Legal Proceedings
−Removed: are subject to the legal proceedings and claims discussed below as well as certain other legal proceedings and claims that have
−Removed: not been fully resolved and that have arisen in the ordinary course of business.
−Removed: Our management evaluates our exposure to these
−Removed: claims and proceedings individually and in the aggregate and evaluates potential losses on such litigation if the amount of the
−Removed: loss is estimable and the loss is probable.
−Removed: However, the outcome of legal proceedings and claims brought against the Company is
−Removed: subject to significant uncertainty.
−Removed: Although management considers the likelihood of such an outcome to be remote, if one or more
−Removed: of these legal matters were resolved against the Company for amounts in excess of management’s expectations, the Company’s
−Removed: financial statements for that reporting period could be materially adversely affected.
−Removed: 2017, the Company’s former COO was awarded approximately $238,000 in accrued salary and related charges by the California
−Removed: The Company believes that this award does not reflect the amount owed which is significantly lower and is exploring
−Removed: all its options and available remedies and is working toward an offer to settle this matter.
−Removed: Company is presently engaged in a dispute with one of its former directors, Robert Kopple, relating to approximately $10.9 million
−Removed: (representing approximately $5.4 million loaned to the Company over the course of 2013 to 2016;
+Added: are subject to the legal proceedings and claims discussed below as well as certain other legal proceedings and claims that have not been
+Added: fully resolved and that have arisen in the ordinary course of business.
+Added: Our management evaluates our exposure to these claims and proceedings
+Added: individually and in the aggregate and evaluates potential losses on such litigation if the amount of the loss is estimable and the loss
+Added: However, the outcome of legal proceedings and claims brought against the Company is subject to significant uncertainty.
+Added: Although management considers the likelihood of such an outcome to be remote, if one or more of these legal matters were resolved against
+Added: the Company for amounts in excess of management’s expectations, the Company’s financial statements for that reporting period
+Added: could be materially adversely affected.
+Added: The Company settled certain matters subsequent to year end that did not individually or in the
+Added: aggregate have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition or operating results.
+Added: 2017, the Company’s former COO was awarded approximately $238,000 in accrued salary and related charges by the California labor
+Added: The Company believes that this award does not reflect the amount owed which is significantly lower and is exploring all its options
+Added: and available remedies and is working toward an offer to settle this matter.
+Added: Company is presently engaged in a dispute with one of its former directors, Robert Kopple, relating to approximately $11.5 million (representing
+Added: approximately $5.4 million loaned to the Company over the course of 2013 to 2016;
approximately $170,000 Mr.
−Removed: claims to have advanced or paid to third parties on Aura’s behalf;
+Added: Kopple claims to have advanced
+Added: or paid to third parties on Aura’s behalf;
and approximately $5.9 million Mr.
−Removed: Kopple claims to be
−Removed: owed for interest, loan fees and late payment charges) and approximately 3.33 million warrants which Mr.
−Removed: Kopple claims to be owed
−Removed: to him and his affiliates by the Company.
+Added: Kopple claims to be owed for interest, loan fees
+Added: and late payment feess) and approximately 3.33 million warrants which Mr.
+Added: Kopple claims to be owed to him and his affiliates by the Company.
In July 2017, Mr.
−Removed: Kopple filed suit against the Company as well as against current director
+Added: Kopple filed suit against the Company as well as against current director Mr.
Diaz-Verson and former directors Mr.
1 unchanged sentence
Howsmon, as well as Mr.
−Removed: Gagerman, our former CEO and a former director,
−Removed: in connection with these allegations.
+Added: our former CEO and a former director in connection with these allegations.
In 2018, the Court sustained demurrers by Mr.
−Removed: Diaz-Verson, Mr.
−Removed: Gagerman and as a result of these successful demurrers;
−Removed: all four of these defendants have been dismissed from the suit.
−Removed: the Company believes that it has certain valid defenses in these matters, the Company is currently in settlement discussions with
+Added: Howsmon and Mr.
+Added: Gagerman, and as a result of these successful demurrers, all four of these defendants have been dismissed
+Added: from the suit.
+Added: While the Company believes that it has certain valid defenses in these matters, the Company is currently in settlement
+Added: discussions with Mr.
However, to-date, no settlement has been reached in large part because Mr.
−Removed: Kopple continues to demand that as
−Removed: part of any such settlement, he receive unilateral control over significant aspects of the Company’s financial and management
−Removed: functions such as, but not limited to, the right to unilaterally direct the Company’s ordinary business expenditures and
−Removed: requiring the Company to seek his approval for the hiring of nearly all personnel, all to the exclusion of the Company’s
−Removed: management team and stockholder-elected Board of Directors.
+Added: Kopple continues to demand
+Added: that as part of any such settlement, he receive unilateral control over significant aspects of the Company’s financial and management
+Added: functions such as, but not limited to, the right to unilaterally direct the Company’s ordinary business expenditures and requiring
+Added: the Company to seek his approval for the hiring of nearly all personnel, all to the exclusion of the Company’s management team
+Added: and stockholder-elected Board of Directors.
The Company believes that allowing Mr.
−Removed: Kopple such level of operational
−Removed: control over the Company without any accountability would be highly detrimental to the Company and is incompatible with the Board
−Removed: of Directors’
+Added: Kopple such level of operational control over the
+Added: Company without any accountability would be highly detrimental to the Company and is incompatible with the Board of Directors’
duties to shareholders and creditors as a whole.
−Removed: May 2018, Shelley Scholnick dba JB Transporters brought suit against the Company claiming ongoing fees in excess of $52,000 owed
−Removed: for the storage of the Company’s property.
