COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Commitments The Company does not have significant future annual commitments, other than related to leases and debt, which are disclosed in Notes 10 and 11, respectively, and certain payments related to acquisitions, as disclosed in Note 4. The Company has commercial relationships with license holders across the markets in which it operates with mutually beneficial purchasing and supply arrangements entered into in the ordinary course of business. Through the acquisition of Story of PA CR, LLC (“Story of PA”) in April 2022, the Company is party to a research collaboration agreement with the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (“Geisinger”), a Pennsylvania Department of Health-Certified Medical Marijuana Academic Clinical Research Center, through which to which the Company will help fund clinical research to benefit the patients of Pennsylvania. A total of up to $10,000 of additional funding may be provided pursuant to the research collaboration agreement and is expected to be funded over the course of the ten years following the transaction date based on a percentage of annual revenues associated with the underlying operations, of which none has been funded to date. This additional $10,000 is included within “Other non-current liabilities” on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. Legal and Other Matters The Company’s operations are subject to a variety of local and state regulations. Failure to comply with one or more of those regulations could result in fines, restrictions on its operations, or losses of permits that could result in the Company ceasing operations. While management believes that the Company is in compliance with applicable local and state regulations as of June 30, 2024 in all material respects, cannabis regulations continue to evolve and are subject to differing interpretations, and accordingly, the Company may be subject to regulatory fines, penalties, or restrictions in the future. State laws that permit and regulate the production, distribution, and use of cannabis for adult-use or medical purposes are in direct conflict with the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. § 811) (the “CSA”), which makes cannabis use and possession federally illegal. Although certain states and territories of the United States authorize medical and/or adult-use cannabis production and distribution by licensed or registered entities, under United States federal law, the possession, use, cultivation, and transfer of cannabis and any related drug paraphernalia is illegal and any such acts are criminal acts under federal law under the CSA. Although the Company’s activities are believed to be compliant with applicable state and local laws, strict compliance with state and local laws with respect to cannabis may neither absolve the Company of liability under United States federal law, nor may it provide a defense to any federal proceeding which may be brought against the Company. The Company may be, from time to time, subject to various administrative, regulatory, and other legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. Contingent liabilities associated with legal proceedings are recorded when a liability is probable and the contingent liability can be estimated. We do not accrue for contingent losses that, in our judgment, are considered to be reasonably possible but not probable. At June 30, 2024 there were no pending or threatened lawsuits that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on our consolidated results of operations, other than as disclosed below. MedMen NY Litigation On February 25, 2021, the Company entered into a definitive investment agreement (the “Investment Agreement”) with subsidiaries of MedMen Enterprises Inc. (“MedMen”), under which we would have, subject to regulatory approval, completed an investment (the “Investment”) of approximately $73,000 in MedMen NY, Inc. (“MMNY”), a licensed medical cannabis operator in the state of New York. Following the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Investment Agreement, we were expected to hold all the outstanding equity of MMNY. Specifically, the Investment Agreement provided that at closing, the Company was going to pay to MedMen’s senior lenders $35,000, less certain transaction costs and a prepaid deposit of $4,000, and AWH New York, LLC was going to issue a senior secured promissory note in favor of MMNY’s senior secured lender in the principal amount of $28,000, guaranteed by AWH, which cash investment and note would be used to reduce the amounts owed to MMNY’s senior secured lender. Following its investment, AWH would hold a controlling interest in MMNY equal to approximately 86.7% of the equity in MMNY, and be provided with an option to acquire MedMen’s remaining interest in MMNY in the future for a nominal additional payment, which option the Company intended to exercise. The Investment Agreement also required AWH to make an additional investment of $10,000 in MMNY, which investment would also be used to repay MMNY’s senior secured lender, if adult-use cannabis sales commenced in MMNY’s dispensaries. The Company contends that, in December 2021, the parties to the Investment Agreement received the required