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Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
Contingencies
On December 1, 2020, Trans Ova settled one of two patent infringement lawsuits brought by XY, LLC ("XY"). The lawsuit, originally filed in 2012, was tried and appealed between 2016 and 2020. On December 1, 2020, the parties reached a settlement resolving all remaining disputes. As part of that settlement, Trans Ova remitted to XY a settlement payment, which, in addition to all the other monies Trans Ova had previously paid XY, constituted full payment and satisfaction of the judgment, including pre-judgment interest, post-judgment interest, costs, and all past, current and future royalty obligations under the judgment. In exchange, XY released and forever discharged Trans Ova from all obligations arising out of the judgment.
A second patent infringement lawsuit brought on by XY was filed in December 2016. There are currently five patents remaining at issue in the case. The Company expects the trial to occur sometime in early 2023.
While this patent infringement lawsuit is pending, Trans Ova shall continue to utilize the technology consistent with the determinations of the court proceedings. Nonetheless, these disputes remain subject to a number of uncertainties, including the outcome of district court and appellate proceedings, the possibility of further claims by XY, and the impact of these matters on Trans Ova's ability to utilize the technology. Trans Ova and the Company could elect to enter into a settlement agreement in order to avoid the further costs and uncertainties of litigation.
In September 2020, the Company reached a final settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") with respect to an investigation concerning the Company's disclosures regarding its MBP program in the first three quarters of 2017. Under the terms of the settlement, the Company, without admitting or denying the allegations of the SEC, consented to the entry of an administrative order requiring that the Company: (i) cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and future violations under Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Rules 13a-11 and 12b-20 promulgated thereunder; and (ii) pay a $2,500 civil money penalty to the SEC.
In October 2020, several purported shareholder class action lawsuits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of certain purchasers of the Company's common stock. The complaints name as defendants the Company and certain of its current and former officers. The plaintiff's claims track the allegations in the SEC's administrative order described above but challenge disclosures about the MBP program through September 2020, i.e., the date of the SEC administrative order. The plaintiffs seek compensatory damages, interest, and an award of reasonable attorney's fees and costs. In April 2021, the court granted an order consolidating the claims and appointed a lead plaintiff and lead counsel in the case, captioned Abailla v. Precigen, Inc., F/K/A Intrexon Corp., et al. In May 2021, the lead plaintiff filed an amended complaint. The defendants moved to dismiss that complaint. In September 2021, the court issued an order mooting the defendants' motion to dismiss in light of the lead plaintiff's stated intent to file a second amended complaint in response to the motion to dismiss. On September 27, 2021, the lead plaintiff filed a second amended complaint. The defendants intend to move to dismiss that complaint. In December 2020, a derivative shareholder action, captioned Edward D. Wright, derivatively on behalf of Precigen, Inc. F/K/A Intrexon Corp. v. Alvarez et al, was filed in the Circuit Court for Fairfax County in Virginia on behalf of Precigen, Inc. asserting similar claims under state law against Precigen's current directors and certain officers. The plaintiff seeks damages, forfeiture of benefits received by defendants, and an award of reasonable attorneys' fees and costs. The case was stayed by an order entered on June 14, 2021. On September 24, 2021, an individual shareholder filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court for Henrico County styled Kent v. Precigen, Inc., Case CL21-6349. The Kent action demands inspection of certain books and records of the Company pursuant to Virginia statutory and common law. The Company intends to defend the lawsuits vigorously; however, there can be no assurances regarding the ultimate outcome of these lawsuits.
On July 10, 2020, the Company received a notice of arbitration from Harvest pursuant to the Collaboration Investment Opportunity Agreement dated March 13, 2015. In December 2020, the Company entered into an agreement with Harvest to resolve matters related to the parties' contractual and equity relationships and to settle all claims made in connection with the notice of arbitration noted above. Pursuant to the settlement agreement, the Company issued 2,117,264 shares of its common stock to Harvest valued at $18,103 in consideration of (i) the termination of the ECC agreements with Thrive Agrobiotics, Inc., Exotech Bio, Inc., and AD Skincare, Inc., which the Company had $6,993 of deferred revenue remaining related to these ECCs prior to the settlement agreement; (ii) the return of the Company's ownership interest in these Harvest start-up entities that had a total value of $326 prior to the settlement agreement; (iii) the commitment of Harvest (which is still ongoing) to take reasonable commercial efforts to transfer to the Company its membership interests in Intrexon Energy Partners II; and (iv) mutual irrevocable and unconditional releases of claims. The Company wrote off the investment balances and netted the deferred revenue balances associated with the eliminated service obligation against the consideration paid. Outstanding receivables from these Harvest start-up entities related to research and development services performed by the Company under the ECC agreements, which had been fully reserved in 2019, were also forgiven as part of the settlement agreement and written off by the Company. Following the settlement agreement, these Harvest start-up entities are no longer related parties.
The Company has previously entered into strategic collaborations, including ECCs and JVs, to fund and develop products enabled by its technologies. These relationships involve complex interests, and the Company's interests may diverge with those of its collaborators, which can occur as a result of operations under those collaborations, business or technological developments, or as the Company transitions away from, or terminates, certain strategic collaborations. The Company has had, and has, disagreements and disputes with certain collaborators and JV partners, including the IEP Investors and the IEPII Investors. While the Company believes it is entitled to payment for work performed per its collaborations and JVs, consistent with its policy for accounting for accounts receivable, the Company has fully reserved the amount of any disputed accounts receivable that remained outstanding as of September 30, 2021. These disagreements and disputes result in management
distraction and may result in litigation, unfavorable settlements, or concessions by the Company, or adverse regulatory action, any of which could harm the Company's business or operations.
In the course of its business, the Company is involved in litigation or legal matters, including governmental investigations. Such matters are subject to many uncertainties and outcomes are not predictable with assurance. The Company accrues liabilities for such matters when it is probable that future expenditures will be made and such expenditures can be reasonably estimated. As of September 30, 2021, the Company does not believe that any such matters, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.