−Removed: Notably, in June 2017, the Company had brought suit against J.B.
−Removed: Delivery, a business operated and controlled by a relative of Scholnick, Jacob Binstok, for damages suffered by the Company as
−Removed: a result of the defendant’s improper storage of the Company’s property and improper refusal to return such property.
−Removed: In 2018, the Company successfully received a judgment against J.B.
−Removed: Moving & Delivery in the amount of approximately $114,000.
−Removed: In April 2020, Aura and Scholnick entered into a Confidential Settlement and Release Agreement wherein (i) the 2018 action initiated
−Removed: by Scholnick against Aura was resolved with no amounts owing by Aura and the complaint and cross-complaint were subsequently dismissed
−Removed: with prejudice;
−Removed: and (ii) the amount owing to Aura pursuant to the judgment against J.B.
−Removed: Moving and Delivery was compromised and
−Removed: resolved through a single lump-sum payment to Aura.
−Removed: March 26, 2019, various stockholders of the Company controlling a combined total of more than 27.5 million shares delivered a
−Removed: signed written consent to the Company removing Ronald Buschur as a member of the Company’s Board and electing Cipora Lavut
−Removed: as a director of the Company.
−Removed: On March 27, 2019, those same stockholders delivered a further signed written consent to the
−Removed: Company removing William Anderson and Si Ryong Yu as members of the Company’s Board and electing Robert Lempert and David
−Removed: Mann as directors of the Company.
−Removed: These written consents represented a majority of the outstanding shares of the Company’s
−Removed: common stock as of March 26, 2019 and March 27, 2019, respectively.
−Removed: Because of Aura’s refusal to recognize the
−Removed: legal effectiveness of the consents, on April 8, 2019 the stockholders filed suit in the Court of Chancery of the State of
−Removed: Delaware pursuant to Section 225 of the Delaware General Corporations Law, seeking an order confirming the validity of the
−Removed: consents and declaring that Aura’s Board consists of Ms.
−Removed: Douglas and Mr.
+Added: March 26, 2019, various stockholders of the Company controlling a combined total of more than 27.5 million shares delivered a signed
+Added: written consent to the Company removing Ronald Buschur as a member of the Company’s Board and electing Cipora Lavut as a
+Added: director of the Company.
+Added: On March 27, 2019, those same stockholders delivered a further signed written consent to the Company
+Added: removing William Anderson and Si Ryong Yu as members of the Company’s Board and electing Robert Lempert and David Mann as
+Added: directors of the Company.
+Added: These written consents represented a majority of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common
+Added: stock as of March 26, 2019 and March 27, 2019, respectively.
+Added: Because of Aura’s refusal to recognize the legal
+Added: effectiveness of the consents, on April 8, 2019 the stockholders filed suit in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware
+Added: pursuant to Section 225 of the Delaware General Corporations Law, seeking an order confirming the validity of the consents and
+Added: declaring that Aura’s Board consists of Ms.
Diaz-Versón, Jr.
−Removed: On July 8, 2019 the Court of Chancery entered final judgment in favor of the stockholder plaintiffs, confirming that (a) Ronald
−Removed: Buschur, Si Ryong Yu and William Anderson had been validly removed by the holders of a majority of the Company’s outstanding
−Removed: stock acting by written consent (b) Ms.
−Removed: Lempert had been validly elected by the holders of a majority
−Removed: of the Company’s outstanding stock acting by written consent, and (c) the Company’s Board of Directors validly consists
−Removed: of Cipora Lavut, David Mann, Robert Lempert, Gary Douglas and Salvador Diaz-Versón, Jr.
−Removed: As a result of prior management’s
−Removed: unsuccessful opposition to this stockholders’
−Removed: action filed in the Court of Chancery, such stockholders may be potentially
−Removed: entitled to recoup their litigation costs from the Company under Delaware’s corporate benefit doctrine and/or other legal
−Removed: To-date, no final determination has been made as to the amount of recoupment, if any, to which such stockholders may
−Removed: addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the risk factors disclosed in Item 1A,
−Removed: “Risk Factors,”
−Removed: of the Company’s Fiscal 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K issued on July 13, 2020.
+Added: On July 8, 2019 the Court of Chancery entered final judgment in favor of the stockholder
+Added: plaintiffs, confirming that (a) Ronald Buschur, Si Ryong Yu and William Anderson had been validly removed by the holders of a
+Added: majority of the Company’s outstanding stock acting by written consent (b) Ms.
+Added: Lempert had been validly
+Added: elected by the holders of a majority of the Company’s outstanding stock acting by written consent, and (c) the Company’s
+Added: Board of Directors validly consists of Cipora Lavut, David Mann, Robert Lempert, Gary Douglas and Salvador Diaz-Versón, Jr.
+Added: As a result of prior management’s unsuccessful opposition to this stockholders’
+Added: action filed in the Court of Chancery,
+Added: such stockholders may be potentially entitled to recoup their litigation costs from the Company under Delaware’s corporate
+Added: benefit doctrine and/or other legal provisions.
+Added: To-date, no final determination has been made as to the amount of recoupment, if
+Added: any, to which such stockholders may be entitled.
+Added: addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the risk factors disclosed in Item 1A, “Risk
+Added: Factors,”
+Added: of the Company’s Fiscal 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K issued on June 1, 2021 .
Compared sentence by sentence after normalising whitespace, quotation marks, case and digits, so re-formatting and restated figures do not read as changed language. Wording changes appear as one removal and one addition. The current filing and the prior one are authoritative.