Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

7. Commitments and Contingencies

Office and Facilities Leases

Irvine Office Lease

On December 23, 2019, Oncocyte and Cushing Ventures, LLC (“Landlord”) entered into an Office Lease Agreement (the “Irvine Lease”) of a building containing approximately 26,800 square feet of rentable space located at 15 Cushing in Irvine, California (the “Premises”) that serves as Oncocyte’s principal executive and administrative offices.

The Irvine Lease has an initial term of 89 calendar months (the “Term”), which commenced on June 1, 2020 (the “Commencement Date”). Oncocyte has an option to extend the Term for a period of five years (the “Extended Term”).

Oncocyte agreed to pay base monthly rent in the amount of $61,640 during the first 12 months of the Term. Base monthly rent increases annually, over the base monthly rent then in effect, by 3.5%. Oncocyte was entitled to an abatement of 50% of the base monthly rent during the first ten calendar months of the Term. If the Irvine Lease is terminated based on the occurrence of an “event of default,” Oncocyte will be obligated to pay the abated rent to the lessor.

If Oncocyte exercises its option to extend the Term, the initial base monthly rent during the Extended Term will be the greater of the base monthly rent in effect during the last year of the Term or the prevailing market rate. The prevailing market rate will be determined based on annual rental rates per square foot for comparable space in the area where the Premises are located. If Oncocyte does not agree with the prevailing market rate proposed by the lessor, the rate may be determined through an appraisal process. The base monthly rent during the Extended Term shall be subject to the same annual rent adjustment as applicable for base monthly rent during the Term.

In addition to base monthly rent, Oncocyte agreed to pay in monthly installments (a) all costs and expenses, other than certain excluded expenses, incurred by the lessor in each calendar year in connection with operating, maintaining, repairing (including replacements if repairs are not feasible or would not be effective) and managing the Premises and the building in which the Premises are located (“Expenses”), and (b) all real estate taxes and assessments on the Premises and the building in which the Premises are located, all personal property taxes for property that is owned by lessor and used in connection with the operation, maintenance and repair of the Premises, and costs and fees incurred in connection with seeking reductions in such tax liabilities (“Taxes”). Subject to certain exceptions, Expenses shall not be increased by more than 4% annually on a cumulative, compounded basis.

Oncocyte was entitled to an abatement of its obligations to pay Expenses and Taxes while constructing improvements to the Premises constituting “Tenant’s Work” under the Irvine Lease prior to the Commencement Date, except that Oncocyte was obligated to pay 43.7% of Expenses and Taxes during the period prior to the Commencement Date for its use of the second floor of the Premises, which was already built out as office space.

The lessor provided Oncocyte with a “Tenant Improvement Allowance” in the amount of $1.3 million to pay for the plan, design, permitting, and construction of the improvements constituting Tenant’s Work. The lessor retained 1.5% of the Tenant Improvement Allowance as an administrative fee as provided in the Irvine Lease. As of June 2021, the lessor had provided $1.3 million of the total Tenant Improvement Allowance, which is being amortized over the Term.

Oncocyte has provided the lessor with a security deposit in the amount of $150,000 and a letter of credit in the amount of $1.7 million. The lessor may apply the security deposit, in whole or in part, for the payment of rent and any other amount that Oncocyte is or becomes obligated to pay under the Irvine Lease but fails to pay when due and beyond any cure period. The lessor may draw on the letter of credit from time to time to pay any amount that is unpaid and due, or if the original issuing bank notifies the lessor that the letter of credit will not be renewed or extended for the period required under the Irvine Lease and Oncocyte fails to timely provide a replacement letter of credit, or an event of default under the Irvine Lease occurs and continues beyond the applicable cure period, or if certain insolvency or bankruptcy or insolvency with respect to Oncocyte occur. Oncocyte is required to restore any portion of the security deposit that is applied by the lessor to payments due under the Irvine Lease, and Oncocyte is required to restore the amount available under the letter of credit to the required amount if any portion of the letter of credit is drawn by the lessor. The Irvine Lease provides that commencing on the 34th month of the Term, (a) the amount of the letter of credit that Oncocyte is required to maintain shall be reduced on a monthly basis, in equal installments, to amortize the required amount to zero at the end of the Term, and (b) Oncocyte has the right to cancel the letter of credit at any time if it meets certain market capitalization and balance sheets thresholds; provided, in each case, that Oncocyte is not in then default under the Irvine Lease beyond any applicable notice and cure period and the lessor has not determined that an event exists that would lead to an event of default.

To obtain the letter of credit, Oncocyte has provided the issuing bank with a restricted cash deposit that the bank will hold to cover its obligation to pay any draws on the letter of credit by the lessor. The restricted cash may not be used for any other purpose, accordingly, Oncocyte has reflected $1.7 million as restricted cash in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

Irvine Office Sublease

On August 8, 2023, Oncocyte and Induce Biologics USA, Inc. (“Subtenant”) entered into a Sublease Agreement (the “Sublease Agreement”), which subsequently became effective as of September 14, 2023, upon the execution and delivery by the Company, Subtenant, and Landlord, of that certain Landlord’s Consent to Sublease dated September 12, 2023 (the “Consent Agreement”), under which Landlord consented to the Sublease Agreement, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein. The Sublease Agreement is subject and subordinate to the Irvine Lease.

