COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | NOTE 11 COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES The Company previously leased property for its day to day operations and facilities for possible retail dispensary locations and cultivation locations as part of the process of applying for retail dispensary and cultivation licenses. Entry into Agreement to Acquire Real Property On June 17, 2016, EWSD I, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into a Contract to Buy and Sell Real Estate (the Acquisition Agreement) with Tammy J. Sciumbato and Donnie J. Sciumbato (collectively, the Sellers) to purchase certain real property comprised of 116-acres of agricultural land, a barn and a farmhouse in Pueblo, Colorado (the Property). The closing of the Acquisition Agreement is scheduled to occur on or about September 22, 2016 (the Closing), with possession of the land and barn occurring twelve (12) days after the Closing and possession of the farm house occurring on or before January 1, 2017. The Sellers will were to rent back the farm house from the Company until January 1, 2017. The purchase price to acquire the Property is $650,000, including $10,000 paid by the Company as a deposit into the escrow for the Property. The $10,000 is recognized as Deposits in Escrow on the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. Office Leases On August 1, 2011, the Company entered into a lease agreement for office space located in West Hollywood, California through June 30, 2017 at a current monthly rate of $14,828 per month. The Company moved to new offices in Los Angeles, CA in April 2015. The sublease on the new office has a term of 18 months with monthly rent of $7,486. The landlord for the West Hollywood space has filed a suit against the Company and independent guarantors on the West Hollywood lease. The Company has expensed all lease payments due under the West Hollywood lease. The Companys liability for the West Hollywood lease will be adjusted, if required, upon settlement of the suit with the landlord. On September 8, 2016, the court approved the landlord's application for writ of attachment in the State of California in the amount of $374,402 against Prescription Vending Machines, Inc. (PVM). A trial date has been set for May 2017 (Note 12). Total rent expense under operating leases for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 was $23,000 and $66,000, respectively. Rent expense for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 was approximately $376,000 and $110,000, respectively. Retail/Cultivation facility leases The Companys business model of acquiring retail dispensary and cultivation licenses often requires us to acquire real estate either through lease arrangements or through purchase agreements in order to secure a possible license. Deposits in escrow consist of amounts paid to open escrow accounts for the purchase of multiple properties to be used to develop retail dispensary or product cultivation facilities. The following table is a summary of our material contractual lease commitments as of June 30, 2016: Year Ending Office Rent Retail/Cultivation Facility Lease 2016 $ 22,458 $ 44,400 2017 88,800 2018 88,800 2019 29,600 Total $ 22,458 $ 251,600 Consulting Agreements On December 7, 2015, the Company entered into a consulting agreement for marketing and PR services, for a term of six months, which was subsequently extended through August 30, 2016. Compensation under this agreement through May 30, 2016 was $25,000 per month, with twenty percent, or $5,000, of this amount to be paid in shares of the Company's common stock. Per the terms of the agreement, the number of shares issued is determined at the end of each quarter. Upon extension, the terms were adjusted to $15,000 per month for services, with $5,000 to be paid in shares of the Company's common stock. On March 1, 2016, the Company entered into a consulting agreement for corporate financial advisory services, for a term of twelve months, which is cancellable anytime with thirty days written notice after the first ninety days. Compensation under this agreement consists of a retainer of $3,500 per month, plus 1,500,000 shares of common stock issuable in 375,000 share tranches on a quarterly basis. Litigation On May 22, 2013, Medbox (now known as Notis Global, Inc.) initiated litigation in the United States District Court in the District of Arizona against three shareholders of MedVend Holdings LLC (Medvend) in connection with a contemplated transaction that Medbox entered into for the purchase of an approximate 50% ownership stake in Medvend for $4.1 million. The lawsuit alleges fraud and related claims arising out of the contemplated transaction during the quarter ended June 30, 2013. The litigation is pending and Medbox has sought cancellation due to a fraudulent sale of the stock because the selling shareholders lacked the power or authority to sell their ownership stake in MedVend, and their actions were a breach of representations made by them in the agreement. On November 19, 2013 the litigation was transferred to United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. MedVend recently joined the suit pursuant to a consolidation order executed by a new judge assigned to the matter. In the litigation, the selling shareholder defendants and Medvend seek to have the transaction performed, or alternatively be awarded damages for the alleged breach of the agreement by