v3.25.2
Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Jun. 28, 2025
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
24. Commitments and Contingencies
Employment and Severance Agreements
The Company and Mr. Kiani entered into an employment agreement on November 4, 2015 (as thereafter amended and waived, the Amended Employment Agreement). Pursuant to the terms of the Amended Employment Agreement, upon a “Qualifying Termination” (as defined in the Amended Employment Agreement), Mr. Kiani would be entitled to receive (i) a cash severance benefit equal to two times the sum of his then-current base salary and the average annual bonus paid to Mr. Kiani during the immediately preceding three years, (ii) immediate vesting of Mr. Kiani’s stock options and equity awards, (iii) 2.7 million restricted share units (RSUs), and (iv) a cash payment of $35 million (the Cash Payment and, together with the RSUs, the Special Payment). As set forth in the Amended Employment Agreement, a Qualifying Termination includes a termination by Mr. Kiani for “Good Reason” (as defined in the Amended Employment Agreement), which includes, among other things, (i) any diminution of Mr. Kiani’s responsibilities, duties and authority as set forth in Section 2 of the Amended Employment Agreement, (ii) Mr. Kiani ceasing to serve as the Company’s CEO and Chairman (the Chairman Provision), and (iii) a “Change-in-Control” (as defined in the Amended Employment Agreement).
On January 14, 2022, the Company entered into the Second Amendment to the Amended Employment Agreement (Second Amendment) with Mr. Kiani. The Second Amendment provides that the RSUs granted to Mr. Kiani pursuant to the Amended Employment Agreement will vest in full upon the termination of Mr. Kiani’s employment with the Company pursuant to Mr. Kiani’s death or disability.
On February 8, 2023, Mr. Kiani agreed that the valid election to the Board at the Company’s 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of any two individuals nominated by the Company’s stockholders in lieu of two of the Company’s then-current Board members would not be deemed to constitute a Change in Control for purposes of Section 9(iii) of the Amended Employment Agreement.
On March 22, 2023, in connection with the Board’s unanimous selection of H Michael Cohen as Lead Independent Director, Mr. Kiani voluntarily irrevocably and permanently waived his right to treat the appointment of any lead independent director as “Good Reason” to terminate his employment under the Amended Employment Agreement, and waived his right to receive contractual separation payments on this basis.
On June 5, 2023, Mr. Kiani, pursuant to a Limited Waiver (Waiver), unconditionally, irrevocably and permanently waived his right, pursuant to the Amended Employment Agreement, to assert that a “Change in Control” has occurred pursuant to Section 9(iii) of the Amended Employment Agreement unless the individuals who constituted the Board at the beginning of the twelve (12) month period immediately preceding such change, as defined in Section 9(iii) of the Amended Employment Agreement, cease for any reason to constitute one-half or more of the directors then in office. In addition, Mr. Kiani agreed that, for purposes of determining whether such a “Change in Control” has occurred, any individual elected to the Board at the Company’s 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be treated as a member of the Board at the beginning of the twelve (12) month period.
As a result of Mr. Kiani’s execution of the Waiver on June 5, 2023, the Company remeasured the expense related to the Award Shares and Cash Payment that would be recognized in the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements upon the occurrence of a Qualifying Termination under the Amended Employment Agreement, as amended by the Second Amendment, and the expense was determined to be approximately $479.7 million.
On September 19, 2024, at the Company’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the Company’s stockholders voted to not reelect Mr. Kiani to the Board. Additionally, on September 19, 2024, after the Company’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, Mr. Kiani delivered a notification to the Board stating his decision to resign from his position of CEO of the Company and filed a claim in California Superior Court relating to his Amended Employment Agreement, seeking, among other things, declaratory relief that he had validly terminated his employment for “Good Reason” (as defined in the Amended Employment Agreement), and that he was entitled to certain benefits provided in the Amended Employment agreement upon termination for “Good Reason” (see the heading “Litigation” under Note 24, “Commitments and Contingencies” for further details).
