Commitments and Contingencies |
Note 9. Commitments and Contingencies The Company records $7,500 a month as rent, overhead, and services due to Metropolitan Lumber Hardware Building Supplies, Inc, owned and operated by Robert Gans, the Company’s sole owner, for services rendered by the management of the Company. The Company incurred management service expenses of $90,000 and $90,000 as December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. The Company ceased leasing office space on December 31, 2020 from the Westside Realty Inc. of New York was owned and operated by Robert Gans, the Company’s majority shareholder, for $2,500 a month. The Company incurred rent expense of $-0- and $30,000 for the years ending December 31, 2021 and 2020. On or about July 27, 2018, Plaintiff Luisa Santos de Oliveira filed a Complaint against the Company and various other Defendants (the “Complaint”) alleging violations of both the Fair Labor Standard Act, as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq (“FLSA”) and New York Labor Laws (“NYLLs”). Plaintiff claimed that Defendants failed, inter alia, to pay her (1) statutory minimum wages; (2) overtime wages; and (3) spread of hours and wages. In addition, Plaintiff alleged that she never received any notices from Defendants that Defendants were taking a tip credit (i.e. reducing Plaintiff’s hourly pay in light of the fact that Plaintiff was receiving tips). Nor did she allegedly receive written notices of her hourly pay and overtime rates of pay or an accurate wage statement with each payment of wages. Finally, Plaintiff claimed that she was not reimbursed for equipment costs and that Defendants misappropriated tips she received from customers. On or about November 20, 2018, Defendants filed their Answer to the Complaint denying the aforementioned claims. On March 25, 2021, after paper discovery was completed, Plaintiff voluntarily dismissed her Complaint, with prejudice, against the Company, pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure § 41(a)(1)(A)(ii). On October 8, 2018, the Company was served with a Summons and Complaint in the action entitled Luisa Santos de Oliveira v. Scores Holding Company, Inc.; Club Azure, LLC; Robert Gans; Mark S. Yackow; Howard Rosenbluth, Docket No. 1:18-cv-06769-GBD, in the United States District Court of the Southern District The case was assigned to a Magistrate Judge. There was a conference on March 2, 2021 and a Scheduling Order was entered. On March 26, 2021, a Stipulation of Discontinuance was so ordered by the Federal Court, discontinuing all claims against the Company, Robert Gans, Mark S. Yackow and Howard Rosenbluth. Pending Court approval on May 12, 2023, a Stipulation of Voluntary Dismissal Without Prejudice was signed discontinuing all claims against Club Azure LLC. On September 5, 2019, the Company together with its subsidiary SLC filed a civil action in Supreme Court of New York, New York County against Scores Alabama. A cease and desist letter was sent. The Company finally entered into a license agreement as of March 5, 2020 with Cheetah Club, LLC for a club located in Huntsville, Alabama. They agreed to pay the arrears and then cease using the Scores brand by March 31, 2023. On April 11, 2023, the Company agreed to terminate the licensing agreement and settle this matter for $45,000, which was paid on May 23, 2023. It should be noted as outlined below the results of two separate events and their subsequent settlement agreements were offset against one another resulting in a third settlement agreement. First, effective February 28, 2017 (the “Effective Date”), the Company entered into separate Settlement Agreements (a “Royalty Settlement Agreement”) each with three licensees, IMO, Star Light and Swan (are sometimes referred to individually as a “Licensee” and collectively as the “Licensees”) controlled by Robert M. Gans, the Company’s President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of its Board of Directors. Pursuant to the Royalty Settlement Agreements, the Company forgave the repayment of a certain portion of unpaid, past-due royalties in return for the respective Licensees’ agreements to pay the remainder (the “Royalty Settlement Amount”) of the unpaid royalties, plus interest, to the Company. The Royalty Settlement Amount for each Licensee was represented by a promissory note. IMO, Star Light and Swan owed the Company an aggregate of $255,406, $75,000, and $50,000 respectively in full settlement of unpaid royalties and other fees (the “Royalty Amount”). The settlement amounts were payable pursuant to promissory notes in monthly installments commencing March 1, 2017, and bears simple interest at the rate of 4% per year. Robert M. Gans is a majority owner of the equity of each of the Licensees and guaranteed the payment of each Licensee’s obligations under each of the 3 Settlement Documents. The Licensees were not current with respect to their obligations under the Settlement Documents and the Company did not call upon Mr. Gans to honor his Guaranties. Second, on April 3, 2016, 50 individuals purporting to be professional models and/or actresses collectively, (the “Plaintiffs”) filed a civil suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against the Company, I.M. Operating, LLC, The Executive Club, LLC, and Robert M. Gans, collectively the (the “Defendants”) alleging that images of Plaintiffs were used without their consent for commercial purposes on websites and social media outlets to promote gentlemen’s clubs operated by the Defendants or licensees of the Defendants (the “Lawsuit”) and (the “Voronina Matter”). In July 2018, the Company entered into a confidential settlement agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) in the Voronina litigation, and on August 4, 2018, the Court entered an order dismissing the plaintiff’s claims against the Defendants with prejudice and settled the Plaintiffs claims in the Voronina matter for $1,310,000 (the “Voronina Settlement