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Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Contingencies [Abstract]  
CONTINGENCIES

Note 14. CONTINGENCIES

 

A number of actions have been commenced against the Company by vendors, landlords and former landlords, including a third party claim as a result of an injury suffered on a portion of a leased property not occupied by the Company. As certain of these claims represent amounts included in accounts payable they are not specifically discussed herein.

 

Gallagher Fluid Seals, Inc., commenced an action on August 30, 2016, against Nassau Tool Works, Inc., in the Court of Common Pleas in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, NYS Supreme Court, County of Suffolk, seeking the recovery of $50,565.90 for goods sold and delivered. The Company chose not to respond to the action and default judgement has been rendered in the Court of Common Pleas in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

  

Westbury Park Associates, LLC commenced an action on or about January 11, 2017 against Air Industries Group in the NYS Supreme Court, County of Suffolk, seeking the recovery of approximately $31,000 for past rent arrears, and for an unidentified sum representing all additional rent due under an alleged commercial lease through the end of its term, plus attorney's fees. This claim was settled by the Company's agreement to pay approximately $111,000 on August 16, 2019 and has been fully accrued for as of December 31, 2019.

 

An employee of our company commenced an action against, among others, Rechler Equity B-2, LLC and Air Industries Group, in the Supreme Court State of New York, Suffolk County, seeking compensation in an undetermined amount for injuries suffered while leaving the premises occupied by Welding Metallurgy, Inc. Rechler Equity B-2, LLC, has served a Third Party Complaint in this action against Air Industries Group, Inc. and Welding Metallurgy, Inc. The Company believes it is not liable to the employee and any amount it might have to pay in excess of our deductible would be covered by insurance.

 

An employee of our company commenced an action against, among others, Sterling Engineering and Air Industries Group, in Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, seeking lost wages in an undetermined amount for the employee's termination. The action remains in the early pleading stage. The Company believes it is not liable to the employee and any amount it might have to pay would be covered by insurance.

 

Contract Pharmacal Corp. commenced an action on October 2, 2018, relating to a Sublease entered into between the Company and Contract Pharmacal in May 2018 with respect to the property at 110 Plant Avenue, Hauppauge, New York. In the action Contract Pharmacal seeks damages for an amount in excess of $1,000,000 for our failure to make the entire premises available by the Sublease commencement date. The Company disputes the validity of the claims asserted by Contract Pharmacal and believes it has meritorious defenses to those claims and have recently submitted a motion in opposition to its motion for summary judgement. As of December 31, 2019, it is not possible to estimate if a loss will be incurred, as such there has been no accrual.

 

On October 15, 2018, a complaint was filed by a stockholder of our company in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York ( Michael Kishmoian vs. Air Industries et al Case No. 18cv5757) naming the Company and certain of its directors and a former director. This matter was settled on August 20, 2019 and the cost to the Company, inclusive of legal fees, was less than $100,000, and was paid in full.

 

On December 20, 2018, pursuant to a Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of March 21, 2018 ("SPA"), the Company completed the sale of all of the outstanding shares of its subsidiary, Welding Metallurgy, Inc. to CPI Aerostructures. On March 19, 2019, in accordance with the procedures set forth in the SPA with CPI Aerostructures, the Company received a notice from CPI claiming that the working capital deficit used to compute the purchase price was understated. The issue of the amount of the working capital deficit was submitted to BDO USA, LLP ("BDO"), acting as an expert, and it issued a report dated September 3, 2019, where it determined that the amount of the working capital deficit was approximately $4,145,870. On September 9, 2019 the Company received a demand from CPI for payment of such amount. The Company advised CPI that the determination of BDO is void because, among other things, it believes BDO exceeded the scope of its authority as set forth in the SPA. On September 27, 2019, CPI filed a notice of motion in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, against the Company seeking, among other things, an order of specific performance requiring delivery of the funds deposited in escrow, together with the balance of the working capital deficit which it claimed, and a judgment against the Company in the amount of approximately $4,200,000 of which $2,000,000 would be satisfied by delivery of the funds in escrow. On October 7, 2019, the Company agreed to the release of $619,316 of the funds held in escrow in respect of claims related to the working capital deficit not related to the value of WMI's inventory. As of December 31, 2018, the Company has placed a reserve against substantially all of the escrowed amount and cannot estimate the amount of loss. For, among others, the reasons stated above the Company intends to contest vigorously any claim CPI may make for payment based on the BDO Report. Outside counsel for the company has advised that at this stage in the proceedings, it cannot offer an opinion as to the probable outcome.

 

From time to time we also may be engaged in various lawsuits and legal proceedings in the ordinary course of our business. We are currently not aware of any legal proceedings the ultimate outcome of which, in our judgment based on information currently available, would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or operating results. We, however, have had claims brought against us by a number of vendors due to our liquidity constraints.  There are no proceedings in which any of our directors, officers or affiliates, or any registered or beneficial stockholder of our common stock, is an adverse party or has a material interest adverse to our interest.