Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

11. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

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11. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Commitments

The Company has non-cancelable operating leases, which expire through 2017. The leases generally contain renewal options ranging from 1 to 3 years and require the Company to pay costs such as real estate taxes and common area maintenance. On February 23, 2015, we signed an amended lease for our laboratory facility in San Diego, California. Pursuant to the term of the lease, we will lease an additional 704 square feet of laboratory space for an additional $1,478 per month. The lease commenced on March 1, 2015 with a term of 22 months through December 31, 2016. The Company incurred rent expense of $126,475 and $297,579 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, respectively. The Company incurred rent expense of $68,712 and $197,374 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, respectively.

 

The Company is a party to a contract for the growth and processing of 2,600 kilograms of product currently being delivered and scheduled to be delivered through December 31, 2015. The total amount left to be paid under this contract is approximately $0.5 million through December 2015. The Company is party to a second purchasing contract to purchase up to 1 million kilograms of raw product. There is approximately $0.4 million remaining to be paid under this second contract through December 31, 2015. We have contractual rights for the growth and processing of hemp oil for delivery through October 2018 under both of these contracts. We anticipate the cost under both contracts will remain consistent with current year prices.

 

Contingencies

On April 23, 2014, Tanya Sallustro filed a purported class action complaint (the “Complaint”) in the Southern District of New York (the “Court”) alleging securities fraud and related claims against the Company and certain of its officers and directors and seeking compensatory damages including litigation costs. Ms. Sallustro alleges that between March 18-31, 2014, she purchased 325 shares of the Company’s common stock for a total investment of $15,791. The Complaint refers to Current Reports on Form 8-K and Current Reports on Form 8-K/A filings made by the Company on April 3, 2014 and April 14, 2014, in which the Company amended previously disclosed sales (sales originally stated at $1,275,000 were restated to $1,082,375 - reduction of $192,625) and restated goodwill as $1,855,512 (previously reported at net zero). Additionally, the Complaint states after the filing of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K on April 3, 2014 and the following press release, the Company’s stock price “fell $7.30 per share, or more than 20%, to close at $25.30 per share.” Subsequent to the filing of the Complaint, six different individuals filed a motion asking to be designated the lead plaintiff in the litigation.  On March 19, 2015, the Court issued a ruling appointing Steve Schuck as lead plaintiff.  Counsel for Mr. Schuck filed a “consolidated amended complaint” on September 14, 2015.  The Company’s response to the consolidated amended complaint is due on November 13, 2015.  Management intends to vigorously defend the allegations and an estimate of possible loss cannot be made at this time.

On March 17, 2015, stockholder Michael Ruth filed a shareholder derivative suit in Nevada District Court alleging two causes of action: 1) Breach of Fiduciary Duty, and 2) “Gross Mismanagement.” The claims are premised on the same event as the already-pending securities class action case in New York – it is alleged that the Form 8-K filings misstated goodwill and sales of the Company, which when corrected, lead to a significant drop in stock price. The Company filed a motion to dismiss the suit on June 29, 2015.  Instead of opposing the Company’s motion, Mr. Ruth filed an amended complaint on July 20, 2015.  Thereafter, Mr. Ruth and the Company agreed to stay the action pending the outcome of the securities class action case in New York discussed above.  Management intends to vigorously defend the allegations.  Since no discovery has been conducted, an estimate of the possible loss or recovery cannot be made at this time.