Under the Sublease Agreement, the Company agreed to initially sublet to Subtenant a portion of the Premises consisting of approximately 13,400 square feet of rentable space for a term (the “Initial Period”) commencing on the date that is 120 days after the effective date of the Consent Agreement (the “Commencement Date”) and ending on the date that is 18 months following the Commencement Date or such earlier date as Subtenant may elect upon the exercise of its one-time option to accelerate such date upon 90 days prior written notice to the Company (the date on which the Initial Period ends, the “Expansion Date”). On the Expansion Date, the portion of the Premises that is subleased to Subtenant under the Sublease Agreement will automatically increase to include the remaining portion of the Premises, which consists of approximately 13,400 square feet of additional rentable space for a term (the “Expansion Period”) beginning on the Expansion Date through the expiration of the Irvine Lease on October 31, 2027, unless earlier terminated.

The Sublease Agreement provides that, from and after the Commencement Date, Subtenant will pay to the Company monthly base rent in the following amounts: (i) $36,850.00 for rental periods beginning on the Commencement Date and ending on or before December 31, 2024 (subject to adjustment in the event that Subtenant exercises its option to accelerate the Expansion Date, such that the Expansion Period begins prior to December 31, 2024); (ii) $37,955.50 for rental periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025 and ending on or before June 20, 2025 (subject to adjustment in the event that Subtenant exercises its option to accelerate the Expansion Date, such that the Expansion Period begins prior to June 20, 2025); (iii) $75,844.00 for rental periods beginning on or after July 1, 2025 and ending on or before December 31, 2025; (iv) $78,188.33 for rental periods beginning on or after January 1, 2026 and ending on or before December 31, 2026; and (v) $80,533.98 for rental periods beginning on or after January 1, 2027 and ending on or before October 31, 2027.

Following the Commencement Date, Subtenant will be responsible for the payment of Additional Rent, including Expenses and Taxes (as each such term is defined in the Irvine Lease), provided that, with respect to the Initial Period, Subtenant will be responsible for only 50% of the Expenses and Taxes due. In addition, Subtenant will pay the Company a security deposit in the amount of $101,987.38 in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Sublease Agreement.

The Sublease Agreement contains customary provisions with respect to, among other things, Subtenant’s obligation to comply with the Irvine Lease and applicable laws, the payment of utilities and similar services utilized by Subtenant with respect its use of the Premises, the indemnification of the Company by Subtenant, and the right of the Company to terminate the Sublease Agreement in its entirety and retake the Premises if Subtenant fails to remedy certain defaults of its obligations under the Sublease Agreement within specified time periods.

Nashville Office Lease

On August 27, 2021, Oncocyte entered into a lease agreement to add an additional suite to its Nashville office space, containing approximately 1,928 square feet of rentable space located at 2 International Plaza, Suite 103, Nashville TN. The term of the lease commenced on October 1, 2021 and extends through April 9, 2024 and will serve as additional office space for Insight’s operations.

Embedded Operating Lease

On December 31, 2019, in connection with Oncocyte’s purchase of 25% of the outstanding equity of Razor, Oncocyte entered into a Laboratory Services Agreement with Razor and Encore Clinical, Inc. (“Encore”), a former stockholder of Razor (the “Laboratory Agreement”). Under the Laboratory Agreement (which expired on September 29, 2021), Oncocyte assumed all of Razor’s Laboratory Agreement payment obligations. Although Oncocyte is not a party to any lease agreement with Razor or Encore, under the terms of the Laboratory Agreement, Oncocyte received the landlord’s consent for the use of the laboratory at Razor’s Brisbane, California location (the “Brisbane Facility”) under the terms of a sublease to which Encore is the sublessee. The sublease expired on March 31, 2023 (the “Brisbane Lease”). The laboratory fee payments to Encore include both laboratory services and the use of the Brisbane Facility. Under the provisions of the Laboratory Agreement, if Oncocyte terminates the Laboratory Agreement prior to the expiration of the Brisbane Lease, Oncocyte shall assume the costs related to the subletting or early termination of the Brisbane Lease. The Laboratory Agreement terminated on March 31, 2023. Oncocyte determined that the Laboratory Agreement contains an embedded operating lease for the Brisbane Facility and Oncocyte allocated the aggregate payments to this lease component for purposes of calculating the net present value of the right-of-use asset and liability as of the inception of the Laboratory Agreement in accordance with ASC 842, as shown in the table below.

Our office leases are operating leases under ASC 842 and are included in the tables below. The tables below provide the amounts recorded in connection with the application of ASC 842 for Oncocyte’s operating and financing leases (see Note 2 for additional policy information).

Financing Lease

As of September 30, 2023, Oncocyte has one financing lease remaining through December 2023 for certain laboratory equipment with aggregate remaining payments of approximately $30,000 shown in the table below. Oncocyte’s lease obligations are collateralized by the equipment financed under the lease schedule.

