EXHIBIT 4.16
Description of Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
As used herein, references to “we,” “our” or “us” are to MultiPlan Corporation. Terms used, but not defined, herein have the meanings given to such terms in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 (the “Form 10-K”). Unless otherwise indicated or the context requires otherwise, all references herein to “warrants” include our Public Warrants, our Private Placement Warrants, and our Working Capital Warrants, but exclude our PIPE Warrants.
The following summary of the material terms of our securities is not intended to be a complete summary of the rights and preferences of such securities and is qualified in its entirety by our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws, and, with respect to the warrants, the Warrant Agreement, dated February 13, 2020, between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and Churchill Capital Corp III (the “warrant agreement”). The full text of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws, and the warrant agreement are filed or incorporated by reference as exhibits to our Form 10-K. For a complete description of the rights and preferences of our securities, we urge you to read our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws, the warrant agreement, and the applicable provisions of Delaware law.
As of December 31, 2020, we had two classes of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”): (1) our Class A common stock; and (2) our warrants. In addition to these two classes of securities, we had two additional classes of securities outstanding that were not registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, but that were exercisable or convertible into our Class A common stock, our PIPE Warrants and our Senior Convertible PIK Notes. Our Class A common stock is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “MPLN” and the warrants are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “MPLN.WS.”
Description of Capital Stock
Authorized Capital Stock
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of shares of our capital stock, each with a par value of $0.0001, consisting of (a) 1,500,000,000 shares of Class A common stock and (b) 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock. The outstanding shares of our Class A common stock are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. We have no outstanding shares of preferred stock.
Voting Power
Except as otherwise required by law or as otherwise provided in any certificate of designation for any series of preferred stock, under our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the holders of common stock will possess all voting power for the election of directors and all other matters requiring stockholder action and will be entitled to one vote per share on matters to be voted on by stockholders. The holders of our Class A common stock will at all times vote together as one class on all matters submitted to a vote of the common stock under the second amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Dividends
Subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding shares of preferred stock, under our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, holders of our Class A common stock will be entitled to receive such dividends and other distributions, if any, as may be declared from time to time by the Board in its discretion out of funds legally available therefor and shall share equally on a per share basis in such dividends and distributions.
Liquidation, Dissolution and Winding Up
In the event of the voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, or winding-up of the Company, the holders of our Class A common stock will be entitled to receive all the remaining assets of the Company available for distribution to stockholders, ratably in proportion to the number of shares of Class A common stock held by them, after the rights of creditors of the Company and the holders of any outstanding shares of preferred stock have been satisfied.
Preemptive or Other Rights
The holders of our Class A common stock do not have preemptive or other subscription rights and there is no sinking fund or redemption provisions applicable to our Class A common stock.
Founder Shares
In connection with the execution of the Merger Agreement, Churchill and the Insiders entered into the Sponsor Agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Sponsor Agreement, 12,404,080 of the Sponsor’s shares of our Class A common stock and 4,800,000 Private Placement Warrants unvested as of October 8, 2020 and will revest at such time as, during the 4-year period starting on October 8, 2021 and ending on October 8, 2025, the closing price of our Class A common stock exceeds $12.50 per share for any forty (40) trading days in a sixty (60) consecutive day period. Sponsor also agreed not to transfer such 4,800,000 Private Placement Warrants until April 8, 2022. Such founder shares and Private Placement Warrants that do not re-vest on or before October 8, 2025 will be forfeited and cancelled.
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with the Sponsor and other permitted transferees, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until April 8, 2022.
Preferred Stock
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock and provides that shares of preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. The Board is authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. The Board is be able to, without stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the common stock and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of the Board is to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future.
Warrants
Public Warrants
Each whole Public Warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on November 7, 2020. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a holder may exercise its Public Warrants only for a whole number of shares of our Class A common stock. This means only a whole Public Warrant may be exercised at a given time by a holder. The Public Warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on October 8, 2025 or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We are not obligated to deliver any shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a Public Warrant and have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is available, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No Public Warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we are not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their Public Warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a Public Warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless.
