or indirectly, the decision making of the Company, including the content and dissemination of the various statements that plaintiff contends are false and misleading.
60. Each of the Individual Defendants, Parent, and Purchaser was provided with or had unlimited access to copies of the Solicitation Statement alleged by plaintiff to be misleading prior to and/or shortly after these statements were issued and had the ability to prevent the issuance of the statements or cause them to be corrected.
61. Each of the Individual Defendants had direct and supervisory involvement in the day-to-day operations of the Company, and, therefore, is presumed to have had the power to control and influence the particular transactions giving rise to the violations as alleged herein, and exercised the same. The Solicitation Statement contains the unanimous recommendation of the Individual Defendants to approve the Proposed Transaction. They were thus directly connected with and involved in the making of the Solicitation Statement.
62. Parent and Purchaser also had direct supervisory control over the composition of the Solicitation Statement and the information disclosed therein, as well as the information that was omitted and/or misrepresented in the Solicitation Statement.
63. By virtue of the foregoing, the Individual Defendants, Parent, and Purchaser violated Section 20(a) of the 1934 Act.
64. As set forth above, the Individual Defendants, Parent, and Purchaser had the ability to exercise control over and did control a person or persons who have each violated Section 14(e) of the 1934 Act and Rule 14a-9, by their acts and omissions as alleged herein. By virtue of their positions as controlling persons, these defendants are liable pursuant to Section 20(a) of the 1934 Act.
65. As a direct and proximate result of defendants conduct, plaintiff is threatened with irreparable harm.
66. Plaintiff has no adequate remedy at law.
PRAYER FOR RELIEF
WHEREFORE, plaintiff prays for judgment and relief as follows:
A. Enjoining defendants and all persons acting in concert with them from proceeding with, consummating, or closing the Proposed Transaction;
B. In the event defendants consummate the Proposed Transaction, rescinding it and setting it aside or awarding rescissory damages;
C. Directing the Individual Defendants to file a Solicitation Statement 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;
D. Declaring that defendants violated Sections 14(e), 14(d), and 20(a) of the 1934 Act, as well as Rule 14a-9 promulgated thereunder;
E. Awarding plaintiff the costs of this action, including reasonable allowance for plaintiffs attorneys and experts fees; and
F. Granting such other and further relief as this Court may deem just and proper.
JURY DEMAND
Plaintiff hereby demands a trial by jury.
Dated: January 27, 2022 | RIGRODSKY LAW, P.A. | |||||
By: /s/ Gina M Serra | ||||||
Gina M. Serra (#5387) | ||||||
Herbert W. Mondros (#3308) | ||||||
300 Delaware Avenue, Suite 210 | ||||||
Wilmington, DE 19801 | ||||||
Telephone: (302) 295-5310 | ||||||
Facsimile: (302) 654-7530 | ||||||
Email: gms@rl-legal.com | ||||||
Email: hwm@rl-legal.com | ||||||
Attorneys for Plaintiff |
Exhibit (a)(5)(H)
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
|
||||
SHIVA STEIN, |
: | |||
: | ||||
Plaintiff, |
: | Case No. 1:22-cv-00649 | ||
: | ||||
v. | : | |||
VOCERA COMMUNICATIONS, INC., HOWARD E. JANZEN, JOHN N. MCMULLEN, SHARON L. OKEEFE, MIKE BURKLAND, RONALD A. PAULUS, BHARAT SUNDARAM, JULIE ISKOW, BRENT D. LANG, and ALEXA KING, |
: : : : : : : |
COMPLAINT FOR VIOLATIONS OF SECTIONS 14(e), 14(d) AND 20(a) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
JURY TRIAL DEMANDED | ||
: | ||||
Defendants.
|
Shiva Stein (Plaintiff), by and through her attorneys, alleges the following upon information and belief, including investigation of counsel and review of publicly-available information, except as to those allegations pertaining to Plaintiff, which are alleged upon personal knowledge:
1. This is an action brought by Plaintiff against Vocera Communications, Inc. (Vocera or the Company) and the members Vocera board of directors (the Board or the Individual Defendants and collectively with the Company, the Defendants) for their violations of Sections 14(e), 14(d), and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act), in connection with the proposed acquisition of Vocera by affiliates of Stryker Corporation (Stryker).
2. Defendants have violated the above-referenced Sections of the Exchange Act by causing a materially incomplete and misleading Solicitation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 (the Solicitation Statement) to be filed on January 25, 2022 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and disseminated to Company stockholders. The Solicitation Statement recommends that Company stockholders tender their shares in support of a proposed transaction whereby Voice Merger Sub Corp. (Merger Sub), a wholly owned subsidiary of Stryker, will purchase any and all of the outstanding shares of the Company (the Tender Offer) and will be merged with and into the Company and the Company will continue as the surviving corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Stryker (the Proposed Transaction). Merger Sub will thereafter cease to exist. Pursuant to the terms of the definitive agreement and plan of merger the companies entered into, dated January 6, 2022 (the Merger Agreement), each Vocera common share issued and outstanding will be converted into the right to receive $79.25 (the Merger Consideration). In accordance with the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub commenced a tender offer to acquire all of Voceras outstanding common stock and will expire on February 22, 2022 (Tender Offer).
3. Defendants have now asked Voceras stockholders to support the Proposed Transaction based upon the materially incomplete and misleading representations and information contained in the Solicitation Statement, in violation of Sections 14(e), 14(d), and 20(a) of the Exchange Act. Specifically, the Solicitation Statement contains materially incomplete and misleading information concerning, among other things, (i) Voceras financial projections relied upon by the Companys financial advisor, Evercore Group L.L.C. (Evercore) in its financial analyses; and (ii) the data and inputs underlying the financial valuation analyses that support the fairness opinions provided by the financial advisors. The failure to adequately disclose such material information constitutes a violation of Sections 14(e), 14(d), and 20(a) of the Exchange Act as Vocera stockholders need such information in order to tender their shares in support of the Proposed Transaction.
2
4. It is imperative that the material information that has been omitted from the Solicitation Statement is disclosed to the Companys stockholders prior to the expiration of the tender offer.
5. For these reasons and as set forth in detail herein, Plaintiff seeks to enjoin Defendants from taking any steps to consummate the Proposed Transaction unless and until the material information discussed below is disclosed to Voceras stockholders or, in the event the Proposed Transaction is consummated, to recover damages resulting from the Defendants violations of the Exchange Act.
JURISDICTION AND VENUE
6. This Court has subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to Section 27 of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. § 78aa) and 28 U.S.C. § 1331 (federal question jurisdiction) as Plaintiff alleges violations of Sections 14(e), 14(d), and 20(a) of the Exchange Act and SEC Rule 14a-9.
7. Personal jurisdiction exists over each Defendant either because each is an individual who is either present in this District for jurisdictional purposes or has sufficient minimum contacts with this District as to render the exercise of jurisdiction over defendant by this Court permissible under traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice.
8. Venue is proper in this District under Section 27 of the Exchange Act, 15 U.S.C. § 78aa, as well as under 28 U.S.C. § 1391, because Vocera stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange, which is headquartered in this District.
PARTIES
9. Plaintiff is, and has been at all relevant times, the owner of Vocera common stock and has held such stock since prior to the wrongs complained of herein.
10. Individual Defendant Howard E. Janzen has served as a member of the Board since May 2007.
3
11. Individual Defendant John N. McMullen has served as a member of the Board since June 2018.
12. Individual Defendant Sharon L. OKeefe has served as a member of the Board since March 2012.
13. Individual Defendant Mike Burkland has served as a member of the Board since June 2016.
14. Individual Defendant Ronald A. Paulus M.D. has served as a member of the Board and since July 2018.
15. Individual Defendant Bharat Sundaram has been a member of the Board since May 2019.
16. Individual Defendant Julie Iskow has been a member of the Board since May 2019.
17. Individual Defendant Brent D. Lang has been a member of the Board since May June 2013 and is the Companys Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
18. Individual Defendant Alexa King has been a member of the Board since July 2016.
19. Defendant Vocera is incorporated in Delaware and maintains its principal offices at 525 Race Street, San Jose, California 95126. The Companys common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol VCRA.
20. The defendants identified in paragraphs 10-18 are collectively referred to as the Individual Defendants or the Board.
21. The defendants identified in paragraphs 10-19 are collectively referred to as the Defendants.
4
SUBSTANTIVE ALLEGATIONS
A. | The Proposed Transaction |
22. Vocera provides secure, integrated, and intelligent communication and workflow solutions that empowers mobile workers in healthcare, hospitality, retail, energy, education, and other mission-critical mobile work environments in the United States and internationally. The Companys communication solution integrates with other clinical systems, including electronic health records, nurse call systems, and patient monitoring, as well as to provide critical data, alerts, alarms, and clinical context that enable workflow. It also offers Vocera Communication and Workflow System, a software platform, which connects communication devices, such as hands-free, wearable, and voice-controlled Smartbadge and badges, as well as third-party mobile devices; and Vocera Care Experience, a hosted software suite that coordinates and streamlines provider-to-patient and provider-to-provider communication and clinical rounding to enhance quality of care, patient and staff experience, reduce care providers risk, and improve reimbursements, as well as Vocera Ease, a cloud-based communication platform and mobile application to enhance the patient experience by enabling friends and family members to receive timely updates about the progress of their loved one in the hospital. In addition, the Company provides professional, software maintenance, and technical support services; and classroom training, distance learning, or customized courseware for systems administrators, IT and industry-specific professionals, and end-user educators. As of December 31, 2020, the Company provided its solutions to approximately 1,900 healthcare facilities, including large hospital systems, small and medium-sized local hospitals, clinics, surgery centers, and aged-care facilities. It sells its products through direct sales force, resellers, and distributors. The Company was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.
