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Commitments and Contingencies | 6 Months Ended
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Jun. 30, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | NOTE 8 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Commitments Consulting Agreements On January 14, 2021, the Company entered into a consulting agreement (“Consulting Agreement”) with Chang Advisory Inc. for Robby Chang (“Consultant”), to serve as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board of Directors. The Consulting agreement will continue until terminated by either the Consultant or the Company. Pursuant to the Consulting Agreement, Mr. Chang receives annual compensation of $300,000 (Canadian dollars). Subsequent to June 30, 2024, the Compensation Committee approved the payment of Mr. Chang’s salary in USD instead of Canadian dollars. The Compensation Committee shall review Consultant’s Annual Fee not less frequently than on December 31st during the Engagement Term. The consultant will be eligible for periodic increases in the Annual Fee under the Company’s normal policies and procedures for executive salary increases, which currently provide for annual reviews of executive salaries. Consultant’s Annual Fee for any year may not be reduced below the Consultant’s Annual Fee for the prior year without the written consent of both Consultant and the Company. Coinmint Co-location Mining Services Agreement On July 1, 2021, the Company entered into an agreement with Coinmint, (the “Coinmint Agreement”), pursuant to which Coinmint agreed to provide up to approximately 22.0 MW of power and to perform all maintenance necessary to operate the Company’s miners at the Coinmint facility. On July 1, 2023, the Company entered into an amendment to the Coinmint Agreement, pursuant to which Coinmint agreed to provide up to approximately 27.5 MW of power and perform all maintenance necessary to operate the Company’s miners at the Coinmint facility. In exchange, Coinmint is reimbursed for direct production expenses and receives a performance fee based on the net cryptocurrencies generated by the Company’s miners deployed at the Coinmint facility. The initial term of the Coinmint Agreement was fifteen months with automatic renewals for subsequent three (3) month terms until and unless terminated as provided in the agreement. The Company determined the agreement with Coinmint does not meet the definition of a lease in accordance with ASC 842, Leases. Sphere 3D MSA On August 19, 2021, Gryphon entered into a Master Services Agreement (the “Sphere MSA”) with Sphere 3D. The Sphere 3D MSA has a term of three years, beginning on August 19, 2021, and terminating on August 18, 2024, with one-year automatic renewal terms thereafter. Under the Sphere MSA, Gryphon is Sphere 3D’s exclusive provider of management services for all blockchain and cryptocurrency-related operations, including but not limited to services relating to all mining equipment owned, purchased, leased, operated, or otherwise controlled by Sphere 3D and/or its subsidiaries and/or its affiliates at any location, with Gryphon receiving a percentage of the net operating profit of all of Sphere 3D’s blockchain and cryptocurrency-related operations. On December 29, 2021, the Company and Sphere 3D entered into Amendment No. 1 to the Sphere 3D MSA, to provide greater certainty as to the term of the Sphere 3D MSA. Sphere 3D and Gryphon agreed to extend the initial term of the Sphere 3D MSA from three to four years, or to five years in the event Sphere 3D does not receive delivery of a specified minimum number of Bitcoin mining machines during 2022. The cryptocurrency earned from the Sphere 3D’s mining operations is held in a wallet, in which the Company holds the cryptographic key information and maintains the internal recordkeeping of the cryptocurrency. The Company’s contractual arrangements state that Sphere 3D retains legal ownership of the cryptocurrency; has the right to sell, pledge, or transfer the cryptocurrency; and benefits from the rewards and bears the risks associated with the ownership, including as a result of any cryptocurrency price fluctuations. The Sphere also bears the risk of loss as a result of fraud or theft unless the loss was caused by the Company’s gross negligence or the Company’s willful misconduct. The Company does not use any of the cryptocurrency resulting from the Sphere 3D MSA as collateral for any of the Company’s loans or other financing arrangements, nor does it lend, or pledge cryptocurrency held for Sphere. A threat actor representing to be the Sphere 3D CFO inserted themselves into an email exchange between the Sphere 3D CFO and the Company’s CEO, which also included Sphere 3D’s CEO, regarding the transfer of Sphere 3D’s BTC from the Company’s wallet to Sphere 3D’s wallet. The threat actor requested that the BTC be transferred to an alternate wallet. As a result, 26 BTC, with a value of approximately $560,000 at the time, was transferred to a wallet controlled by the threat actor. Via counsel, Gryphon engaged with US Federal law enforcement to recover the BTC. Despite these attempts by law enforcement to recover the BTC, recovery was not possible. Gryphon subsequently wired the commensurate amount in USD to Sphere 3D to make them whole for the stolen BTC. Gryphon also engaged a nationally recognized third-party firm to perform a forensic analysis. The analysis revealed that the threat actor did not enter the email exchange via Gryphon’s IT systems. Sphere 3D made a claim with its insurance carrier. If Sphere 3D is reimbursed by its insurance carrier, the Company would request reimbursement from Sphere 3D. The Company has also subsequently modified its control systems to protect against any future attempted incursions. As of March 31, 2023, the Company made the payment to Sphere 3D for $560,000, which was classified as a general and administrative expense on the unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations. On April 7, 2023, Sphere 3D filed suit against Gryphon in the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit concerns the Sphere MSA between the parties where the Company agreed to act as Sphere 3D’s “exclusive provider of any and all management services for all blockchain and cryptocurrency-related operations.” Sphere 3D alleges that the Company has fallen short in its obligations under the Sphere MSA, and is suing for alleged breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and breach of fiduciary duty (such matter, the “Sphere 3D Litigation”). On June 15, 2023, Sphere 3D filed an amended complaint in connection with the Sphere 3D Litigation, which