Medbox. Medvend and the shareholder defendants seek $4.55 million in damages, plus costs and attorneys fees. Medbox has denied liability with respect to all such claims. On June 5, 2014, the Company entered into a purchase and sale agreement (the Medvend PSA) with PVM International, Inc. (PVMI) concerning this matter. Pursuant to the Medvend PSA, the Company sold to PVMI the Companys rights and claims attributable to or controlled by the Company against those three certain stockholders of Medvend, known as Kaplan, Tartaglia and Kovan (the Medvend Rights and Claims), in exchange for the return by PVMI to the Company of 30,000 shares of the Companys common stock. PVMI is owned by Vincent Mehdizadeh, formerly the Companys largest stockholder. On December 17, 2015, the Company entered into a revocation of the Medvend PSA, which provided that from that date forward, Medbox would take over the litigation and be responsible for the costs and attorneys fees associated with the Medvend Litigation from December 17, 2015 forward. All costs and attorneys fees through December 16, 2015 will be borne by PVMI. After the filing of a motion for substitution of Medbox n/k/a Notis Global, Inc. for PVMI, Defendants agreed, via a stipulated order, to permit the substitution. The Court entered the order substituting Notis Global, Inc. for PVMI on February 17, 2016. A new litigation schedule was recently issued which resulted in an adjournment of the trial. A new trial date will be set by the court following its ruling on a motion for summary judgment filed by Defendants and Medvend, which is set for hearing on November 16, 2016. At this time, the Company cannot determine whether the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome of the dispute is probable or remote, nor can they reasonably estimate a range of potential loss, should the outcome be unfavorable. On February 20, 2015, Michael A. Glinter, derivatively and on behalf of nominal defendants Medbox, Inc. the Board and certain executive officers (Pejman Medizadeh, Matthew Feinstein, Bruce Bedrick, Thomas Iwanskai, Guy Marsala, J. Mitchell Lowe, Ned Siegel, Jennifer Love, and C. Douglas Mitchell) filed a suit in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles. The suit alleges breach of fiduciary duties and abuse of control by the defendants. Relief is sought awarding damages resulting from breach of fiduciary duty and to direct the Company and the defendants to take all necessary actions to reform and improve its corporate governance and internal procedures to comply with applicable law. The Company has entered into a Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement on October 16, 2015. See more detailed discussion below under Derivative Settlement On January 21, 2015, Josh Crystal on behalf of himself and of all others similarly situated filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Central District of California against Medbox, Inc., and certain past and present members of the Board (Pejman Medizadeh, Bruce Bedrick, Thomas Iwanskai, Guy Marsala, and C. Douglas Mitchell). The suit alleges that the Company issued materially false and misleading statements regarding its financial results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 and each of the interim financial periods that year. The plaintiff seeks relief of compensatory damages and reasonable costs and expenses or all damages sustained as a result of the wrongdoing. On April 23, 2015, the Court issued an Order consolidating the three related cases in this matter: Crystal v. Medbox, Inc., Gutierrez v. Medbox, Inc., and Donnino v. Medbox, Inc., and appointing a lead plaintiff. On July 27, 2015, Plaintiffs filed a Consolidated Amended Complaint. The Company has entered into a Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement on October 16, 2015. See more detailed discussion below under Class Settlement On January 18, 2015, Ervin Gutierrez filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The suit alleges violations of federal securities laws through public announcements and filings that were materially false and misleading when made because they misrepresented and failed to disclose that the Company was recognizing revenue in a manner that violated US GAAP. The plaintiff seeks relief for compensatory damages and reasonable costs and expenses or all damages sustained as a result of the wrongdoing. On April 23, 2015, the Court issued an Order consolidating the three related cases in this matter: Crystal v. Medbox, Inc., Gutierrez v. Medbox, Inc., and Donnino v. Medbox, Inc., and appointing a lead plaintiff. On July 27, 2015, Plaintiffs filed a Consolidated Amended Complaint. The Company has entered into a Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement on October 16, 2015. See more detailed discussion below under Class Settlement On January 29, 2015, Matthew Donnino filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Central District of California. The suit alleges that the Company issued materially false and misleading statements regarding its financial results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 and each of the interim financial periods that year. The plaintiff seeks relief for compensatory damages and reasonable costs and expenses or all damages sustained as a result of the wrongdoing. On April 23, 2015, the Court issued an Order consolidating the three related cases in this matter: Crystal v. Medbox, Inc., Gutierrez