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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
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9 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended |
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Sep. 30, 2011
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Dec. 31, 2010
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| COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES |
10. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Litigation. On August 15, 2008,
a competitor, Exergen Corp., filed suit in the United States
District Court for the District of Massachusetts against Kidz-Med,
Inc., ASRI and Tecnimed, Srl for patent infringement with regard to
the Thermofocus thermometer. Under the Company’s
distribution agreement with Tecnimed, Tecnimed is obligated to
indemnify the Company against certain actions including this patent
infringement action. However, as part of the Settlement
Agreement discussed in Note 8 – Notes Payable, the Company
agreed to cover its own fees and expenses in connection with this
litigation and agreed to waive any claim for lost profits that may
arise within the indemnification provision. The case is
currently at the Markman Hearing stage. Tecnimed has
provided the Company with a legal opinion that the thermometer does
not violate the competitor’s patents. The Company
is unable to make an independent assessment of this patent
infringement action and is relying on Tecnimed’s defense of
this case. As the Company believes that Tecnimed is
capable and willing to defend the Company, and that the
Company’s defense costs if any will not be significant, no
provision for possible loss related to this litigation has been
included in these consolidated financial statements. In
March 2010, the competitor filed an additional complaint against
ASRI and Kidz-Med, Inc. in the United States District Court for the
District of Massachusetts, alleging that false advertising damaged
the competitor. The competitor is seeking to enjoin the
Company from future false advertising and to recover unspecified
monetary damages. Based on the advice of counsel, the
Company believes this case is without merit. The
District Court has granted the Company’s motion to dismiss
the complaint, however, Exergen has made a motion to reconsider
that order and the motion is pending.
On September 21, 2010, Tecnimed filed a complaint against the
Company and its Kids-Med subsidiary in U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York, alleging breach of a non-compete
agreement and infringement on the Thermofocus trademark and trade
dress. Further, the complaint alleges that the Company
is in default on the payment of $209,802 of principal and $88,867
of interest under the notes due Tecnimed. (Since the
initial filing of the complaint, a customer of the Company has paid
Tecnimed approximately $46,000, which the Company applied as a
reduction of principal. As of September 30, 2011, the
Company is carrying a principal balance due Tecnimed of $163,947
and accrued interest of $86,929.) The Company has
countersued Tecnimed for breach of the Settlement Agreement that
the parties had entered into in 2009. On January 18,
2011, the U.S. District Court for Southern New York granted
Tecnimed’s request for a preliminary injunction and ordered
the Company to stop selling the Vera Temp in the allegedly
infringing package and to recall the product in the contested
packaging from customers. On February 11, 2011, after
Tecnimed posted a $130,000 preliminary injunction bond with the
Court to compensate the Company in the event Tecnimed does not
prevail in this action, the Company sent recall notices out to its
customers. The Company also complied with this
injunction by changing its retail package to reflect the order of
the Court. For the nine months ended September 30, 2011,
the Company reversed previously recognized revenues from sales in
the allegedly infringing package in the amount of
$84,208. The Company now ships the thermometer to
customers in its new, Court-approved package. The
Company has incurred approximately $30,500 of direct costs
specifically related to the recall, including shipping and
repackaging costs. Of this amount, $5,500 was expensed
during the second quarter of 2011 and the remainder was expensed as
of December 31, 2010. In addition, the recall caused
lost sales which the Company would seek to recover from the
preliminary injunction bond should it prevail in the
case. The Company has appealed the District
Court’s preliminary injunction order to the United States
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. That appeal has
been fully briefed and a decision is expected in the first quarter
of 2012. The Company has acknowledged the outstanding
note and interest owed to Tecnimed, yet seeks to offset those
amounts by the damages caused by Tecnimed’s breach of the
Settlement Agreement. Tecnimed is seeking additional
damages caused by the Company’s use of the allegedly
infringing packaging. Based on advice of counsel, the
Company does not believe it has significant exposure because
Tecnimed had no material amount of sales in the United States at
the time. Finally, Tecnimed is alleging it is entitled
to recover its attorneys’ fees under the “exceptional
case” provisions of the Lanham Act. Based on the
advice of counsel, the Company believes that it is unlikely that
this case would be deemed an exceptional case.
The Company has, and may in the future, become a party to various
claims, complaints and legal actions arising in the ordinary course
of business. In the opinion of management, after
consulting with counsel, there are currently no additional legal
matters that would have a further material adverse effect on the
financial statements of the Company taken as whole as of September
30, 2011.
