Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

LITIGATION AND CLAIMS

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LITIGATION AND CLAIMS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
LITIGATION AND CLAIMS  
NOTE 19. LITIGATION AND CLAIMS

The Company is the subject of lawsuits and claims arising in the ordinary course of business from time to time. The Company reviews any such legal proceedings and claims on an ongoing basis and follows appropriate accounting guidance when making accrual and disclosure decisions. The Company establishes accruals for those contingencies where the incurrence of a loss is probable and can be reasonably estimated, and it discloses the amount accrued and the amount of a reasonably possible loss in excess of the amount accrued, if such disclosure is necessary for the Company’s financial statements to not be misleading. To estimate whether a loss contingency should be accrued by a charge to income, the Company evaluates, among other factors, the degree of probability of an unfavorable outcome and the ability to make a reasonable estimate of the amount of the loss. The Company does not record liabilities when the likelihood that the liability has been incurred is probable, but the amount cannot be reasonably estimated. Based upon present information, the Company determined that there were no matters that required an accrual as of December 31, 2019 nor were there any asserted or unasserted material claims for which material losses are reasonably possible.

 

On April 10, 2018, GroRite, Naturally Beautiful and Whitetown Realty (“Whitetown Realty” and collectively, the “Whitetown Realty Plaintiffs”) filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of New Jersey Law Division, Morris County against the Company and Edible Garden alleging, among other things, that Edible Garden owes certain amounts to GroRite under a Marketing and Distribution Agreement between Edible Garden and GroRite, dated May 7, 2013, and Naturally Beautiful under a Marketing and Distribution Agreement between Edible Garden and Naturally Beautiful, dated May 13, 2013 (collectively, the “Marketing and Distribution Agreements”), and that Edible Garden owes certain amounts to Whitetown Realty under the Lease between Whitetown Realty and Edible Garden, dated January 1, 2015 (the “Lease”). The Whitetown Realty Plaintiffs were seeking, among other things, compensatory damages for the amounts claimed are owed and attorneys’ fees and costs. The Company disputed that Edible Garden owed any payments under the Marketing and Distribution Agreements or the Lease. Accordingly, on May 18, 2018, the company and Edible Garden filed an answer denying the allegations of the Plaintiffs. In that same pleading, Edible Garden filed a counterclaim against Naturally Beautiful and GroRite asserting claims for breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, unjust enrichment, trademark infringement/unfair competition, and tortious interference with contractual relations. Edible Garden also filed a third-party complaint against previously unidentified defendants arising from the wrongful misappropriation and pirating of electricity from the Edible Garden facility located at 283 Route 519, Belvidere, New Jersey. The third-party complaint alleged claims for unjust enrichment, tortious interference with contractual relations and conversion. On June 8, 2018, Edible Garden filed an amended counterclaim adding a count for conversion against Naturally Beautiful and GroRite. On June 12, 2018, Edible Garden Corp. filed an amended third-party complaint adding Gerda Vande Vrede as a named third-party defendant. On June 13, 2018, GroRite and Naturally Beautiful filed an answer to Edible Garden’s amended counterclaim and Gerda Vande Vrede filed an answer to Edible Garden’s amended third-party complaint denying the allegations asserted against them. No counterclaims, crossclaims or fourth party complaints were filed on behalf of Gerda Vande Vrede, Naturally Beautiful or GroRite.

 

On April 11, 2018, Kenneth Vande Vrede, Michael Vande Vrede and Steven Vande Vrede (collectively, the “Vande Vrede Brothers”) filed a lawsuit against the Company and Edible Garden alleging, among other things, that the Company and Edible Garden improperly suspended the Vande Vrede Brothers from their positions with the Company and Edible Garden. The Vande Vrede Brothers were seeking, among other things, a declaratory judgment that they did not violate their fiduciary duties owed to the Company or Edible Garden and reinstating the Vande Vrede Brothers to their status with the Company and Edible Garden prior to their suspensions and attorneys’ fees and costs. The original complaint in this matter was never served, and on June 12, 2018, the Vande Vrede Brothers, and now David Vande Vrede, Daniel Vande Vrede, Beverly Willekes, and Whitetown Realty filed an amended complaint against Terra Tech, Edible Garden, Derek Peterson, Michael James, and Michael Nahass. On January 22, 2019, the Company filed its answer and asserted counterclaims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, fraud, misappropriation of trade secrets, and conspiracy in Superior Court of New Jersey, Morris County against the Vande Vredes.

 

On April 13, 2018, Edible Garden Corp. filed a lawsuit against Whitetown Realty in response to a letter from a law firm representing Whitetown Realty alleging Edible Garden was in default of the Lease. Edible Garden sought declaratory and equitable relief to prevent Whitetown Realty from terminating the Lease and for attorneys’ fees and costs. On April 23, 2018, by order of the assignment judge of Warren County, the lawsuit was transferred to Morris County and consolidated with the April 10, 2018 lawsuit previously filed by GroRite, Naturally Beautiful and Whitetown Realty in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Morris County. On June 13, 2018, Whitetown Realty filed its answer to the Edible Garden Complaint. In that answer, Whitetown Realty denied that Edible Garden was entitled to the declaratory and equitable relief that Edible Garden requested.

 

During the third quarter of 2019, the Company settled its lawsuits and all outstanding claims with members of the Vande Vrede family and entities controlled by them. As part of the settlement, Terra Tech purchased all shares of common and preferred stock owned by the Vande Vrede family. See Note 13 – “Equity” for additional information regarding the treasury shares.

 

On November 21, 2018, Heidi Loeb Hegerich, Forever Green NV, and Forever Young Investments, L.L.C. filed alawsuit against the Company, certain of its subsidiaries and affiliates, and certain unrelated parties alleging, among other things, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, and fraud, and seeking monetary damages and equitable relief. On February 26, 2019, the Company, MediFarm I, MediFarm II, MediFarm I RE and other parties (collectively, the “Terra Tech Parties”) entered into a Settlement Agreement and Release (the “Settlement Agreement”) with Heidi Loeb Hegerich, Forever Green and Forever Young (collectively, the “Loeb Parties”) pursuant to which the Terra Tech Parties and the Loeb Parties agreed to settle and dismiss with prejudice the Lawsuit. Entering into the Settlement Agreement was not an admission or acknowledgement of liability or responsibility on the part of the Company in connection with the Lawsuit.

 

In conjunction with the settlement, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “SPA”) withForever Green NV (“Forever Green”) and Forever Young Investments, L.L.C. (“Forever Young”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to purchase Forever Green’s 50% membership interest in MediFarm I LLC (“MediFarm I”), Forever Green’s 15% membership interest in MediFarm II, LLC (“MediFarm II”), and Forever Young’s 50% membership interest in MediFarm I Real Estate, LLC (“MediFarm I RE”) for aggregate consideration of $6.30 million. Following receipt of approval of the Nevada Department of Taxation, those transactions closed on June 12, 2019. As a result, the Company owned 100% of MediFarm I, 100% of MediFarm RE and 70% of MediFarm II. MediFarm I owns the Company’s Blüm dispensary located at 1085 S. Virginia St. Suite A, Reno, NV 89502, and MediFarm I RE owned the building which housed the dispensary until the closing of an unreleated third party purchased the building on July 31, 2019 (see Note 7 – “ Property, Equipment and Leasehold Improvements, Net”).The only material relationship between the Company and Ms. Hegerich, Forever Green and Forever Young, other than in respect of the SPA and the Settlement Agreement, was their membership in MediFarm I, MediFarm II and MediFarm I RE. On June 26, 2019, the Court dismissed the Lawsuit with prejudice.