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Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Nov. 24, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
Legal Contingencies
In the ordinary course of business, the Company is involved in various legal proceedings and claims.
The Company makes a provision for a liability relating to legal matters when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. These provisions are reviewed at least each fiscal quarter and adjusted to reflect the impacts of negotiations, estimated settlements, legal rulings, advice of legal counsel and other information and events pertaining to a particular matter. Legal fees are expensed in the period in which they are incurred.
Because recovery of amounts is contingent upon a legal settlement, no amounts have been recorded as recoverable costs through November 24, 2024.
Class Action Complaint
On July 29, 2024, a putative class action complaint was filed on behalf of stockholders of the Company in the United States District Court of Minnesota against the Company and certain of its named executive officers. The complaint generally alleges that statements made to the Company’s stockholders between October 7, 2020, and March 19, 2024 regarding the Company’s financial results, internal controls, remediation efforts, periodic reporting, and financial prospects were false and misleading in violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and that the individual defendants are liable for such statements because they are controlling persons under Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act. The complaint seeks compensatory damages, court costs, and attorneys’ fees. On November 15, 2024, the Court appointed purported stockholders David Carew and Hugh Robert Homes as co-lead plaintiffs and appointed their respective counsel. The co-lead
plaintiffs must file an amended complaint by January 24, 2025. The Company continues to believe that the claims are without merit and intends to vigorously defend against them. Any potential loss arising from this claim is not currently probable or estimable.
SEC Subpoena
On February 16, 2024, the Chicago Regional Office of the SEC issued a subpoena to the Company seeking documents and information concerning the financial statement restatement. The Company is in the process of responding to the subpoena and intends to cooperate with the SEC. We cannot predict the duration or outcome of this matter at this time.
Landlord Complaints
On January 12, 2024, the landlord for a property leased by Curation Foods filed a complaint of unlawful detainer against the Company in Santa Barbara County Superior Court, seeking possession of the building and alleging past due rent of approximately $171. On February 29, 2024, Curation Foods surrendered possession of the premises to the landlord. The unlawful detainer action has thus been converted to an ordinary civil action. Landlord has filed an amended complaint against both Curation Foods and the Company seeking to recover all rent which will accrue through the expiration of the lease, less any sums landlord collects from a replacement tenant. No trial date has been set yet, although a mediation has been scheduled for February 13, 2025 and a continued case management conference is set for April 21, 2025.
On January 12, 2024, a landlord for a different property leased by Curation Foods delivered to the Company a pay or quit notice related to such property, seeking payment of past due rent of approximately $87. On February 29, 2024, Curation Foods surrendered possession of the premises to the landlord. The Company has accrued past due rents, but the ultimate exposure to loss will depend on future events and is not reasonably certain at this time.
Compliance Matters
On December 1, 2018, the Company acquired all of the voting interests and substantially all of the assets of Yucatan (the “Yucatan Acquisition”), which owns a guacamole manufacturing plant in Mexico called Procesadora Tanok, S de RL de C.V. (“Tanok”).
On October 21, 2019, the Company retained Latham & Watkins, LLP to conduct an internal investigation relating to potential environmental and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) compliance matters associated with regulatory permitting at the Tanok facility in Mexico. The Company subsequently voluntarily self-disclosed to the SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) the conduct under investigation, and these agencies commenced an investigation. The Company also disclosed the conduct under investigation to the Office of the Attorney General in Mexico, which in December 2021 decided (a) that Curation Foods, did not commit or participate in the criminal conduct disclosed, (b) no criminal action would be taken against Curation Foods, (c) that no criminal liability was established against Tanok and Yucatan after they were acquired by Curation Foods, and (d) the decisions do not apply to any individuals who may be responsible for misconduct. The Company also disclosed the misconduct to other regulators in Mexico. The conduct at issue began prior to the Yucatan Acquisition, and the agreement for the Yucatan Acquisition provides the Company with certain indemnification rights that may allow the Company to recover the cost of a portion of the liabilities that have been and may be incurred by the Company in connection with these compliance matters.
On September 2, 2020, one of the former owners of Yucatan filed a lawsuit against the Company in Los Angeles County Superior Court for breach of employment agreement, breach of contract, breach of holdback agreement, declaratory relief and accounting, and related claims. The Plaintiff sought over $10 million in damages, including delivery of shares of his stock held in escrow for the indemnification claims described above. On November 3, 2020, the Company filed an answer and cross-complaint against the Plaintiff and other former equity holders of Yucatan for fraud, indemnification, and other claims, and seeking no less than $80 million in damages. In fiscal 2022, 2023 and 2024, the Company reached settlements with several of the cross-defendants, pursuant to which the settling cross-defendants agreed that certain of the shares of stock they received when the Company acquired Yucatan either be sold and the proceeds paid to the Company, or that those shares be released to the Company. The trial for the remaining defendants was severed into two trials by the Court, and the first trial involved claims by and against one defendant only. The first trial concluded on October 18, 2024, and there were offsetting verdicts. The jury awarded the defendant $375 in damages and awarded the Company $1,011 against the defendant. No final judgment has been entered, and there are additional issues to be resolved by the Court before any judgment can be entered. The trial for the other defendants will involve only the Company’s claims against them, and there are no claims made by those defendants against the Company.
On November 16, 2023, the Company and the DOJ executed a letter (“Declination Letter”) in which the DOJ has declined to prosecute the Company for violations of the FCPA involving the Company’s formerly-held subsidiary, Yucatan Foods L.P. (“Yucatan”). Pursuant to the Declination Letter, in connection with the DOJ’s declination to prosecute, in fiscal 2023 the
Company agreed to pay disgorgement in the amount of $407, and to continue to fully cooperate with any ongoing government investigations and any prosecutions that might result in the future. The Company paid the disgorgement amount in full in fiscal 2024.
At this stage, the ultimate outcome of these or any other investigations, legal actions, or potential claims that may arise from the matters related to the litigation is uncertain and the Company cannot reasonably predict the timing or outcomes, or estimate the amount final judgments, or the effect, if any, they may have on its financial statements. Separately, future rulings from the Court will affect pending claims against the severed defendants for indemnification under provisions in the purchase agreement. Because recovery of amounts is contingent upon resolution of many issues in connection with these legal proceedings, no amounts have been recorded as recoverable costs through November 24, 2024.