Employment agreements. In conjunction with
the Disintegrator acquisition (See Note 7
– Patent, Contingent Note Payable and Contingent
Compensation), the Company entered into a ten year employment
agreement with a former executive and majority owner of Safeguard
in addition to contingent compensation per the asset purchase
agreement. The employment agreement calls for a base
salary of $10,000 per month beginning upon the receipt of $500,000
of combined new capital and revenue, and $20,000 per month
beginning upon the receipt of $2,500,000 of combined new capital
and revenue. The $20,000 per month base salary began
accruing January 1, 2011. The employment agreement may
be terminated by the executive in the event of default with prior
notice, and by the Company for cause, or death or permanent
disability of the executive. During the nine months
ended September 30, 2011, the Company expensed $180,000 of base
salary related to this agreement. At September 30, 2011,
approximately
$50,000 of base salary was unpaid.
Effective April 5, 2007, the Company entered into an employment
agreement with our chief executive officer. This
agreement continues until (i) another chief executive officer is
appointed by a majority of our Board of Directors, (ii) either
party terminates in accordance with the provisions of the
agreement, or (iii) his death or permanent
disability. The agreement calls for a minimum salary of
$10,000 per month plus additional cash and stock compensation upon
the achievement of various milestones. The Company has
not made certain cash payments due under the
agreement. During the nine months ended September 30,
2011, the Company expensed $90,000 related to this
agreement. As of September 30, 2011, $380,000 has been
accrued as compensation payable. This employment
agreement also called for the issuance of 2,500 fully-vested,
restricted shares of the Company’s common stock upon
execution. As of September 30, 2011, the shares had not
been issued, however the Company has accrued $70,000 as an
obligation to issue shares based on the closing price on the date
of grant.
On March 1, 2010, the Company entered into a five year employment
agreement with an executive. The employment agreement calls for the
monthly award of restricted shares of our common stock equivalent
to $15,000 per month based on the average closing price for the
month plus a 2% cash bonus for sales collected through June 30,
2010. Beginning on the later of July 1, 2010, or date
the Company’s registration statement with the SEC becomes
effective, the executive shall be entitled to a base salary of
$12,000 per month, plus a 2% cash bonus for sales collected and a
2% common stock bonus for sales collected. The
Company’s registration statement with the SEC became
effective on January 14, 2011. The shares issuable for
the stock bonus shall be determined based on the five day average
closing price prior to the collection of the sale. The
agreement also calls for the reimbursement of expenses including
payment to the executive of up to $650 per month for office
space. During the nine months ended September 30, 2011,
the Company has
paid $108,000 in accordance with this
agreement.
Service agreements. Beginning January 1, 2010,
the Company and a marketing consultant entered into an amended
agreement, whereby the consultant is entitled to receive warrants
valued up to $1,987,500 based upon the execution of certain
licensing agreements and upon the achievement of certain collected
revenue targets. Upon achievement of the targets,
warrants equivalent to the first $200,000 shall be issued based on
the 30 day trailing weighted average price of the Company’s
common stock. The exercise price is to be determined as
50% of the 30 day trailing weighted average price. All
warrants are exercisable over 5 years from the date of
issuance. Upon achievement of subsequent targets,
beginning at $2,000,000 of revenues collected, warrants equivalent
of up to $1,787,500 shall be issued based on the 30 day trailing
weighted average price and an exercise price equal to the 30 day
trailing weighted average price. The Company will
account for warrants issuable when the targets are
met. In addition, the consultant is entitled to a cash
fee of $5,000 per month, plus reimbursement of out-of-pocket
expenses, for services rendered through the conclusion of the
agreement in August 2019. The fee is subject to
escalation upon the achievement of certain collected revenue
targets as a result of the consultant’s
efforts. For the year ended December 31, 2010, the
Company had incurred $131,903 for fees and expenses related to this
amended agreement and paid $72,424. In January 2011, the
Company and the consultant settled all amounts due through December
31, 2010, for the issuance of 12,000,000 shares of our common
stock, $15,000 in cash and $2,480 of expenses. The
shares were valued at $35,000 based on the value of unpaid services
in accordance with the agreement between the
parties. The 12,000,000 common shares (equivalent to
60,000 shares after the 200-to-1 reverse stock split) were issued
on January 21, 2011. During the nine months ended September 30,
2011, the Company accrued cash fees of $45,000 related to this
agreement. On July 27, 2011, the Company issued 72,727
common shares as payment for the $15,000 cash piece within the 2010
year end settlement.
