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Commitments and Contingencies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2021
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

Note 7 – Commitments and Contingencies

 

Litigation

 

As of December 31, 2019, there were 6,750,000 restricted stock units that had not been settled due to a dispute with a former employee over the required withholding taxes to be paid to the Company for remittance to the appropriate tax authorities. The Company commenced an arbitration action against the former employee regarding the dispute. The former employee also made claims in the arbitration action against the Company for unpaid wages. As stated in a pleading in the arbitration, on March 9, 2020, the Company issued the former employee 6,750,000 shares of the Company’s common stock in settlement of these restricted stock units after taking measures to mitigate the Company’s exposure to penalties and liability for the failure to properly withhold income taxes. The Arbitrator issued an interim award of approximately $10,000 in the Company’s favor and a finding against the former employee. Effective June 9, 2020, the Arbitrator issued his final award in the Company’s favor in the Colorado arbitration. The Arbitrator found against the former employee and awarded the Company costs of $33,985, with interest at 8% per year. Effective July 22, 2020, the Colorado Court confirmed the Arbitration award and entered a final judgement in favor of the Company and against the former employee. The Company pursued collection of this debt and has now collected the debt owed. This former employee continued to pursue separate litigation against the Company for recovery of alleged consulting fees owed to him for the 2015 calendar year prior to his appointment as an executive officer of the Company. Effective March 30, 2021, this separate litigation has now been settled. While the Company disputed the merits of the claims, the Company has agreed and will be obliged to pay $40,000 over eight months and to issue upon execution of the settlement agreement an aggregate of 1,000,000 shares of common stock of the Company. As further discussed in Note 11 Subsequent Events below, these shares were issued on April 8, 2021 as “restricted securities,” subject to a lock-up agreement of six months, without registration rights, and pursuant to a private placement exemption. The settlement agreement also included mutual releases and no admission of liability. The cost to the Company of this settlement, $107,000, has been recognized in full in other expenses during the three months ended March 31, 2021. As of March 31, 2021, $40,000 in respect of the cash portion of the settlement has been included in accounts payables and accruals and $67,000 in respect of the stock issuance has included in common stock to be issued.

 

From time to time, in the normal course of its operations, the Company is subject to litigation matters and claims. Litigation can be expensive and disruptive to normal business operations. Moreover, the results of complex legal proceedings are difficult to predict, and the Company’s view of these matters may change in the future as the litigation and events related thereto unfold. The Company expenses legal fees as incurred. The Company records a liability for contingent losses when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss is known. An unfavorable outcome to any legal matter, if material, could have an adverse effect on the Company’s operations or its financial position, liquidity or results of operations.

 

Leases

 

The Company has a lease agreement for its manufacturing and office space. Refer to Note 2 Leases above.

 

Other Commitments

 

In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into commitments to purchase inventory and may also provide indemnifications of varying scope and terms to customers, vendors, lessors, business partners, and other parties with respect to certain matters, including, but not limited to, losses arising out of the Company’s breach of such agreements, services to be provided by the Company, or from intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties. In addition, the Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and certain of its officers and employees that will require the Company to, among other things, indemnify them against certain liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as directors, officers, or employees. The Company maintains director and officer insurance, which may cover certain liabilities arising from its obligation to indemnify its directors and certain of its officers and employees, and former officers, directors, and employees of acquired companies, in certain circumstances.