approvals from the State of New York to close the transactions contemplated by the Investment Agreement, but MedMen has disputed the adequacy of the approvals provided by the State of New York. The Company delivered notice to MedMen in December 2021 that it wished to close the transactions as required by the Investment Agreement. Nevertheless, MedMen, on January 2, 2022, gave notice to the Company that MedMen purported to terminate the Investment Agreement. Following receipt of such notice, on January 13, 2022, the Company filed a complaint against MedMen and others in the Commercial Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York (the “Court”), requesting specific performance that the transactions contemplated by the Investment Agreement must move forward, and such other relief as the Court may deem appropriate. The Company simultaneously moved for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction (the “Motion”) requiring MedMen to operate its New York business in the ordinary course of business and to refrain from any activities or transactions that might impair, encumber, or dissipate MedMen’s New York assets. The parties resolved the Motion via a “Stipulation and Order” entered by the Court on January 21, 2022 that required that MMNY operate only in compliance with the law and in a manner consistent with its ordinary course of business that preserved all assets of MMNY. It further required MMNY to not take certain actions, including any actions that would have a material adverse effect on MedMen’s New York business. On March 27, 2023, the parties entered a further stipulation that modified the January 21, 2022 Stipulation and Order by lifting the Court’s prohibition against a sale or transfer of MMNY or its assets, without waiver of any claims that the Company might have in the event of such a transaction. That further stipulation modifying the January 21, 2022 Stipulation and Order was entered by the Court on August 1, 2023. On January 24, 2022, MedMen filed counterclaims against the Company, alleging that Ascend had breached the Investment Agreement, and seeking declaratory relief that MedMen had properly terminated the Investment Agreement. On February 14, 2022, the Company moved to dismiss MedMen’s counterclaims and filed an amended complaint (the “First Amended Complaint”) that included additional claims against MedMen for breach of contract. The First Amended Complaint contained several causes of action, including for breach of contract and breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing. The First Amended Complaint sought damages in addition to continuing to seek injunctive and declaratory relief. On March 7, 2022, MedMen filed amended counterclaims, an answer, and affirmative defenses to the First Amended Complaint. On March 28, 2022, the Company moved to dismiss MedMen’s amended counterclaims. On April 20, 2022, the parties entered into a stipulation extending the time for MedMen to oppose the Company’s motion to dismiss until May 5, 2022. In addition, the parties agreed to stay all discovery, including both party and non-party discovery. On May 5, 2022, the parties filed another stipulation order with the Court adjourning until further notice from the Court MedMen’s time to oppose the Company’s motion to dismiss MedMen’s amended counterclaims. The parties again stipulated that all discovery remains stayed pending further order from the Court. On May 10, 2022, the Company and MedMen signed a term sheet (the “Term Sheet”), pursuant to which the parties agreed to use best efforts to enter into a settlement agreement and enter into new or amended transactional documents. Specifically, if consummated, the agreements contemplated by the Term Sheet would have entailed, among other things, the Company paying MedMen $15,000 in additional transaction consideration, and MedMen withdrawing its counterclaims against the Company. Per the amended transaction terms contemplated in the Term Sheet, upon closing, the Company would have received a 99.99% controlling interest in MMNY and the Company would have paid MedMen $74,000, which reflected the original transaction consideration plus an additional $11,000 per the parties’ Term Sheet, less a $4,000 deposit that the Company already paid. The amended transaction terms contemplated in the Term Sheet also would have required MedMen to provide a representation and warranty that the status of the MMNY assets had not materially changed since December 31, 2021 and an acknowledgement that the representations and warranties from the Investment Agreement would survive for three months after the closing of the contemplated transactions. However, after the Company determined that MedMen could not make or provide the representations and warranties that MedMen would have been required to make as part of the contemplated transactions, the Company determined that it no longer intended to consummate the contemplated transactions. On September 30, 2022, the Company sought leave from the Court to file a second amended complaint (the “Second Amended Complaint”). The Second Amended Complaint contains breach of contract claims against MedMen, as well as a claim for the breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and a claim for