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Commitments and Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 29, 2025
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Litigation SEC Complaint On August 2, 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filed a civil complaint (the “SEC Complaint”) in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada naming the Company and one of its executive officers, Virland Johnson, the Company's Chief Financial Officer, as defendants (collectively, the “Defendants”). Pursuant to an agreed-upon Order of the Court, on May 28, 2024, the Company settled its litigation with the SEC. The Settlement Agreement provided, in pertinent part: “Without admitting or denying the allegations of the complaint (except as provided herein in paragraph 12 and except as to personal and subject matter jurisdiction, which [the Company] admits), [the Company] hereby consents to the entry of the final Judgment in the form attached hereto (the “Final Judgment”) and incorporated by reference herein, which, among other things: “(a) permanently restrains and enjoins [the Company] from violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder [15 U.S.C. § 78j(b) and 17 C.F.R. §§ 240.10b-5]; and (c)[sic] orders [the Company] to pay a civil penalty in the amount of $250,000 under Section 21(d)(3) of the Exchange Act [15 U.S.C. § 78u(d)(3)).” The SEC has agreed to accept four quarterly payments from the Company, each in the amount of $62,500. The Settlement Agreement is attached to the Order as Exhibit 1, both of which documents may be viewed at https://ecf.nvd.uscourts.gov/doc1/115110470966. The SEC Complaint's remaining allegations relate to financial, disclosure and reporting violations against the executive officer under Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and Rule 10b-5. The SEC Complaint also alleges various claims against the executive officer under Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A), 13(b)(2)(B) and 13(b)(5) of the Exchange Act and Rules 12b-20, 13a-1, 13a-13, 13a-14, 13b2-1, and 13b2-2. The SEC continues to seek a permanent injunction, civil penalties, and an officer-and-director bar against the executive officer. The foregoing is only a general summary of the SEC Complaint, which may be accessed on the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2021/lr25155.htm. Sieggreen In a matter pending in the United States District Court for the District Of Nevada, Case No. 2:21-cv-01517-CDS-EJY, styled as Sieggreen, Individually and On Behalf of All Others Similarly Situated, Plaintiff, v. Live Ventures Incorporated, Jon Isaac, and Virland A. Johnson, Defendants, the Company was added as a defendant on March 6, 2023, and was served on March 23, 2023. Plaintiff has alleged causes of action against the Company for (i) violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder and (ii) violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rules 10b-5(a) and 10b-5(c) promulgated thereunder. In June 2023 the Company filed a Motion to Dismiss, regarding which, as of the date of these financial statements, the Court has not ruled. The Company strongly disputes and denies all of the allegations contained therein and will continue to defend itself vigorously against the claims. Main/270 The Company is a defendant in an action filed on April 11, 2022, in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, styled, Trustees Main/270, LLC, Plaintiff, vs ApplianceSmart, Inc. and JANONE, Inc., Defendant, Case no.: 2:22-cv-01938-ALM-EPD. The Company was a guarantor of the lease between the Plaintiff and ApplianceSmart, Inc. Plaintiff alleged a cause of action against the Company in respect of the guaranty and seeks approximately $90,000 therefor. Plaintiff also seeks approximately $1,420,000 against ApplianceSmart and the Company on a joint and several basis. The Company does not believe that it is obligated to Plaintiff in that amount and the parties continue to negotiate a potential settlement. Other Commitments On December 30, 2017, the Company disposed of its retail appliance segment and sold ApplianceSmart to Live Ventures, a related party. In connection with that sale, as of January 1, 2022, the Company accrued an aggregate amount of future real property lease payments of approximately $767,000 which represented amounts guaranteed or which may have been owed under certain lease agreements to three third party landlords in which the Company either remained the counterparty, was a guarantor, or had agreed to remain contractually liable under the lease (“ApplianceSmart Leases”). A final decree was issued by the court on February 28, 2022, upon the full satisfaction of the Plan, at which time ApplianceSmart emerged from Chapter 11. During the year ended December 28, 2024, the Company reversed approximately $637,000 of the accrual, as the Company is no longer liable for two of these guarantees upon ApplianceSmart's emergence from bankruptcy. As of December 28, 2024, a balance of approximately $130,000 remains as an accrued liability due to an ongoing dispute concerning one of the leases. The Company and Live Ventures have agreed to divide in half between them any ultimate balance owing thereunder and any attorneys’ fees expended in relation thereto. The Company is party from time to time to other ordinary course disputes that we do not believe to be material to our financial condition as of March 29, 2025.

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