COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Litigation and Investigations James Harris and Adam Vignola, derivatively on behalf of FAT Brands, Inc. v. Squire Junger, James Neuhauser, Edward Rensi, Andrew Wiederhorn, Fog Cutter Holdings, LLC and Fog Cutter Capital Group, Inc., and FAT Brands Inc., nominal defendant (Delaware Chancery Court, Case No. 2021-0511) On June 10, 2021, plaintiffs James Harris and Adam Vignola (“Plaintiffs”), putative stockholders of the Company, filed a shareholder derivative action in the Delaware Court of Chancery nominally on behalf of the Company against the Company’s directors (Squire Junger, James Neuhauser, Edward Rensi and Andrew Wiederhorn (the “Individual Defendants”)), and the Company’s majority stockholders, Fog Cutter Holdings, LLC and Fog Cutter Capital Group, Inc. (collectively with the Individual Defendants, “Defendants”). Plaintiffs assert claims of breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment and waste of corporate assets arising out of the Company’s December 2020 merger with Fog Cutter Capital Group, Inc. Defendants filed a motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’ complaint, which the Court denied in an oral ruling on February 11, 2022 and subsequent written order on May 25, 2022. On April 7, 2022, the Court entered a Scheduling Order setting forth the key dates and deadlines that will govern the litigation, including a discovery cutoff of March 24, 2023 and trial date of February 5-9, 2024. To date, the parties have engaged in substantial written discovery, though no depositions have been taken. On February 3, 2023, the Company’s board of directors appointed a Special Litigation Committee ("SLC"), which retained independent counsel and moved for a six-month stay of the action pending resolution of the SLC's investigation. On February 17, 2023, the Court granted the SLC’s motion to stay. Defendants dispute the allegations of the lawsuit and intend to vigorously defend against the claims. We cannot predict the outcome of this lawsuit. This lawsuit does not assert any claims against the Company. However, subject to certain limitations, we are obligated to indemnify our directors in connection with the lawsuit and any related litigation or settlements amounts, which may be time-consuming, result in significant expense and divert the attention and resources of our management. An unfavorable outcome may exceed coverage provided under our insurance policies, could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations and could harm our reputation. James Harris and Adam Vignola, derivatively on behalf of FAT Brands, Inc. v. Squire Junger, James Neuhauser, Edward Rensi, Andrew Wiederhorn and Fog Cutter Holdings, LLC, and FAT Brands Inc., nominal defendant (Delaware Chancery Court, Case No. 2022-0254) On March 17, 2022, plaintiffs James Harris and Adam Vignola (“Plaintiffs”), putative stockholders of the Company, filed a shareholder derivative action in the Delaware Court of Chancery nominally on behalf of the Company against the Company’s directors (Squire Junger, James Neuhauser, Edward Rensi and Andrew Wiederhorn (the “Individual Defendants”)), and the Company’s majority stockholder, Fog Cutter Holdings, LLC (collectively with the Individual Defendants, “Defendants”). Plaintiffs assert claims of breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the Company’s June 2021 recapitalization transaction. On May 27, 2022, Defendants filed a motion to dismiss Plaintiff's complaint (the "Motion"). Argument on the Motion was heard on November 17, 2022 and again on February 23, 2023, and the Court took its decision under advisement. To date, the Court has not issued a ruling on the Motion, nor has the Court issued a scheduling order in this matter. Defendants dispute the allegations of the lawsuit and intend to vigorously defend against the claims. As this matter is still in the early stages, we cannot predict the outcome of this lawsuit. This lawsuit does not assert any claims against the Company. However, subject to certain limitations, we are obligated to indemnify our directors in connection with the lawsuit and any related litigation or settlements amounts, which may be time-consuming, result in significant expense and divert the attention and resources of our management. An unfavorable outcome may exceed coverage provided under our insurance policies, could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations and could harm our reputation. Robert J. Matthews, et al., v. FAT Brands, Inc., Andrew Wiederhorn, Ron Roe, Rebecca Hershinger and Ken Kuick (United States District Court for the Central District of