Following an investigation by outside counsel, in which counsel collected and reviewed relevant documents, it was determined that the Company had grounds to terminate Mr. Kiani’s employment for cause. On October 24, 2024, the Board adopted resolutions to terminate Mr. Kiani’s employment for cause, effective that day. The termination was not a Qualifying Termination (as defined in the Amended Employment Agreement). Consequently, the Company believes Mr. Kiani is not entitled to receive the Special Payment under the Amended Employment Agreement.
Also on October 24, 2024, the Company filed claims against Mr. Kiani in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (the Kiani Delaware Litigation), seeking judicial declarations that numerous provisions in Mr. Kiani’s Amended Employment Agreement, including the Special Payment, are invalid, unenforceable, and amount to a waste of corporate assets and, therefore, that Mr. Kiani is not entitled to receive the Special Payment. The Company’s complaint alleges that the Company’s directors at the time of the initial adoption of Mr. Kiani’s Amended Employment Agreement and at the adoption of subsequent amendments abdicated their fiduciary duties as a matter of Delaware law by approving the Amended Employment Agreement, which contained provisions intended to entrench Mr. Kiani’s control of the Company indefinitely (see the heading “Litigation” under Note 24, “Commitments and Contingencies” for further details).
On November 13, 2024, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Michelle Brennan (Brennan Agreement), who the Board appointed Interim CEO on September 24, 2024. The Brennan Agreement, effective as of the September 24, 2024 appointment, has a term of six months unless earlier terminated by its terms (Brennan Term).
The Brennan Agreement provided for an annual base salary of $1,042,000. Additionally, Ms. Brennan, was eligible for a discretionary bonus of a target amount equal to $621,250 at the end of the Brennan Term. At the conclusion of Ms. Brennan’s service as interim CEO, in the early 2025, the Board determined her discretionary bonus amount would be $1,087,190.
Under the Brennan Agreement, Ms. Brennan was granted an equity award of 8,916 RSUs, which vested upon the appointment of the CEO of the Company, effective February 12, 2025. The RSUs were granted under Company’s 2017 Equity Plan. Ms. Brennan was entitled to participate in all Company employee benefits plans and programs maintained by the Company from time to time, at a level consistent with the benefits provided to other senior executives, subject to the provision of such plans and programs. On February 12, 2025, Ms. Brennan’s term as CEO ended and the Board appointed her to the role of Chairman of the Board.
On January 17, 2025, the Company and Ms. Catherine Szyman entered into an offer letter (“the Offer Letter”) in respect of her service as the next CEO of Masimo, effective as of February 12, 2025 (“the Effective Date”). Under the Offer Letter, Ms. Szyman will receive an initial annual base salary of $1,000,000, a target annual bonus opportunity of 100% of base salary and a maximum annual bonus opportunity equal to 200% of such target, and an annual target long-term incentive award opportunity of $7,000,000. To the extent that the Company determines after the Effective Date to adopt a policy for the vesting of performance stock units upon retirement, any such retirement policy that applies to Ms. Szyman will be no worse than the attainment of 60 years of age and at least five years of continuous employment with the Company. Ms. Szyman will also be eligible to participate in the Company’s employee benefit plans and programs applicable to senior executives of the Company generally, as may be in effect from time to time.
As of June 28, 2025, the Company had severance plan participation agreements with three executive officers. The participation agreements (the Agreements) are governed by the terms and conditions of the Company’s 2007 Severance Protection Plan (the Severance Plan), which became effective on July 19, 2007 and which was amended effective December 31, 2008.
Under each of the Agreements, the applicable executive officer may be entitled to receive certain salary, equity, medical and life insurance benefits if he is terminated by the Company without cause or if he terminates his employment for good reason under certain circumstances. Each executive officer is also required to give the Company six months’ advance notice of his resignation under certain circumstances.
