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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
6 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

NOTE G — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Operating Leases

The Company leases office space under an operating lease in Stony Brook, New York for its corporate headquarters. The lease is for a 30,000 square foot building. The term of the lease commenced on June 15, 2013 and expired on May 31, 2017, with the option to extend the lease for two additional three-year periods. The Company has exercised its option to extend the lease for one additional three-year period ending May 31, 2019. The base rent during the additional three-year period was $458,098 per annum. In November 2019, the Company extended this lease until January 15, 2020. In addition to the office space, the Company also has 2,200 square feet of laboratory space. On January 20, 2020, the Company entered into an agreement to amend both of these leases, extending the term for the corporate headquarters as well as the laboratory space until January 15, 2021, with a one-year renewal option. In October 2020, the Company exercised the one-year renewal option, extending the term for these leases until January 15, 2022. On February 1, 2002, the Company entered into a new lease for the same facility for an one-year term, expiring January 31, 2023. The base rent during the additional twelve-month period is $589,056 per annum. The Company also has a satellite testing facility in Ahmedabad, India, which occupies 1,108 square feet for a three-year term beginning November 1, 2017. During September 2021, the Company renewed this lease with a new expiration date of August 31, 2022. The base rent is approximately $6,500 per annum. The Company’s total short-term lease obligation as of March 31, 2022 is $497,314.

NOTE G — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Operating Leases, continued

The total rent expense for the three and six-month periods ended March 31, 2022 were $146,744 and $289,696, respectively. The total rent expense for the three and six-month periods ended March 31, 2021 were $141,650 and $284,495, respectively.

Employment Agreement

The employment agreement with Dr. James Hayward, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), entered into in July 2016 provides that he will be the Company’s CEO and will continue to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors. The initial term was from July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017, with automatic one-year renewal periods. On July 28, 2017, the employment agreement was renewed for a successive one-year term and the employment agreement has been renewed for successive one-year terms, most recently as of June 30, 2021. Under the employment agreement, the CEO is eligible for a special aggregate cash incentive bonus of up to $800,000, $300,000 of which is payable if and when annual revenue reaches $8 million, plus an additional $100,000 payable for each additional $2 million of annual revenue in excess of $8 million. Pursuant to the contract, the CEO’s annual salary is $400,000. The Board of Directors, acting in its discretion, may grant annual bonuses to the CEO. The CEO will be entitled to certain benefits and perquisites and will be eligible to participate in retirement, welfare and incentive plans available to the Company’s other employees.

The employment agreement with the CEO also provides that if he is terminated before the end of the initial or a renewal term by the Company without cause or if the CEO terminates his employment for good reason, then, in addition to previously earned and unpaid salary, bonus and benefits, and subject to the delivery of a general release and continuing compliance with restrictive covenants, the CEO will be entitled to receive a pro rata portion of the greater of either (X) the annual bonus he would have received if employment had continued through the end of the year of termination or (Y) the prior year’s bonus; salary continuation payments for two years following termination equal to the greater of (i) three times base salary or (ii) two times base salary plus bonus; company-paid COBRA continuation coverage for 18 months post-termination; continuing life insurance benefits (if any) for two years; and extended exercisability of outstanding vested options (for three years from termination date or, if earlier, the expiration of the fixed option term). If termination of employment as described above occurs within six months before or two years after a change in control of the Company, then, in addition to the above payments and benefits, all of the CEO’s outstanding options and other equity incentive awards will become fully vested and the CEO will receive a lump sum payment of the amounts that would otherwise be paid as salary continuation. In general, a change in control will include a 30% or more change in ownership of the Company.

Upon termination due to death or disability, the CEO will generally be entitled to receive the same payments and benefits he would have received if his employment had been terminated by the Company without cause (as described in the preceding paragraph), other than salary continuation payments.

On October 29, 2021, the Board of Directors amended the existing compensatory arrangement with the CEO to increase his salary to $450,000, effective November 1, 2021. Effective March 7, 2022 the CEO voluntarily reduced his salary to $225,000.

In accordance with the terms of his employment agreement, for the six-month period ended March 31, 2022, the CEO earned a $400,000 bonus as the Company’s year to date revenue was greater than $10 million. The bonus has not yet been paid and is included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities in the condensed consolidated balance sheet.

Litigation

From time to time, the Company may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business. When the Company is aware of a claim or potential claim, it assesses the likelihood of any loss or exposure. If it is probable that a loss will result and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated, the Company will record a liability for the loss. In addition to the estimated loss, the recorded liability includes probable and estimable legal costs associated with the claim or potential claim. Litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm the Company’s business. There is no pending litigation involving the Company at this time.