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Masimo Strikes Back: Judge Finds Politan & Koffey in Contempt of Court

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Masimo CEO Joe Kiani

Will Politan Snatch Defeat from the Jaws of Victory?

Last Friday, just hours after I reported to you on what appeared to be a significant “win” for Politan Capital Management L.P. et. al. in its proxy battle with Masimo Corporation, a new ruling is handed down from U.S. District Court Judge James V. Selna in which he holds Politan and its Chief Investment Officer Quentin Koffey in Contempt of Court based on a Masimo Ex Parte motion. Judge Selna’s ruling showed some real anger at Koffey and Politan and he has scheduled a new hearing on the sanctions to be administered in the matter, although at this moment, Masimo’s Annual Stockholders Meeting is scheduled to go ahead with its proxy vote this Thursday.

See the latest on this continuing heated battle

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BREAKING NEWS: Politan Wins…Court Denies Masimo Request for Preliminary Injunction

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Politan CIO Quentin Koffey

Politan Candidates & Proxy Vote Goes Forward Next Week; Masimo Demands a ‘Contempt’ Order

Late on Thursday, Politan announced that Judge James V. Selna of the U.S. District Court, Central District of California has denied Masimo’s request for a preliminary injunction in the matter of Masimo Corporation v. Politan Capital Management et.al. that sought to block Politan’s nominees for the Masimo Board of Directors. This is a big win for Quentin Koffey and Politan as it means that despite Masimo’s effort to disqualify its candidates, they remain eligible to run for the open Board positions and that the vote by investors can continue as planned at the Masimo 2024 Annual Stockholders Meeting, scheduled less than a week away, on Thursday, September 19, 2024.

Learn more about this big news in Masimo v. Politan

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It’s Getting Manic at Masimo vs Politan as Dueling Proxy Materials Sling Sludge & Lawsuits

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Masimo graphic

I’m thinking of pitching Bravo Network on my idea for a new reality TV show called something like …Masimo Manic Mysteries…or Politan Proxy Obsessions… What do you think? I’ve got tons of material to pull from. I’ve followed many proxy battles over the years, but this one definitely wins the prize as the most personal and brutal battle I’ve seen. In the first twelve days of September, there has been no fewer than seventeen new proxy revisions, investor letters, and proxy-related press releases (four separate filings just today!) filed and mailed to investors. Investor’s heads must be spinning…I know mine is!

And of course, as the 2024 Annual Stockholders Meeting approaches – only one week away – the drama continues to ramp up as management continues to dig in to save their jobs while investors keep shoring up more votes. It’s getting really ugly.

See all the latest on the Masimo and Politan proxy battle

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A Huge Merger of Major Specialty Distributors; WAVE Elects. Acquires KOA Elects.

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WAVE CEO Mark Fukuda & KOA CEO Anton Tomassian
Mark Fukuda (L) CEO of WAVE Electronics and Anton Tomassian CEO of KOA Electronics Distribution

BREAKING NEWS

Houston, TX-based WAVE Electronics, one of the nation’s largest independent distributors for the custom integration industry, announced today that it has acquired KOA Electronics Distribution, itself a leading CI distributor based in Panorama City, CA. This merger creates a mega-distribution business spanning multiple locations in multiple states.

Learn more about this WAVE & KOA acquisition

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On Eve of CEDIA Expo 2024, Oasys Announces Partnership with Sonos

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Sonos booth at the 2022 CEDIa Expo

Oasys Residential Technology Group, a division of Nationwide Marketing Group, announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with Sonos, a leading wireless audio brand popular with consumers. The announcement comes on the eve of today’s opening of CEDIA Expo 2024, taking place in Denver, CO from September 5-7, 2024.

Oasys group managers say that this is a significant deal with “a massive brand.”

See more on Oasys partnering with Sonos

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Voxx Jettisons Jamo & Energy Brands as It Tries to Stop the Bleeding

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Jamo founders in 1968; Jamo is part of Klipsch which is part of Voxx International
Jamo founders Preben Jacobsen and Julius Mortensen in 1968

Will Voxx International Itself Be Sold? It Says It’s Exploring *All* Options

Premium Audio Company (PAC), a division of Voxx International Corporation (Nasdaq: VOXX), announced today that Voxx has sold off both the Jamo and Energy brands as part of its plan to divest multiple brands in an effort to stave off its financial decline and revitalize its profits. The brands were sold to a Chinese manufacturing company and a Chinese distributor. Oddly, this announcement was retroactive, as the transaction was said to have taken place on August 15, 2024. No reason was given for why this announcement of the transaction was withheld until now.

See more on Voxx selling off underperforming brands

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Samsung Employees Return to Work as Union Ends Strike with No Concessions

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Samsung employees in NSEU union
[PHOTO: Tina Hsu for The New York Times]

Earlier this month the National Samsung Employees Union (NSEU) opted to end its strike, even though it won no concessions from the company. The strike was the first ever union-directed work-stoppage action in Samsung’s history and threatened to impact critical production schedules at one of the world’s largest consumer electronics companies.

See why Samsung union employees went back to work with no deal

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Sonos App Disaster Spoils Launch of Ace & Better Results for Q3 of Fiscal 2024

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Last week, Sonos, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONO) announced the results for its third quarter of Fiscal Year 2024. CEO Patrick Spence must feel like the tech company can’t catch a break. The company successfully launched its first headphone product, Sonos Ace, to much fanfare in June – the load-in of which helped to drive better-than-expected results for the 3rd quarter of Fiscal 2024. And yet the company’s launch of its newest totally “re-architected” app turned into an unmitigated disaster – infuriating dealers and consumers alike and spoiling all of the positive momentum from Ace and the improved quarter.

What’s worse, the company warns financial analysts that the app disaster will likely continue, causing the company to push back the launch of two new products planned for the 4th quarter and to downwardly revise sales and profit forecasts for the next quarter and the full fiscal year. The ugliness, according to the company, will likely continue into the 1st quarter of Fiscal 2025. Ouch!

See more on the Sonos Q3 results, and the ongoing app disaster impact

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Integra DRX 3.4 Now Available at Adorama; Buyers Get 50% Off via Slickdeals

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Adorama page showing Integra DRX 3.4
This is the page you see when you browse directly to Adorama and find the Integra DRX 3.4 product page [Click to enlarge]

BREAKING NEWS

Strata-gee has learned that the popular Integra AVR model DRX 3.4 is now available at NY retail & online dealer Adorama. While Adorama was previously selling Onkyo- and Pioneer-branded models, the addition of this Integra unit appears to be an entirely new development. Not only that, but the consumer deal website Slickdeals has a special deal on the DRX 3.4, with a 50% discount, via a link to purchase at Adorama.

See what I’ve learned about Integra at Adorama

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Masimo Q2 Fiscal 2024 Results Show Healthcare Rebound, But Audio Declines Double-Digits

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Cover slide to Masimo earnings presentation

CEO Has a New Option for Offing Sound United

On Wednesday, Masimo Corporation (Nasdaq: MASI) reported its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2024 and the company’s Healthcare division showed solid signs of regaining traction as it continues to power out of the post-COVID doldrums of the last eighteen months to two years. Investors cheered the results by driving up shares of the company’s stock by more than 11%. However, the Non-Healthcare division (Sound United) continues to be troubled with revenues declining 13% in the quarter.

See more on the results for Masimo

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