Item 1. Legal Proceedings
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
The Company may be involved in legal proceedings, claims, and assessments arising in the ordinary course of business. Such matters are subject to many uncertainties, and outcomes are not predictable with assurance. There are no such matters that are deemed material to the consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2020.
As of December 31, 2020, the Company was a party to two shareholder lawsuits, as described below.
Shareholder Class Action Litigation
Tchatchou v. India Globalization Capital, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 8:18-cv-03396 (U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland). On November 2, 2018, IGC shareholder Alde-Binet Tchatchou instituted a shareholder class action complaint on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. On May 13, 2019, the plaintiff filed an amended complaint against IGC, Ram Mukunda, and Claudia Grimaldi, (collectively, the “Class Action Defendants”). The plaintiff alleges that the Class Action Defendants violated Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act, SEC Rule 10b-5, and Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act and made false and misleading statements to the public by issuing a September 25, 2018, press release entitled “IGC to Enter the Hemp/CBD-Infused Energy Drink Space” and related disclosures, in which IGC announced it had “executed a distribution and partnership agreement” for the sugar-free energy drink named Nitro G, as well as through related public statements. The plaintiff has not publicly disclosed the amount of damages they seek. On February 28, 2019, all pending shareholder class actions were consolidated, and the Tchatchou litigation was designated as the lead case.
On October 11, 2019, Company and the other the Class Action Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the consolidated shareholder class action litigation. On January 29, 2021, the court denied the motion to dismiss. The Company’s responsive pleading is due on February 15, 2021. The Company denies any and all liability and intends to vigorously defend the litigation.
Harris-Carr v. India Globalization Capital, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 8:18-cv-03408 (U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland). On November 2, 2018, IGC shareholder Gabe Harris-Carr instituted a shareholder class action complaint on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. IGC, Ram Mukunda, and Claudia Grimaldi were named as defendants. On February 28, 2019, all pending shareholder class actions, including the Harris-Carr litigation, were consolidated, and the Tchatchou litigation, described above, was designated as the lead case. On May 13, 2019, the plaintiff in the Tchatchou litigation filed an amended complaint, which becomes the operative complaint for the consolidated matter and supersedes the Harris-Carr complaint.
| December 31, 2020 Form 10-Q
33
Table of Contents
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.