Registration Rights
We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than fifteen (15) business days after October 8, 2020, we will use our reasonable best efforts to file with the SEC, and within sixty (60) business days following October 8, 2020 to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the Public Warrants expire or are redeemed. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a Public Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to
do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but will use our reasonable best efforts to qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
Redemption of Warrants for Cash. Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, we may call the Public Warrants for redemption:
•in whole and not in part;
•at a price of $0.01 per Public Warrant;
•upon a minimum of thirty (30) days’ prior written notice of redemption, or the thirty (30)-day redemption period, to each warrant holder; and
•if, and only if, the closing price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any twenty (20) trading days within a thirty (30)-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
If and when the Public Warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
We have established the last of the redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the Public Warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its Public Warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
Redemption Procedures and Cashless Exercise. If we call the Public Warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their Public Warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our Public Warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the Public Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price per share of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average closing price per share of our Class A common stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of our Class A common stock to be received upon exercise of the warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a Public Warrant redemption. If we call our Public Warrants for redemption and our management does not take advantage of this option, the Sponsor and its permitted transferees would still be entitled to exercise their Private Placement Warrants for cash or on a cashless basis using the same formula described above that other warrant holders would have been required to use had all warrant holders been required to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, as described in more detail below.
A holder of a Public Warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares of our Class A common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
Anti-Dilution Adjustments. If the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of our Class A common stock, or by a split-up of shares of our Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of our Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of our Class A common stock. A rights offering to holders of our Class A common stock entitling holders to purchase shares of our Class A common stock at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of our Class A common stock equal to the product of (1) the number of shares of our Class A common stock actually sold in such
rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for our Class A common stock) multiplied by (2) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of our Class A common stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (1) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for our Class A common stock, in determining the price payable for our Class A common stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (2) fair market value means the volume weighted average price per share of our Class A common stock as reported during the ten trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of our Class A common stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
In addition, if we, at any time while the Public Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of our Class A common stock on account of such shares of Class A common stock (or other shares of our capital stock into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above and (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, then the Public Warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of our Class A common stock in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of our Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of our Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each Public Warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of our Class A common stock.
Whenever the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Public Warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of our Class A common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the Public Warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the shares of Class A common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event. However, if such holders were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets for which each Public Warrant will become exercisable will be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by such holders in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election, and if a tender, exchange or redemption offer has been made to and accepted by such holders under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of our Class A common stock, the holder of a Public Warrant will be entitled to receive the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a stockholder if such warrant holder had exercised the warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the Class A common stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in the warrant agreement. Additionally, if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of our Class A common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the Public Warrant within thirty (30) days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the per
share consideration minus Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the Public Warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the warrants in order to determine and realize the option value component of the Public Warrant. This formula is to compensate the warrant holder for the loss of the option value portion of the Public Warrant due to the requirement that the warrant holder exercise the warrant within thirty (30) days of the event. The Black-Scholes model is an accepted pricing model for estimating fair market value where no quoted market price for an instrument is available.
The Public Warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. If you hold warrants, you should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a description of the terms and conditions applicable to the Public Warrants. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the Public Warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding Public Warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of Public Warrants.
The Public Warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of our Class A common stock. After the issuance of shares of our Class A common stock upon exercise of the Public Warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.
Private Placement Warrants and Working Capital Warrants
The Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) are not transferable, assignable or salable until (i) with respect to 4,800,000 Private Placement Warrants and pursuant to the terms of the Investor Rights Agreement, April 8, 2022 and (ii) with respect to all other Private Placement Warrants, November 7, 2020, (except, among other limited exceptions, to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with the Sponsor) and they will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees. The Sponsor, or its permitted transferees, has the option to exercise the Private Placement Warrants on a cashless basis and will be entitled to certain registration rights. Otherwise, the Private Placement Warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the Public Warrants. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by holders other than the Sponsor or its permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.
If holders of the Private Placement Warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of our Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price per share of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average closing price per share of our Class A common stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants.
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the Sponsor loaned us $1,500,000 pursuant to that certain promissory note, dated July 12, 2020. The principal amount of such promissory note was converted into Working Capital Warrants by the Sponsor. The Working Capital Warrants are identical to the Private Placement Warrants issued to the Sponsor.
Effects of Our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws and Certain Provisions of Delaware Law
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws and the DGCL contain provisions, which are summarized in the following paragraphs, that are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of the Board. These provisions are intended to avoid costly takeover battles, reduce our vulnerability to a hostile change of control and enhance the ability of the Board to maximize stockholder value in connection with any unsolicited offer to acquire us. However, these provisions may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a merger or acquisition of the Company by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or other takeover attempt that a stockholder might consider in its best interest, including attempts that might result in a premium over the prevailing market price for the shares of our Class A common stock held by stockholders.
Authorized but Unissued Capital Stock
Delaware law does not require stockholder approval for any issuance of authorized shares. However, the listing requirements of the NYSE, which would apply if and so long as our Class A common stock remains listed on the NYSE, require stockholder approval of certain issuances equal to or exceeding 20% of the then outstanding voting power or then outstanding number of shares of our Class A common stock. Additional shares that may be used in the future may be used for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings, to raise additional capital or to facilitate acquisitions.
