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Commitments and Contingencies
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

10. Commitments and Contingencies

 

Commitments:

 

Leases

 

The Company determines whether an arrangement is a lease at inception. The Company and its subsidiaries have operating leases for certain manufacturing, laboratory, office facilities and certain equipment. The leases have remaining lease terms one year to less than ten years. Our lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants. As of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company has no assets recorded under finance leases.

 

Lease expense for these leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, total lease costs are comprised of the following:

 

   2023   2022   2023   2022 
(Dollars in thousands)  Three Months Ended
September 30,		   Nine Months Ended
September 30,		 
   2023   2022   2023   2022 
                 
Operating lease cost  $61   $51   $177   $151 
Short-term lease cost   —    —    —    — 
Total net lease cost  $61   $51   $177   $151 

 

Short-term leases are leases having a term of twelve months or less. The Company recognizes short-term leases on a straight-line basis and does not record a related lease asset or liability for such leases.

 

Other information related to leases was as follows:

 

(Dollars in thousands, except lease term and discount rate)    Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2023		 
     
Weighted Average Remaining Lease Term (in years):     
Operating leases   4.32 
      
Weighted Average Discount Rate:     
Operating leases   7.99%

 


(Dollars in thousands)		  Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2023		   Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2022		 
         
Supplemental Cash Flows Information:          
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:          
Operating cash flows from operating leases  $172   $148 
           
Non-Cash Activity Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations:          
Operating leases  $403   $20 

 

Maturities of noncancellable operating lease liabilities are as follows for the quarter ending September 30:

 

(Dollars in thousands)

 

     
   2023 
2023 (remainder of year)  $61 
2024   247 
2025   79 
2026   29 
2027   29 
Thereafter   145 
Total lease payments   590 
Less: imputed interest   (102)
Total lease obligations   488 
Less: current obligations   215 
Long-term lease obligations  $273 

 

As of September 30, 2023, there were no additional operating lease commitments that had not yet commenced.

 

 

Contingencies:

 

Spring Lane Capital Contingency

 

The Company has a potential contingency associated with an agreement with Spring Lane of up to $250 thousand which would be reduced by a proportion of funding received from Spring Lane up to the $35.0 million aggregate contribution cap. The Company considers the probability of a payment for the contingency to be remote.

 

Legal

 

We are subject to legal proceedings, claims and liabilities which arise in the ordinary course of business. When applicable, we accrue for losses associated with legal claims when such losses are probable and can be reasonably estimated. These accruals are adjusted as additional information becomes available or circumstances change. Legal fees are charged to expense as they are incurred.

 

The Company has been named as a party in the December 19, 2019 United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Demand Letter regarding the Malta Rocket Fuel Area Superfund Site (“Site”) located in Malta and Stillwater, New York in connection with an alleged release of hazardous materials into the environment. The EPA is seeking reimbursement of response costs from all named parties in the amount of approximately $358 thousand plus interest in connection with the investigation and disposal activities associated with the various drum caches discovered at the Site, issuance of the Explanation of Significant Differences (“ESD”) of the Site, and implementation of the work contemplated by the ESD. The Company considers the likelihood of a material adverse outcome to be remote and does not currently anticipate that any expense or liability it may incur as a result of these matters in the future will be material to the Company’s financial condition.

 

NYDIG filed a complaint against a subsidiary of Company, Soluna MC Borrowing 2021-1, LLC (“Borrower”) and Soluna MC, LLC, as Guarantor (“Guarantor”), and together with Borrower, (“NYDIG Defendants”) in Marshall Circuit Court of the Commonwealth of Kentucky on December 29, 2022 regarding a series of loans made by NYDIG to Borrower pursuant to a master equipment finance agreement that were secured by certain assets of Borrower and guaranteed by Guarantor pursuant to a written guaranty agreement executed by Guarantor. The Court issued on February 15, 2023 an agreed order granting NYDIG’s motion for writ of possession which, among other things, ordered parties to provide NYDIG access to the collateral described therein and preserved the rights of NYDIG to pursue a deficiency judgment against the NYDIG Defendants. Also on February 15, 2023, the NYDIG Defendants filed their answer and affirmative defenses in this proceeding. The NYDIG Defendants believe that NYDIG has liquidated some of the collateral securing the loans and anticipate that NYDIG will complete the liquidation of collateral and continue to prosecute the complaint to obtain a judgment against the NYDIG Defendants. Additionally, NYDIG has stated its intention to pursue SCI, the parent company of Guarantor, under a piercing of the corporate veil claim relating to NYDIG Defendants’ debts and liabilities under the loan documents. SCI denies any such liability and has filed a complaint for a declaratory judgment against NYDIG in the Eighth Judicial District Court in Clark County, Nevada on March 16, 2023 seeking a declaratory judgment as to such matter. NYDIG filed a motion to dismiss in response to SCI’s declaratory judgment complaint on April 13, 2023. SCI filed a response in opposition to NYDIG’s motion to dismiss on April 27, 2023. The court heard oral arguments on May 16, 2023. On June 22, 2023, the court issued an order granting NYDIG’s motion to dismiss, on the basis that the case was not ripe for decision, without prejudice. SCI intends to continue to vigorously defend any allegations regarding liability on account of NYDIG Defendants’ debts and liabilities to NYDIG under their loan documents and intends to refile a declaratory judgment complaint against NYDIG.

 

On February 23, 2023, NYDIG proceeded to foreclose on all of the collateral securing the MEFA, and repossessed the collateralized assets that totaled approximately $3.4 million, in which approximately $560 thousand was first used to pay off accrued interest and penalty to date. On September 5, 2023, NYDIG provided a letter finalizing the accounting for the repossessed collateralized assets totaling proceeds of approximately $3.4 million. This included legal and other expenses associated with the sale of the assets net a modest gain on the estimated net book value of the assets totaling $251 thousand that was expensed as a loss on disposition of assets for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The NYDIG Defendants noted a difference of approximately $500 thousand in the ending principle, interest and penalties balance as of August 3, 2023 valuation date indicated in the letter, which the NYDIG Defendants are currently disputing.

 

In September 2023, Atlas Technology Group LLC (“Atlas”) filed a complaint against Soluna MC LLC (formerly EcoChain Block LLC) (“Soluna MC”), Soluna Computing, Inc., and Soluna Holdings, Inc. (collectively, the “Atlas Defendants”) in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York regarding a co-location services agreement between Soluna MC and Atlas.  Atlas alleges that the termination of such agreement by Soluna MC was a breach and asserts various claims, including breach of contract and the return of pre-paid fees. The claim requests a judgement against the Atlas Defendants for the return of pre-paid fees of approximately $464 thousand and additional damages to be determined at trial of not less than $7.9 million, and reimbursement of costs including legal fees and other costs. The complaint also contains references to alter ego liability and piercing the corporate veil.  The Atlas Defendants believes they have substantial factual and legal defenses to these claims and intend to defend the claims vigorously.

 

The referenced pre-paid fees of approximately $464 thousand have been reported in previous filings on Soluna MC’s balance sheet. No reserves have been established for any other claims asserted in such complaint.