On September 3, 2011, the Company agreed to pay up to 7% of sales
and 10% of investment funds received from direct introduction by a
consultant. In addition, the Company agreed to issue
150,000 cashless warrants that may be converted into an equivalent
amount of common shares. These warrants are issuable to
4 individuals associated with the consultant and are contingent
upon the sale or investment of $50,000 resulting from the work of
the consultant.
Purchase and sale agreements. From time to time,
the Company enters into agreements to purchase components and
finished products for resale. The purchase agreements
have various durations and require the Company to purchase certain
minimum quantities. As of September 30, 2011, the
Company had advanced $36,900 to a vendor is committed to pay an
additional $86,100 prior to shipment of the
product.
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12. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Litigation. On August 15, 2008,
a competitor filed suit in the United States District Court for the
District of Massachusetts against Kidz-Med, Inc., American
Scientific Resources, Incorporated and Tecnimed, Srl for patent
infringement with regard to the Thermofocus
thermometer. Under the distribution agreement, Tecnimed
is obligated to indemnify the Company against certain actions
including this patent infringement action. However, as
part of the Settlement Agreement discussed in Note 8 – Notes
Payable, the Company agreed to cover its own fees and expenses in
connection with this litigation and agreed to waive any claim for
lost profits that may arise within the indemnification
provision. The case is currently in pretrial
discovery. Tecnimed has provided the Company with a
legal opinion that the thermometer does not violate the
competitor’s patents. The Company is unable to
make an independent assessment of this patent infringement action
and is relying on Tecnimed’s defense of this
case. As the Company believes that Tecnimed is capable
and willing to defend the Company, and that the Company’s
defense costs if any will not be significant, no provision for
possible loss related to this litigation has been included in these
consolidated financial statements. In March 2010, the
competitor filed an additional complaint against American
Scientific Resources, Incorporated and Kidz-Med, Inc. in the United
States District Court for the District of Massachusetts alleging
that false advertising damaged the competitor. The
competitor is seeking to enjoin the Company from future false
advertising and to recover unspecified monetary
damages. Based on the advice of counsel, the Company
believes this case is without merit. The Company intends
to vigorously contest the complaint.
On
September 21, 2010, Tecnimed, Srl filed a complaint against the
Company and its Kids-Med subsidiary in US District Court for the
Southern District of New York alleging breach of a non-compete
agreement and infringement on the Thermofocus trademark and trade
dress. In addition, the complaint alleges that the
Company sold Thermofocus units in an unauthorized manner resulting
in a breach of contract. Further, the complaint alleges
that the Company is in default on the payment of $209,802 of
principal and $88,867 of interest under the notes due
Tecnimed. The complaint seeks a trial by jury,
injunctions against manufacturing and selling products that are in
competition with the Thermofocus and use similar trade dress,
recall of product distributed and payment of unspecified amounts
for ill-gotten gains, treble damages, punitive damages and
attorneys’ fees. The Company continues to believe
the complaint is without merit and intends to pursue a vigorous
defense. On January 18, 2011, the US District Court for
Southern New York granted Tecnimed’s request for a
preliminary injunction and ordered the Company to stop selling the
Vera Temp in the allegedly infringing package and to recall the
product from retail customers within seven days. The
Company stopped shipping the thermometer in the allegedly
infringing package and filed an emergency appeal for stay of this
decision on January 31, 2011. The stay was denied by the
Court on February 10, 2011. On February 11, 2011, after
Tecnimed posted a $130,000 bond with the Court to compensate the
Company in the event Tecnimed does not prevail in this action, the
Company sent recall notices out to its retail
customers. The Company also complied with this
injunction by changing its retail package to reflect the wishes of
the Court. The Court approved the new Vera Temp package
on February 4, 2011. The Company continues to ship the
thermometer to retail customers in its new package. The
Company expects to incur approximately $25,000 of costs related to
the recall, including shipping and repackaging costs, and has
expensed such amount for the year ended December 31,
2010.