v. Medbox, Inc., and Donnino v. Medbox, Inc., and appointing a lead plaintiff. On July 27, 2015 Plaintiffs filed a Consolidated Amended Complaint. The Company has entered into a Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement on October 16, 2015. See more detailed discussion below under Class Settlement On February 12, 2015, Jennifer Scheffer, derivatively on behalf of Medbox, Guy Marsala, Ned Siegel, Mitchell Lowe and C. Douglas Mitchell filed a lawsuit in the Eighth Judicial District Court of Nevada seeking damages for breaches of fiduciary duty regarding the issuance and dissemination of false and misleading statements and regarding allegedly improper and unfair related party transactions, unjust enrichment and waste of corporate assets. On April 17, 2015, Ned Siegel and Mitchell Lowe filed a Motion to Dismiss. On April 20, 2015, the Company filed a Joinder in the Motion to Dismiss. On July 27, 2015, the Court held a hearing on and granted the Motion to Dismiss without prejudice. The Company has entered into a Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement on October 16, 2015. See more detailed discussion below under Derivative Settlements On March 10, 2015, Robert J. Calabrese, derivatively and on behalf of nominal defendant Medbox, Inc., filed a suit in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada against certain Company officers and/or directors (Ned L. Siegel, Guy Marsala, J. Mitchell Lowe, Pejman Vincent Mehdizadeh, Bruce Bedrick, and Jennifer S. Love). The suit alleges breach of fiduciary duties and gross mismanagement by issuing materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys financial results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 and each of the interim financial periods. Specifically the suit alleges that defendants caused the Company to overstate the Companys revenues by recognizing revenue on customer contracts before it had been earned. The plaintiff seeks relief for compensatory damages and reasonable costs and expenses for all damages sustained as a result of the alleged wrongdoing. The Company has entered into a Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement on October 16, 2015. See more detailed discussion below under Derivative Settlements On March 27, 2015, Tyler Gray, derivatively and on behalf of nominal defendant Medbox, Inc., filed a suit in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada against the Companys Board of Directors and certain executive officers (Pejman Vincent Mehdizadeh, Matthew Feinstein, Bruce Bedrick, Thomas Iwanski, Guy Marsala, J. Mitchell Lowe, Ned Siegel, Jennifer S. Love, and C. Douglas Mitchell). The suit alleges breach of fiduciary duties and abuse of control. The plaintiff seeks relief for compensatory damages and reasonable costs and expenses for all damages sustained as a result of the alleged wrongdoing. Additionally the plaintiff seeks declaratory judgments that plaintiff may maintain the action on behalf of the Company, that the plaintiff is an adequate representative of the Company, and that the defendants have breached and/or aided and abetted the breach of their fiduciary duties to the Company. Lastly the plaintiff seeks that the Company be directed to take all necessary actions to reform and improve its corporate governance and internal procedures to comply with applicable law. The Company has entered into a Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement on October 16, 2015. See more detailed discussion below under Derivative Settlements On May 20, 2015, Patricia des Groseilliers, derivatively and on behalf of nominal defendant Medbox, Inc., filed a suit in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada against the Companys Board of Directors and certain executive officers (Pejman Vincent Mehdizadeh, Ned Siegel, Guy Marsala, J. Mitchell Lowe, Bruce Bedrick, Jennifer S. Love, Matthew Feinstein, C. Douglas Mitchell, and Thomas Iwanski). The suit alleges breach of fiduciary duties and unjust enrichment. The plaintiff seeks relief for compensatory damages and reasonable costs and expenses for all damages sustained as a result of the alleged wrongdoing. Additionally the plaintiff seeks declaratory judgments that plaintiff may maintain the action on behalf of the Company, that the plaintiff is an adequate representative of the Company, and that the defendants have breached and/or aided and abetted the breach of their fiduciary duties to the Company. Lastly the plaintiff seeks that the Company be directed to take all necessary actions to reform and improve its corporate governance and internal procedures to comply with applicable law. The Company has entered into a Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement on October 16, 2015. See more detailed discussion below under Derivative Settlements On June 3, 2015, Mike Jones, derivatively and on behalf of nominal defendant Medbox, Inc., filed a suit in the U.S. District Court for Central District of California against the Companys Board of Directors and certain executive officers (Guy Marsala, J. Mitchell Lowe, Ned Siegel, Jennifer S. Love, C. Douglas Mitchell, Pejman Vincent Mehdizadeh, Matthew Feinstein, Bruce Bedrick, and Thomas Iwanski). The suit alleges breach of fiduciary duties, abuse of control, and breach of duty of honest services. The plaintiff seeks relief for compensatory damages and reasonable costs and expenses for all damages sustained as a result of the alleged wrongdoing. Additionally