Cardiff Lexington Corp 10-K for FY2024
Cardiff Lexington Corp (CDIX)
About this 10-K
Cardiff Lexington Corp filed this 10-K on March 14, 2025, covering the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 (FY2024).
Headline figures
Fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, as reported in this filing, compared with the same period a year earlier where the filing states it.
- Revenue
- $8.27M
- down 30.2% from $11.85M a year earlier
- Net loss
- $3.3M
- compared with net income of $3.03M a year earlier
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
For the fiscal year ended:
For the transition period from ____________ to _____________
Commission File No.
| (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) |
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Stock, $0.001 par value
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by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐
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by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐
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by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2)
has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
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by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule
405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer ☐ | Accelerated filer ☐ | |
| Smaller reporting company | ||
| Emerging growth company |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
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by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness
of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act by the registered public accounting firm
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securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant
included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
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by check mark whether registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No
As of June 28, 2024 (the last business day of
the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter), the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock
held by non-affiliates (based upon the closing price of such shares as reported on OTC Pink Market) was approximately $
As of March 12, 2025, there were a total of shares of common stock of the registrant issued and outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
None.
Cardiff Lexington Corporation
Annual Report on Form 10-K
Year Ended December 31, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Item 1. | Business. | 1 |
| Item 1A. | Risk Factors. | 14 |
| Item 1B. | Unresolved Staff Comments. | 32 |
| Item 1C. | Cybersecurity. | 32 |
| Item 2. | Properties. | 33 |
| Item 3. | Legal Proceedings. | 33 |
| Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures. | 33 |
| Item 15. | Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules. | 62 |
| Item 16. | Form 10-K Summary. | 65 |
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INTRODUCTORY NOTES
Use of Terms
Except as otherwise indicated by the context and for the purposes of this report only, references in this report to “we,” “us,” “our” and “our company” are to Cardiff Lexington Corporation, a Nevada corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries.
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This report contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, that are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to us. All statements other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or to our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:
| · | our ability to successfully identify and acquire additional businesses; | |
| · | our ability to effectively integrate and operate the businesses that we acquire; | |
| · | our expectations around the performance of our current businesses; | |
| · | our ability to maintain our business model and improve our capital efficiency; | |
| · | our ability to effectively manage the growth of our business; | |
| · | our ability to maintain profitability; | |
| · | the competitive environment in which our businesses operate; | |
| · | trends in the industries in which our businesses operate; | |
| · | the regulatory environment in which our businesses operate under; | |
| · | changes in general economic or business conditions or economic or demographic trends in the United States, including changes in interest rates and inflation; | |
| · | our ability to service and comply with the terms of indebtedness; | |
| · | our ability to retain or replace qualified employees of our businesses; | |
| · | labor disputes, strikes or other employee disputes or grievances; | |
| · | casualties, condemnation or catastrophic failures with respect to any of our business’ facilities; | |
| · | costs and effects of legal and administrative proceedings, settlements, investigations and claims; and | |
| · | extraordinary or force majeure events affecting the business or operations of our businesses. |
In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “project” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could materially affect results. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, those listed under Item 1A “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties occur, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual events or results may vary significantly from those implied or projected by the forward-looking statements. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance.
In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this report, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.
The forward-looking statements made in this report relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this report. Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, there is no undertaking to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or any other reason.
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PART I
| ITEM 1. | BUSINESS. |
Overview
We are an acquisition holding company focused on locating undervalued and undercapitalized companies, primarily in the healthcare industry, and providing them capitalization and leadership to maximize the value and potential of their private enterprises while also providing diversification and risk mitigation for our stockholders. Specifically, we have and will continue to look at a diverse variety of acquisitions in the healthcare sector in terms of growth stages and capital structures and we intend to focus our portfolio of subsidiaries approximately as follows: 80% will be targeted to established profitable niche small to mid-sized healthcare companies and 20% will be targeted to second stage startups in healthcare and related financial services (emerging businesses with a strong organic growth plan that is materially cash generative).
On May 31, 2021, we acquired Nova Ortho and Spine, LLC, or Nova, which operates a group of regional primary specialty and ancillary care facilities throughout Florida that provide traumatic injury victims with primary care evaluations, interventional pain management, and specialty consultation services. We focus on plaintiff related care are and a highly efficient provider of emergency medical condition, or EMC, assessments. We provide a full range of diagnostic and surgical services for injuries and disorders of the skeletal system and associated bones, joints, tendons, muscles, ligaments, and nerves. From sports injuries, to sprains, strains, and fractures, our doctors are dedicated to helping patients return to active lifestyles.
We also own a real estate company, Edge View Properties, Inc., or Edge View, which we acquired on July 16, 2014. Edge View owns five (5) acres zoned medium density residential (MDR) with 12 lots already platted, six (6) acres zoned high-density residential (HDR) that can be platted in various configurations to meet current housing needs, and twelve (12) acres zoned in Lemhi County as Agriculture that is available for further annexation into the City of Salmon for development, as well as a common area for landowners to view wildlife, provide access to the Salmon River and fishing in a two (2) acre pond. Management has invested years working to develop a new and exciting housing development in Salmon, Idaho and plans to enter into a joint venture agreement with a developer for this planned concept development.
Our Corporate History and Structure
We were incorporated on September 3, 1986 in Colorado as Cardiff International Inc. On November 10, 2005, we merged with Legacy Card Company and became Cardiff Lexington Corporation. On August 27, 2014, we redomiciled and became a corporation under the laws of Florida. On April 13, 2021, we redomiciled and became a corporation under the laws of Nevada.
All of our operations are conducted through our operating subsidiaries, Nova and Edge View. Nova was organized in the State of Florida on December 3, 2018 and Edge View was incorporated in the State of Idaho on February 9, 2005.
The following chart depicts our current organizational structure:
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During the year ended December 31, 2023, we sold our financial services (tax resolution) business, Platinum Tax Defenders, or Platinum Tax, that we acquired on July 31, 2018, which was a full-service tax resolution firm located in Los Angeles, California. Through this subsidiary, we provided fee-based tax resolution services to individuals and companies that have federal and state tax liabilities by assisting clients to settle outstanding tax debts.
Our Business Strategy
We employ an acquisition and value creation strategy, with the goal of locating undervalued and undercapitalized healthcare companies and providing them capitalization and leadership in order to maximize the value and potential of their private, often family run, enterprises while also providing diversification and risk mitigation for our stockholders. Our primary focus is on the healthcare sector, with holdings and real estate, where we utilize our management team’s relationship networks, industry experiences and deal sourcing capabilities to target companies we believe have an experienced management team and compelling assets which we believe are well positioned for growth. Our culture emphasizes core values, teamwork, accountability, and performance. Specifically, we have and will continue to look at a diverse variety of acquisitions in the healthcare sector in terms of growth stages and capital structures and we intend to focus our portfolio of subsidiaries approximately as follows: 80% will be targeted to established profitable niche small to mid-sized healthcare companies and 20% will be targeted to second stage startups in healthcare and related financial services (emerging businesses with a strong organic growth plan that is materially cash generative). Our acquisition strategy is driven by structure, transaction value, alignment, resources and return on investment. As we identify potential targets, it is also our strategy and goal to identify and recruit the right operating executive partners that have the requisite tools and experience to manage and grow our existing and newly acquired subsidiaries. Based on our management’s long history and experience in building relationships with a vast number of executives and their teams, we are confident that we have placed or left successful executives in charge of our current subsidiaries and will be able to identify appropriate executives to add long term value to any future acquisitions.
After our acquisitions, the entities become wholly owned subsidiaries and the target company’s management team either maintains responsibility for the day-to-day operations or we locate suitable executives to overtake responsibility for the entities. We believe that we can then provide these entities with some of the benefits of being a publicly traded company, including but not limited to, providing them with increased access to funding that we can obtain on their behalf in the capital markets for operations or expansion and our management team’s experience operating businesses. Our combined acquisition and value creation strategy drives our goal to deliver our public stockholders an opportunity to own a long term, stable, durable compounding equity investment that can produce strong returns.
Our Market Opportunity
Utilizing our management teams and principals’ expansive network of relationships, we believe there to be a significant opportunity for organic growth and expanded utilization of our current locations and an opportunity to open additional locations within new markets. Additionally, we believe there are a substantial number of small to mid-sized healthcare companies, second stage startups – emerging businesses with a strong organic growth plan that is materially cash generative and income producing real estate holdings that we may seek to acquire that can potentially generate attractive returns for our stockholders. We further believe the economic and market dislocation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic enhanced our opportunity to obtain potentially profitable businesses, which are facing lingering working capital challenges post pandemic, but have rebounded and returned to or near previous levels of profitability. In this environment, we believe the expertise and relationships of our management team represent a compelling value proposition for potential business targets looking for additional working capital infusion, a pathway to exit some equity, and leadership to assist them to grow and expand.
Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating a potential target business, we conduct a comprehensive due diligence review to determine a company’s quality and its intrinsic value. That due diligence review may include, among other things, financial statement analysis, detailed document reviews, multiple meetings with management, consultations with relevant industry experts, competitors, customers, and suppliers, as well as a review of additional information that we will seek to obtain as part of our analysis of a target company. Upon the consummation of an acquisition agreement with a target company, it becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of our company.
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We anticipate structuring our acquisitions in such a way so that the post-business combination subsidiary company will directly or indirectly own, acquire, or control 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure future acquisitions such that the post-business combination company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for legal or other reasons, but we will only complete such acquisition if the post-business subsidiary company owns or acquires 49% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act.
If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent valuation or appraisal firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of a target business or businesses, it may be unable to do so if the board of directors is less familiar or experienced with the target company’s business, there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the company’s assets or prospects, including if such company is at an early stage of development, operations or growth, or if the anticipated transaction involves a complex financial analysis or other specialized skills and the board of directors determines that outside expertise would be helpful or necessary in conducting such analysis.
We finance acquisitions primarily through additional equity and debt financings. We believe that having the ability to finance most, if not all, acquisitions with the general capital resources raised by our company, rather than financing relating to the acquisition of individual businesses, provides us with an advantage in acquiring attractive businesses by minimizing delay and closing conditions that are often related to acquisition-specific financings. Because the timing and size of acquisitions cannot be readily predicted, we may need to be able to obtain funding on short notice to benefit fully from attractive acquisition opportunities. The sale of additional shares of any class of equity will be subject to market conditions and investor demand for such shares at prices that may not be in the best interest of our stockholders. The sale of additional equity securities could also result in dilution to our stockholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could require us to agree to operating and financial covenants that would restrict our operations. Financing may not be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. See also Item 1A “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Structure—We may not be able to successfully fund acquisitions due to the unavailability of equity or debt financing on acceptable terms, which could impede the implementation of our acquisition strategy.”
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete acquisitions, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which any acquisition is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another acquisition.
Members of our management team, including our officers and directors, will directly or indirectly own a majority of our securities following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target company is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
We have not selected any specific business combination target for our next acquisition, and we have not entered into any binding letters of intent.
To the extent we effect any future acquisition with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
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There are several risks associated with our acquisition strategy, including the following risks, which are described more fully in Item 1A “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Structure”:
| · | our acquisition strategy exposes us to substantial risk; | |
| · | we may experience difficulty as we evaluate, acquire and integrate businesses that we may acquire, which could result in drains on our resources, including the attention of our management, and disruptions of our on-going business; | |
| · | we may not be able to effectively integrate the businesses that we acquire; | |
| · | we face competition for businesses that fit our acquisition strategy and, therefore, we may have to acquire targets at sub-optimal prices or, alternatively, forego certain acquisition opportunities; | |
| · | we may not be able to successfully fund acquisitions due to the unavailability of debt or equity financing on acceptable terms, which could impede the implementation of our acquisition strategy; and | |
| · | we may change our management and acquisition strategies without the consent of our stockholders, which may result in a determination by us to pursue riskier business activities. |
Competition
In identifying, evaluating, and selecting potential target business for acquisition, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting acquisitions directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human, and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an acquisition.
Competitive Strengths
We believe that we have several competitive advantages that differentiate us from other holding companies. Our competitive strengths include:
| · | Management Operating and Investing Experience. Our directors and executive officers have significant executive, investment and operational experience in managing and growing small and middle market companies. We believe that this breadth of experience provides us with a competitive advantage in evaluating businesses and acquisition opportunities. | |
| · | Extensive Network of Small to Middle Market Companies. As a result of their experience with acquisitions and in providing services to small to middle market companies around the United States, our management team members have developed a broad array of contacts at private and closely held companies. We believe that these contacts will be important in generating potential acquisition opportunities for us. |
| · | Public Company Benefits. We believe our structure will make us an attractive business transaction partner to prospective acquisition targets. As an existing public company, we will be able to raise capital to deploy to our acquired businesses for their business operations. Additionally, we will be able to offer to the employees of our subsidiaries equity in our company as an additional means of creating management incentives that are better aligned with stockholder’s interests. | |
| · | Maintaining of day-to-day control of operations. As part of our acquisition criteria for a target company, we search for companies with what we believe are strong management teams, which allows us to have the management team maintain control of the day-to-day operations of the companies. We believe this model is attractive to target companies with management desiring to obtain the benefits of being a public company while maintaining control over the operations of their company. |
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Intellectual Property
We do not have any intellectual property at our holding company.
Employees
As of December 31, 2024, our company had seventeen employees, of which fifteen of these employees were full time (including our operating subsidiaries described below). None of our employees are represented by labor unions, and we believe that we have an excellent relationship with our employees.
Regulation
We do not expect that our holding company will be subject to material governmental regulation. However, it is our policy to fully comply with all governmental regulation and regulatory authorities.
Healthcare Business
Our healthcare business is operated by Nova, which we acquired on May 31, 2021. This business accounted for all of our revenues for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Overview
We operate a group of regional primary specialty and ancillary care facilities throughout Florida that provide traumatic injury victims with primary care evaluations, interventional pain management, and specialty consultation services. We focus on plaintiff related care are and a highly efficient provider of EMC assessments. We provide a full range of diagnostic and surgical services for injuries and disorders of the skeletal system and associated bones, joints, tendons, muscles, ligaments, and nerves. From sports injuries, to sprains, strains, and fractures, our doctors are dedicated to helping patients return to active lifestyles.
The Healthcare Market
The healthcare sector is defined as end users whose primary business is the delivery of medical, patient care or treatment, medical diagnostic services, or medical care provided in connection with disaster relief, including, but not limited to (i) professional medical and healthcare service companies, businesses, institutions and enterprises, (ii) medical diagnostics facilities and laboratories having patient interaction, (iii) government and private organizations providing medical care in connection with disaster relief and (iv) firms selling products or services into such end users. Examples of such end users are: hospitals, including their pharmacies; integrated medical service provider networks and their member facilities; surgery centers, including their pharmacies; blood banks; bone and tissue centers; physician and medical clinic offices including their pharmacies; psychiatric health facilities, including their pharmacies; clinics in retail outlets that perform or provide medical services or care; long-term medical care facilities, including their pharmacies; medical care components of the Red Cross or other disaster relief organizations; and dental care facilities.
Services
We provide a full range of diagnostic and surgical services for injuries and disorders of the skeletal system and associated bones, joints, tendons, muscles, ligaments, and nerves. Orthopedic and pain procedure services include hip and knee replacement, shoulder reconstruction, fracture care and hand surgery, as well as spinal surgery.
Our service model is designed to promote referral relationships, facilitate patient access, and coordinate administration among our company, as a medical provider, personal injury attorneys, and chiropractors. This “referral relationship” approach to case management results in increased revenue as attorneys consider the value of our patient management process when brokering settlements. As EMC and early stage continued care providers, we believe that we have superior access to patient information to determine the validity of each case and manage cases appropriately.
Revenue is primarily provided by bodily injury policies, general liability policies, and personal injury protection policies, which partially insulates our business from the declining reimbursement programs paid from or correlated to Medicare/Medicaid and traditional health insurance companies.
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Healthcare Facilities
The main office for our healthcare business is located at 1903 S 25th Street, Suite 103, Fort Pierce, FL 34947. We currently operate twelve facilities, most of which were opened in the last thirty-six months. As of December 31, 2024, management estimates that the twelve facilities are operating at 35% capacity. We believe that the most important factors relating to the overall utilization of a facility include adequate working capital, the quality and market position of the facility and the number, quality and specialties of physicians providing patient care within the facility. Other factors that affect utilization include general and local economic conditions, market penetration, the degree of outpatient use, the availability of reimbursement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, and demographic changes such as the growth in local populations. Utilization across the industry is also being affected by improvements in clinical practice, medical technology and pharmacology. Current industry trends in utilization and occupancy have been significantly affected by changes in reimbursement policies of third party payers. We are also unable to predict the extent to which these industry trends will continue or accelerate.
Customers, Sales and Marketing
As of December 31, 2024, we provide services to approximately 250 - 325 patients per month on average at twelve facilities. Patients are primarily referred through a growing network of personal injury attorneys, insurance carriers, physical therapy providers, and chiropractic care providers.
Competition
The health care industry is highly competitive. In recent years, competition among healthcare providers for patients, such as our company, has intensified in the United States due to, among other things, regulatory and technological changes, increasing use of managed care payment systems, cost containment pressures and a shift toward outpatient treatment. In all of the geographical areas in which we operate, there are other facilities that provide services comparable to those offered by our facilities. In addition, some of our competitors include hospitals that are owned by tax-supported governmental agencies or by nonprofit corporations and may be supported by endowments and charitable contributions and exempt from property, sale and income taxes. Such exemptions and support are not available to us.
Certain of our competitors may have greater financial resources, be better equipped and offer a broader range of services than us. The increase in outpatient treatment and diagnostic facilities, outpatient surgical centers and freestanding ambulatory surgical centers also increases competition for us.
The number and quality of the physicians on a facility’s staff are important factors in determining a facility’s success and competitive advantage. Typically, physicians are responsible for making admissions decisions and for directing the course of patient treatment. We believe that physicians refer patients to a facility primarily on the basis of the patient’s needs, the quality of other physicians on the medical staff, the location of the facility and the breadth and scope of services offered at the facility. We strive to retain and attract qualified doctors by maintaining high ethical and professional standards and providing adequate support personnel, technologically advanced equipment and facilities that meet the needs of those physicians.
In addition, we depend on the efforts, abilities, and experience of our medical support personnel, including our nurses, pharmacists and lab technicians and other health care professionals. We compete with other health care providers in recruiting and retaining qualified management, nurses and other medical personnel. Our healthcare facilities are experiencing the effects of a nationwide staffing shortage, which has caused and may continue to cause an increase in salaries, wages and benefits expense in excess of the inflation rate. In addition, there are requirements to maintain specified nurse-staffing levels. To the extent we cannot meet those levels, we may be required to limit the healthcare services provided, which would have a corresponding adverse effect on our net operating revenues.
Although most of our revenue is provided by bodily injury insurance policies, general liability policies, and personal injury protection policies, our ability to negotiate favorable service contracts with purchasers of group health care services also affects our competitive position and significantly affects the revenues and operating results of our facilities. Managed care plans attempt to direct and control the use of services and to demand that we accept lower rates of payment. In addition, employers and traditional health insurers are increasingly interested in containing costs through negotiations with facilities for managed care programs and discounts from established charges. In return, facilities secure commitments for a larger number of potential patients. Generally, facilities compete for service contracts with group health care service purchasers on the basis of price, market reputation, geographic location, quality and range of services, quality of the medical staff and convenience. The importance of obtaining contracts with managed care organizations varies from market to market depending on the market strength of such organizations.
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A key element of our growth strategy is expansion through opening additional locations and the acquisition of additional facilities in select markets. The competition to acquire healthcare facilities is significant. We compete for acquisitions with other for-profit healthcare companies, private equity and venture capital firms, as well as not-for-profit entities. Some of our competitors have greater resources than we do. We intend to selectively seek opportunities to expand our base of operations by adhering to our disciplined program of rational growth but may not be successful in accomplishing acquisitions on favorable terms.
Competitive Strengths
We believe that we have several competitive advantages, including the following:
| · | Broad array of services focusing on plaintiff related care. We provide a full range of diagnostic and surgical services for injuries and disorders of the skeletal system and associated bones, joints, tendons, muscles, ligaments, and nerves with a focus on plaintiff related care. From sports injuries, to sprains, strains, and fractures, orthopedic and pain procedure services include hip and knee replacement, shoulder reconstruction, fracture care and hand surgery, as well as spinal surgery. Our service model is designed to promote referral relationships, facilitate patient access, and coordinate administration among our company, as a medical provider, personal injury attorneys, and chiropractors. As a result, our revenue is primarily provided by bodily injury insurance policies, general liability policies, and personal injury protection policies, which partially insulates our business from the declining reimbursement programs paid from or correlated to Medicare/ Medicaid and traditional health insurance companies. | |
| · | Opportunities for accelerated growth. We have a track record of delivering strong growth through a combination of organic growth, new contract additions and selective acquisitions. Organic growth has historically been supported by consistent underlying market volume trends, stable pricing and a diversified payor mix. We believe that our networks of high-quality providers position us to take advantage of these trends. We have successfully executed on new contract growth by providing a set of differentiated services and delivering integrated, efficient, high-quality care, which has helped us expand our relationships with our existing customers and compete effectively in the bidding process for new contracts. Additionally, we believe we will have opportunities to expand our services through acquisitions, as discussed in more detail below. |
| · | Focus on clinical excellence. We are focused on achieving the best clinical outcomes for our patients through the application of rigorous recruiting and credentialing standards, the promotion of a physician-led leadership culture and the monitoring of our clinical quality measures. Through extensive clinical and leadership development programs, we train our healthcare professionals to continually enhance their skills and deliver innovative and patient-focused experiences and outcomes. We provide internally developed continuing medical education accredited courses to our healthcare professionals, including instructor-led and on-line education sessions. We have developed and implemented quality measurement systems that track multiple key indicators, which assist our professionals in systematically monitoring, examining and analyzing outcomes and processes. These quality measurement systems are supplemented by our active peer review infrastructure designed to ensure the development and implementation of actionable items that will improve patient outcomes. Our ability to deliver high levels of customer service and patient care is a direct result of this focus, which helps us to differentiate our services, and to attract and retain providers. | |
| · | Ability to attract and retain high-quality providers. Through our processes, we are able to identify and target high-quality providers to match the needs of our customers. We believe that our operating infrastructure enables us to provide attractive opportunities for our providers to enhance their skills through extensive clinical and leadership development programs. We believe that our differentiated recruiting, training and development programs strengthen our customer and provider relationships, enhance our contract and clinician retention rates and allow us to efficiently recruit providers to support our new contract pipeline. |
Growth Strategies
The key elements of our strategy to grow our business include:
| · | Capitalize on organic growth opportunities. As noted above, management estimates that our twelve facilities are operating at 35% capacity as of December 31, 2024. Accordingly, we believe that we have an opportunity for organic growth at our existing facilities. We also believe our physician-led, patient-focused culture and approach to clinical solutions will allow us to continue to successfully recruit and retain clinical professionals. |
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| · | Supplement organic growth with strategic acquisitions. The market in which we compete is highly fragmented, presenting significant opportunities for additional acquisitions. We will continue to follow a disciplined strategy in exploring future acquisitions by analyzing the strategic rationale, financial impact and organic growth profile of each potential opportunity. Our current focus for future acquisitions is outpatient Orthopedic Surgery Centers and related Clinics. We have been in discussions with several privately owned Surgery Centers and Clinics. Key targets are strategically located within eighteen states that we have identified to have a combination of favorable dynamics. | |
| · | Enhance operational efficiencies and productivity. We believe there are significant opportunities to continue to build upon our success in improving our productivity and profitability. We continue to focus on initiatives to improve productivity, including more efficient scheduling, continued use of mid-level providers, enhancing our leadership training programs, improving and realigning compensation programs. We believe that our processes related to managed care contracting, billing, coding, collection and compliance have driven a strong track record of efficient revenue cycle management. We have made significant investments in infrastructure, including management information systems that we believe will continue to enable us to improve clinical results and key client metrics while reducing the cost of providing patient care. We have dedicated teams with business and clinical expertise that are responsible for implementing best practices. Furthermore, we will continue to utilize risk mitigation programs for loss prevention and early intervention. We believe that our significant investments in scalable technology systems will facilitate additional cost reductions and efficiencies. |
Intellectual Property
Our healthcare business does not own any intellectual property.
Employees and Medical Staff
As of December 31, 2024, Nova had 13 employees. Our facilities are staffed by licensed physicians who have been admitted to the medical staff of individual facilities. Members of the medical staff of our facilities also serve on the medical staffs of facilities not owned by us and may terminate their affiliation with our facilities at any time. Each of our facilities is managed on a day-to-day basis by a managing director. In addition, a Board of Governors, including members of the facility’s medical staff, governs the medical, professional and ethical practices at each facility. We believe that our relations with our employees are satisfactory.
None of our employees are represented by labor unions, and we believe that we have an excellent relationship with our employees.
Regulation
The healthcare industry is subject to numerous laws, regulations and rules including, among others, those related to government healthcare participation requirements, various licensure and accreditations, reimbursement for patient services, health information privacy and security rules, and Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse provisions (including, but not limited to, federal statutes and regulations prohibiting kickbacks and other illegal inducements to potential referral sources, false claims submitted to federal or state health care programs and self-referrals by physicians). Providers that are found to have violated any of these laws and regulations may be excluded from participating in government healthcare programs, subjected to significant fines or penalties and/or required to repay amounts received from the government for previously billed patient services. Although we believe our policies, procedures and practices comply with government regulations, no assurance can be given that we will not be subjected to additional governmental inquiries or actions, or that we would not be faced with sanctions, fines or penalties if so subjected. Even if we were to ultimately prevail, a significant governmental inquiry or action under one of the above laws, regulations or rules could have a material adverse impact on us.
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Licensing, Certification and Accreditation: All of our facilities are subject to compliance with various federal, state and local statutes and regulations and receive periodic inspection by state licensing agencies to review standards of medical care, equipment and cleanliness. Our facilities must also comply with the conditions of participation and licensing requirements of federal, state and local health agencies, as well as the requirements of municipal building codes, health codes and local fire departments. Various other licenses and permits are also required in order to dispense narcotics, operate pharmacies, handle radioactive materials and operate certain equipment. All of our eligible hospitals have been accredited by The Joint Commission. All of our facilities are certified as providers of Medicare and Medicaid services by the appropriate governmental authorities. If any of our facilities were to lose its Joint Commission accreditation or otherwise lose its certification under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the facility may be unable to receive reimbursement from the Medicare and Medicaid programs and other payers. We believe our facilities are in substantial compliance with current applicable federal, state, local and independent review body regulations and standards. The requirements for licensure, certification and accreditation are subject to change and, in order to remain qualified, it may become necessary for us to make changes in our facilities, equipment, personnel and services in the future, which could have a material adverse impact on operations.
Certificates of Need: Many states, including Florida, have enacted certificates of need, or CON, laws as a condition prior to capital expenditures, construction, expansion, modernization or initiation of major new services. Failure to obtain necessary state approval can result in our inability to complete an acquisition, expansion or replacement, the imposition of civil or, in some cases, criminal sanctions, the inability to receive Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement or the revocation of a facility’s license, which could harm our business. In addition, significant CON reforms have been proposed in a number of states that would increase the capital spending thresholds and provide exemptions of various services from review requirements. In the past, we have not experienced any material adverse effects from those requirements, but we cannot predict the impact of these changes upon our operations.
Conversion Legislation: Many states have enacted or are considering enacting laws affecting the conversion or sale of not-for-profit healthcare facilities to for-profit entities. These laws generally require prior approval from the attorney general, advance notification and community involvement. In addition, attorneys general in states without specific conversion legislation may exercise discretionary authority over these transactions. Although the level of government involvement varies from state to state, the trend is to provide for increased governmental review and, in some cases, approval of a transaction in which a not-for-profit entity sells a health care facility to a for-profit entity. The adoption of new or expanded conversion legislation and the increased review of not-for-profit conversions may limit our ability to grow through acquisitions of not-for-profit facilities.
Utilization Review: Federal regulations require that admissions and utilization of facilities by Medicare and Medicaid patients must be reviewed in order to ensure efficient utilization of facilities and services. The law and regulations require Peer Review Organizations, or PROs, to review the appropriateness of Medicare and Medicaid patient admissions and discharges, the quality of care provided, the validity of diagnosis related group classifications and the appropriateness of cases of extraordinary length of stay. PROs may deny payment for services provided, assess fines and also have the authority to recommend to the Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, that a provider that is in substantial non-compliance with the standards of the PRO be excluded from participating in the Medicare program. We have contracted with PROs to perform the required reviews.
Audits: Most healthcare facilities are subject to federal audits to validate the accuracy of Medicare and Medicaid program submitted claims. If these audits identify overpayments, we could be required to pay a substantial rebate of prior years’ payments subject to various administrative appeal rights. The federal government contracts with third-party “recovery audit contractors” and “Medicaid integrity contractors,” on a contingent fee basis, to audit the propriety of payments to Medicare and Medicaid providers. Similarly, Medicare zone program integrity contractors target claims for potential fraud and abuse. Additionally, Medicare administrative contractors must ensure they pay the right amount for covered and correctly coded services rendered to eligible beneficiaries by legitimate providers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced its intent to consolidate many of these Medicare and Medicaid program integrity functions into new unified program integrity contractors, though it remains unclear what effect, if any, this consolidation may have. We have undergone claims audits related to our receipt of federal healthcare payments during the last three years, the results of which have not required material adjustments to our consolidated results of operations. However, potential liability from future federal or state audits could ultimately exceed established reserves, and any excess could potentially be substantial. Further, Medicare and Medicaid regulations also provide for withholding Medicare and Medicaid overpayments in certain circumstances, which could adversely affect our cash flow.
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The Stark Law: The Social Security Act includes a provision commonly known as the “Stark Law.” This law prohibits physicians from referring Medicare and Medicaid patients to entities with which they or any of their immediate family members have a financial relationship unless an exception is met. These types of referrals are known as “self-referrals.” Sanctions for violating the Stark Law include civil penalties up to $26,125 for each violation, and up to $174,172 for sham arrangements. There are a number of exceptions to the self-referral prohibition, including an exception for a physician’s ownership interest in an entire facility as opposed to an ownership interest in a facility department unit, service or subpart. However, federal laws and regulations now limit the ability of facilities relying on this exception to expand aggregate physician ownership interest or to expand certain facilities. This regulation also places a number of compliance requirements on physician-owned facilities related to reporting of ownership interest. There are also exceptions for many of the customary financial arrangements between physicians and providers, including employment contracts, leases and recruitment agreements that adhere to certain enumerated requirements. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, issued a final rule in 2020 that created a new Stark exception for value-based models. Although the final regulations provide exceptions to the Stark Law, there may remain regulatory risks for participating hospitals, as well as financial and operational risks. We monitor all aspects of our business and have developed a comprehensive ethics and compliance program that is designed to meet or exceed applicable federal guidelines and industry standards. Nonetheless, because the law in this area is complex and constantly evolving, there can be no assurance that federal regulatory authorities will not determine that any of our arrangements with physicians violate the Stark Law.
Anti-kickback Statute: A provision of the Social Security Act known as the “anti-kickback statute” prohibits healthcare providers and others from directly or indirectly soliciting, receiving, offering or paying money or other remuneration to other individuals and entities in return for using, referring, ordering, recommending or arranging for such referrals or orders of services or other items covered by a federal or state health care program. However, changes to the anti-kickback statute have reduced the intent required for violation; one is no longer required to have actual knowledge or specific intent to commit a violation of the anti-kickback statute in order to be found in violation of such law. The anti-kickback statute contains certain exceptions, and the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, or the OIG, has issued regulations that provide for “safe harbors,” from the federal anti-kickback statute for various activities. These activities, which must meet certain requirements, include (but are not limited to) the following: investment interests, space rental, equipment rental, practitioner recruitment, personnel services and management contracts, sale of practice, referral services, warranties, discounts, employees, group purchasing organizations, waiver of beneficiary coinsurance and deductible amounts, managed care arrangements, obstetrical malpractice insurance subsidies, investments in group practices, freestanding surgery centers, donation of technology for electronic health records and referral agreements for specialty services. In 2020, the OIG issued a final rule that established an anti-kickback statute safe harbor for value based models. Although the final regulations provide safe harbors, there may remain regulatory risks for participating facilities, as well as financial and operational risks. The fact that conduct or a business arrangement does not fall within a safe harbor or exception does not automatically render the conduct or business arrangement illegal under the anti-kickback statute. However, such conduct and business arrangements may lead to increased scrutiny by government enforcement authorities. Although we believe that our arrangements with physicians and other referral sources have been structured to comply with current law and available interpretations, there can be no assurance that all arrangements comply with an available safe harbor or that regulatory authorities enforcing these laws will determine these financial arrangements do not violate the anti-kickback statute or other applicable laws. Violations of the anti-kickback statute may be punished by a criminal fine of up to $100,000 for each violation or imprisonment, however, under 18 U.S.C. Section 3571, this fine may be increased to $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for organizations. Civil money penalties may include fines of up to $105,563 per violation and damages of up to three times the total amount of the remuneration and/or exclusion from participation in Medicare and Medicaid.
Similar State Laws: Many states, including Florida, have adopted laws that prohibit payments to physicians in exchange for referrals similar to the anti-kickback statute and the Stark Law, some of which apply regardless of the source of payment for care. These statutes typically provide criminal and civil penalties as well as loss of licensure. In many instances, the state statutes provide that any arrangement falling in a federal safe harbor will be immune from scrutiny under the state statutes. However, in most cases, little precedent exists for the interpretation or enforcement of these state laws. These laws and regulations are extremely complex and, in many cases, we do not have the benefit of regulatory or judicial interpretation. It is possible that different interpretations or enforcement of these laws and regulations could subject our current or past practices to allegations of impropriety or illegality or could require us to make changes in our facilities, equipment, personnel, services, capital expenditure programs and operating expenses. A determination that we have violated one or more of these laws, or the public announcement that we are being investigated for possible violations of one or more of these laws, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations and our business reputation could suffer significantly. In addition, we cannot predict whether other legislation or regulations at the federal or state level will be adopted, what form such legislation or regulations may take or what their impact on us may be. If we are deemed to have failed to comply with the anti-kickback statute, the Stark Law or other applicable laws and regulations, we could be subjected to liabilities, including criminal penalties, civil penalties (including the loss of our licenses to operate one or more facilities), and exclusion of one or more facilities from participation in the Medicare, Medicaid and other federal and state health care programs. The imposition of such penalties could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
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Federal False Claims Act and Similar State Regulations: A current trend affecting the health care industry is the increased use of the federal False Claims Act, and, in particular, actions being brought by individuals on the government’s behalf under the False Claims Act’s qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions. Whistleblower provisions allow private individuals to bring actions on behalf of the government by alleging that the defendant has defrauded the Federal government. When a defendant is determined by a court of law to have violated the False Claims Act, the defendant may be liable for up to three times the actual damages sustained by the government, plus mandatory civil penalties of between $12,537 to $25,076 for each separate false claim. There are many potential bases for liability under the False Claims Act. Liability often arises when an entity knowingly submits a false claim for reimbursement to the federal government. The Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009, or FERA, amended and expanded the number of actions for which liability may attach under the False Claims Act, eliminating requirements that false claims be presented to federal officials or directly involve federal funds. FERA also clarifies that a false claim violation occurs upon the knowing retention, as well as the receipt, of overpayments. In addition, recent changes to the anti-kickback statute have made violations of that law punishable under the civil False Claims Act. Further, a number of states have adopted their own false claims provisions as well as their own whistleblower provisions whereby a private party may file a civil lawsuit on behalf of the state in state court. The False Claims Act requires that federal healthcare program overpayments be returned within 60 days from the date the overpayment was identified, or by the date any corresponding cost report was due, whichever is later. Failure to return an overpayment within this period may result in additional civil False Claims Act liability.
Other Fraud and Abuse Provisions: The Social Security Act also imposes criminal and civil penalties for submitting false claims to Medicare and Medicaid. False claims include, but are not limited to, billing for services not rendered, billing for services without prescribed documentation, misrepresenting actual services rendered in order to obtain higher reimbursement and cost report fraud. Like the anti-kickback statute, these provisions are very broad. Further, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, broadened the scope of the fraud and abuse laws by adding several criminal provisions for health care fraud offenses that apply to all health benefit programs, whether or not payments under such programs are paid pursuant to federal programs. HIPAA also introduced enforcement mechanisms to prevent fraud and abuse in Medicare. There are civil penalties for prohibited conduct, including, but not limited to billing for medically unnecessary products or services.
HIPAA Administrative Simplification and Privacy Requirements: The administrative simplification provisions of HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, require the use of uniform electronic data transmission standards for health care claims and payment transactions submitted or received electronically. These provisions are intended to encourage electronic commerce in the health care industry. HIPAA also established federal rules protecting the privacy and security of personal health information. The privacy and security regulations address the use and disclosure of individual health care information and the rights of patients to understand and control how such information is used and disclosed. Violations of HIPAA can result in both criminal and civil fines and penalties. We believe that we are in material compliance with the privacy regulations of HIPAA, as we continue to develop training and revise procedures to address ongoing compliance. The HIPAA security regulations require health care providers to implement administrative, physical and technical safeguards to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of patient information. HITECH has since strengthened certain HIPAA rules regarding the use and disclosure of protected health information, extended certain HIPAA provisions to business associates, and created new security breach notification requirements. HITECH has also extended the ability to impose civil money penalties on providers not knowing that a HIPAA violation has occurred. We believe that we have been in substantial compliance with HIPAA and HITECH requirements to date. Recent changes to the HIPAA regulations may result in greater compliance requirements for healthcare providers, including expanded obligations to report breaches of unsecured patient data, as well as create new liabilities for the actions of parties acting as business associates on our behalf.
Red Flags Rule: In addition, the Federal Trade Commission, or the FTC, Red Flags Rule requires financial institutions and businesses maintaining accounts to address the risk of identity theft. The Red Flag Program Clarification Act of 2010, signed on December 18, 2010, appears to exclude certain healthcare providers from the Red Flags Rule, but permits the FTC or relevant agencies to designate additional creditors subject to the Red Flags Rule through future rulemaking if the agencies determine that the person in question maintains accounts subject to foreseeable risk of identity theft. Compliance with any such future rulemaking may require additional expenditures in the future.
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Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005: On July 29, 2005, the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 was enacted, which has the goal of reducing medical errors and increasing patient safety. This legislation establishes a confidential reporting structure in which providers can voluntarily report patient safety work product, or PSWP, to patient safety organizations, or PSOs. Under the system, PSWP is made privileged, confidential and legally protected from disclosure. PSWP does not include medical, discharge or billing records or any other original patient or provider records but does include information gathered specifically in connection with the reporting of medical errors and improving patient safety. This legislation does not preempt state or federal mandatory disclosure laws concerning information that does not constitute PSWP. PSOs are certified by the Secretary of the HHS for three-year periods and analyze PSWP, provide feedback to providers and may report non-identifiable PSWP to a database. In addition, PSOs are expected to generate patient safety improvement strategies.
Environmental Regulations: Our healthcare operations generate medical waste that must be disposed of in compliance with federal, state and local environmental laws, rules and regulations. Infectious waste generators, including healthcare facilities, face substantial penalties for improper disposal of medical waste, including civil penalties of up to $25,000 per day of noncompliance, criminal penalties of up to $50,000 per day, imprisonment, and remedial costs. In addition, our operations, as well as our purchases and sales of facilities are subject to various other environmental laws, rules and regulations. We believe that our disposal of such waste is in material compliance with all state and federal laws.
Corporate Practice of Medicine: Several states, including Florida, have laws and/or regulations that prohibit corporations and other entities from employing physicians and practicing medicine for a profit or that prohibit certain direct and indirect payments or fee-splitting arrangements between health care providers that are designed to induce or encourage the referral of patients to, or the recommendation of, particular providers for medical products and services. Possible sanctions for violation of these restrictions include loss of license and civil and criminal penalties. In addition, agreements between the corporation and the physician may be considered void and unenforceable. These statutes and/or regulations vary from state to state, are often vague and have seldom been interpreted by the courts or regulatory agencies. We do not expect these state corporate practice of medicine proscriptions to significantly affect our operations. Many states have laws and regulations which prohibit payments for referral of patients and fee-splitting with physicians. We do not make any such payments or have any such arrangements.
Health Care Industry Investigations: We are subject to claims and suits in the ordinary course of business, including those arising from care and treatment afforded by our facilities and are party to various government investigations and litigation. In addition, currently, and from time to time, some of our facilities are subjected to inquiries and/or actions and receive notices of potential non-compliance of laws and regulations from various federal and state agencies. Providers that are found to have violated these laws and regulations may be excluded from participating in government healthcare programs, subjected to potential licensure, certification, and/or accreditation revocation, subjected to fines or penalties or required to repay amounts received from the government for previously billed patient services. We monitor all aspects of our business and have developed a comprehensive ethics and compliance program that is designed to meet or exceed applicable federal guidelines and industry standards. Because the law in this area is complex and constantly evolving, governmental investigation or litigation may result in interpretations that are inconsistent with industry practices, including ours. Although we believe our policies, procedures and practices comply with government regulations, no assurance can be given that we will not be subjected to inquiries or actions, or that we will not be faced with sanctions, fines or penalties in connection with the investigations. Even if we were to ultimately prevail, the government’s inquiry and/or action in connection with these matters could have a material adverse effect on our future operating results. It is possible that governmental entities could initiate additional investigations or litigation in the future and that such matters could result in significant penalties as well as adverse publicity. It is also possible that our executives and/or managers could be included as targets or witnesses in governmental investigations or litigation and/or named as defendants in private litigation.
Medical Malpractice Tort Law Reform: Medical malpractice tort law has historically been maintained at the state level. All states have laws governing medical liability lawsuits. Over half of the states have limits on damages awards. Almost all states have eliminated joint and several liability in malpractice lawsuits, and many states have established limits on attorney fees. Many states had bills introduced in their legislative sessions to address medical malpractice tort reform. Proposed solutions include enacting limits on non-economic damages, malpractice insurance reform, and gathering lawsuit claims data from malpractice insurance companies and the courts for the purpose of assessing the connection between malpractice settlements and premium rates. Reform legislation has also been proposed, but not adopted, at the federal level that could preempt additional state legislation in this area.
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Real Estate Business
Our real estate business is operated by Edge View, which we acquired on July 16, 2014. Except in connection with the sale of three parcels of land in 2021, this business has not generated any revenues to date.
Our Property
We own five (5) acres zoned medium density residential (MDR) with 12 lots already platted; six (6) acres zoned high-density residential (HDR) that can be platted in various configurations to meet current housing needs; and twelve (12) acres zoned in Lemhi County as Agriculture that is available for further annexation into the City of Salmon for development, as well as a common area for landowners to view wildlife, provide access to the Salmon River and fishing in a two (2) acre pond. Salmon is known as Idaho’s premier whitewater destination as well as one of the easier accesses to the Frank Church Wilderness Area - the largest wilderness in the lower 48 states. Salmon’s airport has service to Boise, Idaho and serves as a hub to access whitewater rafting start points and wilderness landing strips. Management has invested years working to develop a new and exciting housing development in Salmon, Idaho and plans to enter into a joint venture agreement with a developer for this planned concept development.
Intellectual Property
Edge View does not own any intellectual property.
Employees
Edge View does not have any employees.
Regulation
Federal, State and/or Local Regulatory Compliance
We are subject to a variety of Federal, state, and/or local statutes, ordinances, rules, and regulations covering the purchase, development, construction and operation of real estate assets. These regulatory requirements include zoning and land use, building design, construction, worksite safety, traffic, and other matters, such as local rules that may impose restrictive zoning and developmental requirements. We are subject to various licensing, registration, and filing requirements in connection with our real estate assets. Finally, state and/or local governments retain certain rights with respect to eminent domain which could enable them to restrict or alter the use of our property. These requirements may lead to increases in our overall costs. The need to comply with these requirements may significantly delay development and/or construction with regard to our properties or lead us to alter our plans regarding our real estate assets.
Environmental Regulatory Compliance
Under various Federal, state and/or local laws, ordinances and regulations, a current or previous owner or operator of a property may be required to investigate and/or clean-up hazardous or toxic substances released at that property. That owner or operator also may be held liable to third parties for bodily injury or property damage (investigation and/or clean-up costs) incurred by those parties in connection with the contamination at that site. These laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of or otherwise caused the release of the hazardous or toxic substances. In addition, persons who arrange for the disposal or treatment of hazardous substances or other regulated materials also may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of such substances at a disposal or treatment facility, whether or not such facility is owned or operated by such persons.
The costs of remediation or removal of hazardous or toxic substances can be substantial, and the presence of contamination, or the failure to remediate contamination discovered, at a property we own or operate may adversely affect our ability to develop, construct on, sell, lease, or borrow upon that property.
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In addition, our properties may be exposed to a risk of contamination originating from other sources. While a property owner generally is not responsible for remediating contamination that has migrated on-site from an off-site source, the contaminant’s presence could have adverse effects on our ability to develop, construct on, operate, sell, lease, or borrow upon that property. Certain environmental laws may create a lien on a contaminated site in favor of the government for damages and costs the government may incur to remediate that contamination. Moreover, if contamination is discovered on a property, environmental laws may impose restrictions on the manner in which that property may be used, or how businesses may be operated on that property, thus reducing our ability to maximize our investment in that property. Our properties have been subjected to varying degrees of environmental assessment at various times; however, the identification of new areas of contamination, a change in the extent or known scope of contamination, or changes in environmental regulatory standards and/or cleanup requirements could result in significant costs to us.
| ITEM 1A. | RISK FACTORS. |
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully read and consider all of the risks described below, together with all of the other information contained or referred to in this report, before making an investment decision with respect to our securities. If any of the following events occur, our financial condition, business and results of operations (including cash flows) may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the market price of our shares could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Business and Structure
The report of our independent registered public accounting firm included a “going concern” explanatory paragraph.
