Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

v3.19.3
Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2019
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

Note 11 - 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 $1.7 million and $1.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, and $4.4 million and $4.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

 

On September 30, 2019, the term of the License Agreement with RDOC expired. See Note 8 - Concentration of Risk, to our condensed consolidated financial statements for further discussion. 

 

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 September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, were $5.4 million and $5.0 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 September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, we did not have a CDAR balance.

 

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.

 

Elite Legacy Education, Inc. v. Netsuite, Inc., Oracle Corporation and Oracle America, Inc. On August 17, 2018, we submitted a demand for arbitration against Respondents NetSuite, Inc., Oracle Corporation, and Oracle America, Inc. (collectively, "Oracle/NetSuite") to JAMS in San Francisco, California for declaratory relief, breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, conversion, and unjust enrichment to address the deficient performance and subsequent unwarranted and malicious threats to suspend performance altogether from Respondents Oracle/NetSuite arising out of the Company's new ERP/CRM system. In May 2019, we entered into a settlement agreement under which Oracle/NetSuite gave us $0.1 million in the form of accounts payable credit, concluding the litigation in its entirety. We recognized the settlement in May 2019.

 

Tigrent Group Inc. v. Process America, Inc. ("PA"), Case No 1:12-cv-01314-RLM, filed March 16, 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. In this case we sought the return of the $8.3 million credit card merchant reserve account deposit held by Process America Inc., a so-called "Independent Sales Organization" that places merchants with credit card processors. On November 12, 2012, PA filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California ("Bankruptcy Court.") On December 3, 2012, the Bankruptcy Court obtained jurisdiction of our dispute with PA. On June 21, 2013, the Tigrent Group filed its proof of claim with Bankruptcy Court in the amount of $8.3 million. In July 2019, we received a cash payment from PA in the amount of $0.4 million, as a distribution. This amount was recognized and reported as other income in the condensed consolidated statements of operation for the nine months ended September 30, 2019.

 

Tranquility Bay of Pine Island, LLC v. Tigrent, Inc., et al. On March 16, 2017, suit was filed in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit In and For Lee County, Florida by Tranquility Bay of Pine Island, LLC ("TBPI") against Tigrent Inc. and various of its present and former shareholders, officers and directors. By amendment dated May 24, 2019, the Company and its then General Counsel and now Chief Executive Officer were named as defendants to a civil conspiracy count. The suit primarily relates to the alleged obligation of Tigrent to indemnify the Plaintiff pursuant to an October 6, 2010 Forbearance Agreement. The suit includes claims for Breach of Contract, Permanent and Temporary Injunction, Breach of Fiduciary Duty, Civil Conspiracy, Tortious Interference and Fraudulent Transfer. On March 20, 2019, the Court dismissed the complaint in its entirety with leave to amend. On April 11, 2019, TBPI filed its Second Amended Complaint in Twentieth Judicial Circuit In and For Lee County, Florida against Tigrent Inc. ("Tigrent"), Legacy Education Alliance Holding, Inc. ("Holdings), and certain shareholders of the Company. The suit includes claims for Breach of Contract, Breach of Fiduciary Duty against Tigrent, Civil Conspiracy against Tigrent and Holdings, and various Counts of Fraudulent Transfer against various shareholders of the Company. On May 24, 2019, with leave from the court, TBPI filed its Third Amended Complaint in Twentieth Judicial Circuit In and For Lee County, Florida against Tigrent Inc. ("Tigrent"), Legacy Education Alliance Holding, Inc. ("Holdings), and certain shareholders of the Company. The suit includes claims for Breach of Contract against Tigrent, Breach of Fiduciary Duty against Tigrent, Damages for Violation of Unfair and Deceptive Business Practices Act against Tigrent, Civil Conspiracy against Tigrent and Holdings, and various Counts of Fraudulent Transfer against various shareholders of Tigrent, including the Company's CEO, James E. May. On July 8, 2019, the Court Denied the defendants's Motions to Dismiss. The Company believes the claims of the plaintiff are without merit and intends to defend this matter vigorously.