On
October 26, 2010, Sanomedics International Holdings filed a
complaint in District Court for the Southern District of Florida
against the Company alleging that the Company infringed on
plaintiff’s thermometer design patent, and upon an exclusive
distribution and manufacturing agreement between the plaintiff and
the Chinese manufacturer of the Company’s Vera Temp
thermometer. The complaint also alleges the Company
wrongfully asserted dominion over plaintiff’s Food and Drug
Administration clearances depriving plaintiff of its exclusive
rights and interests. The complaint seeks injunctive relief, recall
and destruction of all the Company’s Vera Temp thermometer
products and marketing materials, and unspecified monetary damages,
punitive damages and attorney’s fees. The Company
believes the complaint is without merit and intends to pursue a
vigorous defense.
The
Company has, and may in the future, become a party to various
claims, complaints and legal actions arising in the ordinary course
of business. In the opinion of management, there are
currently no additional legal matters that would have a further
material adverse effect on the financial statements of the Company
taken as whole as of December 31, 2010.
Employment agreements. In conjunction with
the Disintegrator acquisition (See Note 7
– Patent, Contingent Note Payable and Contingent
Compensation), the Company entered into a ten year employment
agreement with a former executive and majority owner of Safeguard
in addition to the contingent compensation per the asset purchase
agreement. The employment agreement calls for a base
salary of $10,000 per month beginning upon the receipt of $500,000
of combined new capital and revenue, and $20,000 per month
beginning upon the receipt of $2,500,000 of combined new capital
and revenue. The $10,000 in monthly salary shall accrue
for no longer than 6 months and be payable in full immediately upon
reaching $500,000 of combined new capital and
revenue. The employment agreement may be terminated by
the executive in the event of default with prior notice, and by the
Company for cause, or death or permanent disability of the
executive. During the year ended December 31, 2010, the
Company expensed $120,000 of base salary related to this
agreement. At December 31, 2010, $20,000 of base salary
was unpaid.
Effective
April 5, 2007, the Company entered into an employment agreement
with our chief executive officer. This agreement
continues until another chief executive officer is appointed by a
majority of our Board of Directors, either party terminates in
accordance with the provisions of the agreement, or his death or
permanent disability. The agreement calls for a minimum
salary of $10,000 per month plus additional cash and stock
compensation upon the achievement for various
milestones. The Company has not made certain cash
payments due under the agreement. On December 15, 2010,
the Company issued 1,000,000 shares of common stock to our chief
executive officer and reduced accrued compensation payable by
$50,000 (the value of these shares on the date of issuance was
$5,000). As of December 31, 2010, $310,000 has been
accrued as compensation payable. This employment
agreement also called for the issuance of 500,000 fully-vested,
restricted shares of the Company’s common stock upon
execution. As of December 31, 2010, the shares had not
been issued, however the Company has accrued $70,000 as an
obligation to issue shares based on the closing price on the date
of grant. In addition, the agreement called for the
award of up to 500,000 warrants to purchase an equivalent number of
common shares based on the achievement of certain revenue
targets. The warrants were exercisable at $0.25 per
share over a period of three years from September 4,
2007. During the first quarter of 2010, our chief
executive officer was deemed to have earned 100,000 warrants to
purchase equivalent shares of common stock. However,
these warrants were never issued. Currently, there is no
agreement in effect to issue warrants to our chief executive
officer.
On
March 1, 2010, the Company entered into a five year employment
agreement with an executive. The employment agreement calls for the
monthly award of restricted shares of our common stock equivalent
to $15,000 per month based on the average closing price for the
month plus a 2% cash bonus for sales collected through June 30,
2010. Beginning on the later of July 1, 2010, or date
the Company’s registration statement with the SEC becomes
effective, the executive shall be entitled to a base salary of
$12,000 per month, plus a 2% cash bonus for sales collected and a
2% common stock bonus for sales collected. The
Company’s registration statement with the SEC became
effective on January 14, 2011. The shares issuable for
the stock bonus shall be determined based on the five day average
closing price prior to the collection of the sale. The
agreement also calls for the reimbursement of expenses including
payment to the executive of up to $650 per month for office
space. For the period ended December 31, 2010, the
Company issued 14,201,048 shares with a value of $128,000 to
partially meet its obligation under this employment
agreement. At December 31, 2010, there were 3,409,091
shares issuable under the employment agreement with a value of
$15,000. Prior to March 1, 2010, this executive
performed consulting services for the Company. For the
period ended February 28, 2010, the Company issued 4,622,230 shares
with a value of $49,050 for consulting services.
