Item 3. Legal Proceedings
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are subject to the legal
proceedings and claims discussed below as well as certain other legal proceedings and claims that have not been fully resolved and that
have arisen in the ordinary course of business. Our management evaluates our exposure to these claims and proceedings individually and
in the aggregate and evaluates potential losses on such litigation if the amount of the loss is estimable and the loss is probable. However,
the outcome of legal proceedings and claims brought against the Company is subject to significant uncertainty. Although management considers
the likelihood of such an outcome to be remote, if one or more of these legal matters were resolved against the Company for amounts in
excess of management’s expectations, the Company’s financial statements for that reporting period could be materially adversely
affected. The Company settled certain matters subsequent to year end that did not individually or in the aggregate, have a material impact
on the Company’s financial condition or operating results.
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Between July 2017 and March
2022, the Company was engaged in litigation with a former director, Robert Kopple, relating to debt and warrants, which Mr. Kopple and
his affiliated entities (collectively the “Kopple Parties”) claimed should have been originally issued to them pursuant to
various agreements with the Company entered to between 2013-2016.
In March 2022, the Company
reached a settlement with the Kopple Parties that resolved all claims asserted against the Company without any admission, concession or
finding of any fault, liability or wrongdoing on the part of the Company. Under the terms of the settlement, the Company agreed to pay
an aggregate amount of $10 million over a period of seven years, including $3 million initial payment to be paid in June 2022. $150 was
paid in June 2022, and the balance of the initial payment of $2.85 million was extended to May 29, 2023, In exchange for the extension,
the Company was required to pay $165 in extension and forbearance fees in cash and $430 in accrued forbearance fees. Beginning in January
2023, interest accrues on the unpaid balance at a rate of 6%, compounded annually. All amounts, including all accrued interest and deferred
fees, are to be paid no later than eight years from the date of the initial payment. The Kopple Parties have also received seven-year
warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of approximately 3.3 million shares of our common stock at a price of $0.85 per share. The settlement
also provides for standard mutual general release provisions and includes customary representations, warranties, and covenants, including
certain increases in the amount payable to the Kopple Parties and the right of such parties to enter judgment against the Company if the
Company remains in uncured default in its payment obligations under the settlement.
In March 2024, the Company
and Kopple again amended the note payable. The amendment (i) replaced the requirement to pay the $3,850 past due principal balance with
the requirement to pay $2,000 due December 15, 2024, effectively extending the payment of $1,850 to future periods; (ii) increased the
stated interest rate to 10%; (iii) added a fee of $15 monthly until the Company makes a principal payment of $2 million by December 2024;
(iv) effective August 30, 2024, the Company will grant Kopple for 36 month conversion right that gives Kopple the option to be able to
convert the note payable into equity of the Company at a conversion price of the lower of $1.00 per share or 50% of the 10 day volume
weighted average price of the Company’s common stock; (v) only during Fiscal 2025, will require the Company to pay 20% of all collected
revenues within 10 days of the end of each fiscal quarter; toward the outstanding debt reduction (vi) will require the Company to pay
Kopple 20% of any amount raised in new capital in the form of equity, debt or convertible debt above $3.5 million toward the outstanding
debt reduction; (vii) reduces the exercise price of the warrants granted to Kopple in March 2022 from $0.85 per share to $0.50 per share;
and (vii) extends the warrant expiration date from March 8, 2029, to March 31, 2031. The principal payment of $2 million was extended
to March 31, 2025, for $100,000. Subsequently, the principal payment was extended several times up to September 30, 2026, for an
additional deferred payment.
On March 26, 2019, various
stockholders of the Company controlling a combined total of more than 27.5 million shares delivered a signed written consent to the Company
removing Ronald Buschur as a member of the Company’s Board and electing Cipora Lavut as a director of the Company. On March
27, 2019, those same stockholders delivered a further signed written consent to the Company removing William Anderson and Si Ryong Yu
as members of the Company’s Board and electing Robert Lempert and David Mann as directors of the Company. These written consents
represented a majority of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock as of March 26, 2019, and March 27, 2019,
respectively. Because of Aura’s refusal to recognize the legal effectiveness of the consents, on April 8, 2019, the stockholders
filed suit in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware pursuant to Section 225 of the Delaware General Corporations Law, seeking
an order confirming the validity of the consents and declaring that Aura’s Board consists of Ms. Lavut, Mr. Mann, Dr. Lempert,
Mr. Douglas and Mr. Diaz-Versón, Jr. On July 8, 2019 the Court of Chancery entered final judgment in favor of the
stockholder plaintiffs, confirming that (a) Ronald Buschur, Si Ryong Yu and William Anderson had been validly removed by the holders of
a majority of the Company’s outstanding stock acting by written consent (b) Ms. Lavut, Mr. Mann and Dr. Lempert had been validly
elected by the holders of a majority of the Company’s outstanding stock acting by written consent, and (c) the Company’s Board
of Directors validly consists of Cipora Lavut, David Mann, Robert Lempert, Gary Douglas and Salvador Diaz-Versón, Jr. As a result
of prior management’s unsuccessful opposition to this stockholders’ action filed in the Court of Chancery, such stockholders
may be potentially entitled to recoup their litigation costs from the Company under Delaware’s corporate benefit doctrine and/or
other legal provisions. To date, no final determination has been made as to the amount of recoupment, if any, to which such stockholders
may be entitled.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
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PART II
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.