anticipatory breach of contract. In connection with those claims, the Company is no longer seeking injunctive or declaratory relief; however, the Company continues to seek damages from MedMen, including, but not limited to, the return of the $4,000 deposit, approximately $2,400 of advances pursuant to a working capital loan agreement (as described in Note 6, “Notes Receivable”) and other capital expenditure advances paid to MMNY by the Company. On November 21, 2022, the parties entered into a stipulation whereby MedMen agreed to the filing of the Second Amended Complaint, which is now the Company’s operative pleading in the litigation. In addition, in the stipulation, the Company agreed that it would not contest MedMen’s filing of second amended counterclaims against the Company while reserving all rights with respect to any such counterclaims. Because the parties agreed to the filing of each side’s amended pleadings, on November 28, 2022, the Court determined that Ascend’s March 2022 motion to dismiss was moot. On December 21, 2022, MedMen filed its second amended counterclaims, an answer, and affirmative defenses to the Company’s Second Amended Complaint. In addition to the allegations in MedMen’s earlier pleadings, MedMen now also alleged that the Company breached the Term Sheet. On January 20, 2023, the Company moved to dismiss MedMen’s second amended counterclaims. On August 18, 2023, the Court issued a Decision and Order on the Company’s motion to dismiss, dismissing seven of MedMen’s ten counterclaims, including each of the counterclaims brought by MedMen relating to the Term Sheet. On September 26, 2023, MedMen filed a motion seeking leave to file its third amended counterclaims, in which MedMen seeks to revive its previously dismissed counterclaims relating to the Term Sheet. On October 24, 2023, the Company filed an opposition to that motion for leave. As further discussed below, the Court denied that motion on February 2, 2024. In addition, on October 18, 2023, MedMen filed a Notice of Appeal of the Court’s August 18, 2023 Decision and Order with respect to the dismissal of MedMen’s three counterclaims relating to the Term Sheet. On November 1, 2023 the Company filed a Notice of Cross-Appeal with respect to the Court’s determination that the Company’s motion to dismiss was not subject to New York’s anti-SLAPP statute. Both parties have yet to perfect the appeals. On February 2, 2024, the Court issued a Decision and Order denying MedMen’s motion for leave to file its third amended counterclaims. On February 21, 2024, the current counsel-of-record for MedMen filed an order to show cause with the Court seeking leave to withdraw as counsel and stay proceedings for thirty days to permit MedMen time to obtain new counsel. On March 20, 2024, the Court granted such withdrawal motion and appointed April 25, 2024 as the deadline for MedMen to obtain new counsel, which, as of the date of filing of this Form 10-Q, had not occurred. On April 26, 2024, MedMen announced that it made an assignment into bankruptcy pursuant to Canada’s Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act on April 24, 2024 and B. Riley Farber Inc. was appointed as its bankruptcy trustee. In addition, MedMen announced that MedMen’s wholly owned subsidiary, MM CAN USA, Inc., a California corporation, was placed into receivership in the Los Angeles Superior Court, Santa Monica Division on April 23, 2024 to effectuate an orderly dissolution and liquidation of its California-based assets. MedMen further announced that it intends to initiate additional receivership proceedings in those U.S. states where MM CAN USA, Inc. controls or owns assets, through which the operations and assets of MedMen’s subsidiaries will be dissolved or liquidated pursuant to applicable laws in the United States. On May 21, 2024, the Los Angeles Superior Court issued an order confirming the appointment a receiver for MM CAN USA, Inc. The receiver has submitted two monthly reports to the Los Angeles Superior Court estimating that the liabilities of MedMen’s subsidiaries likely significantly exceed the estimated liquidated value of MedMen's subsidiaries and their respective assets, and such reports indicate that efforts to dissolve, liquidate, or abandon such assets are ongoing During the year ended December 31, 2022, following the Company’s decision to no longer consummate the contemplated transactions, the Company established an estimated reserve of $3,700 related to the amounts that it has been actively pursuing collecting. The estimated reserve as of December 31, 2023 is included within “Other current assets” on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2024, the Company increased the estimated reserve by $2,744 and $5,447, respectively, which is included within “General and administrative expenses” on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and within “Other” on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The total reserve as of June 30, 2024 is reflective of all outstanding balances and of which $2,422 is included within “Notes receivable” on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, $6,695 is included within “Other current assets,” and the remainder is included within “Other noncurrent assets.” Other Matter |