COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2021

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Leases

At the inception of a contractual arrangement, the Company determines whether the contract contains a lease by assessing whether there is an identified asset and whether the contract conveys the right to control the use of the identified asset in exchange for consideration over a period of time. If both criteria are met, the Company calculates the associated lease liability and corresponding right-of-use asset upon lease commencement using a discount rate based on a borrowing rate commensurate with the term of the lease.

The Company records lease liabilities within current liabilities or long-term liabilities based upon the length of time associated with the lease payments. The Company records its operating lease right-of-use assets as long-term assets.

As of March 31, 2021, the Company has recorded a lease liability of $315 and corresponding right-of-use-asset of $318 on its condensed consolidated balance sheet.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we are involved in various legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business.

K2M - Alleged Patent Infringement

On January 20, 2017, K2M, Inc. filed suit against us in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware (K2M, Inc. v. OrthoPediatrics Corp. et al., Case No. 1:17-cv-0061) seeking unspecified damages for alleged infringement of U.S. Patent No. 9,532,816. The complaint was amended on August 21, 2017 to add, among other things, a claim of patent infringement regarding U.S. Patent No. 9,655,664. These patents relate to certain instruments used in our RESPONSE™ spine systems, which represent a portion of our total scoliosis portfolio. We have denied these claims and responded with counterclaims seeking declaratory relief that the patents in question are both invalid and not infringed. The parties attended a court-ordered mediation on October 24, 2017, which did not resolve the dispute, but as we move forward with this matter we welcome constructive discussions on a negotiated settlement. Nevertheless, we view our case as particularly strong and will continue to vigorously defend this matter. On June 28, 2018, the United States Patent and Trademark Office's Patent Trial and Appeal Board ("PTAB") instituted limited review concerning whether certain third parties had described the invention of certain of K2M's patent claims before allegedly invented by K2M. On July 10, 2018, the Court stayed the litigation pending the outcome of PTAB's review. On June 4, 2019, PTAB completed its review, finding, among other things, insufficient evidence of such description by the third parties. In early October 2019, the Court orally lifted the stay in federal district court. Thereafter, on November 19, 2019, K2M amended its complaint to add two (2) additional issued patents, to add claims of patent infringement regarding U.S. Patent Nos. 10,285,735 and 10,292,736 (both issued in May 2019). Like before, these newly issued patents relate to certain instruments used in our RESPONSE spine systems. Additionally, we have denied these most recent claims and responded with counterclaims seeking declaratory relief that the subject patents are both invalid and not infringed. Moreover, on November 20, 2019, the Court issued its Scheduling Order, which in part, set a trial date for April 12, 2021. Subsequently, the parties attended a second court-ordered mediation on February 25, 2020, which did not resolve the dispute.

Throughout 2021, we have continued settlement negotiations regarding this matter and anticipate that it will be settled in the near term. Because the Company considers a potential settlement to be probable, it previously accrued for the related expense during the fourth quarter of 2020. No material modifications were made to the accrual during the quarter ended March 31, 2021. While the Company considers it probable, no assurance can be given that a final settlement will be reached and, were negotiations to cease, we would vigorously defend the claims asserted against us.

Barry - Alleged Patent Infringement

On December 30, 2020, Dr. Mark Barry filed suit against us in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware (Barry v. OrthoPediatrics Corp. et al., Case No. 1:20-cv-01786) seeking unspecified damages for alleged infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 7,670,358; 8,361,121; 9,339,301; 9,668,787; and 9,668,788, which relate to systems and methods concerning derotation of spinal bodies to correct spinal deformities. On March 19, 2021, the parties reached a final settlement, which included the Company entering into a license agreement with Dr. Barry. The license agreement was recorded by the Company in the amount of $2,858, which will be amortized over a period of up to 8 years based upon the number of cases utilizing the related spinal deformity system in a given period. The balance of the amount otherwise paid to Dr. Barry had been previously accrued for during the fourth quarter of 2020 in anticipation of this final settlement.

Accrued Legal Settlement Costs

As of March 31, 2021, we have an outstanding accrued legal settlement balance of $5,250 related to the potential outcome of outstanding legal matters.

Royalties

As of March 31, 2021, we are contracted to pay royalties to individuals and entities that provide research and development services, which range from 0.5% to 20% of sales.

We have products in development that have milestone payments and royalty commitments. In any development project, there are significant variables that will affect the amount and timing of these payments and as of March 31, 2021, we have not been able to determine the amount and timing of payments. We do not anticipate these future payments will have a material impact on our financial results.