23. On January 6, 2022, Stryker announced the Proposed Transaction:
5
Kalamazoo, Michigan, Jan. 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -Stryker (NYSE: SYK) announced today a definitive merger agreement to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Vocera Communications, Inc. (NYSE: VCRA) for $79.25 per share, or a total equity value of approximately $2.97 billion and a total enterprise value of approximately $3.09 billion (including convertible notes). Vocera, which was founded in 2000, has emerged as a leading platform in the digital care coordination and communication category. The importance of this growing segment has continued to expand throughout the pandemic as it aims to reduce cognitive overload for caregivers and enables them to deliver the best patient care possible.
Vocera brings a highly complementary and innovative portfolio to Strykers Medical division that will address the increasing need for hospitals to connect caregivers and disparate data-generating medical devices, which will help drive efficiencies and improve safety and outcomes. Voceras highly developed software competency, unique and innovative hardware solutions, and the ability to securely enable remote communication between patients and their families, complements Strykers Advanced Digital Healthcare offerings. The combined business will further advance Strykers focus on preventing adverse events throughout the continuum of care.
This acquisition underscores our commitment and focus on our customer, stated Kevin Lobo, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Stryker. Vocera will help Stryker significantly accelerate our digital aspirations to improve the lives of caregivers and patients.
Todays milestone represents an exciting opportunity for Vocera given the clear alignment of mission, goals and culture between our two organizations and our ability to drive even greater economic and clinical value for our customers, said Brent Lang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Vocera.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, Stryker will commence a tender offer for all outstanding shares of common stock of Vocera for $79.25 per share in cash. The boards of directors of both Stryker and Vocera have unanimously approved the transaction. The closing of the transaction is subject to expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, completion of the tender offer and other customary closing conditions.
6
The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022 and is expected to have a neutral impact to net earnings per diluted share in 2022.
* * *
24. It is therefore imperative that Voceras stockholders are provided with the material information that has been omitted from the Solicitation Statement, so that they can meaningfully assess whether or not the Proposed Transaction is in their best interests.
B. | The Materially Incomplete and Misleading Solicitation Statement |
25. On January 25, 2022, Vocera filed the Solicitation Statement with the SEC in connection with the Proposed Transaction. The Solicitation Statement was furnished to the Companys stockholders and solicits the stockholders to tender their shares in support of the Proposed Transaction. The Individual Defendants were obligated to carefully review the Solicitation Statement before it was filed with the SEC and disseminated to the Companys stockholders to ensure that it did not contain any material misrepresentations or omissions. However, the Solicitation Statement misrepresents and/or omits material information that is necessary for the Companys stockholders to make an informed decision concerning whether to tender their shares, in violation of Sections 14(e), 14(d), and 20(a) of the Exchange Act.
26. The Solicitation Statement omits material information regarding the Companys valuation analyses performed by the financial advisors, the disclosure of which is material because it allows stockholders to better understand the analyses performed by the financial advisor in support of its fairness opinion of the transaction.
27. With respect to Evercores Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, the Solicitation Statement fails to disclose: (i) the terminal value of the Company; (ii) the inputs and assumptions underlying the perpetuity growth rates of 5.0% to 6.0%; (iii) the basis for applying terminal multiples of 15.0x 20.0x, 20.0x-25.0x and 10.0x-15.0x; (iv) the basis for using discount rates ranging from 8.0% to 9.0%; (v) the Companys weighted average cost of capital; and (vi) the number of fully diluted shares of Company stock as of December 31, 2021.
7
28. With respect to Evercores Selected Public Company Trading Analysis, the Solicitation Statement fails to disclose: (i) the estimated financial metrics of each selected comparable company, i.e., enterprise value and estimated revenue.
29. With respect to Evercores Selected Transactions Analysis, the Solicitation Statement fails to disclose the financial metrics and multiples of each transaction selected for the analysis.
30. With respect to Evercores Equity Research Analyst Price Targets analysis, the Solicitation Statement fails to disclose the equity research analysts observed and the corresponding price targets.
31. With respect to Evercores Premiums Paid Analysis, the Solicitation Statement fails to disclose: (i) the transactions observed; and (ii) the premium paid in each transaction.
32. In sum, the omission of the above-referenced information renders statements in the Solicitation Statement materially incomplete and misleading in contravention of the Exchange Act. Absent disclosure of the foregoing material information prior to the expiration of the Tender Offer, Plaintiff will be unable to make a fully-informed decision regarding whether to tender their shares, and they are thus threatened with irreparable harm, warranting the injunctive relief sought herein.
CLAIMS FOR RELIEF
COUNT I
On Behalf of Plaintiff Against All Defendants for
Violations of Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act
33. Plaintiff incorporates each and every allegation set forth above as if fully set forth herein.
8
34. Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act provides that it is unlawful for any person to make any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading . . . 15 U.S.C. § 78n(e).
35. Defendants violated Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act by issuing the Solicitation Statement in which they made untrue statements of material facts or failed to state all material facts necessary in order to make the statements made, in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading, in conjunction with the Tender Offer. Defendants knew or recklessly disregarded that the Solicitation Statement failed to disclose material facts necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
36. The Solicitation Statement was prepared, reviewed and/or disseminated by Defendants. It misrepresented and/or omitted material facts, including material information about the consideration offered to stockholders via the Tender Offer, the intrinsic value of the Company, the Companys financial projections, and the financial advisors valuation analyses and resultant fairness opinion.
37. In so doing, Defendants made untrue statements of material fact and omitted material information necessary to make the statements that were made not misleading in violation of Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act. By virtue of their positions within the Company and/or roles in the process and in the preparation of the Solicitation Statement, Defendants were aware of this information and their obligation to disclose this information in the Solicitation Statement.
38. The omissions and misleading statements in the Solicitation Statement are material in that a reasonable stockholder would consider them important in deciding whether to tender their shares or seek appraisal. In addition, a reasonable investor would view the information identified above which has been omitted from the Solicitation Statement as altering the total mix of information made available to stockholders.
9
39. Defendants knowingly, or with deliberate recklessness, omitted the material information identified above from the Solicitation Statement, causing certain statements therein to be materially incomplete and therefore misleading. Indeed, while Defendants undoubtedly had access to and/or reviewed the omitted material information in connection with approving the Tender Offer, they allowed it to be omitted from the Solicitation Statement, rendering certain portions of the Solicitation Statement materially incomplete and therefore misleading.
40. The misrepresentations and omissions in the Solicitation Statement are material to Plaintiff, and Plaintiff will be deprived of her entitlement to make a fully informed decision if such misrepresentations and omissions are not corrected prior to the expiration of the Tender Offer.
COUNT II
Violations of Section 14(d)(4) of the Exchange Act and
Rule 14d-9 Promulgated Thereunder
(Against All Defendants)
41. Plaintiff repeats and re-alleges each allegation set forth above as if fully set forth herein.
42. Defendants have caused the Solicitation Statement to be issued with the intention of soliciting stockholder support of the Tender Offer.
43. Section 14(d)(4) of the Exchange Act and SEC Rule 14d-9 promulgated thereunder require full and complete disclosure in connection with tender offers.
44. The Solicitation Statement violates Section 14(d)(4) and Rule 14d-9 because it omits material facts, including those set forth above, which render the Solicitation Statement false and/or misleading.
10
45. Defendants knowingly, or with deliberate recklessness, omitted the material information identified above from the Solicitation Statement, causing certain statements therein to be materially incomplete and therefore misleading. Indeed, while Defendants undoubtedly had access to and/or reviewed the omitted material information in connection with approving the Tender Offer, they allowed it to be omitted from the Solicitation Statement, rendering certain portions of the Solicitation Statement materially incomplete and therefore misleading.
46. The misrepresentations and omissions in the Solicitation Statement are material to Plaintiff and Plaintiff will be deprived of her entitlement to make a fully informed decision if such misrepresentations and omissions are not corrected prior to the expiration of the Tender Offer.
COUNT III
On Behalf of Plaintiff Against the Individual Defendants for Violations of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act
47. Plaintiff incorporates each and every allegation set forth above as if fully set forth herein.
48. The Individual Defendants acted as controlling persons of Vocera within the meaning of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act as alleged herein. By virtue of their positions as directors of Vocera, and participation in and/or awareness of the Companys operations and/or intimate knowledge of the incomplete and misleading statements contained in the Solicitation Statement filed with the SEC, they had the power to influence and control and did influence and control, directly or indirectly, the decision making of Vocera, including the content and dissemination of the various statements that Plaintiff contends are materially incomplete and misleading.
49. Each of the Individual Defendants was provided with or had unlimited access to copies of the Solicitation Statement and other statements alleged by Plaintiff to be misleading prior to and/or shortly after these statements were issued and had the ability to prevent the issuance of the statements or cause the statements to be corrected.
11
50. In particular, each of the Individual Defendants had direct and supervisory involvement in the day-to-day operations of Vocera, and, therefore, is presumed to have had the power to control or influence the particular transactions giving rise to the Exchange Act violations alleged herein, and exercised the same. The omitted information identified above was reviewed by the Board prior to voting on the Proposed Transaction. The Solicitation Statement at issue contains the unanimous recommendation of the Board to approve the Proposed Transaction. The Individual Defendants were thus directly involved in the making of the Solicitation Statement.