Willow Cross-Licensing Agreement Provisions
The Company’s Cross-Licensing Agreement with Willow contains annual minimum aggregate royalty obligations for the use of the rainbow® licensed technology, which is a perpetual global license. Prior to a change in control, which is defined in the Willow Cross-Licensing Agreement to include, among other things, Mr. Kiani ceasing to serve as CEO of either the Company or Willow, the Company’s annual minimum royalty obligation is $5.0 million. Upon a change in control of the Company or Willow: (i) all rights to the “Masimo” trademark will be assigned to Willow if the surviving or acquiring entity ceases to use “Masimo” as a company name and trademark; (ii) the option to license technology developed by Willow for use in blood glucose monitoring will be deemed automatically exercised and a $2.5 million license fee for this technology will become immediately payable to Willow; and (iii) the minimum aggregate annual royalties payable to Willow for carbon monoxide, methemoglobin, fractional arterial oxygen saturation, hemoglobin and/or glucose measurements will increase to $15.0 million per year until the exclusivity period of the agreement ends, plus up to $2.0 million for each additional rainbow® parameter (with no maximum ceiling for non-vital sign measurements). Any future payment due annually to Willow resulting from a change in control of the Company is less than what the Company paid to Willow for licensing rights in 2022 or 2023.
On October 24, 2024, a change in control as defined in the Willow Cross-Licensing Agreement occurred when Mr. Kiani’s employment as the Company’s CEO was terminated, resulting in a payment of $2.5 million for the licensing of Willow blood glucose monitoring technology. A change in control does not otherwise impact the scope or duration of the license rights. No additional accruals or payments were made in connection with the change in control under the Willow Cross-Licensing Agreement.
Purchase Commitments
Pursuant to contractual obligations with vendors, the Company had $223.2 million of purchase commitments as of June 28, 2025 that are expected to be purchased within one year, and certain circumstances beyond one year for critical inventory and raw materials. In general, these purchase commitments have been made for inventory related items in order to secure sufficient levels of those items, other critical inventory and manufacturing supplies, and to achieve better longer term pricing.
Other Contractual Commitments
In the normal course of business, the Company may provide bank guarantees to support government hospital tenders in certain foreign jurisdictions. As of June 28, 2025, the Company had approximately $4.2 million in outstanding unsecured bank guarantees.
In certain circumstances, the Company also provides limited indemnification within its various customer contracts whereby the Company indemnifies the parties to whom it sells its products with respect to potential infringement of intellectual property, and against bodily injury caused by a defective Company product. It is not possible to predict the maximum potential amount of future payments under these or similar agreements, due to the conditional nature of the Company’s obligations and the unique facts and circumstances involved. As of June 28, 2025, the Company had not incurred any significant costs related to contractual indemnification of its customers.
Fee Agreements
On January 1, 2024, the Company entered into a one year alternative fee agreement (Fee Agreement) with respect to certain on-going legal fees and costs charged by a vendor. The Fee Agreement imposed certain limits on a quarterly and annual basis for actual legal fees incurred by the vendor that are payable based on work performed related to litigation matters against Apple (see the heading “Litigation” under Note 24, “Commitments and Contingencies” for further details regarding the Apple matters). The Fee Agreement provided that if the vendor was successful in obtaining a favorable judgment for the Company on any claim or counterclaim after exhaustion or dismissal of any appeals, or upon settlement resulting in monetary consideration to the Company, the vendor would be paid a success fee equal to three times the amount of the excess fees and costs incurred over the annual limit within 60 days after entry of a judgment or the effective date of any settlement. On June 12, 2025, the Company and the vendor agreed to terminate the Fee Agreement. The Company paid the vendor approximately $2.8 million related to this termination. As of June 28, 2025, no amounts were outstanding in connection with the Fee Agreement.
In connection with the potential separation of the Company’s consumer businesses, the Company entered into contingent or discretionary fee agreements with various service providers, advisors and consultants. The Company is unable to reasonably estimate the contingent fees due under these agreements at this time. Amounts due will be recognized when probable and reasonably estimable.
Concentrations of Risk
The Company is exposed to credit loss for the amount of its cash deposits with financial institutions in excess of federally insured limits. The Company invests a portion of its excess cash with major financial institutions. As of June 28, 2025, the Company had $149.6 million of bank balances, of which $4.0 million was covered by either the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation limit or foreign countries’ deposit insurance organizations.
