Item 1. Legal Proceedings
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Arbitration
On October 21, 2009 we filed a Request for Arbitration under the Additional Facility Rules of ICSID, against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (“Respondent”). In November 2009 our Request for Arbitration was registered by ICSID (Gold Reserve Inc. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/09/1)).
The Company is seeking compensation in the arbitration for all of the loss and damage resulting from Venezuela’s wrongful conduct which includes the full market value of the legal rights to develop the Brisas Project. Our current arbitration efforts consist of engaging and assisting technical, legal, and financial experts and developing and filing our initial pleadings. The first session was held with the Tribunal on April 23, 2010 with several procedural matters agreed to, including the tentative time schedule for the Arbitration. The filing of our claim is planned for September 2010.
The Canada-Venezuela Treaty requires as a precondition to bringing an arbitration claim under the Treaty that an investor and any enterprise the investor owns directly or indirectly that has suffered losses that form the basis of a claim by the investor to "waive[ ] its right to initiate or continue any other proceedings in relation to the measure that is alleged to be in breach of [the Treaty] before the courts or tribunals of the Contracting Party concerned or in a dispute settlement procedure of any kind." As a result, the Company and its relevant subsidiaries waived their right to commence or continue before Venezuelan courts or tribunals with other legal or administrative challenges to the conduct that forms the basis of the ICSID claim, including the revocation of the Authorization to Affect and the denial of the extension of the Brisas Alluvial and El Pauji Concessions.
Litigation
On December 15, 2008, Rusoro Mining Ltd. (“Rusoro”) commenced an unsolicited offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares and equity units of the Company in consideration for three shares of Rusoro for each Company share or equity unit. On December 16, 2008, the Company filed an action in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against Rusoro and Rusoro’s financial advisor Endeavour Financial International Corporation (“Endeavour”), seeking an injunction restraining Rusoro and Endeavour from proceeding with Rusoro’s unsolicited offer, significant monetary damages, and various other items. Endeavour was the Company’s financial advisor from 2004 until shortly after the commencement of Rusoro’s offer.
On February 10, 2009, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice granted an interlocutory injunction restraining Rusoro from proceeding with any hostile takeover bid to acquire the shares of the Company until the conclusion and disposition at trial of the action commenced by the Company. The injunction was granted by the Court following a motion by the Company on the basis that Rusoro had access to or benefited from the use of the Company’s confidential information as a result of Rusoro’s relationship with Endeavour. The Court also issued an interlocutory injunction restraining Endeavour from having any involvement with a hostile takeover bid for the Company. The Court further required that Rusoro, Endeavour and their agents return to the Company both all the confidential information of the Company and also anything produced from that confidential information and pay the court costs. Following the issuance of the interlocutory injunctions, Rusoro withdrew its unsolicited offer to acquire the outstanding shares and equity units of the Company.
On February 15, 2009, Rusoro and Endeavour both filed a motion with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice seeking permission to appeal to the Divisional Court the February 10, 2009 order that was granted against them. The Company opposed these motions which were heard in Toronto on April 2, 2009. On April 6, 2009 the permission to appeal was denied. Rusoro has filed a counterclaim against the Company for, among other things, damages of Cdn $102.5 million allegedly arising from the Company’s successful motion for an interlocutory injunction. Endeavour has filed a $0.5 million counter claim against the Company relating to the lost opportunity to earn a success fee from the successful completion of the Rusoro offer. Costs associated with the takeover defense and litigation amounted to $2.0 million and $5.4 million in 2009 and 2008, respectively.
The Company recently added two additional defendants and amended the claim for monetary damages. This amendment required a motion which has now been consented to by the new defendants counsel. The defendants have 60 days to file their defense.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
The risk factors for the quarter ended March 31, 2010 are substantially the same as those disclosed and discussed in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.
ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS - None
ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES - None
ITEM 4. [REMOVED AND RESERVED]
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