Opinion
3:19-cv-01079
02-11-2022
ERVIN DERR, and PETER SHOEMAKER, Individually and on Behalf of All Others Similarly Situated, Plaintiffs, v. RA MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC., DEAN IRWIN, ANDREW JACKSON, MELISSA BURSTEIN, MARTIN BURSTEIN, RICHARD HEYMANN, MAURICE BUCHBINDER, MARTIN COLOMBATTO, RICHARD MEJIA, JR., MARK E. SAAD, and WILLIAM ENQUIST, JR., Defendants.
AMENDED ORDER:
1) GRANTING MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY APPROVAL OF CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT [DKT. 73];
2) DENYING MOTION TO DISMISS WITHOUT PREJUDICE [DKT. 60]; AND
3) DENYING MOTION FOR CONSIDERATION OF DOCUMENTS WITHOUT PREJUDICE [DKT. 61]
Honorable Larry Alan Burns, United States District Judge
Lead Plaintiffs Ervin Derr and Peter Shoemaker brought this action against Defendant Ra Medical Systems, Inc. (“Ra Medical”), Andrew Jackson, Richard Heymann, Maurice Buchbinder, Martin Colombatto, Mark Saad, William Enquist, Jr., Dean Irwin, Melissa Burstein, and Martin Burstein (collectively, the “Individual Defendants, ” and together with Ra Medical, “Defendants”) on behalf of a putative class of investors in Ra Medical. The parties have reached a mutually satisfactory Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement (the “Stipulation”), and Lead Plaintiffs now apply for an order preliminarily approving the settlement effected by that Stipulation (the “Settlement”) and permitting Lead Plaintiffs' counsel to send notice to members of the putative class.
Unless otherwise defined in this Order, all capitalized words shall have the same meanings as they have in the Stipulation.
The Court may preliminarily approve the settlement and direct the parties to send notice to the class only if the parties show that the Court “will likely be able to: (i) approve the proposal under Rule 23(e)(2); and (ii) certify the class for purposes of judgment on the proposal.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 23(e)(1)(B). Based on (a) Lead Plaintiffs' motion for preliminary approval of the Settlement, and the papers filed and arguments made in connection with that motion, and (b) the Stipulation and its attached exhibits, the motion for preliminary approval is GRANTED. As described in greater detail below, the Court sets the hearing on final approval of the settlement for June 13, 2022 at 11:30 a.m.
The Court ORDERS:
1. Class Certification for Settlement Purposes - Pursuant to Rule 23(a) and (b)(3) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Court finds that it will likely be able to certify the proposed Settlement Class solely for purposes of effectuating the proposed Settlement. That Settlement Class would consist of all persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired Ra Medical common stock: (a) pursuant and/or traceable to Ra Medical's IPO; and/or (b) between September 27, 2018 and November 27, 2019, inclusive. Excluded from that Settlement Class would be: (a) persons and entities who or which suffered no compensable losses; and (b)(i) Defendants and the Underwriters; (ii) any person who served as a partner, control person, executive officer, and/or director of Ra Medical or the Underwriters during the Settlement Class Period, and their Immediate Family Members; (iii) present and former parents, subsidiaries, assigns, successors, affiliates, and predecessors of Ra Medical and the Underwriters; (iv) any entity in which the Defendants or Underwriters have or had a controlling interest; (v) any trust of which any Individual Defendant is the settler or which is for the benefit of any Individual Defendant and/or their Immediate Family Members; (vi) Defendants' liability insurance carriers; and (vii) the legal representatives, heirs, successors, and assigns of any person or entity excluded under provisions (i) through (vi) hereof. Also excluded from the Settlement Class are any persons and entities who or which submit a request for exclusion from the Settlement Class that is accepted by the Court. For the avoidance of doubt, (a) any Investment Vehicle shall not be excluded from the Settlement Class; and (b) “affiliates” are persons or entities that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, control, are controlled by or are under common control with one of the Defendants.
2. Class Findings - Solely for purposes of the proposed Settlement of this Action, the Court finds that each element required for certification of the Settlement Class pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure will likely be met: (a) the members of the Settlement Class are likely so numerous that their joinder in the Action would be impracticable; (b) there are likely questions of law and fact common to the Settlement Class which predominate over any individual questions; (c) the claims of Lead Plaintiffs in the Action are likely typical of the claims of the Settlement Class; (d) Lead Plaintiffs and Lead Counsel appear to have and likely will fairly and adequately represent and protect the interests of the Settlement Class; and (e) a class action is likely superior to other available methods for the fair and efficient adjudication of the Action.