The Company’s ability to sell its healthcare products to U.S. hospitals depends in part on its relationships with GPOs. Many existing and potential healthcare customers for the Company’s products become members of GPOs. GPOs negotiate pricing arrangements and contracts, sometimes exclusively, with medical supply manufacturers and distributors, and these negotiated prices are made available to a GPO’s affiliated hospitals and other members. During the three months ended June 28, 2025 and June 29, 2024, revenue from the sale of the Company’s healthcare products to customers that are members of GPOs approximated 59.0% and 59.8% of healthcare revenue, respectively. During the six months ended June 28, 2025 and June 29, 2024, revenue from the sale of the Company’s healthcare products to customers that are members of GPOs approximated 58.9% and 58.2% of healthcare revenue, respectively.
For the three months ended June 28, 2025 and June 29, 2024, the Company had sales through one just-in-time healthcare distributor that represented 19.2% and 20.9% of healthcare revenue, respectively. For the six months ended June 28, 2025 and June 29, 2024, the Company had sales through one just-in-time healthcare distributor that represented 19.0% and 18.5% of healthcare revenue, respectively.
As of June 28, 2025, one healthcare customer represented 19.9% of the Company’s healthcare accounts receivable balance. The receivable balance related to such healthcare customer is fully secured by a letter of credit. As of December 28, 2024, two healthcare customers represented 12.2% and 11.9%, respectively, of the Company’s healthcare accounts receivable balance.
Litigation
On January 9, 2020, the Company filed a complaint against Apple Inc. (Apple) in the United States District Court for the Central District of California for infringement of a number of patents, for trade secret misappropriation, and for ownership and correction of inventorship of a number of Apple patents listing one of its former employees as an inventor. The Company is seeking damages, injunctive relief, and declaratory judgment regarding ownership of the Apple patents. Apple filed petitions for Inter Partes review (IPR) of the asserted patents in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). The PTO instituted IPR of the asserted patents. On October 13, 2020, the District Court stayed the patent infringement claims pending completion of the IPR proceedings. In the IPR proceedings, one or more of the challenged claims of three of the asserted patents were found valid. The challenged claims of nine of the asserted patents were found invalid. On appeal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed all the IPR decisions except it reversed a finding of invalidity for certain dependent claims of one Masimo patent. From April 4, 2023 through May 1, 2023, the District Court held a jury trial on the trade secret, ownership, and inventorship claims. The District Court granted Apple’s motion for judgment as a matter of law on certain trade secrets and denied the remainder of Apple’s motion. On May 1, 2023, the District Court declared a mistrial because the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The District Court conducted a bench trial on the trade secret, ownership, and inventorship claims which commenced on November 5, 2024. The final argument following the bench trial occurred on February 3, 2025. A jury trial on the patent infringement claims is scheduled to begin on November 4, 2025.
On June 30, 2021, the Company filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) against Apple for infringement of a number of other patents. The Company filed an amended complaint on July 12, 2021. On August 13, 2021, the ITC issued a Notice of Institution of Investigation on the asserted patents. From June 6, 2022 to June 10, 2022, the ITC conducted an evidentiary hearing. In July and August 2022, Apple filed petitions for IPR of the asserted patents in the PTO. On January 10, 2023, a United States Administrative Law Judge in Washington, D.C. ruled that Apple violated Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (Section 337), as amended, by importing and selling within the United States certain Apple Watches with light-based pulse oximetry functionality and components, which infringe several claims of the Company’s pulse oximeter patents. On January 24, 2023, the United States Administrative Law Judge further recommended that the ITC issue an exclusion order and a cease and desist order on certain Apple Watches. On October 26, 2023, the ITC issued a Notice of Final Determination finding a violation of Section 337 by Apple. The ITC determined that the appropriate form of relief is a Limited Exclusion Order (LEO) prohibiting the unlicensed entry of infringing wearable electronic devices with light-based pulse oximetry functionality manufactured by or on behalf of Apple, and a Cease and Desist Order (CDO). The LEO and CDO went into effect after the 60-day Presidential review period expired. The LEO and CDO are currently in effect. Apple’s appeal to the Federal Circuit is pending, and oral arguments were held on July 7, 2025. On January 30, 2023, the PTO denied institution of IPR proceedings for the Company’s pulse oximeter patents that the ITC ruled were infringed. With respect to the other patents asserted at the ITC, the PTO denied institution of IPR proceedings for one patent and instituted IPR proceedings for two patents in January and February 2023. In the IPR proceedings, one or more of the challenged claims were found valid, while others were found invalid. Appeals for the two IPRs are pending. On January 12, 2024, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Exclusion Order Enforcement Branch issued a ruling letter allowing importation of certain Apple Watches with the blood oxygen feature disabled.
