Ted Kellner, as the nominating stockholder and a nominee, together
with his other nominees, Todd Deutsch, Robert L. Chioini and Paul
W. Sweeney (collectively, the “Kellner Group,” “we” or “us” and, as
nominees, the “Kellner Group Nominees”) today issue the following
public letter to stockholders in connection with their efforts to
bring accountability to the entrenched, incumbent Board of
Directors of AIM Immunotech Inc. (NYSE American: AIM).
November 26, 2024
Dear AIM Stockholders,
We, the Kellner Group, are issuing this public letter to balance
the information filed by the incumbent Board of AIM ImmunoTech Inc.
(“AIM”) and correct their materially false and misleading
statements.
Since Mr. Equels became CEO and directors Mitchell and
Appelrouth joined the Board in 2016, AIM’s stock price has
plummeted by over 99%. This is a crucial
fact for stockholders to consider in the upcoming election of
directors at the 2024 Annual Meeting.
The incumbent Board is disputing this undeniable fact
and misleading stockholders. They claim AIM’s stock price
was $0.16 in March 2016.1 This is false. The New York Stock
Exchange reports AIM’s stock price on February 25, 2016, the day
the Equels became CEO, as $87.15 and it remained in that range into
March.2 AIM effected a 12 to 1 reverse stock split on August 26,
2016 and a 44 to 1 reverse stock split on June 10, 2019.3
Collectively, this accumulates to a 528 to 1 reverse stock split.
Based on these reverse stock splits, a stockholder holding 528
shares in February 2016 when Equels became CEO could have sold them
for $87.15, but now, that same stockholder holds just 1 share worth
approximately $0.21, a 99.7% loss.
It is shocking that the incumbent Board would attempt to
mislead stockholders so blatantly. Misleading stockholders
in a communication subject to federal securities laws,
intentionally in our view, in such an obvious manner is beyond the
pale.
Mr. Equels and other members of the incumbent Board have already
been found by the Delaware Supreme Court to have breached their
fiduciary duty of loyalty to AIM’s stockholders. Further,
Appelrouth, Mitchell and Equels (as the “mastermind”) and certain
of their legal counsel have been sanctioned for frivolous actions
to avoid competition for their seats, to the tune of hundreds of
thousands of dollars.4 Apparently undeterred, we view this
disclosure as a clear violation of the incumbent Board’s duty of
candor under Delaware law and a flouting of its obligations under
the federal securities laws.
If the incumbent Board cannot acknowledge the tremendous
destruction of stockholder value under their watch, they cannot be
trusted to turn AIM around. We urge stockholders to consider the
incumbent Board’s honesty and credibility. The cynical and
brazen twisting of facts evidenced by this one episode is evident
throughout the incumbent Board’s communications, including:
- Ignoring AIM's desperate financial condition and near-term
viability doubts.
- Claiming imminent clinical breakthroughs despite decades of no
progress with Ampligen.
- Promising governance and compensation improvements but
escalating a wasteful entrenchment campaign, pushing AIM to the
brink of insolvency.
- Making false and misleading claims about the Kellner Group and
its nominees.
- Mischaracterizing confidential settlement discussions in bad
faith in their ISS presentation.
The incumbent Board forced us to go public with confidential
settlement discussions to correct their false and misleading
information. We believe in transparency for stockholders. Here are
the facts:
- The incumbents are willing to have AIM pay anything as long as
they retain control.
- The incumbents improperly paid excessive and irresponsible
legal fees out of AIM’s wallet to entrench themselves—causing
anyone who they believe may seek to replace them, to rack up
significant legal fees to ensure no competition for their seats,
including a federal court action where AIM and its lawyers were
sanctioned for meritless actions.
- Mr. Equels’ salary is excessively high, and in the event of a
change of control, he would likely seek an exorbitant
severance.
- The incumbent Board has further engaged in improper defensive
tactics, such as awarding Equels and Rodino fully vested stock in
advance of the record date, knowing a proxy contest was
imminent.
