Cleveland Cliffs Inc. (NYSE: CLF) is fighting an activist hedge fund and seeking support from... shareholders? Harbinger Capital is currently the company's largest shareholder with a 15.57% stake, but it is seeking to increase its stake to as much as 33.33%. The move could damage the firm's plan to purchase Alpha Natural Resources for $8.1 billion, which Harbinger has ademantly opposed for quite some time. With a 2/3 majority required to approve the buyout, a 1/3 stake by Harbinger could be problem.

Recently, Harbinger requested that Cleveland Cliffs hold a shareholder value, required under Ohio law, that would allow the hedge fund to increase its stake to between 20% and 33.33%. The vote is scheduled for this Friday and may lead to the rejection of the $8.1 billion buyout bid. As a result, Cleveland Cliffs has been reaching out to shareholders in an effort to derail the attempt to gain approval - a move that is quite atypical for activist situations.

Today, Cleveland Cliffs came one step closer to buying out the firm by gaining anti-trust approval by the Federal Trade Commission. However, the vote on the proposed buyout is scheduled for October 3rd, giving Harbinger another month to build and prepare its stake to oppose the merger that it sees as a bad move for the company. So far, few other large shareholders have voiced their opinions on the merger, which makes it a situation certainly worth watching.