The Board may generally issue one or more series of preferred shares on terms calculated to discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of the Company or the removal of our management. Moreover, our authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock will be available for future issuances in one or more series without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, to facilitate acquisitions and employee benefit plans.
One of the effects of the existence of authorized and unissued and unreserved common stock or preferred stock may be to enable the Board to issue shares to persons friendly to current management, which issuance could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of the Company by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, and thereby protect the continuity of our management and possibly deprive our stockholders of opportunities to sell their shares of Class A common stock at prices higher than prevailing market prices.
Classified Board of Directors
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, subject to the right of holders of any series of preferred stock, the Board will be divided into three classes of directors, with the classes to be as nearly equal in number as possible, and with the directors serving staggered three-year terms, with only one class of directors being elected at each annual meeting of stockholders. As a result, approximately one-third of the Board will be elected each year. The classification of directors will have the effect of making it more difficult for stockholders to change the composition of the Board. Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that, subject to the Investor Rights Agreement or any rights of holders of preferred stock to elect additional directors under specified circumstances, the number of directors will be fixed from time to time exclusively pursuant to a resolution adopted by the Board; however, any determination by the Board to increase or decrease the total number of directors shall require the approval of 66 2/3% of the directors present at a meeting at which a quorum is present.
Business Combinations
We have opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL; however, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains similar provisions providing that we may not engage in certain “business combinations” with any “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:
•prior to such time, the Board approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;
•upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding certain shares;
•at or subsequent to that time, the business combination is approved by the Board and by the affirmative vote of holders of at least 66 2/3% of our outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder; or
•the stockholder became an interested stockholder inadvertently and (i) as soon as practicable divested itself of sufficient ownership to cease to be an interested stockholder and (ii) had not been an interested stockholder but for the inadvertent acquisition of ownership within three years of the business combination.
Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with that person’s affiliates and associates, owns, or within the previous three years owned, 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock. For purposes of this section only, “voting stock” has the meaning given to it in Section 203 of the DGCL.
Under certain circumstances, this provision will make it more difficult for a person who would be an “interested stockholder” to effect various business combinations with the Company for a three-year period. This provision may encourage
companies interested in acquiring the Company to negotiate in advance with the Board because the stockholder approval requirement would be avoided if the Board approves either the business combination or the transaction which results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. These provisions also may have the effect of preventing changes in the Board and may make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that Hellman & Friedman LLC (together with its affiliates, subsidiaries, successors and assigns (other than the Company and its subsidiaries)), any of its direct transferees, any of their respective affiliates or successors, and any group as to which such persons or entities are a party, does not constitute an “interested stockholder” for purposes of this provision.
Removal of Directors; Vacancies
Under the DGCL, unless otherwise provided in our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, directors serving on a classified board may be removed by the stockholders only for cause. Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, without limiting the rights of any party to the Investor Rights Agreement and other than directors elected by holders of our preferred stock, if any, directors may be removed with or without cause upon the affirmative vote of a majority in voting power of all outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class; provided, however, at any time when the Sellers and their Permitted Transferees (each as defined in the Investor Rights Agreement) beneficially own less than 50% in voting power of the stock of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, directors may only be removed for cause, and only by the affirmative vote of holders of at least 66 2/3% in voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of stock of the Company entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class. In addition, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, without limiting the rights of any party to the Investor Rights Agreement, any newly created directorship on the Board that results from an increase in the number of directors and any vacancies on the Board will be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director or by the stockholders; provided, however, at any time when the Sellers and their Permitted Transferees beneficially own less than 50% in voting power of the stock of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, any newly created directorship on the Board that results from an increase in the number of directors and any vacancy occurring in the Board may only be filled by a majority of the directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director (and not by the stockholders). Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Board may increase or decrease the number of directors by the affirmative vote of 66 2/3% of the directors present at the meeting at which a quorum is present.
No Cumulative Voting
Under Delaware law, the right to vote cumulatively does not exist unless the certificate of incorporation specifically authorizes cumulative voting. Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not authorize cumulative voting. Therefore, stockholders holding a majority in voting power of the shares of our stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors will be able to elect all of our directors.
Special Stockholder Meetings
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that special meetings of our stockholders may be called at any time only by or at the direction of the Board or the chairman of the Board. Our amended and restated bylaws prohibit the conduct of any business at a special meeting other than as specified in the notice for such meeting. These provisions may have the effect of deferring, delaying or discouraging hostile takeovers, or changes in control or management of the Company.