The report of our independent registered public accounting firm that accompanies our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024 contains an explanatory paragraph relating to our ability to continue as a going concern. We had previously sustained operating losses since our inception, have an accumulated deficit of $72,949,085 and $68,684,115 as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and had negative cash flow from operating activities of $5,858,147 and $1,807,987 during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. These factors raise a substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
However, management believes, based on our operating plan, that current working capital and current and expected additional financing should be sufficient to fund operations and satisfy our obligations as they come due for at least one year from the financial statement issuance date. However, additional funds from new financing and/or future equity raises are required for continued operations and to execute our business plan and our strategy of acquiring additional businesses. The funds required to execute our business plan will depend on the size, capital structure and purchase price consideration that the seller of a target business deems acceptable in a given transaction. The amount of funds needed to execute our business plan also depends on what portion of the purchase price of a target business the seller of that business is willing to take in the form of seller notes or our equity or equity in one of our subsidiaries. Given these factors, we believe that the amount of outside additional capital necessary to execute our business plan on the low end (assuming target company sellers accept a significant portion of the purchase price in the form of seller notes or our equity or equity in one of our subsidiaries) ranges between $5 million to $10 million. If, and to the extent, that sellers are unwilling to accept a significant portion of the purchase price in seller notes and equity, then the cash required to execute our business plan could be as much as $10 million.
Although we do not believe that we will require additional cash to continue our operations over the next twelve months, there are no assurances that we will be able to raise our revenues to a level which supports profitable operations and provides sufficient funds to pay obligations in the future. Our prior losses have had an adverse effect on our financial condition. In addition, continued operations and our ability to acquire additional businesses may be dependent on our ability to obtain additional financing in the future, and there are no assurances that such financing will be available to us at all or will be available in sufficient amounts or on reasonable terms. Our financial statements do not include any adjustments that may result from the outcome of this uncertainty. If we are unable to generate additional funds in the future through our operations, financings or from other sources or transactions, we will exhaust our resources and will be unable to continue operations. If we cannot continue as a going concern, our stockholders would likely lose most or all of their investment in our company.
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Our typical accounts receivable collection lifecycle is between 18 and 24 months. This extended period creates several risks relating to our liquidity and cash flow, exposure to bad debt, dependence on external financing, negative impact on our financial metrics and operational challenges.
We operate in the lien-based medical industry. We provide orthopedic healthcare to uninsured patients. Our patients have typically been in an accident and have filed a lawsuit as a plaintiff against the defendant who is allegedly responsible for the accident as the result of negligence or another tort. Since the patient is uninsured, we must wait for payments of amounts owed to us until the patient’s lawyer settles the claim against the defendant’s insurance company or the defendant himself. As a result of our need to wait for such a settlement, we experience an extended accounts receivable collection period, which typically ranges from 18 to 24 months. This extended accounts receivable collection period is very different from a traditional product or service business that collects a majority of receivables within 30, 60, and/or 90-day increments. We routinely receive a letter of protection from our patient and its legal counsel which ensures payment in full from insurance settlements. A letter of protection is a legally binding contract that exists between the patient’s personal injury attorney, the patient, and our company, as the healthcare provider. The letter promises that the patient will pay the medical expenses after the patient’s injury claim reaches its settlement.
This prolonged collection cycle presents several risks that could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations, including the following.
| · | Liquidity and Cash Flow Constraints: The long duration between the sale of our products or services and the receipt of payment from our customers can significantly strain our liquidity and cash flow. This extended time period can limit our ability to invest in growth opportunities, meet our operating expenses, and fulfill our obligations as they become due. |
| · | Increased Exposure to Bad Debt: Notwithstanding that we typically receive a letter of protection, extended collection periods increase the risk that a net settlement will not be collected in cases where no settlement is reached with the defendant’s insurance company and the plaintiff (our patient) loses the case at trial, or the case is abandoned, potentially leading to higher than anticipated bad debt expenses. |
| · | Dependence on External Financing: To mitigate the impact of delayed collections, we may need to rely more heavily on external financing sources such as factoring arrangements, lines of credit, loans, or equity financing. Such dependence may result in increased interest expenses, dilution of stockholders' equity, or restrictive covenants that could limit our operational flexibility. |
| · | Impact on Financial Metrics: Prolonged accounts receivable cycles can distort our financial metrics, including working capital ratios, days sales outstanding (DSO), and cash conversion cycle. These distorted metrics may negatively influence investor perceptions, credit ratings, and our overall financial health. |
| · | Operational Challenges: Managing long accounts receivable cycles requires robust credit risk management and collections processes. Failure to effectively manage these processes could lead to inefficiencies and higher operational costs. |
As a result of these risks relating to our extended accounts receivable collection cycles, our financial condition, prospects and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
We lack systematic processes and resources to support the aging of our accounts receivables, which can result in inefficiencies and higher operational costs. In order to remedy this issue, we expect to make significant expenditures.
Our business model involves providing healthcare services to patients who have been involved in accidents, with payment for these services typically collected from the patient’s settlement with the defendant’s insurer. This business model results in an extended accounts receivable collection period of 18 to 24 months. The lengthy collection period may adversely impact our cash flow and liquidity, making it more challenging to meet operational and financial obligations.
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Historically, we have not maintained systematic processes and resources to manage and monitor the aging of our accounts receivables. The settlement process is complex and ongoing patient care can further complicate the accurate aging of receivables. These complexities may lead to difficulties in assessing the true financial health of our company and in predicting cash flow accurately. Currently, our third-party billing company only captures the first date of service for each patient. This first date of service may be months before surgery or before any significant services have been rendered. The receivable relating to the patient continues to grow over time, which distorts the actual aging of the receivable. With regard to facilities and anesthesiology services, our third-party billing company historically had not captured any first date of service, so we do not have historical data relating to the aging of accounts receivable relating to these services. Recently, we have been working with our third-party billing company to resolve the systematic issue with respect to facilities and anesthesiology services in order to begin to capture the first date of service. We believe that these changes to our financial systems will assist us going forward, but we expect an 18 to 24 month lag before we are able to obtain relevant aging data with regard to these receivables.
We expect that it will take 18 to 24 months to support the aging of our accounts receivables and ensure accurate estimation of the receivable lifecycle, and will require us to devote significant resources during that period. These resources include additional dedicated personnel. We do not expect a significant additional out-of-pocket cost to remedy this situation.
We are in the process of implementing enhanced practices to better capture and manage the aging of its billings for accounts receivable. However, these practices are not yet fully operational. Until these new practices are effectively in place, we remain exposed to risks associated with delayed collections and potential inaccuracies in financial reporting.
If we are unable to successfully implement and maintain these enhanced processes, we may face continued challenges in managing our accounts receivables, which could have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Investors should consider these risks when evaluating our financial stability and performance.
Our acquisition strategy exposes us to substantial risk.
Our acquisition of companies is subject to substantial risk, including but not limited to the failure to identify material problems during due diligence (for which we may not be indemnified post-closing), the risk of over-paying for assets (or not making acquisitions on an accretive basis), the ability to obtain or retain customers and the risks of entering markets where we have limited experience. While we perform due diligence on prospective acquisitions, we may not be able to discover all potential operational deficiencies in such entities.
Our prior and future businesses may not perform as expected or the returns from such businesses may not support the financing utilized to acquire them or maintain them. Furthermore, integration and consolidation of acquired businesses requires substantial human, financial and other resources and may divert management’s attention from our existing business concerns, disrupt our ongoing business or not be successfully integrated. Even if we consummate businesses that we believe will be accretive, those businesses may in fact result in a decrease in revenues as a result of incorrect assumptions in our evaluation of such businesses, unforeseen consequences, or other external events beyond our control. Furthermore, if we consummate any future acquisitions, our capitalization and results of operations may change significantly, and stockholders will generally not have the opportunity to evaluate the economic, financial, and other relevant information that we will consider in determining the application of these funds and other resources. As a result, the consummation of acquisitions may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We may experience difficulty as we evaluate, acquire and integrate businesses that we may acquire, which could result in drains on our resources, including the attention of our management, and disruptions of our on-going business.
We acquire small to mid-sized businesses in various industries. Generally, because such businesses are privately held, we may experience difficulty in evaluating potential target businesses as much of the information concerning these businesses is not publicly available. Therefore, our estimates and assumptions used to evaluate the operations, management and market risks with respect to potential target businesses may be subject to various risks and uncertainties. Further, the time and costs associated with identifying and evaluating potential target businesses may cause a substantial drain on our resources and may divert our management team’s attention away from the operations of our businesses for significant periods of time.
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In addition, we may have difficulty effectively integrating and managing acquisitions. The management or improvement of businesses we acquire may be hindered by a number of factors, including limitations in the standards, controls, procedures and policies implemented in connection with such acquisitions. Further, the management of an acquired business may involve a substantial reorganization of the business’ operations resulting in the loss of employees and customers or the disruption of our ongoing businesses. We may experience greater than expected costs or difficulties relating to an acquisition, in which case, we might not achieve the anticipated returns from any particular acquisition.
We may not be able to effectively integrate the businesses that we acquire.
Our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions will depend on our ability to integrate those businesses with our own. The combination of multiple independent businesses is a complex, costly and time-consuming process and there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully integrate businesses into our business, or if such integration is successfully accomplished, that such integration will not be costlier or take longer than presently contemplated. Integration of future acquisitions may include various risks and uncertainties, including the factors discussed in the paragraph below. If we cannot successfully integrate and manage the businesses within a reasonable time, we may not be able to realize the potential and anticipated benefits of such acquisitions, which could have a material adverse effect on our stock price, business, cash flows, results of operations and financial position.
We will consider acquisitions that we believe will complement, strengthen and enhance our growth. We evaluate opportunities on a preliminary basis from time to time, but these transactions may not advance beyond the preliminary stages or be completed. Such acquisitions are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including:
| · | the inability to effectively integrate the operations, products, technologies, and personnel of the acquired companies (some of which are in diverse geographic regions) and achieve expected synergies; | |
| · | the potential disruption of existing business and diversion of management’s attention from day-to-day operations; | |
| · | the inability to maintain uniform standards, controls, procedures, and policies; | |
| · | the need or obligation to divest portions of the acquired companies; | |
| · | the potential failure to identify material problems and liabilities during due diligence review of acquisition targets; | |
| · | the potential failure to obtain sufficient indemnification rights to fully offset possible liabilities associated with acquired businesses; and | |
| · | the challenges associated with operating in new geographic regions. |
Failure to manage our growing and changing business could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
As we grow, we expect to encounter additional challenges to our internal processes, capital commitment process, and acquisition funding and financing capabilities. Our existing operations, personnel, systems, and internal control may not be adequate to support our growth and expansion and may require us to make additional unanticipated investments in our infrastructure. To manage the future growth of our operations, we will be required to improve our administrative, operational, and financial systems, procedures, and controls, and maintain, expand, train, and manage our growing employee base. If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, we may not be able to take advantage of market opportunities, execute our business strategies successfully or respond to competitive pressures. As a result, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
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We face competition for businesses that fit our acquisition strategy and, therefore, we may have to acquire targets at sub-optimal prices or, alternatively, forego certain acquisition opportunities.
We have been formed to acquire and manage small to mid-sized businesses. In pursuing such acquisitions, we expect to face strong competition from a wide range of other potential purchasers. Although the pool of potential purchasers for such businesses is typically smaller than for larger businesses, those potential purchasers can be aggressive in their approach to acquiring such businesses. Furthermore, we expect that we may need to use third-party financing in order to fund some or all of these potential acquisitions, thereby increasing our acquisition costs. To the extent that other potential purchasers do not need to obtain third-party financing or are able to obtain such financing on more favorable terms, they may be in a position to be more aggressive with their acquisition proposals. As a result, in order to be competitive, our acquisition proposals may need to be aggressively priced, including at price levels that exceed what we originally determined to be fair or appropriate. Alternatively, we may determine that we cannot pursue on a cost-effective basis what would otherwise be an attractive acquisition opportunity.
We may not be able to successfully fund acquisitions due to the unavailability of equity or debt financing on acceptable terms, which could impede the implementation of our acquisition strategy.
We finance acquisitions primarily through additional equity and debt financings. Because the timing and size of acquisitions cannot be readily predicted, we may need to be able to obtain funding on short notice to benefit fully from attractive acquisition opportunities. The sale of additional shares of any class of equity will be subject to market conditions and investor demand for such shares at prices that may not be in the best interest of our stockholders. The sale of additional equity securities could also result in dilution to our stockholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could require us to agree to operating and financial covenants that would restrict our operations. Financing may not be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. These risks may materially adversely affect our ability to pursue our acquisition strategy.
We may change our management and acquisition strategies without the consent of our stockholders, which may result in a determination by us to pursue riskier business activities.
We may change our strategy at any time without the consent of our stockholders, which may result in our acquiring businesses or assets that are different from, and possibly riskier than, the strategy described in this report. A change in our strategy may increase our exposure to interest rate and currency fluctuations, subject us to regulation under the Investment Company Act or subject us to other risks and uncertainties that affect our operations and profitability.
We are a holding company and rely on distributions and other payments, advances, and transfers of funds from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations.
Our primary business is the holding and managing of controlling interests our operating businesses. Therefore, we will be dependent upon the ability of our businesses to generate cash flows and, in turn, distribute cash to us in the form of distributions, advances and other transfers of funds to enable us to satisfy our financial obligations. The ability of our businesses to make payments to us may also be subject to limitations under laws of the jurisdictions in which they are incorporated or organized.
In the future, we may seek to enter into credit facilities to help fund our acquisition capital and working capital needs. These credit facilities may expose us to additional risks associated with leverage and may inhibit our operating flexibility.
We may seek to enter into credit facilities with third-party lenders to help fund our acquisitions. Such credit facilities will likely require us to pay a commitment fee on the undrawn amount and will likely contain a number of affirmative and restrictive covenants. If we violate any such covenants, our lenders could accelerate the maturity of any debt outstanding. Such debt may be secured by our assets, including the stock we may own in businesses that we acquire and the rights we have under intercompany loan agreements that we may enter into with our businesses. Our ability to meet our debt service obligations may be affected by events beyond our control and will depend primarily upon cash produced by businesses that we currently manage and may acquire in the future and distributed or paid to us. Any failure to comply with the terms of our indebtedness may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.
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In addition, we expect that such credit facilities will bear interest at floating rates which will generally change as interest rates change. We will bear the risk that the rates that we are charged by our lenders will increase faster than we can grow the cash flow from our businesses or businesses that we may acquire in the future, which could reduce profitability, materially adversely affect our ability to service our debt, cause us to breach covenants contained in our third-party credit facilities and reduce cash flow available for distribution.
The loss of the services of the current officers and directors could severely impact our business operations and future development, which could result in a loss of revenues and one’s ability to ever sell any shares.
Our performance is substantially dependent upon the professional expertise of the current officers and board of directors. Each has extensive expertise in business development and acquisitions, and we are dependent on their abilities. If they are unable to perform their duties, this could have an adverse effect on business operations, financial condition, and operating results if we are unable to replace them with other individuals qualified to develop and market our business. The loss of their services could result in a loss of revenues, which could result in a reduction of the value of any shares you hold as well as the complete loss of your investment.
Our future success is dependent on the management teams of our businesses, the loss of any of whom could materially adversely affect our financial condition, business, and results of operations.
The future success of our existing and future businesses depends on the respective management teams of those businesses because we intend to operate our businesses on a stand-alone basis, primarily relying on their existing management teams for day-to-day operations. Consequently, their operational success, as well as the success of any organic growth strategy, will be dependent on the continuing efforts of the management teams of our businesses. We will seek to provide these individuals with equity incentives and to have employment agreements with certain persons we have identified as key to their businesses. However, these measures may not prevent these individuals from leaving their employment. The loss of services of one or more of these individuals may materially adversely affect our financial condition, business, and results of operations.
We may engage in a business transaction with one or more target businesses that have relationships with our executive officers, our directors, or any of their respective affiliates, which may create or present conflicts of interest.
We may decide to engage in a business transaction with one or more target businesses with which our executive officers, our directors, or any of their respective affiliates, have a relationship, which may create or present conflicts of interest. Regardless of whether we obtain a fairness opinion from an independent investment banking firm with respect to such a transaction, conflicts of interest may still exist with respect to a particular acquisition and, as a result, the terms of the acquisition of a target business may not be as advantageous to our stockholders as it would have been absent any conflicts of interest.
The operational objectives and business plans of our businesses may conflict with our operational and business objectives or with the plans and objective of another business we own and operate.
Our businesses operate in different industries and face different risks and opportunities depending on market and economic conditions in their respective industries and regions. A business’ operational objectives and business plans may not be similar to our objectives and plans or the objectives and plans of another business that we own and operate. This could create competing demands for resources, such as management attention and funding needed for operations or acquisitions, in the future.
If, in the future, we cease to control and operate our businesses or other businesses that we acquire in the future or engage in certain other activities, we may be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
We have the ability to make investments in businesses that we will not operate or control. If we make significant investments in businesses that we do not operate or control, or that we cease to operate or control, or if we commence certain investment-related activities, we may be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Our decision to sell a business will be based upon financial, operating, and other considerations rather than a plan to complete a sale of a business within any specific time frame. If we were deemed to be an investment company, we would either have to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, obtain exemptive relief from the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, or modify our investments or organizational structure or our contract rights to fall outside the definition of an investment company. Registering as an investment company could, among other things, materially adversely affect our financial condition, business, and results of operations, materially limit our ability to borrow funds or engage in other transactions involving leverage and require us to add directors who are independent of us and otherwise will subject us to additional regulation that will be costly and time-consuming.
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We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to develop or maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results and prevent fraud. As a result, current and potential stockholders could lose confidence in our financial statements, which would harm the trading price of our common stock.
Companies that file reports with the SEC, including us, are subject to the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or SOX 404. SOX 404 requires management to establish and maintain a system of internal control over financial reporting and annual reports on Form 10-K filed under the Exchange Act to contain a report from management assessing the effectiveness of a company’s internal control over financial reporting. Separately, under SOX 404, as amended by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, public companies that are large, accelerated filers or accelerated filers must include in their annual reports on Form 10-K an attestation report of their regular auditors attesting to and reporting on management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting. Non-accelerated filers and smaller reporting companies, like us, are not required to include an attestation report of their auditors in annual reports.
A report of our management is included under Item 9A “Controls and Procedures.” We are a smaller reporting company and, consequently, are not required to include an attestation report of our auditor in our annual report. However, if and when we become subject to the auditor attestation requirements under SOX 404, we can provide no assurance that we will receive a positive attestation from our independent auditors.
During its evaluation of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, management identified material weaknesses. These material weaknesses were associated with our lack of (i) formal documentation over internal control procedures and environment, (ii) proper segregation of duties and multiple level of reviews and (iii) sufficient process, systems and access to technical accounting resources to enable appropriate accounting for and reporting on complex and/or non-routine debt and equity financing transactions including accounting for derivatives, convertible debt, preferred stock. We also have not developed and effectively communicated our accounting policies and procedures to our employees, which has resulted in inconsistent practices. We are undertaking remedial measures, which measures will take time to implement and test, to address these material weaknesses. There can be no assurance that such measures will be sufficient to remedy the material weaknesses identified or that additional material weaknesses or other control or significant deficiencies will not be identified in the future. If we continue to experience material weaknesses in our internal controls or fail to maintain or implement required new or improved controls, such circumstances could cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations or result in material misstatements in our financial statements, or adversely affect the results of periodic management evaluations and, if required, annual auditor attestation reports. Each of the foregoing results could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information and lead to a decline in our stock price.
Risks Related to Our Healthcare Business
Our ability to grow our business through organic expansion either by developing new facilities or by modifying existing facilities is dependent upon many factors.
Our ability to grow our business through organic expansion is dependent on capacity and occupancy at our facilities. Should our facilities reach maximum occupancy, we may need to implement other growth strategies either by developing new facilities or by modifying existing facilities.
Our facilities typically need to be purpose-designed in order to enable the type and quality of service that we provide. Consequently, we must either develop sites to create facilities or purchase or lease existing facilities, which may require substantial modification. We must be able to identify suitable sites and there is no guarantee that such sites will be available at all, or at an economically viable cost or in areas of sufficient demand for our services. The subsequent successful development and construction of a new facility is contingent upon, among other things, negotiation of construction contracts, regulatory permits and planning consents and satisfactory completion of construction. Similarly, our ability to expand existing facilities is also dependent upon various factors, including identification of appropriate expansion projects, permitting, licensure, financing, integration into our relationships with payors and referral sources, and margin pressure as new facilities are filled with patients.
Delays caused by difficulties in respect of any of the above factors may lead to cost overruns and longer periods before a return is generated on an investment, if at all. We may incur significant capital expenditure but due to a regulatory, planning, or other reason, we may find that we are prevented from opening a new facility or modifying an existing facility. Moreover, even when incurring such development capital expenditure, there is no guarantee that we can fill beds when they become available. Upon operational commencement of a new facility, we typically expect that it will take approximately 12-18 months to reach our targeted occupancy level. Any delays or stoppages in our projects, the unsatisfactory completion or construction of such projects or the failure of such projects to increase our occupancy levels could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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Changes to payment rates or methods of third-party payors, including government healthcare programs, changes to the laws and regulations that regulate payments for medical services, the failure of payment rates to increase as our costs increase, or changes to our payor mix, could adversely affect our operating margins and revenues.
Our revenue is primarily provided by bodily injury insurance policies, general liability policies, and personal injury protection policies, which partially insulates our business from the declining reimbursement programs paid from or correlated to Medicare/Medicaid and traditional health insurance companies. However, we do also depend on private and governmental third-party sources of payment for the services provided to patients and assume financial risks related to changes in third-party reimbursement rates and changes in payor mix. In some cases, our revenue decreases if our volume or reimbursement decreases, but our expenses, including physician compensation, may not decrease proportionately.
The amount we receive for our services may be adversely affected by market and cost factors as well as other factors over which we have no control, including changes to the Medicare and Medicaid payment systems. Health reform efforts at the federal and state levels may increase the likelihood of significant changes affecting government healthcare programs and private insurance coverage. Government healthcare programs are subject to, among other things, statutory and regulatory changes, administrative rulings, interpretations, and determinations concerning patient eligibility requirements, funding levels and the method of calculating payments or reimbursements, all of which could materially increase or decrease payments we receive from these government programs. Further, Medicare reimbursement rates are increasingly used by private payors as benchmarks to establish commercial reimbursement rates and any adjustment in Medicare reimbursement rates may impact our reimbursement rates from such private payors as well.
There are significant private and public sector pressures to restrain healthcare costs and to restrict reimbursement rates for medical services, and we believe that such pressures will continue. Many states are continuing to collect less revenue than they did in prior years, and as a result may face ongoing budget shortfalls and underfunded pension and other liabilities. Deteriorating financial conditions in the states in which we operate could lead to reduced or delayed funding for Medicaid programs, which may reduce or delay the reimbursement we receive for services provided. Major payors of healthcare, including federal and state governments and private insurers, have taken steps in recent years to monitor and control costs, eligibility for and use and delivery of healthcare services, and to revise payment methodologies. As part of their efforts to contain healthcare costs, purchasers increasingly are demanding discounted or global fee structures or the assumption by healthcare providers of all or a portion of the financial risk through shared risk, capitation, and care management arrangements, often in exchange for exclusive or preferred participation in their benefit plans. Further, the ability of commercial payors to control healthcare costs may be enhanced by the increasing consolidation of insurance and managed care companies, which may reduce our ability to negotiate favorable contracts with such payors.
We expect efforts to impose greater discounts and more stringent cost controls by government and other payors to continue, thereby reducing the payments we receive for our services. The effect of cost containment trends will depend, in part, on our payor mix. We cannot assure you that we will be able to offset reduced operating margins through cost reductions, increased volume, the introduction of additional procedures or otherwise. In addition, we cannot assure you that future changes to reimbursement rates by government healthcare programs, cost containment measures by private third-party payors, including fixed fee schedules and capitated payment arrangements, or other factors affecting payments for healthcare services will not adversely affect our future revenues, operating margins, or profitability.
An increase in uninsured or underinsured patients or the deterioration in the collectability of the accounts of such patients could harm our results of operations.
Collection of receivables from third-party payors and patients is critical to our operating performance. Our primary collection risks relate to uninsured patients and the portion of the bill that is the patient’s responsibility, which primarily includes co-payments and deductibles. We determine the transaction price based on established billing rates reduced by contractual adjustments provided to third-party payors, discounts provided to uninsured patients and implicit price concessions. Contractual adjustments and discounts are based on contractual agreements, discount policies and historical experience. Implicit price concessions are based on historical collection experience. Significant changes in business office operations, payor mix, economic conditions, or trends in federal and state governmental health coverage could affect our collection of accounts receivable, cash flow and results of operations. If we experience unexpected increases in the growth of uninsured and underinsured patients or in bad debt expenses, our results of operations will be harmed.
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Failure to timely or accurately bill for services could have a negative impact on our net revenue and cash flow.
Billing for healthcare services is an important but complex aspect of our business. In particular, the current practice of providing physician services in advance of payment or, in some cases, irrespective of the patient’s ability to pay for such services, may have significant negative impact on our net revenue, bad debt expense and cash flow. We bill numerous and varied payors, such as bodily injury policies, general liability policies, and personal injury protection policies, self-pay patients, managed care payors and Medicare and Medicaid. These different payors typically have different billing requirements that must be satisfied prior to receiving payment for services rendered. Reimbursement is typically conditioned on our documenting medical necessity, the appropriate level of service and correctly applying diagnosis codes. Incorrect or incomplete documentation and billing information could result in non-payment for services rendered.
Additional factors that could complicate our ability to timely or accurately bill payors include:
| · | disputes between payors as to which party is responsible for payment; | |
| · | failure of information systems and processes to submit and collect claims in a timely manner; |
| · | variation in coverage for similar services among various payors; | |
| · | our reliance on third-parties to provide billing services for certain of our service lines; | |
| · | the difficulty of adherence to specific compliance requirements, diagnosis coding and other procedures mandated by various payors; and | |
| · | in connection with billing for physician services, failure to obtain proper physician credentialing and documentation in order to bill various payors. |
To the extent that the complexity associated with billing for healthcare services we provide causes delays in our cash collections, we may experience increased carrying costs associated with the aging of our accounts receivable as well as increased potential for bad debt expense.
Our facilities face competition for patients from other healthcare providers.
The healthcare industry is highly competitive, and competition among healthcare providers for patients and physicians has intensified in recent years. In all of the geographical areas in which we operate, there are other facilities that provide services comparable to those offered by our facilities. Some of our competitors include facilities that are owned by tax-supported governmental agencies or by nonprofit corporations and may be supported by endowments and charitable contributions and exempt from property, sales, and income taxes. Such exemptions and support are not available to us.
Certain of our competitors may have greater financial resources, be better equipped and offer a broader range of services than we offer. The number of facilities in the geographic areas in which we operate has increased significantly. As a result, most of our facilities operate in an increasingly competitive environment.
If our competitors are better able to attract patients, recruit physicians and other healthcare professionals, expand services or obtain favorable managed care contracts at their facilities, we may experience a decline in patient volume and our business may be harmed.
Our performance depends on our ability to recruit and retain quality physicians.
The success and competitive advantage of our facilities depends, in part, on the number and quality of the physicians on the medical staffs of our facilities, the admitting practices of those physicians and our maintenance of good relations with those physicians. Physicians generally are not employees of our facilities and may have admitting privileges at other similar facilities to ours. They may terminate their affiliation with us at any time. If we are unable to provide high ethical and professional standards, adequate support personnel and technologically advanced equipment and facilities that meet the needs of those physicians, they may be discouraged from referring patients to our facilities and our results of operations may decline.
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Our performance depends on our ability to attract and retain qualified nurses and medical support staff and we face competition for staffing that may increase our labor costs and harm our results of operations.
We depend on the efforts, abilities, and experience of our medical support personnel, including our nurses, pharmacists and lab technicians and other healthcare professionals. We compete with other healthcare providers in recruiting and retaining qualified hospital management, nurses, and other medical personnel.
The nationwide shortage of nurses and other clinical staff and support personnel has been a significant operating issue facing us and other healthcare providers. In particular, like others in the healthcare industry, we continue to experience a shortage of nurses and other clinical staff and support personnel at our facilities in many geographic areas, which shortage was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In some areas, the increased demand for care is putting a strain on our resources and staff, which has required us to utilize higher-cost temporary labor and pay premiums above standard compensation for essential workers. This staffing shortage may require us to further enhance wages and benefits to recruit and retain nurses and other clinical staff and support personnel or require us to hire expensive temporary personnel. To the extent we cannot maintain sufficient staffing levels at our facilities, we may be required to limit our services at certain of our facilities, which would have a corresponding adverse effect on our net revenues.
We cannot predict the degree to which we will be affected by the future availability or cost of attracting and retaining talented medical support staff. If our general labor and related expenses increase, we may not be able to raise our rates correspondingly. Our failure to either recruit and retain qualified management, nurses and other medical support personnel or control our labor costs could harm our results of operations.
If we do not continually enhance our facilities with the most recent technological advances in diagnostic and surgical equipment, our ability to maintain and expand our markets will be adversely affected.
The technology used in medical equipment and related devices is constantly evolving and, as a result, manufacturers and distributors continue to offer new and upgraded products to healthcare providers. To compete effectively, we must continually assess our equipment needs and upgrade when significant technological advances occur. If our facilities do not stay current with technological advances in the healthcare industry, patients may seek treatment from other providers and/or physicians may refer their patients to alternate sources, which could adversely affect our results of operations and harm our business.
If we fail to comply with extensive laws and government regulations, we could suffer civil or criminal penalties or be required to make significant changes to our operations that could reduce our revenue and profitability.
The healthcare industry is required to comply with extensive and complex laws and regulations at the federal, state and local government levels relating to, among other things: hospital billing practices and prices for services; relationships with physicians and other referral sources; adequacy of medical care and quality of medical equipment and services; ownership of facilities; qualifications of medical and support personnel; confidentiality, maintenance, privacy and security issues associated with health-related information and patient medical records; certification, licensure and accreditation of our facilities; operating policies and procedures, and; construction or expansion of facilities and services.
Among these laws are the federal False Claims Act, HIPAA and the federal anti-kickback statute and the provision of the Social Security Act commonly known as the “Stark Law.” These laws, and particularly the anti-kickback statute and the Stark Law, impact the relationships that we may have with physicians and other referral sources. We have a variety of financial relationships with physicians who refer patients to our facilities. The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, or OIG, has enacted safe harbor regulations that outline practices that are deemed protected from prosecution under the anti-kickback statute. A number of our current arrangements, including financial relationships with physicians and other referral sources, may not qualify for safe harbor protection under the anti-kickback statute. Failure to meet a safe harbor does not mean that the arrangement necessarily violates the anti-kickback statute but may subject the arrangement to greater scrutiny. We cannot assure you that practices that are outside of a safe harbor will not be found to violate the anti-kickback statute. The CMS published a Medicare self-referral disclosure protocol, which is intended to allow providers to self-disclose actual or potential violations of the Stark Law. Because there are only a few judicial decisions interpreting the Stark Law, there can be no assurance that our facilities will not be found in violation of the Stark Law or that self-disclosure of a potential violation would result in reduced penalties.
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Federal regulations issued under HIPAA contain provisions that require us to implement and, in the future, may require us to implement additional costly electronic media security systems and to adopt new business practices designed to protect the privacy and security of each of our patient’s health and related financial information. Such privacy and security regulations impose extensive administrative, physical, and technical requirements on us, restrict our use and disclosure of certain patient health and financial information, provide patients with rights with respect to their health information and require us to enter into contracts extending many of the privacy and security regulatory requirements to third parties that perform duties on our behalf. Additionally, recent changes to HIPAA regulations may result in greater compliance requirements, including obligations to report breaches of unsecured patient data, as well as create new liabilities for the actions of parties acting as business associates on our behalf.
These laws and regulations are extremely complex, and, in many cases, we do not have the benefit of regulatory or judicial interpretation. In the future, it is possible that different interpretations or enforcement of these laws and regulations could subject our current or past practices to allegations of impropriety or illegality or could require us to make changes in our facilities, equipment, personnel, services, capital expenditure programs and operating expenses. A determination that we have violated one or more of these laws, or the public announcement that we are being investigated for possible violations of one or more of these laws, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations and our business reputation could suffer significantly. In addition, we cannot predict whether other legislation or regulations at the federal or state level will be adopted, what form such legislation or regulations may take or what their impact on us may be.
If we are deemed to have failed to comply with the anti-kickback statute, the Stark Law or other applicable laws and regulations, we could be subjected to liabilities, including criminal penalties, civil penalties (including the loss of our licenses to operate one or more facilities), and exclusion of one or more facilities from participation in the Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal and state healthcare programs. The imposition of such penalties could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
We are subject to occupational health, safety and other similar regulations and failure to comply with such regulations could harm our business and results of operations.
We are subject to a wide variety of federal, state, and local occupational health and safety laws and regulations. Regulatory requirements affecting us include, but are not limited to, those covering: (i) air and water quality control; (ii) occupational health and safety (e.g., standards regarding blood-borne pathogens and ergonomics, etc.); (iii) waste management; (iv) the handling of asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, and radioactive substances; and (v) other hazardous materials. If we fail to comply with those standards, we may be subject to sanctions and penalties that could harm our business and results of operations.
We may be required to spend substantial amounts to comply with statutes and regulations relating to privacy and security of protected health information.
There are currently numerous legislative and regulatory initiatives in the U.S. addressing patient privacy and information security concerns. In particular, federal regulations issued under HIPAA require our facilities to comply with standards to protect the privacy, security and integrity of protected health information, or PHI. These requirements include the adoption of certain administrative, physical, and technical safeguards; development of adequate policies and procedures, training programs and other initiatives to ensure the privacy of PHI is maintained; entry into appropriate agreements with so-called business associates; and affording patients certain rights with respect to their PHI, including notification of any breaches. Compliance with these regulations requires substantial expenditures, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition, or results of operations. In addition, our management has spent, and may spend in the future, substantial time, and effort on compliance measures.
Violations of the privacy and security regulations could subject our operations to substantial civil monetary penalties and substantial other costs and penalties associated with a breach of data security, including criminal penalties. We may also be subject to substantial reputational harm if we experience a substantial security breach involving PHI.
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State efforts to regulate the construction or expansion of health care facilities could impair our ability to expand.
Many states, including Florida, have enacted CON laws as a condition prior to capital expenditures, construction, expansion, modernization, or initiation of major new services. Failure to obtain necessary state approval can result in our inability to complete an acquisition, expansion or replacement, the imposition of civil or, in some cases, criminal sanctions, the inability to receive Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement or the revocation of a facility’s license, which could harm our business. In addition, significant CON reforms have been proposed in a number of states that would increase the capital spending thresholds and provide exemptions of various services from review requirements. In the past, we have not experienced any material adverse effects from those requirements, but we cannot predict the impact of these changes upon our operations.
A cyber security incident could cause a violation of HIPAA, breach of member privacy, or other negative impacts.
We rely extensively on our information technology, or IT, systems to manage clinical and financial data, communicate with our patients, payers, vendors and other third parties and summarize and analyze operating results. In addition, we have made significant investments in technology to adopt and utilize electronic health records and to become meaningful users of health information technology pursuant to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Our IT systems are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, facility damage, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, security breaches including credit card or personally identifiable information breaches, vandalism, theft, natural disasters, catastrophic events, human error and potential cyber threats, including malicious codes, worms, phishing attacks, denial of service attacks, ransomware and other sophisticated cyber-attacks, and our disaster recovery planning cannot account for all eventualities. As cyber criminals continue to become more sophisticated through evolution of their tactics, techniques, and procedures, we have taken, and will continue to take, additional preventive measures to strengthen the cyber defenses of our networks and data. However, if any of our systems are damaged, fail to function properly or otherwise become unavailable, we may incur substantial costs to repair or replace them, and may experience loss or corruption of critical data such as protected health information or other data subject to privacy laws and proprietary business information and interruptions or disruptions and delays in our ability to perform critical functions, which could materially and adversely affect our businesses and results of operations and could result in significant penalties or fines, litigation, loss of customers, significant damage to our reputation and business, and other losses. In addition, our future results of operations, as well as our reputation, could be adversely impacted by theft, destruction, loss, or misappropriation of public health information, other confidential data, or proprietary business information.
We may fail to deal with clinical waste in accordance with applicable regulations or otherwise be in breach of relevant medical, health and safety or environmental laws and regulations.
As part of our normal business activities, we produce and store clinical waste which may produce effects that are harmful to the environment or human health. The storage and transportation of such waste is strictly regulated. Our waste disposal services are outsourced and should the relevant service provider fail to comply with relevant regulations, we could face sanctions or fines which could adversely affect our brand, reputation, business, or financial condition. Health and safety risks are inherent in the services that we provide and are constantly present in our facilities, primarily in respect of food and water quality, as well as fire safety and the risk that service users may cause harm to themselves, other service users or employees. From time to time, we have experienced, like other providers of similar services, undesirable health, and safety incidents. Some of our activities are particularly exposed to significant medical risks relating to the transmission of infections or the prescription and administration of drugs for residents and patients. If any of the above medical or health and safety risks were to materialize, we may be held liable, fined and any registration certificate could be suspended or withdrawn for failure to comply with applicable regulations, which may have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
If any of our existing healthcare facilities lose their accreditation or any of our new facilities fail to receive accreditation, such facilities could become ineligible to receive reimbursement under Medicare or Medicaid.
The construction and operation of healthcare facilities are subject to extensive federal, state, and local regulation relating to, among other things, the adequacy of medical care, equipment, personnel, operating policies and procedures, fire prevention, rate-setting and compliance with building codes and environmental protection. Additionally, such facilities are subject to periodic inspection by government authorities to assure their continued compliance with these various standards.
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All of our healthcare facilities are deemed certified, meaning that they are accredited, properly licensed under the relevant state laws and regulations and certified under the Medicare program. The effect of maintaining certified facilities is to allow such facilities to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. We believe that all of our healthcare facilities are in material compliance with applicable federal, state, local and other relevant regulations, and standards. However, should any of our healthcare facilities lose their deemed certified status and thereby lose certification under the Medicare or Medicaid programs, such facilities would be unable to receive reimbursement from either of those programs and our business could be materially adversely effected.
We could be subject to lawsuits which could harm the value of our business, including litigation for which we are not fully reserved.
From time-to-time we are involved in lawsuits, claims, audits, and investigations, including those arising out of services provided, personal injury claims, professional liability claims, billing and marketing practices, employment disputes and contractual claims. Physicians, hospitals, and other participants in healthcare delivery have become subject to an increasing number of lawsuits alleging medical malpractice and related legal theories such as negligent hiring, supervision and credentialing. Some of these lawsuits may involve large claim amounts and substantial defense costs.
We generally procure professional liability insurance coverage for our medical professionals. A substantial portion of our professional liability loss risks are provided by third-party insurers. Moreover, in the normal course of our business, we are involved in lawsuits, claims, audits, and investigations, including those arising out of our billing and marketing practices, employment disputes, contractual claims and other business disputes for which we may have no insurance coverage, and which are not subject to actuarial estimates. The outcome of these matters could have a material effect on our results of operations in the period when we identify the matter, and the ultimate outcome could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
We may become subject to future lawsuits, claims, audits, and investigations that could result in substantial costs and divert our attention and resources and adversely affect our business condition. In addition, since our current growth strategy includes acquisitions, among other things, we may become exposed to legal claims for the activities of an acquired business prior to the acquisition. These lawsuits, claims, audits, or investigations, regardless of their merit or outcome, may also adversely affect our reputation and ability to expand our business.
Risks Related to Our Real Estate Business
We are subject to demand fluctuations in the real estate industry. Any reduction in demand could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Demand for properties similar to those owned by us is subject to fluctuations that are often due to factors outside our control. We are not able to predict the course of the real estate markets or whether the current favorable trends in those markets can, or will, continue. In the event of an economic downturn, our results of operations may be adversely affected, and we may incur significant impairments and other write-offs and substantial losses from this business.
Adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, and other unforeseen and/or unplanned conditions could disrupt our real estate developments.
Adverse weather conditions and natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, and fires, could have serious impacts on our ability to develop and market our real estate assets. Properties may also be affected by unforeseen planning, engineering, environmental, or geological conditions or problems, including conditions or problems which arise on third party properties adjacent to or in the vicinity of properties which own, and which may result in unfavorable impacts on our properties. Any adverse event or circumstance could cause a delay in, prevent the completion of, or increase the cost of, one or more of our properties expected to be developed and brought to market by us, thereby resulting in a negative impact on our operations and financial results.
If the market value of our real estate investments decreases, our results of operations will also likely decrease.
The market value of our real estate assets will depend on market conditions. If local and/or global economic conditions deteriorate, or if the demand for our properties decreases, we may not be able to make a profit on such property. As a result of declining economic conditions, we may experience lower than anticipated profits and/or may not be able to recover our costs of a project when a property is brought to market.
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Changes in tax laws, taxes or fees may increase the cost of development, and such changes could adversely impact our finances and operational results.
Any increase or change in such laws, taxes, or fees, including real estate property taxes, could increase the cost of development and thus have an adverse effect on our operations. Such changes could also negatively impact potential and/or actual users and purchasers of our properties because potential buyers may factor such changes into their decisions to utilize or purchase a property.
The real estate industry is highly competitive and if other property developers are more successful or offer better value to customers, our business could suffer.
The real estate industry is highly competitive, regardless of locale. Competitors range from small local companies to large international conglomerates with financial resources much greater than those of our company. We have to compete for raw materials, construction components, financing, environmental resources, utilities, infrastructure, labor, skilled management, governmental permits and licensing and other factors critical to the successful development of our real estate assets. We compete against both new and existing developments and developers. Any increase in or change to any competitive factor could result in our inability to begin development of our real estate assets in a timely manner and/or increase costs for the design, development, and completion. As a result, we may experience decreased profits due to these factors, impacting our operations and our overall financial results.
We may incur environmental liabilities with respect to our real estate assets.
Our properties are subject to a variety of local, state, and federal statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations concerning the protection of health and the environment. Environmental laws may result in delays, may cause us to incur substantial compliance and other costs and may prohibit or severely restrict development. Furthermore, under various federal, state, and local laws, ordinances and regulations, an owner of real property may be liable for the costs or removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances on or in such property. Such laws often impose such liability without regard to whether we knew of, or were responsible for, the presence of such hazardous or toxic substances. The cost of any required remediation and our liability therefor as to our properties are generally not limited under such laws and could exceed the value of the property and/or the aggregate assets of our company. The presence of such substances, or the failure to properly remediate contamination from such substances, may adversely affect our ability to sell real estate or to borrow using such property as collateral.
Our co-venture partners or other partners in co-ownership arrangements could take actions that decrease the value of our real estate assets.
The development of our real estate assets could involve joint ventures or other co-ownership arrangements with third parties. Such relationships may involve risks, including, for example:
| · | the possibility that a co-venturer or partner might become bankrupt; | |
| · | the possibility that development may require additional capital that we or our partner do not have; | |
| · | the possibility that a co-venturer or partner might breach a loan agreement or other agreement or otherwise, by action or inaction, act in a way detrimental to us; | |
| · | that such co-venturer or partner may at any time have economic or business interests or goals that are or that become inconsistent with the business interests or goals of our company; | |
| · | the possibility that we may incur liabilities as the result of the action taken by our partner; |
| · | that such co-venturer or partner may be in a position to take action contrary to our instructions or requests or contrary to our policies or objectives; or | |
| · | that such co-partner may exercise buy/sell rights that force us to or dispose of our share, at a time and price that may not be consistent with our objectives. |
Any of the above might subject our real estate assets to liabilities in excess of those contemplated and thus reduce our returns on our investment.
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Uninsured losses relating to real property or excessively expensive premiums for insurance coverage may adversely affect the value of your stock.
The nature of our activities could expose us to potential liability for personal injuries and, in certain instances, property damage claims. For instance, there are types of losses, generally catastrophic in nature, such as losses due to wars, acts of terrorism, earthquakes, pollution, environmental matters, or extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes, floods, and snowstorms that are uninsurable or not economically insurable, or may be insured subject to limitations, such as large deductibles or co-payments. We may not carry all the usual and customary insurance policies which would be carried by a similarly-positioned company, and we may not be carrying those insurance policies in amounts and types sufficient to cover every risk which may be encountered by our company. Insurance risks associated with potential terrorist acts could sharply increase the premiums we will pay for coverage against property and casualty claims. We cannot assure you that we will have adequate coverage for all losses. If any of our properties incur a casualty loss that is not fully covered by insurance, the value of our assets will be reduced by the amount of any such uninsured loss. In addition, other than the capital reserve or other reserves we may establish, we do not expect to have any contingent sources of funding in place to repair or reconstruct any uninsured damaged property, and we cannot assure you that any such sources of funding will be available to us for such purposes in the future. Also, to the extent we must pay unexpectedly large amounts for insurance, we could suffer reduced earnings that would result in a decreased value attributed to our publicly traded stock.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
Our common stock is eligible for quotation on the Pink Market, which may have an unfavorable impact on our stock price and liquidity.
Our common stock is eligible for quotation on the Pink Market operated by OTC Markets Group Inc. The Pink Market is a regulated quotation service that displays real-time quotes, last sale prices and volume information in over-the-counter securities. The Pink Market is not an issuer listing service, market, or exchange. The requirements for quotation on the Pink Market are considerably lower and less regulated than those of an exchange. Because of this, it is possible that fewer brokers or dealers will be interested in making a market in our common stock because the market for such securities is more limited, the stocks are more volatile, and the risk to investors is greater, which may impact the liquidity of our common stock. Even if an active market begins to develop in our common stock, the quotation of our common stock on the Pink Market may result in a less liquid market available for existing and potential stockholders to trade common stock, could depress the trading price of our common stock and could have a long-term adverse impact on our ability to raise capital in the future. If an active market is never developed for our common stock, it will be difficult or impossible for you to sell any common stock you purchase.