On October 20, 2022, Apple filed two complaints against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware alleging that the Masimo W1® watch infringes six utility and four design patents. Apple is seeking damages and injunctive relief. On December 12, 2022, the Company counterclaimed for monopolization, attempted monopolization, false advertising (and related causes of action) and infringement of ten patents. The Company is seeking damages and injunctive relief. On May 5, 2023, the Court ordered that the two cases be coordinated through the pre-trial stage. The Court held a case management conference in March 2024. On October 7, 2024, the Court granted summary judgment dismissing on the Company’s inequitable conduct defense and counterclaim. The Court held a jury trial in October 2024 on Apple’s patent claims. The jury found that the Company’s current product offerings do not infringe any Apple patents. The jury found a discontinued version of the Masimo W1® watch infringed one design patent and a discontinued version of the Masimo W1® watch charger infringed a second design patent. The jury awarded Apple a total of $250. The Company’s patent, false advertising, and antitrust counterclaims will be tried at a later date. The Company intends to vigorously pursue all of its claims against Apple and believes the Company has good and substantial defenses to Apple’s claims, but there is no guarantee that the Company will be successful in these efforts.
On August 22, 2023, a putative class action complaint was filed by Sergio Vazquez against the Company and members of its management alleging violations of the federal securities laws (Securities Class Action). On November 14, 2023, the Court appointed Boston Retirement System, Central Pennsylvania Teamsters Pension Fund-Defined Benefit Plan, and Central Pennsylvania Teamsters Pension Fund-Retirement Income Plan 1987 as lead plaintiffs. The lead plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on February 12, 2024. The amended complaint alleges that the Company and members of its management, from May 4, 2022 through August 8, 2023, disseminated materially false and misleading statements and/or concealed material adverse facts relating to the performance of its healthcare business and the success of the Company’s legacy Sound United business. The Company moved to dismiss the amended complaint on April 29, 2024. On November 5, 2024, the Court granted the motion in part, allowing the surviving claims to proceed to discovery. The parties engaged in a mediation on May 28, 2025. On July 11, 2025, the parties informed the Court that they have reached a settlement in principle. Plaintiffs have informed the Court that they intend to file their motion for preliminary approval of the proposed class settlement on or before August 14, 2025.
On May 1, 2024, a purported stockholder of the Company, Linda McClellan, filed a derivative action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California against certain of the Company’s current and former executives and directors, and the Company as nominal defendant. The complaint alleges, among other things, that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties owed to the Company by allowing or permitting false or misleading statements to be disseminated regarding the performance of the Company’s healthcare business and the success of the Company’s legacy Sound United business. The complaint also asserts causes of action for violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (15 U.S.C.§ 78j(b)) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, and waste of corporate assets.
On May 16, 2024, a purported stockholder of the Company, Dianne Himmelberger, filed a similar derivative action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California (collectively, Derivative Actions). On July 22, 2024, the Court consolidated the Derivative Actions and stayed them until the motion to dismiss the Securities Class Action has been (i) denied in whole or in part, and no amended complaint is subsequently filed; or (ii) granted with prejudice, and any appeals pertaining to the motion to dismiss have concluded, or the time for seeking appellate review has passed with no further action from the Securities Class Action parties. On March 14, 2025, the Court lifted the stay. On May 16, 2025, Plaintiffs filed an Amended Compliant and on July 11, 2025, the Court entered an order for Defendants to respond to the Amended Complaint by September 16, 2025.