3. The Court preliminarily finds that, pursuant to Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and for the purposes of the Settlement only, Lead Plaintiffs Ervin Derr and Peter Shoemaker are adequate class representatives and preliminarily certifies them as Class Representatives for the Settlement Class. The Court also appoints Lead Counsel Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP as Class Counsel for the Settlement Class, pursuant to Rule 23(g) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
4. Preliminary Approval of the Settlement - The Court will likely be able to approve the Settlement, as embodied in the Stipulation, as being fair, reasonable, and adequate to the Settlement Class, subject to further consideration at the Settlement Hearing to be conducted as described below. On that basis, the Court preliminarily approves the Settlement.
5. Settlement Hearing - The Court will hold a settlement hearing (the “Settlement Hearing”) on June 13, 2022 at 11:30 a.m. in Courtroom 14A of the United States Courthouse, 333 West Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101, for the following purposes: (a) to determine whether the proposed Settlement on the terms and conditions provided for in the Stipulation is fair, reasonable, and adequate to the Settlement Class, and should be approved by the Court; (b) to determine whether the Settlement Class can be finally approved; (c) to determine whether a Judgment substantially in the form attached as Exhibit B to the Stipulation should be entered dismissing the Action with prejudice against Defendants; (d) to determine whether the proposed Plan of Allocation for the proceeds of the Settlement is fair and reasonable and should be approved; (e) to determine whether the motion by Lead Counsel for an award of attorneys' fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses should be approved; and (f) to consider any other matters that may properly be brought before the Court in connection with the Settlement. Notice of the Settlement and the Settlement Hearing shall be given to Settlement Class Members as set forth in paragraph 7 of this Order. As set forth in the Notice, the Court reserves the right to hold the Settlement Hearing telephonically or via videoconference.
6. The Court may adjourn the Settlement Hearing without further notice to the Settlement Class, and may approve the proposed Settlement with such modifications as the Parties may agree to, if appropriate, without further notice to the Settlement Class.
7. Retention of Claims Administrator and Manner of Giving Notice - Lead Counsel is hereby authorized to retain Epiq Class Action & Claims Solutions, Inc. (the “Claims Administrator”) to supervise and administer the notice procedure in connection with the proposed Settlement as well as the processing of Claims as more fully set forth below. Notice of the Settlement and the Settlement Hearing shall be given by Lead Counsel as follows:
(a) within five (5) business days of the date of entry of this Order, Ra Medical shall provide or cause to be provided to the Claims Administrator in electronic format (at no cost to the Settlement Fund, Lead Counsel, or the Claims Administrator) its lists (consisting of names and addresses) of shareholders of record of Ra Medical common stock during the Settlement Class Period;
(b) not later than twenty (20) business days after the date of entry of this Order (the “Notice Date”), the Claims Administrator shall cause a copy of the Notice and the Claim Form, substantially in the forms attached hereto as Exhibits 1 and 2, respectively (the “Notice Packet”), to be mailed by first-class mail to potential Settlement Class Members at the addresses
set forth in the records provided by Ra Medical or in the records which Ra Medical caused to be provided, or who otherwise may be identified through further reasonable effort;
(c) contemporaneously with the mailing of the Notice Packet, the Claims Administrator shall cause copies of the Notice and the Claim Form to be posted on a website to be developed for the Settlement, from which copies of the Notice and Claim Form can be downloaded;
(d) not later than ten (10) business days after the Notice Date, the Claims Administrator shall cause the Summary Notice, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 3, to be published once in Investor's Business Daily and to be transmitted once over the PR Newswire; and
(e) not later than seven (7) calendar days prior to the Settlement Hearing, Lead Counsel shall serve on Defendants' Counsel and file with the Court proof, by affidavit or declaration, of such mailing and publication.
8. Approval of Form and Content of Notice - The Court (a) approves, as to form and content, the Notice, the Claim Form, and the Summary Notice, attached hereto as Exhibits 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and (b) finds that the mailing and distribution of the Notice and Claim Form and the publication of the Summary Notice in the manner and form set forth in paragraph 7 of this Order (i) is the best notice practicable under the circumstances; (ii) constitutes notice that is reasonably calculated, under the circumstances, to apprise Settlement Class Members of the pendency of the Action, the effect of the proposed Settlement (including the Releases to be provided thereunder), Lead Counsel's motion for an award of attorneys' fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses, their right to object to the Settlement, the Plan of Allocation and/or Lead Counsel's motion for attorneys' fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses, their right to exclude themselves from the Settlement Class, and their right to appear at the Settlement Hearing; (iii) constitutes due, adequate and sufficient notice to all persons and entities entitled to receive notice of the proposed Settlement; and (iv) satisfies the requirements of Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the United States Constitution (including the Due Process Clause), the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, 15 U.S.C. § 78u-4 and 15 U.S.C. § 77z-1, as amended, and all other applicable law and rules. The date and time of the Settlement Hearing shall be included in the Notice and Summary Notice before they are mailed and published, respectively.
