NOTE 9—COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Leases
The Company leases its corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility in Irvine, California and also leases certain other facilities, office equipment, and automobiles under various operating lease arrangements. Future minimum rental commitments under operating lease agreements with non-cancelable terms greater than one year for the years ending December 31, 2013, 2014, and 2015, is $408,000, $661,000, and $192,000, respectively.
Employee arrangements and other compensation
Certain members of management are entitled to severance benefits payable upon termination following a change in control, which would approximate $716,000 at September 30, 2013. The Company also has agreements with certain employees to pay bonuses based on targeted performance criteria. No amount was required to be accrued at September 30, 2013.
Purchase commitments
The Company generally purchases components and subassemblies for its products from a limited group of third party suppliers through purchase orders. The Company had $12.8 million of purchase commitments as of September 30, 2013, for which the Company has not received the goods or services and which is expected to be purchased within one year. These purchase commitments were made to secure better pricing and to ensure the Company will have the necessary parts to meet anticipated near term demand.
Litigation
The Company discloses material loss contingencies deemed to be reasonably possible and accrues for loss contingencies when, in consultation with its legal advisors, management concludes that a loss is probable and reasonably estimable. The ability to predict the ultimate outcome of such matters involves judgments, estimates, and inherent uncertainties. The actual outcome of such matters could differ materially from management’s estimates.
Class Action Lawsuits
On August 23, 2013 and August 26, 2013, two putative securities class action lawsuits were filed against the Company and certain of its officers and directors in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, one of which seeks unspecified damages on behalf of a putative class of persons who purchased or otherwise acquired the Company’s common stock between January 7, 2013 and August 12, 2013, and the other of which seeks similar remedies on behalf of a putative class of persons who purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's common stock between November 5, 2012 and August 12, 2013. Both complaints allege that the Company and certain of its officers and directors violated the federal securities laws by making allegedly materially false and misleading statements and/or material omissions during the putative class periods. On October 22, 2013, four individual plaintiffs each filed motions to consolidate these actions and to be appointed as lead plaintiff pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Those motions are currently scheduled to be heard on December 13, 2013. No other dates have been set. As of September 30, 2013, the Company has accrued $250,000 for legal costs expected to be incurred in connection with these matters. The Company believes that the claims contained in the lawsuits are without merit and intends to vigorously defend against the claims.
Intellectual Property Litigation
On April 24, 2012, CAO Group, Inc. (“CAO”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the District of Utah for patent infringement of U.S. Patent No. 7,485,116 regarding BIOLASE’s EZlase dental laser. On September 9, 2012, CAO filed its First Amended Complaint, which added claims for (1) business disparagement/injurious falsehood under common law and (2) unfair competition under 15 U.S.C. Section 1125(a). The additional claims stem from a press release that the Company issued on April 30, 2012, which CAO claims contained false statements that are disparaging to CAO and its diode product. The First Amended Complaint seeks injunctive relief, treble damages, attorneys’ fees, punitive damages, and interest. On November 13, 2012, the Court stayed the lawsuit for 120 days to allow the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) to consider the Company’s request for reexamination of the patent-in-suit. The USPTO granted the request to reexamine the asserted claims of the patent-in-suit and, on February 28, 2013, the Court stayed the lawsuit until the termination of the reexamination proceedings. On April 23, 2013, the USPTO issued an office action rejecting all of the asserted claims over the prior art, and CAO responded to the office action. On August 28, 2013, the USPTO issued an Action Closing Procedure, rejecting all of CAO’s patent claims. CAO has responded to the USPTO’s latest ruling.
The Company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Fotona dd. (“Fotona”) in Düsseldorf District Court alleging infringement with respect to the Fotona Fidelis dental laser system. Oral proceedings are currently scheduled for spring 2014. Fotona denies liability and seeks the reimbursement of statutory fees from the Company. Together with its response brief, Fotona also filed a nullity action against the patent in dispute, patent number EP 1 560 470. The nullity action is pending at the German Federal Patent Court (the “Patent Court”), Docket No. 1 Ni 58/13 (EP). On September 2, 2013, the Company filed its counterplea in the infringement proceedings and phrased its arguments defending the validity of the patent. These arguments were also the subject of the defense brief to the Patent Court in the parallel nullity action proceedings. On September 9, 2013, the Company filed its response to the Patent Court.
Other Matters
In the normal course of business, the Company is subject to other legal proceedings, lawsuits, and other claims. Although the ultimate aggregate amount of probable monetary liability or financial impact with respect to these matters is subject to many uncertainties and is therefore not predictable with assurance, the Company’s management believes that any monetary liability or financial impact to the Company from these other matters, individually and in the aggregate, would not be material to the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. However, there can be no assurance with respect to such result, and monetary liability or financial impact to the Company from these other matters could differ materially from those projected.
