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Legal Proceedings
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Loss Contingency [Abstract]  
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

12. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS


As previously reported, on July 3, 2018, we commenced a lawsuit in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware against the company’s former director and principal executive officer George Farley (“Farley”) and AnneMarieCo LLC (“AMC”). The parties settled the lawsuit via a written settlement agreement dated September 24, 2020. Under the agreement, 20,000,000 of the 25,000,000 shares originally issued to Farley (20,000,000 of which were transferred to AMC) were invalidated, the remaining 5,000,000 shares being deemed valid under Section 205 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. The agreement calls for the company to repurchase the remaining 5,000,000 shares at a price of $0.30 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $1,500,000. The agreement also provided for the release and return to the company of funds in the amount of $582,377.26, plus interest, securing the bond posted by the company in connection with the preliminary injunction issued in the litigation. The agreement also contains standard mutual general release and confidentiality provisions.


In a related matter, on February 8, 2019, the company filed a complaint against Stein Riso Mantel McDonough, LLP (“Stein Riso”), its former counsel, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The parties settled the lawsuit via a written settlement agreement dated October 2, 2020. Pursuant to the agreement, Stein Riso paid the company three million dollars ($3,000,000) and returned to the company ten million (10,000,000) shares of the company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share. Stein Riso entered into the Settlement Agreement without any admission of liability. The parties will be filed a Stipulation of Dismissal with Prejudice as to all claims asserted or which could have been asserted in the lawsuit. The agreement also contains standard mutual general release and confidentiality provisions.


On July 3, 2019, Gusrae, Kaplan & Nusbaum and its partner, Ryan Whalen, counsel for defendants, George Farley and AnneMarie Co. LLC, in the aforesaid Delaware litigation, filed a claim in the District Court for the Southern District of New York against the company its directors, officers, attorneys and a consultant. The action alleges libel, securities fraud and related claims. The company believes that this suit lacks merit and intends to dispute these allegations. The company filed a motion to dismiss the complaint on October 24, 2019. On December 13, 2019, Gusrae Kaplan and Mr. Whalen filed an opposition to the Company’s motion. On January 10, 2020, the company filed a reply brief. The United States District Court has not yet ruled on the motion.


On June 15, 2020, Grace A.C. Dearmin, as the Administrator of the Estate of Thomas Carr Dearmin, filed a cross-complaint, against the company, Mr. Barcklow and company director, Bradford Adamczyk, alleging causes of action against them for Breach of Contract and Conversion. The causes of action against the company allege that the company’s board of directors voted to compensate its former CEO and director, Thomas Dearmin, as reflected in board meeting minutes dated May 11, 2018, and June 25, 2018, but failed to pay compensation owed to Mr. Dearmin. These causes of action further allege that, if incentive milestones of the company’s stock price were reached, Mr. Dearmin’s estate is owed up to 5 million shares of company common stock, or the current monetary value of that stock. The company’s deadline to respond to the cross-complaint is November 17, 2020.


As with any litigation, the company cannot predict the outcome with certainty, but the company expects to provide further updates on the status of the litigation as circumstances warrant.


We may, from time to time, be involved in legal proceedings arising from the normal course of business.