the plaintiff seeks declaratory judgments that plaintiff may maintain the action on behalf of the Company, that the plaintiff is an adequate representative of the Company, and that the defendants have breached and/or aided and abetted the breach of their fiduciary duties to the Company. Lastly the plaintiff seeks that the Company be directed to take all necessary actions to reform and improve its corporate governance and internal procedures to comply with applicable law. On July 20, 2015, the Court issued an Order consolidating this litigation with those previously consolidated in the Central District (Crystal, Gutierrez, and Donnino). On October 7, 2015, the Court issued an Order modifying the July 20, 2015 Order consolidating the litigation so that the matters remain consolidated for the purposes of pretrial only. The Company has entered into a Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement on October 16, 2015. See more detailed discussion below under Derivative Settlement On July 20, 2015, Kimberly Freeman, derivatively and on behalf of nominal defendant Medbox, Inc., filed a suit in the Eighth Judicial District Court of Nevada against the Companys Board of Directors and certain executive officers (Pejman Vincent Mehdizadeh, Guy Marsala, Ned Siegel, J. Mitchell Lowe, Jennifer S. Love, C. Douglas Mitchell, and Bruce Bedrick). The suit alleges breach of fiduciary duties and unjust enrichment. The plaintiff seeks relief for compensatory damages and reasonable costs and expenses for all damages sustained as a result of the alleged wrongdoing. Additionally the plaintiff seeks declaratory judgments that plaintiff may maintain the action on behalf of the Company, that the plaintiff is an adequate representative of the Company, and that the defendants have breached and/or aided and abetted the breach of their fiduciary duties to the Company. Lastly the plaintiff seeks that the Company be directed to take all necessary actions to reform and improve its corporate governance and internal procedures to comply with applicable law. The Company has entered into a Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement on October 16, 2015. See more detailed discussion below under Derivative Settlement On October 16, 2015, solely to avoid the costs, risks, and uncertainties inherent in litigation, the parties to the class actions and derivative lawsuits named above entered into settlements that collectively effect a global settlement of all claims asserted in the class actions and the derivative actions. The global settlement provides, among other things, for the release and dismissal of all asserted claims. The global settlement is contingent on final court approval, respectively, of the settlements of the class actions and derivative actions. If the global settlement does not receive final court approval, it could have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, results of operations and/or cash flows of the Company and their ability to raise funds in the future. On October 27, 2015, separate from the above lawsuits and settlement, Richard Merritts, derivatively and on behalf of nominal defendant Medbox, Inc., filed a suit in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles against the Board and certain executive officers (Guy Marsala, J. Mitchell Lowe, Ned Siegel, Jennifer S. Love, C. Douglas Mitchell, Pejman Vincent Mehdizadeh, Matthew Feinstein, Bruce Bedrick, Jeff Goh, and Thomas Iwanski). The suit titled Merritts v. Marsala, et al. Jones v. Marsala, et al Mike Jones v. Guy Marsala, et al. Derivative Settlements Class Settlement On December 1, 2015, Medbox and the class plaintiffs in Josh Crystal v. Medbox, Inc., et al., Case No. 2:15-CV-00426-BRO (JEMx), pending before the United States District Court for the Central District of California (the Court) notified the Court of the settlement. The Court stayed the action pending the Courts review of the settlement and directed the parties to file a stipulation of settlement. On December 18, 2015, plaintiffs filed the Motion for Preliminary Approval of Class Action Settlement that included the stipulation of settlement. On February 3, 2016, the Court issued an Order granting preliminary approval of the settlement. The settlement provides for notice to be given to the class, a period for opt outs and a final approval hearing. The Court originally scheduled the Final Settlement Approval Hearing to be held on May 16, 2016 at 1:30 p.m., but continued it to August 15, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. to be heard at the same time as the Final Settlement Approval Hearing for the derivative actions, discussed below. The principal terms of the settlement are: a cash payment to a settlement escrow account in the amount of $1,850,000 of which $150,000 will be paid by the Company and $1,700,000 will be paid by the Companys insurers; a transfer of 2,300,000 shares of Medbox common stock to the settlement escrow account, of which 2,000,000 shares would be contributed by Medbox and 300,000 shares by Bruce Bedrick; the net proceeds of the settlement escrow, after deduction of Court-approved administrative costs and any Court-approved attorneys fees and costs would be distributed to the Class; and releases of claims and dismissal of the action. By entering into the settlement, the settling parties have resolved the class claims to their mutual satisfaction. However, the final determination is subject to approval