SIO GENE THERAPIES INC.
PLAN OF COMPLETE LIQUIDATION AND DISSOLUTION
This Plan of Complete Liquidation and Dissolution (the “Plan”) is for the purpose of effecting the orderly liquidation and/or wind up of Sio Gene Therapies Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in accordance with the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) and Section 331 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as follows:
The Board of Directors (the “Board”) has determined in its reasonable business judgment that it is advisable and in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders that the Company commence an orderly liquidation and/or wind up as soon as practicable thereafter, and has appointed David Nassif, CEO, CFO, and CAO of the Company, as manager to oversee the sale of the Company’s assets and the Company’s liquidation and wind up, or any successor person(s) as the Board may later designate (the “Manager”). The Manager shall be deemed an officer of the Company for the purposes of implementing this Plan.
1.Adoption of Plan. The Board has adopted resolutions deeming it advisable and in the best interests of the stockholders of the Company to dissolve and liquidate the Company, adopt the Plan, and call an annual or special meeting (the “Meeting”) of the holders of the Company’s common stock, $0.00001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), to approve the dissolution and liquidation of the Company and adopt the Plan. If stockholders holding a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock on the record date fixed by the Board vote (the “Requisite Consent”) in favor of the proposed dissolution and liquidation of the Company and the adoption of the Plan at the Meeting, the Plan shall constitute the adopted Plan of the Company as of the date of the Meeting, or such later date on which the stockholders may approve the Plan if the Meeting is adjourned to a later date (the “Adoption Date”).
2.Corporate Action Following Adoption of the Plan. From and after the Adoption Date, the Manager shall complete the following corporate actions:
(a)The Company shall collect, sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of all of its remaining property and assets in one or more transactions upon such terms and conditions as the Manager, in the Manager’s absolute discretion, deems expedient and in the best interests of the Company and the stockholders and creditors of the Company, without any further vote or action by the Company’s stockholders. Approval of the proposed dissolution and adoption of the Plan by holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock shall constitute the approval of the stockholders of the Company of the dissolution of the Company and the sale, exchange or other disposition in liquidation of all or substantially all of the property and assets of the Company pursuant to the terms hereof, whether such sale, exchange or other disposition occurs in one transaction or a series of transactions, and shall constitute ratification of all contracts for sale, exchange or other disposition which are conditioned on adoption of the Plan. It is understood that the Company will be permitted to commence the sale and disposition of any of its remaining assets as soon as possible following the adoption of this Plan by the Board and approval of this Plan by the stockholders of the Company in order to attain the highest value for any such assets and maximize value for its stockholders and creditors and, to the extent that the Company has already commenced the sale and disposition of its assets, such sales and dispositions are hereby ratified and approved. The Company’s remaining assets and properties may be sold in bulk to one buyer or a small number of buyers or on a piecemeal basis to numerous buyers. The Company will not be required to obtain appraisals, fairness opinions, or other third-party opinions as to the value of its properties and assets in connection with the liquidation. In connection with such collection, sale, exchange and other disposition, the Manager shall use reasonable efforts to collect or make provision for the collection of all accounts receivable, debts and claims owing to the Company, if any.
(b)The Company shall distribute to its stockholders, in accordance with the provisions in the Charter, this Plan, and the DGCL, available cash, if any, including the cash proceeds of any sale, exchange or disposition, except such cash, property or assets as are required for paying or making reasonable provision for the known liabilities and obligations of the Company (“Available Cash”), and provided further, that no distribution to the stockholders shall be made except in connection with the dissolution of the Company in accordance with Section 275 of the DGCL. Any such distribution may occur in one or a series of distributions and shall be in cash or assets, in such amounts, and at such time or times, as the Manager, in the Manager’s absolute discretion, may determine. If and to the extent deemed necessary, appropriate or desirable by the Manager, in the Manager’s absolute discretion, the Company may establish and set aside a reasonable amount of cash and/or property (the “Contingency Reserve”) to satisfy claims against and any unmatured or contingent liabilities and obligations of, the Company, including, without limitation, tax obligations, and all expenses of the sale of the Company’s property and assets, of the collection and defense of the Company’s property and assets, and the liquidation and dissolution provided for in this Plan.