clarified certain of Sphere 3D’s prior allegations. On June 28, 2023, the Company requested leave to file a motion to dismiss Sphere 3D’s claims for breach of fiduciary duty and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, which the Court granted on August 11, 2023. On August 18, 2023, the Company filed: (i) its motion to dismiss Sphere 3D’s claims for breach of fiduciary duty and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing; and (ii) its answer and counterclaims against Sphere 3D, asserting, among other things, that Sphere had breached the Sphere MSA, breached the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing in connection with that contract, acted negligently in connection with a separate incident, and defamed the Company. The Company’s answer and counterclaims further asserted the defamation counterclaim against Sphere 3D’s Chief Executive Officer, Patricia Trompeter, personally. On September 20, 2023, Sphere 3D filed a second amended complaint in connection with the Sphere 3D Litigation, which added a claim against the Company alleging that the Company’s counterclaim for defamation against Sphere 3D violated New York’s anti-SLAPP law. On October 6, 2023, Sphere 3D delivered a termination notice to the Company with respect to the Sphere MSA, largely on the basis of the allegations made by Sphere 3D in the Sphere 3D Litigation (the “Sphere 3D MSA Termination”). On October 11, 2023, the Company filed an answer to Sphere 3D’s second amended complaint, in which, among other things, the Company alleged that Sphere 3D’s attempted termination of the Sphere MSA was wrongful and ineffective, because it violated the terms of the Sphere MSA, and thus that Sphere 3D continues to owe the Company all amounts to which it would otherwise be entitled under the Sphere MSA through that contract’s term ending in August 2026. Gryphon intends to continue to vigorously defend against the Sphere 3D Litigation, including but not limited to the Sphere 3D MSA Termination, which it believes are without merit, and to aggressively pursue its counterclaims against Sphere 3D. However, the Company cannot predict the outcome of these proceedings or provide an estimate of potential damages or recovery, if any. Failure by the Company to obtain a favorable resolution of the Sphere 3D Litigation could require it to pay damage awards or otherwise enter into settlement arrangements for which its insurance coverage may be insufficient. Any such damage awards or settlement arrangements in current or future litigation could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, operating results or financial condition. Even if Sphere 3D’s claims are not successful, or if the Company is successful in pursuing its counterclaims or negotiating a favorable settlement, defending against this or future litigation is expensive and could divert management’s attention and resources, all of which could have an adverse and material impact on the Company’s business, operating results and financial condition and negatively affect the Company’s value. Further, any valid termination of the Sphere MSA in accordance with its terms could also have a negative impact on the Company’s business and operating results. In addition, such lawsuits may make it more difficult for the Company to finance its operations in the future. On March 15, 2024, the Company has collected all outstanding balances associated with the direct pass-through of costs as well as management revenues billed through October 6, 2023 associated with hosting Sphere 3D’s miners at the Coinmint and Core facility previously held as Accounts Receivable as of December 31, 2023. During Q1 2024, the Company remitted all digital assets held for other parties and restricted cash to Sphere 3D. As of June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company held approximately 0 and 21.47 bitcoin, respectively, with a value of approximately $0 and $908,000, respectively, classified as digital assets held for other parties on the balance sheet. Also, as of June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company held approximately $0 and $8,000, respectively of cash generated from the sale of Sphere 3D BTC, to be used to make payments related to the Sphere MSA, classified as restricted cash on the balance sheet. Contingencies The Company is subject at times to various claims, lawsuits, and governmental proceedings relating to the Company’s business and transactions arising in the ordinary course of business. The Company cannot predict the final outcome of such proceedings. Where appropriate, the Company vigorously defends such claims, lawsuits, and proceedings. Some of these claims, lawsuits and proceedings seek damages, including, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, in amounts that could, if awarded, be significant. Certain of the claims, lawsuits, and proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business are covered by the Company’s insurance program. The Company maintains the property and various types of liability insurance in an effort to protect the Company from such claims. In terms of any matters where there is no insurance coverage available to the Company, or where coverage is available and the Company maintains a retention or deductible associated with such insurance, the Company may establish an accrual for such loss, retention, or deductible based on currently available information. In accordance with accounting guidance, if it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred as of the date of the financial statements, and the amount of loss is reasonably estimable, then an accrual for the cost to resolve or settle these claims is recorded by the Company in the accompanying balance sheets. If it is reasonably possible that an asset may be impaired as of the date of the financial statement, then the Company discloses the range of possible loss. Expenses related to the defense of such claims are recorded by the Company as incurred and included in the accompanying statements of operations. Management, with the assistance of outside counsel, may, from time to time adjust such accruals according to new developments in the matter, court rulings, or changes in the strategy affecting the Company’s defense of such matters. On the basis of current information, the Company does not believe there is a reasonable possibility that other than with regard to the Class Action described below, any material loss, if any, will result from any claims, lawsuits, and proceedings to which the Company is subject to either individually, or in the aggregate.

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