XML 46 R18.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.6.0.2
Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
12. Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments
The Company acquires assets still in development and enters into research and development arrangements with third parties that often require milestone and royalty payments to the third party contingent upon the occurrence of certain future events linked to the success of the asset in development. Milestone payments may be required, up to an aggregate of $7.5 million, contingent upon the successful achievement of an important point in the development life-cycle of the pharmaceutical product (e.g., approval of the product for marketing by a regulatory agency). If required, CytRx may also have to make royalty payments, based upon a percentage of the sales of the pharmaceutical product. In respect of aldoxorubicin, it agreed to pay up to a maximum amount of approximately $18.3 million, payable in shares of its common stock, in the event that regulatory approval for marketing is obtained.
These arrangements may be material individually, and in the unlikely event that milestones for multiple products covered by these arrangements were reached in the same period, the aggregate charge to expense could be material to the results of operations in any one period. In addition, these arrangements often give CytRx the discretion to unilaterally terminate development of the product, which would allow CytRx to avoid making the contingent payments; however, CytRx is unlikely to cease development if the compound successfully achieves clinical testing objectives.
CytRx's current contractual obligations that will require future cash payments are as follows (in thousands):
  
Operating Leases
(1)
  
Employment Agreements
(2)
  
Research and Development (3)
  
Total
 
2017
 
$
397
  
$
3,257
  
$
19,325
  
$
22,979
 
2018
  
373
   
1,682
   
47
   
2,102
 
  2019
  
278
   
1,057
   
37
   
1,372
 
  2020
  
59
   
1,057
   
   
1,116
 
2021
  
   
1,057
   
   
1,057
 
  Thereafter
  
   
   
   
 
Total
 
$
1,107
  
$
8,110
  
$
19,409
  
$
8,626
 
____________
  
(1)
Operating leases are primarily facility lease related obligations, as well as equipment lease obligations with third party vendors. The Company recognized rent expenses of $358,247, $351,075, and $335,991 in 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
  
(2)
Employment agreements include management contracts which have been revised from time to time. The employment agreement for the Company's executive officers provide for minimum salaries, which are adjusted annually at the discretion of the Company's Compensation Committee, and in some cases provide for minimum annual bonuses and employee benefits, as well.  New employment agreements for the Company's other executive officers are usually entered into annually or biennially.
  
(3)
Research and development obligations relate primarily to clinical trials. All of these purchase obligations are cancelable.
  
 
Contingencies
The Company applies the disclosure provisions of ASC 460, Guarantees ("ASC 460") to its agreements that contain guarantees or indemnities by the Company. The Company provides (i) indemnifications of varying scope and size to certain investors and other parties for certain losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified party in connection with various types of third-party claims; and (ii) indemnifications of varying scope and size to officers and directors against third party claims arising from the services they provide to the Company.

Shareholder Derivative Action in California.  On August 14, 2014, a shareholder derivative lawsuit, captioned Pankratz v. Kriegsman, et al., 2:14-cv-06414-PA-JPR, was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California purportedly on our behalf against certain of our officers and each of our directors. On August 15, 2014, a virtually identical complaint was filed, captioned Taylor v. Kriegsman, et al., 2:14-cv-06451.  Each of the complaints alleged breach of fiduciary duties, unjust enrichment, gross mismanagement, abuse of control, insider selling and misappropriation of information in connection with our alleged retention of DreamTeamGroup and MissionIR, as well as our December 9, 2013 grant of stock options to certain board members and officers. The complaint seeks unspecified damages, corporate governance and internal procedures reforms, restitution, disgorgement of all profits, benefits, and other compensation obtained by the individual defendants, and the costs and disbursements of the action. On October 8, 2014, the Court consolidated the Pankratz and Taylor cases and appointed lead plaintiffs and co-lead counsel. After a series of procedural events including an intervening stay of the action, on November 2, 2015, the Court granted the defendants' motion to dismiss the consolidated action on grounds of forum non conveniens, largely based on our by-law requiring derivative actions to be filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery.  On November 17, 2015, Plaintiffs filed an appeal with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  While the case was pending on appeal, on December 22, 2015, the parties executed a Memorandum of Understanding to settle the derivative action.  On April 4, 2016, the plaintiffs filed a Motion for Preliminary Approval of the Shareholder Derivative Settlement in the District Court.  On May 31, 2016, however, the Court denied without prejudice the Motion for Preliminary Approval of the Settlement on procedural grounds that included the Court's view that the settlement could not be considered until the Court's November 2 judgment dismissing the case was vacated.  The Court granted the parties the opportunity to file a motion to set aside the November 2 judgment.  However, on August 17, 2016, the Court denied the parties' motion to set aside the judgment.  No party took an appeal.  Accordingly, the derivative litigation in California has concluded.
Shareholder Derivative Actions in Delaware.  There are two competing derivative complaints pending in the Delaware Court of Chancery alleging claims related to our alleged retention of DreamTeamGroup and MissionIR.  On December 14, 2015, a shareholder derivative complaint, captioned Niedermeyer et al. v. Kriegsman et al., C.A. No. 11800, was filed against certain of our officers and directors, for which a second amended complaint was filed on October 12, 2016.  On September 6, 2016, one of the plaintiffs in the California litigation (discussed above) effectively refiled his complaint in the Delaware Court of Chancery, with the case captioned Taylor v. Kriegsman, C.A. No. 12720.   Following competing motions for appointment of a lead plaintiff and lead counsel, On February 22, 2017, the Court of Chancery appointed Niedermeyer et al.as lead plaintiffs in the complaint.  The Company and the defendant officers and defendants will be responding appropriately to the operative complaint.
Class Action in California.  On July 25 and 29, 2016, nearly identical class action complaints were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, titled Crihfield v. CytRx Corp., et al., Case No. 2:16-cv-05519 and Dorce v. CytRx Corp., Case No. 2:16-cv-05666 alleging that we and certain of our officers violated the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by allegedly making materially false and/or misleading statements, and/or failing to disclose material adverse facts to the effect that the clinical hold placed on the Phase 3 trial of aldoxorubicin for STS would prevent sufficient follow-up for patients involved in the study, thus requiring further analysis, which could cause the trial's results and/or FDA approval to be materially adversely affected or delayed.  The plaintiffs allege that such wrongful acts and omissions caused significant losses and damages to a class of persons and entities that acquired our securities between November 18, 2014 and July 11, 2016, and seek an award of compensatory damages, costs and expenses, including counsel and expert fees, and such other and further relief as the Court may deem just and proper. On October 26, 2016, the Court entered an Order consolidating the actions titled In re: CytRx Corporation Securities Litigation, Master File No. 16-cv-05519-SJO and appointing a Lead Plaintiff and Lead Counsel. On January 13, 2017, a first amended complaint was filed in the Crihfield matter, which is now the controlling pleading. The Company and the individual defendants will be filing a motion to dismiss the first amended complaint on or before March 14, 2017.
The Company intends to vigorously defend against the foregoing complaints. CytRx has directors' and officers' liability insurance, which will be utilized in the defense of these matters. The liability insurance may not cover all of the future liabilities the Company may incur in connection with the foregoing matters. These claims are subject to inherent uncertainties, and management's view of these matters may change in the future.
The Company evaluates developments in legal proceedings and other matters on a quarterly basis. The Company records accruals for loss contingencies to the extent that the Company concludes that it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the related loss can be reasonably estimated. The Company has accrued $0.7 million of litigation settlement related to Shareholder Derivative actions.