HEALTHDYNE TECHNOLOGIES INC
8-K, 1997-11-03
SURGICAL & MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS & APPARATUS
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                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)               October 31, 1997
                                                               ----------------


                          HEALTHDYNE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

    Georgia                       0-21776                       52-1756497
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(State or other                 (Commission                    (IRS Employer
jurisdiction of                 File Number)                Identification No.)
incorporation)

         1255 Kennestone Circle, Marietta, Georgia                        30066
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         (Address of principal executive offices)                    (Zip Code)


Registrant's telephone number, including area code   (770) 499-1212
                                                     -----------------------


                                 Not Applicable
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)


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ITEM 5.  Other Events.

     On July 22, 1997, the Board of Directors of Healthdyne Technologies,  Inc.
(the "Company")  approved the form of an amendment (as  hereinafter  described,
the  "Amendment"),  to be dated as of October 31, 1997 to the Rights  Agreement
dated as of May 22,  1995 (as  amended,  the  "Rights  Agreement")  between the
Company and SunTrust Bank,  Atlanta, as Rights Agent. The Amendment adds to the
Rights Agreement a shareholder  referendum provision which permits a bidder, if
it satisfies certain  conditions,  to call a special meeting of shareholders to
vote  on  a  binding  resolution  to  redeem  the  Rights.  The  Amendment  was
conditioned upon the re-election of the Company's current Board of Directors at
the 1997 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which was held on July 30, 1997.

     A copy of the Amendment is filed as an exhibit to this Form 8-K.

ITEM 7.  Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits.

    (c)  Exhibits.

         4    -- Amendment dated as of October 31, 1997 to Rights Agreement


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                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended,  the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                            HEALTHDYNE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.   
                                                                               
                                            Registrant                         
                                                                               
                                            By: /s/ M. Wayne Boylston          
                                                -------------------------------
                                                Name:    M. Wayne Boylston     
                                                Title:   Vice President-Finance
                                                                               
Dated:   October 31, 1997                   

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                                                                      EXHIBIT 4




                        AMENDMENT TO RIGHTS AGREEMENT

                AMENDMENT, dated as of October 31, 1997, to the Rights
Agreement, dated as of May 22, 1995 (the "Rights Agreement"), between
Healthdyne Technologies, Inc., a Georgia corporation (the "Company"), and
SunTrust Bank, Atlanta, a Georgia banking corporation, as Rights Agent (the
"Rights Agent").

                WHEREAS, the Company and the Rights Agent entered into the
Rights Agreement specifying the terms of the Rights (as defined therein);

                WHEREAS, the Company and the Rights Agent desire to amend the
Rights Agreement in accordance with Section 26 of the Rights Agreement;

                WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company has voted in
favor of this Amendment at a meeting of directors duly called and held;

                WHEREAS, there are Continuing Directors (as defined in the
Rights Agreement) serving on the Board of Directors of the Company and a
majority of the Continuing Directors have voted in favor of this Amendment at a
meeting of directors duly called and held;

                NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual
agreements set forth in the Rights Agree-


<PAGE>   2


ment and this Amendment, the parties hereby agree as follows:

                1.      Section 1 of the Rights Agreement is amended to add the
following new subsection (o) at the end thereof:

                        "(o)    "Offer" shall mean a written proposal delivered
                to the Company by any Person who both beneficially owns 5% or
                less of the outstanding shares of Common Stock as of the date
                such proposal is delivered to the Company and who has not
                within one year prior to the delivery of such written proposal
                (x) beneficially owned in excess of 5% of the outstanding
                shares of Common Stock and (y) (at any time when such Person
                beneficially owned such 5% stake) disclosed, or caused the
                disclosure of, any intention which relates to or would result
                in the acquisition of influence or control of the Company (such
                Person being referred to as an "Offeror"), and which proposal:

                (i)  provides for the acquisition of all of the outstanding
                shares of Common Stock held by any Person other than the
                Offeror and its Affiliates for cash at the same price   and at
                a price which is at least 15% higher than the "current market
                price" per share of Common Stock on the day immediately
                preceding the date on which the Offeror's proposal is delivered
                to the Company (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d)(i)
                hereof for the purposes of computations made pursuant to
                Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, but utilizing the ten (10)
                consecutive Trading Days immediately preceding the date on 
                which the Offeror's proposal is delivered to the Company); 

                (ii)  states that the Offeror has obtained written      
                financing commitments from recognized financing sources, and/or
                has on hand cash or cash equivalents, for the full amount of
                all financing necessary to consummate the Offer (including
                amounts necessary to refinance any 


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                indebtedness of the Company or its subsidiaries which will
                become due upon consummation of the Offer); and

                (iii)  requests the Company to call a special meeting of the
                holders of Common Stock for the purpose of voting on a
                resolution requiring the Board of Directors to redeem the
                Rights and contains a written agreement of the Offeror to pay
                the Company's costs of such special meeting (inclusive of the
                Company's costs of preparing and mailing proxy material for its
                own solicitation but exclusive of the fees and expenses of the
                Company's own financial and legal advisors, and proxy
                solicitor)."

