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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2025
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Note 14 COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

The Company accrues costs associated with certain contingencies, including, but not limited to, settlement of legal proceedings, regulatory compliance matters and self-insurance exposures when such costs are probable and reasonably estimable. In addition, the Company records legal fees in defense of asserted litigation and regulatory matters as such legal fees are incurred. To the extent it is probable that the Company is able to recover losses and legal fees related to contingencies, it records such recoveries concurrently with the accrual of the related loss or legal fees. Significant management judgment is required to estimate the amounts of such contingent liabilities. In the Company’s determination of the probability and ability to estimate contingent liabilities, it considers the following: litigation exposure based on currently available information, consultations with external legal counsel and other pertinent facts and circumstances regarding the contingency. Liabilities established to provide for contingencies are adjusted as further information develops, circumstances change, or contingencies are resolved; and such changes are recorded in the condensed consolidated statements of operations during the period of the change and appropriately reflected in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

 

Legal Proceedings

 

Smithline Family Trust II vs. FOXO Technologies Inc. and Jon Sabes

 

On November 18, 2022, Smithline filed a complaint against the Company and Jon Sabes, the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer and a former member of the Company’s board of directors, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York.

 

 

On November 7, 2023, Smithline and the Company and its subsidiaries entered into the Settlement Agreement, pursuant to which the parties agreed to resolve and settle all disputes and potential claims which exist or may exist among them, including without limitation those claims asserted in the Action, as more specifically set forth in, and subject to the terms and conditions of, the Settlement Agreement. Upon the execution of the Settlement Agreement, the parties agreed to jointly dismiss the legal action without prejudice.

 

On May 28, 2024, the Company, entered into an Exchange Agreement, as amended, with Smithline, terminating on February 23, 2025, pursuant to which Smithline exchanged Assumed Warrants to purchase up to 15,704 shares, as adjusted, of the Company’s Common Stock, for the right to receive up to 657,664 shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock (the “Rights Shares”), subject to a 4.99% beneficial ownership limitation and issued without any restrictive legends. The Assumed Warrants, which are more fully discussed in Note 12, expired on February 23, 2025. As of March 31, 2025, the Company issued 327,839 Rights Shares to Smithline, including 165,077 shares that were issued in the three months ended March 31, 2025. Although Smithline has continued to convert debt to equity under the Exchange Agreement and has reduced the liability from $2.3 million on May 28, 2024 to $0.8 million at March 31, 2025, the Company is currently in default of the Settlement Agreement that terminated on February 23, 2025. The parties have mutually agreed to continue to operate under the terms of the Settlement Agreement without a written amendment and extension. The balance remaining outstanding to Smithline at May 16, 2025 is $526,332.

 

Former CEO Severance

 

The Company has disclosed in previous financial filings that the Board of Directors had yet to complete its review into whether Mr. Jon Sabes, a former CEO of the Company was terminated with or without cause on November 14, 2022 and that accordingly, the Company had to make a determination on its obligations under the former CEO’s employment agreement.

 

The Board of Directors has now completed a review of this matter in the last quarter of 2024 and upon examination of the history and various documents and records, determined that Mr. Sabes was unequivocally terminated for cause on November 14, 2022, meaning the Company has no further obligation to Mr. Sabes.

 

On November 20, 2024, the Company received a letter from counsel for Mr. Jon Sabes, the former Chief Executive Officer and director, demanding payment of certain compensation and benefits. Regardless that the Company has now determined that termination of Mr. Sabes employment on November 14, 2022 was for cause and that no obligation to Mr. Sabes remains, the Company has, because of this demand, retained certain liabilities of severance pay and stock-based compensation in the financial records until the matter has been resolved in full. The Company does not believe the demand received on November 20, 2024 has any merit and will vigorously dispute any claim for payment.

 

Disputed Severance Policy

 

A proposed severance policy was drafted in early 2023 with an effective date of January 9, 2023. However, neither the Company’s board of directors nor its remuneration committee approved the policy. If adopted the policy would have applied to all exempt level vice presidents and above employees across various departments. It provided for a six-month salary pay out if the employee, while in good standing, was involuntarily separated from the Company. If the policy were valid, five former employees would have met the guidelines to receive the severance aggregating approximately $0.5 million in severance payments. The Company understands that in breach of fiduciary duty and outside of required approvals from the Board of Directors, certain offers were made by an officer of the Company to a number of employees of the Company. The Company has received demands from employees requesting payment of severance they believed to be owed but which agreements were not authorized or valid. The Company believes that all obligations related to employees’ separation from the Company have been paid and/or fully satisfied and will vigorously defend any claim for payment that might arise.

 

 

Illumina Judgment

 

On June 21, 2024, Hennepin County District Court granted Illumina, Inc.’s Motion for Summary Judgment in the amount of $0.8 million against the Company. The Company recorded this liability at March 31, 2025 and has recently engaged in communication with counsel for Illumina to explore the opportunity to complete a judgment settlement agreement with terms acceptable to both parties and which would facilitate the settlement of this judgment over time. There is no guarantee that discussions will result in an agreement between the parties.

 

Senior PIK Notes

 

In July 2024, John Nash and Mitchell Kersch, two holders of promissory notes, which we refer to as Senior PIK Notes, filed legal actions against the Company for approximately $0.8 million and $0.4 million respectively. On January 22, 2025, all Senior PIK Notes were exchanged to Series B Preferred Stock of the Company on agreement by the majority of the Senior PIK Note holders in October 2024. At March 31, 2025, the Company has been successful in having the court vacate the Nash and Kersch judgment efforts and having both complaints dismissed by the court.

 

The Company is also party to various other legal proceedings, for legacy debts of the Company, claims, and regulatory, tax or government inquiries and investigations that arise in the ordinary course of business, and the Company may in the future be subject to additional legal proceedings and disputes.