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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Litigation Settlement As previously disclosed, the Company was involved in six lawsuits (together, the "Lawsuits") with Metaswitch Networks Ltd., Metaswitch Networks Corp. and Metaswitch Inc. (collectively, "Metaswitch"). In five of the Lawsuits, the Company was the plaintiff, and in three of those five lawsuits, the Company was also a counterclaim defendant. In the sixth case, the Company was the defendant. On April 22, 2019, the Company and Metaswitch agreed to a binding mediator's proposal that resolved the six Lawsuits between the Company and Metaswitch (the "Lawsuits"). The Company and Metaswitch signed a Settlement and Cross-License Agreement on May 29, 2019 (the "Royalty Agreement"). Pursuant to the terms of the Royalty Agreement, Metaswitch agreed to pay the Company an aggregate amount of $63.0 million, which included cash payments of $37.5 million during the second quarter of 2019 and $25.5 million payable in three installments annually, beginning June 26, 2020, with such installment payments accruing interest at a rate of 4% per year. As part of the Royalty Agreement, the Company and Metaswitch (i) have released the other from all claims and liabilities; (ii) have licensed each party's existing patent portfolio to the other party; and (iii) have requested the applicable courts to dismiss the Lawsuits. The $63.0 million gain from the settlement is included in Other (expense) income, net, in the Company's consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019, and had notes receivable for future payments of $25.5 million, comprised of $8.5 million in Other current assets and $17.0 million in Other assets in the consolidated balance sheet. The Company received $37.5 million of aggregate payments from Metaswitch in the second quarter of 2019 and $9.5 million, including $1.0 million of interest, in the second quarter of 2020. On July 6, 2020, the Company and Metaswitch signed a First Supplemental Agreement to the Settlement and Cross-License Agreement (the "Supplemental Agreement") under which Metaswitch could elect to repay the outstanding amounts under the Royalty Agreement early in exchange for a reduction of $0.25 million to the outstanding principal, from $17.0 million to $16.75 million, and the payment of no further interest by Metaswitch effective June 26, 2020. The Company recorded the reduction to the outstanding principal as a reduction to interest income. On July 14, 2020, Metaswitch paid the Company the remaining outstanding balance of $16.75 million. Contingencies Liabilities for Royalty Payments to the IIA Prior to the ECI Acquisition, ECI had received research and development grants from the IIA. The Company assumed ECI's contract with the IIA, which requires the Company to pay royalties to the IIA on proceeds from the sale of products which the Israeli government has supported by way of research and development grants. The royalties for grants prior to 2017 were calculated at the rates of 1.3% to 5.0% of the aggregated proceeds from the sale of such products developed at certain of the Company's R&D centers, up to an amount not exceeding 100% of such grants plus interest at LIBOR. Effective for grants approved in 2017 and thereafter, interest was calculated at the higher of LIBOR plus 1.5% to 2.75%. At December 31, 2022, the Company's maximum possible future royalties commitment, including $3.8 million of unpaid royalties accrued at December 31, 2022, was $28.4 million, including interest of $1.4 million, based on estimates of future product sales, grants received from the IIA and not yet repaid, and management's estimation of products still to be sold. Litigation Miller Complaint. On November 8, 2018, Ron Miller, a purported stockholder of the Company, filed a Class Action Complaint (the "Miller Complaint") in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (the "Massachusetts District Court") against the Company and three of its former officers (collectively, the "Defendants"), claiming to represent a class of purchasers of Sonus common stock during the period from January 8, 2015 through March 24, 2015 and alleging violations of the federal securities laws. Similar to a previous complaint entitled Sousa et al. vs. Sonus Networks, Inc. et al., which was dismissed with prejudice by an order dated June 6, 2017, the Miller Complaint claims that the Defendants made misleading forward-looking statements concerning Sonus' expected fiscal first quarter of 2015 financial performance, which statements were also the subject of an August 7, 2018 Securities and Exchange Commission Cease and Desist Order, whose findings the Company neither admitted nor denied. The Miller plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages. After the Miller Complaint was filed, several parties filed and briefed motions seeking to be selected by the Massachusetts District Court to serve as a Lead Plaintiff in the action. On June 21, 2019, the Massachusetts District Court appointed a group as Lead Plaintiffs and the Lead Plaintiffs filed an amended complaint on July 19, 2019. On August 30, 2019, the Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the Miller Complaint and, on October 4, 2019, the Lead Plaintiffs filed an opposition to the motion to dismiss. There was an oral argument on the motion to dismiss on February 12, 2020, and on October 20, 2022 the court denied the motion to dismiss. Discovery and class certification determination are on-going. Charter Complaints. On September 19, 2022, Charter Communications Operating, LLC (“Charter”) filed two complaints against two of the Company’s subsidiaries (Sonus Networks, Inc. and Ribbon Communications Operating Company, Inc.) alleging breach of contract with respect to indemnification obligations purportedly owed to Charter in connection with Charter’s legal dispute with Sprint Communications Company L.P., which was settled by Charter in March 2022. One complaint was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County; the other was filed by Charter as well as co-Plaintiffs Charter Communications Holding Company, LLC and Bright House Networks, LLC, in the Superior Court of the State of Delaware in and for New Castle County. In both suits, Charter is seeking monetary damages. The Company filed its answer in the New York Case on December 7, 2022 and in the Delaware case on January 9, 2023. Discovery is on-going and the court in the Delaware case has set a preliminary trial date of January 2025. In addition, the Company is often a party to disputes and legal proceedings that it considers routine and incidental to its business. Management does not expect the results of any of these actions to have a material effect on the Company's business or consolidated financial statements.

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