In addition to the Derivative Actions, the Company has received two shareholder requests under Delaware law demanding, among other things, that the Company take certain actions in response to alleged breaches of fiduciary duty relating to the same matters at issue in the Securities Class Action and the Derivative Actions. One of the shareholder demands was subsequently withdrawn. The Company’s board of directors has formed a review committee, consisting of Mr. Jellison and Ms. Lane, to consider and assess the remaining demand.
In August 2023, the Company decided to conduct a voluntary recall of select Rad-G® products in connection with an issue that could result in an unintentional change in the power state of the device. On February 14, 2024, the Company initiated a voluntary recall. On February 21, 2024, the Company received a subpoena from the Department of Justice (DOJ) seeking documents and information related to the Company’s Rad-G® and Rad-97® products, including information relating to complaints surrounding the products and the Company’s decision to recall the Rad-G®. On March 25, 2024, the Company received a civil investigative demand from the DOJ pursuant to the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C §§ 3729-3733, seeking documents and information related to customer returns of the Company’s Rad-G® and Rad-97® products, including returns related to the Company’s recall of select Rad-G® products in 2024. The Company is investigating the reasons for the delay between August 2023 and February 2024 when the recall was initiated. The Company is cooperating with the government and may expend significant financial and managerial resources in connection with responding to the subpoena and any related investigation or any other future requests for information.
The Company received a subpoena from the Securities and Exchange Commission dated March 26, 2024 seeking documents and information relating to allegations of potential accounting irregularities and internal control deficiencies from former employees within the Company’s accounting department.
With respect to each of the subpoenas and the investigative demand described above, the Company is cooperating with the government and may expend significant financial and managerial resources in connection with responding to the subpoenas and investigative demand and any related investigation or any other future request for information. In addition, requests and investigation of this nature may lead to the assertion of claims or the commencement of legal proceedings against the Company, which in turn may lead to material fines, penalties or other liabilities.
On September 19, 2024, at the Company’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the Company’s stockholder voted not to reelect Mr. Kiani to the Board. On September 19, 2024, after the conclusion of the Company’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, Mr. Kiani delivered a notification to the Board stating his decision to resign from his position of CEO of the Company (the September 19 Notice). On September 23, 2024, Mr. Kiani delivered a notification to the Board further describing his decision to resign (the September 23 Notice), and, on September 25, 2024, Mr. Kiani delivered an amended notification to the Board stating his decision to resign (the September 25 Notice, and, together with the September 19 Notice and the September 23 Notice, the Notice).
The Notice further states that Mr. Kiani’s resignation is for “Good Reason” (as such term is defined in Mr. Kiani’s Amended Employment Agreement) and that the basis for his resignation for Good Reason was the diminution of his “responsibilities, duties and authority as the Chairman of the Board and CEO” as defined in Sections 2 and 7.4 of his Amended Employment Agreement.
Additionally, on September 19, 2024, Mr. Kiani filed a claim in California Superior Court relating to his Amended Employment Agreement seeking, among other things, a declaration that he had validly terminated his employment for “Good Reason”, and that he was entitled to certain benefits provided in the Amended Employment Agreement upon a termination for Good Reason, including the Special Payment. On October 31, 2024, Mr. Kiani filed an amended complaint, bringing additional claims for, among other things, breach of contract and violations of the California Labor Code.
On February 28, 2025, Mr. Kiani notified the Company and the Board that he intends to file claims against them under the California Private Attorney General Act based on the Company’s alleged failure to pay Mr. Kiani certain wages upon termination in purported violation of his Amended Employment Agreement, seeking damages in excess of $100 million. Mr. Kiani has since moved for leave to file an amended complaint to assert his Private Attorneys General Act claims against the Company, as well as additional breach of contract claims, claims under Section 216 of the Labor Code, and claims under California’s Unfair Competition Law, Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200 et seq. On May 22, 2025, Mr. Kiani filed a second lawsuit in the Superior Court of Orange County, California against individual Board Members (Mr. Koffey, Ms. Brennan, Ms. Solomon, Mr. Jellison, Ms. Lane, and Mr. Scannell) asserting claims for violations of Cal. Labor Code §§ 203, 558.1 and Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17200 (Unfair Competition Law) arising from the Company’s alleged failure to timely pay him severance and certain wages purportedly owed under his Employment Agreement. The Orange County Superior Court deemed this case “related” to Mr. Kiani’s action against the Company and assigned the two cases to the same judge.
