NorthWest Biotherapeutics Inc (NWBO)

[exwannabe]

Yokimura case: Basically it is a suit against Cognate and LP with the plaintiff arguing self dealing. It is asking the Court to force LP/Cognate to return some cash/stock to NWBO.

On November 19, 2015, a third purported shareholder who had sought corporate books and records filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, claiming to sue derivatively on behalf of the Company. The complaint names the Company’s Board of Directors, Toucan Capital Fund III, L.P., Toucan General II, LLC, Toucan Partners, LLC, and Cognate as defendants, and names the Company as a nominal defendant. The complaint claims that the plaintiff made a demand on the Company’s Board of Directors to commence an action against the Company’s directors and its CEO and that the plaintiff commenced the derivative action after not receiving a response to the demand letter within an allegedly “sufficient time.” The complaint further claims that the Company purportedly overcompensated Cognate and Toucan for certain services and loans in payments of stock, and that the Company’s CEO, Ms. Powers, benefited from these transactions with Cognate and Toucan, which she allegedly owns or controls. The complaint asserts that the alleged overpayments unjustly enriched Ms. Powers, Toucan, and Cognate. The Complaint also claims that the Company’s directors breached their fiduciary duties of loyalty and good faith to the Company by authorizing the payments to Cognate. Finally, the complaint claims that Ms. Powers, Cognate, and Toucan aided and abetted the directors’ breaches of fiduciary duties by causing the board to enter into the agreements with Cognate. The plaintiff seeks an award of unspecified damages to the Company and seeks equitable remedies, including disgorgement by Ms. Powers, Toucan, and Cognate of the allegedly improper benefits received as a result of the disputed transactions. The plaintiff also seeks costs and disbursements associated with bringing suit, including attorneys’ fees and expert fees. On February 2, 2016, plaintiff and defendants filed a joint motion to stay the proceedings pending an investigation by a special committee of the Company’s Board of Directors into the allegations asserted in the demand letter and underlying the lawsuit.

Xena:

Is there a possibility of material information being contained in that report?

Not clear at all if the report will even be submitted into evidence, or made public via the trial.

Xena:

Could this invoke a quiet period if this is the case?

No. Quite periods only exist during public offerings where it is a requirement for everything to be disclosed in the proxy. The vast majority of people on these boards talking "quite period" are simply using it as a made up reason for hypothetical good news not being disclosed.