12. Commitments and contingencies

Litigation

On May 30, 2014, a class action lawsuit was commenced in Santa Clara County Superior Court, State of California, on behalf of Cadillac Partners and others similarly situated, naming as defendants, MabVax Therapeutics, the Company and the Company’s directors, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP, Bio IP Ventures LLC, Hudson Bay Master Fund Ltd., and Hudson Bay IP Opportunities Master Fund LP. The suit alleged the defendants breached certain fiduciary duties, or aided and abetted a breach of fiduciary duties, in connection with the Company’s Merger with MabVax Therapeutics. In support of their purported claims, the plaintiff alleged, among other things, that the Company’s board has historically failed to fulfill its fiduciary duty to its stockholders, and claiming with respect to the Series B Private Placement and the Merger, the such transactions involved an inadequate sales process and included preclusive deal protection devices, and that the Company’s board of directors would receive personal benefits not available to its public stockholders as a result of the Merger. The plaintiff sought to enjoin the Merger and obtain damages as well as attorneys’ and expert fees and costs.

On June 29, 2014, the parties entered into a Stipulation and Settlement (the “Settlement”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to file with the SEC certain supplemental disclosures in connection with the Merger. The Settlement is subject to certain confirmatory discovery to be undertaken by the plaintiff and to the parties’ agreement on the payment of the plaintiff’s attorneys’ fees and expenses.

On July 16, 2014, the Company and all other parties to the litigation entered into an agreement which, if consummated, will settle the litigation (the “Proposed Settlement”). Among many other terms, under the Proposed Settlement the Company and all defendants will receive a broad release of any and all claims pertaining to the Series B Private Placement, the Merger, the prior disclosure and a wide variety of other matters. The Proposed Settlement also calls for the parties to ask the court to, among other things, enter orders enjoining other stockholders from bringing similar actions, certifying the putative settlement class, and approving the Proposed Settlement as a fair, final, and binding resolution of the litigation. Under the Proposed Settlement, the Company and the other defendants have expressly denied the allegations of the complaint and denied engaging in any other misconduct, nor will any of them make any payment or in any respect amend the negotiated terms of the since-consummated Series B Private Placement and Merger. Finally, under the Proposed Settlement, the Company and the other defendants have not agreed to pay any legal fees, or reimburse any expenses, allegedly incurred by the plaintiffs who filed the complaint; instead, the Company expects that counsel for those plaintiffs will present any such disputed claim for legal fees and expenses to the court for resolution.

Operating Leases

In connection with the Merger, the Company recorded a $590,504 contingent lease termination fee, related to the termination of the master lease and sublease of the Porter Drive Facility by MabVax Therapeutics Holdings (f.k.a. Telik, Inc.), which is payable to ARE-San Francisco No. 24 (“ARE”) if the Company receives $15 million or more in additional financing in the aggregate, but otherwise forgiven.

The Company leases its corporate office and laboratory space under an operating lease that, as amended on August 1, 2010, expires on July 31, 2015. The lease contains an option to cancel at various dates prior to the termination date by paying a cancellation penalty. The Company has provided a refundable security deposit of $11,017 to secure its obligations under the lease, which has been included in other long-term assets in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. We recognize rent expense on a straight-line basis over the term the lease. Rent expense of $115,118 and $138,783 was recognized in the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Minimum future annual operating lease obligations are as follows as of December 31, 2014:


2015	$	77,117

Total	$	77,117

Restructuring Plan upon Closing of the Merger

In connection with the Merger, the Company signed separation agreements in May 2014 with nine employees and agreed to pay severances and health benefits upon closing of the Merger subject to certain provisions in the agreements. Approximately $6,000 in severance and benefits costs remain as of December 31, 2014.