51. In addition, as the Solicitation Statement sets forth at length, and as described herein, the Individual Defendants were involved in negotiating, reviewing, and approving the Merger Agreement. The Solicitation Statement purports to describe the various issues and information that the Individual Defendants reviewed and considered. The Individual Defendants participated in drafting and/or gave their input on the content of those descriptions.
52. By virtue of the foregoing, the Individual Defendants have violated Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act.
53. As set forth above, the Individual Defendants had the ability to exercise control over and did control a person or persons who have each violated Section 14(d) and (e), by their acts and omissions as alleged herein. By virtue of their positions as controlling persons, these defendants are liable pursuant to Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act. As a direct and proximate result of Individual Defendants conduct, Plaintiff will be irreparably harmed.
12
54. Plaintiff has no adequate remedy at law. Only through the exercise of this Courts equitable powers can Plaintiff be fully protected from the immediate and irreparable injury that Defendants actions threaten to inflict.
RELIEF REQUESTED
WHEREFORE, Plaintiff demands injunctive relief in her favor and against the Defendants jointly and severally, as follows:
A. Preliminarily and permanently enjoining Defendants and their counsel, agents, employees and all persons acting under, in concert with, or for them, from proceeding with, consummating, or closing the Proposed Transaction, unless and until Defendants disclose the material information identified above which has been omitted from the Solicitation Statement;
A. Rescinding, to the extent already implemented, the Merger Agreement or any of the terms thereof, or granting Plaintiff rescissory damages;
B. Directing the Defendants to account to Plaintiff for all damages suffered as a result of their wrongdoing;
C. Awarding Plaintiff the costs and disbursements of this action, including reasonable attorneys and expert fees and expenses; and
D. Granting such other and further equitable relief as this Court may deem just and proper.
JURY DEMAND
Plaintiff demands a trial by jury.
DATED: January 25, 2022 | MELWANI & CHAN LLP | |||
/s Gloria Kui Melwani | ||||
Gloria Kui Melwani (GM5661) | ||||
1180 Avenue of the Americas, 8th Floor New York, New York 10036 | ||||
Tel: (212) 382-4620 | ||||
Email: gloria@melwanichan.com | ||||
Attorneys for Plaintiff |
13
Exhibit (a)(5)(I)
1 | BRODSKY & SMITH | |||||||||
Evan J. Smith, Esquire (SBN 242352) | ||||||||||
2 | esmith@brodskysmith.com | |||||||||
Ryan P. Cardona, Esquire (SBN 302113) | ||||||||||
3 | rcardona@brodskysmith.com | |||||||||
9595 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900 | ||||||||||
4 | Beverly Hills, CA 90212 | |||||||||
Phone: (877) 534-2590 | ||||||||||
5 | Facsimile: (310) 247-0160 | |||||||||
6 | Attorneys for Plaintiff | |||||||||
7 | ||||||||||
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT | ||||||||||
8 | ||||||||||
9 | NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
|
|||||||||
10 | GABRIEL ESPINOZA, |
Case No.: | ||||||||
11 | Plaintiff, | Complaint For: | ||||||||
12 | vs. | (1) Breach of Fiduciary Duties |
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(2) Aiding and Abetting Breach of |
||||||||||
13 | VOCERA COMMUNICATIONS, INC., |
Fiduciary Duties |
||||||||
JOHN N. MCMULLEN, SHARON L. |
(3) Violation of § 14 (e) of the Securities |
|||||||||
14 | OKEEFE, MIKE BURKLAND, |
Exchange Act of 1934 |
||||||||
RONALD A. PAULUS, BHARAT |
(4) Violation of § 14 (d) of the Securities |
|||||||||
15 | SUNDARAM, JULIE ISKOW, BRENT D. |
Exchange Act of 1934 |
||||||||
LANG, ALEXA KING, and HOWARD E. |
(5) Violation of § 20(a) of Exchange Act |
|||||||||
16 | JANZEN, |
of 1934 |
||||||||
17 | Defendants. | |||||||||
JURY TRIAL DEMANDED
|
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18 | ||||||||||
19 | ||||||||||
Plaintiff, Gabriel Espinoza (Plaintiff), by and through his attorneys, alleges upon |
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20 | information and belief, except for those allegations that pertain to him, which are alleged upon | |||||||||
21 | personal knowledge, as follows: | |||||||||
22 | ||||||||||
SUMMARY OF THE ACTION | ||||||||||
23 | ||||||||||
24 | 1. Plaintiff brings this stockholder action against Vocera Communications, Inc. |
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25 | (Vocera or the Company) and the Companys Board of Directors (the Board or the | |||||||||
26 | Individual Defendants, collectively with the Company, the Defendants), for breaches of | |||||||||
27 | fiduciary duty and for violations of Sections 14(e), 14(d) and 20(a) of the Securities and Exchange | |||||||||
28 |
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1 | Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) as a result of Defendants efforts to sell the Company to Stryker | |||||
2 | Corporation, Inc. (Parent) through merger vehicle Voice Merger Sub Corp. (Merger Sub) | |||||
3 | (collectively with Parent, Stryker) as a result of an unfair process, as to enjoin an upcoming | |||||
4 | tender off on a proposed all cash transaction (the Proposed Transaction). | |||||
5 | 2. The terms of the Proposed Transaction were memorialized in a January 6, 2022, |
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6 | filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Form 8-K attaching the definitive | |||||
7 | Agreement and Plan of Merger (the Merger Agreement). Under the terms of the Merger | |||||
8 | Agreement, Stryker will acquire all of the remaining outstanding shares of Vocera common stock | |||||
9 | at a price of $79.25 per share in cash. As a result, Vocera will become an indirect wholly-owned | |||||
10 | subsidiary of Stryker. | |||||
11 | 3. Thereafter, on January 25, 2022, Vocera filed a Solicitation/Recommendation |
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12 | Statement on Schedule 14D-9 (the Recommendation Statement) with the SEC in support of the | |||||
13 | Proposed Transaction. | |||||
14 | 4. In approving the Proposed Transaction, the Individual Defendants have breached |
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15 | their fiduciary duties of loyalty, good faith, due care and disclosure by, inter alia, (i) agreeing to | |||||
16 | sell Vocera without first taking steps to ensure that Plaintiff in his capacity as a public Company | |||||
17 | stockholder would obtain adequate, fair and maximum consideration under the circumstances; and | |||||
18 | (ii) engineering the Proposed Transaction to benefit themselves and/or Vocera without regard for | |||||
19 | Plaintiff in his capacity as a public Company stockholder. Accordingly, this action seeks to enjoin | |||||
20 | the Proposed Transaction and compel the Individual Defendants to properly exercise their | |||||
21 | fiduciary duties to Plaintiff in his capacity as a public Company stockholder. | |||||
22 | 5. Next, it appears as though the Board has entered into the Proposed Transaction to |
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23 | procure for itself and senior management of the Company significant and immediate benefits with | |||||
24 | no thought to Plaintiff as a public stockholder. For instance, pursuant to the terms of the Merger | |||||
25 | Agreement, upon the consummation of the Proposed Transaction, Company Board Members and | |||||
26 | executive officers will be able to exchange all Company equity awards for the merger | |||||
27 | consideration. | |||||
28 |
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1 | 6. In violation of the Exchange Act, Defendants caused to be filed the materially |
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2 | deficient Recommendation Statement on January 25, 2022, with the SEC in an effort to solicit | |||||
3 | stockholders, including Plaintiff, to tender their Vocera shares in favor of the Proposed | |||||
4 | Transaction. The Recommendation Statement is materially deficient, deprives Plaintiff of the | |||||
5 | information necessary to make an intelligent, informed and rational decision of whether to tender | |||||
6 | in favor of the Proposed Transaction, and is thus in violation of the Exchange Act. As detailed | |||||
7 | below, the Recommendation Statement omits and/or misrepresents material information | |||||
8 | concerning, among other things: (a) the sales process and in particular certain conflicts of interest | |||||
9 | for management; (b) the financial projections for Vocera, provided by Vocera to the Companys | |||||
10 | financial advisors Evercore Group, L.L.C. (Evercore); and (c) the data and inputs underlying the | |||||
11 | financial valuation analyses, if any, that purport to support the fairness opinions created by | |||||
12 | Evercore and provided to the Company and the Board. | |||||
13 | 7. Accordingly, this action seeks to enjoin the Proposed Transaction. |
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14 | 8. Absent judicial intervention, the Proposed Transaction will be consummated, |
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15 | resulting in irreparable injury to Plaintiff. This action seeks to enjoin the Proposed Transaction. | |||||
16 | PARTIES | |||||
17 | 9. Plaintiff is a citizen of California and, at all times relevant hereto, has been a Vocera |
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18 | stockholder. | |||||
19 | 10. Defendant Vocera provides secure, integrated, and intelligent communication and |
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20 | workflow solutions that empowers mobile workers in healthcare, hospitality, retail, energy, | |||||
21 | education, and other mission-critical mobile work environments in the United States and | |||||
22 | internationally. Vocera is incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware and has its principal | |||||
23 | place of business at 525 Race Street, San Jose, CA. Shares of Vocera common stock are traded on | |||||
24 | the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol VCRA. | |||||
25 | 11. Defendant John N. McMullen (McMullen) has been a Director of the Company |
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26 | at all relevant times. | |||||
27 | 12. Defendant Sharon L. OKeefe (OKeefe) has been a director of the Company at |
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28 |
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1 | all relevant times. | |||||
2 | 13. Defendant Mike Burkland (Burkland) has been a director of the Company at all |
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3 | relevant times. | |||||
4 | 14. Defendant Ronald A. Paulus (Paulus) has been a director of the Company at all |
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5 | relevant times. | |||||
6 | 15. Defendant Bharat Sundaram (Sundaram) has been a director of the Company at |
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7 | all relevant times. | |||||
8 | 16. Defendant Julie Iskow (Iskow) has been a director of the Company at all relevant |
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9 | times. | |||||
10 | 17. Defendant Brent D. Lang (Lang) has been a director of the Company at all |
