Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

v3.22.2.2
Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

8. 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 June 30, 2022, right of use assets and related lease obligations were $397,024 and $481,583, as recorded on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets.

 

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

 

Legal Proceedings

 

On June 7, 2022, the Company settled a lawsuit whereby NAPW Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, was named as a defendant in a Nassau County (NY) Supreme Court case [NAPW Case index No. LT 000421/2018; NAPW’s former Garden City, NY, office], and whereby TL Franklin Avenue Plaza LLC had sued and obtained a judgment against NAPW in the amount of $855,002, plus accrued interest through the settlement date. The settlement was for a cash payment of $70,000 to be made to the plaintiff, resulting in the reduction of the Company’s reserve and a one-time, non-cash gain to the Company of $908,564 reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. A stipulation for settlement was filed with the court on June 7, 2022, and the lawsuit was effectively terminated with prejudice upon such filing.

 

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. Plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages and equitable relief. 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. While the COVID-19 pandemic has caused delays to the litigation, it is expected that these delays will decrease as the disruption caused by the pandemic subsides.

 

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.