SEC Company Response from APPLIED ENERGETICS, INC. (AERG, AERGP) (CIK 0000879911) (AERG) — Jan 30, 2009
APPLIED ENERGETICS, INC. (AERG, AERGP) (CIK 0000879911)
Date: Jan. 30, 2009 · CIK: 0000879911 · Accession: 0001144204-09-004304
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 001-1405
Referenced dates: January 23, 2009
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CORRESP
1
filename1.htm
Unassociated Document
Phone:
(212)
885-5442
Fax:
(212)
885-5442
Email:
bshiffman@blankrome.com
January
30, 2009
BY FEDEX AND
EDGAR
Jeffrey
Jaramillo, Esq.
Division
of Corporate Finance - Mail Stop 3561
United
States Securities and Exchange Commission
100 F
Street, N.E.
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Re:
Applied
Energetics, Inc.
Form
10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2007
Form
10-Q for the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2008
File No. 001-1405
Dear Sir
and Madam:
On behalf
of Applied Energetics, Inc. (“Company”), we hereby submit the following
responses to the Staff’s comment letter dated January 23, 2009.
Form 10-Q for the Period
ended September 30, 2008
Note 13. Subsequent
Events
1.
We
note your response to our prior comment 1, but continue to have concern
that your planned accounting treatment for the exchange of Series A
Convertible Preferred shares into the Company’s common shares may not
appropriate.
In
this regard, we note from your response that the planned business purpose
of the exchange transaction was to significantly reduce the Company’s
quarterly preferred dividend expense. We also note from you
response, that the conversion of Series A Preferred shares into common
shares by certain shareholders in November of 2008, resulted primarily
from discussions initiated by the Company in October 2008 with preferred
shareholders with the largest positions in the Company’s Series A
preferred tock and that other conversions which occurred resulted largely
from other preferred shareholders learning of these shareholders planned
conversions. We further note from your response that at the
time the Company negotiated these revised conversion terms, the Company
did not set a time period by which the agreements had to be executed to
complete the exchange transactions and the exchange offer was neither
fixed for a limited period of time nor open for an unlimited period of
time. We additionally note that based on the copies of the
exchange agreements provided in connection with your response, that all
exchange agreements with the Series A Preferred shareholders were executed
shortly after the negotiations were conducted with the Series A Preferred
shareholders in October of 2008 as they are all dated during the period
ranging from November 3, 2008 through November 10,
2008.
Jeffrey
Jaramillo, Esq.
January
30, 2009
Page
2
Since
all of the exchange transactions were executed within a very short period
of time after the negotiations were conducted with the Series A Preferred
shareholders in October of 2008, it would appear that the exchange offer
was open for an completed within a very limited period. Also,
we note from your response that “the offer was neither fixed for a limited
period of time nor open for an unlimited period of time”, which would
appear to indicate that your intent was restrictive in keeping this
preferred stock exchange offer open for only a finite or limited period of
time. In addition, we note that the revised conversion terms of
the Series A Preferred shares appear to be significantly more favorable
that the original conversion terms were negotiated in order to induce the
Series A Preferred shareholders to convert their preferred shares into
common shares. Furthermore, your planned business purpose in
reducing the quarterly dividend requirements is a factor in inducing
conversion of this security.
Given
the above factors, it appears that your proposed accounting treatment of
recording a gain or benefit on the redemption of the Series A Preferred
shares and a corresponding benefit to arrive at net income (loss)
available to common shareholders may be inconsistent with the nature of
the exchange transaction. Based on the above, we continue to
believe that this transaction may be more appropriately accounted for
pursuant to the guidance in SFAS No. 84. In this regard, we
suggest you carefully consider our concerns in assessing your accounting
treatment for the preferred stock exchange transactions. Please
note that we do not believe that because the exchange transactions were
individually negotiated transactions with the Series A Preferred
shareholders, as noted in your response, provides a basis or rationale for
not accounting for the exchange transactions in accordance with the
guidance in SFAS No. 84. Please revise or advise
accordingly.
The Company has reassessed its intended
accounting treatment for the exchange of preferred stock and will account for
the exchange in accordance with SFAS No. 84. Accordingly, the Company
will record the excess of the fair value of the common stock issued in the
exchange over the fair value of the common stock issuable upon conversion of the
preferred stock pursuant to the original terms of the preferred stock as a
dividend and a charge to retained earnings, which will be added to net loss to
arrive at net loss available to common stockholders in the calculation of net
loss per share.
Copies of
the exchange agreements are attached.
We thank
you in advance for your assistance. If you have any questions, please do not
hesitate to contact me.
Very
truly yours,
/s/ Brad
L. Shiffman
Brad L.
Shiffman