COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

12 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2019

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Certain conditions may exist as of the date the consolidated financial statements are issued, which may result in a loss to the Company but which will only be resolved when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. The Company’s management and its legal counsel assess such contingent liabilities, and such assessment inherently involves an exercise of judgment. In assessing loss contingencies related to legal proceedings that are pending against the Company or unasserted claims that may result in such proceedings, the Company’s legal counsel evaluates the perceived merits of any legal proceedings or unasserted claims, as well as the perceived merits of the amount of relief sought or expected to be sought therein.

If the assessment of a contingency indicates that it is probable that a material loss has been or is probable of being incurred and the amount of the liability can be estimated, then the estimated liability would be accrued in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. If the assessment indicates that a potentially material loss contingency is not probable, but is reasonably possible, or is probable but cannot be estimated, then the nature of the contingent liability, together with an estimate of the range of possible loss if determinable and material, would be disclosed.

Loss contingencies considered remote are generally not disclosed unless they involve guarantees, in which case the nature of the guarantee would be disclosed.

The Company’s Exit from Brazil

On March 9, 2015, Lakeland Brazil, S.A. changed its legal form to a Limitada and changed its name to Lake Brasil Industria E Comercio de Roupas E Equipamentos de Protecao Individual LTDA (“Lakeland Brazil”).

Transfer of Shares Agreement

On July 31, 2015 (the “Closing Date”), Lakeland and Lakeland Brazil, completed a conditional closing of a Shares Transfer Agreement (the “Shares Transfer Agreement”) with Zap Comércio de Brindes Corporativos Ltda (“Transferee”), a company owned by an existing Lakeland Brazil manager, entered into on June 19, 2015. Pursuant to the Shares Transfer Agreement, the Transferee has acquired all of the shares of Lakeland Brazil owned by the Company. Pursuant to the Shares Transfer Agreement, Transferee paid R$1.00 to the Company and assumed all liabilities and obligations of Lakeland Brazil, whether arising prior to, on or after the Closing Date. In order to help enable Lakeland Brazil to have sufficient funds to continue to operate for a period of at least two years following the Closing Date, the Company provided funding to Lakeland Brazil in the aggregate amount of USD $1,130,000, in cash, in the form of a capital raise, on or prior to the Closing Date, and agreed to provide an additional R$582,000 (approximately USD $188,000) (the “Additional Amount”), in the form of a capital raise, to be utilized by Lakeland Brazil to pay off certain specified liabilities and other potential contingent liabilities. Pursuant to the Shares Transfer Agreement, the Company paid R$992,000 (approximately USD $320,000) in cash, on July 1, 2015 and issued a non-interest bearing promissory note for the payment to be due for the Additional Amount (R$582,000) (approximately USD $188,000) on the Closing Date which was paid to Lakeland Brazil in two (2) installments of (i) R$288,300 (approximately USD $82,000) which was paid on August 1, 2015, and (ii) R$294,500 (approximately USD $84,000) on September 1, 2015. The closing of this agreement was subject to Brazilian government approval of the shares transfer, which was received in October 2015 (The “Final Closing Date”).

Although the Company formally completed the terms of the “Shares Transfer Agreement”, pursuant to which our entire equity interest in our former Brazilian subsidiary (“Lakeland Brazil”) was transferred during the fiscal year ended January 31, 2016, we may continue to be exposed to certain liabilities arising in connection with the operations of Lakeland Brazil, which was shut down in late March 2019. The Company understands that under the laws of Brazil, a parent company may be held liable for the liabilities of a former Brazilian subsidiary in the event of fraud, misconduct, or under various theories. In this respect, as regards labor claims, a parent company could conceivably be held liable for the liabilities of a former Brazilian subsidiary. Although the Company would have the right of adversary system, full defense and due process, in case of a potential litigation, there can be no assurance as to the findings of the courts in Brazil. 

Settlement Agreement – Arbitration Debt

On June 18, 2015, Lakeland and its then wholly owned subsidiary Lakeland Brazil (together with Lakeland, the “Brazil Co”), entered into an Amendment (the “Amendment”) to a Settlement Agreement, dated as of September 11, 2012 (the “Settlement Agreement”), with two former officers (the “former officers”) of Lakeland Brazil. As part of the original Settlement Agreement, the parties resolved all alleged outstanding claims against Lakeland Brazil arising from an arbitration proceeding in Brazil involving Lakeland Brazil and the former officers of Lakeland Brazil for an aggregate amount of approximately USD $8.5 million payable by Lakeland Brazil to the former officers over a period of six (6) years. As of the June 18, 2015 settlement date, there was a balance of USD $3.75 million (the “Outstanding Amount”) owed under the Settlement Agreement, which Outstanding Amount was to be paid by the Company in quarterly installments of USD $250,000 through December 31, 2018.

Pursuant to the Amendment, the former officers agreed to fully and finally settle the Outstanding Amount owed by the Company for an aggregate lump sum payment of USD $3.41 million, resulting in a gain of USD $224,000 after allowing for imputed interest on the original Settlement Agreement. Within five days of receipt of such payment, the former officers provided to Lakeland Brazil the documents needed to have their lien securing payment of the Outstanding Amount removed on certain real estate owned by Lakeland Brazil and such lien was removed. The Amendment also contains a general release of claims by the former officers in favor of the Company and its past or present officers, directors, and other affiliates. The Company’s senior lender at the time, AloStar Bank of Commerce, consented to the transactions in the Amendment.