California, Case No. 2:22-cv-01820) On March 18, 2022, plaintiff Robert J. Matthews, a putative investor in the Company, filed a putative class action lawsuit against the Company, Andrew Wiederhorn, Ron Roe, Rebecca Hershinger and Ken Kuick, asserting claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”), alleging that the defendants are responsible for false and misleading statements and omitted material facts in the Company’s reports filed with the SEC under the 1934 Act related to the LA Times story published on February 19, 2022 about the company and its management. The plaintiff alleges that the Company’s public statements wrongfully inflated the trading price of the Company’s common stock, preferred stock and warrants. On April 25, 2022, Kerry Chipman, a putative investor in the Company, filed a putative class action lawsuit against the Company, Andrew Wiederhorn, Ron Roe, Rebecca Hershinger and Ken Kuick in the United States District Court for the Central Division of California, asserting substantially the same claims as those made by Matthews in the above-referenced lawsuit. On May 2, 2022, the Court entered an order consolidating the actions filed by Matthews and Chipman under the caption In re FAT Brands Inc. Securities Litigation. On June 13, 2022, the Court appointed plaintiff Robert Matthews as lead plaintiff and The Rosen Law Firm, P.A., as lead counsel in the consolidated action. Plaintiffs filed their Consolidated Amended Complaint on June 27, 2022. On July 19, 2022, the parties entered into a stipulation to stay the litigation so that they could engage in voluntary mediation. In August 2022, after mediation, the Company reached an agreement in principle to settle this matter for a cash payment by the Company of $2.5 million and issuance of $0.5 million in Class A common stock. The Stipulation of Settlement and other documents pertinent to the settlement, along with a motion for preliminary approval thereof, were filed with the court on September 23, 2022. The Court granted the motion for preliminary approval on November 8, 2022, and on January 31, 2023, plaintiffs moved for final approval of the settlement and certification of the settlement class. The hearing on the motion for final approval is set for February 28, 2023, at 9:00 am PT. Upon final approval by the court, the settlement will provide a full release of all claims by the settlement class members against all defendants, including the Company and the named officers and directors, will expressly deny any liability, wrongdoing or responsibility by any of the defendants, and will result in the dismissal of the litigation with prejudice. Government Investigations In December 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California (the “U.S. Attorney”) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) informed the Company that they had opened investigations relating to the Company and our Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Wiederhorn, and were formally seeking documents and materials concerning, among other things, the Company’s December 2020 merger with Fog Cutter Capital Group Inc., transactions between those entities and Mr. Wiederhorn, as well as compensation, extensions of credit and other benefits or payments received by Mr. Wiederhorn or his family from those entities. Our Board of Directors has formed a Special Review Committee (the “SRC”) comprised of directors other than Mr. Wiederhorn to oversee a review of the issues raised by the U.S. Attorney and SEC investigations, reach findings and make a recommendation to the Board with respect to these matters. The SRC is authorized to review such documents and interview such persons, and retain legal counsel and other consultants on behalf of the Company, as the SRC deems necessary or appropriate to complete its review. The Company intends to cooperate with the U.S. Attorney and the SEC regarding these matters and is continuing to actively respond to inquiries and requests from the U.S. Attorney and the SEC. We believe that the Company is not currently a target of the U.S. Attorney’s investigation. At this stage, we are not able to reasonably estimate or predict the outcome or duration of either of the U.S. Attorney’s or the SEC’s investigations. Stratford Holding LLC v. Foot Locker Retail Inc. (U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, Case No. 5:12-cv-772-HE) In 2012 and 2013, two property owners in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma sued numerous parties, including Foot Locker Retail Inc. and our subsidiary Fog Cutter Capital Group Inc. (now known as Fog Cutter Acquisition, LLC), for alleged environmental