Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. 8-K

What Happened
Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. (AAWH) filed a Form 8‑K on Feb 13, 2026 disclosing that it entered a settlement agreement with Green Thumb Industries Inc. and TWD18, LLC to resolve an arbitration related to a June 2018 side letter. An arbitrator had issued an award in favor of Green Thumb totaling a net amount of approximately $19.7 million; under the settlement dated Feb 11, 2026 the parties agreed to a negotiated payment of $17.0 million. Ascend has paid the settlement amount and the award has been fully satisfied and extinguished.

Key Details

• Arbitrator’s net award to Green Thumb: approximately $19.7 million (previously disclosed).
• Settlement payment: $17.0 million, paid under a Feb 11, 2026 settlement agreement.
• Filing: Disclosure made in Ascend’s Form 8‑K filed Feb 13, 2026 (item 8.01 Other Events).
• Effect: The settlement resolves all claims from the arbitration; Ascend does not expect any material disruption to ongoing operations.

Why It Matters
This removes a legal overhang and potential larger cash liability by resolving the arbitration for a negotiated amount, which reduces uncertainty for investors. The $17.0M cash outflow is a tangible near‑term use of funds and may affect liquidity or cash metrics for the quarter in which it was recorded. Because the company says operations won’t be materially disrupted, the primary investor impacts are the cash payment and the elimination of the arbitration liability.