Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

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

7. Commitments and Contingencies

 

Lease Obligations - The Company leases office space and equipment under various operating lease agreements, including an office for its headquarters, as well as office spaces for its events business, sales and administrative offices under non-cancelable lease arrangements that provide for payments on a graduated basis with various expiration dates.

 

As of March 31, 2021, right of use assets and current lease obligations were approximately $473,000 and $62,000, respectively.

 

Other - PDN China’s bank account with balance of approximately $195,000 was frozen by Guangzhou Police due to Gatewang Case. The Company has classified this entire cash balance as a long-term asset presented in discontinued operations (see footnote 3. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies – Discontinued Operations).

 

Legal Proceedings

 

In a letter dated October 12, 2017, White Winston Select Asset Funds (“White Winston”) threatened to assert claims against the Company in excess of $2 million based on White Winston’s contention that the Company’s conduct delayed White Winston’s ability to sell shares in the Company during a period when the Company’s stock price was generally falling. On October 28, 2020, the Company and White Winston reached a settlement agreement, in which the Company made a cash payment of $250,000 on October 29, 2020 and a second cash payment of $350,000 was paid on February 16, 2021. In addition, the Company issued 150,000 shares of the Company’s common stock in January 2021 and recorded a non-cash stock issuance of $166,500. The total amount of the settlement was $766,500.

 

NAPW is a defendant in a Nassau County (NY) Supreme Court case, whereby TL Franklin Avenue Plaza LLC has sued NAPW Case index No. LT-000421/2018, with respect to NAPW’s former Garden City NY Premises. NAPW had surrendered the Premises to the Landlord, and the Landlord has obtained a judgment against NAPW in the amount of $746,142.41. As a result of the judgement order, the Company recorded a $780,000 litigation settlement reserve in the second quarter of 2020, which reflected the judgement order in addition to imputed interest costs and legal fees. NAPW is currently negotiating a settlement with the Landlord.

 

The Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, NAPW, Inc., are parties to a proceeding captioned Deborah Bayne, et al. vs. NAPW, Inc. and Professional Diversity Network, Inc., No. 18-cv-3591 (E.D.N.Y.), filed on June 20, 2018 and alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and certain provisions of the New York Labor Law. The Company disputes that it or its subsidiary violated the applicable laws or that either entity has any liability and intends to vigorously defend against these claims. The matter is in the final stages of discovery and we have completed depositions of relevant witnesses. During the first quarter of 2020, the Company recorded a $450,000 litigation settlement reserve in the event of an unfavorable outcome in this proceeding. In November 2020, both parties entered into mediation proceedings but a settlement was not reached. This matter is scheduled to go to trial in 2021.

 

General Legal Matters

 

From time to time, the Company is involved in legal matters arising in the ordinary course of business. While the Company believes that such matters are currently not material, there can be no assurance that matters arising in the ordinary course of business for which the Company is, or could be, involved in litigation, will not have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition or results of operations.