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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
9 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Commitments And Contingencies  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
NOTE 10. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
 
Change in Composition of our Board of Directors
 
In June 2012, AO Partners Group, whose members then owned approximately 22% of our outstanding common stock, nominated a slate of three director nominees, Messrs. Nicholas J. Swenson, Raymond E. Cabillot and William J. Farrell III, (the “AO Nominees”) to run in opposition to the slate of five director nominees placed into nomination by our then-incumbent Board of Directors (the “Pro-Dex Nominees”). At its January 17, 2013 Annual Meeting, our shareholders elected the three AO Nominees and two Pro-Dex Nominees, Messrs. William L. Healey (an incumbent member of our Board of Directors) and David C. Hovda, to fill the five seats on our new Board of Directors. As a result, the new Board of Directors is composed of four new members and one continuing member. At its February 4, 2013 meeting, the Board of Directors elected Mr. Swenson as Chairman, Mr. Cabillot as Chair of the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee, and Mr. Hovda as Chair of the Audit Committee.
 
The degree of change in composition of our Board as described above constitutes a “change of control” as that term is defined in existing change of control agreements we previously entered into with members of senior management (“Change of Control Agreements”) and as defined in our Stock Option Plans. The impact on the accompanying financial statements of the change of control as defined in these instruments and the remaining potential effects of the change of control are as follows:
 
Change of Control Agreements
 
The Change of Control Agreements provide that, if the individual’s employment with us involuntarily terminates (as such term is defined in the Change of Control Agreements) within 12 months after a change of control, the individual will receive, subject to signing a release of claims, (i) a lump sum amount equal to 30 weeks base compensation of the individual at the time of such termination and (ii) 100% Company-paid insurance coverage as provided to the individual immediately prior to his termination of employment for a period equal to the earlier of (i) 12 months following termination or (ii) until the individual becomes covered under another employer’s insurance plan. In addition, the individual shall be entitled to receive bonus or compensation award payments, if any, in accordance with the terms of our incentive compensation plans in which the individual was an eligible participant at the time of the termination.
 
As discussed further below, on February 25, 2013, Michael J. Berthelot the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and President, was separated from the Company. In connection with the separation, Mr. Berthelot was paid, among other items, $165,423 as contemplated by his Change of Control Agreement.  Also on that date, Harold A. Hurwitz began service as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and President. Mr. Hurwitz had been the Company’s Chief Financial Officer and continues to serve in such capacity concurrent with his service as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and President.
 
After giving effect to our payment to Mr. Berthelot under his Change of Control Agreement as described above, we have remaining Change of Control Agreements with five members of senior management who could be entitled to benefits under such Agreements in the event of termination under the conditions described above and whose annual base compensation aggregates $900,000.
 
Stock Option Plans
 
In the event of a change of control, our Board has the discretion to accelerate the vesting of any outstanding options or shares of restricted stock held by employees. At its meeting on February 4, 2013, the Board did not take action to effect such acceleration. Vesting of outstanding options held by members of our Board would be automatically accelerated as a result of
 

a change of control. However, at January 17, 2013, all outstanding options held by members of our Board were already fully vested under such options’ terms.
 
Board Compensation
 
From July 1, 2010 until May 2, 2013, the compensation plan for non-employee directors (the “2010 Plan”) of the Board provided for the following:
 
 
An annual retainer of $24,000 for each director;
 
 
An additional annual retainer of $7,000 for the Board Chairman or Lead Director, and $5,000 for each Board Committee Chair;
 
 
Fees ranging from $500 to $1,000 for participation in Board or Committee meetings in excess of six per year; and
 
 
An option grant under the Directors Plan (as defined in Note 8) for the purchase of (i) 15,000 shares of common stock upon the director’s initial election or appointment to the Board, and (ii) 10,000 shares of common stock upon the director’s re-election to the Board.
 
On February 4, 2013, Messrs. Swenson, Cabillot and Farrell each opted to waive (a) receipt of stock options they were otherwise entitled to receive upon their election to the Board at the January 17, 2013 Annual Meeting of our shareholders, and (b) any cash retainers or meeting fees in excess of $200 per meeting and $2,000 per year.
 

At its meeting on May 2, 2013, our Board replaced the 2010 Plan with the 2013 Directors’ Compensation Plan (the “2013 Plan”) that provides for the following:

·Fees of $200 for participation in Board or Committee meetings, to a maximum of $2,000 per fiscal year;
·An annual retainer of $23,000 for the Audit Committee Chair (which may be modified in compensating any future Audit Committee Chair)
 
Change in Chief Executive Officer
 
In connection with Mr. Berthelot’s separation of employment, as described above, the Company and Mr. Berthelot entered into a Separation Agreement and General Release of All Claims (“Separation Agreement”) concerning the conclusion of Mr. Berthelot’s employment services with the Company. Under the terms of the Separation Agreement, Mr. Berthelot was paid all unpaid base salary and unreimbursed business expenses for the period through February 25, 2013 plus his prorated portion under the Company’s Long Term Incentive Plan in the amount of $1,971, in addition to the $165,423 under the terms of the Change of Control Agreement described above and as additional consideration for the release of claims under the terms of the Separation Agreement.  In addition, as a result of Mr. Berthelot’s separation, the option to purchase 200,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, issued to Mr. Berthelot in May 2012 pursuant to his appointment as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, expired as unvested and unexercised.
 
In connection with Mr. Hurwitz’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer and President (in addition to his existing duties as Chief Financial Officer) as described above, Mr. Hurwitz’s base compensation was increased to an annualized rate of $225,000.  All other terms of Mr. Hurwitz’s employment remained unchanged.
 
Legal Matters
 
In February 2011, we became aware of a report entitled “Site Discovery Report, Southeast Santa Ana Project DTSC – Cypress Region,” dated February 2010 (the “Report”), that was prepared by the Cypress regional office of the Cal/EPA Department of Toxic Substances Control (“DTSC”) for Region 9 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) under an agreement between the two agencies. The purpose of the Report was to identify sites within an area of southeast Santa Ana, California that may be sources of groundwater contamination previously detected in that area. The Report identified 25 sites, including our former Santa Ana site, for further screening by DTSC staff. DTSC has informed us that no further evaluation of our former site has taken place subsequent to the Report’s issuance, and that no such evaluation is planned for fiscal year 2013. It is uncertain whether future developments, if any, from DTSC’s screening process would have any application to our former site.
 
In general, we are from time to time a party to various legal proceedings incidental to our business, none of which we consider may be material. There can be no certainty, however, that we may not ultimately incur liability or that such liability will not be material and adverse.