15.  Subsequent Events

Shareholder Demand Letter

By letter dated January 22, 2020, a shareholder of the Company demanded that the Board of Directors investigate and bring an action against the Company’s former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Simon Nynens, for his breaches of certain restrictive covenants contained in the separation agreement he entered into with the Company on or about May 11, 2018. Following receipt of the shareholder demand, the Company filed a lawsuit against Mr. Nynens, Shepherd Kaplan Krochuk, LLC (“SKK”), and North & Webster SSG, LLC (“N&W,” and together with SKK, the “N&W Group”) on February 14, 2020, in the Superior Court of New Jersey Monmouth County. The Company’s complaint asserts claims against Mr. Nynens for his breaches of his separation agreement with the Company and claims for tortious interference against the N&W Group for inducing Mr. Nynens to commit those breaches.  In connection with its claims, the Company seeks monetary damages, injunctive relief, and a declaratory judgment against Mr. Nynens and the N&W Group.  The litigation is in its early stages.

Previously, the Company had received unsolicited acquisition proposals from the N&W Group to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of the Company. The Company received the most recent unsolicited acquisition proposal from the N&W Group on December 10, 2019, and that proposal expired on its own terms on December 16, 2019. Prior to that, Mr. Nynens entered into an agreement with the N&W Group on November 27, 2019, granting SKK an irrevocable proxy to vote his shares of our common stock in favor of any acquisition proposal by SKK, against any third-party acquisition, and as directed by SKK with respect to the election of directors nominated by persons other than the Company. On December 20, 2019, Mr. Nynens nominated four individuals for election to our Board of Directors at the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders.

The Company and its Board of Directors have hired financial advisors and legal counsel to advise on resolution of the matters. The ultimate outcome of these matters and related costs cannot be determined at this time, and accordingly no provision has been recorded for estimated expenses to resolve the matter.