9. Nominee Procedures - Brokers and other nominees who purchased or otherwise acquired Ra Medical Stock during the Settlement Class Period for the benefit of another person or entity shall (a) within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of the Notice, request from the Claims Administrator sufficient copies of the Notice Packet to forward to all such beneficial owners and within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of those Notice Packets forward them to all such beneficial owners; or (b) within seven (7) calendar days of receipt of the Notice, send a list of the names and addresses of all such beneficial owners to the Claims Administrator in which event the Claims Administrator shall promptly mail the Notice Packet to such beneficial owners. Upon full compliance with these directions, such nominees may seek reimbursement of their reasonable expenses actually incurred, up to a maximum of $0.50 per Notice Packet mailed; $0.05 per Notice Packet transmitted by email; or $0.10 per name, mailing address, and email address (to the extent available) provided to the Claims Administrator, by providing the Claims Administrator with proper documentation supporting the expenses for which reimbursement is sought. Such properly documented expenses incurred by nominees in compliance with the terms of this Order shall be paid from the Settlement Fund, with any disputes as to the reasonableness or documentation of expenses incurred subject to review by the Court.
10. Participation in the Settlement - Settlement Class Members who wish to participate in the Settlement and to be eligible to receive a distribution from the Net Settlement Fund must complete and submit a Claim Form in accordance with the instructions contained therein. Unless the Court orders otherwise, all Claim Forms must be postmarked no later than one hundred twenty (120) calendar days after the Notice Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Lead Counsel may, at its discretion, accept for processing late Claims provided such acceptance does not delay the distribution of the Net Settlement Fund to the Settlement Class. By submitting a Claim, a person or entity shall be deemed to have submitted to the jurisdiction of the Court with respect to his, her, or its Claim and the subject matter of the Settlement.
11. Each Claim Form submitted must satisfy the following conditions: (a) it must be properly completed, signed and submitted in a timely manner in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph; (b) it must be accompanied by adequate supporting documentation for the transactions and holdings reported therein, in the form of broker confirmation slips, broker account statements, an authorized statement from the broker containing the transactional and holding information found in a broker confirmation slip or account statement, or such other documentation as is deemed adequate by Lead Counsel or the Claims Administrator; (c) if the person executing the Claim Form is acting in a representative capacity, a certification of his, her, or its current authority to act on behalf of the Settlement Class Member must be included in the Claim Form to the satisfaction of Lead Counsel or the Claims Administrator; and (d) the Claim Form must be complete and contain no material deletions or modifications of any of the printed matter contained therein and must be signed under penalty of perjury.
12. Any Settlement Class Member that does not timely and validly submit a Claim Form or whose Claim is not otherwise approved by the Court: (a) shall be deemed to have waived his, her, or its right to share in the Net Settlement Fund; (b) shall be forever barred from participating in any distributions therefrom; (c) shall be bound by the provisions of the Stipulation and the Settlement and all proceedings, determinations, orders, and judgments in the Action relating thereto, including, without limitation, the Judgment or Alternate Judgment, if applicable, and the Releases provided for therein, whether favorable or unfavorable to the Settlement Class; and (d) will be barred from commencing, maintaining, or prosecuting any of the Released Plaintiffs' Claims against each and all of the Released Defendants' Parties, as more fully described in the Stipulation and Notice. Notwithstanding the foregoing, late Claim Forms may be accepted for processing as set forth in paragraph 10 above.
13. Exclusion From the Settlement Class - Any member of the Settlement Class who wishes to exclude himself, herself or itself from the Settlement Class must request exclusion in writing within the time and in the manner set forth in the Notice, which shall provide that: (a) any such request for exclusion from the Settlement Class must be mailed or delivered such that it is received no later than twenty-one (21) calendar days prior to the Settlement Hearing, to: Ra Medical Systems, Inc. Securities Litigation, EXCLUSIONS, c/o Epiq, P.O. Box 5189, Portland, OR 97208-5189, and (b) each request for exclusion must (i) state the name, address, and telephone number of the person or entity requesting exclusion, and in the case of entities, the name and telephone number of the appropriate contact person; (ii) state that such person or entity “requests exclusion from the Settlement Class in Derr v. Ra Medical Systems, Inc., et al., Case No. 3:19-cv-01079”; (iii) state the number of shares of Ra Medical common stock that the person or entity requesting exclusion purchased/acquired and/or sold during the Settlement Class Period, as well as the dates and prices of each such purchase/acquisition and sale; and (iv) be signed by the person or entity requesting exclusion or an authorized representative. A request for exclusion shall not be effective unless it provides all the required information and is received within the time stated above, or is otherwise accepted by the Court.
