Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES
9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES
8. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

 

Litigation

 

From time to time, the Company may be involved in litigation relating to claims arising out of the Company’s operations in the ordinary course of business. Other than as set forth below, the Company is not currently party to any legal proceedings, the adverse outcome of which, in the Company’s management’s opinion, individually or in the aggregate, would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations or financial position.

 

Since June 2009, the Company has been involved in litigation against Leonard J. Brandt, a stockholder, former Director and the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer (“Brandt”) in the Delaware Chancery Court, the Supreme Court of the State of Delaware, the United States District Court for the Central District of California and the Superior Court for the State of California, Orange County. Other than current actions described below, the Company has prevailed in all actions or the matters have been dismissed.

 

On April 11, 2011, Brandt and his family business partnership Brandt Ventures, GP, filed an action in the Superior Court for the State of California, Orange County against the Company, one of its stockholders, SAIL Venture Partner, LP, and Mr. David Jones, a former member of the Board, alleging breach of a promissory note agreement entered into by Brandt Ventures, GP and the Company and alleging that Mr. Brandt was wrongfully terminated as Chief Executive Officer in April, 2009.  The Company was served with a summons and complaint in the action on July 19, 2011.

 

On November 1, 2011, Mr. Brandt and Brandt Ventures filed an amended complaint amending their claims and adding new claims against the same parties. On March 12, 2012, the court sustained demurrers to certain of the counts against each defendant. On March 22, 2012, the plaintiffs filed a second amended complaint modifying certain of their claims, but did not add new claims. On February 6, 2013, the plaintiffs moved for leave to amend the second amended complaint and file a third amended complaint. On March 6, 2013, the Court granted leave to amend, but awarded fees and costs for the defendants to again make dispositive motions. The third amended complaint adds a claim for breach of the promissory note and seeks to foreclose on the collateral securing the note obligation.  In addition, Mr. Brandt is seeking approximately $170,000 of severance and compensatory and punitive damages in connection with his termination.  In interrogatory responses served on January 26, 2013, Mr. Brandt for the first time identified that he seeks damages in connection with his termination exceeding $9,000,000.  Mr. Brandt has proffered no credible evidence to support damages in this amount, and the Company believes this claim for damages is without merit.  The plaintiffs also seek rescission of a $250,000 loan made by Brandt Ventures, GP to the Company which was converted into Common Stock in accordance with its terms and restitution of the loan amount.

 

A trial date had originally been set for May 2014. However, plaintiffs’ counsel requested a continuance until August 2014, to which the Company agreed.  On June 18, 2014, at plaintiffs’ counsel’s request, the Company entered into a Standstill and Tolling Agreement, whereby the parties agreed to seek a stay of the litigation and plaintiffs agreed to provide the Company with an executed dismissal of all the claims without prejudice, with the ability to re-file the third amended complaint, without change, on or before June 18, 2015.  The Company had the right to file the executed stipulation of dismissal if the Court lifted the stay.  On May 7, 2015, the parties agreed to continue the Standstill and Tolling Agreement until May 6, 2016, on the same terms. On May 12, 2015, the Court agreed to stay the case for another six months.  On November 4, 2015 the Court lifted the stay, and set the case for trial on March 7, 2016.  On February 3, 2016, the Company filed the executed stipulation of dismissal, thereby ending the current action in Orange County which was captioned Leonard J. Brandt and Brandt Ventures, GP v. CNS Response, Inc., Sail Venture Partners and David Jones, case no. 30-2011-00465655-CU-WT-CJC. The parties have recently entered into settlement negotiations, which have included extensions of the Standstill and Tolling Agreement in order to provide time to attempt to resolve the case. Pursuant to such extensions, if a settlement cannot be reached Mr. Brandt may initiate a new action with a complaint identical to the third amended complaint, without changes, on or before August 15, 2016. The Company continues to believe that Mr. Brandt's allegations set forth in the third amended complaint, like the prior complaints, are without merit. However, the Company has accrued $225,000 for a potential monetary settlement and $50,000 for a long-term promissory note convertible into 1 million shares of Common Stock at $0.05 per share.

  

 The Company has expended substantial resources to pursue the defense of legal proceedings initiated by Mr. Brandt.  The Company does not know whether Mr. Brandt will institute additional claims against the Company and the defense of any such claims could involve the expenditure of additional resources by the Company.

   

Lease Commitments

 

The Company had its Headquarters and Neurometric Services business premises located at 85 Enterprise, Aliso Viejo, California 92656 from February 2010 through January 2016.  The Company relocated its new Headquarters and Neurometric Services business to 26522 La Alameda, Suite 290, Mission Viejo, CA 92691, which is 2,290 sqft in size. We signed a 24 month lease for our new location on January 22, 2016. The lease period commenced on February 1, 2016 and terminates on January 31, 2018. The rent for the first four months is $2,290 per month, which is abated by 50%; for months 5 through 12 the rent increases to $4,580 per month and for the final 12 months the rent will increase by 5% to $4,809 per month.

 

On February 2, 2016, we signed a 23.5 month lease for 1,092 sqft of office space to house our EEG testing center. The premises are located at 25201 Paseo De Alicia, Laguna Hills, CA 92653. The lease period commenced on February 15, 2016 and terminates on January 31, 2018. The rent for first half month of February was prorated at $928.20; for the next 11 months the rent is $1,856 per month, and for the remaining twelve months the rent will increase by 3% to $1,911 per month. The landlord abated the rent for March 2016.

 

The Company incurred rent expense from operations of $18,200 and $12,200 for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively; and $46,700 and $36,700 for the nine months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

 

On April 24, 2013, we entered into a financial lease to acquire additional EEG equipment costing $8,900.  The term of the lease is 36 months ending May 2016 with a monthly payment of $325. As of June 30, 2016 the lease was paid off.

 

On January 20, 2016, we entered into a financial lease to acquire a Canon Copier costing $6,700.  The term of the lease is 60 months ending January 2021 with a monthly payment of $135. As of June 30, 2016 the remaining principal lease obligation is $6,200, of which $300 is due in fiscal 2016, $1,200 in fiscal 2017 and $4,700 due in fiscal with $1,600 for the years 2017-2020; 2021 $600.

 

    Payments due by period  
Contractual Obligations   Total    

Less than 

1 year

    1 to 3 years     3 to 5 years    

More than

5 years

 
                                         
Operating Lease Obligations   $ 125,700     $ 78,600     $ 47,100     $ -     $ -  
Capital Lease Obligations     7,400       400       4,800       2,200       -  
Total   $ 133,100     $ 79,000     $ 51,900     $ 2,200     $ -