Our common stock may be subject to significant price volatility which may have an adverse effect on your ability to liquidate your investment in our common stock.
The market for our common stock may be characterized by significant price volatility when compared to seasoned issuers, and we expect that our stock price will be more volatile than a seasoned issuer for the indefinite future. The potential volatility in our stock price is attributable to a number of factors. First, our common stock may be sporadically and/or thinly traded. As a consequence of this lack of liquidity, the trading of relatively small quantities of shares by our stockholders may disproportionately influence the price of those shares in either direction. The price for our common stock could, for example, decline precipitously if a large number of our shares of common stock are sold on the market without commensurate demand, as compared to a seasoned issuer that could better absorb those sales without adverse impact on its stock price. Secondly, an investment in us is a speculative or “risky” investment due to our lack of meaningful profits to date and uncertainty of future profits. As a consequence of this enhanced risk, more risk-adverse investors may, under the fear of losing all or most of their investment in the event of negative news or lack of progress, be more inclined to sell their shares on the market more quickly and at greater discounts than would be the case with the stock of a seasoned issuer.
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Our officers and directors own a significant percentage of our outstanding voting securities which could reduce the ability of minority stockholders to effect certain corporate actions.
Our executive officers and directors are collectively able to exercise approximately 84.69% of our total voting power. As a result, they possess significant influence and can elect a majority of our board of directors and authorize or prevent proposed significant corporate transactions without the votes of any other stockholders. They are expected to have significant influence over a decision to enter into any corporate transaction and have the ability to prevent any transaction that requires the approval of stockholders, regardless of whether or not our other stockholders believe that such transaction is in our best interests. Such concentration of voting power could have the effect of delaying, deterring, or preventing a change of control or other business combination, which could, in turn, have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock or prevent our stockholder from realizing a premium over the then-prevailing market price for their common stock.
We have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future, and you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.
We may retain future earnings, if any, for future operations, expansion and debt repayment and have no current plans to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions, and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends may be limited by covenants of any existing and future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in our common stock unless you sell our common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it and any potential investor who anticipates the need for current dividends should not purchase our securities.
Future issuances of our common stock or securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, our common stock could cause the market price of our common stock to decline and would result in the dilution of your holdings.
Future issuances of our common stock or securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, our common stock, or the expiration of lock-up agreements that restrict the issuance of new common stock or the trading of outstanding common stock, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. We cannot predict the effect, if any, of future issuances of our securities, or the future expirations of lock-up agreements, on the price of our common stock. In all events, future issuances of our common stock would result in the dilution of your holdings. In addition, the perception that new issuances of our securities could occur could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
Rule 144 sales in the future may have a depressive effect on our stock price.
All of the outstanding common stock held by the present officers, directors, and affiliate stockholders are “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. As restricted shares, these shares may be resold only pursuant to an effective registration statement or under the requirements of Rule 144 or other applicable exemptions from registration under the Securities Act and as required under applicable state securities laws. Rule 144 provides in essence that a person who is an affiliate or officer or director who has held restricted securities for six months may, under certain conditions, sell every three months, in brokerage transactions, a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of 1.0% of a company’s outstanding shares of common stock. There is no limitation on the amount of restricted securities that may be sold by a non-affiliate after the owner has held the restricted securities for a period of six months if our company is a current reporting company under the Exchange Act. A sale under Rule 144 or under any other exemption from the Securities Act, if available, or pursuant to subsequent registration of common stock of present stockholders, may have a depressive effect upon the price of our common stock in any market that may develop.
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Future issuances of debt securities, which would rank senior to our common stock upon our bankruptcy or liquidation, and future issuances of preferred stock, which could rank senior to our common stock for the purposes of dividends and liquidating distributions, may adversely affect the level of return you may be able to achieve from an investment in our common stock.
In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by offering debt securities. Upon bankruptcy or liquidation, holders of our debt securities, and lenders with respect to other borrowings we may make, would receive distributions of our available assets prior to any distributions being made to holders of our common stock. Moreover, if we issue preferred stock, the holders of such preferred stock could be entitled to preferences over holders of common stock in respect of the payment of dividends and the payment of liquidating distributions. Because our decision to issue debt or preferred stock in any future offering, or borrow money from lenders, will depend in part on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, or nature of any such future offerings or borrowings. Holders of our common stock must bear the risk that any future offerings we conduct or borrowings we make may adversely affect the level of return, if any, they may be able to achieve from an investment in our common stock.
If our shares of common stock become subject to the penny stock rules, it would become more difficult to trade our shares.
The SEC has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized for quotation on certain automated quotation systems, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system. If we do not obtain a listing on a national securities exchange and if the price of our common stock is less than $5.00, our common stock could be deemed a penny stock. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document containing specified information. In addition, the penny stock rules require that before effecting any transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive (i) the purchaser’s written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement; (ii) a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks; and (iii) a signed and dated copy of a written suitability statement. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our common stock, and therefore stockholders may have difficulty selling their shares.
If securities industry analysts do not publish research reports on us, or publish unfavorable reports on us, then the market price and market trading volume of our common stock could be negatively affected.
Any trading market for our common stock may be influenced in part by any research reports that securities industry analysts publish about us. We do not currently have and may never obtain research coverage by securities industry analysts. If no securities industry analysts commence coverage of us, the market price and market trading volume of our common stock could be negatively affected. In the event we are covered by analysts, and one or more of such analysts downgrade our securities, or otherwise reports on us unfavorably, or discontinues coverage of us, the market price and market trading volume of our common stock could be negatively affected.
We are subject to ongoing public reporting requirements that are less rigorous than for larger, more established companies, which could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are a “smaller reporting company” within the meaning of the Exchange Act. Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act defines a “smaller reporting company” as an issuer that is not an investment company, an asset-backed issuer, or a majority-owned subsidiary of a parent that is not a smaller reporting company and that had (i) a public float of less than $250 million or (ii) annual revenues of less than $100 million and either had no public float or a public float of less than $700 million.
As a smaller reporting company, we will not be required and may not include a compensation discussion and analysis section in our proxy statements and we will provide only two years of financial statements. We also will have other “scaled” disclosure requirements that are less comprehensive than issuers that are not smaller reporting companies.
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Because we will be subject to ongoing public reporting requirements that are less rigorous than Exchange Act rules for companies that are not smaller reporting companies, our stockholders could receive less information than they might expect to receive from more mature public companies. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive if we elect to rely on these exemptions, or if taking advantage of these exemptions would result in less active trading or more volatility in the price of our common stock.
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Nevada law could make an acquisition of our company more difficult, and limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
Provisions in our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of our company or changes in our management. As described above, our executive officers and directors are collectively able to exercise a significant portion of our voting power. Furthermore, neither the holders of our common stock nor the holders of our preferred stock have cumulative voting rights in the election of our directors. The combination of the present ownership by our management of a significant portion of our issued and outstanding voting power and lack of cumulative voting makes it more difficult for other stockholders to replace our board of directors or for a third party to obtain control of our company by replacing its board of directors.
In addition, our authorized but unissued shares of common stock are available for our board of directors to issue without stockholder approval. We may use these additional shares for a variety of corporate purposes, including raising additional capital, corporate acquisitions, and employee stock plans. The existence of our authorized but unissued shares of common stock could render it more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of our company by means of a proxy context, tender offer, merger, or other transaction since our board of directors can issue large amounts of capital stock as part of a defense to a take-over challenge. In addition, we have authorized in our amended and restated articles of incorporation 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our board acting alone and without approval of our stockholders can designate and issue one or more series of preferred stock containing super-voting provisions, enhanced economic rights, rights to elect directors, or other dilutive features, that could be utilized as part of a defense to a take-over challenge.
In addition, various provisions of our amended and restated bylaws may also have an anti-takeover effect. These provisions may delay, defer, or prevent a tender offer or takeover attempt of our company that a stockholder might consider in his or her best interest, including attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares held by our stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws may be adopted, amended, or repealed only by our board of directors. Our amended and restated bylaws also contain limitations as to who may call special meetings as well as require advance notice of stockholder matters to be brought at a meeting. Additionally, our amended and restated bylaws also provide that no director may be removed by less than a two-thirds vote of the issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote on the removal. Our amended and restated bylaws also permit the board of directors to establish the number of directors and fill any vacancies and newly created directorships. These provisions will prevent a stockholder from increasing the size of our board of directors and gaining control of our board of directors by filling the resulting vacancies with its own nominees.
Our amended and restated bylaws also establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to the board of directors. Stockholders at an annual meeting will only be able to consider proposals or nominations specified in the notice of meeting or brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the board of directors or by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record on the record date for the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has given us timely written notice, in proper form, of the stockholder’s intention to bring that business before the meeting. Although our amended and restated bylaws do not give the board of directors the power to approve or disapprove stockholder nominations of candidates or proposals regarding other business to be conducted at a special or annual meeting, our amended and restated bylaws may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the proper procedures are not followed or may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company.
These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management.
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| ITEM 1B. | UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS. |
Not applicable.
| ITEM 1C. | CYBERSECURITY. |
A key element of our technology and cybersecurity program strategy is fostering training and awareness for our employees.
Our technology and cybersecurity program focuses on the defense, rapid detection and rapid remediation of cybersecurity threats and incidents. Our program also includes cybersecurity policies and a crisis response and management plan that is intended to allow rapid management and response and appropriate communication of cybersecurity threats and incidents.
Our cybersecurity crisis management plan sets forth the items, procedures, and actions we expect to address and follow in the event of a cybersecurity incident, including detection, response, mitigation and remediation. When a potential threat or incident is identified, our cyber security incident response team will assign a risk level classification and initiate the escalation and other steps called for by our plan. All incidents that are initially assessed by the cybersecurity incident response team as potentially high-risk are escalated promptly to our Chief Executive Officer, who will determine whether and what elements of our cybersecurity crisis response and management plan should be activated, including escalation to other senior management. Our Chief Executive Officer will inform our board of directors of cybersecurity incidents, as appropriate, considering a variety of factors, including financial, operational, legal, or reputational impact.
For additional information on our cybersecurity risks, please see Item 1A “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Structure—A cyber security incident could cause a violation of HIPAA, breach of member privacy, or other negative impacts.”
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| ITEM 2. | PROPERTIES. |
Our principal office is located at 3753 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV 89169.
Nova operates a group of regional primary specialty and ancillary care facilities throughout Florida. The main office is located at 1903 S 25th Street, Suite 103 Fort Perc, FL 34947. We lease all of these facilities.
Edge View owns five (5) acres zoned medium density residential (MDR) with 12 lots already platted, six (6) acres zoned high-density residential (HDR) that can be platted in various configurations to meet current housing needs, and twelve (12) acres zoned in Lemhi County as Agriculture that is available for further annexation into the City of Salmon for development, as well as a common area for landowners to view wildlife, provide access to the Salmon River and fishing in a two (2) acre pond.
We believe that all our properties have been adequately maintained, are generally in good condition, and are suitable and adequate for our businesses.
| ITEM 3. | LEGAL PROCEEDINGS. |
From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business. We are not currently aware of any such legal proceedings or claims that we believe will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or operating results.
| ITEM 4. | MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES. |
Not applicable.
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PART II
| ITEM 5. | MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES. |
Market Information
Our common stock eligible for quotation on the Pink Market OTC Markets Group Inc. under the symbol “CDIX.” The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low closing prices of our common stock. These prices reflect inter-dealer prices, without retain mark-up or commission, and may not represent actual transactions.
| Closing Prices | ||||||||
| High | Low | |||||||
| Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023 | ||||||||
| 1st Quarter | $ | 412.50 | $ | 15.00 | ||||
| 2nd Quarter | $ | 75.00 | $ | 7.50 | ||||
| 3rd Quarter | $ | 60.00 | $ | 7.50 | ||||
| 4th Quarter | $ | 105.00 | $ | 7.50 | ||||
| Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2024 | ||||||||
| 1st Quarter | $ | 22.50 | $ | 1.50 | ||||
| 2nd Quarter | $ | 7.50 | $ | 2.12 | ||||
| 3rd Quarter | $ | 7.00 | $ | 7.00 | ||||
| 4th Quarter | $ | 7.00 | $ | 3.00 | ||||
Number of Holders of Our Common Stock
As of March 12, 2025, there were approximately 909 stockholders of record of our common stock. In computing the number of holders of record of our common stock, each broker-dealer and clearing corporation holding shares on behalf of its customers is counted as a single stockholder.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
Please see Item 12 “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.”
Dividend Policy
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the near future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions, and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends may be limited by covenants of any existing and future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
We have not sold any equity securities during the 2024 fiscal year that were not previously disclosed in a quarterly report on Form 10-Q or a current report on Form 8-K that was filed during the 2024 fiscal year.
Purchases of Equity Securities
No repurchases of our common stock were made during the fourth quarter of 2024.
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| ITEM 6. | [RESERVED] |
| ITEM 7. | MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS. |
The following discussion and analysis summarizes the significant factors affecting our operating results, financial condition, liquidity, and cash flows as of and for the periods presented below. The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this report. The discussion contains forward-looking statements that are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in or implied by forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those discussed below and elsewhere in this report, particularly in the sections titled “Risk Factors” and “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
Overview
We are an acquisition holding company focused on locating undervalued and undercapitalized companies, primarily in the healthcare industry, and providing them capitalization and leadership to maximize the value and potential of their private enterprises while also providing diversification and risk mitigation for our stockholders. Specifically, we have and will continue to look at a diverse variety of acquisitions in the healthcare sector in terms of growth stages and capital structures and we intend to focus our portfolio of subsidiaries approximately as follows: 80% will be targeted to established profitable niche small to mid-sized healthcare companies and 20% will be targeted to second stage startups in healthcare and related financial services (emerging businesses with a strong organic growth plan that is materially cash generative).
On May 31, 2021, we acquired Nova, which operates a group of regional primary specialty and ancillary care facilities throughout Florida that provide traumatic injury victims with primary care evaluations, interventional pain management, and specialty consultation services. We focus on plaintiff related care are and a highly efficient provider of EMC assessments. We provide a full range of diagnostic and surgical services for injuries and disorders of the skeletal system and associated bones, joints, tendons, muscles, ligaments, and nerves. From sports injuries, to sprains, strains, and fractures, our doctors are dedicated to helping patients return to active lifestyles.
We also own a real estate company, Edge View, which we acquired on July 16, 2014. Edge View owns five (5) acres zoned medium density residential (MDR) with 12 lots already platted, six (6) acres zoned high-density residential (HDR) that can be platted in various configurations to meet current housing needs, and twelve (12) acres zoned in Lemhi County as Agriculture that is available for further annexation into the City of Salmon for development, as well as a common area for landowners to view wildlife, provide access to the Salmon River and fishing in a two (2) acre pond. Management has invested years working to develop a new and exciting housing development in Salmon, Idaho and plans to enter into a joint venture agreement with a developer for this planned concept development.
All of our operations are conducted through, and our income derived from, our two subsidiaries.
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Segments
As of December 31, 2024, we had two reportable operating segments as determined by management using the “management approach” as defined by the authoritative guidance on Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information.
| (1) | Healthcare (Nova) |
| (2) | Real Estate (Edge View) |
These segments are a result of differences in the nature of the products and services sold. Corporate administration costs, which include, but are not limited to, general accounting, human resources, legal and credit and collections, are partially allocated to the two operating segments.
The healthcare segment provides a full range of diagnostic and surgical services for injuries and disorders of the skeletal system and associated bones, joints, tendons, muscles, ligaments, and nerves.
The real estate segment consists of Edge View, a real estate company that owns five (5) acres zoned medium density residential (MDR) with 12 lots already platted, six (6) acres zoned high-density residential (HDR) that can be platted in various configurations to meet current housing needs, and twelve (12) acres zoned in Lemhi County as Agriculture that is available for further annexation into the City of Salmon for development, as well as a common area for landowners to view wildlife, provide access to the Salmon River and fishing in a two (2) acre pond.
Management uses revenues, cost of sales, operating expenses, and income (loss) before taxes to evaluate and measure its subsidiaries’ success. To help the segments achieve optimal operating performance, management retains the prior owners of the subsidiaries and allows them to do what they do best, which is run the business. Additionally, management monitors key metrics primarily revenues and income from operations in order to allocate resources accordingly.
Discontinued Operations
On November 10, 2023, we sold Platinum Tax, which was a full-service tax resolution firm located in Los Angeles, California. Through this subsidiary we provided fee-based tax resolution services to individuals and companies that have federal and state tax liabilities by assisting clients to settle outstanding tax debts. As part of the asset purchase agreement between us and the purchaser, the assets that were purchased included substantially all assets, rights, interests, and licenses, except for bank accounts in place prior to the sale, for the purchase consideration of 15% of cash collected by the purchaser within one year following the sale date.
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Results of Operations
Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023
The following table sets forth key components of our results of operations during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, both in dollars and as a percentage of our revenue.
| December 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | |||||||||||||||
| Amount | % of Revenue | Amount | % of Revenue | |||||||||||||
| Total revenue | $ | 8,270,126 | 100.00% | $ | 11,853,266 | 100.00% | ||||||||||
| Total cost of sales | 3,841,628 | 46.45% | 3,560,624 | 30.04% | ||||||||||||
| Gross profit | 4,428,498 | 53.55% | 8,292,642 | 69.96% | ||||||||||||
| Operating expenses | ||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation expense | 13,461 | 0.16% | 20,777 | 0.18% | ||||||||||||
| Share based compensation | 544,725 | 6.59% | – | – | ||||||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | 4,063,816 | 49.14% | 3,076,820 | 25.96% | ||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 4,622,002 | 55.89% | 3,097,597 | 26.13% | ||||||||||||
| (Loss) income from continuing operations | (193,504 | ) | (2.34 | )% | 5,195,045 | 43.83% | ||||||||||
| Other income (expense) | ||||||||||||||||
| Other expense | (5,362 | ) | (0.06 | )% | (49,795 | ) | (0.42 | )% | ||||||||
| Gain on debt refinance and forgiveness | 78,834 | 0.95% | 115,448 | 0.97% | ||||||||||||
| Penalties and fees | (1,330 | ) | (0.02 | )% | (53,000 | ) | (0.45 | )% | ||||||||
| Interest expense | (3,045,504 | ) | (36.83 | )% | (1,956,266 | ) | (16.50 | )% | ||||||||
| Amortization of debt discounts | (24,821 | ) | (0.30 | )% | (136,518 | ) | (1.15 | )% | ||||||||
| Total other expense | (2,998,183 | ) | (36.25 | )% | (2,080,131 | ) | (17.55 | )% | ||||||||
| Net (loss) income before discontinued operations | (3,191,687 | ) | (38.59 | )% | 3,114,914 | 26.28% | ||||||||||
| Loss from discontinued operations | (111,312 | ) | (1.35 | )% | (86,520 | ) | (0.73 | )% | ||||||||
| Net (loss) income | $ | (3,302,999 | ) | (39.94 | )% | $ | 3,028,394 | 25.55% | ||||||||
Revenue. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, all of our revenue was generated by our healthcare segment, which generates revenue through a full range of diagnostic and surgical services. Our total revenue decreased by $3,583,140, or 30.23%, to $8,270,126 for the year ended December 31, 2024 from $11,853,266 for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in revenue is mainly attributable to the following factors:
| · | Our mix of services provided during the year ended December 31, 2024 with lower settlement realization rates from surgical procedures performed and an increase in the lower revenue generating pain management treatments being performed for approximately the same number of patient visits in 2024 as compared to 2023. |
| · | During 2024, the state of Florida experienced one of the most active and destructive hurricane seasons, which negatively impacted our revenue. The harsh weather caused several of our facilities to shut down for periods of time due to storm damage as well as patients not being able to attend their appointments. All of our facilities have reopened. |
| · | Prior to fiscal year 2024, we historically realized a 49% settlement rate from total gross billed charges. Accordingly, we had historically recognized net healthcare service revenue as 49% of gross billed amounts. During the first nine months of 2024, we underwent efforts to accelerate cash settlement of our accounts receivable to generate cash flow for operations. We did this by shortening our settlement negotiations timespan with attorneys’ insurance companies and accepting lower settlement amounts. We began to see improvements in settlement rates during the fourth quarter of 2024 as we begin to transition away from this initiative. |
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| · | Additionally, during the third quarter of 2024, we completed a thorough review of our third-party billing data, including reviewing historical reports and new reporting methods as a part of our updated analysis. Based upon this review, it was determined that a 24-month lookback period should be used in the analysis of our historical settlement realization rates. As a result of the new efforts to accelerate cash settlement during the year ended December 31, 2024, we realized a 44% average settlement rate of our gross billed charges during this time frame, which were historically recorded in accounts receivable and revenue at 49% of gross billings. Accordingly, we recorded reductions to net revenue of $1,005,764 for the year ended December 31, 2024. Additionally, with the reduction in our estimate of our settlement realization rate from 49% to 44%, a $1,650,474 change in accounting estimate was taken during the third quarter of 2024 in our accounts receivable and revenue. |
Cost of sales. Our cost of sales consists of surgical center and laboratory fees, physician and professional fees, salaries and wages and medical supplies. Our total cost of sales increased by $281,004, or 7.89%, to $3,841,628 for the year ended December 31, 2024 from $3,560,624 for the year ended December 31, 2023. Such increase was primarily due to an increase in overall increases in healthcare costs and specifically costs related to surgical procedures performed due to technology advancements, inflation, and materials and wage increases.
Gross profit. As a result of the foregoing, our total gross profit decreased by $3,864,144, or 46.60%, to $4,428,498 for the year ended December 31, 2024 from $8,292,642 for the year ended December 31, 2023. Our total gross margin (percent of revenue) decreased from 69.96% for the year ended December 31, 2023 to 53.55% for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Depreciation expense. Our depreciation expense was $13,461, or 0.16% of revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $20,777, or 0.18% of revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in depreciation expense was due to certain assets becoming fully depreciated during the year ended December 31, 2023.
Share based compensation. Our share based compensation expense was $544,725, or 6.59% of revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $0, for the year ended December 31, 2023. Share based compensation expense in 2024 consisted of expense related to the issuance of common stock to our board of directors, officers and employees as well as our investor relations firm for services provided.
Selling, general and administrative expenses. Our selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of accounting, auditing, legal and public reporting expenses, personnel expenses, including employee salaries and bonuses plus related payroll taxes, advertising expenses, professional advisor fees, bad debts, rent expense, insurance and other expenses incurred in connection with general operations. Our selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $986,996, or 32.08%, to $4,063,816 for the year ended December 31, 2024 from $3,076,820 for the year ended December 31, 2023. As a percentage of revenue, our selling, general and administrative expenses were 49.14% and 25.96% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Increases were primarily attributable to increases in salaries and wages of $714,799, bad debt expense of $133,719, legal fees of $105,152, public company, filing and investor relations fees of $106,820, and rent expense of 130,331. These increases were offset by a decrease in accounting fees of $192,900.
Total other expense. We had $2,998,183 in total other expense, net, for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to other expense, net, of $2,080,131 for the year ended December 31, 2023. Other expense, net, for the year ended December 31, 2024 consisted of interest expense of $3,045,504, amortization of note payable discounts of $24,821, financing penalties and fees of $1,330 and other expense of $5,362, offset by a gain on debt refinance and forgiveness of $78,834. Other expense, net, for the year ended December 31, 2023 consisted of interest expense of $1,956,266, amortization of debt discounts of $136,518, financing penalties and fees of $53,000 and other expense of $49,795, offset by a gain on debt refinance and forgiveness of $115,448. The 55.68% increase in interest expense was primarily attributable to interest associated with the line of credit described below.
Discontinued operations. For the year ended December 31, 2024, we recorded a loss from discontinued operations of $111,312, as compared to $86,520 for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Net income (loss). As a result of the cumulative effect of the factors described above, our net loss was $3,302,999 for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to a net income of $3,028,394 for the year ended December 31, 2023, a net decrease of $6,331,393, or 209.07%.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2024, we had $1,188,185 in cash. To date, we have financed our operations primarily through revenue generated from operations, sales of securities, advances from stockholders and third-parties and related party debt.
We believe, based on our operating plan, that current working capital and current and expected additional financing should be sufficient to fund operations and satisfy our obligations as they come due for at least one year from the financial statement issuance date. However, additional funds from new financing and/or future equity raises are required for continued operations and to execute our business plan and our strategy of acquiring additional businesses. The funds required to sustain operations range between $600,000 to $1 million and additional funds execute our business plan will depend on the size, capital structure and purchase price consideration that the seller of a target business deems acceptable in a given transaction. The amount of funds needed to execute our business plan also depends on what portion of the purchase price of a target business the seller of that business is willing to take in the form of seller notes or our equity or equity in one of our subsidiaries. Given these factors, we believe that the amount of outside additional capital necessary to execute our business plan on the low end (assuming target company sellers accept a significant portion of the purchase price in the form of seller notes or our equity or equity in one of our subsidiaries) ranges between $4 million to $8 million. If, and to the extent, that sellers are unwilling to accept a significant portion of the purchase price in seller notes and equity, then the cash required to execute our business plan could be as much as $10 million.
We intend to raise capital for additional acquisitions primarily through equity and debt financings. The sale of additional equity securities could result in dilution to our stockholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could require us to agree to operating and financial covenants that would restrict our operations. Financing may not be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. There is no guarantee that we will be able to acquire additional businesses under the terms outlined above.
The financial statements were prepared on a going concern basis and do not include any adjustment with respect to these uncertainties. Our ability to continue as a going concern and the appropriateness of using the going concern basis is dependent upon, among other things, additional cash infusions. We have prospective investors and believe the raising of capital will allow us to fund our cash flow shortfalls and pursue new acquisitions. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain sufficient capital from debt or equity transactions or from operations in the necessary time frame or on terms acceptable to us. Should we be unable to raise sufficient funds, we may be required to curtail our operating plans. In addition, increases in expenses may require cost reductions. No assurance can be given that we will be able to operate profitably on a consistent basis, or at all, in the future. Should we not be able to raise sufficient funds, it may cause cessation of operations.
Summary of Cash Flow
The following table provides detailed information about our net cash flow for all financial statement periods presented in this report.
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities from continuing operations | $ | (5,858,147 | ) | $ | (1,807,987 | ) | ||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 6,068,077 | 2,369,325 | ||||||
| Net change in cash | 321,242 | 647,858 | ||||||
| Cash at beginning of year | 866,943 | 219,085 | ||||||
| Cash at end of year | $ | 1,188,185 | $ | 866,943 | ||||
Our net cash used in operating activities from continuing operations was $5,858,147 for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $1,807,987 for the year ended December 31, 2023. The primary drivers of our net cash used in operating activities for year ended December 31, 2024 are our net loss of $3,302,999, increase of $4,545,068 in accounts receivable, and a decrease of $699,560 in accounts payable and other accrued expenses, offset by a change in estimate adjustment for the change in realization rate of $1,650,474, share based compensation of $544,725 and bad debt expense of $266,000. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our net income of $3,028,394, an increase in accrued officers’ compensation of $982,500, an increase in accrued interest of $486,165, and an increase in accounts payable and accrued expense of $341,261, offset by an increase in account receivable of $6,833,615 were the primary drivers of our net cash used in operations.
We monitor outstanding cases as they develop through ongoing discussions with attorneys, doctors and our third-party medical billing company and additionally monitor our settlement realization rates over time. We have two primary methods of accelerating our cash settlement of our revenue and related accounts receivable. The first is through factoring our receivables, which was done in 2023, but ended prior to April 2023. The second method is through accepting lower settlement amounts during the final negotiations of the settlement, which is coordinated through our third-party medical billing company. When our third-party medical billing company is provided with a settlement amount of 49% of gross charges or greater they will accept. When presented with a lower amount we will discuss the reasons for the reduced rate and negotiate a higher rate. Shortening our negotiation timeframe will typically result in a lower settlement realization rate, but will accelerate the cash settlement of the outstanding accounts receivable. We began employing this second method in 2024, which reduced our settlement realization rate as described below. We have employed both methods from time to time to accelerate our cash settlement and may employ one or both in the future.
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Prior to April 2023, we factored (sold) the vast majority of our accounts receivable to third party(s) to generate working capital to fund ongoing business operations and growth. For the year ended December 31, 2023, we factored a total of $544,196 of our accounts receivable in exchange for cash of $253,750. We ceased factoring of accounts receivable in the first quarter of 2023. The most recent average realization time for accounts receivable was approximately 18 to 24 months from the initial date of service. Typically, a patient will have a series of dates of service over an average of 12 to 16 months.
Prior to fiscal year 2024, we historically realized a 49% settlement rate from total gross billed charges. Accordingly, we had historically recognized net healthcare service revenue as 49% of gross billed amounts. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we underwent efforts to accelerate cash settlement of our accounts receivable to generate cash flow for operations. We did this by shortening our settlement negotiations with insurance companies and accepting lower settlement amounts. Additionally, during the third quarter of 2024, we completed a thorough review of our third-party billing data, including reviewing historical reports and new reporting methods as a part of our updated analysis. Based upon this review it was determined that a 24-month lookback period should be used in the analysis of our historical settlement realization rates. As a result of the new efforts to accelerate cash settlement during the year ended December 31, 2024, we realized a 44% average settlement rate of our gross billed charges during this time frame, which were historically recorded in accounts receivable and revenue at 49% of gross billings. Accordingly, we recorded reductions to net revenue of $1,005,764 for the year ended December 31, 2024. Additionally, with the reduction in our estimate of our settlement realization rate from 49% to 44%, a $1,650,474 change in accounting estimate was taken during the third quarter of 2024 in our accounts receivable and revenue.
We had no investing activities for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Our net cash provided by financing activities was $6,068,077 for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $2,369,325 for the year ended December 31, 2023. Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 consisted of net proceeds from the line of credit of $6,525,892, offset by $125,000 paid on a note payable, the payment of $120,997 to a director, $105,079 paid on convertible notes payable, $100,000 in dividend payments and $6,739 in payments on the Small Business Administration loan described below. Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 consisted of net proceeds from the line of credit of $2,125,145 and proceeds from convertible notes payable of $421,375, offset by repayment of convertible notes payable of $175,000 and repayments to directors and officers of $2,195.
Convertible Notes
As of December 31, 2024, we had convertible debt outstanding net of amortized debt discount of $105,000. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we made $105,080 in principal payments and paid the total outstanding accrued interest on these notes in the amount of $22,781. We also paid $100,000 of accrued interest to a convertible noteholder. Also, during the year ended December 31, 2024, we converted $680 in accrued interest and $1,000 in conversion cost into 1,222 shares of common stock. We recognized $1,679 of additional paid-in capital to adjust fair value for the debt settlement during the year ended December 31, 2024.
On June 11, 2024, we entered into a settlement agreement and release of claims with the holder certain notes. Pursuant to the settlement agreement and release of claims, the holder agreed to cancel such notes in exchange for the fixed amount settlement promissory note in the principal amount of $535,000 described below. Additionally, during the year ended December 31, 2024, we exchanged certain notes for the issuance of 938,908 shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock to the noteholder.
On January 24, 2017, we issued a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $80,000 for services rendered, which matured on January 24, 2018. This note is currently in default and accrues interest at a default interest rate of 20% per annum. On March 30, 2023, we executed an additional tranche under this note in the principal amount of $25,000. This note is currently in default and accrues interest at a default interest rate of 20% per annum. On August 11, 2023, we executed an additional tranche under this note in the principal amount of $25,000. This note accrues interest at a rate of 15% per annum.
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Promissory Note – Settlement Agreement
On June 11, 2024, we entered into a settlement agreement and release of claims with the holder of 165 shares of series R convertible preferred stock and certain convertible promissory notes. Pursuant to the settlement agreement and release of claims, the holder agreed to cancel its shares of series R convertible preferred stock and convertible promissory notes in exchange for a new fixed amount settlement promissory note in the principal amount of $535,000.
The note does not bear interest and requires fixed payments as follows: (i) if we raise at least $5 million but less than $6 million in our planned underwritten public offering, or the Offering, then we must pay $250,000 on the closing date of the Offering, with payments of $125,000, $125,000 and $35,000 to follow on the 90th day, 180th day, and 240th day following the closing of the Offering, respectively; (ii) if we raise at least $6 million but less than $7 million in the Offering, then we must pay $390,000 on the closing date of the Offering and $145,000 on the 90th day following the closing of the Offering; and (iii) if we raise at least $7 million in the Offering, then we must repay the entire principal amount on the closing date of the Offering. As the Offering was not completed by August 15, 2024, we are required to pay $25,000 on such date and to continue making payments of $25,000 on each monthly anniversary thereof until the entire principal amount is repaid in full. If the Offering is completed after August 15, 2024, then we are required to make payments as described in the schedule above. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we abandon the Offering and conduct a new public offering thereafter, then we are required to make a payment of $100,000 on the closing date of such other public offering, a second payment of $100,000 on the 90th day following the closing of such offering and $35,000 each month thereafter until the entire principal amount is repaid in full. If any portion of the principal amount remains unpaid on the second (2nd) anniversary of the date of the note, it shall become immediately due and payable on such date. We may prepay the entire principal amount at any time without penalty. The note is unsecured and contains customary events of default for a loan of this type. Upon an event of default, interest would automatically begin to accrue at a simple interest rate of ten percent per annum.
This transaction was accounted for as a debt extinguishment and a gain on settlement of $78,834 was recorded to the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024, in accordance with FASB Topic 470 Borrower’s Accounting for Debt Modifications. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we paid $125,000 against the outstanding principal balance. At December 31, 2024, the remaining principal balance was $410,000.
Debenture
On March 12, 2009, we issued a debenture in the principal amount of $20,000. The debenture bore interest at 12% per year and matured on September 12, 2009. The balance of the debenture was $10,989 at December 31, 2024 and the accrued interest was $8,869. We assigned all of our receivables from consumer activations of the rewards program as collateral on this debenture.
Small Business Administration Loans
On June 2, 2020, we obtained a loan from the Small Business Administration of $150,000 at an interest rate of 3.75% with a maturity date of June 2, 2050. The principal balance and accrued interest at December 31, 2024 was $142,916 and $0, respectively.
Line of Credit
On September 29, 2023, our company and Nova entered into a two-year revolving purchase and security agreement with DML HC Series, LLC, or DML, to sell, with recourse, Nova’s accounts receivables for a revolving financing up to a maximum advance amount of $4.5 million. A review is performed on a quarterly basis to assess the adequacy of the maximum amount. If mutually agreed upon by us and DML, the maximum amount may be increased. On April 24, 2024, we entered into amendment No. 1 with DML which increased the maximum advance amount to $8,000,000 and defined the discount fee equal to 2.25% per purchase and claims balance forward on new purchases with a minimum fee to now be $10,000. On June 11, 2024, we entered into amendment No. 2 with DML which further increased the maximum advance amount to $11,000,000. On December 27, 2024, we and Nova entered into amendment No. 3 with DML which further increased the maximum advance amount to $15,000,000. As of December 31, 2024, we had an outstanding balance $8,645,991 against the revolving receivable line of credit and accrued interest of $315,031. The unused line of credit balance as of December 31, 2024 was $6,354,009. The revolving purchase and security agreement includes discounts recorded as interest expense on each funding and matures on September 29, 2025.
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Related Party Loans
In connection with the acquisition of Edge View on July 16, 2014, we assumed amounts due to previous owners who are current managers of Edge View. These amounts are due on demand and do not bear interest. The balance of these amounts are $4,979 as of December 31, 2024.
Contractual Obligations
Our principal commitments consist mostly of obligations under the loans described above.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
Critical Accounting Policies
The following discussion relates to critical accounting policies for our consolidated company. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, requires our management to make assumptions, estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported, including the notes thereto, and related disclosures of commitments and contingencies, if any. We have identified certain accounting policies that are significant to the preparation of our financial statements. These accounting policies are important for an understanding of our financial condition and results of operation. Critical accounting policies are those that are most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and require management’s difficult, subjective, or complex judgment, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain and may change in subsequent periods. Certain accounting estimates are particularly sensitive because of their significance to financial statements and because of the possibility that future events affecting the estimate may differ significantly from management’s current judgments. We believe the following critical accounting policies involve the most significant estimates and judgments used in the preparation of our financial statements:
Revenue Recognition. Our primary source of revenue is our healthcare subsidiary, which records revenues from providing licensed and/or certified orthopedic procedures. Revenue is recognized at a point in time in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, 606 and at an estimated net settlement realization rate based on gross billed charges. Our healthcare subsidiary does not have contract liabilities or deferred revenue as there are no amounts prepaid for services. We apply the following five-step ASC 606 model to determine revenue recognition:
| · | identification of a contract with a customer; | |
| · | identification of the performance obligations in the contact; |
| · | determination of the transaction price; | |
| · | allocation of the transaction price to the separate performance obligations; and | |
| · | recognition of revenue when performance obligations are satisfied. |
At contract inception, once the contract is determined to be within the scope of ASC 606, we assess services promised within each contract and determine those that are a performance obligation and assesses whether each promised service is distinct.
Our contracts contain a single performance obligation (providing orthopedic services), as the promise to transfer the individual services is not separately identifiable from other promises in the contracts and, therefore, not distinct, as a result, the entire transaction price is allocated to this single performance obligation.
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Accordingly, we recognize net revenue when the patient receives orthopedic care services. Our patient service contracts generally have performance obligations which are satisfied at a point in time. The performance obligation is for onsite or off-site care provided. Patient service contracts are generally fixed-price, and the transaction price is in the contract.
In determining net revenue to record under ASC 606, we must estimate the transaction price, including estimates of variable consideration in the contract at inception. In order to estimate variable consideration, we use established billings rates (also described as “gross charges”) for the procedures being performed, however, the billing rates are not the same as actual amounts recovered for our healthcare subsidiary. They generally do not reflect what we are ultimately paid by the customer, insurance carriers and other payors, and therefore are not reported in the consolidated financial statements at that rate. We are typically paid amounts based on established charges per procedure with guidance from the annually updated Current Procedural Terminology, or CPT, guidelines that designates relative value units and a suggested range of charges for each procedure which is then assigned a CPT code. This gross charge is discounted to reflect the percentage paid to us using a modifier recognized by each insurance carrier for services, less deductible, co-pay, and contractual adjustments which are deducted from the calculated fee. These adjustments are considered variable consideration under ASC 606 and are deducted from the calculated fee to arrive at the net transaction price. We also estimate changes in the contract price as a result of price concessions, changes to deductibles, co-pays and other contractual adjustments to determine the eventual settlement amount we expect to receive. We use the term settlement realization in our disclosures to describe the amount of cash we expect to receive based on our estimate of the transaction price under the expected value method of ASC 606.
Where appropriate, we utilize the expected value method to determine the appropriate amount for estimates of variable consideration, which has been based on a historical 12-month lookback of our actual settlement realization rates. The estimates of reserves established for variable consideration reflect current contractual requirements, our historical experience, specific known market events and trends, industry data and forecasted patient data and settlement patterns. Settlement realization patterns are assessed based on actual settlements and based on expected settlement realization trends obtained from discussions with attorneys, doctors and our third-party medical billing company. Settlement amounts are negotiated, and prolonged settlement negotiations are not indicative of a greater likelihood of reduced settlement realization or zero settlement.
We may accept a lower settlement realization rate in order to receive faster payment. We obtain information about expected settlement realization trends from discussions with doctors and attorneys and our third-party medical billing company vendor, which handles settlement claims and negotiations. Settlement amounts are presented to our third-party medical billing company vendor.
Settlement rates of 49% or higher based on gross billed amounts are typically accepted without further negotiation. Proposed settlement rates below 49% are negotiated when possible and longer negotiations typically result in higher settlement rates. If we accept a lower settlement realization rate in order to receive payments more quickly, we consider that a price concession and estimate these concessions at contract inception. The various forms of variable consideration described above included in the transaction price may be constrained and are included in net revenue only to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of the cumulative revenue recognized will not occur in a future period. We have not constrained any of our estimates of variable consideration for any of the periods presented.
Service Fees – Net (PIP)
We generate services fees from performing various procedures on the date the services are performed. These services primarily include slip and falls as well as smaller nominal Non-Personal Injury Protection, or PIP, services. As described above, these revenues are based on established insurance billing rates, less allowances for contractual adjustments and uncollectible amounts. These contractual adjustments vary by insurance company and self-pay patients. We compute these contractual and other adjustments based on its historical settlement realization experience. Completing the paperwork for each case and preparing it for billing takes approximately ten business days after a procedure is performed. The majority of claims are then filed electronically except for those remaining insurance carriers requiring paper filing. An initial response is usually received within four weeks from electronic filing and up to six weeks from paper filing. Responses may be a payment, a denial, or a request for additional information. Our healthcare revenues are generated from professional medical billings including facility and anesthesia services. With respect to facility and anesthesia services, we are the primary obligor as the facility and anesthesia services are considered part of one integrated performance obligation.
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We satisfy performance obligations as services are performed and then billed to the patient. Payment in most cases is made by an attorney for such services to our patients which are due upon final settlement of patients claims. During the claims process, legal counsel warranties such claim through the letter of protection, which is sent to us, as a medical provider, on behalf of the client patient. This letter states that the attorney is responsible for paying the client’s medical bills when the case is fully developed and settles. The medical professional agrees to provide treatment to the injured person and refrain from attempting to collect payment as it is developing and until the case is resolved. Once the personal injury case is finalized with the insurance company, the attorney pays the outstanding medical bills from the settlement.
Settlement Rates
Prior to fiscal year 2024, we historically realized a 49% settlement rate from total gross billed charges. Accordingly, we had historically recognized net healthcare service revenue as 49% of gross billed amounts. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we underwent efforts to accelerate cash settlement of our accounts receivable to generate cash flow for operations. We did this by shortening our settlement negotiations with insurance companies and accepting lower settlement amounts. Additionally, during the third quarter of 2024, we completed a thorough review of our third-party billing data, including reviewing historical reports and new reporting methods as a part of our updated analysis. Based upon this review, it was determined that a 24-month lookback period should be used in the analysis of our historical settlement realization rates. As a result of the new efforts to accelerate cash settlement during the year ended December 31, 2024, we realized a 44% average settlement rate of our gross billed charges during this time frame, which were historically recorded in accounts receivable and revenue at 49% of gross billings. Accordingly, we recorded reductions to net revenue of $1,005,764 for the year ended December 31, 2024. Additionally, with the reduction in our estimate of our settlement realization rate from 49% to 44%, a $1,650,474 change in accounting estimate was taken during the third quarter of 2024 in our accounts receivable and revenue. We will continue to evaluate our estimate of our settlement realization rates in the future, which will include a monthly review of our trailing 24-month historical settlement realization rate, along with estimates of current and pending settlements through ongoing discussions with attorneys, doctors and our third-party medical billing company in order to determine its variable consideration under ASC 606 and the net transaction price. We will update our settlement realization rate estimate used in determining our accounts receivable and revenue each quarter based on this review.
Contract Fees (Non-PIP)
We have contract fees for amounts earned from our Non-PIP related procedures, typically car accidents, and are settled on a contingency basis. Prior to April 2023, these cases were sold to a factor who bears the risk of economic benefit or loss. Generally, the sale of these cases to a third-party factor resulted in an approximate 54% reduction from the accounts receivables amounts. After selling patient cases to the factor, any additional funds settled by us were remitted to the factor. We evaluated the factored adjustments considering the actual factored amounts per patient on a quarterly interval, and the reductions from accounts receivable that were factored were recorded in finance charges as other expenses on the consolidated statement of operations. As a result of our 18 to 24 month settlement realization timeframe, we have an accrued liability resulting from the settlement of receivables sold to the third-party factors which fluctuates as settlements are made and remitted to those third-party factors. These accounts receivables sold to these third-party factors are not included in our financial statements accounts receivable balance once sold and therefore are not part of the assessment of the net realizable value of accounts receivable. For the year ended December 31, 2023, we factored a total of $544,196 of our accounts receivable in exchange for cash of $253,750. We ceased factoring of accounts receivable in the first quarter of 2023.
Accounts Receivable. In the normal course of business, we are in the lien based medical industry providing orthopedic healthcare servicing an uninsured market insulated by a letter of protection which insulates us and insures payment in full from insurance settlements. Accounts receivable consists of amounts due from attorneys and insurance providers for services provided to patients under the letter of protection. Accounts receivable are recorded at the expected settlement realization amount, which is less contractual adjustments and an allowance for credit losses. We recognize an allowance for credit losses for our accounts receivable to present the net amount expected to be collected as of the balance sheet date. This allowance is determined based on the history of net settlements received, where the net settlement amount is not collected. No collection can happen if no settlement is reached with the defendant’s insurance company and the plaintiff (the patient) loses the case at trial, or the case is abandoned, then we will not be able to collect on our letter of protection and our receivable will not be collected. We monitor outstanding cases as they develop through ongoing discussions with attorneys, doctors and third-party medical billing company and additionally monitor settlement realization rates over time. Additionally, we consider economic factors and events or trends expected to affect future collections experience. The no collection history of our customers is considered in future assessments of collectability as these patterns are established over a longer period. We use the term collection and collection rate in its disclosures to describe the historical less than 1% occurrence of not collecting under a contract, which aligns with our credit loss accounting under ASC 326.
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We do not have a significant exposure to credit losses as we have historically had a less than 1.0% loss rate where we received no settlement amount for our outstanding accounts receivable. Although possible, claims resulting in zero collection upon settlement are rare based on our historical experience and has historically been 0.5% to 1.0% of our outstanding accounts receivable, thereby resulting in a collection rate of 99%. We use the loss rate method to record our allowance for credit losses. We apply the loss rate method by reviewing our zero collection history on a quarterly basis and updating our estimate of credit losses to adjust for changes in loss data. We typically collect on our accounts receivable between 18 to 24 months after recording. We do not record an allowance for credit losses based on an aging of our accounts receivable as the aging of our receivables do not influence the credit loss rate due to the nature of our business and the letter of protection. We do not adjust our receivables for the effects of a significant financing component at contract inception as the timing of variable consideration is determined by the settlement, which is outside of our control. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, our allowance for credit losses was $255,215 and $122,190, respectively. We recognized $266,000 and $122,190 of credit loss expense during the years ended December 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, which is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statement of operations. The balance of accounts receivable, net as of January 1, 2023 was $6,603,920. The balance of the allowance for credit losses was $0 as of January 1, 2023.