The Company is evaluating the claims, and believes it has good and substantial defenses to them, but there is no guarantee that the Company will be successful in these efforts.
Following an investigation by outside counsel, in which counsel collected and reviewed relevant documents, it was determined that the Company had grounds to terminate Mr. Kiani’s employment for cause. On October 24, 2024, the Board adopted resolutions to terminate Mr. Kiani’s employment for cause, effective October 24, 2024. The termination was not a Qualifying Termination (as defined in the Amended Employment Agreement). Consequently, the Company believes Mr. Kiani is not entitled to receive the Special Payment under the Amended Employment Agreement.
On October 24, 2024, the Company filed litigation against Mr. Kiani in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, seeking judicial declarations that numerous provisions in Mr. Kiani’s Amended Employment Agreement, including the Special Payment, are invalid, unenforceable, and amount to a waste of corporate assets and, therefore, that Mr. Kiani is not entitled to receive the Special Payment. On March 3, 2025, the Company filed an Amended Complaint, which alleges that Masimo’s directors at the time of the initial adoption of the Employment Agreement and subsequent amendments abdicated their fiduciary duties as a matter of Delaware law by approving the Amended Employment Agreement, which contained provisions intended to entrench Mr. Kiani in control of the Company indefinitely. On March 17, 2025, Mr. Kiani filed a motion to dismiss the Amended Complaint.
On October 25, 2024, the Company commenced litigation in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Mr. Kiani, Roderick Wong, Naveen Yalamanchi, RTW Investments, LP, RTW Investments GP, LLC, RTW Master Fund, Ltd., RTW Offshore Fund One, Ltd., RTW Onshore Fund One, LP, RTW Innovation Master Fund, Ltd., RTW Innovation Offshore Fund, Ltd., RTW Innovation Onshore Fund, LP, and RTW Fund Group GP, LLC, seeking disgorgement of short-swing profits pursuant to Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act (the RTW Litigation). The Company filed an amended complaint in the RTW Litigation on December 30, 2024. The defendants filed motions to dismiss the RTW Litigation on January 23, 2025. On April 3, 2025, the Court issued an order granting the defendant’s motion to transfer the RTW Litigation to the United States District Court for the Central District of California. In the RTW Litigation, the Company alleges that the defendants formed a stockholder group under Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act holding 10% or more of the Company’s common stock and engaged in short-swing trading between May and September 2024 as a part of an empty voting scheme to manipulate the vote in Mr. Kiani’s favor for the Company’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Company believes the total amount of RTW’s disgorgeable profits could be substantial.
On May 26, 2025, Willow Laboratories, a Nevada corporation (Willow) founded by Mr. Kiani and of which he currently serves as Executive Chairman, filed an arbitration demand against the Company alleging that the Company breached the Cross-Licensing Agreement described in Note 3, “Related Party Transactions”. Willow seeks money damages of at least $2.75 million, specific performance, and a declaration that Willow does not have any obligation to reimburse the Company for past royalty overpayments. The Company is evaluating the claims, and believes it has good and substantial defenses to them, as well as substantial counterclaims, but there is no guarantee that the Company will be successful in these efforts.
For each of the foregoing matters, the Company is unable to determine whether any loss ultimately will occur or to estimate the range of such loss; therefore, no amount of loss accrued by the Company in the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements. Gain contingencies, when applicable, are recognized upon being realized or realizable.
From time to time, the Company may be involved in other litigation and investigations relating to claims and matters arising out of its operations in the normal course of business. The Company believes that it currently is not a party to any other legal proceedings which, individually or in the aggregate, would have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.