Service agreements. Beginning January 1, 2010,
the Company and a marketing consultant entered into an amended
agreement whereby the consultant is entitled to receive warrants
valued up to $1,987,500 based upon the execution of certain
licensing agreements and upon the achievement of certain collected
revenue targets. Upon achievement of the targets,
warrants equivalent to the first $200,000 shall be issued based on
the 30 day trailing weighted average price of the Company’s
common stock. The exercise price is to be determined as
50% of the 30 day trailing weighted average price. All
warrants are exercisable over 5 years from the date of
issuance. Upon achievement of the targets, beginning at
$2,000,000 of revenues collected, warrants equivalent to $1,787,500
shall be issued based on the 30 day trailing weighted average price
and an exercise price equal to the 30 day trailing weighted average
price. The Company will account for warrants issuable
when the targets are met. In addition, the consultant is
entitled to a cash fee of $5,000 per month, plus reimbursement of
out-of-pocket expenses, for services rendered through the
conclusion of the agreement in August 2019. The fee is
subject to escalation up the achievement collected revenue targets
as a result of the consultant’s efforts. For the
year ended December 31, 2010, the Company had incurred $131,903 for
fees and expenses related to this amended agreement and paid
$72,424. In January 2011, the Company and the consultant
settled all amounts due through December 31, 2010 for the issuance
of 12,000,000 shares of our common stock, $15,000 in cash and
$2,480 of expenses. The shares were valued at $35,000
based on the value of unpaid services in accordance with the
agreement between the parties.
On
May 23, 2010, the Company entered into a consulting agreement for
general management and financial advice effective January 1, 2010
and continuing through August 31, 2019. The agreement
called for compensation of $10,000 per month effective January 2010
and increases to $20,000 per month upon receipt by the Company of
$2.5 million of the combined aggregate of new capital and revenue
commencing on May 23, 2010, plus reimbursement of certain
expenses. The agreement required the consultant’s
participation in any incentive, profit sharing, bonus, stock option
and other similar plan on an equivalent basis to other senior
managers of the Company. In addition, the agreement
calls for the issuance of 5,000,000 shares of our common stock upon
the listing of our common stock on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin
Board. As of December 31, 2010, no amounts have been
accrued for these shares as the contingency has not been
met. For the period ended December 31, 2010, the Company
paid $57,176 related to the consulting agreement. In
addition, for the period ended December 31, 2010, the Company paid
$42,880 of commissions to an entity affiliated with the consultant
for assisting the Company secure $650,000 of convertible note
financing. In October 2010, the Company terminated this
consulting agreement.
Effective
March 20, 2010, the Company entered into a one year consulting
agreement for sales and marketing services. This
agreement entitles the consultant to a commission of 10% of the
gross sales generated by the consultant from new customers, plus
reimbursement of expenses. This agreement was terminated
in September 2010. No sales commissions were earned by
this consultant; however, $9,000 plus expenses was drawn by the
consultant as advances against commissions to be
earned. In March 2011, the Company issued 15,000 shares
of its common stock (shares adjusted for the effect of the 200-to-1
reverse stock split) as a settlement of all amounts due this
consultant. These shares were valued at $9,581 based on
unpaid invoices from the consultant for commission draws and
reimbursable expenses through the September 2010
termination.
Operating leases. The Company currently leases
office and warehouse space, and has entered into an agreement with
a service providers for additional office space, each of which call
for monthly payments. One agreement is renewable on a
month to month basis. Another agreement calls for
minimum obligations aggregating $10,500 through July
2011. Rent expense for these offices and warehouse,
including the Company’s portion of utilities, amounted to
$59,860 and $13,741 for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2009,
respectively.
Purchase and sale agreements. From time to time,
the Company enters into agreements to purchase components and
finished products for resale. The purchase agreements
have various durations and require the Company to purchase certain
minimum quantities. As of December 31, 2010, the Company
has advanced $86,700 to a vendor, and shall owe $42,750 upon
product delivery. This amount was paid and product
received in January 2011.
The
Company has also entered into various exclusive and non-exclusive
agreements to supply and distribute the Company’s products in
various geographic areas. Certain of these agreements
require the Company to supply certain minimum quantities and
contain various warranty provisions upon sale. As of
December 31, 2010, the Company believes it has no unrecorded
obligations under any of these agreements.
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