Commitments and Contingencies |
3 Months Ended |
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Mar. 31, 2025 | |
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Legal Proceedings The Company is periodically involved in legal proceedings and claims arising in the normal course of business, including proceedings relating to intellectual property, employment and other matters. Management believes the outcome of these proceedings, as outlined below, will not have a significant adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, operating results, or cash flows. Securities Class Action Proceedings On March 8, 2021, two putative securities class action complaints were filed against the Company, and certain of its current and former officers and directors in the federal district court for the Southern District of New York. Those cases were ultimately consolidated under C.A. No. 1:21-cv-2002, and a lead plaintiff was appointed in June 2021. On July 20, 2021, an amended complaint was filed alleging that certain public statements made by the defendants between October 2, 2020, and March 2, 2021, violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. Following negotiations with a mediator, in September 2023, the Company and the plaintiffs agreed on a settlement in principle in the aggregate amount of $19.5 million (the “Settlement Amount”), and on December 6, 2023, the lead plaintiff and the defendants entered into a stipulation and agreement of settlement requiring the Company to pay the Settlement Amount to resolve the class action litigation and the related legal fees and administration costs. On April 30, 2024, the New York Court approved a final settlement of the Class Action Litigation. The Settlement Amount was offset by approximately $4.5 million of related loss recoveries from the Company’s directors and officers liability insurance policy with third parties, which was paid out in February 2024. The Company paid the $15.0 million net settlement amount to the settlement claims administrator in February 2024. On September 20, 2021, and October 19, 2021, two class action complaints were filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery against certain of the Company’s current officers and directors, and the Company’s sponsor of its special purpose acquisition company merger, Pivotal Investment Holdings II LLC. These actions were consolidated as in re XL Fleet Corp. (Pivotal) Stockholder Litigation, C.A. No. 2021-0808, and an amended complaint was filed on January 31, 2022. Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint on May 13, 2022, and on July 11, 2022, plaintiffs filed a second amended complaint. The second amended complaint alleges various breaches of fiduciary duty against the Company and/or its officers, several allegedly misleading statements made in connection with the merger, and aiding and abetting breaches of fiduciary duty in connection with the negotiation and approval of the December 21, 2020 merger and organization of XL Hybrids, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Legacy XL”) to become XL Fleet Corp. On August 19, 2022, defendants moved to dismiss the second amended complaint, which was granted in part and denied in part on June 9, 2023. The parties then engaged in discovery. On November 13, 2024, the Company filed a stipulation and settlement agreement seeking court approval to settle this matter in full for $4.75 million, which is currently accrued for as of March 31, 2025 (See Note 6. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities). On March 26, 2025, the court approved the stipulation and settlement agreement, and in April 2025, the Company paid the settlement amount of $4.75 million. Shareholder Derivative Actions On June 23, 2022, the Company received a shareholder derivative complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, captioned Val Kay derivatively on behalf of nominal defendant XL Fleet Corp., against all current directors and former officers and directors, C.A. No. 1:22-cv-10977. The action was filed by a shareholder purportedly on XL Fleet Corp.’s behalf, and raises claims for contribution, as well as claims for breach of fiduciary duty, waste of corporate assets, unjust enrichment, and abuse of control. In March 2023, two shareholder derivative actions were filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, namely Reali v. Griffin, et al., C.A. No. 1:23-cv-00289 and Tucci v. Ledecky, et al., C.A. 1:23-cv-00322. These actions were consolidated and captioned In re Spruce Power Holding Corporation Shareholder Derivative Litigation, C.A. No. 1:23-cv-00289. In August 2023, an additional derivative action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, captioned Boyce v. Ledecky, et al., C.A. No. 1:23-cv- 8591 (collectively, the “Derivative Matters”). On December 8, 2023, the parties reached a settlement-in-principle to settle, the Derivative Matters. The court granted preliminary approval of the settlement on May 1, 2024, and final approval in full on August 8, 2024. The settlement provides for certain corporate governance enhancements and no monetary payments. On August 14, 2024, the court awarded attorney fees of $1.0 million, which were paid in September 2024. State Attorney Generals’ Investigations The Company has been asked to provide information and documents in response to subpoenas and other requests for information from certain