Agreement”). See Note 7 for additional information. The Company had insufficient liquid resources to enable it to make a portion of the settlement payments called for by the Voronina Settlement Agreement. Metropolitan, made loans to the Company in the aggregate amount of $770,000 to enable the Company to make the payments under the Voronina Settlement Agreement. On December 1, 2018, the balance due Metropolitan inclusive of interest was $781,399. Third, the past due amounts including principal and interest under the Royalty Settlement Agreements were $382,259 as of December 1, 2018. On this date the Company entered into an agreement (the “Settlement and Offset Agreement”) to offset the Royalty Amount owed to the Company against the Voronina Amount owed to Metropolitan, thereby reducing the amount owed by the Company to Metropolitan to $399,139 (the “Net Voronina Amount”) pursuant to the terms of a Settlement and Offset Agreement made by and among the Company, Star Light, Swan, Metropolitan and Robert M. Gans. The Net Voronina Amount is payable pursuant to a promissory note (the “Voronina Note”), which bears simple interest at the rate of 4% per annum, in 86 consecutive monthly installments of $5,000 and a final installment of $1,370, with the initial installment due and payable on February 1, 2022 (or the first business day thereafter). The Company may prepay the Voronina Note at any time, in whole or in part without premium or penalty. The Offset Agreement also provides for the immediate termination of the Royalty Settlement Agreements and the related promissory notes and guarantees. On March 28, 2022, the entire balance due of the Voronina Note in the amount of $373,068 was paid in full. In an action entitled Jane Doe v. Scores Holding Company, Inc., Scores Licensing Corp., Tampa Food and Hospitality Corp., d/b/a Scores Tampa, et al, filed in the Circuit Court of the 13th Judicial Circuit, Hillsborough County, in the State of Florida, the Plaintiff states causes of action for negligence, negligence per se, battery, unjust enrichment, and sexual abuse of a minor stemming from allegations that she was a victim of sex trafficking through the Scores adult entertainment club located in Tampa, Florida (“Scores Tampa”). A motion to dismiss for, inter alia, lack of personal jurisdiction was denied. The undersigned was then substituted in as counsel in July of 2020 for the Company and its’ subsidiary, SLC. After completing discovery, the parties participated in a court ordered mediation and non-binding arbitration. Because the parties were not able to settle this matter, they participated in an arbitration hearing wherein both the Company and SLC argued that the case should not continue against them because the Company, as simply the owner of the “Scores” brand and trademarks, did not own, operate or otherwise control Scores Tampa or employ, manage, or otherwise control Plaintiff’s employment. The arbitrator found in favor of the Company and its’ subsidiary SLC; but, because the arbitration was non-binding, the case was set for trial. On the eve of trial, Plaintiff’s counsel sought and received permission from the Court to amend Plaintiff’s Complaint. They also indicated that they were not continuing their claims against the Company or SLC. Plaintiff then filed an Amended Complaint on July 19, 2023 that did not include the Company or SLC as defendants. As such, this legal proceeding is no longer pending against the Company or SLC. On July 15, 2019, plaintiff Jeremy Green, a former consultant to Swan Media Group, Inc (“SMG”), commenced an action in U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York against Scores Holding Co., Inc., Scores Media Group LLC, Scores Digital Gaming LLC (“SDG”) and individual defendants Robert Gans and Charilaos Yioves seeking to recover from all defendants under various theories of breach of contract, unjust enrichment, promissory estoppels, fraudulent inducement and breach of implied duty of good faith and fair dealing. On October 6, 2022 to avoid expense, inconvenience, and uncertainty of further litigation, the Company has agreed to settle this matter for $10,000. Greene will receive the settlement sum in two payments of $5,000 each. The first settlement payment was made upon execution of the settlement agreement and the second payment will be due thirty days after the first payment. Finally, in an action entitled Jessica Hall v. Scores Holding Company, Inc., et al, filed in Federal Court, Southern District of New York, the Plaintiff claims that, while she worked at a an adult entertainment establishment located in New York, New Yor, commonly known as Scores NY, she was discriminated and retaliated against because of her race in violation of both Federal and State law. A motion for default judgment was denied, and Plaintiff was granted permission to file and serve an Amended Complaint. The likelihood of success on the merits is negligible because the Company, as simply the owner of the “Scores” brand and trademarks, did not own, operate or otherwise control Scores NY or employ, manage, or otherwise control Plaintiff’s employment. Towards that end, a motion for summary judgment was fully submitted on behalf of the Company on June 24, 2022. Unfortunately, the Court denied the Company’s motion because Plaintiff had not been given the opportunity to depose any witnesses. All depositions have since been taken. The parties are very close to settling this matter for a nominal amount. If the case cannot be settled, then the Company will submit a second motion seeking summary judgment, which should be granted given that both the documents and deposition testimony clearly show that the Company did not manage or otherwise control Plaintiff’s employment. There are no other material legal proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its property is subject, nor to the Company’s knowledge are any such proceedings threatened.
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