Company: STAA
Filing Date: 2025-10-02
Form Type: DFAN14A
Source: 0001213900-25-095514
Chunk: 37

Company: STAAR SURGICAL CO
Filing Date: 2025-10-02
Form: DFAN14A
Chunk 37
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And appeared alongside Alcon’s CEO on panels at industry conferences

Broadwood Partners, L.P. We Believe the Process Was Rife with Material Conflicts (Continued) 50 4 Several directors and advisors have close ties to Alcon that were seemingly not disclosed – to each other or stockholders ▪ It is unclear that STAAR’s independent directors knew of Dr. Yeu’s relationship with Alcon while negotiations were taking pla ce — The Company’s proxy statement indicates that Dr. Yeu informed the “Company” of this conflict when she joined the Board in 2021 — However, none of the independent directors were on the Board then, and the Company has refused to provide us the materials Dr . Y eu purportedly provided to the Company disclosing her conflict or even confirmation that any of the current independent directors knew of Dr. Yeu’s ties to Alcon — As best we can tell, Dr. Yeu did not discuss this potential conflict with any of the current independent directors until just tw o days before the Merger Agreement was executed 1 ▪ Two other directors who were present during Alcon’s approaches to STAAR also have undisclosed relationships with Alcon — Aimee Weisner, who remained on the Board until the Company’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders in June 2025, was on the Tra nsa ction Committee of LENSAR and helped negotiate that company’s sale to Alcon, which was announced in March 2025 2 — STAAR’s former CEO, Tom Frinzi (who left STAAR in February 2025 but participated in discussions with Alcon in 2024 and early 202 5), seemingly has a “close relationship” with Alcon’s CEO, David Endicott 3 • Mr. Frinzi and Mr. Endicott are golf partners and have regularly served together on various industry panels 3 • Mr. Frinzi currently serves as Executive Chairman of a company in which Alcon is a lead investor 3 and previously served as CEO and Chair, respectively, of two companies that were acquired by Alcon 3 • According to a complaint filed by private equity firm Deerfield Management, Mr. Frinzi allegedly participated in a scheme to aid Alcon in securing control of the board of a company that was jointly owned by Alcon and Deerfield 3 ▪ Gibson Dunn, merger counsel to Alcon, served as counsel to STAAR as recently as June 2024 4 ; the Company seemingly waived the