(c)The Company shall file final federal and comparable state income tax reporting forms as required by applicable law, including Internal Revenue Service Form 966, and such additional forms and reports with the Internal Revenue Service or other governmental agencies as may be necessary or appropriate in connection with the Plan and its implementation. The Manager and the Company’s other officers shall be authorized to cause the Company to make such elections for tax purposes and to take such actions as are deemed appropriate and in the best interest of the Company. The Company shall make arrangements authorizing one or more representatives or agents to maintain such Company records as may be appropriate for purposes of any tax audit of the Company occurring during the process of dissolution or after liquidation.
3.Stock Matters, Redemption and Cancellations of Stock.
(a)Distributions to the stockholders of the Company pursuant to this Plan, if any, shall be in complete redemption and cancellation of all of the outstanding capital stock of the Company. As a condition to receipt of any distribution to the Company’s stockholders, the Manager, in the Manager’s absolute discretion, may require the stockholders to (i) surrender their certificates evidencing the stock to the Company or its agents for recording of such distributions thereon or (ii) furnish the Company with evidence satisfactory to the Manager of the loss, theft or destruction of its certificates evidencing the stock, together with such surety bond or other security or indemnity as may be required by and satisfactory to the Manager.
(b)The Company will close its stock transfer books and discontinue recording transfers of shares of Common Stock on the date the Certificate of Dissolution is filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, and thereafter certificates representing shares of Common Stock of the Company will not be assignable or transferable on the books of the Company except by will, intestate succession, or operation of law.
(c)From and after the filing of the Certificate of Dissolution, and subject to applicable law, each holder of shares of Common Stock shall cease to have any rights in respect thereof, except the right to receive distributions, if any, pursuant to and in accordance with Section 4 hereof.
(d)The Company’s stockholders shall not be entitled to appraisal rights for their shares of capital stock in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Plan.
(e)If any distribution to any stockholders cannot be made, whether because the stockholder cannot be located, has not surrendered its certificates evidencing the stock as required hereunder or for any other reason, the distribution to which such stockholder is entitled shall be transferred, at such time as the final liquidating distribution is made by the Company, to the official of such state or other jurisdiction authorized by applicable law to receive the proceeds of such distribution. The proceeds of such distribution shall thereafter be held solely for the benefit of and for ultimate distribution to such stockholder as the sole equitable owner thereof and shall be treated as abandoned property and escheat to the applicable state or other jurisdiction in accordance with applicable law. In no event shall the proceeds of any such distribution revert to or become the property of the Company.
4.Liquidating Distributions; Nature; Amount; Timing.
(a)Although the Board has not established a firm timetable for completion of the Company’s liquidation if the Plan is approved by the stockholders, the Company will, subject to exigencies inherent in winding up the Company’s business, complete the winding up and liquidation process as promptly as practicable. The Company plans to satisfy all of its liabilities and obligations, or make adequate provision for doing so, prior to making any distribution to its stockholders.
(b)The uncertainty of the value of the Company’s assets and the ultimate amount of its liabilities and the expenses of liquidation make it impracticable to predict the aggregate net value that may ultimately be distributable to its stockholders. The Board is currently unable to predict the precise nature, amount or timing of any such distribution(s) pursuant to the Plan. The actual nature, amount and timing of, and record date for any such distribution(s) will be determined by the Manager, in the Manager’s sole discretion.
(c)No assurance can be given that available cash and amounts received on the sale of assets will be adequate to provide for the Company’s obligations, liabilities, expenses and claims or to make any cash distributions to the stockholders. If such available cash and amounts received on the sale of assets are not adequate to provide for the Company’s obligations, liabilities, expenses and claims, distributions to the Company’s stockholders will be reduced or eliminated.
