Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_16-cv-01237/USCOURTS-cand-3_16-cv-01237-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 850
Nature of Suit: Securities, Commodities, Exchange
Cause of Action: 28:1331 Fed. Question: Securities Violation

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3:16-cv-00921-WHO

STIPULATION AND ORDER TO STAY PROCEEDINGS

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Barbara A. Rohr SBN 273353

Benjamin Heikali SBN 307466

FARUQI & FARUQI, LLP

10866 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1470

Los Angeles, CA 90024

Telephone: 424-256-2884

Facsimile: 424-256-2885

E-mail: brohr@faruqilaw.com

 bheikali@faruqilaw.com

Counsel for Plaintiff

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 

GERALD DOUGLAS, Individually and On 

Behalf of All Others Similarly Situated,

Plaintiff,

v.

FRANK WITNEY, NELSON CHAN, GARY 

GUTHART, JAMI NACHTSHEIM, 

RICCARDO PIGLIUCCI, MERILEE RAINES, 

ROBERT TRICE, and AFFYMETRIX, INC.

 Defendants.

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Lead Case No. 16-cv-921-WHO

(Related Cases: 4:16-cv-01237-WHO and 

3:16-cv-1253-WHO)

JOINT STIPULATION AND ORDER TO 

STAY PROCEEDINGS

Judge: Honorable William H. Orrick

STIPULATION AND ORDER

IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED by and between PLAINTIFF GERALD DOUGLAS

(“Plaintiff”) and DEFENDANTS FRANK WITNEY, NELSON CHAN, GARY GUTHART, 

JAMI NACHTSHEIM, RICCARDO PIGLIUCCI, MERILEE RAINES, ROBERT TRICE, and

AFFYMETRIX, INC. (collectively, the “Defendants”), (Plaintiff and Defendants are to be 

collectively referred to as the “Parties”), by and through their attorneys of record, that good cause 

exists for the Court to stay the proceedings in the above-captioned cases based on the following:

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WHEREAS, on February 24, 2016, Plaintiff Gerald Douglas filed a putative class action 

(“Douglas action”) in this Court against Affymetrix, Inc. (“Affymetrix”) and members of the 

board of Affymetrix (the “Board” or the “Individual Defendants”) alleging violations of Section 

14(a) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), 15 U.S.C. §§ 

78n(a), 78t(a), and SEC Rule 14a-9, 17 C.F.R. 240.14a-9, and breaches of fiduciary duties in 

connection with the proposed merger between Affymetrix and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 

(“Thermo Fisher”). Douglas Docket No. 1, ¶ 1.

WHEREAS, on March 14, 2016, Plaintiff Steven Merola filed a putative class action

(“Merola action”), Case No. 16-cv-01237-WHO in this Court, against Affymetrix and the Board 

for violations of Section 14(a) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange 

Act”), 15 U.S.C. §§ 78n(a), 78t(a), and SEC Rule 14a-9, 17 C.F.R. 240.14a-9, and breaches of 

fiduciary duties in connection with the proposed merger between Affymetrix and Thermo 

Fisher. Merola Docket No. 1, ¶ 1.

WHEREAS, also on March 14, 2016, Plaintiff Jeffrey S.L. Cheah filed a putative class 

action (“Cheah action”), Case No. 16-cv-01253-WHO in this Court, against Affymetrix and the 

Board for violations of Section 14(a) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act, 15 U.S.C. §§78n, 78t(a),

and SEC Rule 14a-9, 17 C.F.R. 240.14a-9, in connection with the Board’s agreement to sell 

Affymetrix to Thermo Fisher (the “Proposed Transaction”). Plaintiff Cheah also brought this 

action against the Board for breaches of fiduciary duties owed to Affymetrix’s stockholders, as 

well as against Affymetrix, Thermo Fisher and White Birch Merger Co. for aiding and abetting 

such breaches by Affymetrix’s directors, in connection with the Proposed Transaction. Cheah

Docket No. 1, ¶ 1.

WHEREAS, on May 4, 2016, the Court adjourned the Initial Case Management 

Conference in the Douglas action until July 19, 2016 and adjourned indefinitely the Defendants’ 

deadline to answer, move to dismiss, or otherwise respond to the Complaint, pursuant to the 

parties’ stipulation;

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WHEREAS, on June 29, 2016, the Parties informed the Court that they had reached a 

tentative settlement in the Douglas action and Related Cases (defined below) and concluded

conducting confirmatory discovery, which included three depositions;

WHEREAS, on June 29, 2016, counsel for Plaintiff Douglas also informed the Court that 

the parties expect to be able to present the stipulation of settlement and motion for preliminary 

approval within 30 days and requested that all deadlines be vacated;

WHEREAS, on July 8, 2016, Plaintiff Douglas filed an administrative motion to relate the 

Merola action and the Cheah action (the “Related Cases”) to the Douglas action;

WHEREAS, on July 13, 2016, the Court further adjourned the Initial Case Management 

Conference in the Douglas action until August 9, 2016, pursuant to the Parties’ stipulation;

WHEREAS, on July 14, 2016, the Court issued an Order relating the above-captioned 

cases; 

WHEREAS, in view of the foregoing, and in particular the Parties’ agreement to settle 

these actions subject to further documentation and the Court’s approval, the Parties respectfully

request that this Court stay all proceedings in the Douglas action pending submission of a 

stipulation of settlement and motion for preliminary approval to this Court. The parties anticipate 

filing similar stipulations in the Merola and Cheah actions in the near future.

Stipulated by and between the following:

DATED: July 15, 2016 FARUQI & FARUQI, LLP

By: /s/ Barbara A. Rohr

Barbara A. Rohr (SBN 273353)

Benjamin Heikali (SBN 307466)

FARUQI & FARUQI, LLP

10866 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1470

Los Angeles, CA 90024

Telephone: 424-256-2884

Facsimile: 424-256-2885

E-mail: brohr@faruqilaw.com

 bheikali@faruqilaw.com

Counsel for Plaintiff

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DATED: July 15, 2016 DAVIS POLK & WARDWELL, LLP

By: /s/ Neal A. Potischman

Neal A. Potischman (SBN 254862)

Andrew David Yaphe (SBN 274172)

Jayeeta Kundu (SBN 291599)

Micah Galvin Block (SBN 270712)

1600 El Camino Real

Menlo Park, California 94025

Telephone: (650) 752-2000

Facsimile: (650) 752-2111

Counsel for Defendants Affymetrix, Inc. and

Individual Defendants

ORDER

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

All proceedings in Douglas v. Witney, et al., Case No. 16-cv-921-WHO, are stayed.

DATED: July 20, 2016

Honorable William H. Orrick 

United States District Judge

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that on July 15, 2016, I electronically filed the foregoing with the Clerk of 

the Court using the CM/ECF system, which will send notification of such filing to the e-mail 

addresses denoted on the Electronic Mail Notice List.

Dated: July 15, 2016 By: /s/ Barbara A. Rohr

Barbara A. Rohr

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