Loan Agreement with Transferee of Brazil Operations

The Company had entered into a loan agreement (the “Loan Agreement”) on December 11, 2015 with Lakeland Brazil for the amount of R$8,584,012 (approximately USD $2.29 million) for the purpose of providing funds necessary for Lakeland Brazil to settle its largest outstanding VAT claim with the State of Bahia. The Company determined that a reserve against the collection of this loan in full was prudent and recorded this charge in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2016. The Company determined in the current fiscal year ended January 31, 2019 this note would not be repaid and therefore wrote it off in its entirety.

VAT Tax Issues in Brazil

Value Added Tax (“VAT”) in Brazil is charged at the state level. We commenced operations in Brazil in May 2008 through an acquisition of Qualytextil, S.A., which subsequently became Lake Brasil Indústria e Comércio de Roupas e Equipamentos de Proteção Individual Ltda. (referred to in this Form 10-K as “Lakeland Brazil”). An audit performed on the VAT for the 2007-2009 period was completed by the State of Bahia (state of domicile for the Lakeland operations in Brazil). In October 2010, the Company received four claims for 2007-2009 from the State of Bahia, the largest of which was for taxes of R$6.2 million (USD $2.3 million) and interest, penalties and fees of R$8.3 million (USD $3.1 million), for a total of R$14.6 million (USD $5.4 million).  This large VAT claim was settled in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2016 using funds from the loan described above. Of other claims, our attorney informed us that three claims totaling R$1.3 million (USD $0.5 million) excluding interest, penalties and fees of R$2.7 million (USD $0.9 million) were likely to be successfully defended based on state auditor misunderstanding. Any liabilities hereunder are the responsibility of Lakeland Brazil which, as described above, is no longer owned by the Company.

Labor Claims in Brazil

As disclosed in our periodic filings with the SEC, we agreed to make certain payments in connection with ongoing labor litigation involving our former Brazilian subsidiary. While the vast majority of these labor suits have been resolved, there are labor cases that remain active and a civil case filed by a former officer of our former Brazilian subsidiary, in which Lakeland was named as a co-defendant.

The first case was initially filed in 2010 claiming USD $100,000 owed to plaintiff. This case is on its final appeal to the Brazilian Supreme Court, having already been ruled upon in favor of Lakeland three (3) times, most recently by the Labor Court Supreme Court. The claimant having lost four (4) times previously, management firmly believes that Lakeland will continue to prevail in this case.  A second case filed against Lakeland by a former officer of Lakeland Brazil , was filed in Labor court in 2014 claiming Lakeland owed USD $300,000. The Labor court ruled that the claimant’s case was outside of the scope of the Labor court and the case was dismissed. The claimant is appealing within the Labor court system. A third case filed by a former Lakeland Brazil manager in 2014 was ruled upon in civil court and awarded the claimant USD $100,000. Both the claimant and Lakeland have appealed this decision.  In the last case a former officer of our former Brazilian subsidiary filed a claim seeking approximately USD $700,000 that he alleges is due to him against an unpaid promissory note. Lakeland has not been served with process and no decision on the merits has been issued in this case yet. Management firmly believes these claims to be without any merit and does not anticipate a negative outcome resulting in significant expense to us.

Lakeland Brazil may face new labor lawsuits in the short term as a result of the shutdown of its operations in March 2019. The Company has no obligation under the Shares Transfer Agreement to make any additional payments in connection with these potential new labor lawsuits. The Company also understands that under the labor laws of Brazil, a parent company may be held liable for the labor liabilities of a former Brazilian subsidiary in the case of fraud, misconduct, or under various theories.

Although the Company would have the right of adversary system, full defense and due process in case of a potential litigation, there can be no assurance as to the findings of the courts of Brazil. 

There are additional cases in Labor and Civil courts against Lakeland Brazil in which Lakeland is not a party, and other outstanding monetary alligations of Lakeland Brazil.

In FY19, the Company recorded an accrual of $1.2 million for professional fees and litigation reserves associated with labor claims in Brazil. The accrual on the balance sheet at January 31, 2019 is $1.2 million.

Labor contingencies in Brazil

Lakeland Brazil, the Company’s former subsidiary, is currently named in four labor proceedings in Brazilian courts and, due to certain liability assumption provisions specified in the Shares Transfer Agreement, the Company recorded a liability totaling $0.4 million in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2019 to reflect this contingency. The accrual on the balance sheet at January 31, 2019 is $0.4 million (see Note 12). Update for additional $800K

General litigation contingencies

The Company is involved in various litigation proceedings arising during the normal course of business which, in the opinion of the management of the Company, will not have a material effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows; however, there can be no assurance as to the ultimate outcome of these matters. As of January 31, 2019, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, there were no outstanding claims or litigation, except for the labor contingencies in Brazil described above.

Employment Contracts

The Company has employment contracts expiring through fiscal year ending January 31, 2020, with four principal officers. Pursuant to such contracts, the Company is committed to aggregate annual base remuneration of $890,000 and $175,417 for FY20 and FY21, respectively.

Leases

Total rental costs under all operating leases are summarized as follows:

Year ended January 31,	Gross rental
2019	$1,022,162
2018	$841,235

Minimum annual rental commitments for the remaining term of the Company’s noncancelable operating leases relating to manufacturing facilities, office space and equipment rentals at January 31, 2019, including lease renewals subsequent to year end, are summarized as follows:

Year ending January 31,
2020	761,350
2021	446,494
2022	435,310
2023	313,633
2024	8,418
and thereafter	8,944
Total	$1,974,149