14. Any person or entity who or which timely and validly requests exclusion in compliance with the terms stated in this Order and is excluded from the Settlement Class shall not be a Settlement Class Member, shall not be bound by the terms of the Settlement or any orders or judgments in the Action, and shall not receive any payment out of the Net Settlement Fund.
15. Any Settlement Class Member who or which does not timely and validly request exclusion from the Settlement Class in the manner stated in this Order: (a) shall be deemed to have waived his, her, or its right to be excluded from the Settlement Class; (b) shall be forever barred from requesting exclusion from the Settlement Class in this or any other proceeding; (c) shall be bound by the provisions of the Stipulation and Settlement and all proceedings, determinations, orders, and judgments in the Action, including, but not limited to, the Judgment or Alternate Judgment, if applicable, and the Releases provided for therein, whether favorable or unfavorable to the Settlement Class; and (d) will be barred from commencing, maintaining, or prosecuting any of the Released Plaintiffs' Claims against any of the Released Defendants' Parties, as more fully described in the Stipulation and Notice.
16. Appearance and Objections at Settlement Hearing - Any Settlement Class Member who does not request exclusion from the Settlement Class may enter an appearance in the Action, at his, her, or its own expense, individually or through counsel of his, her, or its own choice, by filing with the Clerk of Court and delivering a notice of appearance to both Lead Counsel and Defendants' Counsel, at the addresses set forth in paragraph 17 below, such that it is received no later than twenty-one (21) calendar days prior to the Settlement Hearing, or as the Court may otherwise direct. Any Settlement Class Member who does not enter an appearance will be represented by Lead Counsel.
17. Any Settlement Class Member who does not request exclusion from the Settlement Class may file a written objection to the proposed Settlement, the proposed Plan of Allocation, and/or Lead Counsel's motion for an award of attorneys' fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses and appear and show cause, if he, she or it has any cause, why the proposed Settlement, the proposed Plan of Allocation and/or Lead Counsel's motion for attorneys' fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses should not be approved; provided, however, that no Settlement Class Member shall be heard or entitled to contest the approval of the terms and conditions of the proposed Settlement, the proposed Plan of Allocation and/or the motion for attorneys' fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses unless that person or entity has filed a written objection with the Court and served copies of such objection on Lead Counsel and Defendants' Counsel at the addresses set forth below such that they are received no later than twenty-one (21) calendar days prior to the Settlement Hearing.
Lead Counsel Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP Casey E. Sadler, Esq. 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100 Los Angeles, CA 90067
Defendants' Counsel Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C. Gregory L. Watts, Esq. 701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5100 Seattle, WA 98104
18. Any objections, filings and other submissions by the objecting Settlement Class Member: (a) must state the name, address, and telephone number of the person or entity objecting and must be signed by the objector; (b) must contain a statement of the Settlement Class Member's objection or objections, and the specific reasons for each objection, including any legal and evidentiary support the Settlement Class Member wishes to bring to the Court's attention; and (c) must include documents sufficient to prove membership in the Settlement Class, including the number of shares of Ra Medical common stock that the objecting Settlement Class Member purchased/acquired and/or sold during the Settlement Class Period, as well as the dates and prices of each such purchase/acquisition and sale. Objectors who enter an appearance and desire to present evidence at the Settlement Hearing in support of their objection must include in their written objection or notice of appearance the identity of any witnesses they may call to testify and any exhibits they intend to introduce into evidence at the hearing.
19. Any Settlement Class Member who or which does not make an objection in the manner provided herein shall be deemed to have waived the right to object to any aspect of the proposed Settlement, the proposed Plan of Allocation, and Lead Counsel's motion for an award of attorneys' fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses and shall be forever barred and foreclosed from objecting to the fairness, reasonableness, or adequacy of the Settlement, the Plan of Allocation, or the requested attorneys' fees and Litigation Expenses, or from otherwise being heard concerning the Settlement, the Plan of Allocation, or the requested attorneys' fees and Litigation Expenses in this or any other proceeding.
