UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

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DELCATH SYSTEMS, INC.

 

 
 
 
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68TVDELC                                                                    Conference                                                                            

 

 

 

 

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to get 51 percent of the vote or else we lose. We aren’t

 

 

 

 

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fairly restrained in that respect.

 

 

 

 

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          THE COURT: I didn’t understand what you just said to

 

 

 

 

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me.

 

 

 

 

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          MR. HECHT: Here’s the point: They don’t need to

 

 

 

 

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gather 51 percent revocations. We need to gather 51 percent

 

 

 

 

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consents.

 

 

 

 

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          THE COURT: Right.

 

 

 

 

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          MR. HECHT: So you can’t just say both sides are

 

 

 

 

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barred from taking action on the consents. They don’t have to

 

 

 

 

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take action on the revocations. We’re the ones who have to

 

 

 

 

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take action. We bear a greater burden in the consent

 

 

 

 

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solicitation process. So the very nature of the restraint,

 

 

 

 

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even if it purports to be bilateral, covering both sides,

 

 

 

 

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impacts us more profoundly.

 

 

 

 

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          THE COURT: So what? What’s the harm? That’s the

 

 

 

 

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point.

 

 

 

 

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          MR. HECHT: Here’s the greater harm: They are the

 

 

 

 

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incumbent board of directors; they can make changes; they can

 

 

 

 

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do extraordinary things right now that we cannot. They’ve done

 

 

 

 

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one already, Judge. They’ve changed the change-in-control

 

 

 

 

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provision which runs the risk of giving a greater package to

 

 

 

 

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management if there’s a change in control. That didn’t used to

 

 

 

 

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exist.

 

 

 

 

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          THE COURT: When was that?

 

 

 

 

SOUTHERN DISTRICT REPORTERS, P.C.
(212) 805-0300



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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68TVDELC                                                                    Conference                                                                            

 

 

 

 

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          MR. HECHT: I’m sorry?

 

 

 

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          THE COURT: When?

 

 

 

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          MR. HECHT: We first learned of that in their first

 

 

 

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preliminary consent revocation materials on August 7th.

 

 

 

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          THE COURT: What about that?

 

 

 

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          MR. OFFENHARTZ: Your Honor, I don’t know the exact

 

 

 

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timing of that, but --

 

 

 

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          THE COURT: Recently is the answer.

 

 

 

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          MR. OFFENHARTZ: Recently. Your Honor, if I may, two

 

 

 

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responses to that:

 

 

 

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          One, that really highlights the difference between

 

 

 

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what my adversary is talking about and what we are talking

 

 

 

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about. If they win, if at the PI hearing your Honor decides

 

 

 

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that our claims are not correct or we’re wrong, and there was a

 

 

 

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change, something happened that was inappropriate, the new

 

 

 

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board can take steps to correct that. That’s a normal

 

 

 

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run-of-the-mill process. That’s something that can be

 

 

 

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addressed, addressed quickly, corrected.

 

 

 

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          Moreover, your Honor, we are not here trying to gain

 

 

 

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anything. We are here because we believe we have very serious

 

 

 

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issues to be dealt with. While I find it odd that they, in

 

 

 

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effect, are moving for a TRO without actually putting in any

 

 

 

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papers, without making any showing, without --

 

 

 

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          THE COURT: You mean as to you?

 

 

 

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          MR. OFFENHARTZ: As to us. I think that procedurally

 

 

 

 

SOUTHERN DISTRICT REPORTERS, P.C.
(212) 805-0300



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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68TVDELC

Conference

 

 

 

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that doesn’t make sense, and it’s faulty and it’s flawed.

 

 

 

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          By the same token, we are not trying to game the

 

 

 

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system. And if the concern is that with a TRO in place we

 

 

 

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would change the rights plan, I will stipulate right now that

 

 

 

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during the pendency of the TRO leading up to the PI hearing

 

 

 

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Delcath will not alter the rights plan. I think that’s a red

 

 

 

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herring, your Honor. It’s not going to happen.

 

 

 

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          Moreover, your Honor, the adversary’s position is that

 

 

 

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because they initiated a consent solicitation, and because

 

 

 

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Delcath is asserting its rights under the securities laws, and,

 

 

 

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frankly, to this date I’m not even sure why we’re talking about

 

 

 

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balance of hardships, because with undisputed factual record

 

 

 

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before the Court, I think we went on likelihood of success of

 

 

 

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merits. So balance of the hardships is irrelevant for today’s

 

 

 

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purposes.

 

 

 

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          But even with that in place, their whole view is that

 

 

 

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because they have initiated a consent, anything we do under the

 

 

 

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securities laws, by asserting the private right of actions

 

 

 

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under 13d and 14a that are Horn Book securities law, and by

 

 

 

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asserting or our rights under the list of cases that we’ve

 

 

 

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provided your Honor, they’re saying that’s irreparable harm.

