Securities Registration: Employee Benefit Plan (s-8)

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 25, 2021

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Piedmont Lithium Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)

00-00000000

(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

32N Main Street Suite 100

Belmont, North Carolina

(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Zip Code)

Piedmont Lithium Inc. Stock Incentive Plan

(Full title of the plan)

Keith Phillips

President and Chief Executive Officer

Piedmont Lithium Inc.

32N Main Street Suite 100

Belmont, North Carolina

(704) 461-8000

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer	☐	Accelerated filer	☐

Non-accelerated filer	☑	Smaller reporting company	☑

		Emerging growth company	☑

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered (1)	Amount to be Registered (1)	Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Share (2)	Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price (2)	Amount of Registration Fee (2)
Common Stock, $0.0001 par value	3,000,000	$61.23	$183,690,000	$20,040.58

(1)

Pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (this “Registration Statement”) also shall cover any additional of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”) of Piedmont Lithium Inc. (the “Registrant”) in respect of the securities identified in the above table as a result of any stock dividend, stock split, recapitalization or other similar transaction, and any other securities with respect to which the outstanding shares are converted or exchanged.

(2)

Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(c) and Rule 457(h) under the Securities Act based upon the average of the high and low prices of a share of Common Stock reported on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC on May 19, 2021.

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

Item 1. Plan Information.

The documents containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8 will be delivered to employees as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) of the Securities Act. In accordance with the instructions of Part I of Form S-8, such documents are not being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) either as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act. Such documents and the documents incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II of Form S-8, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.

The following documents, which have previously been filed by the Registrant with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act and pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are incorporated by reference herein and shall be deemed to be a part hereof:

(a)

the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020 filed with the Commission on October 13, 2020;

(b)

the Registrant’s Current Reports on Form 6-K filed with the Commission on March 16, 2021, March 18, 2021 and March 19, 2021;

(c)

the Registrant’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on May 18, 2021 and May 21, 2021 and Form 8-K12B filed with the Commission on May 18, 2021; and

(d)

the Description of Securities filed as Exhibit 99.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K12B filed with the Commission on May 18, 2021, together with any amendment or report filed with the Commission for the purpose of updating such description.

In addition, all documents subsequently filed by the Registrant with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement which indicate that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregister all securities remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless specifically stated to the contrary, none of the information that the Registrant discloses under Items 2.02 or 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K that it may from time to time furnish to the Commission will be incorporated by reference into, or otherwise included in, this Registration Statement.

Any statement, including financial statements, contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or therein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Not applicable.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

The Registrant’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, provides for the elimination of personal monetary liability of directors to the fullest extent permissible under Delaware law. Delaware law does not permit the elimination or limitation of director monetary liability for: (i) breaches of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation and its stockholders; (ii) acts or omissions not in good faith or involving intentional misconduct or knowing violations of law; (iii) the payment of unlawful dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions or (iv) transactions in which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

Section 145(b) of the DGCL provides that a Delaware corporation may indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that such person acted in any of the capacities set forth above, against expenses (including attorney fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation, unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the court shall deem proper.

Further subsections of DGCL Section 145 provide that:

(1)

to the extent a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 145 or in the defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith;

(2)

the indemnification and advancement of expenses provided for pursuant to Section 145 shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise; and

(3)

the corporation shall have the power to purchase and maintain insurance of behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under Section 145.

As used in this Item 6, the term “proceeding” means any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, alternative dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, inquiry, judicial, administrative or legislative hearing, whether or not by or in the right of the Registrant, and whether civil, criminal, administrative, legislative, investigative or otherwise.

Section 145 of the DGCL makes provision for the indemnification of officers and directors in terms sufficiently broad to indemnify officers and directors of the Registrant under certain circumstances from liabilities (including reimbursement for expenses incurred) arising under the Securities Act.

The Registrant’s Amended and Restated Bylaws authorizes the Registrant to indemnify the Registrant’s directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law.

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.

Exhibit No.		Exhibit Description

4.1		Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K12B filed with the Commission on May 18, 2021).

4.2		Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K12B filed with the Commission on May 18, 2021).

5.1*		Opinion of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

23.1*		Consent of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).

23.2*		Consent of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, independent registered public accounting firm.

24.1*		Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this Registration Statement).

99.1		Piedmont Lithium Inc. Stock Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on May 18, 2021).

* Filed herewith.

Item 9. Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

(1)

To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

(i)

To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii)

To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement; and

(iii)

To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement.

(2)

That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3)

To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(b)

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(h)

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Belmont, State of North Carolina, on the 25th day of May, 2021.

	Piedmont Lithium Inc.

	By:	/s/ Keith Phillips
	Name:	Keith Phillips
	Title:	President and Chief Executive Officer

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Keith Phillips and Michael White, and each of them, the individual’s true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments, including post-effective amendments, to this Registration Statement, and any registration statement relating to the offering covered by this Registration Statement and filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents or their substitute or substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on the 25th day of May, 2021.

Name	Title	Date

/s/ Keith Phillips	President and Chief Executive Officer, Director (Principal Executive Officer)	May 25, 2021
Keith Phillips

/s/ Michael White	Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)	May 25, 2021
Michael White

/s/ Anastasios Arima	Director	May 25, 2021
Anastasios Arima

/s/ Jeffrey Armstrong	Director	May 25, 2021
Jeffrey Armstrong

/s/ Levi Mochkin	Director	May 25, 2021
Levi Mochkin

/s/ Jorge Beristain	Director	May 25, 2021
Jorge Beristain

/s/ Todd Hannigan	Director	May 25, 2021
Todd Hannigan