by the Federal Courts. Defendants have not admitted the validity of any claims or allegations and the settling plaintiffs have not admitted that any claims or allegations lack merit or foundation. If the global settlement does not receive final court approval, it could have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, results of operations and/or cash flows of the Company and their ability to raise funds in the future. Derivative Settlements As previously announced on October 22, 2015, on October 16, 2015, the Company, in its capacity as a nominal defendant, entered into a memorandum of understanding of settlement (the Settlement) in the following shareholder derivative actions: (1) Mike Jones v. Guy Marsala, et al., in the U.S. District Court for Central District of California; (2) Jennifer Scheffer v. P. Vincent Mehdizadeh, et al., in the Eighth Judicial District Court of Nevada; (3) Kimberly Y. Freeman v. Pejman Vincent Mehdizadeh, et al., in the Eighth Judicial District Court of Nevada; (4) Tyler Gray v. Pejman Vincent Mehdizadeh, et al., in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada; (5) Robert J. Calabrese v. Ned L. Siegel, et al., in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada; (6) Patricia des Groseilliers v. Pejman Vincent Mehdizadeh, et al., in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada; (7) Michael A. Glinter v. Pejman Vincent Mehdizadeh, et al., in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles (the Shareholder Derivative Lawsuits). In addition to the Company, Pejman Vincent Mehdizadeh, Matthew Feinstein, Bruce Bedrick, Thomas Iwanski, Guy Marsala, J. Mitchell Lowe, Ned Siegel, and C. Douglas Mitchell were named as defendants in all of the lawsuits, and Jennifer S. Love was named in all of the lawsuits but the Scheffer action (the Individual Defendants). On December 3, 2015, the parties in the Jones v. Marsala action advised the Court of the settlements in the Shareholder Derivative Lawsuits and that the parties would be submitting the settlement to the Court in the Jones action for approval. The Court thereafter issued an order vacating all pending dates in the action and ordered Plaintiff to file the Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement for the Courts approval. On December 18, 2015, plaintiffs filed the Motion for Preliminary Approval of Derivative Settlement that included the Stipulation and Agreement of Settlement. On February 3, 2016, the Court issued an Order granting preliminary approval of the settlement. The Court originally scheduled a final Settlement Hearing to be held on May 16, 2016, but subsequently continued that hearing to October 17, 2016. By the terms of the settlement, a final Court approval would provide for a release of the claims in the Shareholder Derivative Actions and a bar against continued prosecution of all claims covered by the release. By entering into the Settlement, the settling parties have resolved the derivative claims to their mutual satisfaction. The Individual Defendants have not admitted the validity of any claims or allegations and the settling plaintiffs have not admitted that any claims or allegations lack merit or foundation. The final Settlement Hearing was held on October 17, 2016, and the Court has taken the settlement under review. Under the terms of the Settlement, the Company agrees to adopt and adhere to certain corporate governance processes in the future. In addition to these corporate governance measures, the Companys insurers, on behalf of the Individual Defendants, will make a payment of $300,000 into the settlement escrow account and Messrs. Mehdizadeh and Bedrick will deliver 2,000,000 and 300,000 shares, respectively, of their Medbox, Inc. common stock into the settlement escrow account. Subject to Court approval, the funds and common stock in the settlement escrow account will be paid as attorneys fees and expenses, or as service awards to plaintiffs. On September 16, 2016, solely to avoid the costs, risks, and uncertainties inherent in litigation, the parties entered into a settlement regarding the Merritts Action. The settlement provides, among other things, for the release and dismissal of all asserted claims. Under the terms of the settlement, the Company agrees to adopt and to adhere to certain corporate governance processes in the future. In addition to these corporate governance measures, the Company will make a payment of $135,000 in cash to be used to pay Merritts counsel for any attorneys fees and expenses, or as service awards to plaintiff Merritts, that are approved and awarded by the Court. The settlement is contingent on final court approval. The final Settlement Hearing was held on October 17, 2016, at the same date and time as the final Settlement Hearing for the Shareholder Derivative Lawsuits. The Court has taken the settlement under review. The Settlements remain subject to approval by the Court. The Court must determine whether (1) the terms and conditions of the Settlements are fair, reasonable, and adequate in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders, (2) if the judgment, as provided for in the Settlements, should be entered, and (3) if the request of plaintiffs counsel for an award of attorneys fees and reimbursement of expenses should be granted. The Companys responsibilities as to the proposed settlements of the Class Action and the Shareholder Derivative Lawsuits have been accrued and included in Accrued