Property and Equipment. Property and equipment are carried at cost. Expenditures for renewals and betterments that extend the useful lives of property, equipment or leasehold improvements are capitalized. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method for financial reporting purposes based on the following estimated useful lives:
| Classification | Useful Life |
| Equipment, furniture, and fixtures | 5 - 7 years |
| Medical equipment | 10 years |
| Leasehold improvements | 10 years or lease term, if shorter |
Goodwill. Goodwill is not amortized but is evaluated for impairment annually or when indicators of a potential impairment are present. We review goodwill for impairment on a reporting unit basis annually and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable. Goodwill is tested first for impairment based on qualitative factors on an annual basis or in between if an event occurs or circumstances change that indicate the fair value may be below its carrying amount, otherwise known as a ‘triggering event’. An assessment is made of these qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not the fair value is less than the carry amount, including goodwill. The annual evaluation for impairment of goodwill, if needed, is based on valuation models that incorporate assumptions and internal projections of expected future cash flows and operating plans. We believe such assumptions are also comparable to those that would be used by other marketplace participants. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we determined there to be no impairment. We based this decision on impairment testing of the underlying assets, expected cash flows, decreased asset value and other factors.
Valuation of Long-Lived Assets. In accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 360-10-5, “Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets”, all long-lived assets such as plant and equipment and construction in progress held and used by us are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is evaluated by a comparison of the carrying amount of assets to estimated cash flows expected to be generated by the assets. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amounts of the assets exceed the fair value of the assets.
Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity. We account for our series N senior convertible preferred stock, series R convertible preferred stock, and series X senior convertible preferred stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with ASC 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity”. Conditionally redeemable preferred shares are classified as temporary equity within our consolidated balance sheet.
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Fair Value Measurements. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value in the consolidated balance sheets are categorized based upon the level of judgment associated with the inputs used to measure their fair value. The fair value hierarchy distinguishes between (1) market participant assumptions developed based on market data obtained from independent sources (observable inputs), and (2) an entity’s own assumptions about market participant assumptions developed based on the best information available in the circumstances (unobservable inputs). The fair value hierarchy consists of three broad levels, which gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:
| Level 1 | Inputs are unadjusted, quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets at the measurement date. | |
| Level 2 | Inputs, other than quoted prices included in Level 1, which are observable for the asset or liability through corroboration with market data at the measurement date. | |
| Level 3 | Unobservable inputs that reflect management’s best estimate of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date. |
Stock-Based Compensation. We account for our stock-based compensation in which we obtain employee services in share-based payment transactions under the recognition and measurement principles of the fair value recognition provisions of section 718-10-30 of the FASB ASC. Pursuant to paragraph 718-10-30-6 of the FASB ASC, all transactions in which goods or services are the consideration received for the issuance of equity instruments are accounted for based on the fair value of the consideration received or the fair value of the equity instrument issued, whichever is more reliably measurable. The measurement date used to determine the fair value of the equity instrument issued is the earlier of the date on which the performance is complete or the date on which it is probable that performance will occur. Generally, all forms of share-based payments, including stock option grants, warrants and restricted stock grants and stock appreciation rights are measured at their fair value on the awards’ grant date, based on estimated number of awards that are ultimately expected to vest. The expense resulting from share-based payments is recorded in general and administrative expense in the consolidated statements of operations.
| ITEM 7A. | QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK. |
Not applicable.
| ITEM 8. | FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA. |
The full text of our audited consolidated financial statements begins on page F-1 of this Annual Report.
| ITEM 9. | CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE. |
None.
| ITEM 9A. | CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES. |
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act). Disclosure controls and procedures refer to controls and other procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
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As required by Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act, our management has carried out an evaluation, with the participation and under the supervision of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as of December 31, 2024. Based upon, and as of the date of this evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer determined that, because of the material weaknesses described below, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting for our company. Internal control over financial reporting refers to the process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer, and effected by our board of directors, management, and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP, and includes those policies and procedures that:
| (1) | pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets; | |
| (2) | provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with the authorization of our management and directors; and | |
| (3) | provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. |
Our management evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024. In making this evaluation, management used the framework established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, or COSO. The COSO framework summarizes each of the components of a company’s internal control system, including (i) the control environment, (ii) risk assessment, (iii) control activities, (iv) information and communication, and (v) monitoring. Based on our evaluation, we determined that, as of December 31, 2024, our internal control over financial reporting was not effective due to the following material weaknesses.
| · | We had not developed and effectively communicated to our employees our accounting policies and procedure, which had resulted in inconsistent practices. | |
| · | We lacked formal documentation over internal control procedures and environment. | |
| · | We lacked proper segregation of duties and multiple level of reviews. | |
| · | We lacked sufficient process, systems and access to technical accounting resources to enable appropriate accounting for and reporting on complex and/or non-routine debt and equity financing transactions including accounting for derivatives, convertible debt, preferred stock. |
In order to cure the foregoing material weakness, we have begun to take the following remediation measures:
| · | We are making necessary changes by making strategic hiring decisions and providing training to our financial team, and other relevant personnel, on the GAAP accounting guidelines applicable to financial reporting requirements. | |
| · | We are implementing proper documentation procedures for key functional areas, control objectives and our workflows. | |
| · | We are enhancing our processes, routine and non-routine, to encompass segregation of duties as well as oversight of secondary independent reviews. | |
| · | We plan to reinforce effective compensating controls to improve the design of the current process with limited human resources. | |
| · | We hired external consultants to assist with our assessment and accounting for variable consideration as accounted for under ASC 606 and our credit loss expense as accounted for under ASC 326. |
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We intend to complete the remediation of the material weaknesses discussed above as soon as practicable but we can give no assurance that we will be able to do so. Designing and implementing an effective disclosure controls and procedures is a continuous effort that requires us to anticipate and react to changes in our business and the economic and regulatory environments and to devote significant resources to maintain a financial reporting system that adequately satisfies our reporting obligations. The remedial measures that we have taken and intend to take may not fully address the material weaknesses that we have identified, and material weaknesses in our disclosure controls and procedures may be identified in the future. Should we discover such conditions, we intend to remediate them as soon as practicable. We are committed to taking appropriate steps for remediation, as needed.
All internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting
We regularly review our system of internal control over financial reporting and make changes to our processes and systems to improve controls and increase efficiency, while ensuring that we maintain an effective internal control environment. Changes may include such activities as implementing new, more efficient systems, consolidating activities, and migrating processes.
Except for the matters described above, there have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
| ITEM 9B. | OTHER INFORMATION. |
We have no information to disclose that was required to be in a report on Form 8-K during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024 but was not reported.
None of our directors or executive officers
| ITEM 9C. | DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS. |
Not applicable.
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PART III
| ITEM 10. | DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE. |
Directors and Executive Officers
The following sets forth information about our directors and executive officers as of the date of this report.
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Daniel Thompson | 76 | Chairman of the Board of Directors | ||
| Alex Cunningham | 69 | Chief Executive Officer, President and Director | ||
| Matthew T. Shafer | 54 | Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||
| Gillard B. Johnson, III | 76 | Director | ||
| Cathy Pennington | 66 | Director | ||
| L. Jack Staley | 78 | Director |
Daniel Thompson. Mr. Thompson has been Chairman of our board of directors since May 2014. Prior to serving as Chairman, Mr. Thompson served as Chief Executive Officer from February 2005 to May 2014 and also served as a consultant from January 2001 to February 2005. Prior to joining us, Mr. Thompson was founder, president and chief executive officer of Creative Entertainment Services, a full-service entertainment company specializing in Feature Film, Television, Closed Captioning and Game Show fulfilment, from 1982 to December 2001. Mr. Thompson also founded CableRep USA, a media sales firm specializing in local market cable advertising, which he sold to Cox Cable in 1981. Mr. Thompson attended Wayne State University, Bellevue College, and College of Continuing Studies at University of Nebraska at Omaha. We believe Mr. Thompson is well suited to serve as a director because of his previous business management and merger and acquisition experience.
Alex Cunningham. Mr. Cunningham has been our Chief Executive Officer and President and has served on our board of directors since June 2015. Prior to joining us, Mr. Cunningham founded Francnsult, Inc., a business development company representing franchise operations, where he was in charge of identifying prospects for franchising, mergers, and acquisitions, and was the managing partner at AH Cunningham & Associates, LLC, a firm which provided financial and operational consulting services to owners of small and medium-sized businesses, EB-5 immigrant investors, passive investment, franchise owners, and franchisors. Prior to his employment at Francnsult, Inc. and AH Cunningham & Associates, Mr. Cunningham was the president and chief executive officer of Profit Management Consulting, a management consulting company that assisted in the management of private and closely held middle-market companies, from 1996 to 2005. From 1991 to 1996, Mr. Cunningham was a partner at London Capital Corporation, a company which provides merger and acquisition services to small and medium-sized businesses. Mr. Cunningham received a BBA-Finance and Administration at the University of Kentucky and an MBA from Rollins College. We believe Cunningham is well suited to serve as a director because of his previous business management, financial, and merger and acquisition experience.
Matthew T. Shafer. Mr. Shafer has been our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since January 2024. Prior to joining us, Mr. Shafer served as strategic executive engagement consultant and advisor for the chief financial officer and chief accounting officer capacities during rapid growth, change and transitions at Proterra, a publicly traded manufacturer of electric vehicles and provider of related SaaS services, since March 2023. Prior to that, he served as vice president of finance at Aspire Technology Partners, a privately owned technology provider delivering custom digital infrastructures, SaaS solutions and professional services, from May 2022 to February 2023. From October 2021 to April 2022, he served as a strategic chief financial officer of Tatum, an interim executive consultancy practice of Randstad USA, and from September 2016 to September 2021, he held the positions of senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer of Ocean Power Technologies, Inc., a publicly traded green technology company providing cost-effective renewable ocean energy solutions. Earlier in his career, Mr. Shafer held senior finance positions at numerous privately owned and publicly traded companies, including, among others, business unit chief financial officer – for the Dentistry (OraPharma) division at Bauch Health Companies, a global publicly traded pharmaceutical company, and numerous executive level positions at Johnson Controls International plc (formerly Tyco International), a large publicly traded multinational manufacturing company. Mr. Shafer is a certified public accountant with a foundation in Big Four public accounting, beginning his career at Arthur Andersen LLP. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from W. Paul Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University and has an MBA in finance from The Rutgers Business School at Rutgers University.
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Gillard B. Johnson, III. Mr. Johnson has served as a member of our board of directors since April 2024. Mr. Johnson has more than 47 years of experience in experience in public financings as a bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, issuer’s counsel, and trustee’s counsel, as well as mergers, acquisitions, tax-free reorganizations, commercial/corporate litigation. Since 1978, Mr. Johnson has practiced law as a member of several firms. Since 2007, he has been the managing member and owner of GBJ & Associates, PLLC, where he provides legal services to Kentucky’s counties, cities, taxing districts, and not-for-profit organizations in public and private financing of public and economic development projects. He previously worked at McBrayer, McGinnis, Leslie & Kirkland, Bowling, Johnson & Lycan (where he was Managing Member), Steptoe & Johnson PLLC and McNair Law Firm PA. Mr. Johnson was a law clerk for Chief Judge William Drennon from 1972 to 1973 with U.S. Tax Court and served as tax attorney with Ashland Oil, Inc. from 1973 to 1979. Mr. Johnson is a licensed member of the Kentucky Bar Association, Supreme Court of United States of America, U.S. Second, Sixth, and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Tax Court, and a Member National Association of Bond Lawyers. Mr. Johnson is a graduate of Western Kentucky University, where he is a former member of the Board of Regents from 2013-2019, serving as the Board’s Chair, Vice-Chair, and Chair of the University’s Finance and Budget Committee. Mr. Johnson is a graduate of the University of Louisville Brandis School of Law earning a J.D., cum laude degree. We believe Mr. Johnson is well suited to serve as a director because of his extensive experience working with public companies and assisting with their financings.
Cathy Pennington. Ms. Pennington has served as a member of our board of directors since April 2024. Ms. Pennington has more than 30 years of experience in human resources, sales and executive management, mergers and acquisitions, and team leadership for both national and international based public companies. Since February 2019, she has been the HR leader at Hyster-Yale Group, which designs, engineers, manufactures, sells, and services a comprehensive line of lift trucks and aftermarket parts marketed globally. From March of 2013 to June 2018, Ms. Pennington served as senior director at Galls, LLC the largest public safety uniform and equipment distributor in the United States, where she led a national team responsible for development and execution of all human resource, training, and payroll services. She has also served as vice president of human resources for Verst Group Logistics from 2008 to 2015. Ms. Pennington served as global business manager in sales management for Lexmark International from 1999 to 2006. She also previously served in human resource management for Valvoline Corporate and Valvoline Instant Oil Change for Ashland, Inc. and worked for the Marathon-Ashland joint venture. Ms. Pennington received her BA Degree concentration in Human Resource Management from the University of Kentucky. We believe Ms. Pennington is well suited to serve as a director because of her global business management experience and experience in human resources and acquisitions.
L. Jack Staley. Mr. Staley has served as a member of our board of directors since April 2024. Mr. Staley has more than 35 years of experience in the banking, financial services, and investment banking industries, leveraging extensive global experience with banking regulators in international companies. Since May 2020, he has been the board chairman and capital acquisition advisor at AlgiSys, LLC, an ESG company working on the production of fish oil without using fish. He also serves as an independent consultant to the chief executive officers of ClearIt, an early-stage medical device company in Boston, and Tolomeo Bank, a bank located in Puerto Rico focused exclusively on private banking for international clients. Since January 2020, Mr. Staley has also consulted with Axial Family Advisors and Maclendon Wealth Management regarding potential acquisitions. He serves as a board member of Tufts Medical Center, Prescribers Choice, vice chairman of The Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center, a private equity board member of two companies, and other charity boards. Prior to his current corporate roles, Mr. Staley served as chairman of SGS AG Wealth Management Company, Zurich, a financial planning and wealth management group comprised of professional financial consultants. Mr. Staley has also served as executive director of Prudential Financial and Dryden Wealth Management, Zurich and London and Asia, general manager of Bankers Trust New York Corporation, Zurich, The Boston Company in Boston and London and Chase-Lincoln First Bank. Mr. Staley holds an MBA in Finance from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Economics and Political Science from Gettysburg College. Mr. Staley holds professional including US securities licenses 3, 7, 63, 7,8, (now the 24). We believe Mr. Staley is well suited to serve as a director because of his previous experience as business executive and a board member and in banking, financial services, investment banking and medical industries.
Our directors currently have terms which will end at our next annual meeting of the stockholders or until their successors are elected and qualify, subject to their prior death, resignation, or removal. Officers serve at the discretion of the board of directors. There is no arrangement or understanding between any director or executive officer and any other person pursuant to which he was or is to be selected as a director, nominee, or officer.
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Family Relationships
There are no family relationships among any of our officers or directors.
Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings
To the best of our knowledge, none of our directors or executive officers has, during the past ten years:
| • | been convicted in a criminal proceeding or been subject to a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and other minor offences); | |
| • | had any bankruptcy petition filed by or against the business or property of the person, or of any partnership, corporation, or business association of which he was a general partner or executive officer, either at the time of the bankruptcy filing or within two years prior to that time; | |
| • | been subject to any order, judgment, or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended, or vacated, of any court of competent jurisdiction or federal or state authority, permanently or temporarily enjoining, barring, suspending or otherwise limiting, his involvement in any type of business, securities, futures, commodities, investment, banking, savings and loan, or insurance activities, or to be associated with persons engaged in any such activity; | |
| • | been found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to have violated a federal or state securities or commodities law, and the judgment has not been reversed, suspended, or vacated; | |
| • | been the subject of, or a party to, any federal or state judicial or administrative order, judgment, decree, or finding, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated (not including any settlement of a civil proceeding among private litigants), relating to an alleged violation of any federal or state securities or commodities law or regulation, any law or regulation respecting financial institutions or insurance companies including, but not limited to, a temporary or permanent injunction, order of disgorgement or restitution, civil money penalty or temporary or permanent cease-and-desist order, or removal or prohibition order, or any law or regulation prohibiting mail or wire fraud or fraud in connection with any business entity; or | |
| • | been the subject of, or a party to, any sanction or order, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any self-regulatory organization (as defined in Section 3(a)(26) of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78c(a)(26))), any registered entity (as defined in Section 1(a)(29) of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1(a)(29))), or any equivalent exchange, association, entity or organization that has disciplinary authority over its members or persons associated with a member. |
Corporate Governance
Governance Structure
We chose to appoint a separate Chairman of the Board who is not our Chief Executive Officer. Our board of directors has made this decision based on their belief that a separate Chairman of the Board can act as a balance to the Chief Executive Officer, who also serves as a non-independent director.
The Board’s Role in Risk Oversight
The board of directors oversees that the assets of our company are properly safeguarded, that the appropriate financial and other controls are maintained, and that our business is conducted wisely and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations and proper governance. Included in these responsibilities is the board’s oversight of the various risks facing our company. In this regard, our board seeks to understand and oversee critical business risks. Our board does not view risk in isolation. Risks are considered in virtually every business decision and as part of our business strategy. Our board recognizes that it is neither possible nor prudent to eliminate all risk. Indeed, purposeful, and appropriate risk-taking is essential for our company to be competitive on a global basis and to achieve its objectives.
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While the board oversees risk management, company management is charged with managing risk. Management communicates routinely with the board and individual directors on the significant risks identified and how they are being managed. Directors are free to, and indeed often do, communicate directly with senior management.
Our board administers its risk oversight function as a whole by making risk oversight a matter of collective consideration; however, much of the work is delegated to committees, which will meet regularly and report back to the full board. We have established a standing audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee of our board of directors. The audit committee will oversee risks related to our financial statements, the financial reporting process, accounting and legal matters, the compensation committee will evaluate the risks and rewards associated with our compensation philosophy and programs, and the nominating and corporate governance committee will evaluate risks associated with management decisions and strategic direction.
Independent Directors
Our board of directors has determined that all of our directors, other than Messrs. Thompson and Cunningham, qualify as “independent” directors in accordance with the rules and regulations of The Nasdaq Stock Market, or Nasdaq.
Committees of the Board of Directors
We have established a standing audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee of our board of directors, each with its own charter approved by the board. In addition, our board of directors may, from time to time, designate one or more additional committees, which shall have the duties and powers granted to it by our board of directors.
Audit Committee
Gillard B. Johnson, III, Cathy Pennington and L. Jack Staley, each of whom satisfies the “independence” requirements of Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act, have been appointed to serve on our audit committee, with Mr. Johnson serving as the chair. Mr. Johnson qualifies as “audit committee financial expert.” The audit committee oversees our accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of the financial statements of our company.
The audit committee is responsible for, among other things: (i) retaining and overseeing our independent accountants; (ii) assisting the board in its oversight of the integrity of our financial statements, the qualifications, independence and performance of our independent auditors and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; (iii) reviewing and approving the plan and scope of the internal and external audit; (iv) pre-approving any audit and non-audit services provided by our independent auditors; (v) approving the fees to be paid to our independent auditors; (vi) reviewing with our chief executive officer and chief financial officer and independent auditors the adequacy and effectiveness of our internal controls; (vii) reviewing hedging transactions; (viii) reviewing and approving related party transactions; (ix) evaluating enterprise risk issues, including those related to cybersecurity, and (x) reviewing and assessing annually the audit committee’s performance and the adequacy of its charter.
Compensation Committee
Gillard B. Johnson, III, Cathy Pennington and L. Jack Staley, each of whom satisfies the “independence” requirements of Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act, have been appointed to serve on our compensation committee, with Mr. Staley serving as the chair. The members of the compensation committee will also be “non-employee directors” within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act. The compensation committee assists the board in reviewing and approving the compensation structure, including all forms of compensation, relating to our directors and executive officers.
The compensation committee is responsible for, among other things: (i) reviewing and approving the remuneration of our executive officers; (ii) determining the compensation of our independent directors; (iii) making recommendations to the board regarding equity-based and incentive compensation plans, policies and programs; and (iv) reviewing and assessing annually the compensation committee’s performance and the adequacy of its charter.
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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Gillard B. Johnson, III, Cathy Pennington and L. Jack Staley, each of whom satisfies the “independence” requirements of Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act, have been appointed to serve on our nominating and corporate governance committee, with Ms. Pennington serving as the chair. The nominating and corporate governance committee assists the board of directors in selecting individuals qualified to become our directors and in determining the composition of the board and its committees.
The nominating and corporate governance committee is responsible for, among other things: (i) recommending the number of directors to comprise our board; (ii) identifying and evaluating individuals qualified to become members of the board and soliciting recommendations for director nominees from our Chief Executive Officer and Board Chair; (iii) recommending to the board the director nominees for each annual stockholders’ meeting; (iv) recommending to the board the candidates for filling vacancies that may occur between annual stockholders’ meetings; (v) reviewing independent director compensation and board processes, self-evaluations and policies; (vi) overseeing compliance with our code of ethics; and (vii) monitoring developments in the law and practice of corporate governance.
The nominating and corporate governance committee’s methods for identifying candidates for election to our board of directors (other than those proposed by our stockholders, as discussed below) include the solicitation of ideas for possible candidates from a number of sources - members of our board of directors, our executives, individuals personally known to the members of our board of directors, and other research. The nominating and corporate governance committee may also, from time-to-time, retain one or more third-party search firms to identify suitable candidates.
In making director recommendations, the nominating and corporate governance committee may consider some or all of the following factors: (i) the candidate’s judgment, skill, experience with other organizations of comparable purpose, complexity and size, and subject to similar legal restrictions and oversight; (ii) the interplay of the candidate’s experience with the experience of other board members; (iii) the extent to which the candidate would be a desirable addition to the board and any committee thereof; (iv) whether or not the person has any relationships that might impair his or her independence; and (v) the candidate’s ability to contribute to the effective management of our company, taking into account the needs of our company and such factors as the individual’s experience, perspective, skills and knowledge of the industry in which we operate.
A stockholder may nominate one or more persons for election as a director at an annual meeting of stockholders if the stockholder complies with the notice and information provisions contained in our amended and restated bylaws. Such notice must be in writing to our company not less than 90 days and not more than 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the preceding year’s annual meeting of stockholders or as otherwise required by requirements of the Exchange Act. In addition, stockholders furnishing such notice must be a holder of record on both (i) the date of delivering such notice and (ii) the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a code of ethics that applies to all of our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer. Such code of ethics addresses, among other things, honesty and ethical conduct, conflicts of interest, compliance with laws, regulations and policies, including disclosure requirements under the federal securities laws, and reporting of violations of the code.
We are required to disclose any amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of our code of ethics applicable to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, controller, or persons performing similar functions. We intend to use our website as a method of disseminating this disclosure, as permitted by applicable SEC rules. Any such disclosure will be posted to our website within four (4) business days following the date of any such amendment to, or waiver from, a provision of our code of ethics.
Insider Trading Policy
We have adopted an insider trading policy which prohibits our directors, officers, and employees from engaging in transactions in our common stock while in the possession of material non-public information; engaging in transactions in the stock of other companies while in possession of material non-public information that they become aware of in performing their duties; and disclosing material non-public information to unauthorized persons outside our company.
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Our insider trading policy restricts trading by directors, officers, and certain key employees during blackout periods, which generally begin 15 calendar days before the end of each fiscal quarter and end two business days after the issuance of our earnings release for the quarter. Additional blackout periods may be imposed with or without notice, as the circumstances require.
Our insider trading policy also prohibits our directors, officers, and employees from purchasing financial instruments (such as prepaid variable forward contracts, equity swaps, collars and exchange funds) designed to hedge or offset any decrease in the market value of our common stock they hold, directly or indirectly. In addition, directors, officers, and employees are expressly prohibited from pledging our common stock to secure personal loans or other obligations, including by holding their common stock in a margin account, unless such arrangement is specifically approved in advance by the administrator of our insider trading policy, or making short-sale transactions in our common stock.
A copy of the insider trading policy may be found on our website.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors and executive officers and beneficial holders of more than 10% of our common stock to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our equity securities. We believe, based solely on a review of the copies of such reports furnished to us and representations of these persons, that most of the reports were not timely filed for the year ended December 31, 2024. All of the delinquent reports were recently filed.
| ITEM 11. | EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION. |
Summary Compensation Table - Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023
The following table sets forth information concerning all cash and non-cash compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid to the named persons for services rendered in all capacities during the noted periods.
| Name and Principal Position | Year |
Salary ($) |
Bonus ($) |
Stock Awards ($)(1) |
Total ($) |
| Alex Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer | 2024 | 360,000 | 200,000 | 280,000 | 840,000 |
| 2023 | 360,000 | 250,000 | – | 610,000 | |
| Daniel Thompson, Chairman of the Board | 2024 | 360,000 | 200,000 | 280,000 | 840,000 |
| 2023 | 360,000 | 250,000 | – | 610,000 | |
| Matthew T. Shafer, Chief Financial Officer | 2024 | 228,000 | 57,000 | 22,400 | 307,400 |
| 2023 | – | – | – | – |
| (1) | The amount is equal to the aggregate grant-date fair value with respect to the awards, computed in accordance with ASC Topic 718. |
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Employment Agreements
Effective January 1, 2025, we entered into an employment agreement with Alex Cunningham, pursuant to which Mr. Cunningham agreed to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer. Pursuant to the employment agreement, Mr. Cunningham is entitled to an initial base salary of $885,000 per year and is eligible for an annual bonus. The base salary shall be increased by a minimum of 10% per year beginning on January 1, 2026. Mr. Cunningham’s base salary shall be automatically and permanently increased by $100,000 upon the successful acquisition of certain companies in 2025. His base salary will also be automatically and permanently increased by $100,000 following our successful listing on Nasdaq and a corresponding $4 million dollar capital raise beginning the month after the uplisting and commensurate close of the equity raise. Mr. Cunningham is entitled to a one-time performance bonus of $100,000 following our successful listing on Nasdaq with a corresponding $4 million dollar capital raise. Mr. Cunningham shall also earn a one-time performance bonus of $100,000 following each future successful acquisition. In the event that we are unable to pay his base salary or bonus in dollars, a portion of, or all compensation due to Mr. Cunningham, may be converted to a promissory note bearing an annual interest rate of 5.00% with interest to be paid quarterly. In addition, effective as of January 1, 2025, all past due amounts owed to Mr. Cunningham shall earn interest at a rate of 5% with interest paid quarterly. Mr. Cunningham is eligible to participate in and receive equity incentive compensation as may be granted by the board pursuant to our equity incentive plans. The term of the employment agreement is from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2029 with automatic extensions for additional successive one (1) year renewals terms unless terminated by us or Mr. Cunningham upon at least three (3) months’ notice. The employment agreement may be terminated by us immediately for cause (as such term is defined in the employment agreement), in which case Mr. Cunningham would be entitled to receive payment of any accrued payments due and outstanding. The employment agreement may also be terminated by us without cause or by Mr. Cunningham for good reason (as defined in the employment agreement) upon ninety (90) days’ notice, in which case Mr. Cunningham would be entitled to (i) all accrued payments outstanding, (ii) a separation allowance equal to three (3) times the sum of the base salary and the target bonus (as defined in the employment agreement), payable in equal installments over a twelve (12) month period, (iii) any annual incentive bonuses earned but not yet paid for any completed full fiscal year immediately preceding the termination date, (iv) a pro rata annual incentive bonus if termination occurs prior to the end of any fiscal year, (v) payment of benefits until the earlier of twelve (12) months after termination or receipt of comparable benefits from subsequent employment, and (vi) all then-outstanding equity awards in any equity incentive plans. Mr. Cunningham will also be entitled to the compensation described in the preceding sentence in the event of termination of employment without cause or for good reason following a change-in-control of our company (as defined in the employment agreement); provided that the payment of benefits in this case shall be until the earlier of twenty-four (24) months after termination or receipt of comparable benefits from subsequent employment. The employment agreement contains customary confidentiality provisions and also provides that Mr. Cunningham may not compete against us for a period of twelve (12) months after termination of his employment for any reason or solicit employees or customers from us for a period of twenty-four (24) months after termination of his employment for any reason.
Effective July 15, 2020, we entered into an employment agreement with Daniel Thompson, which was amended January 1, 2025, pursuant to which Mr. Thompson agreed to serve as Chairman of the Board. Pursuant to the employment agreement, Mr. Thompson is entitled to a base salary of $360,000 per year through 2024 and $700,000 for calendar year 2025. Mr. Thompson is eligible for an incentive annual bonus, for a one-time performance bonus of $200,000 following our successful listing on Nasdaq with a corresponding $4 million dollar capital raise and for a one-time performance bonus of $250,000 upon the successful closing of any acquisition in 2025. Through calendar year 2024, Mr. Thompson was also eligible to receive compensation in shares of preferred stock in the event that we were unable to pay his base salary in dollars. For calendar year 2025, in the event that we are unable to pay his base salary or bonus in dollars, a portion of, or all compensation due to Mr. Thompson may be converted to a promissory note bearing an annual interest rate of 5.00% with interest to be paid quarterly. In addition, effective as of January 1, 2025, all past due amounts owed to Mr. Thompson shall earn interest at a rate of 5% with interest paid quarterly. The term of the employment agreement is from July 15, 2020 to December 31, 2025, which is the expected retirement date for Mr. Thompson. Following his retirement Mr. Thompson is eligible to receive annual compensation to be paid in accordance with our normal payroll practices over a three (3) year term as follows: $700,000 for 2026; $400,000 for 2024; and $250,000 for 2028. The employment agreement may be terminated immediately for cause (as such term is defined in the employment agreement), which would cause no severance payment obligations to Mr. Thompson. In the event of termination without cause or for good reason, we must provide Mr. Thompson with thirty (30) days prior written notice and would be required to pay all accrued payments, base salary and $200,000, Mr. Thompson’s maximum target bonus amount for the twelve months after the termination. In the event of termination of employment without cause or for good reason following a change-in-control of our company, Mr. Thompson would be entitled to all accrued payments, a lump sum separation allowance equal to two times the sum of his then base salary and then target bonus, any annual incentive bonuses, payment of benefits until the earlier of twenty-four (24) months after termination or receipt of comparable benefits from subsequent employment and all then-outstanding equity awards under any equity plan will vest in full. The employment agreement also provides that Mr. Thompson may not compete against us for a period of twelve (12) months after termination of his employment for any reason or solicit employees or customers from us for a period of twenty-four (24) months after termination of his employment for any reason.
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On January 2, 2024, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Shafer setting forth the terms of his employment as Chief Financial Officer. Pursuant to the employment agreement, Mr. Shafer is entitled to an annual base salary of $228,000 and a signing bonus of 5,000 shares of our series I preferred stock. He is also eligible for consideration for a one-time achievement bonus equal to 35% of base salary within sixty (60) days upon our company uplisting to a national securities exchange. In addition, he is also eligible for an annual target bonus equal to 25% of base salary based on the achievement of certain performance goals and annual stock option grants. Mr. Shafer is also eligible to participate in all employee benefit plans, including health insurance, commensurate with his position. The term of the employment agreement is for one (1) year with automatic extensions for additional successive one (1) year renewal terms unless terminated by either party no later than thirty (30) days prior to the renewal date. The employment agreement may be terminated immediately by us with or without cause (as such term is defined in the employment agreement) or in the event of Mr. Shafer’s death or disability and may be terminated immediately by Mr. Shafer upon his voluntary resignation or other voluntary termination of employment. In the event of termination by us without cause, Mr. Shafer is entitled to the compensation and benefits described above for a period of three (3) months following termination. In the event of termination by Mr. Shafer for good reason (as defined in the employment agreement) or because Mr. Shafer cannot perform his services as result of physical or mental incapacitation, he will be eligible to receive three (3) months of base salary and medical and dental benefits under our medical and dental plans then in effect. Mr. Shafer is not entitled to receive any additional compensation upon termination by us for cause or upon a voluntary termination by Mr. Shafer. The employment agreement also contains customary confidentiality provisions and restrictive covenants prohibiting Mr. Shafer from owning or operating a business that competes with our company or soliciting our employees during the term of his employment and for a period of twelve months following the termination of his employment.
Retirement and Healthcare Benefits
We have not maintained, and do not currently maintain, a defined benefit pension plan or a nonqualified deferred compensation plan. During 2024 we established a tax qualified 401(k) plan for our employees, including the named executive officers. We currently do not contribute to this plan.
Our named executive officers are eligible to participate in the same medical, life and disability insurance programs and other welfare plans as the rest of our employees.
Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control
As described under “—Employment Agreements” above, Messrs. Cunningham, Thompson, and Shafer, are entitled severance if their employment is terminated without cause or for good reason.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
No executive officer named above had any unexercised options, stock that has not vested or equity incentive plan awards outstanding as of December 31, 2024.
Director Compensation
The table below sets forth the compensation paid to our independent directors during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.
| Name | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) |
Stock Awards ($)(1) |
Total ($) |
| Gillard B. Johnson, III | 20,000 | 65,000 | 78,500 |
| Cathy Pennington | 20,000 | 65,000 | 78,500 |
| L. Jack Staley | 20,000 | 65,000 | 78,500 |
| (1) | The amount is equal to the aggregate grant-date fair value with respect to the awards, computed in accordance with ASC Topic 718. |
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Effective as of April 1, 2024, we have entered into independent director agreements with each of our independent directors, Gillard B. Johnson, III, Cathy Pennington and L. Jack Staley, pursuant to which we agreed to pay to each independent director (i) an annual fee of $20,000 for the first year of service, which will increase to $40,000 commencing in the second year of service, which annual fee will be paid quarterly, and (ii) an attendance fee of $2,500 for each in person board meeting attended and $1,000 for each virtual board meeting attended. Upon appointment, we also issued 10,000 shares of common stock to each independent director and we have also agreed to grant to each independent director 5,000 shares of restricted stock under our 2024 Equity Incentive Plan for the first year of service and each subsequent year of service, which shares will vest in four (4) quarterly installments, subject to the director’s continuing service on the board. To the extent services require out-of-town travel, we have agreed to reimburse each independent director up to $1,000 per trip. We also agreed to reimburse each independent director for pre-approved reasonable business-related expenses incurred in good faith in connection with the performance of the director’s duties.
2024 Equity Incentive Plan
On January 31, 2024, our board of directors and stockholders adopted the Cardiff Lexington Corporation 2024 Equity Incentive Plan, or Plan. The following is a summary which describes the principal features of the Plan, but it is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Plan.
Purposes. The purpose of this Plan is to provide a means whereby employees, directors, consultants of our company and its affiliates develop a sense of proprietorship and personal involvement in the development and financial success of our company, and to encourage them to devote their best efforts to the business of our company, thereby advancing the interests of our company and its stockholders. A further purpose of this Plan is to provide a means through which we may attract able individuals to provide services to or for the benefit of our company and to provide a means for such individuals to acquire and maintain share ownership in our company, thereby strengthening their concern for the welfare of our company.
Types of Awards. Awards that may be granted include incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted awards, performance share awards, and performance compensation awards. These awards offer our officers, employees, consultants, and directors the possibility of future value, depending on the long-term price appreciation of our common stock and the award holder’s continuing service with our company.
Eligible Recipients. Persons eligible to receive awards under the Plan will be those officers, employees, directors and consultants of our company and its subsidiaries who are selected by the administrator.
Administration. The Plan is administered by our board of directors; provided that if and when we establish a compensation committee, the compensation committee will administer the Plan. Among other things, the administrator has the authority to select persons who will receive awards, determine the types of awards and the number of shares to be covered by awards, and to establish the terms, conditions, performance criteria, restrictions, and other provisions of awards. The administrator has authority to establish, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan.
Shares Available. As of December 31, 2024, pursuant to the Plan, the maximum number of shares of our common stock that could be issued to participants under the Plan was originally 2,000,000 (subject to adjustment for certain corporate changes affecting the common stock, such as stock splits); provided that the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the Plan will automatically increase on January 1 of each calendar year during the term of the Plan by an amount equal five percent (5%) of the total number of shares of common stock issued and outstanding on December 31 of the immediately preceding calendar year. Shares subject to an award under the Plan for which the award is canceled, forfeited or expires again become available for grants under the Plan. Shares subject to an award that is settled in cash will not again be made available for grants under the Plan. On January 1, 2025, the number of shares increased to 2,765,023.
Stock Options.
General. Share options give the option holder the right to acquire from us a designated number of common stock at a purchase price that is fixed upon the grant of the option. Stock options granted may be either tax-qualified stock options (so-called “incentive stock options”) or non-qualified stock options. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the administrator has the authority to determine all grants of stock options. That determination will include: the number of stock subject to any option; the exercise price per stock; the expiration date of the option; the manner, time, and date of permitted exercise; other restrictions, if any, on the option or the stock underlying the option; and any other terms and conditions as the administrator may determine.
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Option Price. The exercise price for stock options will be determined at the time of grant. Normally, the exercise price will not be less than the fair market value on the date of grant. As a matter of tax law, the exercise price for any incentive share option awarded may not be less than the fair market value of the shares on the date of grant. However, incentive stock option grants to any person owning more than 10% of our voting power must have an exercise price of not less than 110% of the fair market value on the grant date.
Exercise of Options. An option may be exercised only in accordance with the terms and conditions for the option agreement as established by the administrator at the time of the grant. The option must be exercised by notice to us, accompanied by payment of the exercise price. Payments may be made either: (i) in cash or its equivalent; (ii) by tendering (either by actual delivery or attestation) previously acquired stock having an aggregate fair market value at the time of exercise equal to the exercise price; (iii) a cashless exercise (broker-assisted exercise) through a “same day sale” commitment; (iv) by a combination of (i), (ii), and (iii); or (v) any other method approved or accepted by the administrator in its sole discretion.
Expiration or Termination. Options, if not previously exercised, will expire on the expiration date established by the administrator at the time of grant. In the case of incentive stock options, such term cannot exceed ten years provided that in the case of holders of more than 10% of our voting power, such term cannot exceed five years. Options will terminate before their expiration date if the holder’s service with our company or a subsidiary terminates before the expiration date. The option may remain exercisable for specified periods after certain terminations of employment, including terminations as a result of death, disability, or retirement, with the precise period during which the option may be exercised to be established by the administrator and reflected in the grant evidencing the award.
Incentive and Non-Qualified Options. As described elsewhere in this summary, an incentive share option is an option that is intended to qualify under certain provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, for more favorable tax treatment than applies to non-qualified share options. Any option that does not qualify as an incentive share option will be a non-qualified share option. Under the Code, certain restrictions apply to incentive stock options. For example, the exercise price for incentive stock options may not be less than the fair market value of the shares on the grant date and the term of the option may not exceed ten years. In addition, an incentive stock option may not be transferred, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution and is exercisable during the holder’s lifetime only by the holder. In addition, no incentive stock options may be granted to a holder that is first exercisable in a single year if that option, together with all incentive stock options previously granted to the holder that also first become exercisable in that year, relate to shares having an aggregate fair market value in excess of $100,000, measured at the grant date.
Stock Appreciation Rights. Stock appreciation rights, or SARs, which may be granted alone or in tandem with options, have an economic value similar to that of options. When an SAR for a particular number of stock is exercised, the holder receives a payment equal to the difference between the market price of the stock on the date of exercise and the exercise price of the stock under the SAR. Again, the exercise price for SARs normally is the market price of the shares on the date the SAR is granted. Under the Plan, holders of SARs may receive this payment - the appreciation value - either in cash or shares valued at the fair market value on the date of exercise. The form of payment will be determined by us.
Restricted Awards. Restricted awards are shares awarded to participants at no cost. Restricted awards can take the form of awards of restricted stock, which represent issued and outstanding shares subject to vesting criteria, or restricted share units, which represent the right to receive shares subject to satisfaction of the vesting criteria. Restricted stock awards are forfeitable and non-transferable until the shares vest. The vesting date or dates and other conditions for vesting are established when the shares are awarded. These awards will be subject to such conditions, restrictions and contingencies as the administrator shall determine at the date of grant. Those may include requirements for continuous service and/or the achievement of specified performance goals.
Performance Criteria. Under the Plan, one or more performance criteria will be used by the administrator in establishing performance goals. Any one or more of the performance criteria may be used on an absolute or relative basis to measure the performance of our company, as the administrator may deem appropriate, or as compared to the performance of a group of comparable companies, or published or special index that the administrator deems appropriate.
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Other Material Provisions. Awards will be evidenced by a written agreement, in such form as may be approved by the administrator. In the event of various changes to the capitalization of our company, such as stock splits, stock dividends and similar re-capitalizations, an appropriate adjustment will be made by the administrator to the number of shares covered by outstanding awards or to the exercise price of such awards. The administrator is also permitted to include in the written agreement provisions that provide for certain changes in the award in the event of a change of control of our company, including acceleration of vesting. Except as otherwise determined by the administrator at the date of grant, awards will not be transferable, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Prior to any award distribution, we are permitted to deduct or withhold amounts sufficient to satisfy any employee withholding tax requirements. Our board also has the authority, at any time, to discontinue the granting of awards. The board also has the authority to alter or amend the Plan or any outstanding award or may terminate the Plan as to further grants, provided that no amendment will, without the approval of our stockholders, to the extent that such approval is required by law or the rules of an applicable exchange, increase the number of shares available under the Plan, change the persons eligible for awards under the Plan, extend the time within which awards may be made, or amend the provisions of the Plan related to amendments. No amendment that would adversely affect any outstanding award made under the Plan can be made without the consent of the holder of such award.
| ITEM 12. | SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS. |
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
The following table sets forth certain information regarding beneficial ownership of our voting stock as of March 12, 2025 by (i) each of our executive officers and directors; (ii) all of our executive officers and directors as a group; and (iii) each person who is known by us to beneficially own more than 5% of our outstanding common stock. Unless otherwise specified, the address of each of the persons set forth below is in care of our company, 3753 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV 89169.
| Name and Address of Beneficial Owner | Title of Class | Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership(1) | Percent of Voting Stock(2) |
| Daniel Thompson, Chairman of the Board(3) | Common Stock | 43,441,295 | 41.28% |
| Alex Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer and Director(4) | Common Stock | 45,630,168 | 43.36% |
| Matthew T. Shafer, Chief Financial Officer(5) | Common Stock | 25,000 | * |
| Gillard B. Johnson, III, Director | Common Stock | 10,000 | * |
| Cathy Pennington, Director | Common Stock | 10,000 | * |
| L. Jack Staley, Director | Common Stock | 10,000 | * |
| All executive officers and directors (6 persons above) | Common Stock | 89,126,463 | 84.69% |
* Less than 1%
| (1) | Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with SEC rules and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. For purposes of this table, a person or group of persons is deemed to have “beneficial ownership” of any shares that such person or any member of such group has the right to acquire within sixty (60) days. For purposes of computing the percentage of outstanding shares of common stock held by each person or group of persons named above, any shares that such person or persons has the right to acquire within sixty (60) days of March 12, 2025 are deemed to be outstanding for such person, but not deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. The inclusion herein of any shares listed as beneficially owned does not constitute an admission of beneficial ownership by any person. |
| (2) | Percentage of total voting stock represents total ownership with respect to all shares of our voting stock, which includes our common stock, series A preferred stock, series B preferred stock, series C preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series I preferred stock and series L preferred stock, voting as a single class. As of March 12, 2025, there were 15,325,775 shares of common stock, 2 shares of series A preferred stock, 1,269,717 shares of series B preferred stock, 74 shares of series C preferred stock, 175,375 shares of series E preferred stock, 10,466,592 shares of series I preferred stock and 319,493 shares of series L preferred stock issued and outstanding. Each share of series A preferred stock is entitled to a number of votes at any time equal to 25% of the number of votes then held or entitled to be made by all other equity securities of our company, plus one (equivalent to 17,355,850 votes as of March 12, 2025). Each share of series B preferred stock, series C preferred stock, series E preferred stock and series L preferred stock is entitled to one (1) vote per share. Each share of series I preferred stock is entitled to five (5) votes per share. |
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| (3) | Includes (i) 1,000,337 shares of common stock held directly, (ii) 36,128 shares of common stock held by the 2007 Thompson Family Trust, (iii) 1 share of series A preferred stock held directly, (iv) 375,000 shares of series B preferred stock held directly, (v) 24 shares of series C preferred stock held directly, (vi) 50,000 shares of series E preferred stock held directly and (vii) 4,791,796 shares of series I preferred stock held directly. |
| (4) | Includes (i) 1,022,838 shares of common stock, (ii) 1 share of series A preferred stock, (iii) 375,000 shares of series B preferred stock, (iv) 24 shares of series C preferred stock, (v) 50,000 shares of series E preferred stock and (vi) 5,232,296 shares of series I preferred stock. |
| (5) | Represents 5,000 shares of series I preferred stock. |
Changes in Control
We do not currently have any arrangements which if consummated may result in a change of control of our company.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
The following table sets forth certain information about the securities authorized for issuance under our incentive plans as of December 31, 2024.
| Plan Category |
Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights (a) |
Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights (b) |
Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) (c) |
| Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | – | – | 2,000,000 |
| Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | – | – | – |
| Total | – | – | 2,000,000 |
| ITEM 13. | CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE. |
Transactions with Related Persons
The following includes a summary of transactions since the beginning of our 2023 fiscal year, or any currently proposed transaction, in which we were or are to be a participant and the amount involved exceeded or exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or one percent of the average of our total assets at year-end for the last two completed fiscal years, and in which any related person had or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than compensation described under Item 11 “Executive Compensation” above). We believe the terms obtained or consideration that we paid or received, as applicable, in connection with the transactions described below were comparable to terms available or the amounts that would be paid or received, as applicable, in arm’s-length transactions.
