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Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Note 15. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES  

 

Contingencies   

 

From time to time, the Company may be subject to certain legal proceedings, claims and disputes that arise in the ordinary course of business. Although the outcomes of these legal proceedings cannot be predicted, the Company does not believe these actions, in the aggregate, will have a material adverse impact on its financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

 

SOS Information Technology New York, Inc. (“SOSNY”), a company incorporated under the laws of State of New York and a wholly owned subsidiary of SOS Ltd., filed a lawsuit in the New York State Supreme Court on December 9, 2022 against the Company’s joint venture, Thor Miner, Inc. (“Thor Miner”), the Company, Lei Cao, Yang Jie, John F. Levy, Tieliang Liu, Tuo Pan, Shi Qiu, Jing Shan, and Heng Wang (together, the “Descendants”). SOSNY and Thor Miner entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement on January 10, 2022 (the “PSA”) for the purchase of $200,000,000 of crypto mining rigs, which agreement SOSNY claims was breached by the Defendants.

 

SOSNY and Defendants entered into a certain settlement agreement and general mutual release with an effective date of December 28, 2022, pursuant to which, Thor Miner agreed to pay $13,000,000 to SOSNY (the “Settlement Payment”) in exchange for SOSNY dismissing the lawsuit with prejudice as to the Defendants and without prejudice as to all others. SOSNY dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice against the Company and the individual Defendants upon receipt of the Settlement Payment on December 28, 2022.

 

The Company and Thor Miner further covenanted and agreed that if they receive additional funds from HighSharp (Shenzhen Gaorui) Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. (“HighSharp”) related to the PSA, they will promptly transfer such funds to SOSNY in an amount not to exceed $40,560,569.00 (which is the total amount paid by SOSNY pursuant to the PSA less the price of the machines actually received by SOSNY pursuant to the PSA). The Settlement Payment and any payments subsequently received by SOSNY from HighSharp will be deducted from the $40,560,569.00 previously paid by, and now due and owing to SOSNY. In further consideration of the Settlement Agreement, Thor Miner agreed to execute and provide to SOSNY an assignment of all claims it may have against HighSharp or otherwise to the proceeds of the PSA. 

 

On October 23, 2023, the Company filed a complaint against its former CFO, Tuo Pan, accusing her of conversion due to her alleged involvement in two unauthorized transfers from the Company amounting to $219,000 and $7,920.

 

On March 23, 2023, SG Shipping & Risk Solution Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of our company, entered into an operating income right transfer contract with Goalowen, pursuant to which Goalowen agreed to transfer its rights to receive income from operating a tuna fishing vessel to SG Shipping for $3 million. Such contract was signed by the Company’s former COO, Jing Shan, without the Board’s authorization. On May 5, 2023, Ms. Shan made a wire transfer of $3 million to Goalowen without the Board’s authorization. The Company filed a complaint against Jing Shan accusing her of the unauthorized transfers in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York and has brought a lawsuit against Goalowen to recover the $3 million.

 

Lawsuits in connection with 2021 securities purchase agreement

 

On September 23, 2022, Hexin Global Limited and Viner Total Investments Fund filed a lawsuit against the Company and other defendants in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (the “Hexin lawsuit”). On December 5, 2022, St. Hudson Group LLC, Imperii Strategies LLC, Isyled Technology Limited, and Hsqynm Family Inc. filed a lawsuit against the Company and other defendants in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (the “St. Hudson lawsuit,” and together with the Hexin lawsuit, the “Investor Actions”). The plaintiffs in the Investor Actions are investors that entered into a securities purchase agreement (“Securities Purchase Agreement”) with the Company in late 2021. Each of these plaintiffs asserts causes of action for, among other things, violations of the federal securities laws, breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent inducement, breach of contract, conversion, and unjust enrichment, and seeks monetary damages and specific performance to remove legends from certain securities sold pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement. The Hexin lawsuit claims monetary damages of “at least $6 million,” plus interest, costs, fees, and attorneys’ fees. The St. Hudson lawsuit claims monetary damages of “at least $4.4 million,” plus interest, costs, fees, and attorneys’ fees.

 

Lawsuit in connection with the Financial Advisory Agreement

 

On October 6, 2022, Jinhe Capital Limited (“Jinhe”) filed a lawsuit against the Company in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, asserting causes of actions for, among other things, breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, conversion, quantum meruit, and unjust enrichment, in connection with a financial advisory agreement entered into by and between Jinhe and the Company on November 10, 2021. Jinhe claims monetary damages of “at least $575,000” and “potentially exceeding $1.8 million,” plus interest, costs, and attorneys’ fees.

 

On January 10, 2023, the Investor Actions were consolidated with this lawsuit and on February 24, 2023, all three consolidated actions were dismissed without prejudice by the court, in furtherance of the parties having reached an agreement in principle to settle their disputes. The Company, Yang Jie, Jing Shan, and the plaintiffs in the above three actions entered into a certain settlement agreement and general mutual release with an effective date of March 10, 2023, pursuant to which the Company agreed to pay the plaintiffs $10,525,910.82. Plaintiffs in the actions agreed to discharge and forever release the defendants in the actions from all claims that were or could have been raised in those actions, as well as dismissal of each of the actions with prejudice. The Company paid the settlement payment on March 14, 2023.

 

In addition, the plaintiffs agreed to irrevocably forfeit 3,728,807 shares of common stock held by them. The cancellation of the shares has been completed.

 

Putative Class Action

 

On December 9, 2022, Piero Crivellaro, purportedly on behalf of the persons or entities who purchased or acquired publicly traded securities of the Company between February 2021 and November 2022, filed a putative class action against the Company and other defendants in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, alleging violations of federal securities laws related to alleged false or misleading disclosures made by the Company in its public filings. The plaintiff seeks unspecified damages, plus interest, costs, fees, and attorneys’ fees. As this action is still in the early stage, the Company cannot predict the outcome.

 

The Company is also subject to additional contractual litigation as to which it is unable to estimate the outcome.

 

Government Investigations

 

Following a publication issued by Hindenburg Research dated May 5, 2022, the Company received subpoenas from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the SEC. The Company is cooperating with the government regarding these matters. At this early stage, the Company is not able to estimate the outcome or duration of the government investigations.