Other Matters

3 Months Ended

Aug. 31, 2021

Disclosure of Other Matters [Abstract]

Other Matters

7. Other Matters

From time to time, the Company is party to various lawsuits, some involving material amounts. Management is not aware of any lawsuits that would have a material adverse impact on the consolidated financial position of the Company except for the litigation disclosed below.

On October 16, 2018, the Company was served with a complaint filed on October 11, 2018 in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Queens County, by Susan Paskowitz, a stockholder of the Company, against the Company; Joseph F. Hughes and Winifred M. Hughes; former directors Christopher Hughes, Raymond A. Roel, Brian J. Mangan, Regina Dowd, James J. Hill, William Kelly, and Eric Stein; as well as stockholders Zeff Capital, L.P., QAR Industries, Inc. and Fintech Consulting LLC (the “Stockholder Litigation”). The complaint purported to be a class action lawsuit asserting claims on behalf of all minority stockholders of the Company. Ms. Paskowitz alleged the following: the sale by Joseph F. Hughes and Winifred M. Hughes of an aggregate of 819,491 shares of the Company’s common stock (“controlling interest”) to Zeff Capital, L.P., QAR Industries, Inc. and Fintech Consulting LLC was in breach of Joseph F. Hughes’ and Winifred M. Hughes’ fiduciary duties and to the detriment of the Company’s minority stockholders; the former members of the Board of Directors of the Company named in the complaint breached their fiduciary duties by failing to immediately adopt a rights plan that would have prevented Joseph F. Hughes and Winifred M. Hughes from selling their shares and preserved a higher premium for all stockholders; Zeff, QAR, and Fintech are “partners” and constitute a “group.” Ms. Paskowitz also asserted that Zeff Capital, L.P., QAR Industries, Inc. and Fintech Consulting LLC aided and abetted Joseph F. Hughes’ and Winifred M. Hughes’ conduct, and ultimately sought to buy out the remaining shares of the Company at an unfair price.

On June 14, 2019, Ms. Paskowitz filed an amended complaint in the Stockholder Litigation in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Queens County against the former members of the Board of Directors and Zeff Capital, L.P., QAR Industries, Inc. and Fintech Consulting LLC, which asserted substantially similar allegations to those contained in the October 11, 2018 complaint, but omitted Regina Dowd, Joseph F. Hughes and Winifred M. Hughes as defendants. In addition to the former members of the Board of Directors named in the original complaint, the amended complaint named former directors Ira Cohen, Joseph Pennacchio, and William Kelly as defendants. The amended complaint also asserted a derivative claim purportedly on behalf of the Company against the named former members of the Board of Directors. The amended complaint sought declaratory judgment and unspecified monetary damages. The complaint requested: (1) a declaration from the court that the former members of the Board of Directors named in the complaint breached their fiduciary duties by failing to timely adopt a stockholder rights plan, which resulted in the loss of the ability to auction the Company off to the highest bidder without interference from Zeff Capital, L.P., QAR Industries, Inc. and Fintech Consulting LLC; (2) damages derivatively on behalf of the Company for unspecified harm caused by the named Directors’ alleged breaches of fiduciary duties; (3) damages and equitable relief derivatively on behalf of the Company for the named Directors’ alleged failure to adopt proper corporate governance practices; and (4) damages and injunctive relief against Zeff Capital, L.P., QAR Industries, Inc. and Fintech Consulting LLC based on their knowing dissemination of false or misleading public statements concerning their status as a group. The complaint has not assigned any monetary values to alleged damages.

On July 15, 2019, the Company filed an answer to the amended complaint in the Stockholder Litigation and cross-claims against Zeff Capital, L.P., QAR Industries, Inc. and Fintech Consulting LLC for breaches of their fiduciary duties, aiding and abetting breaches of fiduciary duties, and indemnification and contribution based on their misappropriation of material nonpublic information and their failure to disclose complete and accurate information in SEC filings concerning their group actions to attempt a creeping takeover of the Company, which was thereafter amended on July 26, 2019.