We have obtained short-term advances from Daniel Thompson, the Chairman of the Board, that are non-interest bearing and due on demand. As of December 31, 2023, we owed the Chairman $120,997, which was repaid in full during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Director Independence
Our board of directors has determined that all of our directors, other than Messrs. Thompson and Cunningham, qualify as “independent” directors in accordance with the rules and regulations of Nasdaq.
| 60 |
| ITEM 14. | PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES. |
Independent Auditors’ Fees
The following is a summary of the fees billed to us for professional services rendered for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. Fees include those paid to GBQ Partners, LLC and Grassi & Co., CPAs, P.C. for audit fees.
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Audit Fees* | $ | 180,628 | $ | 154,125 | ||||
| Audit-Related Fees | 2,569 | 12,844 | ||||||
| Tax Fees | 6,950 | 6,850 | ||||||
| All Other Audit Fees | 59,081 | – | ||||||
| TOTAL | $ | 249,228 | $ | 173,819 | ||||
*Certain amounts have been recategorized from 2024 into 2023 in order to reflect the period they relate to.
“Audit Fees” consisted of fees billed for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for the audit of our annual financial statements and review of the financial statements included in our Form 10-K and 10-Q or services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.
“Audit-Related Fees” consisted of fees billed for assurance and related services by the principal accountant that were reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under the paragraph captioned “Audit Fees” above.
“Tax Fees” consisted of fees billed for professional services rendered by our external tax accountant for tax returns preparation.
“All Other Fees” consisted of fees billed for products and services provided by the principal accountant, other than the services reported above under other captions of this Item 14.
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
Our audit committee charter provides that the audit committee must pre-approve all audit and permissible non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm. These services may include audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services. Pre-approval would generally be requested annually, with any pre-approval detailed as to the particular service, which must be classified in one of the four categories of services listed above. The audit committee may also, on a case-by-case basis, pre-approve particular services that are not contained in the annual pre-approval request. In connection with this pre-approval policy, the audit committee also considers whether the categories of pre-approved services are consistent with the rules on accountant independence of the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. The audit committee has pre-approved all services performed since our policy on pre-approval of audit and non-audit services was adopted and pre-approved the audit service performed by GBQ Partners, LLC for our financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2024.
| 61 |
PART IV
| ITEM 15. | EXHIBIT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES. |
| (a) | List of Documents Filed as a Part of This Report: |
| (1) | Index to Financial Statements: |
| Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 1808) | |
| Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 606) | |
| Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 (Restated) | |
| Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 | |
| Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity (Deficiency) for the Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (Restated) | |
| Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (Restated) | |
| Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements | |
| (2) | Index to Financial Statement Schedules: |
| All schedules have been omitted because the required information is included in the financial statements or the notes thereto, or because it is not required. | |
| (3) | Index to Exhibits: |
| See exhibits listed under Part (b) below. |
| (b) | Exhibits: |
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 3.1 | Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1/A filed on August 3, 2023) | |
| 3.2 | Certificate of Amendment to Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on May 10, 2024) | |
| 3.3 | Certificate of Designation of Series A Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1/A filed on August 3, 2023) | |
| 3.4 | Certificate of Designation of Series B Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1/A filed on August 3, 2023) | |
| 3.5 | Certificate of Correction of Certificate of Designation of Series B Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.4 to Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 27, 2024) | |
| 3.6 | Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Designation of Series B Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 4, 2024) |
| 62 |
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 3.7 | Certificate of Designation of Series C Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.4 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1/A filed on August 3, 2023) | |
| 3.8 | Certificate of Correction of Certificate of Designation of Series C Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.6 to Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 27, 2024) | |
| 3.9 | Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Designation of Series C Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 4, 2024) | |
| 3.10 | Certificate of Designation of Series E Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.5 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1/A filed on August 3, 2023) | |
| 3.11 | Certificate of Correction of Certificate of Designation of Series E Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.8 to Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 27, 2024) | |
| 3.12 | Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Designation of Series E Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 4, 2024) | |
| 3.13 | Certificate of Designation of Series F-1 Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.6 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1/A filed on August 3, 2023) | |
| 3.14 | Certificate of Correction of Certificate of Designation of Series F-1 Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.10 to Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 27, 2024) | |
| 3.15 | Certificate of Designation of Series I Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.7 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1/A filed on August 3, 2023) | |
| 3.16 | Certificate of Correction of Certificate of Designation of Series I Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.12 to Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 27, 2024) | |
| 3.17 | Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Designation of Series I Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.4 to Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 4, 2024) | |
| 3.18 | Certificate of Designation of Series L Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.9 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1/A filed on August 3, 2023) | |
| 3.19 | Certificate of Correction of Certificate of Designation of Series L Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.16 to Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 27, 2024) | |
| 3.20 | Certificate of Designation of Series N Senior Convertible Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on June 6, 2023) | |
| 3.21 | Certificate of Designation of Series X Senior Convertible Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.12 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1/A filed on August 3, 2023) | |
| 3.22 | Certificate of Designation of Series Y Senior Convertible Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 14, 2024) | |
| 3.23 | Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Designation of Series Y Senior Convertible Preferred Stock of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.5 to Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on December 4, 2024) | |
| 3.24 | Amended and Restated Bylaws of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on June 6, 2023) | |
| 4.1* | Description of Securities of Cardiff Lexington Corporation | |
| 10.1 | Management Agreement, dated June 4, 2021, among by Cardiff Lexington Corporation, Nova Ortho and Spine, LLC and Dr. Marc D Brodsky, Michael Wycoki, Jr., PA and Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on June 7, 2021) |
| 63 |
| 64 |
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 10.22† | Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement relating to 2024 Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.24 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 27, 2024) | |
| 14.1 | Code of Business Ethics and Conduct (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 14.1 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on June 6, 2023) | |
| 19.1 | ||
| 21.1 | List of Subsidiaries of the registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21.1 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 27, 2024) | |
| 23.1* | Consent of GBQ Partners, LLC | |
| 23.2* | Consent of Grassi & Co., CPAs, P.C. | |
| 31.1* | Certifications of Principal Executive Officer filed pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 | |
| 31.2* | Certifications of Principal Financial Officer filed pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 | |
| 32.1** | Certifications of Principal Executive Officer furnished pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 | |
| 32.2** | Certifications of Principal Financial Officer furnished pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 | |
| 97.1* | Clawback Policy | |
| 101* | Inline XBRL Document Set for the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K | |
| 104* | Inline XBRL for the cover page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, included in the Exhibit 101 Inline XBRL Document Set |
__________
| * | Filed herewith |
| ** | Furnished herewith |
| † | Executive compensation plan or arrangement |
| ITEM 16. | FORM 10-K SUMMARY. |
None.
| 65 |
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| F-1 |
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Stockholders and Board of Directors
Cardiff Lexington Corporation
Las Vegas, Nevada
Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2024, the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity (deficiency), and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2024, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2024, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
We also have audited the adjustments to the 2023 information in Note 16 to retrospectively apply the change in accounting (resulting from the adoption of Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures), as described in Note 1. In our opinion, such adjustments are appropriate and have been properly applied. We were not engaged to audit, review, or apply any procedures to the 2023 consolidated financial statements of the Company other than with respect to such adjustments and, accordingly, we do not express an opinion or any other form of assurance on the 2023 consolidated financial statements taken as a whole.
Continuation as a Going Concern
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in the notes to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has experienced recurring losses from operations and negative cash flows from operations that raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in the notes. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
| F-2 |
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Estimates of Variable Consideration Related to Healthcare Revenue
Description of the Matter
As described in the notes to the consolidated financial statements, the Company recognizes revenue, net that includes estimates of variable consideration. For the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company recorded healthcare revenue, net of $8.3 million. The components of variable consideration include (a) settlement discounts relative to gross billings for procedures performed, and (b) price concessions to generate settlements and cash inflows. These estimates take into consideration established billing rates (gross charges); historical collection rates, including established charges per procedure with guidance from the annually updated Current Procedural Terminology (“CPT”) guidelines that designates relative value units and a suggested range of charges for each procedure which is then assigned a CPT code, modifiers recognized by each insurance carrier for services, less deductible, co-pay, and contractual adjustments, as well as current settlement realization rates with payors based on discussions with doctors and attorneys and the third-party medical billing company vendor.
Auditing management's estimates for variable consideration required subjective auditor judgment and evaluation of the reasonableness of significant assumptions used in developing the estimates as detailed above, as well as the inputs and related calculations related to current contracts.
How We Addressed the Matter in Our Audit
We obtained an understanding and evaluated the design of internal controls over the Company's calculations to estimate variable consideration, including management's assessment of the assumptions and data underlying the reserve calculation.
Our substantive audit procedures included, among others, (i) testing management’s process for developing the estimates of variable consideration, (ii) testing the completeness and accuracy of underlying data used in the method on a sample basis, and (iii) evaluating the reasonableness of management’s significant assumption related to the period of historical experience. Evaluating the reasonableness of the assumption related to the period of historical experience involved considering the historical relationships of revenue recognized and subsequently collected, and whether this assumption was consistent with evidence obtained in other areas of the audit. Further, we evaluated the appropriateness of classification and disclosure of the Company’s reserves for variable consideration in the consolidated financial statements.
/s/
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2024.
March 14, 2025
| F-3 |
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and
Stockholders of Cardiff Lexington Corporation and Subsidiaries
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Cardiff of Lexington Corporation and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2023, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity (deficiency), and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
We were not engaged to audit, review, or apply any procedures to the adjustments to retrospectively apply the change in accounting due to the adoption of ASU No. 2023-07, Segment Reporting discussed in Note 16 to the financial statements, and accordingly, we do not express an opinion or any form of assurance about whether such adjustments are appropriate or properly applied. The adjustments were audited by other auditors.
Restatement of Financial Statements
As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2023 have been restated to correct certain misstatements.
Substantial Doubt Regarding the Company’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has sustained an accumulated deficit and negative cash flows from operations, which raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are described in Note 1. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Our opinion is not modified with respect to this matter.
| F-4 |
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/
We have served as the Company’s auditor from 2022 until 2024.
March 27, 2024, except for Notes 1, 2 and 17, as to which date is July 23, 2024.
| F-5 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 (Restated) | |||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| Current assets | ||||||||
| Cash | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accounts receivable-net | ||||||||
| Prepaid and other current assets | ||||||||
| Total current assets | ||||||||
| Property and equipment, net | ||||||||
| Land | ||||||||
| Goodwill | ||||||||
| Right of use – assets, net | ||||||||
| Due from related party | ||||||||
| Other assets | ||||||||
| Total assets | $ | $ | ||||||
| LIABILITIES, MEZZANINE EQUITY AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY | ||||||||
| Current liabilities | ||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expense | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accrued expenses - related parties | ||||||||
| Accrued interest | ||||||||
| Right of use – lease liabilities | ||||||||
| Due to director and officer | ||||||||
| Notes payable – current portion | ||||||||
| Line of credit | ||||||||
| Convertible notes payable, net of debt discounts of $ | ||||||||
| Net liabilities of discontinued operations | ||||||||
| Total current liabilities | ||||||||
| Other liabilities | ||||||||
| Notes payable | ||||||||
| Operating lease liability – long term | ||||||||
| Total liabilities | ||||||||
| Mezzanine equity | ||||||||
| Redeemable Series N Senior Convertible Preferred Stock - shares authorized, $0.001 par value, stated value $, and shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively | ||||||||
| Redeemable Series R Senior Convertible Preferred Stock - shares authorized, $0.001 par value, stated value of $, and shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively | ||||||||
| Redeemable Series X Senior Convertible Preferred Stock - shares authorized, $0.001 par value, stated value of $ par value; and shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023 | ||||||||
| Total Mezzanine Equity | ||||||||
| Stockholders' equity | ||||||||
| Series B Preferred Stock - shares authorized, $0.001 par value, stated value of $, and shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively | ||||||||
| Series C Preferred Stock - shares authorized, $0.001 par value, stated value of $, and shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively | ||||||||
| Series E Preferred Stock - shares authorized, $0.001 par value, stated value $, and shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively | ||||||||
| Series F-1 Preferred Stock - shares authorized, $0.001 par value, stated value $, and shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively | ||||||||
| Series I Preferred Stock - shares authorized, $0.001 par value, stated value $, and issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively | ||||||||
| Series J Preferred Stock - shares authorized, $0.001 par value, stated value $, and shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively | ||||||||
| Series L Preferred Stock - shares authorized, $0.001 par value, stated value $, shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023 | ||||||||
| Series Y Senior Convertible Preferred Stock – shares authorized, $0.001 par value, stated value $, and shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively | ||||||||
| Common Stock; shares authorized, $ par value; and shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively | ||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | ( | ) | ||||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Total stockholders' equity | ||||||||
| Total liabilities, mezzanine equity and stockholders' equity | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
| F-6 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| REVENUE | $ | $ | ||||||
| COST OF SALES | ||||||||
| GROSS PROFIT | ||||||||
| OPERATING EXPENSES | ||||||||
| Depreciation expense | ||||||||
| Share based compensation | ||||||||
| Selling, general and administrative | ||||||||
| Total operating expenses | ||||||||
| (LOSS) INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS | ( | ) | ||||||
| OTHER (EXPENSE) INCOME | ||||||||
| Other expense | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Gain on debt refinance and forgiveness | ||||||||
| Penalties and fees | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Interest expense | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Amortization of notes payable discount | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Total other expenses | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| NET (LOSS) INCOME BEFORE DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS | ( | ) | ||||||
| LOSS FROM DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| NET (LOSS) INCOME FOR THE YEAR | $ | ( | ) | $ | ||||
| PREFERRED STOCK DIVIDENDS | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| NET (LOSS) INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO COMMON STOCKHOLDERS | $ | ( | ) | $ | ||||
| BASIC (LOSS) EARNINGS PER SHARE | ||||||||
| CONTINUING OPERATIONS | $ | ( | ) | $ | ||||
| DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
| DILUTED (LOSS) EARNINGS PER SHARE | ||||||||
| CONTINUING OPERATIONS | $ | ( | ) | $ | ||||
| DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
| WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING – BASIC* | ||||||||
| WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING – DILUTED | ||||||||
| * |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statement
| F-7 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIENCY)
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023 (RESTATED)
| Preferred Stock Series A, I and Y | Preferred Stock Series B, E, F-1, J and L | Preferred Stock Series C | Common Stock | Additional Paid-In | Accumulated | Total Stockholders’ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Equity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance, December 31, 2022 (Restated) | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of preferred stock series B | – | – | – | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of preferred stock series E | – | – | – | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conversion of convertible notes payable | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preferred stock Dividends | – | – | – | – | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | – | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance, December 31, 2023 (restated) | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conversion of convertible notes payable | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conversion of series B preferred stock | – | ( | ) | ( | ) | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conversion of series C preferred stock | – | – | ( | ) | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conversion of series E preferred stock | – | ( | ) | ( | ) | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conversion of series F-1 preferred stock | – | ( | ) | ( | ) | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conversion of series I preferred stock | ( | ) | ( | ) | – | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conversion of series J preferred stock | – | ( | ) | ( | ) | – | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of series I preferred stock to officers | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of series Y preferred stock | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exchange of series I for series B, C and E | ( | ) | ( | ) | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cancellation of series C preferred stock | – | – | ( | ) | ( | ) | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common stock issued for services | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common stock issued to board members | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common stock issued in Red Rock settlement | – | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common stock issued in legal settlement | – | – | – | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preferred stock Dividends | – | – | – | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net loss | – | – | – | – | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance, December 31, 2024 | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
| F-8 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 (Restated) | |||||||
| CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES | ||||||||
| Net (loss) income from continuing operations | $ | ( | ) | $ | ||||
| Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||
| Depreciation | ||||||||
| Bad debt | ||||||||
| Change in estimate for settlement realization rate | ||||||||
| Amortization of notes payable discount | ||||||||
| Conversion and note issuance cost | ||||||||
| Share issuance for compensation to directors and officers | ||||||||
| Share issuance for service rendered | ||||||||
| Gain on settlement or forgiveness of debt | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| (Increase) decrease in: | ||||||||
| Accounts receivable | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Right of use – assets | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Prepaids and other current assets | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Increase (decrease) in: | ||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expense | ( | ) | ||||||
| Accrued officers compensation | ||||||||
| Accrued interest | ||||||||
| Right of use – liabilities | ||||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net cash used in Discontinued Operations – Operating | ||||||||
| FINANCING ACTIVITIES | ||||||||
| Repayments to directors and officers | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Proceeds from convertible notes payable | ||||||||
| Payments of convertible notes payable | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Repayment of SBA loans | ( | ) | ||||||
| Payments of notes payable | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net proceeds from line of credit | ||||||||
| Payment of dividend on preferred stock | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | ||||||||
| NET INCREASE IN CASH | ||||||||
| CASH, BEGINNING OF YEAR | ||||||||
| CASH, END OF YEAR | $ | $ | ||||||
| SUPPLEMENTARY DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION | ||||||||
| Cash paid during the year for interest | $ | $ | ||||||
| NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES: | ||||||||
| Common stock issued upon conversion of notes payable | $ | $ | ||||||
| Common stock issued upon conversion of preferred stock | $ | $ | ||||||
| Series Y preferred stock issued in exchange of convertible notes payable | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accrued dividends on series Y preferred stock | $ | $ | ||||||
| Promissory note payable issued in settlement agreement | $ | $ | ||||||
| Right of use assets acquired | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
| F-9 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
| 1. | SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
Organization and Nature of Operations
Cardiff Lexington Corporation (“Cardiff”) was originally incorporated on September 3, 1986 in Colorado as Cardiff International Inc. On November 10, 2005, Cardiff merged with Legacy Card Company, LLC and changed its name to Cardiff Lexington Corporation. On August 27, 2014, Cardiff redomiciled and became a corporation under the laws of Florida. On April 13, 2021, Cardiff redomiciled and became a corporation under the laws of Nevada.
Cardiff is an acquisition holding company focused on locating undervalued and undercapitalized companies, primarily in the healthcare industry, and providing them capitalization and leadership to maximize the value and potential of their private enterprises while also providing diversification and risk mitigation for stockholders. All of Cardiff’s operations are predominantly conducted through, and its income derived from, its Nova Ortho and Spine, LLC (“Nova”) subsidiary. Its subsidiaries include:
| · | Nova, which was acquired on May 31, 2021; | |
| · | Edge View Properties, Inc. (“Edge View”), which was acquired on July 16, 2014; and | |
| · | Platinum Tax Defenders (“Platinum Tax”), which was acquired on July 31, 2018 and sold on November 10, 2023. As a result, Platinum Tax is presented as a discontinued operation. |
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Cardiff and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Nova, Edge View, and Platinum Tax (collectively, the “Company”). Subsidiaries shown as discontinued operations include Platinum Tax. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. Certain amounts and items have been reclassified in the prior year presentation in the consolidated financial statements to conform to the current presentation in these financial statements.
Reverse Stock Split
On January 9, 2024, the Company effected a
All share and per share data throughout these consolidated financial statements have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split. The total number of authorized shares of common stock did not change. As a result of the reverse stock split, an amount equal to the decreased value of the common stock was reclassified from “common stock” to “additional paid-in capital.” See Note 2. Revised Financial Statements.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect certain reported amounts and disclosures. Management uses its historical records and knowledge of its business in making estimates. Accordingly, actual results could differ from those estimates.
| F-10 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Accounts Receivable
In the normal course of business, the Company is in the lien based medical industry providing orthopedic healthcare servicing an uninsured market insulated by a letter of protection which insulates the Company and insures payment in full from insurance settlements. Accounts receivable consists of amounts due from attorneys and insurance providers for services provided to patients under the letter of protection. Accounts receivable are recorded at the expected settlement realization amount, which is less contractual adjustments and an allowance for credit losses. The Company recognizes an allowance for credit losses for its accounts receivable to present the net amount expected to be collected as of the balance sheet date. This allowance is determined based on the history of net settlements received, where the net settlement amount is not collected. No collection can happen if no settlement is reached with the defendant’s insurance company and the plaintiff (the patient) loses the case at trial, or the case is abandoned, then the Company will not be able to collect on its letter of protection and its receivable will not be collected. The Company monitors outstanding cases as they develop through ongoing discussions with attorneys, doctors and third-party medical billing company and additionally monitors settlement realization rates over time. Additionally, the Company considers economic factors and events or trends expected to affect future collections experience. The no collection history of the Company’s customers is considered in future assessments of collectability as these patterns are established over a longer period. The Company uses the term collection and collection rate in its disclosures to describe the historical less than 1% occurrence of not collecting under a contract, which aligns with the Company’s credit loss accounting under ASC 326.
The Company does not have a significant exposure
to credit losses as it has historically had a less than 1.0% loss rate where the Company received no settlement amount for its outstanding
accounts receivable. Although possible, claims resulting in zero collection upon settlement are rare based on the Company’s historical
experience and has historically been less than 1.0% of its outstanding accounts receivable, thereby resulting in a collection rate of
99%. The Company uses the loss rate method to record its allowance for credit losses. The Company applies the loss rate method by reviewing
its zero collection history on a quarterly basis and updating its estimates of credit losses to adjust for changes in loss data. The Company
typically collects on its accounts receivable between eighteen and twenty-four months after recording. The Company does not record an
allowance for credit losses based on an aging of its accounts receivable as the aging of the Company’s receivables do not influence
the credit loss rate due to the nature of its business and the letter of protection. The Company does not adjust its receivables for the
effects of a significant financing component at contract inception as the timing of variable consideration is determined by the settlement,
which is outside of the Company’s control. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company’s allowance for credit losses
was $
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are carried at cost. Expenditures for renewals and betterments that extend the useful lives of property, equipment or leasehold improvements are capitalized. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method for financial reporting purposes based on the following estimated useful lives:
| Schedule of estimated useful lives | |
| Classification | Useful Life |
| Equipment, furniture, and fixtures | |
| Medical equipment | |
| Leasehold improvements |
| F-11 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Goodwill
Goodwill is not amortized but is evaluated for
impairment annually or when indicators of a potential impairment are present. The Company reviews goodwill for impairment on a reporting
unit basis annually and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable. Goodwill
is tested first for impairment based on qualitative factors on an annual basis or in between if an event occurs or circumstances change
that indicate the fair value may be below its carrying amount, otherwise known as a ‘triggering event’. An assessment is made
of these qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not the fair value is less than the carry amount, including goodwill.
The annual evaluation for impairment of Goodwill is based on valuation models that incorporate assumptions and internal projections of
expected future cash flows and operating plans. The Company believes such assumptions are also comparable to those that would be used
by other marketplace participants. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company determined there to be
Valuation of Long-lived Assets
In accordance with the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 360-10-5, “Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets”, all long-lived assets such as plant and equipment and construction in progress held and used by the Company are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is evaluated by a comparison of the carrying amount of assets to estimated cash flows expected to be generated by the assets. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amounts of the assets exceed the fair value of the assets.
Revenue Recognition
The Company’s primary source of revenue is its healthcare subsidiary, which records revenues from providing licensed and/or certified orthopedic procedures. Revenue is recognized at a point in time in accordance with ASC 606 and at an estimated net settlement realization rate based on gross billed charges. The Company’s healthcare subsidiary does not have contract liabilities or deferred revenue as there are no amounts prepaid for services. The Company applies the following five-step ASC 606 model to determine revenue recognition:
| · | Identification of a contract with a customer | |
| · | Identification of the performance obligations in the contact | |
| · | Determination of the transaction price | |
| · | Allocation of the transaction price to the separate performance obligations | |
| · | Recognition of revenue when performance obligations are satisfied. |
At contract inception, once the contract is determined to be within the scope of ASC 606, the Company assesses services promised within each contract and determines those that are a performance obligation and assesses whether each promised service is distinct.
The Company’s contracts contain a single performance obligation (providing orthopedic services), as the promise to transfer the individual services is not separately identifiable from other promises in the contracts and, therefore, not distinct, as a result, the entire transaction price is allocated to this single performance obligation.
Accordingly, the Company recognizes net revenue when the patient receives orthopedic care services. The Company’s patient service contracts generally have performance obligations which are satisfied at a point in time. The performance obligation is for onsite or off-site care provided. Patient service contracts are generally fixed-price, and the transaction price is in the contract.
| F-12 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
In determining net revenue to record under ASC 606, the Company must estimate the transaction price, including estimates of variable consideration in the contract at inception. In order to estimate variable consideration, the Company uses established billings rates (also described as “gross charges”) for the procedures being performed, however, the billing rates are not the same as actual amounts recovered for the Company’s healthcare subsidiary. They generally do not reflect what the Company is ultimately paid by the customer, insurance carriers and other payors, and therefore are not reported in the consolidated financial statements at that rate. The Company is typically paid amounts based on established charges per procedure with guidance from the annually updated Current Procedural Terminology (“CPT”) guidelines that designates relative value units and a suggested range of charges for each procedure which is then assigned a CPT code. This gross charge is discounted to reflect the percentage paid to the Company using a modifier recognized by each insurance carrier for services, less deductible, co-pay, and contractual adjustments which are deducted from the calculated fee. These adjustments are considered variable consideration under ASC 606 and are deducted from the calculated fee to arrive at the net transaction price. The Company also estimates changes in the contract price as a result of price concessions, changes to deductibles, co-pays and other contractual adjustments to determine the eventual settlement amount the Company expects to receive. The Company uses the term settlement realization in its disclosures to describe the amount of cash the Company expects to receive based on its estimate of the transaction price under the expected value method of ASC 606.
Where appropriate, the Company utilizes the expected value method to determine the appropriate amount for estimates of variable consideration, which has been based on a historical 24-month lookback of its actual settlement realization rates. The estimates of reserves established for variable consideration reflect current contractual requirements, the Company’s historical experience, specific known market events and trends, industry data and forecasted patient data and settlement patterns. Settlement realization patterns are assessed based on actual settlements and based on expected settlement realization trends obtained from discussions with attorneys, doctors and our third-party medical billing company. Settlement amounts are negotiated, and prolonged settlement negotiations are not indicative of a greater likelihood of reduced settlement realization or zero settlement.
The Company may accept a lower settlement realization rate in order to receive faster payment. The Company obtains information about expected settlement realization trends from discussions with doctors and attorneys and its third-party medical billing company vendor, which handles settlement claims and negotiations. Settlement amounts are presented to the Company’s third-party medical billing company vendor.
Settlement rates of 49% or higher based on gross billed amounts are typically accepted without further negotiation. Proposed settlement rates below 49% are negotiated when possible and longer negotiations typically result in higher settlement rates. If the Company accepts a lower settlement realization rate in order to receive payments more quickly, the Company considers that a price concession and estimates these concessions at contract inception. The various forms of variable consideration described above included in the transaction price may be constrained and are included in net revenue only to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of the cumulative revenue recognized will not occur in a future period. The Company has not constrained any of its estimates of variable consideration for any of the periods presented.
Service Fees – Net (PIP)
The Company generates services fees from performing various procedures on the date the services are performed. These services primarily include slip and falls as well as smaller nominal Non Personal Injury Protection (“PIP”) services. As described above, these revenues are based on established insurance billing rates, less allowances for contractual adjustments and uncollectible amounts. These contractual adjustments vary by insurance company and self-pay patients. The Company computes these contractual and other adjustments based on its historical settlement realization experience. Completing the paperwork for each case and preparing it for billing takes approximately ten business days after a procedure is performed. The majority of claims are then filed electronically except for those remaining insurance carriers requiring paper filing. An initial response is usually received within four weeks from electronic filing and up to six weeks from paper filing. Responses may be a payment, a denial, or a request for additional information. The Company’s healthcare revenues are generated from professional medical billings including facility and anesthesia services. With respect to facility and anesthesia services, the Company is the primary obligor as the facility and anesthesia services are considered part of one integrated performance obligation.
| F-13 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
The Company satisfies performance obligations as services are performed and then billed to the patient. Payment in most cases is made by an attorney for such services to our patients which are due upon final settlement of patients claims. During the claims process, legal counsel warranties such claim through the letter of protection, which is sent to the Company, as a medical provider, on behalf of the client patient. This letter states that the attorney is responsible for paying the client’s medical bills when the case is fully developed and settles. The medical professional agrees to provide treatment to the injured person and refrain from attempting to collect payment as it is developing and until the case is resolved. Once the personal injury case is finalized with the insurance company, the attorney pays the outstanding medical bills from the settlement.
Settlement Rates
Prior to fiscal year 2024, the Company historically realized a 49% settlement rate from total gross billed charges. Accordingly, the Company had historically recognized net healthcare service revenue as 49% of gross billed amounts. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company underwent efforts to accelerate cash settlement of its accounts receivable to generate cash flow for operations. The Company did this by shortening its settlement negotiations with insurance companies and accepting lower settlement amounts. Additionally, during the third quarter of 2024, the Company completed a thorough review of its third-party billing data, including reviewing historical reports and new reporting methods as a part of its updated analysis. Based upon this review, it was determined that a 24-month lookback period should be used in the analysis of the Company’s historical settlement realization rates. As a result of the new efforts to accelerate cash settlement during the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company realized a 44% average settlement rate of its gross billed charges during this time frame, which were historically recorded in accounts receivable and revenue at 49% of gross billings. Accordingly, the Company recorded reductions to net revenue of $1,005,764 for the year ended December 31, 2024. Additionally, with the reduction in the Company’s estimate of its settlement realization rate from 49% to 44%, a $1,650,474 change in accounting estimate was taken during the third quarter of 2024 in the Company’s accounts receivable and revenue. The Company will continue to evaluate its estimate of its settlement realization rates in the future, which will include a monthly review of the Company’s trailing 24-month historical settlement realization rate, along with estimates of current and pending settlements through ongoing discussions with attorneys, doctors and the Company’s third-party medical billing company in order to determine its variable consideration under ASC 606 and the net transaction price. The Company will update its settlement realization rate estimate used in determining its accounts receivable and revenue each quarter based on this review.
Contract Fees (Non-PIP)
The Company has contract fees for amounts earned
from its Non PIP related procedures, typically car accidents, and are settled on a contingency basis. Prior to April 2023, these cases
were sold to a factor who bears the risk of economic benefit or loss. Generally, the sale of these cases to a third-party factor resulted
in an approximate 54% reduction from the accounts receivables amounts. After selling patient cases to the factor, any additional funds
settled by the Company were remitted to the factor. The Company evaluated the factored adjustments considering the actual factored amounts
per patient on a quarterly interval, and the reductions from accounts receivable that were factored were recorded in finance charges as
other expenses on the consolidated statement of operations. As a result of the Company’s eighteen to twenty-four month settlement
realization timeframe, the Company has an accrued liability resulting from the settlement of receivables sold to the third-party factors
which fluctuates as settlements are made and remitted to those third-party factors. These accounts receivables sold to these third-party
factors are not included in the Company’s financial statements accounts receivable balance once sold and therefore are not part
of the assessment of the net realizable value of accounts receivable. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company factored a total
of $
Advertising Costs
Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Advertising
costs are included as a component of cost of sales in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company recognized advertising and
marketing expense of $
| F-14 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Fair Value Measurements
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value in the consolidated balance sheets are categorized based upon the level of judgment associated with the inputs used to measure their fair value. The fair value hierarchy distinguishes between (1) market participant assumptions developed based on market data obtained from independent sources (observable inputs), and (2) an entity’s own assumptions about market participant assumptions developed based on the best information available in the circumstances (unobservable inputs). The fair value hierarchy consists of three broad levels, which gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:
| Level 1 | Inputs are unadjusted, quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets at the measurement date. | |
| Level 2 | Inputs, other than quoted prices included in Level 1, which are observable for the asset or liability through corroboration with market data at the measurement date. | |
| Level 3 | Unobservable inputs that reflect management’s best estimate of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability at the measurement date. |
Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity
The Company accounts for its series N senior convertible preferred stock, series R convertible preferred stock, and series X senior convertible preferred stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with ASC 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity”. Conditionally redeemable preferred shares are classified as temporary equity within the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.
The Company accounts for its stock-based compensation in which the Company obtains employee services in share-based payment transactions under the recognition and measurement principles of the fair value recognition provisions of section 718-10-30 of the FASB ASC. Pursuant to paragraph 718-10-30-6 of the FASB ASC, all transactions in which goods or services are the consideration received for the issuance of equity instruments are accounted for based on the fair value of the consideration received or the fair value of the equity instrument issued, whichever is more reliably measurable.
The measurement date used to determine the fair value of the equity instrument issued is the earlier of the date on which the performance is complete or the date on which it is probable that performance will occur.
Generally, all forms of share-based payments, including stock option grants, warrants and restricted stock grants and stock appreciation rights are measured at their fair value on the awards’ grant date, based on estimated number of awards that are ultimately expected to vest.
The expense resulting from share-based payments is recorded in general and administrative expense in the consolidated statements of operations.
Income Taxes
Income taxes are determined in accordance with ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes”. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted income tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. Any effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
| F-15 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
ASC 740 prescribes a comprehensive model for how companies should recognize, measure, present, and disclose in their financial statements uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return. Under ASC 740, tax positions must initially be recognized in the financial statements when it is more likely than not the position will be sustained upon examination by the tax authorities. Such tax positions must initially and subsequently be measured as the largest amount of tax benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the tax authority assuming full knowledge of the position and relevant facts.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023,
the Company did
FASB ASC Subtopic 260, Earnings Per Share, provides for the calculation of “Basic” and “Diluted” earnings per share. Basic earnings per common share is computed by dividing income available to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per common share is computed by dividing income available to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period increased to include the number of additional shares of common stock that would have been outstanding if the potentially dilutive securities had been issued. Income available to common stockholders consists of net (loss) income less any preferred stock dividends. Potentially dilutive securities include outstanding stock options, warrants, and debts convertible into common stock. The dilutive effect of stock options and warrants are reflected in diluted earnings per common share by application of the treasury stock method. Under the treasury stock method, an increase in the fair market value of the Company’s common stock can result in a greater dilutive effect from potentially dilutive securities. The diluted effect of debt convertibles is reflected utilizing the if converted method.
Going Concern
The accompanying consolidated financial statements
have been prepared using the going concern basis of accounting, which contemplates continuity of operations, realization of assets and
liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. The Company had previously sustained operating losses since its inception,
has an accumulated deficit of $
The ability of the Company to continue as a going concern and the appropriateness of using the going concern basis is dependent upon, among other things, additional cash infusions. Management has prospective investors and believes the raising of capital will allow the Company to fund its cash flow shortfalls and pursue new acquisitions. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain sufficient capital from debt or equity transactions or from operations in the necessary time frame or on terms acceptable to it. Should the Company be unable to raise sufficient funds, it may be required to curtail its operating plans. In addition, increases in expenses may require cost reductions. No assurance can be given that the Company will be able to operate profitably on a consistent basis, or at all, in the future. Should the Company not be able to raise sufficient funds, it may cause cessation of operations.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards
The FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2023-07, “Segment Reporting: Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures” (“Topic 280”) in November 2023. The amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. Topic 280 improves “reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses.” In addition, the amendments enhance interim disclosure requirements, clarify circumstances in which an entity can disclose multiple segment measures of profit or loss, provide new segment disclosure requirements for entities with a single reportable segment, and contain other disclosure requirements. The purpose of the amendments is to enable “investors to better understand an entity’s overall performance” and assess “potential future cash flows.” There were no material impacts on the consolidated financial statements at adoption.
| F-16 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
The FASB issued ASU 2020-06, “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 81540).” The ASU simplifies the accounting for certain financial instruments with characteristics of liabilities and equity. The amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within that period. The FASB also specified that an entity must adopt the guidance as of the beginning of its annual fiscal year and is not permitted to adopt the guidance in an interim period, other than the first interim period of their fiscal year. ASU 2020-06 reduces the number of accounting models for convertible debt and convertible preferred stock instruments and makes certain disclosure amendments to improve the information provided to users. There was no impact to the consolidated financial statements at adoption.
| 2. | REVISED AND RESTATED PAST FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
During the preparation of the financial statements
for the three months ended March 31, 2024, the Company identified and revised its classification for all its outstanding common stock
amount per par value of $
The following tables summarize the impact of the corrections on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023:
Consolidated balance sheet
| Schedule of consolidated balance sheet | ||||||||||||
| Impact of revision | ||||||||||||
| December 31, 2023 | As previously reported | Adjustments | As restated | |||||||||
| Preferred stock | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Common stock | ( | ) | ||||||||||
| Additional paid-in-capital | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||
| Total stockholders' equity | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
During a review of the year ended December 31, 2023 financial statements, the Company identified and corrected its classification of bad debt expense in its consolidated statements of cash flows. Bad debt expense was previously included as part of the change in accounts receivable in the consolidated statements of cash flows. Bad debt expense is now disclosed as a separate line on the consolidated statements of cash flows.
| 3. | ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED EXPENSES |
| Schedule of accounts payable and accrued expenses | ||||||||
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accrued credit cards | ||||||||
| Accrued liability for settlement of previously factored receivables | ||||||||
| Accrued income and property taxes | ||||||||
| Accrued professional fees | ||||||||
| Accrued board fees | ||||||||
| Accrued expense - dividend payable | ||||||||
| Accrued public company fees | ||||||||
| Accrued payroll and bonuses | ||||||||
| Accrue expense - other | ||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | ||||||
At December 31, 2023, the Company was delinquent
in paying $
| F-17 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
| 4. | PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET |
Property and equipment as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 is as follows:
| Schedule of property and equipment | ||||||||
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Medical equipment | $ | $ | ||||||
| Computer equipment | ||||||||
| Furniture, fixtures and equipment | ||||||||
| Leasehold improvement | ||||||||
| Total | ||||||||
| Less: accumulated depreciation | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Property and equipment, net | $ | $ | ||||||
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023,
depreciation expense was $
| 5. | LAND |
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company
had 27 acres of land of approximately $
| 6. | RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS |
In connection with the acquisition of Edge View
on July 16, 2014, the Company assumed amounts due to previous owners who are current managers of Edge View. These amounts are due on demand
and do not bear interest. The balance of these amounts are $
The Company obtained short-term advances from
the Chairman of the Board that are non-interest bearing and due on demand. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company owed the Chairman
$
See also Note 8. Convertible Notes Payable and the disclosure regarding Note 41.
See also Note 13. Commitments and Contingencies for compensation paid to employees of the Company.
| 7. | NOTES AND LOANS PAYABLE |
Notes payable at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, are summarized as follows:
| Schedule of notes payable | ||||||||
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Notes and loans payable | $ | $ | ||||||
| Less current portion | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Long-term portion | $ | $ | ||||||
| F-18 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Long-term debt matures as follows:
| Schedule of maturities of long-term debt | ||||
| Amount | ||||
| 2025 | $ | |||
| 2026 | ||||
| 2027 | ||||
| 2028 | ||||
| 2029 | ||||
| Thereafter | ||||
| Total | $ | |||
Promissory Note – Settlement Agreement
On June 11, 2024, the Company entered into a settlement
agreement and release of claims with the holder of shares of series R convertible preferred stock and certain convertible promissory
notes (see Notes 29-2, 37-1, 37-2, and 37-3 referenced in Note 8. Convertible Notes Payable). Pursuant to the settlement agreement
and release of claims, the holder agreed to cancel its shares of series R convertible preferred stock and convertible promissory notes
in exchange for a new fixed amount settlement promissory note in the principal amount of $
The note does not bear interest and requires
fixed payments as follows:
Loans and Notes Payable – Unrelated Party
On March 12, 2009, the Company issued a debenture
in the principal amount of $20,000. The debenture bore interest at 12% per year and matured on September 12, 2009. The balance of the
debenture was $
| F-19 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Small Business Administration (“SBA”) Loans
On June 2, 2020, the Company obtained an SBA loan
in the principal amount of $
Line of Credit
On September 29, 2023, the Company and Nova entered
into a two-year revolving purchase and security agreement with DML HC Series, LLC (“DML”) to sell, with recourse, Nova’s
accounts receivables for a revolving financing up to a maximum advance amount of $
| 8. | CONVERTIBLE NOTES PAYABLE |
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company
had convertible debt outstanding net of amortized debt discount of $
During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company
converted $
| F-20 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Convertible notes as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 are summarized as follows:
| Schedule of convertible notes | ||||||||
| December 31, | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Convertible notes payable | $ | $ | ||||||
| Discounts on convertible notes payable | ( | ) | ||||||
| Total convertible debt less debt discount | ||||||||
| Current portion | ||||||||
| Long-term portion | $ | $ | ||||||
The following is a schedule of convertible notes payable as of and for the year ended December 31, 2024.
| Schedule of convertible notes payable | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Note # | Issuance | Maturity | Principal Balance 12/31/23 | Settlements and/or Principal Conversions | New Loans or (Cash Paydown) | Shares Issued Upon Conversion or Exchange | Principal Balance 12/31/24 | Accrued Interest on Convertible Debt at 12/31/23 | Interest On Convertible Debt For the Period Ended 12/31/24 | Accrued Interest on Convertible Debt at 12/31/24 | Unamortized Debt Discount At 12/31/24 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10-1 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10-2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10-3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29-2 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31 | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 37-1 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 37-2 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 37-3 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40-1 | ( | ) | (1) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40-2 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40-3 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40-4 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40-5 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40-6 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40-7 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40-8 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40-9 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40-10 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 41 | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (1) |
| F-21 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Note 9
On September 12, 2016, the Company issued a convertible
promissory note in the principal of $80,000 for services rendered, which matured on September 12, 2017. Note 9 was in default and accrued
at a default interest rate of 20% per annum. In May of 2024, the $
Note 10, 10-1, 10-2 and 10-3
On January 24, 2017, the Company issued a convertible
promissory note in the principal amount of $80,000 for services rendered, which matured on January 24, 2018. Note 10 is currently in default
and accrues interest at a default interest rate of 20% per annum. On February 10, 2023, the Company executed a second tranche under this
note in the principal amount of $50,000 (Note 10-1). On March 30, 2023, the Company executed a third tranche under this note in the principal
amount of $25,000 (Note 10-2). On August 11, 2023, the Company executed a fourth tranche under this note in the principal amount of $25,000
(Note 10-3). In May of 2024, the $
Notes 29-2, 37-1, 37-2 and 37-3
On May 10, 2019, the Company issued a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $150,000. On November 8, 2019, this note (Note 29) was purchased by and assigned to an unrelated party. The amount assigned was the existing principal amount of $150,000 and accrued interest of $5,918, which was issued as Note 29-1, plus a new convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $62,367, which was issued as Note 29-2.
On September 3, 2020, the Company issued a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $200,000, with an original issue discount of $50,000, which could be drawn in several tranches. On September 3, 2020, the Company executed the first tranche in the principal amount of $67,000, less an original issue discount of $17,000, which matured on June 30, 2021 (Note 37-1). On November 2, 2020, the Company executed the second tranche in the principal amount of $66,500, less an original issue discount of $16,500, which matured on August 31, 2021 (Note 37-2). On December 29, 2020, the Company executed the third tranche in the principal amount of $66,500, less an original issue discount of $16,500, which matured on September 30, 2021 (Note 37-3).
On June 11, 2024, the Company entered into a settlement
agreement and release of claims with the holder of Notes 29-2, 37-1, 37-2 and 37-3 (see Note 7. Notes and Loans Payable for further
details). Pursuant to the settlement agreement and release of claims, the holder agreed to cancel these notes, along with the cancellation
of their holding in the series R preferred stock, in exchange for a new fixed amount settlement promissory note in the principal amount
of $
Notes 40-1, 40-2, 40-3, 40-4, 40-5, 40-6, 40-7, 40-8, 40-9 and 40-10
On September 22, 2022, the Company issued a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $2,600,000 in exchange for total of $4,791,099 of defaulted promissory notes balances (Note 40-1). On November 4, 2022, the Company executed a second tranche under this note in the principal amount of $68,667, less an original issue discount and fee of $18,667 (Note 40-2). On November 28, 2022, the Company executed the third tranche under this note in the principal amount of $68,667, less an original issue discount and fee of $18,667 (Note 40-3). On December 21, 2022, the Company executed a fourth tranche under this note in the principal amount of $68,667, less an original issue discount and fee of $18,667 (Note 40-4). On January 24, 2023, the Company executed a fifth tranche under this note in the principal amount of $90,166, less an original issue discount and fee of $25,166 (Note 40-5). On March 21, 2023, the Company executed a sixth tranche under this note in the principal amount of $136,666, less an original issue discount and fee of $39,166 (Note 40-6). On June 5, 2023, the Company executed a seventh tranche under this note in the principal amount of $136,667, less original issue discount and fee of $39,167 (Note 40-7). On June 13, 2023, the Company executed an eighth tranche under this note in the principal amount of $21,167, less original issue discount and fee of $5,167 (Note 40-8). On July 19, 2023, the Company executed a ninth tranche under this note in the principal amount of $35,500, less an original issue discount and fee of $8,875 (Note 40-9). On July 24, 2023, the Company executed a tenth tranche under this note in the principal amount of $14,000, less an original issue discount and fee of $3,500 (Note 40-10). On December 1, 2023, the Company executed amendment on Notes series 40 consolidated senior secured convertible promissory note to extend the expired tranche note 40-1 through 40-5’ due date to September 20, 2024. All of the Note 40 tranches mature in one year from the note issuance date and accrue interest at a rate of 10% per annum.
| F-22 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
On April 11, 2024, the Company issued shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock in exchange for the settlement of the principal and interest in full on Notes 40-1, 40-2, 40-3, 40-4, 40-5, 4-6, 40-7, 40-8, 40-9 and 40-10. See also Note 9. Capital Stock.
Note 41
On August 25, 2023, the Company issued a twelve-month
convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $5,000 to the Company’s CEO for the Company’s operating expenses. The
rate of interest was 10% per annum. In August of 2024, the remaining outstanding principal and interest of $
| 9. | CAPITAL STOCK |
On May 8, 2024, the Company amended its Articles
of Incorporation to increase its authorized stock. The total amended authorized shares are
Preferred Stock
The Company has designated multiple series of preferred stock, including shares of series A preferred stock, shares of series B preferred stock, shares of series C preferred stock, shares of series E preferred stock, shares of series F-1 preferred stock, shares of series I preferred stock, shares of series J preferred stock, shares of series L preferred stock, shares of series N senior convertible preferred stock, shares of series R convertible preferred stock, shares of series X senior convertible preferred stock and shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock.
