PART II — OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings. Litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business. Except as set forth herein, we are currently not aware of any such legal proceedings or claims that will have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or operating results.
Roberts Matter
In October 2018, Craig Roberts and Beverly Roberts (the “Roberts”) and the Gary W. Roberts Irrevocable Trust Agreement I, Gary W. Roberts Irrevocable Trust Agreement II, and Gary W. Roberts Irrevocable Trust Agreement III (the “Roberts Trust” and together with the Roberts, the “Roberts Plaintiffs”) filed two separate but similar declaratory judgment actions in the Circuit Court of Palm Beach County, Florida against GrowHealthy Holdings, LLC (“GrowHealthy Holdings”) and the Company in connection with the acquisition of substantially all of GrowHealthy Holdings’ assets by the Company in early 2018. The Roberts Plaintiffs sought a declaration that the Company must deliver certain share certificates to the Roberts without requiring them to deliver a signed Shareholder Representative Agreement (“SRA”) to GrowHealthy Holdings, which delivery was a condition precedent to receiving the Company share certificates and required by the acquisition agreements between GrowHealthy Holdings and the Company. In January 2019, the Circuit Court of Palm Beach County denied the Roberts Plaintiffs’ motion for injunctive relief, and the Roberts Plaintiffs signed and delivered the SRA forms to GrowHealthy Holdings while reserving their rights to continue challenging the validity and enforceability of the SRA. The Roberts Plaintiffs thereafter amended their complaints to seek monetary damages in the aggregate amount of $22.0 million plus treble damages. On May 21, 2019, the court issued an interlocutory order directing the Company to deliver the share certificates to the Roberts Plaintiffs, which the Company delivered on June 17, 2019, in accordance with the court’s order. On December 19, 2019, the Company appealed the court’s order directing delivery of the share certificates to the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal, which appeal was denied per curiam. On October 21, 2019, the Roberts Plaintiffs were granted leave by the Circuit Court of Palm Beach County to amend their complaints in order to add purported claims for civil theft and punitive damages, and on November 22, 2019, the Company moved to dismiss the Roberts Plaintiffs’ amended complaints. On May 1, 2020, the Circuit Court of Palm Beach County heard arguments on the motions to dismiss, and on June 11, 2020, the court issued a written order granting in part and denying in part the Company’s motion to dismiss. Specifically, the order denied the Company’s motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction and improper venue; however, the court granted the Company’s motion to dismiss the Roberts Plaintiffs’ claims for specific performance, conversion and civil theft without prejudice. With respect to the claim for conversion and civil theft, the Circuit Court of Palm Beach County provided the Roberts Plaintiffs with leave to amend their respective complaints. On July 10, 2020, the Roberts Plaintiffs filed further amended complaints in each action against the Company including claims for conversion, breach of contract and civil theft including damages in the aggregate amount of $22.0 million plus treble damages, and on August 13, 2020, the Company filed a consolidated motion to dismiss such amended complaints. On October 26, 2020, Circuit Court of Palm Beach County heard argument on the consolidated motion to dismiss, denied the motion and entered an order to that effect on October 28, 2020. Answers on both actions were filed on November 20, 2020 and the parties commenced discovery. On September 9, 2021, the Roberts Plaintiffs filed a motion to consolidate the two separate actions, which motion was granted on October 14, 2021. On August 6, 2020, the Roberts filed a lawsuit against Randy Maslow, the Company’s now former Interim Chief Executive Officer, President and director, in his individual capacity (the “Maslow Complaint”), alleging a single count of purported conversion. The Maslow Complaint was not served on Randy Maslow until November 25, 2021, and the allegations in the Maslow Complaint are substantially similar to those allegations for purported conversion in the complaints filed against the Company. On March 28, 2022, the court consolidated the action filed against Randy Maslow with the Roberts Plaintiffs’ action for discovery and trial purposes. As a result, the court vacated the matter’s initial trial date of May 9, 2022 and the case has not been reset for trial yet. On April 22, 2022, the parties attended a court required mediation, which was unsuccessful. On May 6, 2022, the Circuit Court of Palm Beach County granted Randy Maslow’s motion to dismiss the Maslow Complaint. On May 19, 2022, the Roberts filed a second amended complaint against Mr. Maslow (“Amended Maslow Complaint”). On June 3, 2022, Mr. Maslow filed a motion to dismiss the Amended Maslow Complaint, which was denied on September 9, 2022. Discovery is ongoing, and no date has been set for trial.
Oasis Matter
On February 27, 2020, the Company filed a statement of claim in the OSCJ against Oasis Investments II Master Fund Ltd. (“Oasis”), an Unsecured Lender. In response to the Company’s statement of claim, Oasis filed a statement of defense and counterclaim against the Company on March 13, 2020, alleging that the Company breached certain debt covenants and an order directing the Company to immediately repay Oasis its $25,000,000 investment plus applicable interest, expenses and fees, among other damages. On July 15, 2020, in connection with the Recapitalization Transaction, the Company agreed to discontinue with prejudice its claim against Oasis which was filed on February 27, 2020. In July 2022, Oasis discontinued its counterclaim with prejudice in connection with the closing of the Recapitalization Transaction.
Plan of Arrangement
On August 20, 2021, the Applicants filed the Application with the OSCJ, which sought, among other things, a declaration that the Outside Date for the closing of the Recapitalization Transaction be extended to the date on which any regulatory approval or consent condition to implementation of the Plan of Arrangement is satisfied or waived. On August 24, 2021, the Company and Applicants appeared for a case conference before the OSCJ at which the OSCJ issued the Stay Order that required the parties to the Restructuring Support Agreement to maintain the status quo until the hearing on September 23, 2021. Specifically, the Stay Order provided that the parties shall remain bound by the Restructuring Support Agreement and not take any steps to advance or impede the regulatory approval process for the closing of the Recapitalization Transaction or otherwise have any communication with the applicable state-level regulators concerning the Recapitalization Transaction or the other counterparties to the Restructuring Support Agreement. On September 23, 2021, the parties appeared before the OSCJ for a hearing on the Application. Following this hearing, the OSCJ issued an endorsement that extended the Stay Order from September 23, 2021 until 48 hours after the release of the OSCJ’s decision on the merits of the Application. On October 12, 2021, the OSCJ issued the Decision granting the Applicant’s relief sought in the Application. Specifically, the OSCJ granted the declaration sought by the Applicants and ordered that the Outside Date be extended to the date on which any regulatory approval or consent condition to implementation of the Plan of Arrangement is satisfied or waived. On November 10, 2021, the Company filed a Notice of Appeal with the Ontario Court of Appeal. On August 19, 2022, following the closing of the Recapitalization Transaction, the Company filed a Notice of Abandonment with the Ontario Court of Appeal to discontinue such appeal with prejudice.
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