Litigation Related to the Mergers
As previously announced, on April 24, 2022, PS Business Parks, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), Sequoia Parent LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“Parent”), Sequoia Merger Sub I LLC, a Maryland limited liability company (“Merger Sub I”), Sequoia Merger Sub II LLC, a Maryland limited liability company (“Merger Sub II,” together with Parent and Merger Sub I, the “Parent Parties”), and PS Business Parks, L.P., a California limited partnership (the “Partnership”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”). Parent, Merger Sub I and Merger Sub II are affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate Partners IX L.P. (the “Guarantor”), which is an affiliate of Blackstone Inc. (“Blackstone”). Pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, at the closing of the Mergers (as defined below) (the “Closing”), Merger Sub II will merge with and into the Partnership (the “Partnership Merger”), and, immediately following the Partnership Merger, Merger Sub I will merge with and into the Company (the “Company Merger” and, together with the Partnership Merger, the “Mergers”). Upon completion of the Partnership Merger, the Partnership will survive and the separate existence of Merger Sub II will cease (the “Surviving Partnership”). Upon completion of the Company Merger, the Company will survive and the separate existence of Merger Sub I will cease (the “Surviving Company”). Prior to the Closing, the Partnership will be converted from a California limited partnership into a Maryland limited partnership. On June 8, 2022, the Company filed a definitive proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in connection with the Mergers (the “Proxy Statement”).
As previously disclosed in the Proxy Statement, as of June 8, 2022, three lawsuits had been filed by purported stockholders of the Company in connection with the Mergers. On May 26, 2022, a purported stockholder of the Company filed a lawsuit against the Company and the current members of the Company’s board of directors alleging that the preliminary proxy statement filed by the Company in connection with the Mergers contained alleged material misstatements and/or omissions in violation of federal law. The lawsuit is captioned Shiva Stein v. PS Business Parks, Inc., et al., Case 1:22-cv-04330 and is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. On June 6, 2022, two additional lawsuits were filed against the same defendants asserting similar claims; the first lawsuit is captioned Hopkins v. PS Business Parks, Inc., et al., Case 1:22-cv-03335 and is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York; the second lawsuit is captioned Whitfield v. PS Business Parks, Inc., et al., Case 1:22-cv-03337 and is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Following the filing of the Proxy Statement, on June 23, 2022, a purported stockholder of the Company filed a lawsuit against the Company and the current members of the Company’s board of directors alleging that the Proxy Statement contained alleged material misstatements and/or omissions in violation of federal law. The lawsuit is captioned Coffman v. PS Business Parks, Inc., et al., Case 1:22-cv-03698, and is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Three separate demand letters were also sent to the Company by purported stockholders of the Company (two of the letters were sent to the Company on June 23, 2022, with the third letter sent to the Company on June 28, 2022), each alleging similar deficiencies in the Proxy Statement as those noted in the above-referenced complaints.
Additionally, on June 10, 2022, a purported stockholder of the Company filed a lawsuit against the Company, Blackstone and the current members of the Company’s board of directors asserting violations of Maryland state law based on allegedly misleading statements and omissions in the Proxy Statement. The lawsuit, captioned Levy v. Havner, et al., No. 607618/2022, is pending in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, and seeks, among other things, to enjoin the Company from holding the stockholder vote to approve the Company Merger.
The Company believes that the claims asserted in the above-described actions are without merit and supplemental disclosures are not required or necessary under applicable laws. However, in order to avoid the risk that the above-described actions delay or otherwise adversely affect the Mergers, to minimize the costs, risks and uncertainties inherent in defending the lawsuits, and to provide additional information to stockholders, and without admitting any liability or wrongdoing, the Company has agreed to supplement the Proxy Statement as described in this Current Report on Form 8-K. Nothing in this Current Report on Form 8-K shall be deemed an admission of the