On December 21, 2018, the Company filed a complaint in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, against Zeff Capital, L.P., Zeff Holding Company, LLC, Daniel Zeff, QAR Industries, Inc., Robert Fitzgerald, Fintech Consulting LLC, and Tajuddin Haslani for violations of the disclosure and anti-fraud requirements of the federal securities laws under Sections 13(d) and 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), and the related rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC, for failing to disclose to the Company and its stockholders their formation of a group and the group’s intention to seize control of the Company (the “SDNY Action”). The complaint requested that the court, among other things, declare that the defendants have solicited proxies without filing timely, accurate and complete reports on Schedule 13D and Schedule 14A in violation of Sections 13(d) and 14(a) of the Exchange Act, direct the defendants to file with the SEC complete and accurate disclosures, enjoin the defendants from voting any of their shares prior to such time as complete and accurate disclosures have been filed, and enjoin the defendants from further violations of the Exchange Act with respect to the securities of the Company.

On January 7, 2019, Ms. Paskowitz filed a related action against Zeff Capital, L.P., Zeff Holding Company, LLC, Daniel Zeff, QAR Industries, Inc., Robert Fitzgerald, Fintech Consulting LLC, and Tajuddin Haslani in the Southern District of New York, which asserted claims against them for breach of fiduciary duty and under federal securities laws similar to those asserted in the Company’s action. Although the Company is not a party to Ms. Paskowitz’s action, the court has determined to treat the Company’s and Ms. Paskowitz’s respective actions as related.

On August 7, 2019, following the Company’s initial rescheduling of the 2018 annual meeting of stockholders (the “2018 Annual Meeting”) for September 13, 2019 and the filing of Preliminary Proxy Statements by the Company and Zeff Capital, L.P., Zeff Capital, L.P. filed a complaint in the Delaware Court of Chancery against the Company seeking an order requiring the Company to hold its next annual meeting of stockholders on or around September 13, 2019, and obligating the Company to elect Class I and Class III directors at that annual meeting. 

On August 13, 2019, the Company filed a motion for preliminary injunction in the SDNY Action in advance of the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting originally scheduled for September 13, 2019, and requested leave to file a motion for expedited discovery. The Court denied the Company’s motion for preliminary injunction but ordered Zeff Capital, L.P. to “make clear that the second set of directors” described by Zeff Capital, L.P. in its preliminary proxy statement “is contingent upon the resolution of a proceeding in Delaware Chancery Court.”

On August, 30, 2019, the Company entered into a settlement and release agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) with the Investor Parties with respect to the proxy contest pertaining to the election of directors at the 2018 Annual Meeting, which was held on October 22, 2019. Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, the parties agreed to forever settle and resolve any and all disputes between the parties, including without limitation disputes arising out of or relating to the following litigations:

(i) The complaint relating to alleged breaches of fiduciary duties filed on November 1, 2018 by Fintech Consulting LLC against the Company in the Delaware Court of Chancery, which was previously dismissed voluntarily;

(ii) The complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief for violations of the federal securities laws filed on December 21, 2018 by the Company against the Investor Parties in the United States District Court in the Southern District of New York;

(iii) Cross-claims relating to alleged breaches of fiduciary duties and for indemnification and contribution filed on July 26, 2019 by the Company against the Investor Parties in New York Supreme Court, Queens County; and

(iv) The complaint to compel annual meeting of stockholders filed on August 7, 2019 by Zeff Capital, L.P. against the Company in the Delaware Court of Chancery.

No party admitted any liability by entering into the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement did not resolve the Stockholder Litigation filed by Susan Paskowitz against the Company, Joseph F. Hughes, Winifred M. Hughes and certain former directors of the Company in the Supreme Court of the State of New York on October 11, 2018.

Concurrently with the Settlement Agreement, the parties entered into a share repurchase agreement (the “Repurchase Agreement”) which provided for the purchase by the Company and Christopher Hughes, the Company’s former President and Chief Executive Officer, of the shares of the Company’s Common Stock held by the Investor Parties (the “Repurchase”). The Settlement Agreement also contemplated that, if the Repurchase was completed, the Company would make a settlement payment to the Investor Parties at the closing of the Repurchase in an amount of approximately $1,500,000 (the “Settlement Payment”). However, the Repurchase and Settlement Payment were not completed by the deadline of December 30, 2019.

Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, (1) the Company agreed to adopt an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated By-Laws, dated April 9, 2015 (the “By-Laws Amendment”), providing that stockholders of the Company owning at least forty percent (40%) of the issued and outstanding Common Stock may request a special meeting of stockholders; (2) the Investor Parties agreed not to take any action to call or otherwise cause a special meeting of stockholders to occur prior to December 30, 2019 (unless the Company had failed to hold the 2018 Annual Meeting); (3) the Company agreed to amend and restate the Company’s Rights Agreement, dated August 29, 2018 (the “Amended Rights Agreement”), to confirm that a Distribution Date (as defined in the Amended Rights Agreement) shall not occur as a result of any request by any of the Investor Parties for a special meeting; (4) the Company agreed that prior to the earlier of (A) the completion of the Repurchase and the payment of the Settlement Payment and (B) January 1, 2020, the Board of Directors shall not consist of more than seven (7) directors.

Pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement, the two nominees for director made by Zeff Capital, L.P. were elected as directors at the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting held on October 22, 2019. Please see the Company’s current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 21, 2019 for more information about the background of the election of directors at the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting.

Pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement, inasmuch as the Repurchase was not completed and the Settlement Payment was not made by December 30, 2019, the members of the Board of Directors (other than the two directors who were nominated by Zeff Capital, L.P. and elected as directors at the 2018 Annual Meeting) resigned from the Board effective 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on December 30, 2019. Immediately thereafter, the two remaining directors appointed Robert Fitzgerald to the Board of Directors. Please see the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 31, 2019 for more information about the background and the appointment of Robert Fitzgerald.

The foregoing is not a complete description of the terms of the Settlement Agreement and the Share Repurchase Agreement. For a further description of the terms of the Settlement Agreement and the Share Repurchase Agreement, including copies of the Settlement Agreement and Share Repurchase Agreement, please see the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed by the Company with the SEC on September 3, 2019.

On October 21, 2019, the Company entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (the “MOU”) with Susan Paskowitz providing for the settlement of the Stockholder Litigation filed by Ms. Paskowitz on October 11, 2018. The MOU provides for the settlement of the claims by Ms. Paskowitz that (1) the members of the Board named in the original complaint allegedly breached their fiduciary duties by failing to immediately adopt a rights plan that would have prevented the sale by Joseph F. Hughes and Winifred M. Hughes of an aggregate of 819,491 shares of the Company’s common stock to the Investor Parties; (2) the members of the Board named in the amended complaint allegedly breached their fiduciary duties and failed to adopt proper corporate governance practices; and (3) the Investor Parties acted as “partners” and constituted a “group” in their purchase of shares from Joseph F. Hughes and Winifred M. Hughes and knowingly disseminated false or misleading public statements concerning their status as a group.

Pursuant to the terms of the MOU, the Company will (1) implement certain corporate governance reforms described in the MOU within 30 days of a final order and judgment entered by the court, and keep these corporate governance reforms in place for 5 years from the time of the final order and judgment; and (2) acknowledge that the plaintiff, Ms. Paskowitz, and her counsel provided a substantial benefit to the Company and its stockholders through the prosecution of the Stockholder Litigation and other related actions filed by Ms. Paskowitz described above.

On December 16, 2019, the Company entered into a Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement (the “Stipulation”) with Susan Paskowitz in the Stockholder Litigation, which retained the terms and conditions of settlement of the Stockholder Litigation contained in the MOU described in the preceding paragraph, with the addition that the Company will pay to plaintiff’s counsel an award of attorneys’ fees and reimbursement of expenses in the amount of $260,000 (collectively, the “Stockholder Litigation Settlement”). The Stockholder Litigation Settlement does not contain any admission of liability, wrongdoing or responsibility by any of the parties, and provides for mutual releases by all parties. Each stockholder of the Company is a member of the plaintiff class unless such stockholder opts out of the class. The Stipulation is independent of the Settlement Agreement and Share Repurchase Agreement that the Company had entered into with the Investor Parties.

On December 24, 2019, Ms. Paskowitz moved for preliminary approval of the Stipulation. On May 21, 2020, the Court entered an order preliminarily approving the Stipulation. The Court conducted a settlement hearing on April 20, 2021 to consider final approval of the Stipulation. On May 25, 2021, the Court issued a final order and judgment approving all material terms in the Stipulation. Pursuant to the terms of the final order, the Court fully and finally approved the settlement set forth in the Stipulation and dismissed the Stockholder Litigation with prejudice. The settlement payment was paid by the Company’s insurance provider under its insurance policy.

Please also refer to Note 10, Termination of Former CEO, regarding an ongoing lawsuit originally filed by the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer against the Company in the Supreme Court of the State of New York in March 2020.