Commitments and Contingencies

Legal Contingencies

The legal matters discussed below and others could result in losses, including damages, fines, civil penalties and criminal charges, which could be substantial. The Company records accruals for these contingencies to the extent the Company concludes that a loss is both probable and reasonably estimable. Regarding the matters disclosed below, unless otherwise disclosed, the Company has determined that liabilities associated with these legal matters are reasonably possible; however, unless otherwise stated, the possible loss or range of possible loss cannot be reasonably estimated. Given the nature of the litigation and investigations and the complexities involved, the Company is unable to reasonably estimate a possible loss for all such matters until the Company knows, among other factors, the following:


•	what claims, if any, will survive dispositive motion practice;


•	the extent of the claims, particularly when damages are not specified or are indeterminate;


•	how the discovery process will affect the litigation;


•	the settlement posture of the other parties to the litigation; and


•	any other factors that may have a material effect on the litigation or investigation.

However, the Company could incur judgments, enter into settlements or revise its expectations regarding the outcome of certain matters, and such developments could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations in the period in which the amounts are accrued and/or liquidity in the period in which the amounts are paid.

Securities and Exchange Commission and United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois Investigations

In August 2016, the Chicago Regional Office of the SEC commenced an investigation focused on, among other things, the Company’s financial reporting, misapplication of U.S. GAAP, revenue recognition practices and related conduct, which resulted in the accounting errors giving rise to the financial restatements reported in prior SEC filings. In 2016, the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois (the “USAO”) began conducting a parallel investigation regarding these matters. The Company is fully cooperating with the SEC and the USAO in their investigations. The Company is engaged in ongoing discussions with the SEC and the USAO regarding resolutions of these matters. If the SEC or the USAO determines that the Company violated federal securities or other laws and institutes civil enforcement or criminal proceedings, the Company may become subject to civil or criminal sanctions, including, but not limited to, criminal or civil charges, fines, other monetary penalties, injunctive relief and compliance conditions imposed by a court or agreement, which may have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, results of operations or cash flows of the Company.

Federal Derivative Litigation

In February 2017, Travis Dorvit filed a putative stockholder derivative action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, captioned Dorvit v. Winemaster, et al., No. 1:17-cv-01097 (N.D. Ill.) (the “Dorvit Action”), against certain of the Company’s current and former officers and directors. The complaint asserted claims for breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment arising from the same matters at issue in the consolidated case captioned Guinta v. Power Solutions International, Inc., No. 1:16-cv-09599 (N.D.Ill.), which had alleged violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act arising from public filings, press releases and conference calls between February 2014 and February 2017, and which was settled in May 2019 (hereinafter, the “Giunta Action”). In April 2018, Michael Martin filed a second putative stockholder derivative action, captioned Martin v. Winemaster, et al., No. 18-CV-2386 (N.D. Ill.) (the “Martin Action”), in the same court against certain of the Company’s current and former officers and directors. In July 2018, the court consolidated the Martin Action and the Dorvit Action.

In July 2018, the plaintiffs in the consolidated Dorvit and Martin Actions filed an amended consolidated complaint (the “Second Amended Complaint”) against certain of the Company’s current and former officers and directors, who are indemnified by the Company as to their legal fees and defense costs. The Second Amended Complaint asserts claims for breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, corporate waste and failure to hold an annual stockholders’ meeting, and it seeks an unspecified amount of damages, an order compelling the Company to hold an annual stockholders’ meeting and an award of costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses. In April 2019, the parties reached an agreement in principle to settle the litigation for approximately $1.9 million (“Settlement Amount”), half of which will be used to pay certain defense costs on behalf of the Company, and the remaining half of which the plaintiffs sought as an award of their attorneys’ fees and expenses in connection with the benefit conferred by the settlement. The settlement was approved by the court in August 2019 over two objections, including from the plaintiffs in the McClenney Action (defined below). Plaintiffs in the McClenney Action appealed the court’s order approving the settlement. On February 28, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court’s approval of the settlement. Absent an extension, the plaintiffs in the McClenney Action have until July 27, 2020 to seek further review in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Company’s insurers made a payment of half of the Settlement Amount in September 2019 toward the fulfillment of the plaintiff’s award of attorneys’ fees and expenses, and the insurers have allocated the remaining half of the Settlement Amount toward the payment of certain defense costs consistent with the terms of the settlement. The Company had accrued for the settlement in Other accrued liabilities and for the full insurance recovery of the Settlement Amount in Prepaid expenses and other current assets as of December 31, 2019.

