UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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FORM 8-K

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CURRENT REPORT

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

Date of Report (Date of earliest event Reported): August 6, 2021

HARVARD BIOSCIENCE, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

84 October Hill Road, Holliston, MA 01746

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

(508) 893-8999

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2). 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 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

As previously disclosed in Harvard Bioscience, Inc.’s (the “Company”, “we,” “our,” and “us”) periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, on April 14, 2017, representatives for the estate of an individual plaintiff filed a wrongful death complaint with the Suffolk Superior Court, in the County of Suffolk, Massachusetts (the “Court”), against us and other defendants, including Biostage, Inc. (f/k/a Harvard Apparatus Regenerative Technology, Inc.), our former subsidiary that was spun off in 2013, as well as another third party. The complaint seeks payment for an unspecified amount of damages and alleges that the plaintiff sustained terminal injuries allegedly caused by products, including one synthetic trachea scaffold and two bioreactors, provided by certain of the named defendants and utilized in connection with surgeries performed by third parties in Europe in 2012 and 2013. We previously disclosed in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 that on August 3, 2021, the Court held a hearing on the defendants’ motion to vacate the sanctions entered against the defendants. On August 6, 2021, the Court issued a ruling in our favor, vacating the sanctions. This case will now proceed on the merits, which we will continue to oppose vigorously. While there can be no assurance that we will prevail, we continue to believe that the claims made in this lawsuit are without merit.

SIGNATURE

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