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11 | relevant times. In addition, Lang serves as the Companys Chief Executive Officer (CEO). | |||||
12 | 18. Defendant Alexa King (King) has been a director of the Company at all relevant |
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13 | times. | |||||
14 | 19. Defendant Howard E. Janzen (Janzen) has been a director of the Company at all |
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15 | relevant times. | |||||
16 | 20. Defendants identified in ¶¶ 10 - 19 are collectively referred to as the Individual |
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17 | Defendants. | |||||
18 | 21. Non-Party Parent is a Stryker Corporation operates as a medical technology |
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19 | company. Parent was founded in 1941 and is headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Shares of | |||||
20 | Parent common stock are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SYK. | |||||
21 | 22. Non-Party Merger Sub is a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent created to effectuate |
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22 | the Proposed Transaction. | |||||
23 | JURISDICTION AND VENUE | |||||
24 | 23. This Court has subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to Section 27 of the Exchange |
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25 | Act (15 U.S.C. § 78aa) and 28 U.S.C. § 1331 (federal question jurisdiction) as Plaintiff alleges | |||||
26 | violations of Sections 14(a) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act. This action is not a collusive one to | |||||
27 | confer jurisdiction on a court of the United States, which it would not otherwise have. The Court | |||||
28 |
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1 | has supplemental jurisdiction over any claims arising under state law pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1367. | |||||
2 | 24. Personal jurisdiction exists over each defendant either because the defendant |
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3 | conducts business in or maintains operations in this District or is an individual who is either present | |||||
4 | in this District for jurisdictional purposes or has sufficient minimum contacts with this District as | |||||
5 | to render the exercise of jurisdiction over defendant by this Court permissible under traditional | |||||
6 | notions of fair play and substantial justice. | |||||
7 | 25. Venue is proper in this District pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1391, because Vocera |
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8 | maintains its principal offices in this district, and each of the Individual Defendants, as Company | |||||
9 | officers or directors, has extensive contacts within this District. | |||||
10 | THE INDIVIDUAL DEFENDANTS FIDUCIARY DUTIES | |||||
11 | 26. By reason of the Individual Defendants positions with the Company as officers |
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12 | and/or directors, said individuals are in a fiduciary relationship with Vocera and owe the public | |||||
13 | stockholders of the Company, including Plaintiff, the duties of due care, loyalty, and good faith. | |||||
14 | 27. By virtue of their positions as directors and/or officers of Vocera, the Individual |
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15 | Defendants, at all relevant times, had the power to control and influence, and did control and | |||||
16 | influence and cause Vocera to engage in the practices complained of herein. | |||||
17 | 28. Each of the Individual Defendants are required to act with due care, loyalty, good |
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18 | faith and in the best interests of the Company public stockholders including Plaintiff. To diligently | |||||
19 | comply with these duties, directors of a corporation must: | |||||
20 | a. act with the requisite diligence and due care that is reasonable under the |
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21 | circumstances; |
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22 | b. act in the best interest of the Company and its public stockholders, |
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23 | including Plaintiff; |
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24 | c. use reasonable means to obtain material information relating to a given |
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25 | action or decision; |
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26 | d. refrain from acts involving conflicts of interest between the fulfillment |
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27 | of their roles in the Company and the fulfillment of any other roles or |
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28 |
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1 | their personal affairs; |
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2 | e. avoid competing against the company or exploiting any business |
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3 | opportunities of the company for their own benefit, or the benefit of |
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4 | others; and |
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5 | f. disclose to the Company all information and documents relating to the |
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6 | companys affairs that they received by virtue of their positions in the |
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7 | Company. |
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8 | 29. In accordance with their duties of loyalty and good faith, the Individual |
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9 | Defendants, as directors and/or officers of Vocera, are obligated to refrain from: | |||||
10 | a. participating in any transaction where the directors or officers loyalties are |
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11 | divided; |
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12 | b. participating in any transaction where the directors or officers are entitled |
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13 | to receive personal financial benefit not equally shared by the Company or its public |
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14 | stockholders including Plaintiff; and/or |
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15 | c. unjustly enriching themselves at the expense or to the detriment of the |
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16 | Company or its stockholders including Plaintiff. |
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17 | 30. Plaintiff alleges herein that the Individual Defendants, separately and together, in |
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18 | connection with the Proposed Transaction, violated, and are violating, the fiduciary duties they | |||||
19 | owe to Plaintiff as a public stockholder of Vocera, including their duties of loyalty, good faith, and | |||||
20 | due care. | |||||
21 | 31. As a result of the Individual Defendants divided loyalties, Plaintiff will not receive |
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22 | adequate, fair or maximum value for his Vocera common stock in the Proposed Transaction. | |||||
23 | SUBSTANTIVE ALLEGATIONS | |||||
24 | ||||||
Company Background | ||||||
25 | 32. Vocera provides secure, integrated, and intelligent communication and workflow |
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26 | solutions that empowers mobile workers in healthcare, hospitality, retail, energy, education, and | |||||
27 | ||||||
28 |
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1 | their mission-critical mobile work environments in the United States and internationally. The | |||||
2 | companys communication solution integrates with other clinical systems, including electronic | |||||
3 | health records, nurse call systems, and patient monitoring, as well as to provide critical data, alerts, | |||||
4 | alarms, and clinical context that enable workflow. | |||||
5 | 33. The Company also offers Vocera Communication and Workflow System, a |
|||||
6 | software platform, which connects communication devices, such as hands-free, wearable, and | |||||
7 | voice-controlled Smartbadge and badges, as well as third-party mobile devices; and Vocera Care | |||||
8 | Experience, a hosted software suite that coordinates and streamlines provider-to-patient and | |||||
9 | provider-to-provider communication and clinical rounding to enhance quality of care, patient and | |||||
10 | staff experience, reduce care providers risk, and improve reimbursements, as well as Vocera Ease, | |||||
11 | a cloud-based communication platform and mobile application to enhance the patient experience | |||||
12 | by enabling friends and family members to receive timely updates about the progress of their loved | |||||
13 | one in the hospital. In addition, the company provides professional, software maintenance, and | |||||
14 | technical support services; and classroom training, distance learning, or customized courseware | |||||
15 | for systems administrators, IT and industry-specific professionals, and end-user educators. | |||||
16 | 34. As of December 31, 2020, the company provided its solutions to approximately |
|||||
17 | 1,900 healthcare facilities, including large hospital systems, small and medium-sized local | |||||
18 | hospitals, clinics, surgery centers, and aged-care facilities. It sells its products through direct sales | |||||
19 | force, resellers, and distributors. The company was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in | |||||
20 | San Jose, California. | |||||
21 | 35. The Companys most recent financial performance press release, revealing |
|||||
22 | financial results from the quarter preceding the announcement of the Proposed Transaction, | |||||
23 | indicated sustained and solid financial performance. For example, in the October 28, 2021 press | |||||
24 | release announcing its 2021 Q3 financial results, the Company highlighted such milestones as total | |||||
25 | revenue of $63.6 million, up 18% compared to $53.8 million last year, GAAP net income of $2.1 | |||||
26 | million compared to $4.2 million last year Adjusted EBITDA of $15.3 million compared to $13.5 | |||||
27 | million last year. | |||||
28 |
- 7 -
1 | 36. Speaking on these positive results, CEO Defendant Lang commented on the |
|||||
2 | Companys positive financial results as follows, The third quarter was another fantastic quarter | |||||
3 | for our business with strong growth and customer success, Our market leadership in both the | |||||
4 | commercial and federal healthcare markets continued with impressive bookings and revenue | |||||
5 | growth, demonstrating the value of our unique solutions and the strong execution by our team. | |||||
6 | 37. The results from earlier in 2021 told the same story. When the Company announced |
|||||
7 | its Q2 2021 earnings on July 29. 2021, it highlighted similar success, posting results such as total | |||||
8 | revenue of $56.2 million, up 19% compared to $47.3 million last year. | |||||
9 | 38. These positive results are not an anomaly, but rather, are indicative of a trend of |
|||||