                2.      Section 23 of the Rights Agreement is amended to delete
existing subsection (c) and add the following new subsections (c) and (d) at
the end of such Section:


                "(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement,     
                the Rights may be redeemed without the approval of the Board of
                Directors or the Continuing Directors as follows:

                (i)  In the event the Company receives an Offer from any
                Offeror, the Board of Directors of the Company shall call a
                special meeting of stockholders (the "Special Meeting") for the
                purpose of voting on a resolution requesting the Board of
                Directors to redeem the Rights (the "Resolution").  The Special
                Meeting shall be held on a date selected by the Board of
                Directors, which date shall be not less than 90 and not more
                than 120 days after the later of (A) the date such Offer is
                received by the Company (the "Offer Date") and (B) the date of
                any meeting of stockholders already scheduled as of the Offer
                Date; provided, however, that if (x) such other meeting shall
                have been called for the purpose of voting on a resolution with
                respect to another Offer and (y) the Offer Date shall 


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                be not later than fifteen days after the date such other Offer
                was received by the Company, then both the Resolution and such
                other resolution shall be voted on at such meeting and such
                meeting shall be deemed to be the Special Meeting.  The Board
                of Directors shall set a date for determining the stockholders
                of record entitled to notice of and to vote at the Special
                Meeting in accordance with the Company's Articles of
                Incorporation and By-laws and with applicable law.  At the
                Offeror's request, the Company shall include in any proxy
                soliciting material prepared by it in connection with the
                Special Meeting proxy soliciting material submitted by the
                Offeror; provided, however, that the Offeror shall by written
                agreement with the Company contained in or delivered with such
                request have indemnified the Company against any and all
                liabilities resulting from any misstatements, misleading
                statements and omissions contained in the Offeror's proxy
                soliciting material.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Special
                Meeting shall be held from and after such time as any Person
                becomes an Acquiring Person, and any Special Meeting scheduled
                prior to such time and not theretofore held shall be cancelled.

                (ii)  If at the Special Meeting the Resolution receives the
                affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of Common Stock
                outstanding as of the record date of the Special Meeting, then
                all of the Rights shall be redeemed by such stockholder
                action at the Redemption Price, effective immediately prior to
                the consummation of any tender offer (provided that such tender
                offer is consummated prior to 60 days after the date of the
                Special Meeting) pursuant to which any Person offers to
                purchase all of the shares of Common Stock held by Persons
                other than such Person and its Affiliates at a price per share
                in cash equal to or greater than the price contained in the
                Resolution approved at the Special Meeting; provided, however,
                that the Rights shall not be redeemed at any time from and
                after such time as any Person becomes an 


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                Acquiring Person.

                (iii)  Nothing contained in this subsection (c) shall be deemed
                to be in derogation of the obligation of the Board of Directors
                of the Company to exercise its fiduciary duty.  Without
                limiting the foregoing, nothing contained herein shall be       
                construed to suggest or imply that the Board of Directors shall
                not be entitled to reject any Offer, or to recommend that
                holders of shares of Common Stock reject any tender offer, or
                to take any other action (including, without limitation, the
                commencement, prosecution, defense or settlement of any
                litigation and the submission of additional or alternative
                Offers or other proposals to the Special Meeting) with respect
                to any Offer or any tender offer that the Board of Directors
                believes is necessary or appropriate in the exercise of its
                fiduciary duty.

                (iv)  Nothing in this subsection (c) shall be construed as
                limiting or prohibiting the Company or any Offeror from
                proposing or engaging, at any time, in any acquisition,
                disposition or other transfer of any securities of the Company,
                any merger or consolidation involving the Company, any sale or
                other transfer of assets of the Company, any liquidation,       
                dissolution or winding-up of the Company, or any other business
                combination or other transaction, or any other action by the
                Company or such Offeror; provided, however, that the holders of
                Rights shall have the rights set forth in this Agreement with
                respect to any such acquisition, disposition, transfer, merger,
                consolidation, sale, liquidation, dissolution, winding-up,
                business combination, transaction or action.

        (d)     Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the
        Company ordering the redemption of the Rights, or upon effectiveness of
        the redemption of the Rights pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section
        23, evidence of which shall have been filed with the Rights Agent and
        without any further action and without any notice, the right to
        exercise the 

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        Rights will terminate and the only right thereafter of the holders of
        Rights shall be to receive the Redemption Price for each Right so held. 
        Promptly after the action of the Board of Directors ordering the
        redemption of the Rights, or promptly following the redemption of the
        Rights pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section 23, the Company
        shall give notice of such redemption to the Rights Agent and the
        holders of the then outstanding Rights by mailing such notice to all
        such holders at each holder's last address as it appears upon the
        registry books of the Rights Agent or, prior to the Distribution Date,
        on the registry books of the Transfer Agent for the Common Stock.  Any
        notice which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed
        given, whether or not the holder receives the notice.  Each such notice
        of redemption will state the method by which the payment of the
        Redemption Price will be made."

                3.      The term "Agreement" as used in the Rights Agreement
shall be deemed to refer to the Rights Agreement as amended hereby.

                4.      The foregoing amendment shall be effective as of the
date hereof and, except as set forth herein, the Rights Agreement shall remain
in full force and effect and shall be otherwise unaffected hereby.

                5.      This Amendment may be executed in two or more
counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which
together shall constitute one and the same instrument.


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                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this
Amendment to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.

                                HEALTHDYNE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.


                                By: /s/ M. Wayne Boylston
                                    ----------------------------
                                    Name: M. Wayne Boylston
                                    Title:Vice President-Finance



                                SUNTRUST BANK, ATLANTA


                                By: /s/ Letitia A. Radford     
                                    ----------------------------
                                    Name: Letitia A. Radford
                                    Title:Vice President                




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