COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | NOTE 7. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Pending and threatened litigation The Company is a party to or otherwise involved in legal proceedings arising in the normal and ordinary course of business. As of the date of this report, except as otherwise disclosed below, we are not aware of any other proceeding, threatened or pending, against us which, if determined adversely, would have a material effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows or financial position. On March 29, 2016, DS Healthcare, Mr. Khesin, and certain former members of the Board of Directors were sued in a class action styled, Prasant Shah v. DS Healthcare Group, Inc., et. al., Case No. 16-60661, which is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. A later-filed class action has been consolidated. The class action arises from the Companys March 23, 2016 and March 28, 2016 8-K filings, which stated, in pertinent part, that the audit committee had concluded that the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company for the two fiscal quarters ended June 30, 2015 and September 30, 2015 (the June and September 2015 Quarters), should no longer be relied upon because of certain errors in such financial statements, and that Daniel Khesin had been terminated for cause and removed as Chairman and a member of the Board of Directors. Plaintiffs have until November 2, 2016 to file an Amended Complaint, which DS Healthcare must respond to no later than December 19, 2016. The Company also received the first of three related shareholder derivative demands was on March 29, 2016. A mediation concerning the class action and the derivative demands was scheduled for October 17, 2016, in Miami, Florida. As a result of this mediation hearing and subsequent negotiations, there is an agreement with Plaintiffs in both the securities case and the derivative demands as to amount of the settlement and most of the key terms. The parties are negotiating the precise terms of the Court stipulations that will need to be filed. Agreements on the terms of inter-defendant releases are pending approval by both sides. The final settlements will also need to be approved by the Court. On May 27, 2016, PhotoMedex, Inc., Radiancy, Inc., and PhotoMedex Technology, Inc. (collectively, PhotoMedex) filed a civil action for damages and declaratory relief against DS Healthcare in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit is styled PhotoMedex, Inc. v. DS Healthcare Group, Inc., Case No. 1:16-cv-03981. The lawsuit arises from two merger agreements: (i) an Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization among DS Healthcare Group, Inc., PHMD P Acquisition Corp., PhotoMedex, Inc. and Radiancy, Inc. dated February 19, 2016; and (ii) an Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization by and among DS Healthcare Group, Inc., PHMD Professional Acquisition Corp., PhotoMedex Technology, Inc. and PhotoMedex, Inc. dated February 19, 2016. PhotoMedex alleges that DS Healthcare breached both agreements by failing to meet its pre-closing obligations and not completing the transactions contemplated by the agreements. PhotoMedex seeks a declaratory judgment that their terminations of the two agreements were proper, and requests an award of damages specified by the agreements, including a break-up fee of $3 million. DS Healthcare disputes the claims asserted by PhotoMedex, including that PhotoMedex is entitled to the break-up fee under the agreements. DS Healthcare has also asserted a counterclaims for damages against PhotoMedex for their breaches of the two agreements. An initial case management conference was scheduled for October 13, 2016 however no resolution was reached. A settlement conference occurred on January 31, 2017 and once again no settlement was achieved. Although both parties continue to work to reach an agreement, the court case is scheduled on or after September 15, 2017. On December 28, 2015, the Company, our Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Khesin individually, and Abner Silva, a former consultant and employee was named in a lawsuit brought in the Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County, Florida by a former investor relations contractor claiming monetary damages and allegations of using material or false misrepresentations. The Plaintiffs complaint alleges owed compensation in stock and cash. Management vigorously defended the action and an Order of Dismissal With Prejudice was achieved on January 5, 2017. The Company has received several pre-litigation demand letters from various former employees, including but not limited to a demand for alleged past wages, shares and commissions on various sales which do not qualify as revenue under GAAP guidance from former Chief Executive Officer, Renee Barch-Niles. While we cannot determine the outcome of these disputes, the Company intends to vehemently defend its position to the fullest extent possible. Accordingly, the Company has not reserved for these disputes. At this time, the amount of any loss, or range of loss, cannot be reasonably estimated as the case has only been initiated and no discovery has been conducted to determine the validity of any claim or claims made by plaintiffs. Therefore, the Company has not recorded reserves and contingent liabilities related to these particular legal matters. However, in the future, as the cases progress, the Company may be required to increase its contingent liability or reserve for these matters. It is impossible for us to predict with any certainty the outcome of pending disputes, and unless otherwise stated below, we cannot predict whether any liability arising from pending claims and litigation will be material in relation to our consolidated financial position or results of operations. For additional information regarding these matters, see the Pending Transactions disclosures in the Companys Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2016 filed on March 31, 2017. |