10 | continued financial success and future potential success by Vocera. Clearly, based upon these | |||||
11 | positive financial results and outlook, the Company is likely to have tremendous future success. | |||||
12 | 39. Despite this upward trajectory and continually increasing financial results, the |
|||||
13 | Individual Defendants have caused Vocera to enter into the Proposed Transaction without | |||||
14 | providing requisite information to Vocera stockholders such as Plaintiff. | |||||
15 | The Flawed Sales Process | |||||
16 | 40. As detailed in the Recommendation Statement, the process deployed by the |
|||||
17 | Individual Defendants was flawed and inadequate, was conducted out of the self-interest of the | |||||
18 | Individual Defendants and was designed with only one concern in mind to effectuate a sale of | |||||
19 | the Company by any means possible. | |||||
20 | 41. Notably, the Recommendation Statement indicates that an informal advisory |
|||||
21 | team of the Board members and members of the management team was created to help advise | |||||
22 | Vocera management regarding the sales process. However, the Recommendation Statement | |||||
23 | indicates is silent as to whether this informal advisory team was not delegated any actual authority. | |||||
24 | Moreover, the Recommendation Statement clearly indicates that Company insiders sat on this | |||||
25 | informal advisory team. The Recommendation Statement fails to indicate why a proper, formal, | |||||
26 | committee of disinterested and independent directors was not created to run the sales process | |||||
27 | 42. In addition, the Recommendation Statement is silent as to the nature of the |
|||||
28 |
- 8 -
1 | confidentiality agreements entered into between the Company and potentially interested third | |||||
2 | parties, including Stryker, throughout the sales process, if any, and whether these agreements differ | |||||
3 | from each other, and if so in what way. The Recommendation Statement also fails to disclose all | |||||
4 | specific conditions under which any standstill provision contained in any entered confidentiality | |||||
5 | agreement entered into between the Company and any potentially interested third parties, including | |||||
6 | Stryker, throughout the sales process, if any, would fall away | |||||
7 | 43. It is not surprising, given this background to the overall sales process, that it was |
|||||
8 | conducted in an inappropriate and misleading manner. | |||||
9 | The Proposed Transaction | |||||
10 | 44. On January 6, 2022, Stryker issued a press release announcing the Proposed |
|||||
11 | Transaction. The press release stated, in relevant part: | |||||
12 | Kalamazoo, Michigan January 6, 2022 Stryker (NYSE: SYK) announced |
|||||
today a definitive merger agreement to acquire all of the issued and outstanding |
||||||
13 | shares of common stock of Vocera Communications, Inc. (NYSE: VCRA) for |
|||||
14 | $79.25 per share, or a total equity value of approximately $2.97 billion and a total |
|||||
enterprise value of approximately $3.09 billion (including convertible notes). |
||||||
15 | Vocera, which was founded in 2000, has emerged as a leading platform in the |
|||||
digital care coordination and communication category. The importance of this |
||||||
16 | growing segment has continued to expand throughout the pandemic as it aims to |
|||||
reduce cognitive overload for caregivers and enables them to deliver the best patient |
||||||
17 | care possible. |
|||||
18 | Vocera brings a highly complementary and innovative portfolio to Strykers |
|||||
19 | Medical division that will address the increasing need for hospitals to connect |
|||||
caregivers and disparate data-generating medical devices, which will help drive |
||||||
20 | efficiencies and improve safety and outcomes. Voceras highly developed software |
|||||
competency, unique and innovative hardware solutions, and the ability to securely |
||||||
21 | enable remote communication between patients and their families, complements |
|||||
22 | Strykers Advanced Digital Healthcare offerings. The combined business will |
|||||
further advance Strykers focus on preventing adverse events throughout the |
||||||
23 | continuum of care. |
|||||
24 | This acquisition underscores our commitment and focus on our customer, stated |
|||||
Kevin Lobo, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Stryker. Vocera will help Stryker |
||||||
25 | significantly accelerate our digital aspirations to improve the lives of caregivers and |
|||||
26 | patients. |
|||||
27 | ||||||
28 |
- 9 -
1 | Todays milestone represents an exciting opportunity for Vocera given the clear |
|||||
alignment of mission, goals and culture between our two organizations and our |
||||||
2 | ability to drive even greater economic and clinical value for our customers, said |
|||||
3 | Brent Lang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Vocera. |
|||||
4 | Under the terms of the merger agreement, Stryker will commence a tender offer for |
|||||
all outstanding shares of common stock of Vocera for $79.25 per share in cash. The |
||||||
5 | boards of directors of both Stryker and Vocera have unanimously approved the |
|||||
transaction. The closing of the transaction is subject to expiration or termination of |
||||||
6 | the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements |
|||||
7 | Act, completion of the tender offer and other customary closing conditions. |
|||||
8 | The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022 and is expected to |
|||||
have a neutral impact to net earnings per diluted share in 2022. |
||||||
9 | ||||||
The Inadequate Merger Consideration | ||||||
10 | ||||||
45. Significantly, the Companys financial prospects, opportunities for future |
||||||
11 | growth, and investment in innovation establish the inadequacy of the merger consideration. | |||||
12 | ||||||
46. First, the compensation afforded under the Proposed Transaction to |
||||||
13 | Company stockholders significantly undervalues the Company. The proposed valuation | |||||
14 | does not adequately reflect the intrinsic value of the Company. | |||||
15 | ||||||
47. Moreover, post-closure, Plaintiff will be frozen out of his ownership interest |
||||||
16 | in the Company and will not be able to reap the rewards of the Companys future prospects. | |||||
17 | ||||||
48. It is clear from these statements and the facts set forth herein that this deal |
||||||
18 | is designed to maximize benefits for Stryker at the expense of Vocera stockholders, | |||||
19 | including specifically Plaintiff, which clearly indicates that Plaintiff in his capacity as a | |||||
20 | Vocera stockholder was not an overriding concern in the formation of the Proposed | |||||
21 | Transaction. | |||||
22 | ||||||
Preclusive Deal Mechanisms | ||||||
23 | ||||||
49. The Merger Agreement contains certain provisions that unduly benefit Stryker by |
||||||
24 | making an alternative transaction either prohibitively expensive or otherwise impossible. | |||||
25 | Significantly, the Merger Agreement contains a termination fee provision that is especially onerous | |||||
26 | and impermissible. Notably, in the event of termination, the merger agreement requires Vocera to | |||||
27 | ||||||
28 |
- 10 -
1 | pay up to $108.7 million to Stryker, if the Merger Agreement is terminated under certain | |||||
2 | circumstances. Moreover, under one circumstance, Vocera must pay this termination fee even if it | |||||
3 | consummates any competing Alternative Acquisition Agreement (as defined in the Merger | |||||
4 | Agreement) within 12 months following the termination of the Merger Agreement. The termination | |||||
5 | fee will make the Company that much more expensive to acquire for potential purchasers. The | |||||
6 | termination fee in combination with other preclusive deal protection devices will all but ensure | |||||
7 | that no competing offer will be forthcoming. | |||||
8 | 50.The Merger Agreement also contains a No Solicitation provision that restricts |
|||||
9 | Vocera from considering alternative acquisition proposals by, inter alia, constraining Voceras | |||||
10 | ability to solicit or communicate with potential acquirers or consider their proposals. Specifically, | |||||
11 | the provision prohibits the Company from directly or indirectly soliciting, initiating, proposing or | |||||
12 | inducing any alternative proposal, but permits the Board to consider an unsolicited bona fide | |||||
13 | acquisition proposal if it constitutes or is reasonably calculated to lead to a Superior Company | |||||
14 | Proposal as defined in the Merger Agreement. | |||||
15 | 51.Moreover, the Merger Agreement further reduces the possibility of a topping offer |
|||||
16 | from an unsolicited purchaser. Here, the Individual Defendants agreed to provide Stryker | |||||
17 | information in order to match any other offer, thus providing Stryker access to the unsolicited | |||||
18 | bidders financial information and giving Stryker the ability to top the superior offer. Thus, a rival | |||||
19 | bidder is not likely to emerge with the cards stacked so much in favor of Stryker. | |||||
20 | 52.These provisions, individually and collectively, materially and improperly impede |
|||||
21 | the Boards ability to fulfill its fiduciary duties with respect to fully and fairly investigating and | |||||
22 | pursuing other reasonable and more valuable proposals and alternatives in the best interests | |||||
23 | Plaintiff in its capacity as a public Company stockholder. | |||||
24 | 53.Accordingly, the Companys true value is compromised by the |
|||||
25 | consideration offered in the Proposed Transaction. | |||||
26 | Potential Conflicts of Interest | |||||
27 | 54.The breakdown of the benefits of the deal indicate that Vocera insiders are the |
|||||
28 |
- 11 -
1 | primary beneficiaries of the Proposed Transaction, not the Companys public stockholders such as |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Plaintiff. The Board and the Companys executive officers are conflicted because they will have |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | secured unique benefits for themselves from the Proposed Transaction not available to Plaintiff as |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 | a public stockholder of Vocera. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | 55. Notably, Company insiders, currently own large, illiquid portions of Company |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | stock, which will be exchanged for the merger consideration upon the consummation of the |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Proposed Transaction as follows: |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Table of Share-Related Payments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | Name | Number of Shares Owned (#) |
Total Offer Price Payable for Shares (5) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | |
Executive Officers(1) |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brent D. Lang(2) | 252,045 | 19,974,566 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | Steven J. Anheier | 3,969 | 314,543 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M. Bridget Duffy | 13,343 | 1,057,433 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | Paul T. Johnson | 64,558 | 5,116,222 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Douglas A. Carlen | 29,485 | 2,336,686 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | Justin R. Spencer | 54,452 | 4,315,321 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | |
