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 US
$1.928 billion 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. The
Tribunal held its first session with the parties on April 23, 2010 during which
time several procedural matters were agreed to, including the time schedule for
the Arbitration. In compliance with that schedule, we filed our initial written
submission, known as the Memorial, on September 24, 2010. The Respondent is
required to file its reply to Company’s Memorial by March 7, 2011. Thereafter,
further written submissions are scheduled to be made prior to the oral
hearings, which are scheduled to commence on December 5, 2011.
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.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
The
risk factors for the quarter ended September 30, 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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