5.Liquidating Trust. If deemed necessary, appropriate or desirable by the Manager, in the Manager’s absolute discretion, in furtherance of the liquidation and distribution of the Company’s assets to the
stockholders, as a final liquidating distribution or from time to time, the Company may transfer to one or more liquidating trustees, for the benefit of the stockholders (the “Trustees”), under a liquidating trust (the “Trust”), all, or a portion, of the assets of the Company. If assets are transferred to the Trust, each stockholder shall receive an interest (an “Interest”) in the Trust pro rata to its interest in the assets of the Company on that date. All distributions from the Trust will be made pro rata in accordance with the Interest. The Interest shall not be transferable except by operation of law or upon death of the recipient. The Manager is hereby authorized to appoint one or more individuals, corporations, partnerships or other persons, or any combination thereof, including, without limitation, any one or more officers, directors, employees, agents or representatives of the Company, to act as the initial Trustee or Trustees for the benefit of the stockholders and to receive any assets of the Company. Any Trustees appointed as provided in the preceding sentence shall succeed to all right, title and interest of the Company of any kind and character with respect to such transferred assets and, to the extent of the assets so transferred and solely in their capacity as Trustees, shall assume all of the liabilities and obligations of the Company, including, without limitation, any unsatisfied claims and unascertained or contingent liabilities. Further, any conveyance of assets to the Trustees shall be deemed to be a distribution of property and assets by the Company to the stockholders. Any such conveyance to the Trustees shall be in trust for the stockholders of the Company. The Company, as authorized by the Manager, in the Manager’s absolute discretion, may enter into a liquidating trust agreement with the Trustees, on such terms and conditions as the Manager, in the Manager’s absolute discretion, may deem necessary, appropriate or desirable. Adoption of this Plan by the holders of the requisite vote of the holders of the outstanding capital stock of the Company shall constitute the approval of the stockholders of any such appointment and any such liquidating trust agreement as their act and as a part hereof as if herein written.
6.Payment of Franchise Taxes. After the Adoption Date but prior to the filing of the Certificate of Dissolution, if applicable as determined by the Manager or as otherwise required by this Plan, the Manager shall determine and cause to be paid all franchise taxes due to or assessable by the State of Delaware including for the entire month during which the dissolution will become effective pursuant to Section 277 of the DGCL.
7.Dissolution. Following the Adoption Date and the payment of applicable franchise taxes, if (i) the Manager determines, in the Manager’s absolute discretion, that there are not sufficient proceeds to satisfy the Company’s obligations, liabilities and expenses in full (including funding any Contingency Reserve), but that dissolution is nonetheless appropriate, or (ii) as a result of the liquidation and wind up of the Company, it is determined by the Manager, in the Manager’s absolute discretion, that there are sufficient proceeds to satisfy the Company’s obligations, liabilities, and expenses in full (including funding any Contingency Reserve) and to make a distribution to the stockholders, then the Manager is authorized and directed to file a Certificate of Dissolution pursuant to Section 275 of the DGCL, and to execute all other instruments and do all other things the Manager deems advisable to wind up the affairs of the Company, pursuant to the DGCL. Adoption of this Plan by the Requisite Consent shall constitute approval by the Company’s stockholders of any such filing of a Certificate of Dissolution as its act and as a part hereof as if set forth fully herein.
8.Provision for Liabilities. In lieu of the Manager giving notice, as applicable, of any dissolution and a procedure and deadline for the presentment of claims against the Company pursuant to Section 280 of the DGCL, which notice and procedure the Board has determined not to undertake, the Manager shall, pursuant to Section 281(b) of the DGCL, pay or make reasonable provision for the Company’s known or determined liabilities, including all contingent, conditional or unmatured contractual claims known to the Company or any successor entity, (ii) shall make such provision as will be reasonably likely to be sufficient to provide compensation for any claim against the Company which is the subject of a pending action, suit or proceeding, if any, to which the Company is party, and (iii) shall make such provision as will be reasonably likely to be sufficient to provide compensation for claims that have not been made known to the Company or that have not arisen but that, based on facts known to the Company or any successor entity, are likely to arise or to become known to the Company or any successor entity within 10 years after the date of dissolution and distribute any remaining assets to the stockholders, pursuant to this Plan and Section 281 of DGCL. Such claims shall be paid in full and any such provision for payment made shall be made in full if there are sufficient assets; provided, however, if there are insufficient assets, such claims and obligations shall be paid or provided for according to their priority and, among claims of equal priority, ratably to the extent of assets legally available therefor. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Manager may, at the Manager’s option, elect, but shall not be required, to follow the procedures for liquidating the Company set forth in Sections 280 and 281(a) of the DGCL.
9.Limited Continuation of Company. Following the filing of a Certificate of Dissolution, if applicable, the Company shall not engage in any further business activities except for the period set forth in and purposes allowed by Section 278 of the DGCL, including without limitation the purpose of implementing any claims procedures, prosecuting or defending suits, liquidating, dissolving and/or winding up any and all subsidiaries of the Company, and engaging in such activities as are necessary to enable the Company to gradually settle and close its business, liquidate, dispose of and convey its property, discharge its liabilities and distribute any remaining assets to its stockholders. The Board and the officers of the Company then in office shall continue in office solely for these purposes and shall cease to be members of the Board and/or officers of the Company upon the earlier of the
completion of these activities, the date of their respective resignations, or the expiration of the continuation period set forth in Section 278 of the DGCL.