Operating and Financing Leases

The following table presents supplemental balance sheet information related to operating and financing leases:

	September 30, 2023			December 31, 2022
	(In thousands)
Operating lease
Right-of-use assets, net	$	1,748		$	2,088
Right-of-use lease liabilities, current	$	653		$	698
Right-of-use lease liabilities, noncurrent		2,252			2,730
Total operating lease liabilities	$	2,905		$	3,428
Financing lease
Machinery and equipment	$	537		$	537
Accumulated depreciation		(528	)		(446	)
Machinery and equipment, net	$	9		$	91
Current liabilities	$	30		$	117
Noncurrent liabilities		-			-
Total financing lease liabilities	$	30		$	117
Weighted average remaining lease term
Operating lease		3.9 years			4.5 years
Financing lease		0.3 years			1.0 years
Weighted average discount rate
Operating lease		11.29	%		11.24	%
Financing lease		11.55	%		11.55	%

Future minimum lease commitments are as follows:

	Operating			Financing
	Leases			Leases
	(In thousands)
Year Ending December 31,
2023	$	255		$	31
2024		903			-
2025		869			-
2026		899			-
2027		695			-
Total minimum lease payments		3,621			31
Less amounts representing interest		(716	)		(1	)
Present value of net minimum lease payments	$	2,905		$	30

The following table presents supplemental cash flow information related to operating and financing leases:

	Nine Months Ended
	September 30,
	2023		2022
	(In thousands)
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of financing lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$	793	$	854
Operating cash flows from financing leases	$	7	$	77
Financing cash flows from financing leases	$	86	$	4

Litigation – General

Oncocyte may be subject to various claims and contingencies in the ordinary course of its business, including those related to litigation, business transactions, employee-related matters, and other matters. When Oncocyte is aware of a claim or potential claim, it assesses the likelihood of any loss or exposure. If it is probable that a loss will result and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated, Oncocyte will record a liability for the loss. If the loss is not probable or the amount of the loss cannot be reasonably estimated, Oncocyte discloses the claim if the likelihood of a potential loss is reasonably possible and the amount involved could be material.

Tax Filings

Oncocyte tax filings are subject to audit by taxing authorities in jurisdictions where it conducts business. These audits may result in assessments of additional taxes that are subsequently resolved with the authorities or potentially through the courts. Management believes Oncocyte has adequately provided for any ultimate amounts that are likely to result from these audits; however, final assessments, if any, could be significantly different than the amounts recorded in the consolidated financial statements.

Employment Contracts

Oncocyte has entered into employment and severance benefit contracts with certain executive officers. Under the provisions of the contracts, Oncocyte may be required to incur severance obligations for matters relating to changes in control, as defined, and certain terminations of executives. As of September 30, 2023, Oncocyte accrued approximately $2.7 million in severance obligations for certain executive officers, in accordance with the severance benefit provisions of their respective employment and severance benefit agreements, primarily related to Oncocyte’s acquisition of Chronix in 2021.

Indemnification

In the normal course of business, Oncocyte may provide indemnification of varying scope under Oncocyte’s agreements with other companies or consultants, typically Oncocyte’s clinical research organizations, investigators, clinical sites, suppliers and others. Pursuant to these agreements, Oncocyte will generally agree to indemnify, hold harmless, and reimburse the indemnified parties for losses and expenses suffered or incurred by the indemnified parties arising from claims of third parties in connection with the use or testing of Oncocyte’s diagnostic tests. Indemnification provisions could also cover third party infringement claims with respect to patent rights, copyrights, or other intellectual property pertaining to Oncocyte’s diagnostic tests. Oncocyte’s office and laboratory facility leases also will generally contain indemnification obligations, including obligations for indemnification of the lessor for environmental law matters and injuries to persons or property of others, arising from Oncocyte’s use or occupancy of the leased property. The term of these indemnification agreements will generally continue in effect after the termination or expiration of the particular research, development, services, lease, or license agreement to which they relate. The Razor Stock Purchase Agreement also contains provisions under which Oncocyte has agreed to indemnify Razor and Encore from losses and expenses resulting from breaches or inaccuracy of Oncocyte’s representations and warranties and breaches or nonfulfillment of Oncocyte’s covenants, agreements, and obligations under the Razor Stock Purchase Agreement. Oncocyte periodically enters into underwriting and securities sales agreements with broker-dealers in connection with the offer and sale of Oncocyte securities. The terms of those underwriting and securities sales agreements include indemnification provisions pursuant to which Oncocyte agrees to indemnify the broker-dealers from certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act, in connection with the offer and sale of Oncocyte securities. The potential future payments Oncocyte could be required to make under these indemnification agreements will generally not be subject to any specified maximum amounts. Historically, Oncocyte has not been subject to any claims or demands for indemnification. Oncocyte also maintains various liability insurance policies that limit Oncocyte’s financial exposure. As a result, Oncocyte management believes that the fair value of these indemnification agreements is minimal. Accordingly, Oncocyte has not recorded any liabilities for these agreements as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022.