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8-K - 8-K - Equity Commonwealtha14-6421_288k.htm
EX-99.2 - EX-99.2 - Equity Commonwealtha14-6421_28ex99d2.htm
EX-99.5 - EX-99.5 - Equity Commonwealtha14-6421_28ex99d5.htm
EX-99.1 - EX-99.1 - Equity Commonwealtha14-6421_28ex99d1.htm
EX-99.4 - EX-99.4 - Equity Commonwealtha14-6421_28ex99d4.htm

Exhibit 99.3

 

GRAPHIC

 

March 21, 2014

 

Mr. Jeff  T. Blau

Related Fund Management, LLC

60 Columbus Circle

New York, NY  10023

 

Mr. Keith Meister

Corvex Management LP

712 Fifth Avenue, 23rd Floor

New York, NY10019

 

Dear Messrs. Blau and Meister :

 

The Trustees have received and reviewed your letter of March 19 and asked me to provide you with this response. Your letter reiterates your prior proposal that, subsequent to your delivery of the removal consents, the Board appoint your slate, which proposal the Board previously considered at a March 18 Board meeting and determined problematic for the reasons communicated to you immediately following that meeting.

 

The Board shares your concern about the ramifications for CWH shareholders of the removal of the entire Board and has been very public about that concern and the possible ramifications. When it became clear to the Board that you would more than likely receive the requisite support for your written consent proposal and in advance of your delivery of the consents, the Independent Trustees offered a compromise proposal which would have mitigated any resulting harm to CWH shareholders and facilitated an orderly transition. Specifically, the Independent Trustees offered that a limited number of the current Independent Trustees would remain in office until the currently scheduled Annual Meeting on June 13. At the time of the Annual Meeting, the remaining Trustees would resign and a new board would be elected by shareholders.  The compromise of allowing a subset of the existing Board to remain in place would have, the Board believes, enabled us to make a strong argument to avoid debt defaults and avoid triggering dilutive equity conversions, among other adverse consequences to CWH. This compromise may also have resulted in an election of a new Board at about the same time or even before a special meeting to elect replacement trustees might occur in accordance with the requirements of CWH’s Declaration of Trust and the Arbitration Panel’s order.

 

GRAPHIC

 



 

March 21, 2014

Page Two

 

By contrast, the proposal you made following delivery of the consents appears problematic. The written consents you have delivered plainly provide for the removal of all of the current Board and any new Trustees who may be appointed by the current Board.  It is therefore entirely unclear that any Trustee appointed by the existing Board could remain in office following certification of the vote.  In addition, the Board takes seriously the caution to the Board in your letter delivering the consents that the Board limit its activities to the ordinary course until a new Board is installed.  The actions you propose contradict this caution as the appointment of new Board members would be outside the scope of ordinary course activities. Further, the appointment of the entire Related/Corvex slate, or a subset of that slate, may not result in a continuing Board or avoid debt defaults or other adverse impacts.  In addition, the Trustees have expressed serious reservations about appointing members of the Related/Corvex slate because, for the reasons articulated during the solicitation process, the announced business plan of the Related/Corvex slate is contrary to the best interests of CWH in the CWH Board’s business judgment.

 

The Board remains available to consider any appropriate actions to avoid adverse consequences to CWH and its shareholders as a result of your actions.  Accordingly, the Board asks that you share with us any plan you have to reestablish a continuing board now that you have delivered the consents.  Assuming the Board can be comfortable there is a path to do so, the Board suggests you reconsider the compromise proposal which was presented by the Independent Trustees to both Blackrock and Vanguard and, we understand, previously rejected by you, as outlined above.

 

RMR has confirmed to the Board that it plans to continue to conduct the business of the Company to the maximum extent practicable until a new Board can be elected in accordance with the Company’s Declaration of Trust and the Arbitration Panel’s order.

 

 

 

Very truly yours,

 

 

 

/s/ Jennifer B. Clark

 

Jennifer B. Clark

 

Secretary

 

cc:  CommonWealth REIT Board of Trustees