10.Continuing Employees and Consultants. For the purpose of effecting the dissolution of the Company and winding up of the Company’s affairs, the Manager may hire or retain, in the Manager’s sole discretion, such employees, consultants and other advisors as the Manager deems necessary or advisable to accomplish such dissolution and winding up in accordance with this Plan and the DGCL, until all affairs of the Company are settled and closed. The Company may, in the absolute discretion of the Board, but subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements, pay the Manager, the Company’s other officers, directors, employees, consultants, independent contractors, agents, advisors and representatives, or any of them, compensation or additional compensation above their regular compensation, in money or other property, as severance, bonus, or in any other form, in recognition of the extraordinary efforts they, or any of them, will be required to undertake, or actually undertake, in connection with the implementation of the Plan. Adoption of the Plan shall constitute approval of any such compensation by the stockholders of the Company.
11.Expenses of Liquidation. The Manager or Trustees, as applicable, shall provide, from the assets of the Company, funds for payment of the reasonable expenses of the dissolution and winding up of the Company’s affairs, including filing fees and other costs required in connection with implementation of this Plan, any brokerage, agency and other fees and expenses of persons rendering services to the Company in connection with the collection, sale, exchange or other disposition of the Company’s property and assets, continuation of employees and/or consultants engaged in the dissolution and winding up process, accountants’ and attorneys’ fees and expenses, and other reasonable fees and expenses incurred in connection with the dissolution and winding up process.
12.Amendment, Modification or Abandonment of Plan. Notwithstanding stockholder approval of the Plan and the transactions contemplated hereby, if for any reason the Board determines that such action would be in the best interest of the Company, the Board may, in its sole discretion and without requiring further stockholder approval, revoke the Plan and all action contemplated thereunder, to the extent permitted by the DGCL. To the extent permitted by the DGCL, without further action by the Company’s stockholders, at any time before or after the filing of the Certificate of Dissolution, the Board may waive, modify or amend any aspect of this Plan and may provide for exceptions to or clarifications of the terms of this Plan. The Board (and any other person or body authorized by the Board) shall also have the power and authority to interpret this Plan and to make any and all determinations necessary or advisable to apply this Plan to any event, fact or circumstance.
13.Provision for Continued Indemnification of Board and Officers. The Company may reserve sufficient assets and/or obtain and maintain such insurance as shall be necessary to provide for continued indemnification of the members of the Board, the Manager, officers and agents of the Company, and other parties whom the Company has agreed to indemnify, including any Trustees, to the full extent provided by the certificate of incorporation, bylaws, any existing indemnification agreements between the Company and any of such persons, and applicable law. The Manager, in the Manager’s absolute discretion, is authorized to obtain and maintain such policies as the Manager may determine.
14.Further Actions. The Board, the Manager and the Trustees as applicable are hereby authorized, without further action by the Company’s stockholders, to do and perform, or cause the officers, employees, agents and representatives of the Company to do and perform, any and all acts, and to make, execute, deliver or adopt any and all agreements, resolutions, assignments, certificates and other documents of every kind which are deemed necessary, appropriate or desirable, in the absolute discretion of the Manager or such Trustees as applicable, to implement this Plan and the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, all filings or acts required by any state or federal law or regulation to wind up the Company’s affairs.
Sio Gene Therapies Inc. Announces Board Approval of Plan of Complete Liquidation and Dissolution
NEW YORK CITY, December 14, 2022 – Sio Gene Therapies Inc. (Nasdaq:SIOX) today announced that its Board of Directors has determined, after extensive and careful consideration of potential strategic alternatives, that it is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to dissolve the Company and liquidate its assets, including its subsidiaries.
"After evaluating the Company's strategic options, the Board of Directors unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the shareholders to dissolve and liquidate the Company," stated David Nassif, Chief Executive Officer. "The Board of Directors and management, together with its external advisors, devoted substantial time and effort in identifying and pursuing opportunities to enhance shareholder value; however, that process did not yield a potential transaction which the Board viewed as reasonably likely to provide greater realizable value to its shareholders than the complete dissolution and liquidation of the Company."