contamination on their properties, stemming from dry cleaning operations on one of the properties. The property owners seek damages in the range of $12.0 million to $22.0 million. From 2002 to 2008, a former Fog Cutter subsidiary managed a lease portfolio, which included the subject property. Fog Cutter denies any liability, although it did not timely respond to one of the property owners’ complaints and several of the defendants’ cross-complaints and thus is in default. The parties are currently conducting discovery, and the matter is scheduled for trial for October 2023. The Company is unable to predict the ultimate outcome of this matter, however, reserves have been recorded on the balance sheet relating to this litigation. There can be no assurance that the defendants will be successful in defending against these actions. SBN FCCG LLC v FCCGI (Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BS172606) SBN FCCG LLC (“SBN”) filed a complaint against Fog Cutter Capital Group, Inc. (“FCCG”) in New York state court for an indemnification claim (the “NY case”) stemming from an earlier lawsuit in Georgia regarding a certain lease portfolio formerly managed by a former FCCG subsidiary. In February 2018, SBN obtained a final judgment in the NY case for a total of $0.7 million, which included $0.2 million in interest dating back to March 2012. SBN then obtained a sister state judgment in Los Angeles Superior Court, Case No. BS172606 (the “California case”), which included the $0.7 million judgment from the NY case, plus additional statutory interest and fees, for a total judgment of $0.7 million. In May 2018, SBN filed a cost memo, requesting an additional $12,411 in interest to be added to the judgment in the California case, for a total of $0.7 million. In May 2019, the parties agreed to settle the matter for $0.6 million, which required the immediate payment of $0.1 million, and the balance to be paid in August 2019. FCCG wired $0.1 million to SBN in May 2019, but has not yet paid the remaining balance of $0.5 million. The parties have not entered into a formal settlement agreement, and they have not yet discussed the terms for the payment of the remaining balance. The Company is involved in other claims and legal proceedings from time-to-time that arise in the ordinary course of business, including those involving the Company’s franchisees. The Company does not believe that the ultimate resolution of these actions will have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity or capital resources. As of December 25, 2022, the Company had accrued an aggregate of $5.1 million for the specific matters mentioned above and claims and legal proceedings involving franchisees as of that date. Operating Leases (See Also Note 9) The Company's headquarters, including its principal administrative, sales and marketing, customer support, and research and development operations, are located in Beverly Hills, California, comprising approximately 13,000 square feet of space, pursuant to a lease that expires on September 29, 2025, as well as an additional approximately 3,000 square feet of space pursuant to a lease amendment that expires on February 29, 2024. Our subsidiary, GFG Management, LLC, leases offices in Atlanta, Georgia comprising approximately 9,000 square feet under a lease expiring on March 1, 2023, and an approximately 16,000 square foot warehouse location under a lease expiring on May 31, 2024. Our subsidiary, GAC Supply, LLC, owns and operates an approximately 40,000 square foot manufacturing and production facility in Atlanta, Georgia, which supplies our franchisees with cookie dough, pretzel dry mix and other ancillary products. Our subsidiary, Twin Restaurant Holding, LLC, leases offices in Dallas, TX comprising approximately 8,300 square feet under a lease expiring on April 30, 2025. Our subsidiary, Fazoli's Holdings, LLC, leases offices located in Lexington, KY comprising approximately 19,200 square feet under a lease expiring on April 30, 2027. Our subsidiary, Native Grill & Wings Franchising, LLC, leases offices located in Chandler, AZ comprising 5,825 square feet under a lease expiring on October 31, 2024. In addition to the above locations, certain of our subsidiaries directly own and operate restaurant locations, substantially all of which are located in leased premises. As of December 25, 2022, we owned and operated approximately 130 restaurant locations. The Company believes that its existing facilities are in good operating condition and adequate to meet current and foreseeable needs. Additional information related to the Company’s operating leases are disclosed in Note 9. |