The following is a description of the rights and preferences of each series of preferred stock.
Redeemable Preferred Stock
The Company recognizes the series N senior convertible preferred stock, series R convertible preferred stock and series X senior convertible preferred stock as mezzanine equity in accordance with ASC 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity”.
Series N Senior Convertible Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series N senior convertible preferred stock ranks, with respect to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock and each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series N senior convertible preferred stock; (ii) on parity with each class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series N senior convertible preferred stock; and (iii) junior to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against the Company and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series N senior convertible preferred stock.
Dividend Rights. Holders of series N senior
convertible preferred stock are entitled to dividends at a rate per annum of 12.0% of the stated value ($4.00 per share); provided that
upon an event of default (as defined in the certificate of designation for the series N senior convertible preferred stock), such rate
would increase by 8% per annum. Dividends accrued from day to day, whether or not declared, and are cumulative. Dividends are payable
quarterly in arrears on each dividend payment date in cash or common stock at the Company’s discretion. Dividends payable in common
stock are to be calculated based on a price equal to eighty percent (80%) of the volume weighted average price for the common stock on
the Company’s principal trading market (the “VWAP”) during the five (5) trading days immediately prior to the applicable
dividend payment date. At December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, cumulative dividends earned on the series N senior convertible preferred
stock were $
| F-23 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Liquidation Rights. Subject to the rights of creditors and the holders of any senior securities or parity securities (in each case, as defined in the certificate of designation), upon any liquidation of the Company or its subsidiaries, before any payment or distribution of the assets of the Company (whether capital or surplus) are to be made to or set apart for the holders of junior securities (as defined in the certificate of designation), including the common stock, each holder of outstanding series N senior convertible preferred stock is entitled to receive an amount of cash equal to 115% of the stated value of $4.00 per share, plus an amount of cash equal to all accumulated accrued and unpaid dividends thereon (whether or not declared) to, but not including the date of final distribution to such holders.
Voting Rights. Holders of series N senior convertible preferred stock do not have any voting rights; provided that, so long as any shares of series N senior convertible preferred stock are outstanding, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the series N senior convertible preferred stock, which majority must include SILAC Insurance Company so long as it holds any shares of series N senior convertible preferred stock, voting as a separate class, is necessary for approving, effecting or validating any amendment, alteration or repeal of any of the provisions of the certificate of designation or prior to the Company’s (or Nova’s) creation or issuance of any parity securities or new indebtedness (as defined in the certificate of designation); provided that the foregoing does not apply to any financing transaction the use of proceeds of which would be used to redeem the series N senior convertible preferred stock and the warrants issued in connection therewith. In addition, the affirmative vote of holders of 66% of the series N senior convertible preferred stock, voting as a separate class, is required prior to the Company’s (or Nova’s) creation or issuance of any senior securities.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series N senior convertible preferred stock, plus all accrued and unpaid dividends thereon, are convertible, at the option of the holder thereof, at any time and from time to time, into such number of fully paid and nonassessable shares of common stock determined by dividing the stated value ($4.00 per share), plus the value of the accrued, but unpaid, dividends thereon, by a conversion price of $900 per share (subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock splits, stock combinations, stock reclassifications, dividends paid in common stock, sales of substantially all assets, mergers, consolidations or similar transactions); provided that in no event shall the holder of any series N senior convertible preferred stock be entitled to convert any number of shares that upon conversion the sum of (i) the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by the holder and its affiliates and (ii) the number of shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of the series N senior convertible preferred stock with respect to which the determination of this proviso is being made, would result in beneficial ownership by the holder and its affiliates of more than 4.99% of the then outstanding common stock. This limitation can be waived (up to a maximum of 9.99%) by the holder and in its sole discretion, upon not less than sixty-one (61) days’ prior notice to the Company.
Redemption Rights. The Company may redeem the series N senior convertible preferred stock at any time by paying in cash therefore a sum equal to 115% of the stated value of $4.00 per share, plus the amount of accrued and unpaid dividends and any other amounts due pursuant to the terms of the certificate of designation. In addition, any holder may require the Company to redeem some or all of its shares of series N senior convertible preferred stock on the same terms after a period of twelve months from the date of issuance; provided, however, that such redemption right shall only be exercisable if the Company raises at least $5,000,000 or the common stock is trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market or the New York Stock Exchange.
Series R Convertible Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series R convertible preferred stock ranked, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock, series A preferred stock, series B preferred stock, series C preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series F-1 preferred stock, series I preferred stock, series J preferred stock, series L preferred stock and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series R convertible preferred stock; (ii) on parity with each class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series R convertible preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series N senior convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock and to each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series R convertible preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against the Company.
| F-24 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Dividend Rights. The holders of series
R convertible preferred stock were entitled to receive cumulative dividends in the amount of twelve percent (12%) per annum, payable quarterly.
In addition, holders of series R convertible preferred stock were entitled to receive dividends equal (on an as converted to common stock
basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares
of common stock. Any dividends that were not paid when due were to continue to accrue and entailed a late fee, which must be paid in cash,
at the rate of 18% per annum or the lesser rate permitted by applicable law which was to accrue and compound daily from the missed payment
date through and including the date of actual payment in full. At December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, cumulative dividends on Series
R Preferred Stock were $
Liquidation Rights. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of series R convertible preferred stock were entitled to receive out of the assets, whether capital or surplus, of the Company an amount equal to the stated value ($1,200), plus any accrued and unpaid dividends thereon and any other fees or liquidated damages then due and owing, for each share of series R convertible preferred stock before any distribution or payment shall be made to the holders of any junior securities.
Voting Rights. The holders of series R convertible preferred stock voted together with the common stock on an as-converted basis. However, as long as any shares of series R convertible preferred stock were outstanding, the Company shall not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the then outstanding shares of the series R convertible preferred stock, directly and/or indirectly (i) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the series R convertible preferred stock or alter or amend the certificate of designation, (ii) authorize or create any class of stock ranking as to redemption or distribution of assets upon a liquidation senior to, or otherwise pari passu with, the series R convertible preferred stock, or authorize or create any class of stock ranking as to dividends senior to, or otherwise pari passu with, the series R convertible preferred stock, (iii) amend its articles of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the holders of the series R convertible preferred stock, (iv) increase the number of authorized shares of series R convertible preferred stock, or (v) enter into any agreement with respect to any of the foregoing.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series R convertible preferred stock was convertible, at the option of the holder thereof, at any time and from time to time, into such number of fully paid and nonassessable shares of common stock determined by dividing the stated value ($1,200 per share) by a conversion price equal to the lower of (i) $75.0 and (ii) the lowest daily VWAP during the twenty (20) trading days immediately prior to the applicable conversion date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not effect any conversion of the series R convertible preferred stock, and a holder shall not have the right to convert any portion of the series R convertible preferred stock, to the extent that, after giving effect to the conversion, such holder (together with such holder’s affiliates, and any persons acting as a group together with such holder or any of such holder’s affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% of the then outstanding common stock. The conversion price was subject to adjustment for any stock dividend, stock split, stock combination, reclassification or similar transaction that proportionately decreases or increases the common stock, as well as for mergers, business combinations and certain other fundamental transactions. In addition, subject to certain exceptions, upon any issuance by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of common stock or common stock equivalents for cash consideration, indebtedness or a combination of units thereof (a “Subsequent Financing”), the holder could have elected, in its sole discretion, to exchange (in lieu of conversion), if applicable, all or some of the shares of series R convertible preferred stock then held for any securities or units issued in a Subsequent Financing on a $1.00 for $1.00 basis.
Participation Rights. Subject to certain exceptions, upon a Subsequent Financing, a holder of at least 100 shares of series R convertible preferred stock were to have the right to participate in up to an amount of the Subsequent Financing equal to 100% of the Subsequent Financing on the same terms, conditions and price provided for in the Subsequent Financing.
Company Redemption Rights. The Company had the right to redeem all (but not less than all), shares of the series R convertible preferred stock issued and outstanding at any time upon three (3) business days’ notice, at a redemption price per share equal to the product of (i) the Premium Rate multiplied by (ii) the sum of (x) the stated value ($1,200), (y) all accrued but unpaid dividends, and (z) all other amounts due to the holder. “Premium Rate” means (a) 1.1 if all of the series R convertible preferred stock is redeemed within ninety (90) calendar days from the issuance date thereof; (b) 1.2 if all of the series R convertible preferred stock is redeemed after ninety (90) calendar days and within one hundred twenty (120) calendar days from the issuance date thereof; (c) 1.3 if all of the series R convertible preferred stock is redeemed after one hundred twenty (120) calendar days and within one hundred eighty (180) calendar days from the issuance date thereof; and (iv) 1.0 if all of the series R convertible preferred stock is redeemed after one hundred eighty (180) calendar days.
| F-25 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Redemption Upon Triggering Events. Upon the occurrence of a Triggering Event (as defined below), each holder of series R convertible preferred stock had (in addition to all other rights it may have) the right, exercisable at the sole option of such holder, to require the Company to (A) redeem all of the series R convertible preferred stock then held by such holder for a redemption price, in cash, equal to the Triggering Redemption Amount (as defined below), or (B) at the option of each holder either (i) redeem all of the series R convertible preferred stock then held by such holder though the issuance to such holder of such number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient of (x) the Triggering Redemption Amount, divided by (y) the lowest of (1) the conversion price, and (2) 75% of the average of the 10 VWAPs immediately prior to the date of election, or (ii) increase the dividend rate on all of the outstanding series R convertible preferred stock held by such holder retroactively to the initial issuance date to 18% per annum thereafter. “Triggering Redemption Amount” means, for each share of series R convertible preferred stock, the sum of (a) the greater of (i) 130% of the stated value and (ii) the product of (y) the VWAP on the trading day immediately preceding the date of the Triggering Event, multiplied by (z) the stated value divided by the then applicable conversion price, (b) all accrued but unpaid dividends thereon and (c) all liquidated damages, late fees and other costs, expenses or amounts due in respect of the series R convertible preferred stock including, but not limited to legal fees and expenses of legal counsel to the holder in connection with, related to and/or arising out of a Triggering Event. A “Triggering Event” means any of the following events (whatever the reason for such event and whether such event shall be voluntary or involuntary or effected by operation of law or pursuant to any judgment, decree or order of any court, or any order, rule or regulation of any administrative or governmental body):
| · | the Company shall fail to deliver the shares of common stock issuable upon a conversion prior to the fifth (5th) trading day after such shares are required to be delivered, or the Company shall provide written notice to any holder, including by way of public announcement, at any time, of its intention not to comply with requests for conversion of any shares of series R convertible preferred stock in accordance with the terms of the certificate of designation; | |
| · | the Company shall fail for any reason to pay in full the amount of cash due pursuant to a Buy-In (as defined in the certificate of designation) within five (5) trading days after notice therefor is delivered; | |
| · | the Company shall fail to have available a sufficient number of authorized and unreserved shares of common stock to issue to such holder upon a conversion; | |
| · | unless specifically addressed elsewhere in the certificate of designation as a Triggering Event, the Company shall fail to observe or perform any other covenant, agreement or warranty contained in, or otherwise commit any breach of the Transaction Documents (as defined in the certificate of designation), and such failure or breach shall not, if subject to the possibility of a cure by the Company, have been cured within five (5) calendar days after the date on which written notice of such failure or breach shall have been delivered; | |
| · | the Company shall redeem junior securities or pari passu securities; | |
| · | the Company shall be party to a Change of Control Transaction (as defined in the certificate of designation); | |
| · | there shall have occurred a Bankruptcy Event (as defined in the certificate of designation); |
| · | any monetary judgment, writ or similar final process shall be entered or filed against the Company, any subsidiary or any of their respective property or other assets for more than $50,000 (provided that amounts covered by the Company’s insurance policies are not counted toward this $50,000 threshold), and such judgment, writ or similar final process shall remain unvacated, unbonded or unstayed for a period of thirty (30) trading days; | |
| · | the electronic transfer by the Company of shares of common stock through the Depository Trust Company or another established clearing corporation once established subsequent to the date of the certificate of designation is no longer available or is subject to a ‘freeze” and/or “chill;” or | |
| · | any “Event of Default,” as defined in the Purchase Agreement (as defined in the certificate of designation). |
| F-26 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Series X Senior Convertible Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series X senior convertible preferred stock ranks, with respect to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock and each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series X senior convertible preferred stock; (ii) on parity with each class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series X senior convertible preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series N senior convertible preferred stock, all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against the Company and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series X senior convertible preferred stock.
Dividend Rights. Holders of series X senior
convertible preferred stock are entitled to dividends at a rate per annum of 10.0% of the stated value ($4.00 per share); provided that
upon an event of default (as defined in the certificate of designation for the series X senior convertible preferred stock), such rate
was to increase by 5% per annum. Dividends accrue from day to day, whether or not declared, and are cumulative. Dividends are payable
quarterly in arrears on each dividend payment date. At December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, cumulative dividends earned on the series
X senior convertible preferred stock were $
Liquidation Rights. Subject to the rights of creditors and the holders of any senior securities, including the series N senior convertible preferred stock, or parity securities (in each case, as defined in the certificate of designation), upon any liquidation of the Company or its subsidiaries, before any payment or distribution of the assets of the Company (whether capital or surplus) are to be made to or set apart for the holders of junior securities (as defined in the certificate of designation), including the common stock, each holder of outstanding series N senior convertible preferred stock is entitled to receive an amount of cash equal to 100% of the stated value of $4.00 per share, plus an amount of cash equal to all accumulated accrued and unpaid dividends thereon (whether or not declared) to, but not including the date of final distribution to such holders.
Voting Rights. Holders of series X senior convertible preferred stock do not have any voting rights; provided that, so long as any shares of series X senior convertible preferred stock are outstanding, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the series X senior convertible preferred stock, which majority must include Leonite Capital LLC so long as it holds any shares of series X senior convertible preferred stock, voting as a separate class, is necessary for approving, effecting or validating any amendment, alteration or repeal of any of the provisions of the certificate of designation or prior to the creation or issuance of any parity securities or new indebtedness (as defined in the certificate of designation); provided that the foregoing does not apply to any financing transaction the use of proceeds of which were to be used to redeem the series X senior convertible preferred stock and the warrants issued in connection therewith. In addition, the affirmative vote of holders of 66% of the series X senior convertible preferred stock, voting as a separate class, is required prior to the creation or issuance of any senior securities.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series X senior convertible preferred stock, plus all accrued and unpaid dividends thereon, are convertible, at the option of the holder thereof, at any time and from time to time, into such number of fully paid and nonassessable shares of common stock determined by dividing the stated value ($4.00 per share), plus the value of the accrued, but unpaid, dividends thereon, by a conversion price equal to the lower of (i) the lowest VWAP during the five (5) trading days immediately prior to the applicable conversion date and (ii) the price per share paid in any subsequent financing (the “Fixed Price”). The Fixed Price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock splits, stock combinations, stock reclassifications, dividends paid in common stock, sales of substantially all assets, mergers, consolidations or similar transactions, as well as a price based antidilution adjustment, pursuant to which, subject to certain exceptions, if the Company issues common stock at a price lower than the Fixed Price, the Fixed Price shall decrease to such lower price. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the holder of any series X senior convertible preferred stock be entitled to convert any number of shares that upon conversion the sum of (i) the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by the holder and its affiliates and (ii) the number of shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of the series X senior convertible preferred stock with respect to which the determination of this proviso is being made, would result in beneficial ownership by the holder and its affiliates of more than 4.99% of the then outstanding common stock. This limitation may be waived (up to a maximum of 9.99%) by the holder and in its sole discretion, upon not less than sixty-one (61) days’ prior notice to the Company.
| F-27 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Redemption Rights. Commencing on September 22, 2023, any holder may require the Company to redeem its shares by the payment in cash therefore of a sum equal to 100% of the stated value of $4.00 per share, plus the amount of accrued and unpaid dividends and any other amounts due pursuant to the terms of the certificate of designation; provided however, that in the event that the Company completes a public offering prior to the redemption date, then any holder may only cause the Company to redeem any outstanding series X senior convertible preferred stock by paying such redemption price in twelve (12) equal monthly installments with the first such payment due on the date that is six (6) months following the date that the Company completes such public offering.
Non-redeemable Preferred Stock
Series A Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series A preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock and each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series A preferred stock; (ii) on parity with each class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series A preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series B preferred stock, series C preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series F-1 preferred stock, series I preferred stock, series J preferred stock, series L preferred stock, series N senior convertible preferred stock, series R convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock and each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series A preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against the Company.
Dividend Rights. The series A preferred stock is not entitled to participate in any distributions or payments to the holders of common stock or any other class of stock and shall have no economic interest in the Company.
Liquidation Rights. In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, either voluntarily or involuntarily, a merger or consolidation of our company wherein the Company is not the surviving entity, or a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, the holders of each share of series A preferred stock shall be entitled to receive from any distribution of any of the assets or surplus funds of the Company, before and in preference of any holder of shares of common stock, an amount equal to the stated value of $250. Once the holders receive the foregoing from any such liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders shall not participate with the common stock or any other class of stock.
Voting Rights. Each share of series A preferred stock shall have a number of votes at any time equal to (i) 25% of the number of votes then held or entitled to be made by all other equity securities of the Company, including, without limitation, the common stock, plus (ii) one (1). The series A preferred stock shall vote on any matter submitted to the holders of the common stock, or any other class of voting securities, for a vote, and shall vote together with the common stock, or any class of voting securities, as applicable, on such matter for as long as the shares of series A preferred stock are issued and outstanding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the series A preferred stock shall not have the right to vote on any matter as to which solely another series of preferred stock is entitled to vote pursuant to the Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation or a certificate of designation of such other series of preferred stock.
Transfer. Upon transfer of any share of series A preferred stock, except for a transfer by the holder to an affiliate, whether such transfer is voluntary or involuntary, such share of series A preferred stock shall automatically, and without any action being required by the Company or the holder, be converted into one (1) share of common stock.
Other Rights. Holders of series A preferred stock do not have any conversion (except as set forth above) or redemption rights.
| F-28 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Series B Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series B preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock, series A preferred stock and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series B preferred stock; (ii) on parity with the series C preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series F-1 preferred stock, series J preferred stock, series L preferred stock and each other class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series B preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series I preferred stock, series N senior convertible preferred stock, series R convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock and to each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series B preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against the Company.
Dividend Rights. The holders of series B preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends equal (on an as converted to common stock basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of common stock. No other dividends shall be paid on shares of series B preferred stock.
Liquidation Rights. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of series B preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Company the same amount that a holder of common stock would receive if the shares of series B preferred stock were fully converted to common stock immediately prior to such liquidation, which amount shall be paid to the holders of series B preferred stock pari passu with all holders of parity securities and in preference to the holders of junior securities.
Voting Rights. On any matter presented to stockholders for their action or consideration, each holder of series B preferred stock shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote per share of series B preferred stock held. Except as provided by law, the holders of series B preferred stock shall vote together with the holders of shares of common stock as a single class. However, as long as any shares of series B preferred stock are outstanding, the Company shall not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding series B preferred stock, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the series B preferred stock or alter or amend the certificate of designation for the series B preferred stock, or (b) amend the Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the holders of series B preferred stock.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series B preferred stock is convertible, at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of shares of common stock as is determined as follows: (i) if the closing market price of the common stock on the principal trading market on which the common stock is then traded or quoted is less than $4.00 per share, then each share of series B preferred stock shall be convertible into a number of shares of common stock equal to two (2) times the stated value ($4.00 per share), divided by such closing market price on the date of conversion; or (ii) if such closing market price is equal to or greater than $4.00 per share, then each share of series B preferred stock shall be convertible into two (2) shares of common stock. In addition, upon the earlier to occur of: (a) the closing of the sale of shares of common stock to the public at a price of at least $3.00 per share in a public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement or offering statement under the Securities Act resulting in at least $3,000,000 of gross proceeds to the Company, (b) the date on which the shares of common stock of the Company are listed on a national stock exchange, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE American or the Nasdaq Stock Market (any tier), or (c) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the holders of at least 67% of the then outstanding shares of series B preferred stock, voting together as a single class, each share of series B preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined in accordance with the provisions above. Such conversion price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock splits, stock combinations, stock dividends, stock reclassifications and similar events.
Redemption Rights. Holders of series B preferred stock do not have any redemption rights.
| F-29 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Series C Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series C preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock, series A preferred stock and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series C preferred stock; (ii) on parity with the series B preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series F-1 preferred stock, series J preferred stock, series L preferred stock and each other class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series C preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series I preferred stock, series N senior convertible preferred stock, series R convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock and to each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series C preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against the Company.
Dividend Rights. The holders of series C preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends equal (on an as converted to common stock basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of common stock. No other dividends shall be paid on shares of series C preferred stock.
Liquidation Rights. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of series C preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Company the same amount that a holder of common stock would receive if the shares of series C preferred stock were fully converted to common stock immediately prior to such liquidation, which amount shall be paid to the holders of series C preferred stock pari passu with all holders of parity securities and in preference to the holders of junior securities.
Voting Rights. On any matter presented to stockholders for their action or consideration, each holder of series C preferred stock shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote per share of series C preferred stock held. Except as provided by law, the holders of series C preferred stock shall vote together with the holders of shares of common stock as a single class. However, as long as any shares of series C preferred stock are outstanding, the Company shall not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding series C preferred stock, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the series C preferred stock or alter or amend the certificate of designation for the series C preferred stock, or (b) amend the Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the holders of series C preferred stock.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series C preferred stock is convertible, at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of shares of common stock as is determined by dividing the stated value ($4.00 per share) by a conversion price of $0.00004. In addition, on the date on which the shares of common stock are listed on a national stock exchange, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE American or the Nasdaq Stock Market (any tier) (a “Listing Event”), all outstanding shares of series C preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined by dividing $50,000 by the highest traded or closing price on such date, which such shares of common stock shall be issued pro rata among the holders of the outstanding series C preferred stock. Finally, upon the earlier to occur of: (a) the closing of the sale of shares of common stock to the public at a price of at least $3.00 per share (subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of any stock dividend, stock split, combination or other similar recapitalization with respect to the common stock) in a public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement or offering statement under the Securities Act resulting in at least $3,000,000 of gross proceeds to the Company or (b) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the holders of at least 67% of the then outstanding shares of series C preferred stock, voting together as a single class, each share of series C preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined by dividing the stated value ($4.00 per share) by a conversion price of $0.00004. Such conversion price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock splits, stock combinations, stock dividends, stock reclassifications and similar events.
Redemption Rights. If there is a Listing Event, the Company shall have the right (but not the obligation) to redeem shares of series C preferred stock at a price per share of $50,000.
| F-30 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Series E Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series E preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock, series A preferred stock and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series E preferred stock; (ii) on parity with the series B preferred stock, series C preferred stock, series F-1 preferred stock, series J preferred stock, series L preferred stock and each other class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series E preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series I preferred stock, series N senior convertible preferred stock, series R convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock and to each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series E preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against the Company.
Dividend Rights. The holders of series E preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends equal (on an as converted to common stock basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of common stock. No other dividends shall be paid on shares of series E preferred stock.
Liquidation Rights. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of series E preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Company the same amount that a holder of common stock would receive if the shares of series E preferred stock were fully converted to common stock immediately prior to such liquidation, which amount shall be paid to the holders of series E preferred stock pari passu with all holders of parity securities and in preference to the holders of junior securities.
Voting Rights. On any matter presented to stockholders for their action or consideration, each holder of series E preferred stock shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote per share of series E preferred stock held. Except as provided by law, the holders of series E preferred stock shall vote together with the holders of shares of common stock as a single class. However, as long as any shares of series E preferred stock are outstanding, the Company shall not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding series E preferred stock, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the series E preferred stock or alter or amend the certificate of designation for the series E preferred stock, or (b) amend the Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the holders of series E preferred stock.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series E preferred stock is convertible, at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of shares of common stock as is determined as follows: (i) if the closing market price of the common stock on the principal trading market on which the common stock is then traded or quoted is less than $4.00 per share, then each share of series E preferred stock shall be convertible into a number of shares of common stock equal to two (2) times the stated value ($4.00 per share), divided by such closing market price on the date of conversion; or (ii) if such closing market price is equal to or greater than $4.00 per share, then each share of series E preferred stock shall be convertible into two (2) shares of common stock. In addition, upon the earlier to occur of: (a) the closing of the sale of shares of common stock to the public at a price of at least $3.00 per share in a public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement or offering statement under the Securities Act resulting in at least $3,000,000 of gross proceeds to the Company, (b) the date on which the shares of common stock of the Company are listed on a national stock exchange, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE American or the Nasdaq Stock Market (any tier), or (c) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the holders of at least 67% of the then outstanding shares of series E preferred stock, voting together as a single class, each share of series E preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined in accordance with the provisions above. Such conversion price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock splits, stock combinations, stock dividends, stock reclassifications and similar events.
Series F-1 Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series F-1 preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock, series A preferred stock and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series F-1 preferred stock; (ii) on parity with the series B preferred stock, series C preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series J preferred stock, series L preferred stock and each other class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series F-1 preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series I preferred stock, series N senior convertible preferred stock, series R convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock and to each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series F-1 preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against the Company.
| F-31 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Dividend Rights. The holders of series F-1 preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends equal (on an as converted to common stock basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of common stock. No other dividends shall be paid on shares of series F-1 preferred stock.
Liquidation Rights. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of series F-1 preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Company the same amount that a holder of common stock would receive if the shares of series F-1 preferred stock were fully converted to common stock immediately prior to such liquidation, which amount shall be paid to the holders of series F-1 preferred stock pari passu with all holders of parity securities and in preference to the holders of junior securities.
Voting Rights. Except as provided by law, the holders of series F-1 preferred stock shall have no voting rights. However, as long as any shares of series F-1 preferred stock are outstanding, the Company shall not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding series F-1 preferred stock, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the series F-1 preferred stock or alter or amend the certificate of designation for the series F-1 preferred stock, or (b) amend the Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the holders of series F-1 preferred stock.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series F-1 preferred stock is convertible, at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of shares of common stock as is determined as follows: (i) if the closing market price of the common stock on the principal trading market on which the common stock is then traded or quoted is less than $4.00 per share, then each share of series F-1 preferred stock shall be convertible into a number of shares of common stock equal to two (2) times the stated value ($4.00 per share), divided by such closing market price on the date of conversion; or (ii) if such closing market price is equal to or greater than $4.00 per share, then each share of series F-1 preferred stock shall be convertible into two (2) shares of common stock. In addition, upon the earlier to occur of: (a) the closing of the sale of shares of common stock to the public at a price of at least $3.00 per share in a public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement or offering statement under the Securities Act resulting in at least $3,000,000 of gross proceeds to the Company, (b) the date on which the shares of common stock of the Company are listed on a national stock exchange, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE American or the Nasdaq Stock Market (any tier), or (c) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the holders of at least 67% of the then outstanding shares of series F-1 preferred stock, voting together as a single class, each share of series F-1 preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined in accordance with the provisions above. Such conversion price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock dividends, stock reclassifications and similar events (but not for reverse stock splits).
Redemption Rights. Holders of series F-1 preferred stock do not have any redemption rights.
Series I Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series I preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock, series A preferred stock, series B preferred stock, series C preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series F-1 preferred stock, series J preferred stock, series L preferred stock and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series I preferred stock; (ii) on parity with each class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series I preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series N senior convertible preferred stock, series R convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock and to each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series I preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against the Company.
Dividend Rights. The holders of series I preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends equal (on an as converted to common stock basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of common stock. No other dividends shall be paid on shares of series I preferred stock.
| F-32 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Liquidation Rights. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of series I preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Company the same amount that a holder of common stock would receive if the shares of series I preferred stock were fully converted to common stock immediately prior to such liquidation, which amount shall be paid to the holders of series I preferred stock pari passu with all holders of parity securities and in preference to the holders of junior securities.
Voting Rights. On any matter presented to stockholders for their action or consideration, each holder of series I preferred stock shall be entitled to cast five (5) votes per share of series I preferred stock held. Except as provided by law, the holders of series I preferred stock shall vote together with the holders of shares of common stock as a single class. However, as long as any shares of series I preferred stock are outstanding, the Company shall not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding series I preferred stock, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the series I preferred stock or alter or amend the certificate of designation for the series I preferred stock, or (b) amend the Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the holders of series I preferred stock.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series I preferred stock is convertible, at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of shares of common stock as is determined as follows: (i) if the closing market price of the common stock on the principal trading market on which the common stock is then traded or quoted is less than $4.00 per share, then each share of series I preferred stock shall be convertible into a number of shares of common stock equal to two (2) times the stated value ($4.00 per share), divided by such closing market price on the date of conversion; or (ii) if such closing market price is equal to or greater than $4.00 per share, then each share of series I preferred stock shall be convertible into two (2) shares of common stock. In addition, upon the earlier to occur of: (a) the closing of the sale of shares of common stock to the public at a price of at least $3.00 per share in a public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement or offering statement under the Securities Act resulting in at least $10,000,000 of gross proceeds to the Company, (b) the date on which the shares of common stock of the Company are listed on a national stock exchange, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE American or the Nasdaq Stock Market (any tier), or (c) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the holders of at least 67% of the then outstanding shares of series I preferred stock, voting together as a single class, each share of series I preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined in accordance with the provisions above. Such conversion price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock splits, stock combinations, stock dividends, stock reclassifications and similar events.
Redemption Rights. Holders of series I preferred stock do not have any redemption rights.
Series J Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series J preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock, series A preferred stock and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series J preferred stock; (ii) on parity with the series B preferred stock, series C preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series F-1 preferred stock, series L preferred stock and each other class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series J preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series I preferred stock, series N senior convertible preferred stock, series R convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock and to each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series J preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against the Company.
Dividend Rights. The holders of series J preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends equal (on an as converted to common stock basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of common stock. No other dividends shall be paid on shares of series J preferred stock.
Liquidation Rights. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of series J preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Company the same amount that a holder of common stock would receive if the shares of series J preferred stock were fully converted to common stock immediately prior to such liquidation, which amount shall be paid to the holders of series J preferred stock pari passu with all holders of parity securities and in preference to the holders of junior securities.
| F-33 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Voting Rights. On any matter presented to stockholders for their action or consideration, each holder of series J preferred stock shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote per share of series J preferred stock held. Except as provided by law, the holders of series J preferred stock shall vote together with the holders of shares of common stock as a single class. However, as long as any shares of series J preferred stock are outstanding, the Company shall not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding series J preferred stock, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the series J preferred stock or alter or amend the certificate of designation for the series J preferred stock, or (b) amend the Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the holders of series J preferred stock.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series J preferred stock is convertible, at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of shares of common stock as is determined as follows: (i) if the closing market price of the common stock on the principal trading market on which the common stock is then traded or quoted is less than $4.00 per share, then each share of series J preferred stock shall be convertible into a number of shares of common stock equal to two (2) times the stated value ($4.00 per share), divided by such closing market price on the date of conversion; or (ii) if such closing market price is equal to or greater than $4.00 per share, then each share of series J preferred stock shall be convertible into two (2) shares of common stock. In addition, upon the earlier to occur of: (a) the closing of the sale of shares of common stock to the public at a price of at least $3.00 per share in a public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement or offering statement under the Securities Act resulting in at least $3,000,000 of gross proceeds to the Company, (b) the date on which the shares of common stock of the Company are listed on a national stock exchange, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE American or the Nasdaq Stock Market (any tier), or (c) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the holders of at least 67% of the then outstanding shares of series J preferred stock, voting together as a single class, each share of series J preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined in accordance with the provisions above. Such conversion price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock dividends, stock reclassifications and similar events (but not for reverse stock splits).
Redemption Rights. Holders of series J preferred stock do not have any redemption rights.
Series L Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series L preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock, series A preferred stock and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series L preferred stock; (ii) on parity with the series B preferred stock, series C preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series F-1 preferred stock, series J preferred stock and each other class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series L preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series I preferred stock, series N senior convertible preferred stock, series R convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock and to each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series L preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against the Company.
Dividend Rights. The holders of series L preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends equal (on an as converted to common stock basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of common stock. No other dividends shall be paid on shares of series L preferred stock.
Liquidation Rights. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of series L preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of the assets of the Company the same amount that a holder of common stock would receive if the shares of series L preferred stock were fully converted to common stock immediately prior to such liquidation, which amount shall be paid to the holders of series L preferred stock pari passu with all holders of parity securities and in preference to the holders of junior securities.
| F-34 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Voting Rights. On any matter presented to stockholders for their action or consideration, each holder of series L preferred stock shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote per share of series L preferred stock held. Except as provided by law, the holders of series L preferred stock shall vote together with the holders of shares of common stock as a single class. However, as long as any shares of series L preferred stock are outstanding, the Company shall not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding series L preferred stock, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the series J preferred stock or alter or amend the certificate of designation for the series L preferred stock, or (b) amend the Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the holders of series L preferred stock.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series L preferred stock is convertible, at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of shares of common stock as is determined as follows: (i) if the closing market price of the common stock on the principal trading market on which the common stock is then traded or quoted is less than $4.00 per share, then each share of series L preferred stock shall be convertible into a number of shares of common stock equal to two (2) times the stated value ($4.00 per share), divided by such closing market price on the date of conversion; or (ii) if such closing market price is equal to or greater than $4.00 per share, then each share of series L preferred stock shall be convertible into two (2) shares of common stock. In addition, upon the earlier to occur of: (a) the closing of the sale of shares of common stock to the public at a price of at least $3.00 per share in a public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement or offering statement under the Securities Act resulting in at least $3,000,000 of gross proceeds to the Company, (b) the date on which the shares of common stock of the Company are listed on a national stock exchange, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE American or the Nasdaq Stock Market (any tier), or (c) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the holders of at least 67% of the then outstanding shares of series L preferred stock, voting together as a single class, each share of series L preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined in accordance with the provisions above. Such conversion price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock dividends, stock reclassifications and similar events (but not for reverse stock splits).
Redemption Rights. Holders of series L preferred stock do not have any redemption rights.
Series Y Senior Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series Y senior convertible preferred stock ranks, with respect to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock and each series of preferred stock, and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series Y senior convertible preferred stock; (ii) on parity with each class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series Y senior convertible preferred stock; and (iii) junior to each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series Y senior convertible preferred stock.
Dividend Rights. Holders of series Y senior
convertible preferred stock are entitled to dividends at a rate per annum of 10.0% of the stated value ($4.00 per share); provided that
upon an event of default (as defined in the certificate of designation for the series Y senior convertible preferred stock), such rate
shall increase by 5% per annum. Dividends shall accrue from day to day, whether or not declared, and shall be cumulative. Dividends shall
be payable quarterly in arrears on each dividend payment date and may be paid in cash or common stock at our discretion; provided that
the Company may only pay dividends in common stock if such common stock is free-trading, freely transferable, and does not contain a legend
(or be subject to stop transfer or similar instructions) restricting the resale or transferability thereof. Dividends payable in common
stock shall be calculated based on a price equal to eighty percent (80%) of the VWAP during the five (5) trading days immediately prior
to the applicable payment date. At December 31, 2024, cumulative dividends earned on the series Y senior convertible preferred stock were
$
| F-35 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
Liquidation Rights. Subject to the rights of creditors and the holders of any senior securities or parity securities (in each case, as defined in the certificate of designation), upon any liquidation event (as defined in the certificate of designation), before any payment or distribution of the assets of the Company (whether capital or surplus) shall be made to or set apart for the holders of junior securities (as defined in the certificate of designation), including the common stock, each holder of outstanding series Y senior convertible preferred stock shall be entitled to receive an amount of cash equal to the greater of (i) 100% of the stated value of $4.00 per share, plus an amount of cash equal to all accumulated accrued and unpaid dividends thereon (whether or not declared) to, but not including the date of final distribution to such holders or (ii) such amount per share as would have been payable had all shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock been converted into common stock immediately prior to such liquidation event.
Voting Rights. Holders of series Y senior convertible preferred stock do not have any voting rights; provided that, so long as any shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock are outstanding, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the series Y senior convertible preferred stock, which majority must include Leonite Capital LLC so long as it holds any shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock, voting as a separate class, shall be necessary for approving, effecting or validating any amendment, alteration or repeal of any of the provisions of the certificate of designation, prior to the Company’s issuance of additional shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock or prior to the creation or issuance of any securities that are not subordinate to the series Y senior convertible preferred stock or new indebtedness (as defined in the certificate of designation); provided that the foregoing shall not apply to any financing transaction the use of proceeds of which will be used to redeem the series Y senior convertible preferred stock in full.
Conversion Rights. Commencing on the first anniversary of the date on which the Company’s common stock begins trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, each share of series Y senior convertible preferred stock, plus all accrued and unpaid dividends thereon, shall be convertible, at the option of the holder thereof, at any time and from time to time, into such number of fully paid and nonassessable shares of common stock determined by dividing the stated value ($4.00 per share), plus the value of the accrued, but unpaid, dividends thereon, by a conversion price equal to the lowest VWAP during the five (5) trading days immediately prior to the applicable conversion date. Such conversion price is subject to adjustment if the Company issues common stock at a price lower than such conversion price, subject to certain exceptions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the holder of any series Y senior convertible preferred stock be entitled to convert any number of shares that upon conversion the sum of (i) the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by the holder and its affiliates and (ii) the number of shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of the series Y senior convertible preferred stock with respect to which the determination of this proviso is being made, would result in beneficial ownership by the holder and its affiliates of more than 4.99% of the then outstanding common stock. This limitation may be waived (up to a maximum of 9.99%) by the holder and in its sole discretion, upon not less than sixty-one (61) days’ prior notice to the Company.
Preferred Stock Transactions
During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company executed the following transactions:
| · | On January 19, 2024, the Company issued shares of series I preferred stock to each of Daniel R. Thompson, the Chairman of the Board, and Alex Cunningham, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, for $ bonus compensation for the fiscal year of 2023, at the fair value of $4.48 per share. | |
| · | On January 31, 2024, the Company issued shares of series I preferred stock to Matthew Shafer, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, for $ | |
| · | On January 31, 2024, the Company issued shares of series I preferred stock to Zia Choe, the Company’s Chief Accounting Officer, for $ | |
| · | On May 15, 2024, in conjunction with the exchange of certain senior secured convertible promissory notes, shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock were issued with an aggregate value of $ | |
| · | An aggregate of shares of series B preferred stock were converted into an aggregate of shares of common stock. |
| F-36 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
| · | An aggregate of shares of series C preferred stock were converted into an aggregate of shares of common stock. | |
| · | An aggregate of shares of series E preferred stock were converted into an aggregate of shares of common stock. | |
| · | An aggregate of shares of series F-1 preferred stock were converted into an aggregate of shares of common stock. | |
| · | An aggregate of shares of series I preferred stock were converted into an aggregate of shares of common stock. | |
| · | An aggregate of shares of series J preferred stock were converted into an aggregate of shares of common stock. | |
| · | An aggregate of shares of series I preferred stock were exchanged into an aggregate of shares of series B preferred stock, shares of series C preferred stock and shares of series E preferred stock. | |
| · | An aggregate shares of series N senior convertible preferred stock were issued with an aggregate value of $ | |
| · | An aggregate shares of series X senior convertible preferred stock were issued with an aggregate value of $ | |
| · | An aggregate of shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock were issued with an aggregate value of $ | |
| · | shares of series C preferred stock were cancelled, which were issued erroneously. | |
| · | shares of series R preferred stock were cancelled as part of the settlement agreement described in Note 7. Notes and Loans Payable. |
In connection with the aforementioned shares issuances on January 19, 2024 and January 31, 2024, the Company engaged a valuation specialist to perform a business valuation Monte Carlo simulation for the series I preferred stock resulting in those indicated fair values.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company executed the following transactions:
| · | On May 25, 2023, the Company issued shares of series B preferred stock to Zia Choe, Interim Chief Financial Officer for $ | |
| · | On July 24, 2023, the Company issued shares of series E preferred stock as compensation for the property manager of Edge View in exchange for a bonus of $ |
Common Stock
In addition to the issuance of common stock from the conversions of preferred stock noted above, during the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company executed the following transactions:
| · | In February 2024, as part of the Red Rock settlement executed in July 2022, the Company issued an aggregate of shares of common stock to six previous owners. The Company recognized the fair value for the issuance of 37,104 shares at $ per share on the closing market price of February 4 through February 6, 2024, and recorded share loss from discontinued operations of $ | |
| · | On March 5, 2024, the Company issued shares of common stock to an investor relation service provider. The Company recognized the fair value for the issuance of the 7,500 shares at $ per share on the closing market price of March 5, 2024 and recorded selling, general and administrative expense of $ |
| F-37 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
| · | On March 26, 2024, the Company issued an aggregate of shares of common stock to three board members. The Company recognized the fair value for the issuance of 30,000 shares at $ per share on the closing market price of March 26, 2024 and recorded share-based compensation expense of $ in the consolidated statement of operations. | |
| · | In September 2024, the Company issued an aggregate of shares of common stock as part of a legal settlement. | |
| · | In December 2024, the Company issued shares of common stock for services rendered by an employee. The Company recognized the fair value for the issuance of the 5,500 shares at $ per share closing market price of December 5, 2024 and recorded share-based compensation expense of $ in the consolidated statement of operations. | |
| · | The Company issued an aggregate of shares of common stock in payment of various accrued dividends on the series N, series X and series Y preferred stock. | |
| · | The Company issued shares of common stock upon conversion of certain convertible notes. | |
During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company issued shares of common stock upon the conversion of certain convertible notes.
| 10. | WARRANTS |
The tables below set forth warrant activity during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:
| Schedule of warrant activity | ||||||||
| Number of Warrants | Weighted Average Excercise Price | |||||||
| Balance at January 1, 2024 | $ | |||||||
| Granted | ||||||||
| Exercised | ||||||||
| Expired | ( | ) | ||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2024 | ||||||||
| Warrants Exercisable at December 31, 2024 | $ | |||||||
| Number of Warrants | Weighted Average Exercise Price | |||||||
| Balance at January 1, 2023 | $ | |||||||
| Granted | ||||||||
| Exercised | ||||||||
| Expired | ( | ) | ||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2023 | ||||||||
| Warrants Exercisable at December 31, 2023 | $ | |||||||
| F-38 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
| 11. | DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS |
On November 10, 2023, the Company sold Platinum Tax, which was a full-service tax resolution firm located in Los Angeles, California. Through this subsidiary the Company provided fee-based tax resolution services to individuals and companies that have federal and state tax liabilities by assisting clients to settle outstanding tax debts. As part of the Asset Purchase Agreement between the Company and the purchaser, the assets that were purchased included substantially all assets, rights, interests, and licenses except for banks accounts in place prior to the sale for the purchase consideration of 15% of cash collected by the purchaser within one year following the sale date.
In February 2024, as part of the Red Rock settlement
executed in July 2022, the Company issued an aggregate of shares of common stock to six previous owners. The Company recognized
the fair value for the issuance of 37,104 shares at $ per share on the closing market price of February 4 through February 6, 2024, and
recorded share loss from discontinued operations of $
| Schedule of discontinued operations | ||||||||
| December 31, | ||||||||
| Net liabilities of discontinued operations | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||
| Cash | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accounts receivable | ||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | ||||||||
| Net liabilities of discontinued operations | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| Gain (Loss) from discontinued operations | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||
| Revenue | $ | $ | ||||||
| Cost of sales | ( | ) | ||||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | ( | ) | ||||||
| Interest expense | ( | ) | ||||||
| Loss on settlement | ( | ) | ||||||
| Loss from discontinued operations | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | ||
| 12. | GOODWILL |
The Company reviews goodwill for impairment on
a reporting unit basis annually and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of goodwill may not be recoverable.
During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company determined there to be
| 13. | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES |
Leases
ASC 842, “Leases”, requires that a lessee recognize the assets and liabilities that arise from operating leases. A lessee should recognize in the statement of financial position a liability to make lease payments (the lease liability) and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. For leases with a term of 12 months or less, a lessee is permitted to make an accounting policy election by class of underlying asset not to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities. The Company adopted ASC 842, January 1, 2020, using the effective date method and elected certain practical expedients allowing the Company not to reassess:
| · | whether expired or existing contracts contain leases under the new definition of a lease; | |
| · | lease classification for expired or existing leases; and | |
| · | whether previously capitalized initial direct costs would qualify for capitalization under Topic 842. |
| F-39 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
The Company also made the accounting policy decision not to recognize lease assets and liabilities for leases with a term of 12 months or less.
