Our primary concern is that the proposed rules would be ripe for exploitation and manipulation by each of the company and the dissident in a proxy contest by giving each party opportunities to preview a full copy of the PAF’s voting advice, in draft and final form, prior to such advice being formally issued. As discussed in further detail in the letter of comment, allowing the company and the dissident to preview the PAF’s full recommendation and the underlying rationale for its conclusions would create various opportunities for the company and the dissident to take strategic reactionary measures designed to influence the PAF to alter its initial conclusions and to garner more votes. We are also skeptical that confidentiality agreements contemplated by the proposed rules would be sufficient to ensure the confidentiality of the PAF materials or their content prior to their publication, especially in this day and age of heightened financial media attention to proxy contests. Any leakage of draft or final proxy voting advice prior to its formal issuance would have significant ramifications. In addition, we are concerned that a process that allows companies and dissidents to have access to and provide input on the full voting recommendations of PAFs as they are being formulated in real time could jeopardize the objectivity and independence of PAFs. We find such “big brother” like intervention to be wholly unnecessary and an affront to the integrity of the independent analysis and ultimate product rendered by PAFs. Requiring the proposed review and feedback process seems to inappropriately suggest that PAFs are somehow incapable of arriving at cogent conclusions on their own without outside intervention.
A copy of our letter of comment is attached to this client alert and available here.
Please contact the Olshan attorney with whom you regularly work or one of the attorneys listed below if you would like to discuss further or have questions.This publication is issued by Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or establish an attorney-client relationship. In some jurisdictions, this publication may be considered attorney advertising.
Copyright © 2020 Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP. All Rights Reserved.
PartnerSteve is foremost counsel to clients in the market's most significant domestic and cross-border shareholder activism matters, advising on some of the most high-profile activist campaigns year in and year out. Clients regularly ...
PartnerLeading activist hedge funds and investors choose Andy to guide them in their shareholder activism campaigns, proxy fights, 13D filings, hostile takeovers, corporate governance matters, and engagements with public company ...
PartnerFor over two decades, Ron has focused exclusively on representing and advising clients in shareholder activism campaigns and on related corporate governance matters.
Numerous hedge funds and other large investors retain Ron for ...