Commitements and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

Commitements and Contingencies [Abstract]

COMMITEMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

NOTE 8 – COMMITEMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Operating Leases

In March 2021, the company signed a five-year lease for a 13,000 square foot laboratory/office space in Tucson. The initial base rent was $6.7626 per rentable square foot for year one and escalated to $9.2009 per rentable square foot in year two. It is to further escalate to $11.4806 per rentable square foot in year three, $13.1740 per rentable square foot in year four and $14.9306 per rentable square foot in year five, in addition to certain operating expenses and taxes.

On June 7, 2023, the company entered into an amendment to extend the term of the original lease from April 26, 2026 to July 31, 2028. Included in the lease amendment is extension space commencing on August 1, 2023. As of August 1, 2023 the Company has secured additional square footage in the amount of 9,805 rentable square feet (8,375 usable square feet). The initial base rent for the expansion space was $9.10 per rentable square foot for year one, and escalated to $10.20 in year two, $11.30 in year three, $12.40 in year four and $13.50 in year five, plus certain operating expenses and taxes.

The company incurred lease expense for its operating leases of $212,054 which was included in general and administrative expenses in the statements of operation for the year ended December 31, 2023. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the company made cash lease payments in the amount of $180,502.

At December 31, 2023, we had approximately $262,000 in future minimum lease payments due in less than a year. The below table presents the future minimum lease payments due reconciled to lease liabilities.

	Operating Lease
For the fiscal years ending December 31,:	$
2024		262,296
2025		296,284
2026		324,427
2027		343,545
Thereafter		205,111
Total undiscounted lease payments		1,431,663
Present value discount, less interest		270,245
Lease Liability	$	1,161,418

Guarantees

The company agrees to indemnify its officers and directors for certain events or occurrences arising as a result of the officers or directors serving in such capacity. The maximum amount of future payments that the company could be required to make under these indemnification agreements is unlimited. However, the company maintains a director’s and officer’s liability insurance policy that limits its exposure and enables it to recover a portion of any future amounts paid. As a result, it believes the estimated fair value of these indemnification agreements is minimal because of its insurance coverage, and it has not recognized any liabilities for these agreements as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.

Litigation

On July 3, 2019, Gusrae, Kaplan & Nusbaum and its partner, Ryan Whalen filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against the company, its directors, officers, attorneys and a consultant. The action alleged libel, securities fraud and related claims. 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. On August 5, 2021, the plaintiffs filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal of the action without prejudice.

On January 15, 2021, the company filed a complaint in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, against Gusrae, Kaplan & Nusbaum and Ryan Whalen for malpractice and breach of New York Rules of Professional Conduct by both parties as former counsel to the company. On May 28, 2021, Gusrae, Kaplan & Nusbaum and Mr. Whalen filed a motion to dismiss the complaint. On June 25, 2021, the company filed an opposition to the motion. On July 13, 2021, Gusrae Kaplan & Nusbaum and Mr. Whalen filed their reply brief. On March 30, 2022, United States Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman signed an order denying the motion of GKN and Mr. Whalen to dismiss the company’s claim for malpractice and for rescission of the shares-for-fees agreement under which GKN and Whalen received 1,242,710 shares of the company’s common stock. The motion was partially granted as to the separate claim for violation of NYRPC 1.7 and 1.8 because the court found that it was duplicative of the malpractice claim. The parties are currently engaged in discovery. No trial date has been set.

On July 26, 2023, the company filed a complaint in the Superior Court of the State of Delaware against Gusrae Kaplan Nusbaum PLLC and Ryan Whalen, for malicious prosecution of a federal securities fraud lawsuit which was filed by these defendants against the company and certain of its directors, attorneys and their law firms and an outside consultant, in July 2019 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The complaint filed by the company alleges that the claims by these defendants against it were frivolous and prosecuted for the improper purpose of hindering the company’s prosecution of a then pending case against George Farley, the company’s former CEO, which was later settled. The complaint further alleges that the defendants prosecuted their claim with malice causing the company damages valued in excess of $40 million. On September 11, 2023, Gusrae, Kaplan & Nusbaum and Mr. Whalen filed a motion to dismiss the complaint. On October 25, 2023, the company filed an opposition to the motion. The court heard oral argument on the motion on January 19, 2024, and took the motion under submission. The court has not yet ruled on the motion.

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.

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