The Company leases twelve medical facilities and
one vehicle as operating leases as of December 31, 2024. The Company recorded operating lease expenses of $
The Company has operating leases with future commitments as follows:
| Schedule of operating leases | ||||
| Amount | ||||
| 2025 | $ | |||
| 2026 | ||||
| 2027 | ||||
| Total Future Undiscounted Lease Payments | $ | |||
| Less imputed interest | ( | ) | ||
| Total lease obligations | $ | |||
The following table summarizes supplemental information about the Company’s leases:
| Schedule of supplemental information about leases | ||||
| Weighted-average remaining lease term | ||||
| Weighted-average discount rate | ||||
Employees
As of December 31, 2024, the Company agreed to
pay $360,000 per year and $250,000 of targeted annual incentives to the Chief Executive Officer based on his employment agreement and
its related amendments since July 1, 2020, of which 75% was paid in cash and 25% was accrued. As of December 31, 2023, the Company agreed
to pay $360,000 per year and $200,000 of targeted annual incentives to the Chief Executive Officer based on his employment agreement since
July 1, 2020, of which 50% was paid in cash and 50% was accrued. The total outstanding accrued compensation as of December 31, 2024 and
2023 were $
As of December 31, 2024, the Company agreed to
pay $360,000 per year and $250,000 of targeted annual incentives to the Chairman of the Board based on his employment agreement and its
related amendments since July 1, 2020, of which 56% was paid in cash and 44% was accrued. As of December 31, 2023, the Company agreed
to pay $360,000 per year and $200,000 of targeted annual incentives to the Chairman of the Board based on his employment agreement since
July 1, 2020, of which 50% was paid in cash and 50% was accrued. The total outstanding accrued compensation as of December 31, 2024 and
December 31, 2023 was $
The Company agreed to pay $
The Company entered into a management agreement
effective May 31, 2021 for compensation to the principals of Nova in the form of an annual base salaries of $
| Schedule of annual objectives of financial performance | |||
| Year | Minimum Annual Nova EBITDA | Cash Annual Bonus | Series J Preferred Stock |
| 2021 | $ |
$ |
Shares |
| 2022 | $ |
$ |
Shares |
| 2023 | $ |
$ |
Shares |
| 2024 | $ |
$ |
Shares |
| 2025 | $ |
$ |
Shares |
| F-40 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
| 14. | LEGAL PROCEEDINGS |
From time to time, the Company may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm the Company’s business. Management is not currently aware of any such legal proceedings or claims that it believes will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, or operating results.
| 15. | INCOME TAXES |
At December 31, 2024, the Company had federal and state net operating loss carry forwards of approximately $21.2 million that expire in various years through the year 2040. Due to carryforwards of past net operating losses, there is no provision for current federal or state income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amount used for federal and state income tax purposes.
The Company’s deferred tax asset at December
31, 2024 and 2023 consists of net operating loss carry forwards calculated using federal and state effective tax rates equating to approximately
$
The Company’s total deferred tax asset as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 is as follows:
| Schedule of deferred tax assets | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Deferred tax assets | $ | $ | ||||||
| Valuation allowance | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net deferred tax asset | $ | $ | ||||||
| 16. | SEGMENT REPORTING |
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had two reportable operating segments as determined by management using the “management approach” as defined by the authoritative guidance on Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information.
| (1) | Healthcare (Nova) | |
| (2) | Real Estate (Edge View) |
These segments are a result of differences in the nature of the products and services sold. Their operating results are regularly reviewed by the Company’s chief operating decision maker group, which consists of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer. Corporate administration costs, which include, but are not limited to, general accounting, human resources, legal and credit and collections, are partially allocated to the two operating segments.
The healthcare segment provides a full range of diagnostic and surgical services for injuries and disorders of the skeletal system and associated bones, joints, tendons, muscles, ligaments, and nerves.
The real estate segment consists of Edge View, a real estate company that owns five (5) acres zoned medium density residential (MDR) with 12 lots already platted, six (6) acres zoned high-density residential (HDR) that can be platted in various configurations to meet current housing needs, and twelve (12) acres zoned in Lemhi County as Agriculture that is available for further annexation into the City of Salmon for development, as well as a common area for landowners to view wildlife, provide access to the Salmon River and fishing in a two (2) acre pond.
| F-41 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
The accounting policies of the segments are the same as those described in Note 1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies. Management uses revenues, cost of sales, operating expenses, income (loss) from subsidiaries and income (loss) before taxes to evaluate and measure its subsidiaries’ success. To help the segments achieve optimal operating performance, management retains the prior owners of the subsidiaries and allows them to do what they do best, which is run the business. Additionally, management monitors key metrics primarily revenues and income from operations in order to allocate resources accordingly.
| Schedule of segment reporting | ||||||||
| As of December 31, | ||||||||
| Asset: | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||
| Healthcare | $ | $ | ||||||
| Real Estate | ||||||||
| Corporate | ||||||||
| Consolidated assets | $ | $ | ||||||
| Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Revenues: | ||||||||
| Healthcare | $ | $ | ||||||
| Real Estate | ||||||||
| Consolidated revenues | $ | $ | ||||||
| Cost of Sales: | ||||||||
| Healthcare | $ | $ | ||||||
| Real Estate | ||||||||
| Consolidated cost of sales | $ | $ | ||||||
| Operating Expenses: | ||||||||
| Healthcare | ||||||||
| Depreciation expense | $ | $ | ||||||
| Selling, General and Administrative | ||||||||
| Total Healthcare | ||||||||
| Real Estate | ||||||||
| Corporate, administration and other expenses (a) | ||||||||
| Consolidated Operating Expenses | $ | $ | ||||||
| Income (Loss) from Operations from Subsidiaries: | ||||||||
| Healthcare | $ | $ | ||||||
| Real Estate | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Income (loss) from operations from subsidiaries | ||||||||
| Loss from operations from Cardiff Lexington | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Total income (loss) from operations | $ | ( | ) | $ | ||||
| Income (Loss) before taxes | ||||||||
| Healthcare | $ | $ | ||||||
| Real Estate | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Corporate, administration and non-operating expenses (b) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Consolidated income (loss) before taxes | $ | ( | ) | $ | ||||
| (a) |
| (b) |
| F-42 |
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2024 AND 2023
| 17. | SUBSEQUENT EVENTS |
The Company has evaluated its operations subsequent to December 31, 2024 to the date these consolidated financial statements were available to be issued and determined the following subsequent events and transactions required disclosure in these consolidated financial statements.
On February 28, 2025, the Company issued 11,775 shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock as payment of dividends.
Subsequent to December 31, 2024, an aggregate of 10,150 shares of series B preferred stock were converted into an aggregate of 20,300 shares of common stock and an aggregate of 2,500 shares of series I preferred stock were converted into an aggregate of 5,000 shares of common stock.
| F-43 |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| Date March 14, 2025 | CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION |
| /s/ Alex Cunningham | |
| Name: Alex Cunningham | |
| Title: Chief Executive Officer | |
| (Principal Executive Officer) | |
| /s/ Matthew Shafer | |
| Name: Matthew Shafer | |
| Title: Chief Financial Officer | |
| (Principal Financial Officer) |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| SIGNATURE | TITLE | DATE | |
| /s/ Alex Cunningham | Chief Executive Officer and Director (principal executive officer) | March 14, 2025 | |
| Alex Cunningham | |||
| /s/ Matthew Shafer | Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) | March 14, 2025 | |
| Matthew Shafer | |||
| /s/ Daniel Thompson | Chairman of the Board | March 14, 2025 | |
| Daniel Thompson | |||
| /s/ Gillard B. Johnson III | Director | March 14, 2025 | |
| Gillard B. Johnson III | |||
| /s/ Cathy Pennington | Director | March 14, 2025 | |
| Cathy Pennington | |||
| /s/ L. Jack Staley | Director | March 14, 2025 | |
| L. Jack Staley | |||
| 66 |
Exhibit 4.1
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
General
The following description summarizes important terms of the classes of our capital stock as of December 31, 2024. The following are summaries of material provisions of our amended and restated articles of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws, and the certificates of designation for our various series of preferred stock, insofar as they relate to the material terms of our capital stock.
The following is a description of the material terms of our capital stock and is not intended to be a complete summary of the rights and preferences of our capital stock. For more detailed information, please see our amended and restated articles of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws and the certificates of designation relating to our preferred stock, which are filed as exhibits this report.
As of December 31, 2024, our authorized capital stock consists of 300,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.001 par value, of which 2 shares have been designated as series A preferred stock, 3,000,000 shares have been designated as series B preferred stock, 500 shares have been designation as series C preferred stock, 1,000,000 shares have been designated as series E preferred stock, 50,000 shares have been designated as series F-1 preferred stock, 15,000,000 shares have been designated as series I preferred stock, 400,000 shares have been designated as series L preferred stock, 3,000,000 shares have been designated as series N senior convertible preferred stock, 5,000,000 shares have been designated as series X senior convertible preferred stock and 1,250,000 shares have been designated as series Y senior convertible preferred stock.
As of December 31, 2024, there were issued and outstanding 15,300,475 shares of common stock, 2 shares of series A preferred stock, 1,279,867 shares of series B preferred stock, 74 shares of series C preferred stock, 175,375 shares of series E preferred stock, 3,875 shares of series F-1 preferred stock, 10,469,092 shares of series I preferred stock, 319,493 shares of series L preferred stock, 921,636 shares of series N senior convertible preferred stock, 397,464 shares of series X senior convertible preferred stock and 979,125 shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock.
Common Stock
The holders of our common stock are entitled to one (1) vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders. Under our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, any corporate action to be taken by vote of stockholders other than for election of directors shall be authorized by the affirmative vote of the majority of votes cast. Directors are elected by a plurality of votes. Stockholders do not have cumulative voting rights.
Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any then-outstanding preferred stock, holders of common stock are entitled to receive ratably those dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by the board of directors out of legally available funds. In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of common stock will be entitled to share ratably in the net assets legally available for distribution to stockholders after the payment of all of our debts and other liabilities and the satisfaction of any liquidation preference granted to the holders of any then-outstanding shares of preferred stock.
Holders of common stock have no preemptive, conversion or subscription rights and there are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock.
Preferred Stock
Our amended and restated articles of incorporation authorize our board to issue up to 1,000,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series, to determine the designations and the powers, preferences and rights and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, including the dividend rights, conversion or exchange rights, voting rights (including the number of votes per share), redemption rights and terms, liquidation preferences, sinking fund provisions and the number of shares constituting the series. Our board of directors could, without stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of common stock and which could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or of discouraging a third party from attempting to acquire, a majority of our outstanding voting stock.
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The following is a description of the rights and preferences of each series of preferred stock.
Series A Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series A preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock and each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series A preferred stock; (ii) on parity with each class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series A preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series B preferred stock, series C preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series F-1 preferred stock, series I preferred stock, series L preferred stock, series N senior convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock, series Y senior convertible preferred stock and each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series A preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against our company.
Dividend Rights. The series A preferred stock is not entitled to participate in any distributions or payments to the holders of common stock or any other class of stock and shall have no economic interest in our company.
Liquidation Rights. In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our company, either voluntarily or involuntarily, a merger or consolidation wherein our company is not the surviving entity, or a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of our company, the holders of each share of series A preferred stock shall be entitled to receive from any distribution of any of the assets or surplus funds of our company, before and in preference of any holder of shares of common stock, an amount equal to the stated value of $250. Once the holders receive the foregoing from any such liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders shall not participate with the common stock or any other class of stock.
Voting Rights. Each share of series A preferred stock shall have a number of votes at any time equal to (i) 25% of the number of votes then held or entitled to be made by all other equity securities of our company, including, without limitation, the common stock, plus (ii) one (1). The series A preferred stock shall vote on any matter submitted to the holders of the common stock, or any other class of voting securities, for a vote, and shall vote together with the common stock, or any class of voting securities, as applicable, on such matter for as long as the shares of series A preferred stock are issued and outstanding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the series A preferred stock shall not have the right to vote on any matter as to which solely another series of preferred stock is entitled to vote pursuant to our amended and restated articles of incorporation or a certificate of designation of such other series of preferred stock.
Transfer. Upon transfer of any share of series A preferred stock, except for a transfer by the holder to an affiliate, whether such transfer is voluntary or involuntary, such share of series A preferred stock shall automatically, and without any action being required by us or the holder, be converted into one (1) share of common stock.
Other Rights. Holders of series A preferred stock do not have any conversion (except as set forth above) or redemption rights.
Series B Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series B preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock, series A preferred stock and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series B preferred stock; (ii) on parity with the series C preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series F-1 preferred stock, series L preferred stock and each other class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series B preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series I preferred stock, series N senior convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock, series Y senior convertible preferred stock and to each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series B preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against our company.
Dividend Rights. The holders of series B preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends equal (on an as converted to common stock basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of common stock. No other dividends shall be paid on shares of series B preferred stock.
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Liquidation Rights. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of series B preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of the assets of our company the same amount that a holder of common stock would receive if the shares of series B preferred stock were fully converted to common stock immediately prior to such liquidation, which amount shall be paid to the holders of series B preferred stock pari passu with all holders of parity securities and in preference to the holders of junior securities.
Voting Rights. On any matter presented to stockholders for their action or consideration, each holder of series B preferred stock shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote per share of series B preferred stock held. Except as provided by law, the holders of series B preferred stock shall vote together with the holders of shares of common stock as a single class. However, as long as any shares of series B preferred stock are outstanding, we shall not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding series B preferred stock, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the series B preferred stock or alter or amend the certificate of designation for the series B preferred stock, or (b) amend our amended and restated articles of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the holders of series B preferred stock.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series B preferred stock is convertible, at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of shares of common stock as is determined as follows: (i) if the closing market price of the common stock on the principal trading market on which the common stock is then traded or quoted is less than $4.00 per share, then each share of series B preferred stock shall be convertible into a number of shares of common stock equal to two (2) times the stated value ($4.00 per share), divided by such closing market price on the date of conversion; or (ii) if such closing market price is equal to or greater than $4.00 per share, then each share of series B preferred stock shall be convertible into two (2) shares of common stock. In addition, upon the earlier to occur of: (a) the closing of the sale of shares of common stock to the public at a price of at least $3.00 per share in a public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement or offering statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, resulting in at least $3,000,000 of gross proceeds to us, (b) the date on which the shares of common stock are listed on a national stock exchange, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE American or the Nasdaq Stock Market (any tier), or (c) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the holders of at least 67% of the then outstanding shares of series B preferred stock, voting together as a single class, each share of series B preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined in accordance with the provisions above. Such conversion price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock splits, stock combinations, stock dividends, stock reclassifications and similar events.
Redemption Rights. Holders of series B preferred stock do not have any redemption rights.
Series C Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series C preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock, series A preferred stock and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series C preferred stock; (ii) on parity with the series B preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series F-1 preferred stock, series L preferred stock and each other class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series C preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series I preferred stock, series N senior convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock, series Y senior convertible preferred stock and to each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series C preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against our company.
Dividend Rights. The holders of series C preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends equal (on an as converted to common stock basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of common stock. No other dividends shall be paid on shares of series C preferred stock.
Liquidation Rights. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of series C preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of the assets of our company the same amount that a holder of common stock would receive if the shares of series C preferred stock were fully converted to common stock immediately prior to such liquidation, which amount shall be paid to the holders of series C preferred stock pari passu with all holders of parity securities and in preference to the holders of junior securities.
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Voting Rights. On any matter presented to stockholders for their action or consideration, each holder of series C preferred stock shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote per share of series C preferred stock held. Except as provided by law, the holders of series C preferred stock shall vote together with the holders of shares of common stock as a single class. However, as long as any shares of series C preferred stock are outstanding, we shall not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding series C preferred stock, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the series C preferred stock or alter or amend the certificate of designation for the series C preferred stock, or (b) amend our amended and restated articles of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the holders of series C preferred stock.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series C preferred stock is convertible, at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of shares of common stock as is determined by dividing the stated value ($4.00 per share) by a conversion price of $0.00004. In addition, on the date on which the shares of common stock are listed on a national stock exchange, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE American or the Nasdaq Stock Market (any tier), or a Listing Event, all outstanding shares of series C preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined by dividing $50,000 by the highest traded or closing price on such date, which such shares of common stock shall be issued pro rata among the holders of the outstanding series C preferred stock. Finally, upon the earlier to occur of: (a) the closing of the sale of shares of common stock to the public at a price of at least $3.00 per share (subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of any stock dividend, stock split, combination or other similar recapitalization with respect to the common stock) in a public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement or offering statement under the Securities Act resulting in at least $3,000,000 of gross proceeds to us or (b) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the holders of at least 67% of the then outstanding shares of series C preferred stock, voting together as a single class, each share of series C preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined by dividing the stated value ($4.00 per share) by a conversion price of $0.00004. Such conversion price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock splits, stock combinations, stock dividends, stock reclassifications and similar events.
Redemption Rights. If there is a Listing Event, we shall have the right (but not the obligation) to redeem shares of series C preferred stock at a price per share of $50,000.
Series E Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series E preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock, series A preferred stock and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series E preferred stock; (ii) on parity with the series B preferred stock, series C preferred stock, series F-1 preferred stock, series L preferred stock and each other class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series E preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series I preferred stock, series N senior convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock, series Y senior convertible preferred stock and to each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series E preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against our company.
Dividend Rights. The holders of series E preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends equal (on an as converted to common stock basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of common stock. No other dividends shall be paid on shares of series E preferred stock.
Liquidation Rights. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of series E preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of the assets of our company the same amount that a holder of common stock would receive if the shares of series E preferred stock were fully converted to common stock immediately prior to such liquidation, which amount shall be paid to the holders of series E preferred stock pari passu with all holders of parity securities and in preference to the holders of junior securities.
Voting Rights. On any matter presented to stockholders for their action or consideration, each holder of series E preferred stock shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote per share of series E preferred stock held. Except as provided by law, the holders of series E preferred stock shall vote together with the holders of shares of common stock as a single class. However, as long as any shares of series E preferred stock are outstanding, we shall not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding series E preferred stock, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the series E preferred stock or alter or amend the certificate of designation for the series E preferred stock, or (b) amend our amended and restated articles of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the holders of series E preferred stock.
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Conversion Rights. Each share of series E preferred stock is convertible, at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of shares of common stock as is determined as follows: (i) if the closing market price of the common stock on the principal trading market on which the common stock is then traded or quoted is less than $4.00 per share, then each share of series E preferred stock shall be convertible into a number of shares of common stock equal to two (2) times the stated value ($4.00 per share), divided by such closing market price on the date of conversion; or (ii) if such closing market price is equal to or greater than $4.00 per share, then each share of series E preferred stock shall be convertible into two (2) shares of common stock. In addition, upon the earlier to occur of: (a) the closing of the sale of shares of common stock to the public at a price of at least $3.00 per share in a public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement or offering statement under the Securities Act resulting in at least $3,000,000 of gross proceeds to us, (b) the date on which the shares of common stock are listed on a national stock exchange, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE American or the Nasdaq Stock Market (any tier), or (c) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the holders of at least 67% of the then outstanding shares of series E preferred stock, voting together as a single class, each share of series E preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined in accordance with the provisions above. Such conversion price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock splits, stock combinations, stock dividends, stock reclassifications and similar events.
Series F-1 Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series F-1 preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock, series A preferred stock and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series F-1 preferred stock; (ii) on parity with the series B preferred stock, series C preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series L preferred stock and each other class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series F-1 preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series I preferred stock, series N senior convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock, series Y senior convertible preferred stock and to each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series F-1 preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against our company.
Dividend Rights. The holders of series F-1 preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends equal (on an as converted to common stock basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of common stock. No other dividends shall be paid on shares of series F-1 preferred stock.
Liquidation Rights. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of series F-1 preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of the assets of our company the same amount that a holder of common stock would receive if the shares of series F-1 preferred stock were fully converted to common stock immediately prior to such liquidation, which amount shall be paid to the holders of series F-1 preferred stock pari passu with all holders of parity securities and in preference to the holders of junior securities.
Voting Rights. Except as provided by law, the holders of series F-1 preferred stock shall have no voting rights. However, as long as any shares of series F-1 preferred stock are outstanding, we shall not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding series F-1 preferred stock, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the series F-1 preferred stock or alter or amend the certificate of designation for the series F-1 preferred stock, or (b) amend our amended and restated articles of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the holders of series F-1 preferred stock.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series F-1 preferred stock is convertible, at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of shares of common stock as is determined as follows: (i) if the closing market price of the common stock on the principal trading market on which the common stock is then traded or quoted is less than $4.00 per share, then each share of series F-1 preferred stock shall be convertible into a number of shares of common stock equal to two (2) times the stated value ($4.00 per share), divided by such closing market price on the date of conversion; or (ii) if such closing market price is equal to or greater than $4.00 per share, then each share of series F-1 preferred stock shall be convertible into two (2) shares of common stock. In addition, upon the earlier to occur of: (a) the closing of the sale of shares of common stock to the public at a price of at least $3.00 per share in a public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement or offering statement under the Securities Act resulting in at least $3,000,000 of gross proceeds to us, (b) the date on which the shares of common stock are listed on a national stock exchange, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE American or the Nasdaq Stock Market (any tier), or (c) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the holders of at least 67% of the then outstanding shares of series F-1 preferred stock, voting together as a single class, each share of series F-1 preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined in accordance with the provisions above. Such conversion price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock dividends, stock reclassifications and similar events (but not for reverse stock splits).
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Redemption Rights. Holders of series F-1 preferred stock do not have any redemption rights.
Series I Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series I preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock, series A preferred stock, series B preferred stock, series C preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series F-1 preferred stock, series L preferred stock and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series I preferred stock; (ii) on parity with each class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series I preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series N senior convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock, series Y senior convertible preferred stock and to each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series I preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against our company.
Dividend Rights. The holders of series I preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends equal (on an as converted to common stock basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of common stock. No other dividends shall be paid on shares of series I preferred stock.
Liquidation Rights. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of series I preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of the assets of our company the same amount that a holder of common stock would receive if the shares of series I preferred stock were fully converted to common stock immediately prior to such liquidation, which amount shall be paid to the holders of series I preferred stock pari passu with all holders of parity securities and in preference to the holders of junior securities.
Voting Rights. On any matter presented to stockholders for their action or consideration, each holder of series I preferred stock shall be entitled to cast five (5) votes per share of series I preferred stock held. Except as provided by law, the holders of series I preferred stock shall vote together with the holders of shares of common stock as a single class. However, as long as any shares of series I preferred stock are outstanding, we shall not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding series I preferred stock, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the series I preferred stock or alter or amend the certificate of designation for the series I preferred stock, or (b) amend our amended and restated articles of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the holders of series I preferred stock.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series I preferred stock is convertible, at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of shares of common stock as is determined as follows: (i) if the closing market price of the common stock on the principal trading market on which the common stock is then traded or quoted is less than $4.00 per share, then each share of series I preferred stock shall be convertible into a number of shares of common stock equal to two (2) times the stated value ($4.00 per share), divided by such closing market price on the date of conversion; or (ii) if such closing market price is equal to or greater than $4.00 per share, then each share of series I preferred stock shall be convertible into two (2) shares of common stock. In addition, upon the earlier to occur of: (a) the closing of the sale of shares of common stock to the public at a price of at least $3.00 per share in a public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement or offering statement under the Securities Act resulting in at least $10,000,000 of gross proceeds to us, (b) the date on which the shares of common stock are listed on a national stock exchange, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE American or the Nasdaq Stock Market (any tier), or (c) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the holders of at least 67% of the then outstanding shares of series I preferred stock, voting together as a single class, each share of series I preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined in accordance with the provisions above. Such conversion price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock splits, stock combinations, stock dividends, stock reclassifications and similar events.
Redemption Rights. Holders of series I preferred stock do not have any redemption rights.
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Series L Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series L preferred stock ranks, with respect to the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock, series A preferred stock and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series L preferred stock; (ii) on parity with the series B preferred stock, series C preferred stock, series E preferred stock, series F-1 preferred stock, and each other class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series L preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series I preferred stock, series N senior convertible preferred stock, series X senior convertible preferred stock, series Y senior convertible preferred stock and to each other series of preferred stock and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series L preferred stock, as well as to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against our company.
Dividend Rights. The holders of series L preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends equal (on an as converted to common stock basis) to and in the same form as dividends actually paid on shares of common stock when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of common stock. No other dividends shall be paid on shares of series L preferred stock.
Liquidation Rights. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the holders of series L preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of the assets of our company the same amount that a holder of common stock would receive if the shares of series L preferred stock were fully converted to common stock immediately prior to such liquidation, which amount shall be paid to the holders of series L preferred stock pari passu with all holders of parity securities and in preference to the holders of junior securities.
Voting Rights. On any matter presented to stockholders for their action or consideration, each holder of series L preferred stock shall be entitled to cast one (1) vote per share of series L preferred stock held. Except as provided by law, the holders of series L preferred stock shall vote together with the holders of shares of common stock as a single class. However, as long as any shares of series L preferred stock are outstanding, we shall not, without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of outstanding series L preferred stock, (a) alter or change adversely the powers, preferences or rights given to the series J preferred stock or alter or amend the certificate of designation for the series L preferred stock, or (b) amend our amended and restated articles of incorporation or other charter documents in any manner that adversely affects any rights of the holders of series L preferred stock.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series L preferred stock is convertible, at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of shares of common stock as is determined as follows: (i) if the closing market price of the common stock on the principal trading market on which the common stock is then traded or quoted is less than $4.00 per share, then each share of series L preferred stock shall be convertible into a number of shares of common stock equal to two (2) times the stated value ($4.00 per share), divided by such closing market price on the date of conversion; or (ii) if such closing market price is equal to or greater than $4.00 per share, then each share of series L preferred stock shall be convertible into two (2) shares of common stock. In addition, upon the earlier to occur of: (a) the closing of the sale of shares of common stock to the public at a price of at least $3.00 per share in a public offering pursuant to an effective registration statement or offering statement under the Securities Act resulting in at least $3,000,000 of gross proceeds to us, (b) the date on which the shares of common stock are listed on a national stock exchange, including without limitation the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE American or the Nasdaq Stock Market (any tier), or (c) the date and time, or the occurrence of an event, specified by vote or written consent of the holders of at least 67% of the then outstanding shares of series L preferred stock, voting together as a single class, each share of series L preferred stock shall be automatically converted into such number of shares of common stock as is determined in accordance with the provisions above. Such conversion price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock dividends, stock reclassifications and similar events (but not for reverse stock splits).
Redemption Rights. Holders of series L preferred stock do not have any redemption rights.
Series N Senior Convertible Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series N senior convertible preferred stock ranks, with respect to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock and each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series N senior convertible preferred stock; (ii) on parity with each class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series N senior convertible preferred stock; and (iii) junior to all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against our company and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series N senior convertible preferred stock.
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Dividend Rights. Holders of series N senior convertible preferred stock are entitled to dividends at a rate per annum of 12.0% of the stated value ($4.00 per share); provided that upon an event of default (as defined in the certificate of designation for the series N senior convertible preferred stock), such rate would increase by 8% per annum. Dividends accrued from day to day, whether or not declared, and are cumulative. Dividends are payable quarterly in arrears on each dividend payment date in cash or common stock at our discretion. Dividends payable in common stock are to be calculated based on a price equal to eighty percent (80%) of the volume weighted average price for the common stock on our principal trading market, or the VWAP, during the five (5) trading days immediately prior to the applicable dividend payment date.
Liquidation Rights. Subject to the rights of creditors and the holders of any senior securities or parity securities (in each case, as defined in the certificate of designation), upon any liquidation of our company or its subsidiaries, before any payment or distribution of the assets of our company (whether capital or surplus) are to be made to or set apart for the holders of junior securities (as defined in the certificate of designation), including the common stock, each holder of outstanding series N senior convertible preferred stock is entitled to receive an amount of cash equal to 115% of the stated value of $4.00 per share, plus an amount of cash equal to all accumulated accrued and unpaid dividends thereon (whether or not declared) to, but not including the date of final distribution to such holders.
Voting Rights. Holders of series N senior convertible preferred stock do not have any voting rights; provided that, so long as any shares of series N senior convertible preferred stock are outstanding, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the series N senior convertible preferred stock, which majority must include SILAC Insurance Company so long as it holds any shares of series N senior convertible preferred stock, voting as a separate class, is necessary for approving, effecting or validating any amendment, alteration or repeal of any of the provisions of the certificate of designation or prior to our company’s (or Nova’s) creation or issuance of any parity securities or new indebtedness (as defined in the certificate of designation); provided that the foregoing does not apply to any financing transaction the use of proceeds of which would be used to redeem the series N senior convertible preferred stock and the warrants issued in connection therewith. In addition, the affirmative vote of holders of 66% of the series N senior convertible preferred stock, voting as a separate class, is required prior to our company’s (or Nova’s) creation or issuance of any senior securities.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series N senior convertible preferred stock, plus all accrued and unpaid dividends thereon, are convertible, at the option of the holder thereof, at any time and from time to time, into such number of fully paid and nonassessable shares of common stock determined by dividing the stated value ($4.00 per share), plus the value of the accrued, but unpaid, dividends thereon, by a conversion price of $900 per share (subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock splits, stock combinations, stock reclassifications, dividends paid in common stock, sales of substantially all assets, mergers, consolidations or similar transactions); provided that in no event shall the holder of any series N senior convertible preferred stock be entitled to convert any number of shares that upon conversion the sum of (i) the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by the holder and its affiliates and (ii) the number of shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of the series N senior convertible preferred stock with respect to which the determination of this proviso is being made, would result in beneficial ownership by the holder and its affiliates of more than 4.99% of the then outstanding common stock. This limitation can be waived (up to a maximum of 9.99%) by the holder and in its sole discretion, upon not less than sixty-one (61) days’ prior notice to us.
Redemption Rights. We may redeem the series N senior convertible preferred stock at any time by paying in cash therefore a sum equal to 115% of the stated value of $4.00 per share, plus the amount of accrued and unpaid dividends and any other amounts due pursuant to the terms of the certificate of designation. In addition, any holder may require us to redeem some or all of its shares of series N senior convertible preferred stock on the same terms after a period of twelve months from the date of issuance; provided, however, that such redemption right shall only be exercisable if we raise at least $5,000,000 or the common stock is trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market or the New York Stock Exchange.
Series X Senior Convertible Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series X senior convertible preferred stock ranks, with respect to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock and each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series X senior convertible preferred stock; (ii) on parity with each class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series X senior convertible preferred stock; and (iii) junior to the series N senior convertible preferred stock, all indebtedness and other liabilities with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against our company and each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series X senior convertible preferred stock.
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Dividend Rights. Holders of series X senior convertible preferred stock are entitled to dividends at a rate per annum of 10.0% of the stated value ($4.00 per share); provided that upon an event of default (as defined in the certificate of designation for the series X senior convertible preferred stock), such rate was to increase by 5% per annum. Dividends accrue from day to day, whether or not declared, and are cumulative. Dividends are payable quarterly in arrears on each dividend payment date.
Liquidation Rights. Subject to the rights of creditors and the holders of any senior securities, including the series N senior convertible preferred stock, or parity securities (in each case, as defined in the certificate of designation), upon any liquidation of our company or its subsidiaries, before any payment or distribution of the assets of our company (whether capital or surplus) are to be made to or set apart for the holders of junior securities (as defined in the certificate of designation), including the common stock, each holder of outstanding series N senior convertible preferred stock is entitled to receive an amount of cash equal to 100% of the stated value of $4.00 per share, plus an amount of cash equal to all accumulated accrued and unpaid dividends thereon (whether or not declared) to, but not including the date of final distribution to such holders.
Voting Rights. Holders of series X senior convertible preferred stock do not have any voting rights; provided that, so long as any shares of series X senior convertible preferred stock are outstanding, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the series X senior convertible preferred stock, which majority must include Leonite Capital LLC so long as it holds any shares of series X senior convertible preferred stock, voting as a separate class, is necessary for approving, effecting or validating any amendment, alteration or repeal of any of the provisions of the certificate of designation or prior to the creation or issuance of any parity securities or new indebtedness (as defined in the certificate of designation); provided that the foregoing does not apply to any financing transaction the use of proceeds of which were to be used to redeem the series X senior convertible preferred stock and the warrants issued in connection therewith. In addition, the affirmative vote of holders of 66% of the series X senior convertible preferred stock, voting as a separate class, is required prior to the creation or issuance of any senior securities.
Conversion Rights. Each share of series X senior convertible preferred stock, plus all accrued and unpaid dividends thereon, are convertible, at the option of the holder thereof, at any time and from time to time, into such number of fully paid and nonassessable shares of common stock determined by dividing the stated value ($4.00 per share), plus the value of the accrued, but unpaid, dividends thereon, by a conversion price equal to the lower of (i) the lowest VWAP during the five (5) trading days immediately prior to the applicable conversion date and (ii) the price per share paid in any subsequent financing, or the Fixed Price. The Fixed Price is subject to standard adjustments in the event of any stock splits, stock combinations, stock reclassifications, dividends paid in common stock, sales of substantially all assets, mergers, consolidations or similar transactions, as well as a price based antidilution adjustment, pursuant to which, subject to certain exceptions, if we issue common stock at a price lower than the Fixed Price, the Fixed Price shall decrease to such lower price. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the holder of any series X senior convertible preferred stock be entitled to convert any number of shares that upon conversion the sum of (i) the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by the holder and its affiliates and (ii) the number of shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of the series X senior convertible preferred stock with respect to which the determination of this proviso is being made, would result in beneficial ownership by the holder and its affiliates of more than 4.99% of the then outstanding common stock. This limitation may be waived (up to a maximum of 9.99%) by the holder and in its sole discretion, upon not less than sixty-one (61) days’ prior notice to us.
Redemption Rights. Commencing on September 22, 2023, any holder may require us to redeem its shares by the payment in cash therefore of a sum equal to 100% of the stated value of $4.00 per share, plus the amount of accrued and unpaid dividends and any other amounts due pursuant to the terms of the certificate of designation; provided however, that in the event that we complete a public offering prior to the redemption date, then any holder may only cause us to redeem any outstanding series X senior convertible preferred stock by paying such redemption price in twelve (12) equal monthly installments with the first such payment due on the date that is six (6) months following the date that we complete such public offering.
Series Y Senior Convertible Preferred Stock
Ranking. The series Y senior convertible preferred stock ranks, with respect to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets upon liquidation, (i) senior to all common stock and each series of preferred stock, and to each other class or series that is not expressly made senior to or on parity with the series Y senior convertible preferred stock; (ii) on parity with each class or series that is not expressly subordinated or made senior to the series Y senior convertible preferred stock; and (iii) junior to each class or series that is expressly made senior to the series Y senior convertible preferred stock.
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Dividend Rights. Holders of series Y senior convertible preferred stock are entitled to dividends at a rate per annum of 10.0% of the stated value ($4.00 per share); provided that upon an event of default (as defined in the certificate of designation for the series Y senior convertible preferred stock), such rate shall increase by 5% per annum. Dividends shall accrue from day to day, whether or not declared, and shall be cumulative. Dividends shall be payable quarterly in arrears on each dividend payment date and may be paid in cash or common stock at our discretion; provided that we may only pay dividends in common stock if such common stock is free-trading, freely transferable, and does not contain a legend (or be subject to stop transfer or similar instructions) restricting the resale or transferability thereof. Dividends payable in common stock shall be calculated based on a price equal to eighty percent (80%) of the VWAP during the five (5) trading days immediately prior to the applicable payment date.
Liquidation Rights. Subject to the rights of creditors and the holders of any senior securities or parity securities (in each case, as defined in the certificate of designation), upon any liquidation event (as defined in the certificate of designation), before any payment or distribution of the assets of our company (whether capital or surplus) shall be made to or set apart for the holders of junior securities (as defined in the certificate of designation), including the common stock, each holder of outstanding series Y senior convertible preferred stock shall be entitled to receive an amount of cash equal to the greater of (i) 100% of the stated value of $4.00 per share, plus an amount of cash equal to all accumulated accrued and unpaid dividends thereon (whether or not declared) to, but not including the date of final distribution to such holders or (ii) such amount per share as would have been payable had all shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock been converted into common stock immediately prior to such liquidation event.
Voting Rights. Holders of series Y senior convertible preferred stock do not have any voting rights; provided that, so long as any shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock are outstanding, the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the series Y senior convertible preferred stock, which majority must include Leonite Capital LLC so long as it holds any shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock, voting as a separate class, shall be necessary for approving, effecting or validating any amendment, alteration or repeal of any of the provisions of the certificate of designation, prior to our issuance of additional shares of series Y senior convertible preferred stock or prior to the creation or issuance of any securities that are not subordinate to the series Y senior convertible preferred stock or new indebtedness (as defined in the certificate of designation); provided that the foregoing shall not apply to any financing transaction the use of proceeds of which will be used to redeem the series Y senior convertible preferred stock in full.
Conversion Rights. Commencing on the first anniversary of the date on which our common stock begins trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, each share of series Y senior convertible preferred stock, plus all accrued and unpaid dividends thereon, shall be convertible, at the option of the holder thereof, at any time and from time to time, into such number of fully paid and nonassessable shares of common stock determined by dividing the stated value ($4.00 per share), plus the value of the accrued, but unpaid, dividends thereon, by a conversion price equal to the lowest VWAP during the five (5) trading days immediately prior to the applicable conversion date. Such conversion price is subject to adjustment if we issue common stock at a price lower than such conversion price, subject to certain exceptions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the holder of any series Y senior convertible preferred stock be entitled to convert any number of shares that upon conversion the sum of (i) the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by the holder and its affiliates and (ii) the number of shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of the series Y senior convertible preferred stock with respect to which the determination of this proviso is being made, would result in beneficial ownership by the holder and its affiliates of more than 4.99% of the then outstanding common stock. This limitation may be waived (up to a maximum of 9.99%) by the holder and in its sole discretion, upon not less than sixty-one (61) days’ prior notice to us.
Warrants
As of December 31, 2024, we have issued warrants for the purchase of 3,144 shares of common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $1,165 per share.
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Convertible Promissory Notes
On January 24, 2017, we issued a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of up to $250,000 to Greentree Financial Group, Inc. On February 10, 2023, we executed a second tranche under this note in the principal amount of $50,000, on March 30, 2023, we executed a third tranche under this note in the principal amount of $25,000 and on August 11, 2023, we executed a fourth tranche under this note in the principal amount of $25,000. The aggregate principal amount remaining is $105,000. Each advance matures one year from the date of issuance and bears interest at a rate of 15% per annum; provided that upon an event of default (as defined in the note), such rate increases to 20%. The holder of the note may, in its sole discretion, elect to convert any outstanding principal and accrued but unpaid interest into our common stock at a conversion price equal to the lower of $0.25 or 50% of the lowest closing price of our common stock for the ten (10) trading days immediately prior to such conversion date; provided that the note contains an ownership limitation, which provides that we shall not effect any conversion, and the holder shall not have the right to convert any portion of the note, to the extent that after giving effect to the issuance of common stock upon conversion of the note, such holder, together with its affiliates, would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% of the number of shares of common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the issuance of common stock upon conversion of the note. This limitation may be waived, up to a maximum of 9.99%, by the holder upon not less than sixty-one (61) days’ prior notice to us.
Anti-Takeover Provisions
Provisions of the Nevada Revised Statutes, our amended and restated articles of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws could have the effect of delaying or preventing a third-party from acquiring us, even if the acquisition would benefit our stockholders. Such provisions of the Nevada Revised Statutes, our amended and restated articles of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our board of directors and in the policies formulated by the board of directors and to discourage certain types of transactions that may involve an actual or threatened change of control of our company. These provisions are designed to reduce our vulnerability to an unsolicited proposal for a takeover that does not contemplate the acquisition of all of our outstanding shares, or an unsolicited proposal for the restructuring or sale of all or part of our company.
Authorized but Unissued Shares
Our authorized but unissued shares of common stock are available for our board of directors to issue without stockholder approval, subject to Nasdaq’s rules. We may use these additional shares for a variety of corporate purposes, including raising additional capital, corporate acquisitions and employee stock plans. The existence of our authorized but unissued shares of common stock could render it more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of our company by means of a proxy context, tender offer, merger or other transaction since our board of directors can issue large amounts of capital stock as part of a defense to a take-over challenge. In addition, we have authorized in our amended and restated articles of incorporation 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our board acting alone and without approval of our stockholders, subject to Nasdaq’s rules, can designate and issue one or more series of preferred stock containing super-voting provisions, enhanced economic rights, rights to elect directors, or other dilutive features, that could be utilized as part of a defense to a take-over challenge.
Bylaws
In addition, various provisions of our amended and restated bylaws may also have an anti-takeover effect. These provisions may delay, defer or prevent a tender offer or takeover attempt of our company that a stockholder might consider in his or her best interest, including attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares held by our stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws may be adopted, amended or repealed only by our board of directors. Our amended and restated bylaws also contain limitations as to who may call special meetings as well as require advance notice of stockholder matters to be brought at a meeting. Additionally, our amended and restated bylaws also provide that no director may be removed by less than a two-thirds vote of the issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote on the removal. Our amended and restated bylaws also permit the board of directors to establish the number of directors and fill any vacancies and newly created directorships. These provisions will prevent a stockholder from increasing the size of our board of directors and gaining control of our board of directors by filling the resulting vacancies with its own nominees.
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Our amended and restated bylaws also establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to the board of directors. Stockholders at an annual meeting will only be able to consider proposals or nominations specified in the notice of meeting or brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the board of directors or by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record on the record date for the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has given us timely written notice, in proper form, of the stockholder’s intention to bring that business before the meeting. Although our amended and restated bylaws do not give the board of directors the power to approve or disapprove stockholder nominations of candidates or proposals regarding other business to be conducted at a special or annual meeting, our amended and restated bylaws may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the proper procedures are not followed or may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company.
Cumulative Voting
Furthermore, neither the holders of our common stock nor the holders of our preferred stock have cumulative voting rights in the election of our directors. The combination of the present ownership by a few stockholders of a significant portion of our issued and outstanding common stock and lack of cumulative voting makes it more difficult for other stockholders to replace our board of directors or for a third party to obtain control of our company by replacing its board of directors.
Nevada Anti-Takeover Statutes
Business Combination Statute
We are subject to the “business combination” provisions of Sections 78.411 to 78.444 of the Nevada Revised Statutes. In general, such provisions prohibit a Nevada corporation with at least 200 stockholders from engaging in various “combination” transactions with any interested stockholder for a period of two years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the transaction is approved by the board of directors prior to the date the interested stockholder obtained such status or the combination is approved by the board of directors and thereafter is approved at a meeting of stockholders by the affirmative vote of stockholders representing at least 60% of the outstanding voting power held by disinterested stockholders, and extends beyond the expiration of the two-year period, unless (a) the combination was approved by the board of directors prior to the person becoming an interested stockholder; (b) the transaction by which the person first became an interested stockholder was approved by the board of directors before the person became an interested stockholder; (c) the combination is later approved by a majority of the voting power held by disinterested stockholders; or (d) if the consideration to be paid by the interested stockholder is at least equal to the highest of: (i) the highest price per share paid by the interested stockholder within the two years immediately preceding the date of the announcement of the combination or in the transaction in which it became an interested stockholder, whichever is higher, or (ii) the market value per share of common stock on the date of announcement of the combination and the date the interested stockholder acquired the shares, whichever is higher.
A “combination” is generally defined to include mergers or consolidations or any sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer, or other disposition, in one transaction or a series of transactions, with an “interested stockholder” or any affiliate or associate of an interested stockholder having: (a) an aggregate market value equal to more than 5% of the aggregate market value of the assets of the corporation, (b) an aggregate market value equal to more than 5% of the aggregate market value of all outstanding voting shares of the corporation, and (c) more than 10% of the earning power or net income of the corporation.
An “interested stockholder” is generally defined to mean a beneficial owner of at least 10% of the outstanding voting power or an affiliate or associate of the corporation that has been a 10% beneficial owner within the preceding 2 years. The statutes could prohibit or delay mergers or other takeover or change in control attempts and, accordingly, may discourage attempts to acquire our company even though such a transaction may offer our stockholders the opportunity to sell their stock at a price above the prevailing market price.
Acquisition of Controlling Interest Statute
Nevada’s Acquisition of Controlling Interest Statute (NRS Sections 78.378-78.3793) applies only to Nevada corporations with at least 200 stockholders, including at least 100 stockholders of record who are Nevada residents, which conduct business directly or indirectly in Nevada and whose articles of incorporation or bylaws in effect 10 days following the acquisition of a controlling interest by an acquiror do not prohibit its application. As of the date of this prospectus, we do not believe we have 100 stockholders of record who are residents of Nevada, although there can be no assurance that in the future the acquisition of controlling interest statutes will not apply to us.
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Nevada’s Acquisition of Controlling Interest Statute, prohibits an acquiror, under certain circumstances, from voting shares of a target corporation’s stock after crossing certain threshold ownership percentages, unless the acquiror obtains the approval of the target corporation’s stockholders. The statute specifies three thresholds that constitute a controlling interest: (a) at least one-fifth but less than one-third; (b) at least one-third but less than a majority; and (c) a majority or more, of the outstanding voting power. Once an acquiror crosses one of these thresholds, shares which it acquired in the transaction exceeding the threshold (or within ninety days preceding the date thereof) become “control shares” which could be deprived of the right to vote until a majority of the disinterested stockholders restore that right.
A special stockholders meeting may be called at the request of the acquiror to consider the voting rights of the acquiror’s shares. If the acquiror requests a special meeting and gives an undertaking to pay the expenses of said meeting, then the meeting must take place no earlier than 30 days (unless the acquiror requests that the meeting be held sooner) and no more than 50 days (unless the acquiror agrees to a later date) after the delivery by the acquiror to the corporation of an information statement which sets forth the range of voting power that the acquiror has acquired or proposes to acquire and certain other information concerning the acquiror and the proposed control share acquisition.
If no such request for a stockholders meeting is made, consideration of the voting rights of the acquiror’s shares must be taken at the next special or annual stockholders meeting. If the stockholders fail to restore voting rights to the acquiror, or if the acquiror fails to timely deliver an information statement to the corporation, then the corporation may, if so provided in its articles of incorporation or bylaws, call certain of the acquiror’s shares for redemption at the average price paid for the control shares by the acquiror.
In the event the stockholders restore full voting rights to a holder of control shares that owns a majority of the voting stock, then all other stockholders who do not vote in favor of restoring voting rights to the control shares may demand payment for the “fair value” of their shares as determined by a court in dissenters rights proceeding pursuant to Chapter 92A of the Nevada Revised Statutes.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent for our common stock is Transfer Online, Inc. The transfer agent’s address is 512 SE Salmon Street, Portland, Oregon 97214 and its telephone number is 503-227-2950.
