Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

v3.21.1
Commitments and Contingencies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2021
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

Note 8 - Commitments and Contingencies

 

Litigation


On December 4, 2020, TechMagic USA LLC filed suit against our wholly-owned subsidiary, Solo, in Massachusetts Superior Court, Department Business Litigation, seeking recovery of up to approximately $1.07 million for unpaid invoices pursuant to a Master Services Agreement dated February 5, 2018 by and between TechMagic and Solo. The invoices set forth services that TechMagic USA LLC purports to have provided to Solo regarding development of mobile software applications for MJF and Solo between March and November 2020 totaling approximately $787,000. During our fiscal year ended June 30, 2020, we received invoices totaling an aggregate amount of approximately $392,000. After our year ended June 30, 2020, through December 31, 2020, we have received invoices totaling an aggregate amount of approximately $395,000. The suit seeks continued fees under the Master Services Agreement through the end of January 2021. Akerna provided a notice of termination of the Master Services Agreement on November 23, 2020 and the parties dispute the effective date of the termination. Solo disputes the validity of the invoices, in whole or in part, and intends to defend the suit vigorously. Mr. Ashesh Shah, formerly the president of Solo and currently the holder of 5.1% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock is, to our knowledge, the founder and one of the principal managers of TechMagic USA LLC. As of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, we recognized a loss contingency of $0.6 million.


On April 2, 2021, TreCom Systems Group, Inc. (“TreCom”) filed suit against Akerna and our wholly-owned subsidiary, MJ Freeway, LLC, in federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, seeking recovery of up to approximately $2 million for services allegedly provided pursuant to a Subcontractor Agreement between MJ Freeway and TreCom. After our year ended June 30, 2020, through April 30, 2021, we have received invoices totaling an aggregate amount of approximately $497,354.70. The suit seeks continued fees through the end of April, 2025. MJ Freeway provided a notice of termination of the operative Subcontractor Agreement on August 4, 2020. MJ Freeway disputes the validity of TreCom’s invoices and the enforceability of the alleged agreement that TreCom submitted to the court. Akerna intends to defend the suit vigorously. As of March 31, 2021, we recognized a loss contingency of $0.5 million. 


From time to time, we may be involved in litigation relating to claims arising out of our operations in the normal course of business. We will accrue a liability for such matters when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated. When only a range of possible loss can be established, the most probable amount in the range is accrued. If no amount within this range is a better estimate than any other amount within the range, the minimum amount in the range is accrued. The accrual for a litigation loss contingency might include, for example, estimates of potential damages, outside legal fees and other directly related costs expected to be incurred. As of March 31, 2021, and through the date these financial statements were issued, there were no other legal proceedings requiring recognition or disclosure in the financial statements.