Plan of Liquidation and Dissolution
The Board of Directors has unanimously approved the dissolution and liquidation of the Company, subject to shareholder approval, pursuant to a Plan of Complete Liquidation and Dissolution (the “Plan of Dissolution”). The Company intends to call a special meeting of its shareholders in the first calendar quarter of 2023 to seek approval of the Plan of Dissolution and will file proxy materials relating to the special meeting with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) as soon as practicable.
The Plan of Dissolution contemplates an orderly wind down of the Company's business and operations. If the Company's shareholders approve the Plan of Dissolution, the Company intends to file a certificate of dissolution, delist its shares of common stock from The Nasdaq Capital Market, satisfy or resolve its remaining liabilities and obligations, including but not limited to contingent liabilities and claims and costs associated with the dissolution and liquidation, make reasonable provisions for unknown claims and liabilities, attempt to convert all of its remaining assets into cash or cash equivalents, and make distributions to its shareholders of remaining cash available for distribution based upon their proportionate ownership at the time of the filing of the certificate of dissolution, subject to applicable legal requirements. Upon the filing of the certificate of dissolution, the Company intends to cease trading in its common stock, close its stock transfer books and discontinue recording transfers of shares of its capital stock, in accordance with applicable law.
The Company will establish a reserve, which will be used to pay all expenses (including operating expenses up until the filing of the certificate of dissolution) and other known, non-contingent liabilities and obligations, and will include reasonable provision for future expenses of liquidation and contingent and unknown liabilities as required by Delaware law. Based on this estimated reserve, the Company will subsequently make liquidating distributions to shareholders as soon as practicable following the filing of the certificate of dissolution. The Company will provide an estimate of such amounts in the proxy materials to be filed with the SEC. The amount actually distributable to shareholders, however, may vary substantially from any estimate provided by the Company based on a number of factors.
IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND WHERE TO FIND IT
In connection with the proposed Plan of Dissolution, the Company intends to file with the SEC a proxy statement and other relevant materials. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT, ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO, ANY OTHER SOLICITING MATERIALS AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE PLAN OF DISSOLUTION AND RELATED MATTERS OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THE PROXY STATEMENT WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE BECAUSE IT WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT SIO GENE THERAPIES, INC., THE PLAN OF DISSOLUTION AND RELATED MATTERS. Shareholders may obtain a free copy of the proxy statement and the other relevant materials (when they become available), and any other documents filed by the Company with the SEC, at the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov or on the "Investors" section of Sio’s website at www.siogtx.com.
Participants in the Solicitation
Sio and its executive officers and directors may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from its shareholders with respect to the proposed Plan of Dissolution and related matters. And any other matters to be voted on at the special meeting of shareholders. Information regarding the names, affiliations and interests of such directors and executive officers will be included in the proxy statement (when available). Additional information regarding such directors and executive officers is included in Sio’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, which was filed with the SEC on June 14, 2022.
Information regarding the persons who may, under SEC rules, be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies of Sio’s shareholders in connection with the Plan of Dissolution and related matters and any other matters to be voted upon at the special meeting will be set forth in the proxy statement (when available). These documents are available free of charge as described in the preceding section.
Cautionary Statement About Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. The use of words such as "expect," "estimate," "may" and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. For example, all statements Sio makes regarding the proposed dissolution pursuant to the Plan of Dissolution, timing of filing of the certificate of dissolution and holding a special shareholder meeting to approve the Plan of Dissolution, the amount and timing of liquidating distributions, if any, in connection with the dissolution, the amount of planned reserves, and similar statements are forward-looking. All forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions by Sio’s management that, although Sio believes to be reasonable, are inherently uncertain. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that Sio expected. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the availability, timing and amount of liquidating distributions; the amounts that will need to be set aside by Sio; the adequacy of such reserves to satisfy Sio’s obligations; potential unknown contingencies or liabilities, including tax claims, and Sio’s ability to favorably resolve them or at all; the amount of proceeds that might be realized from the sale or other disposition of any remaining assets; the application of, and any changes in, applicable tax laws, regulations, administrative practices, principles and interpretations; the incurrence by Sio of expenses relating to the dissolution; the ability of the board of directors to abandon, modify or delay implementation of the Plan of Dissolution, even after shareholder approval; and the uncertain macroeconomic environment. These statements are also subject to a number of material risks and uncertainties that are described in Sio’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 10, 2022, as updated by its subsequent filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made. Sio undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Contacts:
Media, Investors and Analysts
David W. Nassif
Sio Gene Therapies Inc.
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
david.nassif@siogtx.com