Morano v. Redfin Corporation

District Court, W.D. Washington·Decided June 3, 2025·No. 2:25-cv-00883·Unknown

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT AT SEATTLE JASON MORANO, CASE NO. 2:25-cv-00883-JHC

ORDER Plaintiff, v. REDFIN CORPORATION ET AL.,

Defendants.

I INTRODUCTION This matter comes before the Court on Plaintiff’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction. Dkt. # 23. Plaintiff Jason Morano asks the Court to enjoin the pending shareholder vote on the merger of Defendants Redfin Corporation and Rocket Companies, Inc. Id. at 6. Plaintiff argues this is necessary because the proxy statement Redfin issued to shareholders encouraging them to approve the merger omits material information and an uninformed shareholder vote will cause irreparable harm. Id. The Court has reviewed the materials filed in support of and in opposition to the motion, the record (including the supplemental disclosures and attendant briefing), and the governing law. Being fully advised, for the reasons below, the Court DENIES the motion. II Redfin is a technology company that provides residential real estate brokerage and

mortgage origination services. Dkt. # 1 at 7, ¶ 29. In late 2024, Redfin’s Board of Directors and management began discussing strategic alternatives. Dkt. # 17-1 (Proxy) at 6–7. Various parties inquired into acquiring Redfin, including Defendant Rocket Companies, Inc., a financial technology company and mortgage lender. Id.; Dkt. # 1 at 7–8, ¶ 30. On December 12, 2024, Redfin’s Board established a committee of three independent directors (i.e., individuals without conflicting relationships with the parties interested in a transaction with Redfin) to oversee the Board’s consideration of strategic alternatives. Proxy at 7. The independent committee engaged in due diligence of potential transactions with the aid of Goldman Sachs as a financial advisor. Id. at 8.

On March 9, 2025, Redfin and Rocket executed a Merger Agreement. Id. at 16. Defendants say that under the Merger, Rocket would acquire Redfin’s outstanding shares for a premium of about 63% over the volume weighted average price of Redfin’s common stock over the 30 trading days before announcement of the Merger. Proxy at 16. Plaintiff contends that the premium has decreased by at least 16% since the Merger was announced. Dkt. # 29 at 12. On May 5, 2025, Redfin filed its definitive proxy statement about the Merger. Dkt. # 1 at 8, ¶ 33. Redfin’s shareholders are scheduled to vote on whether to approve the Merger on June 4, 2025. Proxy at 16. On May 9, 2025, Plaintiff filed a class action complaint against Defendants alleging violations of Sections 14(a) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C.

§§ 78n(a), 78t(a), and breach of fiduciary duty claims under Delaware law. Dkt. # 1. Plaintiff then moved for a preliminary injunction to enjoin the June 4, 2025 shareholder vote. Dkt. # 23. Plaintiff claims that Redfin’s proxy is misleading for two reasons. First, he contends that the proxy does not accurately reflect the extent of a possible conflict that Goldman Sachs might have in acting as Redfin’s financial advisor. He says that on July 2, 2024, Rocket entered into a

Revolving Credit Agreement (the 2024 Revolver) that provided it with access to a $1.15 billion revolving credit facility funded in part by Goldman Sachs. Dkt. # 23 at 7–8. Although Rocket would normally pay interest to Goldman Sachs based on outstanding balances under the Revolver, Rocket has never borrowed funds under the 2024 Revolver. Dkt. # 41 at 3. But the 2024 Revolver nonetheless requires Rocket to pay commitment fees to Goldman Sachs. Dkt. # 23 at 7–8. Plaintiff challenges the proxy’s statements that “Goldman Sachs Investment Banking has an existing lending relationship with Rocket and/or its subsidiaries,” and that “[d]uring the two- year period ended March 9, 2025, Goldman Sachs Investment Banking has not been engaged by

Rocket or its affiliates to provide financial advisory or underwriting services for which Goldman Sachs has recognized compensation.” Dkt. # 23 at 11 (emphasis added). He says that this language is “misleadingly clear and incomplete” because the proxy does not disclose the sums that Rocket has paid to Goldman Sachs under the Revolvers or the magnitude of Goldman Sachs’s present lending commitment to Rocket. Id. at 12. According to Plaintiff, these omissions are even more troubling because the proxy concedes the importance of the amounts Rocket has paid to Goldman Sachs by addressing that subject and because the proxy provides far more detailed information about Capped Call Transactions between Redfin and Goldman Sachs. Id. Second, Plaintiff asserts that the proxy does not disclose inputs such as net operating loss

carryforwards (NOL Projections) that Goldman Sachs used in preparing a discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis in support of its Fairness Opinion. Id. at 12–13. On May 30, 2025, after the instant motion for preliminary injunction was filed, Redfin filed supplemental disclosures to the proxy statement with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).1 Dkt. # 47 at 2. The supplemental disclosures provide the NOL Projections used in preparing the Fairness Opinion, and moot Plaintiff’s disclosure claim about the NOL Projections. Id. at 5–6 They also inform shareholders that the fees Rocket paid to Goldman Sachs under the 2024 Revolver were “substantially less than Goldman Sachs’ compensation in connection with the Merger[.]” Id. at 6. Plaintiff is satisfied that this disclosure has alerted Redfin shareholder to the existence of these fees and their magnitude. Id. at 3. Yet Plaintiff still maintains that the proxy statement is misleading because it “fails to inform Redfin stockholders about the size of Goldman’s present and anticipated lending commitment to Rocket.” Id. III

A. Legal Standard A preliminary injunction is “an extraordinary remedy that may only be awarded upon a clear showing that the plaintiff is entitled to such relief.” Winter v. Nat. Res. Def. Council, Inc., 555 U.S. 7, 23 (2008). To obtain a preliminary injunction, the plaintiff must show (1) they are “likely to succeed on the merits”; (2) they are “likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of” a preliminary injunction”; (3) “the balance of equities tips in [their] favor”; and (4) a preliminary injunction “is in the public interest.” Stormans, Inc. v. Selecky, 586 F.3d 1109, 1127 (9th Cir. 2009) (quoting Winter, 555 U.S. at 20) (these are called the Winter factors). The Ninth Circuit has added that “if a plaintiff can only show that there are ‘serious questions going to the

1 The Court takes judicial notice of this filing because it “can be accurately and readily determined from sources whose accuracy cannot reasonably be questioned.” Fed. R. Evid. 201(b)(2). merits’—a lesser showing than likelihood of success on the merits—then a preliminary injunction may still issue if the ‘balance of hardships tips sharply in the plaintiff’s favor,’ and the other two Winter factors are satisfied.” Shell Offshore, Inc. v. Greenpeace, Inc., 709 F.3d 1281,

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