Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

May 29, 2022

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

Purchase Commitments

At May 29, 2022, the Company was committed to purchase $54.9 million of raw materials. For the fiscal years ended May 29, 2022, May 30, 2021 and May 31, 2020, purchases related to long term commitments under take or pay agreements were $5.1 million, $3.0 million, and $3.4 million, respectively.

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.

Claims Alleging Unfair Labor Practices

Curation Foods has been the target of a union organizing campaign which has included three unsuccessful attempts to unionize Curation Foods’ Guadalupe, California processing plant. The campaign has involved a union and over 100 former and current employees of Pacific Harvest, Inc. and Rancho Harvest, Inc. (collectively “Pacific Harvest”), Curation Foods’ former labor contractors at its Guadalupe, California processing facility, bringing legal actions before various state and federal agencies, the California Superior Court, and initiating over 100 individual arbitrations against Curation Foods and Pacific Harvest.

The legal actions consisted of various claims, all of which were settled in fiscal year 2017. Under the settlement agreement, the plaintiffs were to be paid in three installments. The Company and Pacific Harvest each agreed to pay one half of the settlement payments. The Company paid the entire first two installments and Pacific Harvest agreed to reimburse the Company for its $2.1 million portion. As of May 30, 2021, the outstanding balance of the receivable was $1.2 million. The Company makes ongoing estimates relating to the collectability of receivables. A reserve is established for any note when there is reasonable doubt that the principal or interest will be collected in full. The Company may write-off uncollectable receivables after collection efforts are exhausted. During the fiscal year 2020, the Company's review for collectability concluded that a receivable reserve of $1.2 million would be recorded. The Company's conclusion regarding collectability changed as a result of Pacific Harvest communicating their refusal to pay combined with their bringing claims against the Company. During the fiscal year ended May 30, 2021, the Company agreed to discharge Pacific Harvest from the $1.2 million receivable as part of a settlement agreement with Pacific Harvest (see other litigation matters section below for additional information).

Compliance Matters

On December 1, 2018, the Company acquired all of the voting interests and substantially all of the assets of Yucatan Foods (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 disclosed to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) the conduct under investigation, and these agencies have commenced an investigation. The Company has also disclosed the conduct under investigation to the Mexican Attorney General’s Office, which has commenced an investigation, and to Mexican regulatory agencies. The Company is cooperating in the government

investigations and requests for information. 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 seeks 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 parties for fraud, indemnification, and other claims, and seeking no less than $80 million in damages.

At this stage, the ultimate outcome of these or any other investigations, legal actions, or potential claims that may arise from the matters under investigation is uncertain and the Company cannot reasonably predict the timing or outcomes, or estimate the amount of net loss after indemnification, or its effect, if any, on its financial statements. Separately, there are indemnification provisions in the purchase agreement that may allow the Company to recover costs for fraud or breach of the purchase agreement from the seller. Because recovery of amounts are contingent upon a legal settlement, no amounts have been recorded as recoverable costs through May 29, 2022.

During the third quarter of fiscal year 2021 the Company reached a resolution with its insurance carrier that resulted in a recovery of $1.6 million which is recorded as a reduction of selling, general and administrative in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the fiscal year ended May 30, 2021. Absent further material developments in the investigation, the Company does not expect additional material recovery from the insurance carrier.

Other Litigation Matters

On February 10, 2020, a complaint was filed against Curation Foods in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Printpack, Inc. v. Curation Foods, Inc., alleging breach of contract pertaining to Curation Foods’ purchase of certain poly film packaging from the plaintiff. The plaintiff was seeking an unspecified amount of monetary damages, litigation expenses, and interest. Through several negotiations and discussions between the Company and Printpack, an agreement was reached and a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal was filed on May 29, 2020. This dismisses the case against the Company with no other further legal action required.

On February 14, 2020, a complaint was filed against the Company, Curation Foods, the Company's current CEO Albert Bolles, and the Company’s former CFO Gregory Skinner (collectively, the “Landec Parties”), and other defendants in Santa Barbara County Superior Court, entitled Pacific Harvest, Inc., et al. v. Curation Foods, Inc., et al. (No. 20CV00920). The case was brought by Pacific Harvest, Inc. (“Pacific”) and Rancho Harvest, Inc. (“Rancho”), two related companies that have provided labor and employee staffing services to Curation Foods. Among other things, Pacific and Rancho allege that Curation Foods wrongfully decreased its use of Pacific’s staffing services and misappropriated Pacific’s trade secrets when Curation Foods increased its use of another staffing company and transitioned Pacific’s employees to the other staffing company. Pacific and Rancho also allege that Curation Foods breached agreements between the parties related to a loan from Curation Foods, on which Pacific and Rancho have ceased making payments. Pacific Harvest and Rancho asserted claims for breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional interference with contracts and potential economic advantage, misappropriation of trade secrets under California’s Uniform Trade Secrets Act, business practices in violation of California Unfair Competition Law, fraud, defamation, violation of California Usury Law, breach of fiduciary duty, and declaratory relief regarding the parties’ rights and obligations under certain of the parties’ contracts. On March 15, 2021, the Company executed a settlement agreement related to this matter. In connection with the settlement agreement, the Company recorded a $1.8 million charge after considering the total settlement amount and insurance recoveries, and this amount is included in Legal settlement charge in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the fiscal year ended May 30, 2021. The final settlement amount was paid to the plaintiffs by Curation Foods, its co-defendants, and insurers on April 14, 2021. Pursuant to the settlement agreement, the case was dismissed with prejudice on April 23, 2021.

In June of 2021 a complaint was filed against the company alleging multiple wage and hour claims. On June 6, 2022 the Company reached an agreement to settle all causes of action alleged by the Plaintiff under the California Labor Code, the California Business and Professionals Code, the applicable Wage Order, and the Private Attorneys General Act (the “PAGA”). In connection with the settlement agreement the Company recorded a $0.5 million charge, and this amount is included in Loss from discontinued operations costs in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the fiscal year ended May 29, 2022.