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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Commitments and Contingencies
10. Commitments and Contingencies

 

Operating Leases

 

Lease Agreement with Fourth Avenue LLC

 

In February 2008, the Company amended the Lease Agreement dated October 18, 2000 between Fourth Avenue LLC and the Company for office and engineering laboratory space. The amendment extended the term of the lease through March 31, 2013. Base rent for the period January 2011 through March 2013 will increase from $705,000 annually to $765,000 annually. 

 

Future minimum lease payments under noncancelable operating leases as of December 31, 2011 are as follows:

 

2012   $ 757,500  
2013     191,250  
Total minimum lease payments   $ 948,750  

 

Total recorded rent expense was $764,754 for each of the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010, and 2009. The Company records rent expense on its facility lease on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

 

Capital Lease

 

In October 2010, the Company entered into a non-cancelable capital lease for copiers located at its corporate headquarters valued at $60,410, expiring in September 2013.

       

Future minimum lease payments under the capital lease as of December 31, 2011 are as follows:

 

2012   $ 22,136  
2013     18,446  
Total minimum lease payments     40,582  
Less: Amount representing imputed interest     2,332  
Present value of future minimum lease payments   $ 38,250  

 

Other Commitments

 

At December 31, 2011, other commitments, comprised of purchase orders, totaled approximately $711,000.

 

Restricted Time Deposit

 

In connection with the Company’s facility lease, the Company is required to maintain, for the benefit of the lessor, an irrevocable standby letter of credit stating the lessor as the beneficiary over the term of the lease, which is secured by a certificate of deposit in an amount equal to 102% of the letter of credit as security. The lease expires in March 2013. The certificate of deposit is renewable in 30-day increments. At December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company has reflected $229,500 and $408,000, respectively, as restricted cash associated with this lease on the accompanying balance sheet.

 

Legal Matters

 

As previously disclosed in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, on March 17, 2008, a putative securities class action complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts against the Company and certain of its current and former officers. On March 27, 2008, a related putative securities class action complaint was filed in the same court, against the same defendants. These two actions were subsequently consolidated, and the court appointed a lead plaintiff. On November 10, 2008, a consolidated amended class action complaint was filed, which alleged, among other things, that between October 27, 2005 and February 12, 2008, the defendants violated the federal securities laws by allegedly making false and misleading statements and failing to disclose material information to the investing public. The plaintiffs sought unspecified damages. On January 30, 2009, the Company filed a motion to dismiss the consolidated amended complaint on the grounds, among others, that it failed to state a claim on which relief can be granted. On December 8, 2009, the Court entered an order granting defendants motion to dismiss and dismissing the consolidated amended complaint in its entirety with prejudice. The plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal with the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on January 6, 2010. Oral arguments on the plaintiffs' appeal were conducted on September 15, 2010. On March 18, 2011, the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed the District Court’s dismissal of the amended complaint. On April 1, 2011, the plaintiffs filed a petition for rehearing en banc with the First Circuit, seeking a rehearing of their appeal by the full members of the First Circuit court. The defendants’ response to that petition was filed on April 25, 2011. On May 26, 2011, the Court denied the plaintiffs’ request for a rehearing. The plaintiffs had until August 24, 2011 to file an appeal with the United States Supreme Court, but no appeal was filed. As a result, all legal action related to this lawsuit has concluded.

 

As previously disclosed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, on April 22, 2008, a shareholder derivative action was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts against a number of the Company’s current and former directors and officers. On December 10, 2008, a verified amended shareholder derivative complaint was filed, alleging, among other things, that, between August 2004 and the date the action was filed, the defendants breached various fiduciary duties to the Company based on conduct similar to that alleged in the putative securities class actions, including that the defendants caused the Company to make false and misleading statements, to fail to disclose material information to the public and to engage in improper business practices. The plaintiff sought various forms of monetary and non-monetary relief. The parties reached an agreement to resolve the shareholder derivative action, subject to Court approval, and executed a formal stipulation of settlement on December 21, 2009. On February 23, 2010, the Court entered an order approving the parties’ settlement and entered a judgment dismissing the case in its entirety, with prejudice. In conjunction with the settlement, the Company’s insurance carrier paid directly to third parties $350,000 for the plaintiff’s counsel’s attorneys fees and reimbursement of expenses. No payment was required by the Company.

 

As previously disclosed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, on February 9, 2009, the Company announced that it had reached a resolution with the United States Department of Justice, or DOJ, and the Office of Inspector General, or OIG, of the United States Department of Health and Human Services regarding the previously-disclosed investigation into certain of the Company’s past sales and marketing practices relating to its NC-stat System.

 

As part of the resolution, the Company entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement, or the Deferred Prosecution Agreement, dated February 5, 2009, with the DOJ related to its operation of marketing referral programs. Pursuant to the Deferred Prosecution Agreement, the Company agreed to a $1.2 million payment, and the DOJ has agreed not to prosecute the Company in return for compliance with the terms of the three-year Deferred Prosecution Agreement.

 

In addition, the Company entered into a civil Settlement Agreement with the DOJ and OIG, or the Settlement Agreement, dated February 9, 2009. The Settlement Agreement involves the referral programs and allegations that, where physicians performed a nerve conduction study using the NC-stat System and did not obtain an F-wave measurement, in limited circumstances, the Company caused physicians to seek reimbursement using the slightly higher valued 95903 CPT code payable for nerve conduction studies where an F-wave measurement is obtained, rather than the 95900 CPT code. While the Company did not admit to the allegations with respect to the F-wave coding issue, the Company agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle this dispute and enter into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with OIG. The Company remains fully eligible to participate in all federal health care programs.

 

The settlement payments discussed above in the total amount of $3.7 million were paid in the first quarter of 2009.