Note 13 - Commitments And Contingencies:

12 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2014

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

13. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES:

Employment and consulting agreements: 

Smith has held the positions of Director, President and General Counsel of Company and its subsidiaries under various agreements and terms since March 2003. During July 2011, the Company entered into an extension agreement pursuant to which Smith continued to hold his current position in the Company through a date no later than December 31, 2012. Commencing January 1, 2012, Smith’s monthly salary was $20,000, which has been accrued and deferred. In addition, 90,000 shares of the Company’s common stock would be issued to Smith in two tranches of 45,000 shares on each of January 15, 2013 (issued) and 2014 (issued), respectively. The Company recorded expense of $240,300 for the year ended June 30, 2012, related to the future stock issuances as the bonus was fully vested at the grant date. As part of the extension agreement, Smith was also granted 200,000 options, which vested immediately, to purchase common shares of the Company at a price of $3.00 per share and which options expire on December 31, 2019. The Company recorded expense of $334,000 during the year ended June 30, 2012 as the options were fully vested at the grant date. Effective July 15, 2012, the Company entered into an extension agreement pursuant to which Smith will continue to hold his current positions in the Company through a date no later than June 30, 2014. Effective September 2012, Smith’s monthly salary became $21,000, until March 2014, at which time Smith agreed to a temporary reduction in monthly salary to $14,000 (which is currently being deferred). In addition, the extension provides that Smith will be issued 150,000 shares of the Company’s common stock in two tranches of 75,000 shares on each of January 15, 2014 (issued) and 2015 (to be issued), which shares vested immediately. The Company recorded expense of $292,500 for the year ended June 30, 2013, related to the future stock issuances as the bonus was fully vested at the grant date. As part of the extension agreement, Smith was also granted a bonus of $25,000 paid in warrants, which vested immediately, to purchase 250,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at a price of $2.10 per share and which warrants expire on December 31, 2018 and a contingent stock bonus of 100,000 shares payable on the date on which the Company’s stock price first reaches $10.00 per share (regardless of whether Smith is still providing services to the Company on such date). During September 2014, Smith agreed to continue his employment agreement through January 1, 2015 and also agreed to continue to defer his temporarily reduced salary of $14,000 per month until such date.

Since March 31, 2005, the Company has had various agreements with Brightcap and/or Bassani, through which the services of Bassani are provided. On September 30, 2009 the Company entered into an extension agreement with Brightcap pursuant to which Bassani provided services to the Company through September 30, 2012 for $312,000 annually (currently deferred). The Board appointed Bassani as the Company's CEO effective May 13, 2011. On July 15, 2011, Bassani, Brightcap and the Company agreed to an extension/amendment of the existing agreement with Brightcap which provided that Bassani would continue to provide the services of CEO through June 30, 2013 and will continue to provide full-time services to the Company in other capacities through June 30, 2014 at a salary of $26,000 per month. In addition Bassani will be issued 300,000 shares of the Company’s common stock issuable in three tranches of 100,000 shares on each of January 15, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. During the year ended June 30, 2012 the Company recorded expense of $795,000 related to the future stock issuances as the bonus was fully vested at the grant date. Bassani was also granted 725,000 options, which vested immediately, to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at $3.00 per share which options expire on December 31, 2019. The Company recorded expense of $1,203,500 during the year ended June 30, 2012 as the options were fully vested at the grant date. Effective July 15, 2012, Bassani, Brightcap and the Company agreed to a further extension/amendment of the existing agreement with Brightcap which provides that Bassani will continue to provide the services of CEO through June 30, 2014. The extension provided that Bassani will continue to provide full-time services to the Company at a cash salary of $26,000 per month (which is currently being deferred) and Bassani will be issued 300,000 shares of the Company’s common stock issuable in two tranches of 150,000 shares on each of January 15, 2015 and 2016, respectively, which were immediately vested. The Company recorded expense of $585,000 for the year ended June 30, 2013, related to the future stock issuances as the bonus was fully vested at the grant date. As part of the extension agreement, Bassani was also granted a bonus of $5,000 paid in warrants, which vested immediately, to purchase 50,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at a price of $2.10 per share and which warrants expire on December 31, 2018. During September 2014, Bassani agreed to extend his employment agreement until January 1, 2015 and that previously issued and expensed share grants of 100,000 and 150,000 shares, that were to be issued on January 15, 2015, would be deferred until January 15, 2016.

