Beneficient

There have been no material changes in the legal proceedings previously disclosed in response to Part I, Item 3. “Legal Proceedings” set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2023 filed with the SEC on July 13, 2023, except as set forth below.

On December 16, 2022, a former member of the Board of Directors of Beneficient Management, LLC initiated a private arbitration in the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce, challenging the termination of certain equity awards under two incentive plans by the administrator of the incentive plans. The claimant seeks total damages of $36.3 million plus attorney’s fees and punitive damages. A hearing took place on August 23, 2023, and the arbitrator notified the parties that the record was officially closed. On December 14, 2023, the parties received notice that a draft award had been submitted by the arbitrator, and the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce will review the draft award at one of its next sessions.

As previously disclosed, on February 18, 2022, Shirin Bayati and Mojan Kamalvand, on behalf of themselves and of all others similarly situated, filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for Northern District of Texas against GWG, its former President and Chief Executive Officer, Murray Holland, its former Chief Financial Officer, Timothy Evans, and certain past and present members of the board of directors of GWG and BCG (Roy Bailey, Peter T. Cangany, Jr., David Chavenson, Brad K. Heppner, Thomas O. Hicks, Dennis P. Lockhart, Bruce W. Schnitzer, and David H. de Weese) (the “Bayati Action”). The suit alleges that the defendants violated Sections 11, 12, and 15 of the Securities Act by issuing materially misleading statements in a June 3, 2020 registration statement (the “Offering”) and seeks, among other things, compensatory damages, fees and costs. On April 20, 2022, GWG filed for bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of Texas. On April 21, 2022, the district court ordered all parties to submit statements by May 5, 2022 on whether the automatic stay in bankruptcy extends to the non-debtor defendants. On April 25, 2022, Movants Thomas Horton and Frank Moore (the “Lead Plaintiffs”) filed a Motion for Appointment as Lead Plaintiff and Approval of Their Selection of Lead Counsel. On May 2, 2022, a notice of dismissal was filed, dismissing defendants Peter T. Cangany, Jr., Brad K. Heppner, Thomas O. Hicks, Dennis P. Lockhart, and Bruce W. Schnitzer. On May 12, 2022, the district court extended the bankruptcy stay to all non-debtor defendants, although it permitted a limited modification of lifting of the stay to allow the court to consider the pending lead plaintiff motion. On August 5, 2022, the district court entered an order appointing Thomas Horton and Frank Moore as lead plaintiffs for the putative class. On May 26, 2023, Thomas Horton and Frank Moore, on behalf of themselves and other similarly situated, filed a second class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for Northern District of Texas against the Company, Brad K. Heppner, Peter T. Cangany, Jr., Thomas O. Hicks, Dennis P. Lockhart, Bruce W. Schnitzer and Whitley Penn LLP, alleging Securities Act violations arising out of the Offering (the “Horton Action”).

On August 16, 2023, Thomas Horton and Frank Moore, in their capacities as the Lead Plaintiffs in the Bayati Action, filed a notice regarding the confirmation of the Debtors’ Chapter 11 plan in the GWG bankruptcy, a motion seeking to lift the bankruptcy stay and a motion to consolidate the Bayati and Horton Actions. On September 12, 2023, the court entered an order consolidating the Bayati and Horton Actions. The court ordered that the consolidated action shall bear the caption In re GWG Holdings, Inc. Securities Litigation. The court lifted the bankruptcy stay and ordered the Lead Plaintiffs to file a new consolidated complaint within 20 days.

On October 2, 2023, the Lead Plaintiffs filed a Consolidated Class Action Complaint against the Company, Brad K. Heppner, Peter T. Cangany, Jr., Thomas O. Hicks, Dennis P. Lockhart, Bruce W. Schnitzer, Murray T. Holland, Timothy L. Evans, David H. de Weese, Roy W. Bailey, David F. Chavenson, and Whitley Penn LLP, alleging Securities Act violations arising out of the Offering. The complaint alleges that the individual defendants violated Sections 11, 12(a)(2), and 15 of the Securities Act, and further alleges that the Company violated Section 15 of the Securities Act. The Company, Brad K. Heppner, Peter T. Cangany, Jr., Thomas O. Hicks, Dennis P. Lockhart, and Bruce W. Schnitzer (the “Ben Individual Defendants”) filed a motion to dismiss the complaint on November 7, 2023. On January 4, 2024, defendants Murray Holland, Timothy Evans, Roy Bailey, and Whitley Penn LLP each filed a motion to dismiss the case. Also on January 4, 2023, defendants David Chavenson and David H. de Weese filed a joint motion to dismiss. The Lead Plaintiffs’ deadline to respond to the various motions to dismiss is February 20, 2024, and replies are due March 21, 2024. The Company and the Ben Individual Defendants intend to vigorously defend themselves in the litigation.

On October 27, 2023, David Scura filed a petition in Dallas County District Court against Brad K. Heppner, Jon R. Sabes, Steven F. Sabes, Peter T. Cangany, Jr., Thomas O. Hicks, Dennis P. Lockhart, Bruce W. Schnitzer, the Company and FOXO Technologies, Inc. (“FOXO”), alleging violation of the Texas Securities Act, common law fraud, unjust enrichment, and civil conspiracy to defraud and seeking compensatory damages, costs and expenses. The same day, Clifford Day and Carla Monahan filed a petition in Dallas County District Court against the same defendants, alleging the same claims. The parties have agreed to move the defendants’ deadline to respond to the petition to February 19, 2024. The Company and the Ben Individual Defendants intend to vigorously defend themselves in the litigation.

The Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its current executive officers and directors and has certain obligations to indemnify its current directors and executive officers. As a result, the Company is currently incurring legal fees on behalf of these persons in relation to these pending and unresolved matters. On November 7, 2023, we were reimbursed by our director and officer insurance carrier a total of $3.5 million, which includes, among others, certain expenses paid from the proceeds under the HH-BDH Credit Agreement. Additional reimbursements from our director and officer insurance carrier are expected.