settlement and severance expenses on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2015. If the settlements of the Class Action, the Shareholder Derivative Lawsuits, or the Merritts Action do not receive final court approval, it could have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, results of operations and/or cash flows of the Company and their ability to raise funds in the future. SEC Investigation In October 2014, the Board of Directors of the Company appointed a special board committee (the Special Committee) to investigate issues arising from a federal grand jury subpoena pertaining to the Companys financial reporting which was served upon the Companys predecessor independent registered public accounting firm as well as certain alleged wrongdoing raised by a former employee of the Company. The Company was subsequently served with two SEC subpoenas in early November 2014. The Company is fully cooperating with the grand jury and SEC investigations. In connection with its investigation of these matters, the Special Committee in conjunction with the Audit Committee initiated an internal review by management and by an outside professional advisor of certain prior period financial reporting of the Company. The outside professional advisor reviewed the Companys revenue recognition methodology for certain contracts for the third and fourth quarters of 2013. As a result of certain errors discovered in connection with the review by management and its professional advisor, the Audit Committee, upon managements recommendation, concluded on December 24, 2014 that the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2013 and for the third and fourth quarters therein, as well as for the quarters ended March 31, 2014, June 30, 2014 and September 30, 2014, should no longer be relied upon and would be restated to correct the errors. On March 6, 2015 the audit committee determined that the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2012, together with all three, six and nine month financial information contained therein, and the quarterly information for the first two quarters of the 2013 fiscal year should also be restated. On March 11, 2015, the Company filed its restated Form 10 Registration Statement with the SEC with restated financial information for the years ended December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2013, and on March 16, 2015, the Company filed amended and restated quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, with restated financial information for the periods ended March 31, June 30 and September 30, 2014, respectively. In March 2016, the staff of the Los Angeles Regional Office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission advised counsel for the Company in a telephone conversation, followed by a written Wells notice, that it is has made a preliminary determination to recommend that the Commission file an enforcement action against the Company in connection with misstatements by prior management in the Companys financial statements for 2012, 2013 and the first three quarters of 2014. A Wells Notice is neither a formal allegation of wrongdoing nor a finding that any violations of law have occurred. Rather, it provides the Company with an opportunity to respond to issues raised by the Staff and offer its perspective prior to any SEC decision to institute proceedings. These proceedings could result in the Company being subject to an injunction and cease and desist order from further violations of the securities laws as well as monetary penalties of disgorgement, pre-judgment interest and a civil penalty. The Company has responded in writing to the Wells notice. Under current management, the Company restated the relevant financial statements and took other remedial action, and has been cooperating with the SECs investigation since November 2014, including the appointment of a Special Committee of the Board to investigate the conduct of prior management and disclose this conduct to the SEC. The Company has also produced documents to the SEC and has made witnesses available, both voluntarily and for sworn testimony pursuant to subpoena. The Company is unable to predict the outcome of the investigation, any potential enforcement actions or any other impact on the Company that may arise as a result of such investigation. The Company has not established a liability for this matter, because it believes that the probability of loss related to this matter and an estimate of the amount of loss, if any, are not determinable at this time. An adverse judgment or action of the SEC could have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, results of operations and/or cash flows of the Company and their ability to raise funds in the future. Other litigation Whole Hemp complaint A complaint was filed by Whole Hemp Company, LLC d/b/a Folium Biosciences (Whole Hemp) on June 1, 2016, naming Notis Global, Inc. and EWSD I, LLC (collectively, Notis), as defendants in Pueblo County, CO district court. The complaint alleges five causes of action against Notis: misappropriation of trade secrets, civil theft, intentional interference with prospective business advantage, civil conspiracy, and breach of contract. All claims concern contracts between Whole Hemp and Notis for the Farming Agreement and the Distributor Agreement. The court entered an ex parte On August 12, 2016, the court ordered that all of Whole Hemps plants in Notis possession |