180 Life Sciences Corp. filed SEC Form 8-K: Notice of Delisting or Failure to Satisfy a Continued Listing Rule or Standard; Transfer of Listing
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Item 3.01. Notice of Delisting or Failure to Satisfy a Continued Listing Rule or Standard; Transfer of Listing.
As previously disclosed, on November 15, 2023, the Listing Qualifications department (the “Staff”) of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) notified 180 Life Sciences Corp. (the “Company”, “we” and “us”) that we did not comply with the minimum $2,500,000 stockholders’ equity requirement for continued listing set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b) (the “Rule”).
Nasdaq provided the Company until January 2, 2024 to submit to Nasdaq a plan to regain compliance. We submitted the plan to regain compliance in a timely manner, and on January 11, 2024, Nasdaq advised the Company that it has determined to grant the Company an extension to regain compliance with the Rule.
The terms of the extension were as follows: on or before May 13, 2024, the Company must have completed certain transactions described in greater detail in the compliance plan, contemplated to result in the Company increasing its stockholders’ equity to more than $2.5 million, and opt for one of the two following alternatives to evidence compliance with the Rule: Alternative 1: The Company must have furnished to the SEC and Nasdaq a publicly available report (e.g., a Form 8-K) including: 1. A disclosure of the Staff’s deficiency letter and the specific deficiency(ies) cited; 2. A description of the completed transaction or event that enabled the Company to satisfy the stockholders’ equity requirement for continued listing; and 3. An affirmative statement that, as of the date of the report, the Company believed it had regained compliance with the stockholders’ equity requirement based upon the specific transaction or event referenced in Step 2; or Alternative 2: The Company must furnish to the SEC and Nasdaq a publicly available report including: 1. Steps 1 & 2 set forth above; 2. A balance sheet no older than 60 days with pro forma adjustments for any significant transactions or event occurring on or before the report date; and 3. That the Company believes it satisfies the stockholders’ equity requirement as of the report date. The pro forma balance sheet must have evidenced compliance with the stockholders’ equity requirement.
Additionally, in either case the Company was required to disclose that Nasdaq will continue to monitor the Company’s ongoing compliance with the stockholders’ equity requirement and, if at the time of its next periodic report the Company does not evidence compliance, that it may be subject to delisting.
While the Company was able to undertake some of the transactions described in the compliance plan, it was unable to regain compliance with the Rule prior to the end of the plan period (May 13, 2024). As a result, on May 14, 2024, the Company received a delist determination letter from the Staff advising the Company that the Staff had determined that the Company did not meet the terms of the extension. Specifically, the Company did not complete its proposed transactions and was unable to file a Current Report Form 8-K by the May 13, 2024 deadline previously required by the Staff, evidencing compliance with the Rule. As a result, unless the Company requests an appeal of the Staff’s determination, trading of the Company’s common stock will be suspended at the opening of business on May 23, 2024, and a Form 25-NSE will be filed with the SEC, which will remove the Company’s common stock and public warrants from listing and registration on The Nasdaq Stock Market.
The Company intends to submit a hearing request to the Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the “Panel”), which request is expected to stay any delisting action by the Staff at least until the hearing process concludes and any extension granted by the Panel expires.
At the Panel hearing, the Company intends to present a plan to regain compliance with the minimum stockholders’ equity requirement. In the interim, the Company’s common stock will continue to trade on Nasdaq under the symbol “ATNF” at least pending the ultimate conclusion of the hearing process.
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There can be no assurance that the Company’s plan will be accepted by the Panel or that, if it is, the Company will be able to regain compliance with the applicable Nasdaq listing requirements. If the Company’s common stock and public warrants are delisted, it could be more difficult to buy or sell the Company’s common stock and public warrants or to obtain accurate quotations, and the price of the Company’s common stock and public warrants could suffer a material decline. Delisting could also impair the Company’s ability to raise capital and/or trigger defaults and penalties under outstanding agreements or securities of the Company.
The Company is continuing to work towards completing the necessary transactions in an effort to achieve compliance with the Rule and is currently evaluating various courses of action to regain compliance with the Rule. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to complete the transactions necessary to regain compliance with the Rule.
Separately, on May 14, 2024, the Staff provided us notice of our non-compliance with the audit committee requirements for continued listing on Nasdaq set forth in Listing Rule 5605(c)(2), which requires that listed companies maintain an audit committee of at least three independent directors. Nasdaq provided the Company a cure period in order to regain compliance as follows: until the earlier of the Company’s next annual shareholders’ meeting or May 7, 2025; or if the next annual shareholders’ meeting is held before November 4, 2024, then the Company must evidence compliance no later than November 4, 2024. In the event the Company does not regain compliance by the applicable date above, Nasdaq rules require the Staff to provide written notification to the Company that its securities will be delisted. At that time, the Company may appeal the delisting determination to a Hearings Panel. The Company is currently seeking out qualified independent directors to serve on the Company’s audit committee and expects to regain compliance with Listing Rule 5605(c)(2) in the near future.
Forward-Looking Statements
This current report contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “projects,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “potential,” “promise” or similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements in this current report include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company’s intent or ability to regain compliance with the minimum stockholders’ equity requirement, the Company’s intention to appeal the Staff’s determination, the Company’s expectation that a request for a Panel hearing would stay delisting of its common stock and public warrants pending the conclusion of the hearing process, the timing of any hearing before the Panel, whether the Company will require an oral or written hearing, the outcome of the Panel’s review of any Company appeal of the Staff’s determination, and any courses of action to regain compliance with the Nasdaq Capital Market’s continued listing requirements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts, nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based on the Company’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of its business, future plans, strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ include, without limitation, there can be no assurance that the Company will meet the stockholders’ equity requirement during any compliance period or otherwise in the future, otherwise meet Nasdaq’s compliance standards, that Nasdaq will grant the Company any relief from delisting as necessary or whether the Company can ultimately meet applicable Nasdaq requirements for any such relief, and the other important factors described under the caption “Risk Factors” in (a) the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on May 15, 2024, and (b) the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on March 25, 2024, and its other filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statement made by the Company in this current report is based only on information currently available and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable law, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Date: May 15, 2024
| 180 LIFE SCIENCES CORP. | |||
| By: | /s/ Blair Jordan | ||
| Name: | Blair Jordan | ||
| Title: | Interim Chief Executive Officer | ||
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