state attorneys general offices regarding, among other things, its sales, marketing, billing, and operations practices. Specifically, the Company has received subpoenas from the attorneys general for the states of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Texas. The Company has been timely responding to the states’ information requests and otherwise cooperating with these investigations and intends to continue to do so until they are resolved. At this time, the Company is unable to estimate potential losses, if any, related to these matters. BMZ USA, Inc. On February 11, 2022, BMZ USA Inc. (“BMZ”), a battery manufacturer, sued XL Hybrids for breach of contract, alleging that XL Hybrids failed to timely purchase the full allotment of batteries required under a certain master supply agreement between the parties. In January 2024, BMZ obtained a judgment for $3.9 million against XL Hybrids, Inc. In June 2024, BMZ sought to enforce the judgement against the Company in Massachusetts Trial Court and that enforcement action was dismissed in March 2025. BMZ is appealing the ruling, and the Company believes it is probable that in the event BMZ’s appeal is not successful, BMZ will seek to enforce the judgement in another jurisdiction. As such, the Company currently estimates the potential loss to be approximately $1.2 million, which has been accrued for as of March 31, 2025 (See Note 6. Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities). ITC Recapture Provisions The IRS may disallow and recapture some, or all, of the ITCs due to improperly calculated basis after a project was placed in service ("Recapture Event"). If a Recapture Event occurs, Spruce Power is obligated to pay the applicable Class A Member a recapture adjustment, which includes the amounts the Class A Members are required to repay the IRS, including interest and penalties, as well as any third-party legal and accounting fees incurred by the Class A Members in connection to the Recapture Event, as specified in the operating agreements. Such a payment by Spruce Power to the Class A Members would not be considered a capital contribution to the fund per the operating agreements, nor would it be considered a distribution to the Class A Members. No Recapture Event was deemed probable by the Company, therefore no accrual was recorded as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024. Parker-Hannifin On March 11, 2024, the Company filed a lawsuit against Parker-Hannifin for a declaratory judgment, captioned XL Hybrids, Inc. v. Parker-Hannifin Corporation, No. 1:24-cv-10894-WGY (D. Mass, removed from Mass. State Court No. 2484-CV-00661). The case related to a contract for the purchase of motors designed, produced and manufactured by Parker-Hannifin for XL Hybrids, Inc. which was executed in July 2019. On April 5, 2024, Parker-Hannafin filed counterclaims, alleging that XL Hybrids, Inc. and the Company were in breach of the contract. On November 1, 2024, the parties reached a settlement in principle to settle the matter for $0.5 million, which the Company paid in January 2025. Master SREC Purchase and Sale Agreement The Company has forward sales agreements, which are related to a certain number of SRECs, to be generated from the Company’s solar energy systems located in Maryland, Massachusetts, Delaware, and New Jersey to be sold at fixed prices over varying terms of up to 20 years. In the event the Company does not deliver such SRECs to the counterparty, the Company could be forced to pay additional penalties and fees as stipulated within the contracts. Indemnities and Guarantees During the normal course of business, the Company has made certain indemnities and guarantees under which it may be required to make payments in relation to certain transactions. The duration of the Company’s indemnities and guarantees varies, however the majority of these indemnities and guarantees are limited in duration. Historically, the Company has not been obligated to make significant payments for such obligations, does not anticipate future payments, and as such, no reserve has been established and no other liabilities have been recorded for these indemnities and guarantees as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024. Insurance Claims and Recoveries related to Los Angeles Fires In January 2025, a series of wildfires broke out in the Los Angeles area of California, resulting in real and personal property and natural resource damage, personal injuries and loss of life. The Company is currently assessing the impact of these wildfires on its solar systems and customer contracts in the area; however, the Company has not been able to validate the full extent of the related damage. Based on the Company’s current assessment, the Company wrote off approximately $0.2 million of net book value associated with the damaged solar assets during the three months ended March 31, 2025, which is reflected within gain on asset disposal, net in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations. No material loss claims have been reported to date or recognized within the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2025. In addition, the Company has recorded no related insurance recoveries as of March 31, 2025. The Company does not expect this event to have a material impact on its financial position, operating results or cash flows.
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