Non-Employee Directors |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michael Burkland | 40,558 | 3,214,222 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | Julie Iskow | 12,041 | 954,249 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Howard E. Janzen | 48,687 | 3,858,445 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | Alexa King | 37,729 | 2,990,023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John N. McMullen | 20,950 | 1,660,288 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | Sharon L. OKeefe | 39,687 | 3,145,195 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ronald A. Paulus | 11,815 | 936,339 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | Bharat Sundaram | 12,041 | 954,249 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
56. Additionally, Company insiders, currently own Company options, restricted stock |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | units, and other equity awards, which will be exchanged for the merger consideration upon the |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | consummation of the Proposed Transaction as follows: |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vested Option | Unvested RSUs | Unvested PSUs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | Number of | Cash | Number of | Cash | Number of | Cash | Total Cash | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Underlying | Consideration | Underlying | Consideration | Underlying | Consideration | Consideration | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares | Payable | Shares | Payable | Shares | Payable | Payable | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 | Name | (#)(1) | ($)(2) | (#)(3) | ($)(4) | (#)(5) | ($)(6) | ($)(7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Executive Officers: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
25 |
Brent D. Lang | 3 | 199 | 193,496 | 15,334,558 | 254,184 | 20,144,082 | 35,478,839 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Steven J. Anheier | 29,273 | 2,319,885 | 40,874 | 3,239,265 | 5,559,150 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 |
Douglas A. Carlen |
|
50,114 | 3,971,535 | 54,266 | 4,300,581 | 8,272,116 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M. Bridget Duffy | 50,114 | 3,971,535 | 54,266 | 4,300,581 | 8,272,116 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Paul T. Johnson | 48,552 | 3,088,754 | 66,568 | 5,275,514 | 87,649 | 6,946,183 | 15,310,451 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 |
Justin R. Spencer | | | | | | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
28 |
- 12 -
1 |
Non-Employee Directors | | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michael Burkland | | | 4,379 | 347,036 | | | 347,036 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 |
Julie Iskow | | | 4,379 | 347,036 | | | 347,036 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Howard E. Janzen | | | 4,379 | 347,036 | | | 347,036 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alexa King | | | 4,379 | 347,036 | | | 347,036 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 |
John N. McMullen | | | 4,379 | 347,036 | | | 347,036 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sharon L. OKeefe | | | 4,379 | 347,036 | | | 347,036 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 |
Ronald A. Paulus | | | 4,379 | 347,036 | | | 347,036 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 |
Bharat Sundaram | | | 4,379 | 347,036 | | | 347,036 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | 57. In addition, certain employment agreements with certain Vocera executives, entitle |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | such executives to severance packages should their employment be terminated under certain |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | circumstances. These golden parachute packages are significant, and will grant each director or |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | officer entitled to them millions of dollars, compensation not shared by Plaintiff and will be paid |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | out as follows: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | Golden Parachute Compensation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Perquisites/Benefits | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | Name(I) |
Cash (S)(I) | Equity (S)(2) | (S)(3) | Total (S)(4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brent D. Lang | 1,711,884 | 35,478,640 | 51,561 | 37,242,085 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 |
Steven J. Anheier | 512,328 | 5,559,150 | 43,158 | 6,114,636 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Douglas A. Carlen | 337,397 | 8,272,115 | 32,369 | 8,641,881 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 |
M. Bridget Duffy | 359,598 | 8,272,115 | 22,805 | 8,654,518 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 |
Paul T. Johnson | 565,830 | 12,221,697 | 43,158 | 12,830,685 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | 58. The Recommendation Statement also fails to adequately disclose communications |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | regarding post-transaction employment during the negotiation of the underlying transaction must |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | be disclosed to stockholders. Communications regarding post-transaction employment during the |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | negotiation of the underlying transaction must be disclosed to stockholders. This information is |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | necessary for Plaintiff to understand potential conflicts of interest of management and the Board, |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | as that information provides illumination concerning motivations that would prevent fiduciaries |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | from acting solely in the best interests of the Companys stockholders. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | 59. Thus, while the Proposed Transaction is not in the best interests of Voccra, Plaintiff |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 | or Company stockholders, it will produce lucrative benefits for the Companys officers and |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
25 | directors. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Materially Misleading and/or Incomplete Recommendation Statement |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 | 60. On January 25, 2022, the Vocera Board caused to be filed with the SEC a materially |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
28 |
- 13 -
1 | misleading and incomplete Recommendation Statement, that in violation the Exchange Act and | |||||
2 | breach of their fiduciary duties, failed to provide Plaintiff in his capacity as a Company stockholder | |||||
3 | with material information and/or provides materially misleading information critical to the total | |||||
4 | mix of information available to Plaintiff concerning the financial and procedural fairness of the | |||||
5 | Proposed Transaction. | |||||
6 | Omissions and/or Material Misrepresentations Concerning the Sales Process leading up |
|||||
7 | to the Proposed Transaction |
|||||
8 | 61. Specifically, the Recommendation Statement fails to disclose material information |
|||||
9 | concerning the process conducted by the Company and the events leading up to the Proposed | |||||
10 | Transaction. In particular, the Recommendation Statement fails to disclose: | |||||
11 | a. The specific reasoning as to why the informal advisory team that was created |
|||||
12 | by the Board to aid in running the sales process contained Board members who |
|||||
13 | were not disinterested or independent and/or company insiders such as |
|||||
14 | members of management; |
|||||
15 | b. The specific reasoning as to why the informal advisory team created by the |
|||||
16 | Board to aid in running the sales process was not delegated any actual authority |
|||||
17 | to run the sales process; |
|||||
18 | c. Whether the terms of any confidentiality agreements entered during the sales |
|||||
19 | process between Vocera on the one hand, and any other third party (including |
|||||
20 | Stryker), if any, on the other hand, differed from one another, and if so, in what |
|||||
21 | way; |
|||||
22 | d. All specific conditions under which any standstill provision contained in any |
|||||
23 | entered confidentiality agreement entered into between the Company and |
|||||
24 | potentially interested third parties (including Stryker) throughout the sales |
|||||
25 | process, if any, would fall away; and |
|||||
26 | e. The Recommendation Statement also fails to adequately disclose |
|||||
27 | communications regarding post-transaction employment during the negotiation |
|||||
28 |
- 14 -
1 | of the underlying transaction must be disclosed to stockholders. |
|||||
2 | Communications regarding post-transaction employment during the |
|||||
3 | negotiation of the underlying transaction must be disclosed to stockholders. |
|||||
4 | This information is necessary for stockholders to understand potential conflicts |
|||||
5 | of interest of management and the Board, as that information provides |
|||||
6 | illumination concerning motivations that would prevent fiduciaries from acting |
|||||
7 | solely in the best interests of the Companys stockholders |
|||||
8 | Omissions and/or Material Misrepresentations Concerning Voceras Financial |
|||||
9 | Projections |
|||||
10 | 62. The Recommendation Statement fails to provide material information concerning |
|||||
11 | financial projections for Vocera provided by Vocera management and relied upon by Evercore in | |||||
12 | its analyses. The Recommendation Statement discloses management-prepared financial | |||||
13 | projections for the Company which are materially misleading. | |||||
14 | 63. Notably, in connection with its fairness opinion rendered to the Company Board |
|||||
15 | regarding the Proposed Transaction, Evercore notes that it reviewed, certain internal projected | |||||
16 | financial data relating to Vocera prepared and furnished to us by management of Vocera, as | |||||
17 | approved for Evercores use by Vocera, which we refer to as the Management Projections. | |||||
18 | 64. The Recommendation Statement, therefore, should have, but fails to provide, |
|||||
19 | certain information in the projections that Vocera management provided to the Board and | |||||
20 | Evercore. Courts have uniformly stated that projections ... are probably among the most highly- | |||||
21 | prized disclosures by investors. Investors can come up with their own estimates of discount rates | |||||
22 | or [ ] market multiples. What they cannot hope to do is replicate managements inside view of the | |||||
23 | companys prospects. In re Netsmart Techs., Inc. Sholders Litig., 924 A.2d 171, 201-203 (Del. | |||||
24 | Ch. 2007). | |||||
25 | 65. With regard to the Management Projections for each of the Base Case, Upside |