On May 5, 2013, the Board of Directors approved agreements with Bassani and Smith, with effective dates of May 15, 2013, in which Bassani and Smith have agreed to continue to defer their respective cash compensation through April 30, 2014 (unless the Board of Directors elects to re-commence cash payment on an earlier date) and to extend the due date of their respective deferred cash compensation until January 15, 2015 on the terms set forth in Note 7. In May 2014, Bassani and Smith have agreed to continue to defer their respective cash compensation through July 1, 2014. The Company has provided Bassani and Smith with convertible promissory notes which reflect all the terms of these agreements to which future accruals will be added as additional principal. As part of the agreements, Bassani and Smith have also forgiven any possible obligations that Bion may have owed each of them in relation to unused vacation time for periods (over 10 years) prior to June 30, 2012. In consideration of these agreements, Bassani and Smith: a) have been granted 50% ‘execution/exercise’ bonuses to be effective upon future exercise of outstanding (or subsequently acquired) options and warrants owned by Bassani and Smith (and their respective donees) and in relation to contingent stock bonuses; b) their warrants and options, if due to expire prior to December 31, 2018, have been extended to that date (with possible further extensions); and c) other modifications have been made.

Effective January 1, 2011, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Edward Schafer pursuant to which for a period of three years, Schafer will provide senior management services to the Company on an approximately 75% full time basis, initially as Executive Vice Chairman and as a director. Compensation for Schafer’s services will initially be at an annual rate of $250,000, which will consist of $150,000 in cash compensation and $100,000 payable in the Company’s common stock. Commencing the month following the first calendar month-end after the Company has completed an equity financing in excess of $3,000,000 (net of commissions and other offering expenses), Schafer’s compensation shall be at an annual rate of $225,000, all of which shall be payable in cash. Effective July 15, 2012, the Company entered into a deferral/employment/ compensation agreement with Mr. Schafer pursuant to which Schafer continued to provide senior management services to the Company on an approximately 75% full time basis, initially as Executive Vice Chairman and as a director. Basic compensation for Schafer’s services remained unchanged and Schafer was issued 100,000 options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at $2.10 per share until December 31, 2018, which immediately vested and a contingent stock bonus of 25,000 shares payable on January 1 of the first year after the Company’s stock price first reaches $10.00 per share (regardless of whether Schafer is still providing services to the Company on such date). Due to the Company’s cash constraints, Schafer agreed to defer the cash portion of his compensation effective May 15, 2012. Mr. Schafer’s employment agreement expired on December 31, 2013. Mr. Schafer will continue to serve as the Company’s Executive Vice Chairman on a consulting basis with compensation to be determined by the Board from time-to-time.

Effective September 18, 2006, the Company entered into a four-year employment agreement with Jeremy Rowland whereby Mr. Rowland assumed the position of Chief Operating Officer of Projects at an annual salary of $150,000. In June 2008, the employment agreement terms were extended through July 1, 2012. Mr. Rowland’s services were terminated effective July 31, 2013. Mr. Rowland currently provides consulting services for the Company on an ‘as needed’ basis.

During January 2012, the Company approved an employment agreement contract extension effective January 1, 2012 with Craig Scott pursuant to which he continued to act as Vice President of Capital Markets and Shareholder Relations through December 31, 2012, at an annual salary of $144,000. In consideration for his extension agreement, Mr. Scott was granted 75,000 options to purchase shares of the Company’s common shares at $2.75 per share with an expiration date of December 31, 2016, 12,500 contingent stock options that will be issued if the Company’s stock price exceeds $10.00 and $20.00 per share, respectively, and an extension of the expiration dates all his existing warrants and options as of January 1, 2012 until December 31, 2016. Mr. Scott currently works for the Company on a month-to-month basis and beginning August 1, 2013 is receiving his compensation in common stock of the Company.

Effective February 1, 2011, the Company entered into an employment agreement with James Morris, pursuant to which Mr. Morris will act as Chief Technology Officer of the Company through January 31, 2015 at an annual salary of $150,000 through July 1, 2011, and $180,000 thereafter. Mr. Morris’ services were terminated effective November 30, 2013. The Company has accrued expenses of $75,000 related to this termination, which is included in accrued liabilities as of June 30, 2014. The Company has also accrued deferred compensation and a deferred bonus and interest totalling approximately $186,000 for Mr. Morris as of June 30, 2014. The Company’s obligation to pay these sums to Mr. Morris is subject to the outcome of litigation initiated by Mr. Morris during May 2014 (see Litigation below).