 

 

 

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          As your Honor noted, all they are going to be hit

 

 

 

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with, if anything, is some additional expense. And as to

 

 

 

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resetting the clock in the Pabst case that we cite, it was

 

 

 

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clear that resetting the clock and having a new record date is

SOUTHERN DISTRICT REPORTERS, P.C.
(212) 805-0300



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68TVDELC                                                                   Conference

 

 

 

 

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fine. That’s the cost of doing business.

 

 

 

 

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          THE COURT: Okay.

 

 

 

 

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          MR. HECHT: If I may, Judge. The point is this:

 

 

 

 

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We’re not necessarily here to seek a countervailing TRO that

 

 

 

 

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binds the management even more than they currently are. My

 

 

 

 

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point is it’s a reductio ad absurdum.

 

 

 

 

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          If you just continue the restraints in their existing

 

 

 

 

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form, while ostensibly it may appear to be keeping the playing

 

 

 

 

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field neutral, it does not.

 

 

 

 

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          Two things happen: It leaves management pre -- to

 

 

 

 

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possible mischief. I just gave the poison pill as one example.

 

 

 

 

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The change of control is a real example, but they are still

 

 

 

 

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free to do that. That’s why a mere continuation of the

 

 

 

 

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existing restraints is not as innocuous as it seems. It was

 

 

 

 

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when Judge Walton did it ten days ago, but we are farther along

 

 

 

 

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in the process now.

 

 

 

 

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          THE COURT: I don’t get the difference.

 

 

 

 

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          MR. HECHT: Because then we didn’t start the process

 

 

 

 

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yet. Now we have the process in place. Shareholders don’t

 

 

 

 

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think their votes count. The footnote that Judge Keenan

 

 

 

 

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addressed, the Management Assistance, makes the point very

 

 

 

 

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well, too.

 

 

 

 

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          THE COURT: But there’s no real record support for

 

 

 

 

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that at this point.

 

 

 

 

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          MR. HECHT: We proffer the affidavit of Mr. Ladd is

 

 

 

 

SOUTHERN DISTRICT REPORTERS, P.C.
(212) 805-0300


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68TVDELC                                                                     Conference

 

 

 

 

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obviously --

 

 

 

 

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          THE COURT: Which is --

 

 

 

 

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          MR. HECHT: He’s spoken to shareholders, and he

 

 

 

 

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understands people are withholding their vote.

 

 

 

 

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          But if I may move to two other quick points, Judge.

 

 

 

 

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          That’s our point is, if I wore the black robe, I

 

 

 

 

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respect the idea that the first thing I want to do is keep the

 

 

 

 

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playing field level, preserve the status quo until we get to a

 

 

 

 

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hearing.

 

 

 

 

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          What I am urging your Honor to consider is it is not

 

 

 

 

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so innocent to purportedly preserve the status quo by

 

 

 

 

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continuing the restraints, because we submit the current status

 

 

 

 

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quo presents a cloud on our ability to get votes.

 

 

 

 

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          What I propose we do --

 

 

 

 

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          THE COURT: Wait a minute. Why shouldn’t there be a

 

 

 

 

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cloud on your ability to get votes if I find that they are

 

 

 

 

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likely to prevail in demonstrating that the disclosures are

 

 

 

 

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inadequate?

 

 

 

 

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          MR. HECHT: Two reasons. I’ll speak to the 13d point.

 

 

 

 

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I don’t think they are likely to succeed on the merits. Let’s

 

 

 

 

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assume, as your Honor just supposed, that you do find that,

 

 

 

 

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then it’s still not too late. As Judge Weinfeld said, as Plant

 

 

 

 

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Industries said, as Management Assistance said, as Poughkeepsie

 

 

 

 

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said, to unscramble the transaction later, if, in fact, your

 

 

 

 

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Honor finds that the disclosures were inadequate. It is simply

 

 

 

 

SOUTHERN DISTRICT REPORTERS, P.C.
(212) 805-0300


Important Additional Information

On August 17, 2006, Laddcap filed a definitive consent solicitation statement with the SEC relating to Laddcap’s proposal to, among other things, remove the current Board of Directors and replace them with Laddcap’s nominees. In response, on August 21, 2006, Delcath filed a definitive consent revocation statement on Form DEFC14A (the “Definitive Consent Revocation Statement”) with the SEC in opposition to Laddcap’s consent solicitation. Delcath shareholders should read the Definitive Consent Revocation Statement (including any amendments or supplements thereto) because it contains additional information important to the shareholders’ interests in Laddcap’s consent solicitation.

The Definitive Consent Revocation Statement and other public filings made by Delcath with the SEC are available free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Delcath also will provide a copy of these materials free of charge upon request to Delcath Systems, Inc., Attention: M.S. Koly, President and Chief Executive Officer, (203) 323-8668.