|||||
26 | Case, and Downside Case the Recommendation Statement fails to disclose material line items for | |||||
27 | the following metrics: | |||||
28 |
- 15 -
1 | a. Non-GAAP Gross Profit, including all underlying necessary inputs and |
|||||
2 | assumptions, including specifically: total cost of revenue, amortization of |
|||||
3 | acquired intangibles, restructuring costs, acquisition-related expenses, and |
|||||
4 | other non-recurring charges; |
|||||
5 | b. Non-GAAP Total Operating Expenses, including all underlying necessary |
|||||
6 | inputs and assumptions, including specifically: total operating expenses, |
|||||
7 | amortization of acquired intangibles, restructuring costs, acquisition-related |
|||||
8 | expenses, and other non-recurring charges; |
|||||
9 | c. Non-GAAP Operating Income, including all underlying necessary inputs and |
|||||
10 | assumptions, including specifically: GAAP net earnings (loss) before tax, net |
|||||
11 | interest expense, amortization of acquired intangibles, restructuring costs, |
|||||
12 | acquisition-related expenses, and other non-recurring charges; and |
|||||
13 | d. Adjusted EBITDA, including all underlying necessary inputs and assumptions, |
|||||
14 | including specifically: GAAP net earnings (loss) before tax, net interest |
|||||
15 | expense, amortization, restructuring costs, acquisition-related expenses, and |
|||||
16 | other non-recurring charges. |
|||||
17 | 66. The Recommendation Statement also fails to disclose a reconciliation of all non- |
|||||
18 | GAAP to GAAP metrics utilized in the projections. | |||||
19 | 67. This information is necessary to provide Plaintiff in his capacity as a Company |
|||||
20 | stockholder a complete and accurate picture of the sales process and its fairness. Without this | |||||
21 | information, Plaintiff is not fully informed as to Defendants actions, including those that may | |||||
22 | have been taken in bad faith, and cannot fairly assess the process. | |||||
23 | 68. Without accurate projection data presented in the Recommendation Statement, |
|||||
24 | Plaintiff is unable to properly evaluate the Companys true worth, the accuracy of Evercores | |||||
25 | financial analyses, or make an informed decision whether to tender his shares in favor of the | |||||
26 | Proposed Transaction. As such, the Board is in violation of the Exchange Act and in breach of | |||||
27 | their fiduciary duties by failing to include such information in the Recommendation Statement. | |||||
28 |
- 16 -
1 | Omissions and/or Material Misrepresentations Concerning the Financial Analyses by |
|||||
2 | Evercore |
|||||
3 | 69. In the Recommendation Statement, Evercore describes its fairness opinion and the |
|||||
4 | various valuation analyses performed to render such opinion. However, the descriptions fail to | |||||
5 | include necessary underlying data, support for conclusions, or the existence of, or basis for, | |||||
6 | underlying assumptions. Without this information, one cannot replicate the analyses, confirm the | |||||
7 | valuations or evaluate Evercores fairness opinion. | |||||
8 | 70. With respect to the Discounted Cash Flow Analysis, the Recommendation |
|||||
9 | Statement fails to disclose the following: | |||||
10 | a. The calculated terminal values for Vocera; |
|||||
11 | b. The specific inputs and assumptions used to determine the utilized perpetuity |
|||||
12 | growth rate range of 5.0% to 6.0%; |
|||||
13 | c. The specific inputs and assumptions used to determine the utilized terminal |
|||||
14 | multiple ranges of, 15.0x20.0x, 20.0x25.0x, and 10.0x15.0x, as applied |
|||||
15 | to Voceras estimated Adjusted EBITDA in the Terminal Year; |
|||||
16 | d. The specific inputs and assumptions used to determine the utilized discount rate |
|||||
17 | range of 8.0% to 9.0%; |
|||||
18 | e. Voceras estimated weighted average cost of capital; and |
|||||
19 | f. The number of fully diluted Company Shares as of December 31, 2021. |
|||||
20 | 71. With respect to the Selected Public Company Trading Analysis, the |
|||||
21 | Recommendation Statement fails to disclose the following: | |||||
22 | a. The specific inputs and assumptions used to determine the utilized reference |
|||||
23 | range of enterprise value / revenue multiples of 8.0x11.0x; |
|||||
24 | b. The specific inputs and assumptions used to determine the utilized reference |
|||||
25 | range of enterprise value / revenue multiples of 7.0x9.0x; and |
|||||
26 | c. The number of fully diluted Company Shares as of December 31, 2021. |
|||||
27 | 72. With respect to the Selected Transactions Analysis, the Recommendation Statement |
|||||
28 |
- 17 -
1 | fails to disclose the following: | |||||
2 | a. The specific inputs and assumptions used to determine the utilized reference |
|||||
3 | range of 9.0x - 10.0x LTM 2021 Revenue; |
|||||
4 | b. The specific inputs and assumptions used to determine the utilized reference |
|||||
5 | range of 8.0x - 9.0x NTM 2022 Revenue; |
|||||
6 | c. The specific transactions analyzed; |
|||||
7 | d. The specific metrics for the transactions analyzed; |
|||||
8 | e. The dates on which each selected transaction was announced; |
|||||
9 | f. The dates on which each selected transaction closed; and |
|||||
10 | g. The value of each selected transaction. |
|||||
11 | 73. With respect to the Equity Research Analyst Price Targets, the Recommendation |
|||||
12 | Statement fails to disclose the following: | |||||
13 | a. The specific price targets analyzed; and |
|||||
14 | b. The identity of the equity research analysts and/or firms that published the |
|||||
15 | utilized price targets. |
|||||
16 | 74. These disclosures are critical for Plaintiff to be able to make an informed decision |
|||||
17 | on whether to tender his shares in favor of the Proposed Transaction. | |||||
18 | 75. Without the omitted information identified above, Plaintiff is missing critical |
|||||
19 | information necessary to evaluate whether the proposed consideration truly maximizes his value | |||||
20 | and serves his interest as a stockholder. Moreover, without the key financial information and | |||||
21 | related disclosures, Plaintiff cannot gauge the reliability of the fairness opinion and the Boards | |||||
22 | determination that the Proposed Transaction is in his best interests as a public Vocera stockholder. | |||||
23 | As such, the Board has violated the Exchange Act and breached their fiduciary duties by failing to | |||||
24 | include such information in the Recommendation Statement. | |||||
25 | FIRST COUNT | |||||
26 | Breach of Fiduciary Duties | |||||
27 | (Against the Individual Defendants) | |||||
28 |
- 18 -
1 | 76. Plaintiff repeats all previous allegations as if set forth in full herein. |
|||||
2 | 77. The Individual Defendants have violated their fiduciary duties of care, loyalty and |
|||||
3 | good faith owed to Plaintiff in his capacity as a Company public stockholder. | |||||
4 | 78. By the acts, transactions and courses of conduct alleged herein, Defendants, |
|||||
5 | individually and acting as a part of a common plan, are attempting to unfairly deprive Plaintiff of | |||||
6 | the true value of his investment in Vocera. | |||||
7 | 79. As demonstrated by the allegations above, the Individual Defendants failed to |
|||||
8 | exercise the care required, and breached their duties of loyalty and good faith owed to the Plaintiff | |||||
9 | in his capacity as a Company public stockholder by entering into the Proposed Transaction through | |||||
10 | a flawed and unfair process and failing to take steps to maximize the value of the Company to | |||||
11 | Plaintiff in his capacity as a Company public stockholder. | |||||
12 | 80. Indeed, Defendants have accepted an offer to sell Vocera at a price that fails to |
|||||
13 | reflect the true value of the Company, thus depriving Plaintiff in his capacity as a Company public | |||||
14 | stockholder of the reasonable, fair and adequate value of his shares. | |||||
15 | 81. Moreover, the Individual Defendants breached their duty of due care and candor by |
|||||
16 | failing to disclose to Plaintiff in his capacity as a Company public stockholder all material | |||||
17 | information necessary for it to make an informed decision on whether to tender his shares in favor | |||||
18 | of the Proposed Transaction. | |||||
19 | 82. The Individual Defendants dominate and control the business and corporate affairs |
|||||
20 | of Vocera, and are in possession of private corporate information concerning Voceras assets, | |||||
21 | business and future prospects. Thus, there exists an imbalance and disparity of knowledge and | |||||
22 | economic power between them and Plaintiff in his capacity as a Company public stockholder | |||||
23 | which makes it inherently unfair for them to benefit their own interests to the exclusion of Plaintiff. | |||||
24 | 83. By reason of the foregoing acts, practices and course of conduct, the Individual |
|||||
25 | Defendants have failed to exercise due care and diligence in the exercise of their fiduciary | |||||
26 | obligations toward Plaintiff in his capacity as a Company public stockholder. | |||||
27 | 84. As a result of the actions of the Individual Defendants, Plaintiff in his capacity as a |
|||||
28 |
- 19 -
1 | Company public stockholder will suffer irreparable injury in that he has not and will not receive | |||||
2 | its fair portion of the value of Voceras assets and has been and will be prevented from obtaining | |||||
3 | a fair price for his holdings of Vocera common stock. | |||||
4 | 85. Unless the Individual Defendants are enjoined by the Court, they will continue to |
|||||
5 | breach their fiduciary duties owed to Plaintiff in his capacity as a Company public stockholder, all | |||||
6 | to the irreparable harm of the Plaintiff. | |||||
7 | 86. Plaintiff has no adequate remedy at law. Only through the exercise of this Courts |
|||||
8 | equitable powers can Plaintiff be fully protected from the immediate and irreparable injury which | |||||
9 | Defendants actions threaten to inflict. | |||||
10 | SECOND COUNT | |||||
11 | Aiding and Abetting the Boards Breaches of Fiduciary Duty | |||||
12 | (Against Defendant Vocera) | |||||
13 | 87. Plaintiff incorporates each and every allegation set forth above as if fully set forth |
|||||
14 | herein. | |||||
15 | 88. Defendant Vocera knowingly assisted the Individual Defendants breaches of |
|||||
16 | fiduciary duty in connection with the Proposed Transaction, which, without such aid, would not | |||||
17 | have occurred. | |||||
18 | 89. As a result of this conduct, Plaintiff in his capacity as a Company public stockholder |
|||||
19 | will suffer irreparable injury in that he has not and will not receive his fair portion of the value of | |||||
20 | Voceras assets and has been and will be prevented from obtaining a fair price for its holdings of | |||||
21 | Vocera common stock. | |||||
22 | 90. Plaintiff has no adequate remedy at law. |
|||||
23 | THIRD COUNT | |||||
24 | Violations of Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act | |||||
25 | (Against All Defendants) | |||||
26 | 91. Plaintiff repeats all previous allegations as if set forth in full herein. |
|||||
27 | 92. Defendants have disseminated the Recommendation Statement with the intention |
|||||
28 |
