Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

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Commitments and Contingencies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

Note 10 - Commitments and Contingencies

 

Licensing agreements. We are committed to pay royalties for the usage of certain brands, as governed by various licensing agreements, including Rich Dad, Robbie Fowler and Martin Roberts. Total royalty expenses included in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) were $0.9 million and $1.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

 

Custodial and Counterparty Risk. We are subject to custodial and other potential forms of counterparty risk in respect to a variety of contractual and operational matters. In the course of ongoing Company-wide risk assessment, management monitors our arrangements that involve potential counterparty risk, including the custodial risk associated with amounts prepaid to certain vendors and deposits with credit card and other payment processors. Deposits held by our credit card processors at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, were $3.6 million and $3.1 million, respectively. These balances are included on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets in restricted cash. While these balances reside in major financial institutions, they are only partially covered by federal deposit insurance and are subject to the financial risk of the parties holding these funds. When appropriate, we utilize Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service (CDARS) to reduce banking risk for a portion of our cash in the United States. A CDAR consists of numerous individual investments, all below the FDIC limits, thus fully insuring that portion of our cash. At March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, we did not have a CDAR balance.

 

Purchase commitments. From time to time, the Company enters into non-cancelable commitments to purchase professional services, information technology licenses and support, and training courses in future periods. The amounts of these non-cancelable commitments made by the Company at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 were approximately $0.4 million and $0.7 million, respectively.

 

Litigation. We and certain of our subsidiaries, from time to time, are parties to various legal proceedings, claims and disputes that have arisen in the ordinary course of business. These claims may involve significant amounts, some of which would not be covered by insurance.

 

A substantial settlement payment or judgment in excess of our accruals could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. While the outcome of these proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty, we do not expect any of these existing matters, individually or in the aggregate, to have a material adverse effect upon our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. There have been no material changes to the legal proceedings disclosed in the litigation section of Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies, in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2016, included in our 2016 Annual Report.  

 

Watson v. Whitney Education Group, Inc. Russ Whitney, United Mortgage Corporation, Gulfstream Realty and Development, Inc. Douglas Realty, Inc. and Paradise Title Services, Inc., first filed September 21, 2007 in the 20th Judicial Circuit, Lee County, FL, Case No. 07-CA-011207; Huron River Area Credit Union v. Jeffrey Watson/ Watson v. Whitney Education Group, Inc. and Russell Whitney, Case No. 2008-CA-5870-NC; and Huron River Area Credit Union v. Jeffrey Watson/ Watson v. Whitney Education Group, Inc. and Russell Whitney, Case No. 2008-CA-5877-NC, both filed June 6, 2008 in the 12th Judicial Circuit, Sarasota County, FL Civil Division. In these related cases, Jeffrey Watson (“Watson”) alleged against a subsidiary of the Company causes of action based upon losses Watson alleges he incurred as the result of his purchase of real property from Gulfstream Realty and Development, an entity affiliated with Mr. Whitney, and with whom we had a student referral agreement. On February 6, 2017, we entered into a Settlement Agreement and General Release whereby all claims against the Company and Mr. Whitney were fully and finally settled and released, and all three cases dismissed with prejudice without any admission of wrongdoing in exchange for the payment of $30,000 by the Company to the Plaintiff.