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Commitments and Contingencies | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Note 17 — Commitments and Contingencies Legal Matters Cooper and Weinstein Matter On January 5, 2021, the Company received a demand letter from Nicholas Cooper and Richard Weinstein, (two of the Company’s former employees), and one of Mr. Cooper’s affiliated entities, asserting that Messrs. Cooper and Weinstein were entitled to compensation arising out of their employment by the Company, and their partial ownership of TriGrow Systems, LLC which had been acquired by the Company. The demand letter asserts that Messrs. Cooper and Weinstein are due certain sales commissions under their applicable bonus plan, equity earn-outs based on certain sales targets, and various equity purchases through the Company’s employee stock ownership plan. The demand letter also asserts various employment claims, including but not limited to, statutory wage withholding violations, wrongful termination, breach of contract, breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing, fraud in the inducement, promissory estoppel, minority shareholder oppression, breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, and violations of state and federal securities laws. On January 19, 2021, Messrs. Cooper and Weinstein filed a lawsuit against the Company in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleging the same claims made in their demand letter based on the facts disclosed above. The plaintiffs are seeking relief in the form of monetary damages in an amount to be determined. Messrs. Cooper and Weinstein are also seeking relief in the form of reinstatement and Mr. Weinstein is seeking rescission of his previously executed Release of Claims Agreement. On March 10, 2021, the Company moved to dismiss all Messrs. Cooper and Weinstein’s claims, asserting that the claims failed to allege legal grounds for relief. On May 12, 2021, a Magistrate issued a preliminary Report and Recommendation, which recommended dismissal of certain of Messrs. Cooper and Weinstein’s claims, and recommended others for additional factual discovery. On July 27, 2021, a District Judge entered an order partially adopting the Report and Recommendation, dismissing one claim with prejudice, dismissing a second claim with leave to amend, and permitting the remaining claims to proceed. Additionally, on July 29, 2021, the Company filed a separate arbitration in Boston, Massachusetts against Messrs. Cooper and Weinstein, in which the Company alleges that Messrs. Cooper and Weinstein were liable for certain conduct during the time they were TriGrow employees, including breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, usurpation of corporate opportunity, conversion, fraudulent concealment, and false representation. Also on July 29, 2021, the Company submitted a claim for indemnification to certain legacy TriGrow Systems, LLC. shareholders. The claim for indemnification relates to conduct by Messrs. Cooper and Weinstein during the time they were TriGrow employees. During the third quarter of 2022, the Company and Messrs. Cooper and Weinstein settled all claims and potential claims between themselves and any affiliated entities by the Company to Messrs. Cooper and Weinstein, and a related entity for approximately $800 thousand. United States Customs Seizure Matter On June 28, 2022, the Company was notified by the United States Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) that they seized 123 cartons of horticulture grow lights appraised at approximately $623 thousand at the Port of Savannah, Georgia based on CBP’s interpretation of certain importation laws which prohibit the importation of certain goods that are subject to health and safety legal restrictions, including a prohibition on the importation of drug paraphernalia, in accordance with 21 U.S.C. § 863(a). The Company is currently disputing the seizure. The Company does not believe these claims have any merit and intends to vigorously defend its position. Commitments Supply Agreement with Mack Molding Co. In December 2020, the Company entered into a five-year supply agreement with Mack Molding Co. (“Mack”) pursuant to which Mack will become a key supplier of VFUs. In February 2021, the Company placed a purchase order with Mack amounting to approximately $5.2 million towards the initial production of VFUs during 2021. In September 2021, the Company increased the purchase order with Mack to approximately $11.5 million towards production of VFUs during 2021 and 2022. The Company believes the supply agreement with Mack will provide the Company with increased scaling capabilities and the ability to meet the potential future demand of its customers more efficiently. The supply agreement contemplates that, following an introductory period, the Company will negotiate a minimum percentage of the VFU requirements that the Company will purchase from Mack each year based on the agreed-upon pricing formula. The introductory period is not time-based but rather refers to the production of an initial number of units after which the parties have rights to adjust pricing and negotiate a certain minimum requirements percentage. The Company believes this approach will result in both parties making a more informed decision with respect to the pricing and other terms of the supply agreement with Mack. Distribution Agreements with Related Party On September 7, 2019, the Company entered into a distribution agreement with Bluezone Products, Inc. (“Bluezone”) for distribution rights to the Bluezone products with certain exclusivity rights. The agreement requires minimum purchases amounting to $480 thousand and $600 thousand for the first and second contract anniversary years. The agreement auto-renews for successive one-year periods unless earlier terminated. In March 2021, the Company notified Bluezone of the non-renewal of the agreement which means it ended on May 31, 2021. The Company exceeded the minimum purchase amount for the first year and purchased approximately $309 thousand of the committed $660 thousand second-year purchases through December 31, 2021. Bluezone is a related party to the Company. Committed Purchase Agreement with Related Party – Greenstone On December 29, 2021, Greenstone purchased 239 VFUs from the Company of which 60 VFUs were already in Greenstone’s possession under a lease agreement. Under the lease agreement, Greenstone owed the Company a production service fee of $300 per pound of flower produced and contained an option to purchase the equipment within the lease agreement. The term of this agreement was for ten years, but it was terminated upon signing the purchase agreement for the 239 VFUs. There is no remaining obligation under the lease agreement. The remaining 179 VFUs were shipped to the Greenstone storage facility on December 30, 2021 and December 31, 2021. Greenstone is a related party to the Company. Additional information regarding recent developments with Greenstone may be found in Note 5 – Loan Receivable, included elsewhere in the notes to the consolidated financial statements. Committed Purchase Agreement with Related Party – Ora Pharm In June 2022, the Company entered into an agreement with Ora Pharm (“Ora”) pursuant to which Ora will purchase approximately $1.6 million in equipment from the Company, and Ora may purchase software services from the Company in the future. Mr. Wilcox is the Chairman of Ora. Mr. Wilcox has not had an interest in any transaction since the beginning of the Company’s last fiscal year, or any currently proposed transaction. There are no family relationships among any of the Company’s directors or executive officers and Mr. Wilcox. Other Commitments and Contingencies The Company is potentially subject to claims related to various non-income taxes (such as sales, value-added, consumption, and similar taxes) from various tax authorities, including in jurisdictions in which the Company already collects and remits such taxes. If the relevant taxing authorities successfully pursue these claims, the Company could be subject to additional tax liabilities. Refer to Note 9 – Debt, included elsewhere in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for details of the Company’s future minimum debt payments. Refer to Note 10 – Leases, included elsewhere in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for details of the Company’s future minimum lease payments under operating and financing lease liabilities. Refer to Note 15 – Income Taxes, included elsewhere in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for information regarding income tax contingencies.

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