XML 31 R17.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.20.1
Note 14 - Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Notes to Financial Statements  
Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]
14.
Contingencies
 
Putative Class Action Lawsuit -
On
July 3, 2014,
a purported stockholder of the Company filed a putative class action lawsuit against Gyrodyne Company of America, Inc. (the “Corporation”) and members of its Board of Directors (the "Individual Defendants"), and against Gyrodyne Special Distribution, LLC (“GSD”) and the Company (collectively, the "Defendants"), in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Suffolk (the "Court"), captioned Cashstream Fund v. Paul L. Lamb, et al., Index
No.
065134/2014
(the "Action"). The complaint alleged, among other things, that (i) the Individual Defendants breached their fiduciary duties or aided and abetted the breach of those duties in connection with the merger of the Corporation and GSD into the Company (the “Merger”) and (ii) the Corporation and the Individual Defendants breached their fiduciary duties by failing to disclose material information in the proxy statement/prospectus relating to the Merger.
 
On
August 14, 2015,
the parties to the Action entered into a Stipulation of Settlement (the "Settlement") providing for the settlement of the Action, subject to the Court's approval. Under the Settlement, Gyrodyne amended its Proxy Statement on
August 17, 2015
with certain supplemental disclosures and agreed that any sales of its properties would be effected only in arm's-length transactions at prices at or above their appraised values as of
December 2014.
The plaintiff, on behalf of itself and the members of the putative class it represents, agreed to release and dismiss with prejudice all claims that had or could have been asserted in the Action or in any other forum against the Defendants and their affiliates and agents arising out of or relating to the Merger and the other transactions alleged by plaintiff in its complaint, as supplemented. On
April 8, 2016,
the Court entered a Final Order and Judgment approving the Settlement. By order of the same date, the Court also granted plaintiff’s application for an award of attorney’s fees and reimbursement of expenses in the amount of
$650,000
which was paid in full in
April 2016.
 
As of
December 31, 2019
and
2018,
the value of the remaining unsold properties exceeded the respective
2014
appraised value.
 
General -
In the normal course of business, the Company is a party to various legal proceedings. After reviewing all actions and proceedings pending against or involving the Company, management considers that any loss resulting from such proceedings individually or in the aggregate will
not
be material to the Company’s financial statements.