- In an effort to end the frivolous litigation and put money back
in the pockets of stockholders (where it belongs), instead of
lawyers, the Kellner Group previously made generous settlement
offers, some of which included allowing Equels and Bryan to stay on
the Board and suggest additional directors.
- But we will not allow these unethical, entrenched directors to
remain in control after their disloyalty to the company and
betrayal of the stockholders they are meant to serve.
This reckless conduct opens the company to legal liability. AIM
cannot succeed with this kind of leadership. It is unlawful to
publicly file materially false and misleading statements and proxy
materials. We are also not aware of any written securities trading
plans (compliant with Rule 10b5-1) in place for Equels and
Appelrouth, as insiders, that would allow them to trade large
amounts of stock while in possession of material nonpublic
information involving the ongoing proxy battle and settlement
negotiations.5
Simply put, the incumbent Board cannot be trusted to be
honest and transparent with stockholders or to oversee AIM in a
manner that generates value. Stockholders should disregard the
misleading communications from the incumbent Board and focus on the
facts: under their leadership, AIM’s performance has been dismal,
stockholder value has been massively destroyed, and there are no
plans for change.
We’ve given them every chance, and they’ve fought tooth and
nail, desperately blocking any attempt to remove them. That ends
now. It’s time to stand up to these bullies and remind them who
actually owns this company. We, the stockholders, will replace
them—and their abysmal performance—once and for all.
Sincerely, The Kellner Group Nominees
THE KELLNER GROUP URGES ALL STOCKHOLDERS
TO VOTE ON
THE GOLD PROXY
CARDTODAY TO ELECTTED D. KELLNER,
TODD DEUTSCH, ROBERT L. CHIOINI AND PAUL SWEENEY
If you have any questions, require assistance in voting
your GOLD proxy card, or need copies of
the Kellner Group’s proxy materials, please contact Okapi Partners
at the phone numbers or email address listed below. Please also
visit https://okapivote.com/AIM/ for additional information.
Contact:
Okapi Partners LLC1212 Avenue of the Americas,
17th Floor,New York, New York 10036Stockholders may
call toll-free: (844) 343-2621Banks and
brokers call: (212) 297-0720Email:
info@okapipartners.com
Important Information and Participants in the
Solicitation
The Kellner Group has filed a definitive proxy statement and
associated GOLD proxy card with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) to be used to solicit
votes for the election of its slate of highly-qualified director
nominees at the upcoming annual meeting of stockholders of AIM.
Details regarding the Kellner Group nominees are included in its
proxy statement.
THE KELLNER GROUP STRONGLY ADVISES ALL STOCKHOLDERS OF AIM TO
READ THE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER PROXY MATERIALS AS THEY BECOME
AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
Information regarding the identity of participants in the
Kellner Group’s solicitation, and their direct or indirect
interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is set forth in the
Kellner Group’s proxy statement. Stockholders can obtain a copy of
the proxy statement, and any amendments or supplements thereto and
other documents filed by the Kellner Group with the SEC for no
charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Copies will also be
available at no charge at the following website:
https://www.okapivote.com/AIM. Investors can also contact Okapi
Partners LLC at the telephone number or email address set for the
above.
1 Refer to slide 12 in the presentation (“AIM ISS
Presentation”), which can be found here:
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/946644/000149315224047492/formdefa14a.htm.
Their “support” for that number is a screen-shot of a 2016 letter
received prior to subsequent reverse stock splits.2
https://www.nyse.com/quote/XASE:AIM. As is typical, these prices
have been adjusted for reverse stock splits. More than typical, it
is required - AIM’s own filings retroactively adjust all per share
data to give effect to the reverse splits. 3 See the Company’s
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30,
2016 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”)
on November 14, 2016, and the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2019 filed with the SEC on
August 14, 2019. 4 See the Kellner Group’s proxy statement for more
discussion of these actions. See also AIM ImmunoTech, Inc. v.
Tudor, et al., Case No. 5:22-CV-323-GAP-PRL, ECF No. 151, Order at
35 (M.D. Florida April 22, 2024).5 See Form 4s filed by Equels on
November 20 and 21, 2024 and by Appelrouth on November 21,
2024.
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