Effective September 27, 2011, the Company entered into an employment agreement with George Bloom, pursuant to which Mr. Bloom, the Company’s Chief Engineering Officer, will act as Vice President-Engineering of the Company through January 31, 2016 at an annual salary of $180,000. Mr. Bloom’s services were terminated effective November 30, 2013. The Company has accrued expense of $75,000 related to this termination, which is included in accrued liabilities as of June 30, 2014. The Company has also accrued deferred compensation and a deferred bonus totally approximately $120,000 for Mr. Bloom as of June 30, 2014.

Contingent stock bonuses:

In May 2005 the Company declared contingent deferred stock bonuses to its key employees and consultants. The stock bonuses are contingent upon the Company’s stock price exceeding $10.00 and $20.00 per share, respectively, and the grantees still being employed by or providing services to the Company at the time the target prices are reached. As of June 30, 2014, 227,500 and 65,000 of these contingent bonus shares, respectively, remain outstanding, to be issued when and if the Company’s stock price exceeds $10.00 and $20.00 per share, respectively. The Company has also granted 12,500 contingent stock options that will be issued if the Company’s stock price exceeds $10.00 and $20.00 per share, respectively, to one if its employees in consideration for an employment agreement extension effective January 1, 2012

Effective January 1, 2011 the Company declared a contingent stock bonus of 50,000 shares to Smith and effective July 15, 2012 the Company declared contingent stock bonuses of 100,000 and 25,000 shares to Smith and Schafer, respectively. The stock bonuses are contingent upon the Company’s stock price exceeding $10.00 and do not require that Smith or Schafer remain employed by the Company.

Execution/exercise bonuses:

As part of the agreements the Company entered into with Bassani and Smith (Note 7) effective May 15, 2013, whereby they agreed to continue to defer their cash compensation up to April 30, 2014, they were each granted the following: a) a 50% execution/exercise bonus which shall be applied upon the effective date of the notice of intent to exercise (for options and warrants) or issuance event, as applicable, of any currently outstanding and/or subsequently acquired  options, warrants and/or  contingent stock bonuses owned by each as follows: i) in the case of exercise by payment of cash, the bonus shall take the form of reduction of the exercise price; ii) in the case of cashless exercise, the bonus shall be applied to reduce the exercise price prior to the cashless exercise calculations; and iii) with regard to contingent stock bonuses, issuance shall be triggered upon the Company’s common stock reaching a closing price equal to 50% of currently specified price; and b) the right to extend the exercise period of all or part of the applicable options and warrants for up to five years (one year at a time) by annual payments of $.05 per option or warrant to the Company on or before a date during the three months prior to expiration of the exercise period at least three business days before the end of the expiration period.

During the year ended June 30, 2014, the Company extended execution/exercise bonuses with the same terms as described above to Schafer and to one of the Company’s board members.

Litigation:

In May 2014 Mr. Morris, the Company’s former Chief Technology Officer, initiated litigation against the Company (Morris v Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc., 14-cv-02732-ADS-GRB, United States District Court, Eastern District of New York) related to his termination effective November 30, 2013. Mr. Morris seeks payment of severance pay (up to $90,000) plus certain previously accrued obligations totaling approximately $87,216 plus accrued interest (which sums have been accrued as of June 30, 2014, despite the fact that the Company is disputing the obligations) and attorney’s fees and re-instatement of 300,000 options to purchase the Company’s common stock at $2.00 to $3.00 per share until December 31, 2015. The Company disputes each such claim by Mr. Morris in the litigation and is defending the lawsuit which is in the early discovery stage. The Company is incurring attorney’s fees (and related costs) in the context of its defense. The Company does not believe that this litigation will have a material adverse effect on the Company. 

On September 25, 2014, Pennvest exercised its right to declare the Pennvest Loan in default and has accelerated the Pennvest Loan and has demanded that PA-1 pay $8,137,117 (principal, interest plus late charges) on or before October 24, 2014. During August 2012, the Company provided Pennvest (and the PADEP) with data demonstrating that the Kreider 1 system met the ‘technology guaranty’ standards which were incorporated in the Pennvest financing documents and, as a result, the Pennvest Loan is now solely an obligation of PA-1. No litigation has commenced related to this matter but such litigation is likely if negotiations do not produce a resolution (Note 1 and Note 6).

The Company currently is not involved in any other material litigation.