State Derivative Litigation

In May 2017, Lewis McClenney filed a putative stockholder derivative action in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, captioned McClenney v. Winemaster, et al., No. 2017-CH-06481 (the “McClenney Action”), against certain of the Company’s current and former officers and directors. The McClenney Action asserted claims for breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, abuse of control, gross mismanagement and corporate waste arising from the same matters at issue in the Giunta Action. On the same day that the McClenney Action was filed, Sara Rebscher also filed a putative stockholder derivative action in the same court, captioned Rebscher v. Winemaster, et al., No. 2017-CH-06517 (the “Rebscher Action”). The Rebscher Action asserts claims for breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment against certain of the Company’s current and former officers and directors, arising from the same matters at issue in the Giunta Action. Additionally, the complaint in the Rebscher Action asserts a claim for professional negligence and accounting malpractice against the Company’s former auditor, RSM U.S. LLP (“RSM”). In July 2017, the court consolidated the McClenney Action and the Rebscher Action. Subsequently, the court appointed Rebscher as lead plaintiff and designated the Rebscher Action as the operative complaint. In November 2018, the court granted the Company’s motion to dismiss the consolidated case with prejudice on the grounds that it is duplicative of the Dorvit and Martin Actions. Plaintiffs moved for reconsideration of the court’s decision, which the court denied in January 2019. In February 2019, plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal from the court’s order dismissing the case. In December 2019, the Illinois Appellate Court affirmed the dismissal of the McClenney Action. Plaintiffs did not seek rehearing in the Illinois Appellate Court and did not petition for leave to appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court.

Jerome Treadwell v. the Company

In October 2018, a putative class-action complaint was filed against the Company and NOVAtime Technology, Inc. (“NOVAtime”) in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. In December 2018, NOVAtime removed the case to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division under the Class Action Fairness Act. Plaintiff has since voluntarily dismissed NOVAtime from the lawsuit without prejudice and filed an amended complaint in April 2019. The operative, amended complaint asserts violations of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”) in connection with employees’ use of the time clock to clock in and clock out using a finger scan and seeks statutory damages, attorneys’ fees, and injunctive and equitable relief. An aggrieved party under BIPA may recover (i) $1,000 per violation if the Company is found to have negligently violated BIPA or (ii) $5,000 per violation if the Company is found to have intentionally or recklessly violated BIPA plus reasonable attorneys’ fees. In May 2019, the Company filed its motion to dismiss the plaintiff’s amended complaint. In December 2019, the court denied the Company’s motion to dismiss. In January 2020, the Company moved for reconsideration of the court’s order denying the motion to dismiss, or in the alternative, to stay the case pending the Illinois Appellate Court’s ruling in McDonald v. Symphony Healthcare on a legal question that would be potentially dispositive in this matter. In February 2020, the court denied the Company’s motion for reconsideration, but required the parties to submit additional briefing on the Company’s motion to stay. On April 1, 2020, the Court granted the Company’s motion to stay and stayed the case pending the Illinois Appellate Court’s ruling in McDonald v. Symphony Healthcare. The Company intends to vigorously defend against this action. At this time, the Company is unable to predict the outcome of this matter or meaningfully quantify how the final resolution of this matter may impact its results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

