DOUBLE DEALER CLAIMS
Suit tags banker
A top Wall Street banker is being accused of bizarre double-dealing at a California tech firm where he serves as a board member.
Scott Adelson, co-president of the prominent investment bank Houlihan Lokey, allegedly leaked information to the would-be acquirer of QAD Inc. — a publicly traded software firm based in Santa Barbara, Calif. — even as he secretly entered a deal to buy a private jet with the company’s CEO, according to an explosive lawsuit.
Despite the fact that Adelson was serving as an independent director of QAD, the financier was allegedly ferrying information to Thoma Bravo, a giant private-equity fund that bid $2 billion in late June to take the software company private, according to the little-noticed lawsuit, which was filed this month in Delaware by a hedge fund that’s looking to stop the deal.
Adelson served on a special committee to evaluate offers to purchase the company, which makes software for manufacturers. Instead of looking out for all shareholders, Adelson was guarding the interests of QAD co-founder Pamela Lopker, the suit claims.
In June, a day after Thoma Bravo presented an offer for QAD — an offer that had been increased from its original price — Adelson signed a letter of intent to buy a plane with Lopker for $4 million, according to the suit. Adelson allegedly agreed with Lopker to keep the purchase “our secret,” according to the suit filed by Nantahala Capital, a hedge fund with a 5 percent stake in QAD.
Around the time of the deal to purchase the plane, Adelson, who had been on QAD’s board since 2006, allegedly said in a message to Lopker “how happy I am that we are partners in this,” according to documents produced for the suit. Adelson didn’t reply to a request for comment. Houlihan declined to comment.
Nantahala uncovered the alleged plane purchase when deposing company founder Lopker, according to court filings. Lopker and her husband, who died in 2018, have had control over QAD since 2010, when the company’s stock was split. QAD didn’t respond to a request for comment.
“There is no way Pam should be buying a plane with the head of the independent special committee,” a source familiar with the matter said.
The alleged purchase of the plane wasn’t disclosed in the proxy statement to QAD shareholders that asked them to approve the $2 billion purchase offer from Thoma Bravo.
Shareholders also weren’t told that Adelson allegedly had been “leaking” information to Thoma Bravo that helped it structure a deal that was favorable to Lopker, according to the suit.
Thoma Bravo didn’t respond to a request for comment.