XML 28 R17.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.24.1.u1
Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Feb. 29, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments
Energy Contracts
The Company has a minimum commitment of approximately $82.2 million related to the energy services agreement for its Jamestown, North Dakota co-hosting facility with a remaining term of approximately 2.9 years as of February 29, 2024.
Construction Contracts
The Company routinely engages with construction vendors for the construction of our facilities. These engagements are governed by contracts containing standard terms and conditions, including certain milestones that obligate the Company to pay as work is completed. In the event of termination of any of these contracts by the Company, the Company would be liable for all work that has been completed or in process, plus any applicable fees. The Company generally has the right to cancel these open purchase orders prior to delivery or terminate the contracts without cause.
Claims and Litigation
From time to time, the Company may be involved in litigation relating to claims arising out of operations in the normal course of business.
The Company, Wes Cummins, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, and David Rench, the Company's Chief Financial Officer, have been named as defendants in a putative securities class action lawsuit in the matter styled, McConnell v.
Applied Digital Corporation, et al., Case No. 3:23-cv-1805, filed in August 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (the “Securities Lawsuit”). Specifically, the complaint asserts claims pursuant to Section 10(b) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 based on allegedly false or misleading statements regarding the company’s business, operations, and compliance policies, including claims that the Company overstated the profitability of its datacenter hosting business and its ability to successfully transition into a low-cost cloud services provider and that the Company’s board of directors was not “independent” within the meaning of NASDAQ listing rules. The case is in an early stage, and the Court has not appointed a lead plaintiff nor has any class been certified. The Company has not yet responded to the complaint and no response is currently due.
On November 15, 2023, a derivative action was filed in the matter styled, Weich v. Cummins, et al., Case No. A-23-881629-C in the District Court of Clark County, Nevada. The Weich complaint names as defendants certain members of the Company’s Board of Directors and its Chief Executive Officer Wesley Cummins and purports to name chief Financial Officer David Rench as a defendant. The complaint asserts claims for breaches of fiduciary duties, unjust enrichment, and corporate waste against the individual defendants largely based on the same fact allegations as the Securities Lawsuit. On February 27, 2024, the plaintiff filed an amended complaint, asserting the same causes of action against the same defendants as the original complaint. The deadline to file or otherwise respond the amended complaint is April 12, 2024.
The Company is unable to estimate a range of loss, if any, that could result were there to be an adverse final decision in this action. If an unfavorable action were to occur, it is possible that the impact could be material to the Company’s results of operations in the period(s) in which any such outcome becomes probable and estimable.
As of February 29, 2024, there were no other pending or threatened lawsuits that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the results of the Company’s consolidated operations. There are also no legal proceedings in which any of the Company’s management or affiliates is an adverse party or has a material interest adverse to the Company’s interest.
Settlement of Potential Claim
During the second quarter of fiscal year 2024, the Company entered into a settlement agreement with respect to employment-related claims by a former executive. The terms of the settlement included payment to the claimant of $2.3 million, which is included in loss on legal settlement on our condensed consolidated statements of operations.