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Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies  
Commitments and Contingencies

11. Commitments and Contingencies

Office Lease. The future contractual lease payments for our office lease and the reconciliation to the office lease liability reflected in other liabilities in our condensed consolidated balance sheets as of June 30, 2022 is presented in the table below (in thousands):

Year

    

Amount

2022 (six months ending December 31)

$

241

2023

 

496

2024

 

511

2025

 

526

2026

 

543

Thereafter

 

45

Total future contractual lease payments

 

2,362

Effect of discounting

 

(305)

Office lease liability

$

2,057

Improvement Allowances. As of June 30, 2022, we had approximately $194.4 million of commitments related to improvement allowances, which generally may be requested by the tenants at any time up until a date that is near the expiration of the initial term of the applicable lease.

Construction Loan. As of June 30, 2022, we had approximately $802,000 of commitments related to our construction loan for the development of a regulated cannabis cultivation and processing facility in California. The developer is required to complete construction by December 1, 2022, subject to extension in certain circumstances.

Environmental Matters. We follow the policy of monitoring our properties, both targeted acquisition and existing properties, for the presence of hazardous or toxic substances. While there can be no assurance that a material environmental liability does not exist, we are not currently aware of any environmental liabilities that would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow, or that we believe would require disclosure or the recording of a loss contingency.

Litigation.

Class Action Lawsuit

On April 25, 2022, a federal securities class action lawsuit was filed against the Company and certain of its officers. The case was named Michael V. Malozzi, individually and on behalf of others similarly situated v. Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc., Paul Smithers, Catherine Hastings and Andy Bui, Case No. 2-22-cv-02359, and was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The lawsuit was purportedly brought on behalf of purchasers of our common stock and alleges that we and certain of our officers made false or misleading statements regarding our business in violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), SEC Rule 10b-5, and Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act. According to the filed complaint, the plaintiff is seeking an undetermined amount of damages, interest, attorneys’ fees and costs and other relief on behalf of the putative classes of all persons who acquired shares of the Company’s common stock between May 7, 2020 and April 13, 2022. It is possible that similar lawsuits may yet be filed in the same or other courts that name the same or additional defendants. We intend to defend the lawsuit vigorously. However, at this time, we cannot predict the probable outcome of this action, and, accordingly, no amounts have been accrued in the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

Derivative Action Lawsuit

On July 26, 2022, a derivative action lawsuit was filed against the Company and certain of its officers and directors. The case was named John Rice, derivatively on behalf of Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc. v. Paul Smithers, Catherine Hastings, Andy Bui, Alan Gold, Gary Kreitzer, Mary Curran, Scott Shoemaker, David Stecher, and Innovative Industrial Properties, Inc., and was filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland. The lawsuit asserts putative derivative claims for breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, and waste of corporate assets against the directors and certain officers of the Company.  The plaintiffs are seeking declaratory relief, direction to reform and improve corporate governance and internal procedures, and an undetermined amount of damages, restitution, interest, and attorneys’ fees and costs. The Company intends to vigorously defend this lawsuit. However, at this time, the Company cannot predict the probable outcome of this action, and, accordingly, no amounts have been accrued in the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

Kings Garden Lawsuit

On July 13, 2022, one of our tenants, Kings Garden Inc. (“Kings Garden”), defaulted on its obligations to pay base rent and property management fees for the month of July under each of its six leases with our indirect, wholly owned subsidiary, IIP-CA 2 LP, and defaulted on its obligations to reimburse us for certain insurance premiums at the properties incurred by us that are payable by Kings Garden as operating expenses under such leases. Kings Garden’s monetary default under its leases with us was approximately $2.2 million in the aggregate, consisting of approximately $1.8 million of base rent and property management fees for the month of July and approximately $382,000 of insurance premiums, but excluding applicable late charges and default interest. We applied a portion of the security deposits under the leases, totaling approximately $2.3 million, as payment for these amounts, as well as applicable late charges and default interest through July 13, 2022. Of the six properties leased to Kings Garden, four were operational, with an expansion project at one of those properties, and the other two properties were in development or redevelopment as of June 30, 2022.

On July 25, 2022, IIP-CA 2 LP filed a lawsuit against Kings Garden. The case was named IIP-CA 2 LP, a Delaware limited partnership v. Kings Garden Inc., a Nevada corporation, CK Endeavors, Inc., a California corporation, and JM Endeavors, Inc., a California corporation, and was filed in the Superior Court of the State of California. The lawsuit asserts claims for breach of contract, declaratory relief, and injunctive relief. On August 2, 2022, the case was amended to be named IIP-CA 2 LP, a Delaware limited partnership v. Kings Garden Inc., a Nevada corporation, CK Endeavors, Inc., a California corporation,  JM Endeavors, Inc., a California corporation, Michael King, an individual, Gary LaSalle, an individual, Charles Kieley, an individual, and Laurie Kibby, an individual, and to include claims relating to construction at the expansion project and the property that was under redevelopment as of June 30, 2022 for breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, conversion, theft by false pretenses, money had and received, and violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (18 U.S.C. Section 1962(c)). We are seeking monetary damages, interest, attorneys’ fees, and declaratory and injunctive relief. Although there is at least a reasonable possibility that a loss may have been incurred in connection with the default by Kings Garden and the related construction projects, as of June 30, 2022, we are unable to make such an estimate.

We may, from time to time, be a party to other legal proceedings, which arise in the ordinary course of our business. Although the results of these proceedings, claims, inquiries, and investigations cannot be predicted with certainty, we do not believe that the final outcome of these matters is reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. Regardless of final outcomes, however, any such proceedings, claims, inquiries, and investigations may nonetheless impose a significant burden on management and employees and may come with significant defense costs or unfavorable preliminary and interim rulings.