Requirements for Advance Notification of Director Nominations and Stockholder Proposals
Our amended and restated bylaws establish advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of the Board or a committee of the Board. In order for any matter to be properly brought before a meeting of our stockholders, a stockholder will have to comply with advance notice requirements and provide us with certain information. Generally, to be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be received by our secretary not less than 90 calendar days nor more than 120 calendar days prior to the first anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders (which, for 2021, is deemed to be May 26, 2021). Our amended and restated bylaws also specify requirements as to the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. Our amended and restated bylaws allow the chairman of the meeting at a meeting of the stockholders to adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings, which may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the rules and regulations are not followed. These provisions may also deter, delay or discourage a potential acquirer from
conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to influence or obtain control of the Company.
Stockholder Action by Written Consent
Pursuant to Section 228 of the DGCL, any action required to be taken at any annual or special meeting of the stockholders may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, is signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of our stock entitled to vote thereon were present and voted, unless our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation precludes stockholder action by written consent at any time when the Sellers and their Permitted Transferees beneficially own less than 50% in voting power of the stock of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, other than certain rights that holders of our preferred stock may have to act by written consent.
Supermajority Provisions
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that the Board is expressly authorized to make, alter, amend, change, add to, rescind or repeal, in whole or in part, our bylaws without a stockholder vote in any matter not inconsistent with Delaware law, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation or the Investor Rights Agreement. At any time when the Sellers and their Permitted Transferees beneficially own less than 50% in voting power of all outstanding shares of the stock of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, any amendment, alteration, rescission, change, addition or repeal of our bylaws by our stockholders will require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% in voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of stock of the Company entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class.
The DGCL provides generally that the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class, is required to amend a corporation’s certificate of incorporation, unless the certificate of incorporation requires a greater percentage.
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that at any time when the Sellers and their Permitted Transferees beneficially own less than 50% in voting power of the stock of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, in addition to any vote required by applicable law, the following provisions in our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended, altered, repealed or rescinded, in whole or in part, or any provision inconsistent therewith may be adopted, only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% in voting power of all the then- outstanding shares of stock of the Company entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class:
•the provision requiring a 66 2/3% supermajority vote for stockholders to amend our second amended and restated bylaws;
•the provisions providing for a classified board of directors (the election and term of our directors);
•the provisions regarding resignation and removal of directors;
•the provisions regarding competition and corporate opportunities;
•the provisions regarding filling vacancies on the Board and newly created directorships; and
•the amendment provision requiring that the above provisions be amended only with a 66 2/3% supermajority vote.
The combination of the classification of the Board, the lack of cumulative voting and the supermajority voting requirements will make it more difficult for our existing stockholders to replace the Board as well as for another party to obtain control of us by replacing the Board. Because the Board has the power to retain and discharge our officers, these provisions could also make it more difficult for existing stockholders or another party to effect a change in management.
These provisions may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers or delaying or preventing changes in control of our management or the Company, such as a merger, reorganization or tender offer. These provisions are intended to enhance the likelihood of continued stability in the composition of the Board and its policies and to discourage certain types of transactions that may involve an actual or threatened acquisition of the Company. These provisions are designed to reduce our vulnerability to an unsolicited acquisition proposal. These provisions are also intended to discourage certain tactics that may be used in proxy fights. However, such provisions could have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers for our shares and, as a
consequence, they also may inhibit fluctuations in the market price of our shares that could result from actual or rumored takeover attempts. Such provisions may also have the effect of preventing changes in management of the Company.
Dissenters’ Rights of Appraisal and Payment
Under the DGCL, with certain exceptions, our stockholders will have appraisal rights in connection with a merger or consolidation of us. Pursuant to the DGCL, stockholders who properly request and perfect appraisal rights in connection with such merger or consolidation will have the right to receive payment of the fair value of their shares as determined by the Delaware Court of Chancery.
Exclusive Forum
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, a state court located within the State of Delaware (or if no state court located within the State of Delaware has jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any (i) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, (iii) action asserting a claim against the Company or any director, officer or other employee of the Company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws (as either may be amended, restated, modified, supplemented or waived from time to time), (iv) action asserting a claim against the Company or any director, officer or other employee of the Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine, or (v) action asserting an “internal corporate claim” as that term is defined in Section 115 of the DGCL. These provisions shall not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Unless the Company consents in writing to the selections of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of capital stock of the Company shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, it is possible that a court could find our forum selection provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable.
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our common stock and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company.