20. Stay and Temporary Injunction - Until otherwise ordered by the Court, the Court stays all proceedings in the Action other than proceedings necessary to carry out or enforce the terms and conditions of the Stipulation. Pending final determination of whether the Settlement should be approved, the Court bars and enjoins Lead Plaintiffs, and all other members of the Settlement Class, from commencing or prosecuting any and all of the Released Plaintiffs' Claims against each and all of the Defendants' Releasees.
21. Settlement Administration Fees and Expenses - All reasonable costs incurred in identifying Settlement Class Members and notifying them of the Settlement as well as in administering the Settlement shall be paid as set forth in the Stipulation without further order of the Court.
22. Settlement Fund - The contents of the Settlement Fund held by The Huntington National Bank (which the Court approves as the Escrow Agent), shall be deemed and considered to be in custodia legis of the Court, and shall remain subject to the jurisdiction of the Court, until such time as they shall be distributed pursuant to the Stipulation and/or further order(s) of the Court.
23. Taxes - Lead Counsel is authorized and directed to prepare any tax returns and any other tax reporting form for or in respect to the Settlement Fund, to pay from the Settlement Fund any Taxes owed with respect to the Settlement Fund, and to otherwise perform all obligations with respect to Taxes and any reporting or filings in respect thereof without further order of the Court in a manner consistent with the provisions of the Stipulation.
24. Termination of Settlement - If the Settlement is terminated as provided in the Stipulation, the Settlement is not approved, or the Effective Date of the Settlement otherwise fails to occur, this Order shall be vacated, rendered null and void and be of no further force and effect, except as otherwise provided by the Stipulation, and this Order shall be without prejudice to the rights of Lead Plaintiffs, the other Settlement Class Members and Defendants, and the Parties shall revert to their respective positions in the Action as of October 1, 2021, as provided in the Stipulation.
25. Use of this Order - Neither this Order, the Term Sheet, the Stipulation (whether or not consummated), including the exhibits thereto and the Plan of Allocation contained therein (or any other plan of allocation that may be approved by the Court), the negotiations leading to the execution of the Term Sheet and the Stipulation, nor any proceedings taken pursuant to or in connection with the Term Sheet, the Stipulation and/or approval of the Settlement (including any arguments proffered in connection therewith): (a) shall be offered against any of the Released Defendants' Parties as evidence of, or construed as, or deemed to be evidence of any presumption, concession, or admission by any of the Released Defendants' Parties with respect to the truth of any fact alleged by Lead Plaintiffs or the validity of any claim that was or could have been asserted or the deficiency of any defense that has been or could have been asserted in this Action or in any other litigation, or of any liability, negligence, fault, or other wrongdoing of any kind of any of the Released Defendants' Parties or in any way referred to for any other reason as against any of the Released Defendants' Parties, in any civil, criminal or administrative action or proceeding, other than such proceedings as may be necessary to effectuate the provisions of the Stipulation; (b) shall be offered against any of the Released Plaintiffs' Parties, as evidence of, or construed as, or deemed to be evidence of any presumption, concession, or admission by any of the Released Plaintiffs' Parties that any of their claims are without merit, that any of the Released Defendants' Parties had meritorious defenses, or that damages recoverable under the Complaint would not have exceeded the Settlement Amount or with respect to any liability, negligence, fault, or wrongdoing of any kind, or in any way referred to for any other reason as against any of the Released Plaintiffs' Parties, in any civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding, other than such proceedings as may be necessary to effectuate the provisions of the Stipulation; or (c) shall be construed against any of the Releasees as an admission, concession, or presumption that the consideration to be given under the Settlement represents the amount which could be or would have been recovered after trial; provided, however, that if the Stipulation is approved by the Court, the Parties and the Releasees and their respective counsel may refer to it to effectuate the protections from liability granted thereunder or otherwise to enforce the terms of the Settlement.
26. Supporting Papers - Lead Counsel shall file and serve the opening papers in support of the proposed Settlement, the Plan of Allocation, and Lead Counsel's motion for an award of attorneys' fees and reimbursement of Litigation Expenses no later than forty-two (42) calendar days prior to the Settlement Hearing; and reply papers, if any, shall be filed and served no later than seven (7) calendar days prior to the Settlement Hearing.
27. Pending Motions - Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs' Second Amended Complaint, (Dkt. 60), and their Motion for Consideration of Documents Incorporated by Reference and Judicially Noticeable, (Dkt. 61), are DENIED WITHOUT PREJUDICE.
IT IS SO ORDERED.