- 20 -
1 | of soliciting stockholders, including Plaintiff, to tender their shares in favor of the Proposed | |||||
2 | Transaction. | |||||
3 | 93. Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act provides that in the solicitation of shares in a |
|||||
4 | tender offer, [i]t shall be unlawful for any person to make any untrue statement of a material fact | |||||
5 | or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in the light of | |||||
6 | the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading[.]. | |||||
7 | 94. The Recommendation Statement was prepared in violation of Section 14(e) because |
|||||
8 | it is materially misleading in numerous respects and omits material facts, including those set forth | |||||
9 | above. Moreover, in the exercise of reasonable care, Defendants knew or should have known that | |||||
10 | the Recommendation Statement is materially misleading and omits material facts that are | |||||
11 | necessary to render them non-misleading. | |||||
12 | 95. The Individual Defendants had actual knowledge or should have known of the |
|||||
13 | misrepresentations and omissions of material facts set forth herein. | |||||
14 | 96. The Individual Defendants were at least negligent in filing a Recommendation |
|||||
15 | Statement that was materially misleading and/or omitted material facts necessary to make the | |||||
16 | Recommendation Statement not misleading. | |||||
17 | 97. The misrepresentations and omissions in the Recommendation Statement are |
|||||
18 | material to Plaintiff, and Plaintiff will be deprived of his entitlement to decide whether to tender | |||||
19 | its shares on the basis of complete information if such misrepresentations and omissions are not | |||||
20 | corrected prior to the expiration of the tender offer period regarding the Proposed Transaction. | |||||
21 | 98. Plaintiff has no adequate remedy at law. |
|||||
22 | FOURTH COUNT | |||||
23 | Violations of Section 14(d)(4) of the Exchange Act and SEC Rule 14d-9 | |||||
24 | (Against all Defendants) | |||||
25 | 99. Plaintiff repeats and realleges all previous allegations as if set forth in full herein. |
|||||
26 | 100. Defendants have disseminated the Recommendation Statement with the intention |
|||||
27 | of soliciting stockholders, including Plaintiff, to tender their shares in favor of the Proposed | |||||
28 |
- 21 -
1 | Transaction. | |||||
2 | 101. Section 14(d)(4) requires Defendants to make full and complete disclosure in |
|||||
3 | connection with a tender offer. | |||||
4 | 102. SEC Rule 14d-9 requires a Companys directors to, furnish such additional |
|||||
5 | information, if any, as may be necessary to make the required statements, in light of the | |||||
6 | circumstances under which they are made, not materially misleading. | |||||
7 | 103. Here, the Recommendation Statement violates both Section 14(d)(4) and SEC Rule |
|||||
8 | 14d-9 because it because it is materially misleading in numerous respects, omits material facts, | |||||
9 | including those set forth above and Defendants knowingly or recklessly omitted the material facts | |||||
10 | from the Recommendation Statement. | |||||
11 | 104. The misrepresentations and omissions in the Recommendation Statement are |
|||||
12 | material to Plaintiff, and Plaintiff will be deprived of his entitlement to decide whether to tender | |||||
13 | his shares on the basis of complete information if such misrepresentations and omissions are not | |||||
14 | corrected prior to the expiration of the tender offer period regarding the Proposed Transaction. | |||||
15 | 105. Plaintiff has no adequate remedy at law. |
|||||
16 | FIFTH COUNT | |||||
17 | Violations of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act | |||||
18 | (Against all Individual Defendants) | |||||
19 | 106. Plaintiff repeats all previous allegations as if set forth in full herein. |
|||||
20 | 107. The Individual Defendants were privy to non-public information concerning the |
|||||
21 | Company and its business and operations via access to internal corporate documents, conversations | |||||
22 | and connections with other corporate officers and employees, attendance at management and | |||||
23 | Board meetings and committees thereof and via reports and other information provided to them in | |||||
24 | connection therewith. Because of their possession of such information, the Individual Defendants | |||||
25 | knew or should have known that the Recommendation Statement was materially misleading to | |||||
26 | Plaintiff in his capacity as a Company stockholder. | |||||
27 | 108. The Individual Defendants were involved in drafting, producing, reviewing and/or |
|||||
28 |
- 22 -
1 | disseminating the materially false and misleading statements complained of herein. The Individual | |||||
2 | Defendants were aware or should have been aware that materially false and misleading statements | |||||
3 | were being issued by the Company in the Recommendation Statement and nevertheless approved, | |||||
4 | ratified and/or failed to correct those statements, in violation of federal securities laws. The | |||||
5 | Individual Defendants were able to, and did, control the contents of the Recommendation | |||||
6 | Statement. The Individual Defendants were provided with copies of, reviewed and approved, | |||||
7 | and/or signed the Recommendation Statement before its issuance and had the ability or opportunity | |||||
8 | to prevent its issuance or to cause it to be corrected. | |||||
9 | 109. The Individual Defendants also were able to, and did, directly or indirectly, control |
|||||
10 | the conduct of Voceras business, the information contained in its filings with the SEC, and its | |||||
11 | public statements. Because of their positions and access to material non-public information | |||||
12 | available to them but not the public, the Individual Defendants knew or should have known that | |||||
13 | the misrepresentations specified herein had not been properly disclosed to and were being | |||||
14 | concealed from Plaintiff and Company, and that the Recommendation Statement was misleading. | |||||
15 | As a result, the Individual Defendants are responsible for the accuracy of the Recommendation | |||||
16 | Statement and are therefore responsible and liable for the misrepresentations contained herein. | |||||
17 | 110. The Individual Defendants acted as controlling persons of Vocera within the |
|||||
18 | meaning of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act. By reason of their position with the Company, the | |||||
19 | Individual Defendants had the power and authority to cause Vocera to engage in the wrongful | |||||
20 | conduct complained of herein. The Individual Defendants controlled Vocera and all of its | |||||
21 | employees. As alleged above, Vocera is a primary violator of Section 14 of the Exchange Act and | |||||
22 | SEC Rule 14a-9. By reason of their conduct, the Individual Defendants are liable pursuant to | |||||
23 | section 20(a) of the Exchange Act. | |||||
24 | WHEREFORE, Plaintiff demands injunctive relief, in his favor and against the |
|||||
25 | Defendants, as follows: | |||||
26 | (A) Enjoining the Proposed Transaction; |
|||||
27 | (B) In the event Defendants consummate the Proposed Transaction, rescinding it and |
|||||
28 |
- 23 -
1 | setting it aside or awarding rescissory damages to Plaintiff; |
|||||||
2 | (C) Declaring and decreeing that the Merger Agreement was agreed to in breach of the |
|||||||
3 | fiduciary duties of the Individual Defendants and is therefore unlawful and unenforceable; |
|||||||
4 | (D) Directing the Individual Defendants to exercise their fiduciary duties to disseminate a |
|||||||
5 | Recommendation Statement that does not contain any untrue statements of material fact |
|||||||
6 | and that states all material facts required in it or necessary to make the statements contained |
|||||||
7 | therein not misleading; |
|||||||
8 | (E) Directing defendants to account to Plaintiff for damages sustained because of the |
|||||||
9 | wrongs complained of herein; |
|||||||
10 | (F) Awarding Plaintiff the costs of this action, including reasonable allowance for |
|||||||
11 | Plaintiffs attorneys and experts fees; and |
|||||||
12 | (G) Granting such other and further relief as this Court may deem just and proper. |
|||||||
13 | DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL | |||||||
14 | Plaintiff hereby demands a jury on all issues which can be heard by a jury. |
|||||||
15 | ||||||||
Dated: January 27, 2022 | BRODSKY & SMITH | |||||||
16 | ||||||||
17 | By: /s/ Evan J. Smith | |||||||
Evan J. inquire (SBN 242352) | ||||||||
18 | esmith@brodskysmith.com | |||||||
Ryan P. Cardona, Esquire (SBN 302113) | ||||||||
19 | rcardona@brodskysmith.com | |||||||
9595 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 900 | ||||||||
20 | Phone: (877) 534-2590 | |||||||
Facsimile (310) 247-0160 | ||||||||
21 | ||||||||
22 | Attorneys for Plaintiff | |||||||
23 | ||||||||
24 | ||||||||
25 | ||||||||
26 | ||||||||
27 | ||||||||
28 |
- 24 -
EX-FILING FEES
Calculation of Filing Fee Tables
SC TO-T
(Form Type)
Stryker Corporation
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Table 1 Transaction Value
Transaction Valuation |
Fee rate | Amount of Filing Fee** |
||||||||||
Fees to Be Paid |
0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||||||||
Fees Previously Paid |
2,974,792,414.88 | 275,763.26 | ||||||||||
Total Transaction Valuation* |
2,974,792,414.88 | |||||||||||
Total Fees Due for Filing |
275,763.26 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
Total Fees Previously Paid |
275,763.26 | |||||||||||
Total Fee Offsets |
0.00 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
Net Fee Due |
0.00 | |||||||||||
|
|
* | Estimated for purposes of calculating the filing fee only. The transaction valuation was calculated as the sum of (i) 34,951,078 outstanding shares of common stock, $0.0003 par value per share, (the Shares) of Vocera Communications, Inc. (the Company), multiplied by $79.25, (ii) 1,961,529 Shares issuable pursuant to the Companys restricted stock units, multiplied by $79.25, (iii) 491,239 Shares issuable pursuant to the Companys performance stock units, multiplied by $79.25, (iv) 54,586 Shares issuable pursuant to outstanding rights under the Companys Amended and Restated 2012 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, multiplied by $79.25 and (v) 94,748 Shares issuable pursuant to outstanding stock options, multiplied by $65.56 (which is $79.25 minus the weighted average exercise price for such options of $13.69 per share). The calculation of the filing fee is based on information provided by the Company as of January 5, 2022. |
** | The filing fee was calculated in accordance with Rule 0-11 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Fee Rate Advisory No. 1 for Fiscal Year 2022, issued August 23, 2021, by multiplying the transaction value by 0.0000927. |
Table 2 Fee Offset Claims and Sources
Registrant or Filer Name |
Form or Filing Type |
File Number | Initial Filing Date |
Filing Date | Fee Offset Claimed |
Fee Paid with Fee Offset Source |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Fee Offset Claims |
SC TO-T | 005-86795 | 1/25/2022 | 0.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fee Offset Sources |
1/25/2022 | 0.00 |
1