CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS AND CONTINGENCIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2015

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS AND CONTINGENCIES

13. CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS AND CONTINGENCIES

As of September 30, 2015, the Company and its majority owned subsidiary, VVI, have remaining obligations, contingent upon receipt of certain revenues, to repay up to $165,788 and $198,334, respectively, in consideration of grant funding received in 1994 and 1995.  The Company also is obligated to pay at the rate of 7.5% of its revenues, if any, from transferring rights to certain inventions supported by the grant funds.  VVI is obligated to pay at rates of 1.5% of its net sales of supported products or 15% of its revenues from licensing supported products, if any.  

Contingencies – Litigation

Tim Conley (case pending) - On August 18, 2014, notice was issued to the Company that on June 23, 2014, Timothy Conley (the “Plaintiff”) filed a complaint against the Company, in the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island. The complaint alleges that the Company’s former acting interim CEO, Johnnie Johnson, and Plaintiff entered into an agreement whereby the Company agreed to make payments to Plaintiff. Among other allegations, Plaintiff claims that the Company’s nonpayment to Plaintiff constitutes a breach of contract. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses to the allegations and the Company intends to vigorously defend against the litigation.

GEOMC (case pending) - On August 22, 2014, GEOMC filed a complaint against the Company in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. The complaint alleges that the Company and GEOMC entered into a security agreement whereby in exchange for GEOMC’s sale and delivery of the Scrambler Therapy devices (the “Devices”), the Company would grant GEOMC a security interest in the Devices. Among other allegations, GEOMC claims that the Company has failed to comply with the terms of the security agreement and seeks an order to the Court to replevy the Devices or collect damages. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses to the allegations and the Company intends to vigorously defend against the litigation. On February 4, 2016, the Company announced that it is discussing a settlement with GEOMC, however, to date, no settlement has been reached.

Summary – We may be a party to other legal actions and proceedings from time to time. We are unable to estimate legal expenses or losses we may incur, if any, or possible damages we may recover, and we have not recorded any potential judgment losses or proceeds in our financial statements to date. We record expenses in connection with these suits as incurred.

An unfavorable resolution of any or all matters, and/or our incurrence of significant legal fees and other costs to defend or prosecute any of these actions and proceedings may, depending on the amount and timing, have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows in a particular period.

The Company’s Distribution Rights, Marineo and Delta

On April 8, 2014, Mr. Giuseppe Marineo, Delta Research and Development (“Delta”), Mr. Marineo’s research company, and Delta International Services and Logistics (“DIS&L”), Delta’s commercial arm in which Mr. Marineo is the sole beneficiary of all proceeds as its founder and sole owner (collectively the “Group”), issued a press release (the “Group’s Press Release”) regarding the Company stating that the Company did not have authority to sell, distribute and manufacture the Calmare Device as an exclusive agent of the Group. The Company issued a corporate response in a press release dated April 11, 2014 stating that the Group’s Press Release was inaccurate and, as assured by the wire service, had the Group’s Press Release purged from the wire services’ foreign desk.

This issue between the Company and the Group is over the validity of the 2012 Amendment to a Sales and Representation Agreement which, if valid and enforceable, may have compromised the Company’s rights to sell, distribute and manufacture the Calmare Device as an exclusive agent of the Group in the global marketplace, especially in the European, Middle Eastern and North African (“EMENA”) territory which was responsible for approximately 70% of gross Calmare Device sales in 2011. However, the Company believes that the 2012 Amendment is neither valid nor enforceable as it was never duly signed or authorized and subsequently deemed null and void as so disclosed on April 16, 2014 in the Form 10-K filing. Therefore, the Company’s rights are determined by the 2011 Amendment which provides the Company with the exclusive rights to manufacture and sell the Calmare Device worldwide using the Technology.

On April 16, 2014, counsel for the Group (“Group Counsel”) sent a cease and desist letter (“Cease and Desist Letter”) to the Company, requesting a confirmation that the Company would no longer hold itself out as an agent of the Group permitted to sell, distribute and manufacture the Calmare Device world-wide including the EMENA territory.

The Company responded on April 25, 2014 to the Cease and Desist Letter, disputing Group Counsel’s interpretation of the events surrounding the execution of the 2012 Amendment. At this time, the Company continues to work to find a reasonable and amicable resolution to the situation.

Unsigned Agreements

The Company uses two unrelated firms to provide marketing and investor relations services, CME Acuity (“CMEA”) and Legend Capital Management (“LCM”), respectively. The LCM and CMEA agreements were not signed due to an inability to come to final terms due to certain nuances in either agreement that included but were not limited to assignment of human capital and allowable performance based bonus(es). However, from the start date until September 30, 2015, the respective firms were being compensated for services rendered on a “pay-as-we go” basis (the “Arrangement”). The aforementioned Arrangement is expected to continue for the next few consecutive quarters until such time as their agreements can be consummated.