Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2024

Commitments and Contingencies.

Commitments and Contingencies

Note 8—Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is not currently subject to any known material contingencies arising from its business operations, nor to any material known or threatened litigation other than as discussed below.

Office Leases

The Company has seven leases in place for office space and office equipment with payments ranging between $181 and $13,711 per month and lease terms expiring between November 2024 and December 2025. The Company recognizes right of use assets and related lease liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company estimated the value of the lease liabilities using discount rates ranging from 3.35% to 7.56%, equivalent to the rates we would pay on a secured borrowing with similar terms to the lease at the inception of the lease. Options to extend the lease are excluded in our minimum lease terms unless the option is reasonably certain to be exercised. During each of the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company’s total lease cost was $0.07 million. Minimum annual rental payments under these operating leases, reconciled to the lease liability included in our consolidated balance sheets, are as follows (in thousands):

($ in thousands)	Future rental
Year Ending December 31,	payments
2024 (remaining nine months)	$	190
2025		212
2026		—
2027		—
2028		—
Thereafter		—
Total lease payments		402
Less: imputed interest		(47)
Lease liability	$	355

Litigation

On July 2, 2021, the Company filed a complaint against First Sabrepoint Capital Management, LP, Sabrepoint Capital Partners, LP, Sabrepoint Capital Participation, LP, George Baxter, and Donald Marchiony (collectively, “Sabrepoint”) in the Civil District Courts of Dallas County, Texas seeking relief for their role, as alleged in the complaint, in the previously disclosed 2018 “short and distort” scheme to profit from an artificial decline in our stock price. Certain Sabrepoint defendants had prevailed previously on a motion to dismiss the case against them in the Rota Fortunae action in the United State District Court for the District of Colorado (where the state case had been removed) solely on personal jurisdiction grounds. On December 17, 2021, the Company's claims against Sabrepoint in Texas were dismissed by the trial court, which granted (i) Sabrepoint's motion for summary judgment on collateral estoppel grounds, and (ii) motion to dismiss pursuant to the Texas Citizens Participation Act (“TCPA”). On March 21, 2022, after the Company filed a notice signaling an intent to appeal both orders, the Court of Appeals for the Fifth District of Texas (the “Court of Appeals”) entered an order declaring the trial court's TCPA order “VOID because the motion was denied by operation of law….” Accordingly, the Company narrowed its appeal to the trial court's grant of summary judgment. On January 26, 2022, Sabrepoint filed a motion for attorney's fees relating to the defense of that action. The trial court granted the motion for certain fees claimed by Sabrepoint as relating to its pursuit of its TCPA motion, but as noted above, the Court of Appeals subsequently overturned the TCPA order that formed the basis of Sabrepoint’s fee request, mooting the motion and the Court’s order on the same. On June 30, 2023, the Court of Appeals granted the Company’s appeal, determining that the Company’s claims against Sabrepoint are not barred, reversing the trial court and remanding the case for further proceedings on the merits. On October 13, 2023, Sabrepoint filed a Petition for Review with the Texas Supreme Court, requesting the court to review the Court of Appeals’ decision. The Company filed a response to the Sabrepoint Petition for Review with the Texas Supreme Court on December 27, 2023, and Sabrepoint filed a reply in support of its petition on January 25, 2024. On February 16, 2024, the Texas Supreme Court requested a briefing on the merits, with petitioner’s opening brief due May 1, 2024. The Company remains confident that it will ultimately be permitted to proceed with its claims against Sabrepoint.

Repurchase Options

For certain of the Company’s acquisitions, the seller retains the option to repurchase the property at a future date for a price, which is calculated based on an appreciation factor over the original purchase price plus the value of improvements on the property, that, at the time of the acquisition, the Company expected would be at or above the property’s fair market value at the exercise date. As of March 31, 2024, the Company had an approximate aggregate net book value of $5.1 million related to assets with unexercised repurchase options. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had received payments totaling $3.5 million related to an exercised repurchase option on a property. The repurchase option and the lease agreement were terminated by mutual agreement during the three months ended March 31, 2024, whereby the Company received a lease termination fee of $0.8 million which was recorded within rental income and retained approximately $1.2 million which was recorded in income from forfeited deposits during the three months ended March 31, 2024.

Employee Retirement Plan

Effective February 1, 2022, the Company amended the Murray Wise Associates 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan and Trust to make it available to all eligible employees of the Company under revised Farmland Partners Operating Partnership, LP 401(k) Plan (the “FPI 401(k) Plan”). The FPI 401(k) Plan is a defined contribution plan for substantially all employees. The Company has elected a “safe harbor” plan in which the Company plans to make contributions which are determined and authorized by the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors”) each plan year. As is customary, the Company retains the right to amend the FPI 401(k) Plan at its discretion. The Company has an accrued liability for safe harbor contributions of approximately $0.1 million as of December 31, 2023 and March 31, 2023.