Don Wilkins v. the Company

In April 2017, Don Wilkins, former VP of Advanced Product Development for the Company, filed a two-count complaint alleging breach of contract by the Company and violation of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collections Act (“IWPCA”) by the Company and its former CEO, Gary Winemaster (the “Wilkins Complaint”). The Wilkins Complaint claims the Company did not have cause to terminate Mr. Wilkins’ Employment and Confidentiality Agreement (the “Wilkins Agreement”), executed January 6, 2012, and that the Company and Mr. Winemaster violated the IWPCA by failing to pay him accrued but unpaid vacation and earned commissions. The Wilkins Complaint seeks damages including a $2.0 million bonus entitlement in the Wilkins Agreement, guaranteed annual salary to increase at 1.5 times the Consumer Price Index per year from the termination date to the end-date of the Wilkins Agreement, December 31, 2020, and 20,000 shares of restricted stock granted to him in 2013 with a vesting schedule through 2020. In June 2017, the Company and Mr. Winemaster answered the complaint and asserted numerous defenses. The Company also asserted counterclaims against Mr. Wilkins including violation of the Illinois Trade Secrets Act, breach of the Wilkins Agreement, breach of fiduciary duty, and spoliation. In January 2019, Wilkins voluntarily dismissed with prejudice his claims for unpaid commissions and vacation against the Company and Mr. Winemaster, subject to the parties’ confidential settlement agreement of those claims. In February 2020, the Company filed a motion for protective order or to stay the litigation, which the Court denied on April 7, 2020. On May 7, 2020, the parties reached an agreement to settle all remaining claims for a $1.1 million payment (“Wilkins Settlement Amount”) to Mr. Wilkins. The Company will contribute $0.9 million of the Wilkins Settlement Amount which was reserved during the first quarter of 2019. The remaining amount of the settlement will be contributed by the Company’s insurance provider.

Mast Powertrain v. the Company

On February 21, 2020, the Company received a demand for arbitration from Mast Powertrain, LLC (“Mast”) pursuant to a development agreement entered into on December 20, 2011 (the “Development Agreement”). Mast claimed that it is owed more than $9.0 million in royalties for products sold by the Company pursuant to the Development Agreement. The Company has disputed Mast’s damages, denied that any royalties are owed to Mast, denied any liability, and counterclaimed for overpayment on invoices paid to Mast. The parties are in the beginning stages of arbitration and discussions for resolution. At this time, the Company is unable to predict the outcome of this matter or meaningfully quantify how the final resolution of this matter may impact its results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

Indemnification Agreements

Under the Company’s bylaws and certain indemnification agreements, the Company has obligations to indemnify current and former officers and directors and certain current and former employees. As a result of cumulative legal fees and settlements previously paid, the Company fully exhausted its primary directors and officers insurance coverage of $30.0 million during the first quarter of 2020. Additional expenses currently expected to be incurred and that will occur in the future and/or liabilities that may be imposed in connection with actions against certain of the Company’s past and present directors and officers and certain current and former employees who are entitled to indemnification will be funded by the Company with its existing cash resources. The Company accrues for such costs as incurred within Selling, general and administrative expenses in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations. At this time, the Company is not able to estimate the impact of these obligations due to the actions ongoing; however, the impact may be material to the Company’s results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

Other Commitments

At March 31, 2020, the Company had seven outstanding letters of credit totaling $3.0 million. The letters of credit primarily serve as collateral for the Company for certain facility leases and insurance policies.

The Company has arrangements with certain suppliers that require it to purchase minimum volumes or be subject to monetary penalties. As of March 31, 2020, if the Company were to stop purchasing from each of these suppliers, the aggregate amount of the penalty would be approximately $5.6 million. Most of these arrangements enable the Company to secure supplies of critical components. The Company does not currently anticipate any penalties under these contracts; however, given the significant declines in oil prices in early 2020 and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company is evaluating the impact of potential future purchase volume reductions.