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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Litigation

The medical device industry is characterized by frequent claims and litigation, and the Company may become subject to various claims, lawsuits and proceedings in the ordinary course of our business. Such claims may include claims by current or former employees, distributors and competitors, claims concerning the marketing and promotion of our products and product liability claims.

The Company is involved in a number of legal actions relating to the use of our Helium Plasma technology. The outcomes of these legal actions are not within the Company’s control and may not be known for prolonged periods of time. It believes that such claims are adequately covered by insurance; however, in the case of one of the Company’s carriers, the Company is in a dispute regarding the total level of coverage available. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the opinion of management, the Company has meritorious defenses, and such claims are not expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a material, adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. However, in the event that damages exceed the aggregate coverage limits of the Company’s policies or if its insurance carriers disclaim coverage, management believes it is possible that costs associated with these claims could have a material adverse impact on the consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

During December 2021, the Company provided notice of contract termination to an international distributor of the Company. In March 2022, the Company received a letter from the former distributor citing improper contract termination and alleging damages. During 2022, the Company recorded an estimated loss of $250,000 in professional services in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The Company has not experienced any movement on the matter since our response to the distributor in the fourth quarter of 2022. Accordingly, we have revised our estimated loss on the matter to $0 as it is no longer probable that a loss has been incurred. The reduction in estimated loss of $250,000 is included in professional services in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2023.

As previously disclosed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed June 7, 2022, on June 6, 2022, a complaint (the “Hattaway Complaint”) was filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (the “U.S. District Court”) by plaintiff William E. Hattaway, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated against the Company, Charles D. Goodwin (“Goodwin”), the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Company’s Board of Directors, and Tara Semb (“Semb”), the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary, alleging violations by the Company, Goodwin and Semb of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, primarily related to certain public statements and disclosures concerning the off-label usage of certain of the Company’s Advanced Energy products and the impact such usage would have on the Company’s business, operations and prospects. The Hattaway Complaint sought an unspecified amount of damages.

While the matter was in the early stages, management had determined that a loss was probable in the estimated range of $475,000 to $2,500,000. The Company recorded an estimated loss of $475,000 in professional services in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. On June 15, 2023, the U.S. District Court issued an Order dismissing the Hattaway Complaint and granting plaintiff until July 3, 2023 to file a second amended complaint, failing which the U.S. District Court would close the case. On June 27, 2023, the Plaintiff formally notified the Court that a Second Amended Complaint will not be filed and on July 17, 2023, the case was marked closed based on the Court’s June 15 dismissal order. This closed the matter for the estimated loss recorded by the Company.

During 2022, the Company was notified of certain procedures alleged to have been performed by the same physician and which are currently the subject of two related products liability cases within the courts. Subsequent to year end, the Company was notified by its insurance carriers that all or most of the ten individual plaintiff’s allegations could be subject to separate deductibles notwithstanding the commonality of each underlying occurrence. The Company has determined that a loss is
probable and that a range of estimated losses is approximately $1,450,000 to $2,400,000. The Company recorded an estimated loss of $1,450,000 related to the matters during 2022. It is at least possible that a change in the actual amount of loss will occur in the near term, though management expects the actual amount of loss will be within the estimated range of losses.

On March 1, 2023, Shiva Stein as plaintiff filed a derivative complaint in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, captioned Stein v. Makrides, et al., C.A. No. 2023-0239-MTZ (the “Stein Suit”) against individual members of the Company’s board of directors and naming the Company as a nominal defendant, primarily concerning the facts at issue in a previously disclosed federal securities class action lawsuit filed in 2019 and settled in 2020, captioned Pritchard v. Apyx Medical Corporation, et al., Case No. 8:19-cv-00919 (M.D. Fla.) (the “Pritchard Case”). The Stein Suit sought unspecified damages alleged to have resulted from purported breaches of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment and related claims based on the same set of allegedly misleading statements and material omissions described in the settled Pritchard Case, which concerned the 2018-2019 clinical study conducted by the Company to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its J-Plasma technology for dermal resurfacing. On April 3, 2023, the Company formally moved to dismiss the case as time-barred and on other legal grounds, which triggered the plaintiff’s right to file an amended complaint. On July 12, 2023, plaintiff’s counsel informed the Company’s counsel that plaintiff Stein did not intend to file an amended complaint, and on July 17, 2023 plaintiff’s counsel filed a notice of voluntary dismissal. An order of the Court dismissing the Stein Suit, with prejudice, was entered on July 20, 2023.

The Company accrues a liability in its consolidated financial statements for these actions when a loss is known or considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. If the reasonable estimate of a known or probable loss is a range, and no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other, the minimum amount of the range is recorded. If a loss is reasonably possible, but not known or probable, and can be reasonably estimated, the estimated loss or range of loss is disclosed in the notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements. In most cases, significant judgment is required to estimate the amount and timing of a loss to be recorded, actual results may differ from these estimates.

Purchase Commitments

At September 30, 2023, the Company had purchase commitments totaling approximately $3.5 million, substantially all of which is expected to be purchased within the next twelve months.