Item 1. Legal Proceedings
Item 1. Legal Proceedings.
Unifin Lawsuit
During April 2021, the Company
became aware of a lawsuit in Mexico against one of the Company’s Mexican subsidiaries, Minera William, S.A. de C.V. (“Minera
William”). The plaintiff in the matter was Unifin Financiera, S.A.B de C.V. (“Unifin”). The lawsuit was assigned to
the Fifth Specialized Commercial District Court. In November 2022, the Company was formally served with the complaint in connection with
the lawsuit and in December 2022 the Company filed its answer to the complaint. As a preemptive measure, Unifin obtained a preliminary
court order freezing Minera William’s bank accounts in Mexico, which limited the Company’s and Minera William’s ability
to access approximately $153,000.
The Company and Unifin agreed
to settle the dispute in late 2023. During the first quarter of 2024, the Court unfroze the Minera William bank accounts, and the bank
remitted the funds to Unifin as per the settlement agreement. The court also published a writ stating that the parties had complied with
the settlement agreement and declared that Unifin has withdrawn the lawsuit against Minera William.
On June 13, 2024, the Trial
Court published the judgment in the commercial oral proceeding initiated by Unifin against Minera William, Procesadora de Minerales de
Durango, and Jorge Alberto Samaniego Mota. Since Unifin and Minera William had previously settled the dispute and Unifin desisted or withdrew
its action against Minera William, the company was not condemned in the judgment. Procesadora de Minerales de Durango and Jorge Alberto
Samaniego Mota were ordered to pay all the amounts claimed by Unifin. However, the judgment states that Minera William, Procesadora de
Minerales de Durango, and Jorge Samaniego Mota are jointly and severally liable to Unifin. The Company believes the Judge should not have
ruled on whether or not Minera William was jointly and severally liable. Moreover, the Judge did not assess Minera William’s arguments
that it was not jointly and severally liable to Unifin. Minera William appealed that ruling as it is clearly contrary to the settlement
agreement between Unifin and Minera William.
On June 11, 2025, the Appellate
Court dismissed Minera Williams appeal, on the grounds that it lacks legal standing, as the judgment issued in the original proceeding
does not cause it any harm. Regarding the risk raised by Minera William concerning a potential repetition action by the co-defendants
Procesadora and Samaniego, the Appellate Court found such risk to be unfounded, as it is merely a hypothetical scenario that, to date,
has not resulted in any harm to Minera William. The Company currently believes that it is unlikely any future liability will arise from
this judgement.
Claims Related to Shutdown or Reduction of
Operations
One former employee of one
of the Company’s Mexican subsidiaries has a pending labor claim filed in 2024 claiming the company had not compensated him properly
for his termination. A severance accrual has been estimated and recorded in connection with this lawsuit for $46,000.
One supplier of some of the
Mexican subsidiaries filed a lawsuit in 2024 against the subsidiary companies for non-payment for services rendered. In total, the supplier
is seeking approximately $42,000 and this amount is recorded in accounts payable as of June 30, 2025.
Early in 2025, we received
two labor claims against our Argentina subsidiary from former employees seeking compensation that we believe is unsupported. The first
employee has filed a claim for approximately $99,000, while the second employee has not yet specified the amount of compensation sought.
We are assessing the merits of these claims and at this time do not believe they are valid claims.
As a result of the Company’s
reduced or ceased operations in the US, Mexico, Argentina and Peru, the Company has been and may in the future be exposed to claims from
former employees, labor unions, suppliers, consultants or contractors and tax and environmental claims, which may individually or in the
aggregate be material.
21
Item 1A. Risk Factors
The risk factors for the six months ended June
30, 2025, are substantially the same as those set forth in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
31, 2024.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
None.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.