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Exhibit 10.13
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
This Employment Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made as of January 1st, 2025 between Cardiff Lexington Corporation, a Nevada corporation (together with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) and Alex H. Cunningham, a resident of the State of Florida (the “Executive”).
WHEREAS the Company desires to continue to employ the Executive and the Executive desires to be employed by the Company, on the terms and conditions provided below; and
WHEREAS this Agreement shall govern the employment relationship between Executive and the Company and supersedes all previous agreements and understandings with respect to such employment relationship.
The parties agree as follows:
| 1. | ENGAGEMENT. |
The Company agrees to employ the Executive, and the Executive accepts such employment, on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, unless and until such employment shall have been terminated as provided in this Agreement.
| 2. | TITLE AND DUTIES. |
During his employment by the Company, the Executive shall render his services as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, reporting only to the Board of Directors (“Board”), shall perform duties consistent with this position as the Board shall request, shall abide by Company policies in effect from time to time, and shall devote the majority of his business time and best efforts to his duties hereunder and the business and affairs of the Company (except during vacation periods and periods of illness or other incapacity). The Executive may engage in such other pursuits, including, without limitation, personal legal and personal financial affairs, as shall not interfere with the proper performance of his duties and obligations hereunder. Executive will work virtually out of his home office, subject to customary travel and business requirements. Executive may alternatively choose to work at the Company’s principal headquarters facility or at other Company facilities. While the Executive is employed as President and Chief Executive Officer under this Agreement, the Board shall nominate the Executive as a member of the Board at each annual stockholders’ meeting during the term, including any extension thereof. Executive shall serve on the Board without additional compensation.
| 3. | TERM. |
(a) This Agreement shall commence as of January 1st, 2025 (the “Effective Date”) and shall continue in effect up through and including the last day of the Company’s 2029 fiscal year (currently expected to be on or about December 31, 2029); provided that the term of this Agreement shall automatically be extended for additional successive one (1) year renewal terms unless at least three (3) months prior to the expiration of the then current term, the Company or the Executive shall have given written notice to the other party that this Agreement shall not be extended beyond the then current term.
(b) It is acknowledged and agreed that if this Agreement is not renewed by the Company pursuant to Section 3(a) above, and not as a result of Executive’s death, Disability, or Cause pursuant to Section 6(a) or 6(b) below, such non-renewal by the Company will be deemed a termination without Cause pursuant to Section 6(c) or 6(d) below (as applicable). In the event that Executive’s employment with the Company ceases at the end of any term because Executive (and not the Company) has given a non-renewal notice set forth in Section 3(a) above, and not as a result of the occurrence of Good Reason pursuant to Section 6(c) or 6(d) below, then such termination of employment shall be treated as a voluntary termination by Executive without Good Reason.
| 4. | COMPENSATION. |
(a) The Board shall make all decisions related to Executive's base salary and the payment of bonuses, if any. Executive's Annual Base Salary and other compensation will be reviewed by the Board of Directors at least annually.
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(b) Base Salary. Executive’s base salary as it may be increased from time to time (“Base Salary”) shall be paid in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices in effect from time to time. Executive’s Base Salary for the calendar year 2025 shall initially be $885,000 per annum. Base Salary shall be increased by a minimum of 10% per annum beginning January, 1st, 2026, and each year of the term thereafter. Base Salary shall be increased during the term but may not be decreased, and the Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Compensation Committee”) shall consider, on an annual basis, the nature, extent and advisability, if any, of an additional increase in the Executive’s Base Salary.
| 1. | Additional Base Salary Increase. Executive’s base salary shall be automatically and permanently increased by $100,000.00 upon the successful acquisition of the NV/AZ companies referenced by the company Letter of Intent dated 11.21.2024 beginning the month after the date of the acquisition closing. |
| 2. | Additional Base Salary Increase. Executive’s base salary shall be automatically and permanently increased by $100,000.00 following the Company successfully listing on the Nasdaq Exchange and the corresponding $4 Million Dollar capital raise beginning the month after the uplisting and commensurate close of the equity raise. |
| 3. | The Company and Executive acknowledge that Company, in the past, was not in a cash flow position to pay Executive his fully earned monthly salary and annual bonuses. At the option of the Executive, a portion of, or all compensation due under this agreement may be paid and/or be converted to a promissory note bearing an annual interest rate of 5.00% with interest to be paid quarterly. |
| 4. | In addition, all past due money owed Executive effective January 1, 2025 shall earn an interest rate of 5% with interest paid quarterly. Such payment or conversion to a promissory note shall be applied pro rata among all Officers and Executive for each such month for which full payment is not made. It is further agreed that payment of said promissory note(s) shall be paid, in full or in part, from the next month in which a positive cash flow occurs. |
(c) Performance Bonuses. Executive will be eligible to earn the following performance bonuses:
| 1. | Executive shall earn a one-time performance bonus of $100,000.00 following the successful acquisition of the NV/AZ companies referenced by the company Letter of Intent dated 11.21.2024 payable the beginning of the month following the date of the acquisition closing. |
| 2. | Executive shall earn a one-time performance bonus of $100,000.00 following the Company successfully listing on the Nasdaq Exchange with a corresponding $4 Million Dollar capital raise beginning the month after the uplisting and commensurate close of the equity raise. |
| 3. | Executive’s shall earn a one-time performance bonus of $100,000.00 following each future successful acquisition by the Company during the term of this agreement payable the beginning of the month following the date of that acquisition closing. |
(d) Annual Incentive Bonus. For each fiscal year of the Company that ends during the term, Executive will be eligible to participate in the Company’s annual incentive plan established and developed by the Compensation Committee, as it may then be in effect (the “AIP”). Executive’s target annual bonus opportunity (“Target Bonus”) will be $250,000 which Target Bonus may be increased but not decreased from time to time in the Board’s sole discretion. Annual incentive payments will be based on achievement against goals established for the senior executive officer group including Executive by the Board, in consultation with Executive.
(e) Executive Stock Based Incentive Plan.
(i) General. The Executive shall be eligible to participate in and receive such equity incentive compensation as may be granted by the Board from time to time pursuant to the Company’s Executive Stock Based Incentive Plan as such plan may then be in effect and as it may be amended or superseded from time to time (the “Equity Plan”) and any other long-term incentive plan for senior Company executives that the Board or Compensation Committee may adopt in consultation with Executive.
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(f) Other. Future annual-cycle equity awards (which may include performance conditions) to be granted to Executive under the Equity Plan will be determined by the Board in its discretion but will be on a basis at least as favorable to the Executive as the annual equity grants being made at the same time to the other senior executives of the Company (excluding for this purpose any special one-off grants for retention, promotion, hiring or other unique purposes).
(g) Retention Equity Award. Each seceding Anniversary of the Effective date the Company shall annually grant to the Executive as determined by the Compensation Committee restricted shares of the Company Common stock (the “Restricted Stock”) conditioned upon the Executive’s performance and continuing employment, except as otherwise provided herein, and subject to such other terms and conditions set forth in the Plan and the award agreement memorializing the Restricted Stock. Each installment of the Restricted Stock shall vest in one installment six months after the issue date of each annual grant.
| 5. | BENEFITS. |
(a) Vacation and Other Benefits. The Executive shall be entitled to not less than 8 weeks of paid vacation each year of his employment hereunder, as well as to such other employment benefits extended or provided to executives of comparable status, including, but not limited to, payment or reimbursement of all reasonable, ordinary, and necessary business expenses incurred by the Executive in the performance of his responsibilities and the promotion of the Company’s businesses, including, without limitation, first-class air travel and lodging, an automobile and related expenses not to exceed $2,500 per month, cellular phone charges, club memberships and dues, and reasonable travel expenses of the Executive’s spouse when accompanying him on business-related trips. The Executive shall submit to the Company monthly statements of all expenses so incurred. The Company shall reimburse Executive the full amount of any such expenses advanced by him in the ordinary course of business. Unused paid time off benefits shall accrue from year to year.
| 6. | TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT. |
The employment of the Executive hereunder may be terminated by the Company at any time, subject to the company providing the compensation and benefits in accordance with the terms of this Section 6, which shall constitute the Executive’s sole and exclusive remedy and legal recourse upon any such termination of employment (and the Executive hereby waives and releases any and all other claims against the Company and its parent entities, affiliates, officers, directors and Executives in such event).
(a) Termination Due To Death Or Disability. In the event of the Executive’s death, Executive’s employment shall automatically cease and terminate ‘as of the date of death. If Executive becomes Disabled, the Company may terminate Executive’s employment upon thirty (30) days written notice to Executive. For purposes of this Agreement, the terms “Disabled” or “Disability” means Executive’s inability, because of physical or mental illness or injury, substantially to perform his duties hereunder as a result of physical incapacity for a continuous period of at least four (4) months, and any dispute as to the Executive’s incapacitation shall be resolved by an independent physician selected by the Board and reasonably acceptable to the Executive, whose determination shall be final and binding upon both the Executive and the Company. In the event of the termination of employment due to Executive’s death or Disability, Executive or his estate or legal representatives shall be entitled to receive:
(i) payment for all accrued but unpaid Base Salary as of the date of Executive’s termination of employment;
(ii) reimbursement for expenses incurred by the Executive pursuant to Sections 5 hereof up to and including the date on which employment is terminated;
(iii) any earned benefits to which the Executive may be entitled as of the date of termination pursuant to the terms of any compensation or benefit plans to the extent permitted by such plans (with the payments described in subsections (i) through (iii) above collectively called the “Accrued Payments”);
(iv) any annual incentive bonuses earned but not yet paid for any completed full fiscal year immediately preceding the employment termination date;
(v) any accrued payments outstanding to Executive to be paid within sixty (60) days of the date on which employment is terminated.
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(vi) if employment termination occurs prior to the end of any fiscal year, a pro rata annual incentive bonus for such fiscal year in which employment termination occurs (based on actual business days in such fiscal year prior to such employment termination, divided by the total annual business days) determined and paid based on actual performance achieved for that fiscal year against the performance goals for that fiscal year; and
(b) Termination For Cause. The Company may, by providing written notice to Executive, terminate Executive’s employment for Cause. The term “Cause” for purpose of this Agreement shall mean:
(i) Executive’s conviction of, or entrance of a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, a felony under federal law or state law; or
(ii) Failed to follow a lawful and reasonable directive of the Company’s Board of Directors; or
(iii) Theft, embezzlement, or other criminal misappropriation of funds by Executive (other than good faith expense account disputes or de minimis amounts); or
(iv) Executive’s willful refusal to materially perform his executive duties hereunder; or
(v) Executive’s willful misconduct, which has, or would have if generally known, a materially adverse effect on the business or reputation of the Company; or
(vi) The Executive’s willful breach of any material employment policy of the Company, including, but not limited to, conduct relating to falsification of business records, violation of the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, harassment, creation of a hostile work environment, excessive absenteeism, insubordination, violation of the Company’s policy on drug and alcohol use, or violent acts or threats of violence; or
(vii) Executive’s material breach of a covenant, representation, warranty or obligation of Executive under this Agreement.
For purposes of this Section 6(b), an act or failure to act shall be considered “willful” only if done or omitted to be done without a good faith reasonable belief that such act or failure to act was in the best interests of the Company.
Any determination of Cause by the Company will be made by a resolution approved by a majority of the members of the Board, provided that no such determination may be made until Executive has been given written notice detailing the specific event constituting such Cause and a period of sixty (60) days following receipt of such notice to cure such event (if susceptible to cure), and, if such event is not curable or is not cured, an opportunity to appear before the Board (with legal counsel if so requested in writing by Executive) to discuss the specific circumstances alleged to give rise to the Cause event. Subject to Executive’s right to cure and/or appear before the Board, if Executive’s employment is terminated for Cause, the termination shall take effect on the effective date of such termination as specified in the written notice of such termination delivered to Executive.
The Company and Executive acknowledge that Company, in the past, was not in a cash flow position to pay Executive his fully earned monthly salary and annual bonuses. In the event of the termination of Executive’s employment hereunder by the Company for Cause, then Executive shall be entitled to receive payment of any Accrued Payments due and outstanding to Executive within sixty (60) days of termination.
If the Company attempts to terminate Executive’s employment pursuant to this Section 6(b) and it is ultimately determined that the Company lacked Cause, the provisions of Section 6(c) or Section 6(d) (as applicable) shall apply and Executive shall be entitled to receive the payments set forth under Section 6(c) or Section 6(d) (as applicable).
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(c) Termination without Cause or for Good Reason. The Company may terminate Executive’s employment hereunder without Cause at any time, by providing Executive 90 days’ prior written notice of such termination. Such notice shall specify the effective date of the termination of Executive’s employment. The Executive may terminate his employment for Good Reason by providing 90 days’ prior written notice to the Company. In the event of the termination of Executive’s employment under this Section 6(c) without Cause or by the Executive for Good Reason, in each case prior to or more than 12 months following a Change-in-Control (as defined in the Company’s Equity Plan), then Executive shall be entitled to:
(i) payment of the Accrued Payments outstanding to Executive to be paid within sixty (60) days of termination;
(ii) a separation allowance, payable in equal installments in accordance with normal payroll practices over a 12 month period beginning immediately following the date of termination, equal to three (3) times the sum of (x) Executive’s then Base Salary and (y) the Executive’s then Target Bonus;
(iii) any annual incentive bonuses earned but not yet paid for any completed full fiscal year immediately preceding the employment termination date;
(iv) if employment termination occurs prior to the end of any fiscal year, a pro rata annual incentive bonus for such fiscal year in which employment termination occurs (based on actual business days in such fiscal year prior to such employment termination, divided by total the annual business days) determined and paid based on actual performance achieved for such fiscal year against the performance goals for that fiscal year;
(v) the Company shall arrange for the Executive to continue to participate (through COBRA or otherwise), on substantially the same terms and conditions as in effect for the Executive (including any required contribution) immediately prior to such termination, in the medical, dental, disability and life insurance programs provided to the Executive pursuant to Section 5(a) hereof until the earlier of (i) the end of the 12 month period beginning on the effective date of the termination of Executive’s employment hereunder, or (ii) such time as the Executive is eligible to be covered by comparable benefit(s) of a subsequent employer. The foregoing of this Section 6(c)(v) is referred to as “Benefits Continuation”. The Executive agrees to notify the Company promptly if and when he begins employment with another employer and if and when he becomes eligible to participate in any benefit or other welfare plans, programs or arrangements of another employer;
(vi) all of Executive’s then-outstanding equity awards in any Equity Plan or the Retention Equity Award will vest in full.
For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Good Reason” means, without Executive’s written consent:
(i) a reduction by the Company in Executive’s Base Salary or Target Bonus as in effect from time to time; or
(ii) the Board materially reduces (including as a result of any co-sharing of responsibilities arrangement), other than during any period of illness or incapacity, Executive’s authority, responsibilities. or duties such that Executive no longer has the title of, or serves or functions as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company (provided that it is understood that a Change-in-Control or going private event will not constitute Good Reason); or
(iii) failure of the Board to nominate Executive for election to the Board of Directors at an annual meeting of shareholders or failure of the Executive to have been elected by the shareholders to the Board at any time (in each case other than solely due to any future stock exchange or other legal requirement prohibiting management directors); or
(iv) the Company requiring Executive to be based at a location in excess of fifty (50) miles from the location of the Executive’s home as of the effective date of this Agreement, except for required travel on Company business; or
(v) the Company fails to obtain the written assumption of its obligations under this Agreement by a successor not later than the consummation of a merger, consolidation or sale of the Company; or
(vi) a material breach by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, which, in each of subsections (i) through (vi) above, is not remedied by the Company within 30 days of receipt of written notice of such event or breach delivered by Executive to the Company; provided, that the Executive may only exercise his right to terminate this Agreement for Good Reason within the 60 day period immediately following the occurrence of any of the events described in subsections (i) through (vi) above.
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(d) Termination of Employment without Cause or for Good Reason following a Change-in-Control. If the Company terminates Executive’s employment without Cause or Executive terminates his employment for Good Reason in each case within 12 months following a Change-in- Control (as defined in the Company’s Equity Plan), the Company will provide to Executive:
(i) payment of the accrued payments outstanding to Executive to be paid within sixty (60) days of termination;
(ii) a lump sum separation allowance equal to three (3) times the sum of (x) Executive’s then Base Salary and (y) Executive’s then Target Bonus;
(iii) any annual incentive bonuses earned but not yet paid for any completed full fiscal year immediately preceding the employment termination date;
(iv) if employment termination occurs prior to the end of any fiscal year, a pro rata annual incentive bonus for such fiscal year in which employment termination occurs (based on actual business days in such fiscal year prior to such employment termination, divided by the total annual business days) determined and paid based on actual performance achieved for such fiscal year against the performance goals for that fiscal year;
(v) Benefit Continuation until the earlier of 24 months after termination of employment or such time as Executive is eligible to be covered by comparable benefit(s) of a subsequent employer. The Executive agrees to notify the Company promptly if and when he begins employment with another employer and if and when he becomes eligible to participate in any benefit or other welfare plans, programs or arrangements of another employer;
(vi) all of Executive’s then-outstanding equity awards in any Equity Plan or the Retention Equity Award will vest in full.
(vii) Voluntary Termination by the Executive without Good Reason. In the event Executive terminates his employment without Good Reason, he shall provide 90 days’ prior written notice of such termination to the Company. Upon such voluntary termination, the Executive will be entitled to the Accrued Payments outstanding to Executive to be paid by the Company within sixty (60) days of termination;
(e) Without limiting all other rights and remedies of the Company under this Agreement, a termination of employment by the Executive without Good Reason will not constitute a breach by the Executive of this Agreement.
(f) Resignation from all Boards. Upon any termination or cessation of Executive’s employment with the Company, for any reason, Executive agrees immediately to resign, and any notice of termination or actual termination or cessation of employment shall act automatically to effect such resignation, from any position on the Board and on any board of directors of any subsidiary or affiliate of the Company.
(g) Release of Claims as Condition. The Company’s obligation to pay the separation allowance and provide all other benefits and rights referred to in this Section 6 and in Sections 4(d) and 4€above shall be conditioned upon the Executive having delivered to the Company an executed full and unconditional release (that is not subject to revocation) of claims against the Company, its parent entities, affiliates, Executive benefit plans and fiduciaries, officers, Executives, directors, agents and representatives satisfactory in form and content to the Company’s counsel.
(h) No Mitigation. In no event shall Executive be obligated to seek other employment or take any other action by way of mitigation of the amounts payable to Executive under any of the provisions of this Agreement, nor shall the amount of any payment hereunder be reduced by any compensation earned by Executive as a result of subsequent employment.
| 7. | INDEMNIFICATION. |
(a) Provided that the Executive has not been terminated for “Cause” as defined herein, the Company shall indemnify, defend and hold the Executive harmless, to the maximum extent permitted by law, against all judgments, fines, amounts paid in settlement and all reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees incurred by the Executive, in connection with the defense of, or as a result of, any action or proceeding (or any appeal from any action or proceeding) in which the Executive is made or is threatened to be made a party by reason of the fact that the Executive is or was an officer or director of the Company, regardless of whether such action or proceeding is one brought by or in the right of the Company. Each of the parties hereto shall give prompt notice to the other of any action or proceeding from which the Company is obligated to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Executive of which it or he (as the case may be) gains knowledge.
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(b) The Company agrees that the Executive shall be covered and insured up to the full limits provided by all directors’ and officers’ insurance which the Company then maintains to indemnify its directors and officers (and to indemnify the Company for any obligations which it incurs as a result of its undertaking to indemnify its officers and directors), subject to applicable deductibles and to the terms and conditions of such policies.
| 8. | ENFORCEABILITY. |
It is the intention of the parties that the provisions of this Agreement shall be enforced to the fullest extent permissible under the laws and public policies of each state and jurisdiction in which such enforcement is sought, but that the unenforceability (or the modification to conform with such laws or public policies) of any provisions hereof, shall not render unenforceable or impair the remainder of this Agreement. Accordingly, if any provision of this Agreement shall be determined to be invalid or unenforceable, either in whole or in part, this Agreement shall be deemed amended to delete or modify, as necessary, the offending provisions and to alter the balance of this Agreement in order to render the same valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permissible.
| 9. | ASSIGNMENT. |
This Agreement is personal in nature to the Company and the rights and obligations of the Executive under this Agreement shall not be assigned or transferred by the Executive. This Agreement and all of the provisions hereof shall be binding upon, and inure to the benefit of, the parties hereto and their successors (including successors by merger, consolidation, sale or similar transaction, permitted assigns, executors, administrators, personal representatives, heirs and distributees).
| 10. | PROTECTIVE COVENANTS. |
(a) Business Opportunities. The Executive agrees that so long as he is employed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or is bound by a non-compete obligation in favor of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, he shall (i) refer to the Company all investment, acquisition, licensing or similar opportunities that involve a Competing Business (as defined below) or otherwise reasonably relate to the actual or anticipated business activities of the Company or its subsidiaries, (ii) use commercially reasonable efforts to allow the Company or one of its subsidiaries to pursue any such opportunity for the benefit of the Company or one of its subsidiaries, and (iii) without the prior written consent of the Board, refrain from pursuing any such opportunity for the benefit of the Executive or any of his affiliates or refer any such opportunity to any other person.
(b) Confidential Information.
(i) The Executive shall not disclose either during his period of employment or thereafter, any Confidential Information (as defined below) of which the Executive is or becomes aware, whether or not such information is developed by him, except to the extent that such disclosure is directly related to and required by the Executive’s performance in good faith of duties for the Company or its subsidiaries, or use any Confidential Information, directly or indirectly, for his own benefit or for the benefit of any person or entity other than the Company and its subsidiaries. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Executive may truthfully respond to a lawful and valid subpoena or other legal process but shall give the Company the earliest possible notice thereof; shall, as much in advance of the return date as possible, make available to the Company and its counsel the documents and other information sought; and shall assist the Company and such counsel in resisting or otherwise responding to such process.
(ii) The Executive will take all appropriate steps to safeguard Confidential Information in his possession and to protect it against disclosure, misuse, espionage, loss and theft. The Executive shall deliver to the Company at the termination of his employment, or at any time the Company may request, all memoranda, notes, plans, records, reports, computer media and software and other documents and data (and copies thereof) relating to the Confidential Information or the Work Product (as hereinafter defined) of the business of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which the Executive may then possess or have under his control.
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(iii) As used in this Agreement, the term “Confidential Information” means information that is not generally known to the public and that is used, developed or obtained by the Company or any of its subsidiaries in connection with their businesses, including, but not limited to, information, observations and data obtained by the Executive while employed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any predecessors thereof (including those obtained prior to the date hereof) concerning (i) the business or affairs of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (or such predecessors), (ii) products or services, (iii) fees, costs and pricing structures, (iv) designs, (v) analyses, (vi) drawings, photographs and reports, (vii) computer software, including operating systems, applications and program listings, (viii) flow charts, manuals and documentation, (ix) data bases, (x) accounting and business methods, (xi) inventions, devices, new developments, methods and processes, whether patentable or unpatentable and whether or not reduced to practice, (xii) customers and clients and customer or client lists, (xiii) other copyrightable works, (xiv) all production methods, processes, technology and trade secrets, (xv) marketing and pricing information, (xvi) supplier lists, and (xvii) all similar and related information in whatever form, all of which are confidential and may be proprietary and are owned or used by the Company or any of its subsidiaries. Such information shall hereinafter be called “Confidential Information” and shall include any and all items enumerated in the preceding sentence that are used, developed or obtained by the Company or any of its subsidiaries in connection with their businesses and of which the Executive is or becomes aware, whether discovered, conceived by, reduced to practice or developed by others or by the Executive alone or with others during the Period of Employment. Confidential Information does not include information that Executive can document has legally and properly entered the public domain through a source other than Executive and through no fault of Executive’s. Confidential Information will not be deemed to have legally and properly entered the public domain merely because individual portions of the information have been separately published, but only if all material features comprising such information have been published in combination.
(c) Ownership and Assignment of Work Product.
(i) As used in this Agreement, the term “Work Product” means all inventions, innovations, improvements, technical information, systems, software developments, marketing materials, methods, designs, analyses, drawings, reports, service marks, trademarks, trade names, logos and all similar or related information (whether patentable or unpatentable, copyrightable, registerable as a trademark, reduced to writing, or otherwise) which relates to the Company’s or any of its subsidiaries’ actual or anticipated business, research and development or existing or future products or services and which are created, conceived, developed, reduced to practice, contributed to, improved upon or made by the Executive (whether or not during usual business hours, whether or not by the use of the facilities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, and whether or not alone or in conjunction with any other person) while employed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or their respective predecessors (including those conceived, developed or made prior to the date hereof) together with all patent applications, letters patent, trademark, trade name and service mark applications or registrations, copyrights and reissues thereof that may be granted for or upon any of the foregoing.
(ii) All Work Product that the Executive may have discovered, invented or originated during his employment by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or their respective predecessors prior to the date hereof, or that he may discover, invent or originate during his employment or prior to his termination date, shall be the exclusive property of the Company and its subsidiaries, as applicable, and Executive hereby assigns all of Executive’s right, title and interest in and to such Work Product to the Company or its applicable Subsidiaries, including all intellectual property rights therein.
(iii) Executive shall promptly and fully disclose all Work Product to the Company. Executive shall take all requested actions and execute at the request of the Company all documents (including, but not limited to, any licenses or assignments) that the Company may deem necessary to protect, validate, perfect, maintain, enforce, record, patent or register any of its (or any of its subsidiaries’, as applicable) rights therein and shall assist the Company, at the Company’s expense, in obtaining, defending and enforcing the Company’s (or any of its subsidiaries’, as applicable) rights therein. If the Company is unable for any reason to secure the Executive’s signature on any document for this purpose, the Executive hereby appoints the Company and its duly authorized officers and agents as his attorney-in-fact to act for and on the Executive’s behalf and stead to execute any assignments or other documents deemed necessary by the Company to protect or perfect the Company’s (and any of its subsidiaries’, as applicable) rights to any Work Product and to do all other lawfully permitted acts in connection with the foregoing.
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(d) Restriction on Competition. The Executive acknowledges and agrees that information, including the Confidential Information, the Executive has acquired and will acquire during the course of the Executive’s employment may enable the Executive to irreparably injure the Company if the Executive should engage in unfair competition. The purpose of the provisions of this Section 10(d) is to protect the Company from unfair loss of goodwill and to shield Executives from pressure to use or disclose Confidential Information or to trade on the goodwill belonging to the Company. Therefore, in consideration of the receipt of the Confidential Information and the other compensation and benefits provided to the Executive and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Executive hereby agrees as follows: the Executive acknowledges that, in the course of his employment with the Company, its subsidiaries and/or their predecessors (the “Protected Companies”), he has become familiar, or will become familiar, with the Protected Companies’ trade secrets and with other confidential and proprietary information concerning the Protected Companies and that his services have been and will be of special, unique and extraordinary value to the Protected Companies. The Executive agrees that if the Executive were to become employed by, or substantially involved in, the business of a competitor of the Protected Companies during the Restricted Period, it would be very difficult for the Executive not to rely on or use the Protected Companies’ trade secrets and confidential information. Thus, to avoid the inevitable disclosure of the Protected Companies’ trade secrets and confidential information, and to protect such trade secrets and confidential information and the Protected Companies’ relationships and goodwill with customers, during the Restricted Period, the Executive will not directly or indirectly through any other person engage in, enter the employ of, render any services to, have any ownership interest in, nor participate in the financing, operation, management or control of, any Competing Business. For purposes of this Agreement, the phrase “directly or indirectly through any other Person engage in” shall include, without limitation, any direct or indirect ownership or profit participation interest in such enterprise, whether as an owner, stockholder, member, partner, joint venturer or otherwise, and shall include any direct or indirect participation in such enterprise as an Executive, consultant, director, officer or licensor of intellectual property. For purposes of this Agreement, “Restricted Area” means anywhere in the United States and elsewhere in the world where the Protected Companies engage in business, including, without limitation, jurisdictions where any of the Protected Companies reasonably anticipate engaging in business, on the termination date (provided that as of the termination date, to the knowledge of the Executive, such area has been discussed as a market that the Protected Companies reasonably contemplate engaging in within the twelve (12) month period following the termination date). For purposes of this Agreement, “Competing Business” means a person or entity that is engaged in designing, manufacturing, marketing, distributing or selling Company Products. For purposes of this Agreement, “Company Products” means those categories of products designed, manufactured, marketed, distributed or sold by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or those categories of products which the Company or any of its subsidiaries has taken substantial steps to design, manufacture, market, distribute or sell. For purposes of this Agreement, “Restricted Period” means the period of employment through and including twelve (12) months after the termination date. Nothing herein shall prohibit the Executive from being a passive owner of not more than two percent (2%) of the outstanding stock of any class of a corporation or other business entity which is publicly traded, so long as the Executive has no active participation in the business of such Person and does not have the right to elect or appoint a member to such Person’s board of directors or comparable governing body.
(e) Non-Solicitation of Executives and Consultants. During the period of employment and for a period of twenty-four (24) months after the termination date, the Executive will not directly or indirectly through any other person or entity (a) induce or attempt to induce any Executive or independent contractor of the Protected Companies to leave the employ or service, as applicable, of the Protected Companies, or in any way interfere with the relationship between the Protected Companies, on the one hand, and any Executive or independent contractor thereof, on the other hand, or (b) hire any person who was an Executive of the Protected Companies, in each case, until six (6) months after such individual’s employment relationship with the Protected Companies has been terminated; provided, however, that clause (a) shall not restrict general soliciting activity not specifically targeted at the Company or its subsidiaries (including the placement of general advertisements in trade media and the engagement of search firms that are not instructed to target the Company or its Subsidiaries); provided, further, that the foregoing proviso shall not allow the hiring of such persons.
(f) Non-Solicitation of Customers. During the period of employment and for a period of twenty-four (24) months after the termination date, the Executive will not directly or indirectly through any other person or entity influence or attempt to influence customers, vendors, suppliers, licensors, lessors, joint venturers, ceding companies, associates, consultants, agents, or partners of the Protected Companies to divert their business away from the Protected Companies, and the Executive will not otherwise interfere with, disrupt or attempt to disrupt the business relationships, contractual or otherwise, between the Protected Companies, on the one hand, and any of its or their customers, suppliers, vendors, lessors, licensors, joint venturers, associates, officers, Executives, consultants, managers, partners, members or investors, on the other hand.
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(g) Non-Disparagement. The Executive agrees that he will not at any time, during his employment or thereafter, directly or indirectly, make or ratify any statement, public or private, oral or written, to any person or entity that disparages, either professionally or personally, the Protected Companies or any of their past or present directors, officers, agents, attorneys, insurers, Executives, stockholders, and successors. The Executive further agrees that he will not, at any time during his employment or for twenty four (24) months after the termination date, make any statement or engage in any conduct that has the purpose or effect of disrupting the business of the Protected Companies or any of their equityholders.
(h) Understanding of Covenants. The Executive represents and agrees that he (a) is familiar with and carefully considered the foregoing covenants set forth in this Section 10 (the “Restrictive Covenants”), (b) is fully aware of his obligations hereunder, (c) agrees to the reasonableness of the length of time, scope and geographic coverage, as applicable, of the Restrictive Covenants, (d) agrees that the Restrictive Covenants are necessary to protect the Protected Companies’ confidential and proprietary information, good will, stable workforce and customer relations, (e) agrees that the Restrictive Covenants were a material inducement for the Company to enter into this Agreement with the Executive, and (f) agrees that the Restrictive Covenants will continue in effect for the applicable periods set forth in this Section 10 regardless of whether the Executive is then entitled to receive severance pay or benefits from any of the Protected Companies. The Executive understands that the Restrictive Covenants may limit his ability to earn a livelihood in a business similar to the business of the Protected Companies, but he nevertheless believes that he has received and will receive sufficient consideration and other benefits as an Executive of the Company and as otherwise provided hereunder or as described in the recitals hereto to clearly justify such restrictions which, in any event (given his education, skills and ability), the Executive does not believe would prevent his from otherwise earning a living. The Executive agrees that the Restrictive Covenants do not confer a benefit upon the Protected Companies disproportionate to the detriment of the Executive.
(i) Enforcement. The Executive agrees that the Executive’s services are unique and that he has access to Confidential Information and Work Product. Accordingly, without limiting the generality of this Section 10, the Executive agrees that a breach by the Executive of any of the Restrictive Covenants would cause immediate and irreparable harm to the Company that would be difficult or impossible to measure, and that damages to the Company for any such injury would therefore be an inadequate remedy for any such breach. Therefore, the Executive agrees that in the event of any breach or threatened breach of any provision of this Section 10, the Company shall be entitled, in addition to and without limitation upon all other remedies the Company may have under this Agreement, at law or otherwise, to seek specific performance, injunctive relief and/or other appropriate relief (without posting any bond or deposit) in order to enforce or prevent any violations of the provisions of this Section 10, as the case may be, or require the Executive to account for and pay over to the Company all compensation, profits, moneys, accruals, increments or other benefits derived from or received as a result of any transactions constituting a breach of this Section 10, if and when final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction is so entered against the Executive. The Executive further agrees that the applicable period of time any Restrictive Covenant is in effect following the termination date, as determined pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 10, shall be extended by the same amount of time that Executive is in breach of any Restrictive Covenant.
| 11. | TAXES. |
(a) All payments to be made to and on behalf of the Executive under this Agreement will be subject to required withholding of federal, employment and excise taxes, and to related reporting requirements.
(b) Limitation on Parachute Payments. In the event that the payment and other benefits provided for in this Agreement or otherwise payable to Executive (i) constitute "parachute payments" within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code and (ii) but for this Section 11(b), would be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code, then Executive's payments and benefits will be either:
(i) delivered in full, or
(ii) delivered as to such lesser extent which would result in no portion of such severance benefits being subject to excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code,
whichever of the foregoing amounts, taking into account the applicable federal, state and local income taxes and the excise tax imposed by Section 4999, results in the receipt by Executive on an after-tax basis, of the greatest amount of severance benefits, notwithstanding that all or some portion of such severance benefits may be taxable under Section 4999 of the Code.
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If a reduction in severance and other payments and benefits constituting "parachute payments" is necessary so that benefits are delivered to a lesser extent, reduction will occur in the following order: (i) reduction of cash payments; (ii) cancellation of awards granted "contingent on a change in ownership or control" (within the meaning of Code Section 280G), (iii) cancellation of accelerated vesting of equity awards, and (iv) reduction of Executive benefits. Within any such category of payments and benefits (that is, (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv)), a reduction shall occur first with respect to amounts that are not Deferred Payments and then with respect to amounts that are. In the event that acceleration of vesting of equity award compensation is to be reduced, such acceleration of vesting will be cancelled in the reverse order of the date of grant of Executive's equity awards.
Any determination required under this Section 11(b) will be made in writing by the Company’s independent public accountants engaged by the Company for general audit purposes immediately prior to the Change in Control (the "Accountants"), whose good faith determination will be conclusive and binding upon Executive and the Company for all purposes. If the independent registered public accounting firm so engaged by the Company is serving as accountant or auditor for the individual, entity or group effecting the Change in Control, or if such firm otherwise cannot perform the calculations, the Company shall appoint a nationally recognized independent registered public accounting firm to make the determinations required hereunder. For purposes of making the calculations required by this Section 11(b), the Accountants may make reasonable assumptions and approximations concerning applicable taxes and may rely on reasonable, good faith interpretations concerning the application of Sections 280G and 4999 of the Code. The Company and Executive will furnish to the Accountants such information and documents as the Accountants may reasonably request in order to make a determination under this Section. The Company will bear all costs the Accountants may reasonably incur in connection with any calculations contemplated by this section.
(c) Section 409A. If any provision of this Agreement (or any award of compensation or benefits provided under this Agreement) would cause Executive to incur any additional tax or interest under Section 409A of the Code, the Company shall reform such provision to comply with Section 409A and agrees to maintain, to the maximum extent practicable without violating Section 409A of the Code, the original intent and economic benefit to Executive of the applicable provision. The Company shall not accelerate the payment of any deferred compensation in violation of Section 409A of the Code and, to the extent required under Section 409A, the Company shall delay the payment of any deferred compensation for six months following Executive's termination of employment. When used in connection with any payments subject to Section 409A required to be made hereunder, the phrase "termination of employment" and correlative terms shall mean separation from service as defined in Section 409A. Unless such payments are otherwise exempt from Section 409A, any reimbursements or in-kind benefits provided under this Agreement shall be administered in accordance with Section 409A, such that: (a) the amount of expenses eligible for reimbursement, or in-kind benefits provided, during one year shall not affect the expenses eligible for reimbursement or the in-kind benefits provided in any other year; (b) reimbursement of eligible expenses shall be made on or before December 31 of the year following the year in which the expense was incurred; (c) Executive's right to reimbursement or in-kind benefits shall not be subject to liquidation or to exchange for another benefit; and, (d) if the payment of any deferred compensation shall be payable at any time within a period that overlaps two calendar years, payment shall be made in the second of the two years. For purposes of Section 409A, Executive's right to receive any installment payments pursuant to this Agreement shall be treated as a right to receive a series of separate and distinct payments.
| 12. | SURVIVAL. |
Anything in Section 6 hereof to the contrary notwithstanding, the provisions of Section 7 through 14 shall survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement, regardless of the reasons therefor.
| 13. | NO CONFLICT: REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. |
The Executive represents and warrants that (i) the information (written and oral) provided by the Executive to the Company in connection with obtaining employment with the Company or in connection with the Executive’s former employments, work history, circumstances of leaving former employments, and educational background, is true and complete, (ii) he has the legal capacity to execute and perform this Agreement, (iii) this Agreement is a valid and binding obligation of the Executive enforceable against him in accordance with its terms, (iv) the Executive’s execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement will not conflict with or result in a breach of any agreement, understanding, order, judgment or other obligation to which the Executive is a party or by which he may be bound, written or oral, and (v) the Executive is not subject to or bound by any covenant against competition, non-disclosure or confidentiality obligation, or any other agreement, order, judgment or other obligation, written or oral, which would conflict with, restrict or limit the performance of the services to be provided by him hereunder. The Executive agrees not to use, or disclose to anyone within the Company, at any time during his employment hereunder, any trade secrets or any confidential information of any other employer or other third party. Executive has provided to the Company a true copy of any non-competition obligation or agreement to which he may be subject.
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| 14. | MISCELLANEOUS. |
(a) Notices. All notices hereunder shall be given in writing, by personal delivery, nationally-recognized overnight courier (such as UPS or Federal Express), or prepaid registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, to the addresses of the proper parties as set forth below:
TO THE EXECUTIVE:
Alex H. Cunningham
1100 South Ocean Blvd., D-15
Pompano Beach, Fl 33062
TO THE COMPANY:
Cardiff Lexington Corporation
3753 Howard Hughes Parkway Suite 200
Las Vegas, NV 89169
Any notice given as set forth above will be deemed given on the business day sent when delivered by hand during normal business hours, on the business day after the business day sent if delivered by a nationally recognized overnight courier, or on the third business day after the business day sent if delivered by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested.
(b) Law Governing. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Nevada applicable to contracts made and to be wholly performed in that state without regard to its conflicts of law’s provisions or principles.
(c) Jurisdiction. (i) In any suit, action or proceeding seeking to enforce any provision of this Agreement or for purposes of resolving any dispute arising out of or related to this Agreement, the Company and the Executive each hereby irrevocably consents to the exclusive jurisdiction of any federal court located in the State of Kentucky, Fayette County, or any of the state courts of the State of Kentucky located in Fayette County; (ii) the Company and the Executive each hereby waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any objection which it or he may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding in any such court or that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum; (iii) process in any such suit, action or proceeding may be served on either party anywhere in the world, whether within or without the jurisdiction of such court, and, without limiting the foregoing, each of the Company and the Executive irrevocably agrees that service of process on such party, in the same manner as provided for notices in Section 14(a) above, shall be deemed effective service of process on such party in any such suit; action or proceeding; (iv) WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL: EACH OF THE COMPANY AND THE EXECUTIVE HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVE ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDINGS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AGREEMENT; and (v) Limitation on Damages: the parties agree that there will be no punitive damages payable as a result of or in connection with any claim, matter or breach under or related to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and each of the parties agrees not to request punitive damages. Notwithstanding the foregoing of this Section, each of the parties agrees that prior to commencing any claims for breach of this Agreement (except to pursue injunctive relief) to submit, for a period of sixty (60) days, to voluntary mediation before a jointly selected neutral third party mediator, (however, such mediation or obligation to mediate shall not suspend or otherwise delay any termination or other action of the Company or affect the Company’s other rights).
(d) Headings. The Section headings contained in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and are not intended to determine, limit or describe the scope or intent of any provision of this Agreement.
(e) Number and Gender. Whenever in this Agreement the singular is used, it shall include the plural if the context so requires, and whenever the feminine gender is used in this Agreement, it shall be construed as if the masculine, feminine or neuter gender, respectively, has been used where the context so dictates, with the rest of the sentence being construed as if the grammatical and terminological changes thereby rendered necessary have been made.
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(f) Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior or contemporaneous understandings and agreements, written or oral, between and among them respecting such subject matter.
(g) Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original but both of which taken together shall constitute one instrument.
(h) Amendments. This Agreement may not be amended except by a writing executed by each of the parties to this Agreement.
(i) No Waiver. No provision of this Agreement may be modified, waived or discharged unless such waiver, modification or discharge is agreed to in writing and signed by the Executive and such officer as may be specifically designated by the Board, No waiver by either party at any time of any breach by the other party of, or compliance with, any condition or provision of this Agreement to be performed by such other party shall be deemed a waiver of similar or dissimilar provisions or conditions at the same or at any prior or subsequent time.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.
| ALEX H. CUNNINGHAM | CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION | ||
| /s/ Alex Cunningham | By: /s/ L. Jack Staley | ||
| Executive - CEO | Name: L. Jack Staley | ||
| Date: December 26th, 2024 | Title: | Chairman | |
| Compensation Committee | |||
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Exhibit 10.15
ADDENDUM
TO
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
THIS ADDENDUM TO THE EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (“Addendum”), is made entered into, and effective as of the 1st day of January 2025 (the “Effective Date”) by and among by Cardiff Lexington Corporation, (“Company”) a Nevada Corporation and Daniel R. Thompson (“Executive”).
WHEREAS, the Company and Executive executed and entered into an Employment Agreement dated July 15, 2020 (the “Employment Agreement”); and
WHEREAS, Section 4 of the Employment Agreement provided et forth the executive’s compensation including Executive’s base salary ( “Base Salary”); and
WHEREAS, the Company desires to amend section 4 of the Employment Agreement; and WHEREAS, pursuant to the Company’s Compensation Committee’s recommendation and approval, the Company desires to amend Section 4 of the Employment, as hereinafter provided.
NOW, THEREFORE, upon approval of the Company’s Board of Directors and in consideration of the mutual promises and agreements contained in this Addendum and the Employment Agreement, the terms and provisions of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto, as amended hereby, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:
Section 1. Section 4 of the Employment Agreement is amended to read, in its entirety, as follows:
| 4. | COMPENSATION |
(a) Base Salary. Executive’s base salary (“Base Salary”) shall be paid in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices in effect from time to time. Executive’s Base Salary for the calendar year 2025 shall be $700,000.00 per annum.
(b) Cash Flow/Promissory Note. The Company and Executive acknowledge that Company, in the past, was not in a cash flow position to pay Executive his fully earned monthly salary and annual bonuses. At the option of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, a portion of, or all compensation due under this Addendum, may be paid and/or be converted to a promissory note bearing an annual interest rate of 5.00% with interest to be paid quarterly. Effective January 1, 2025, the outstanding amount of $2,320,500 owed to CEG (the Executive’s consulting company) shall accrue interest at an annual rate of 5%, with interest payments due at the end of each quarter.
(c) Performance Bonus. Executive shall be entitled to a one-time performance bonus of $200,000.00 following the Company successfully listing on the Nasdaq Exchange with a corresponding $4 Million Dollar capital raise beginning the month after the uplisting and commensurate close of the equity raise.
(d) Acquisition Bonus – During 2025, while under contract, the Executive will receive an acquisition bonus of $250,000 upon the closing of any new acquisition.
(e) Annual Incentive Bonus. For the 2025 fiscal year of the Company that ends during the term, Executive will be eligible to participate in the Company’s annual incentive plan established and developed by the Compensation Committee, as it may then be in effect (the “AIP”). Executive’s target 2025 annual bonus opportunity (“Target Bonus”) will be $250,000 which Target Bonus may be increased but not decreased from time to time in the Board’s sole discretion.
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(f) Separation Package Compensation. The Company and the Executive agree and acknowledge the Executive’s retirement effective 12.31.2025, the termination date of the Employment Agreement and this Addendum The parties have agreed to prepare a separation agreement to be executed by the parties on or before 03.31.2025. The parties are in agreement that the annual compensation to be paid to the Executive in accordance with the Company’s normal payroll practices in effect from time to time over a three (3) year term following the Executive’s retirement, are as follows:
| 1. 2026 | $700,000.00 |
| 2. 2027 | $400,000.00 |
| 3. 2028 | $250,000.00 |
Section 2. Miscellaneous.
(a) Reaffirmation and Incorporation of Employment Agreement. Except as expressly amended by this Addendum, the Employment Agreement, as amended by this Addendum, is and shall be unchanged and all of the covenants, representations, warranties, agreements, and conditions wet forth in the Employment Agreement shall remain and continue in full force and effect and are hereby incorporated by reference thereto, and are hereby ratified, reaffirmed, and confirmed by the Company and the Executive.
(b) Counterpart Electronic Signatures. This Addendum may be executed by the parties hereto in counterparts, and all of such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same agreement. This Addendum may be signed electronically including, but not limited to signature via DocuSign.
(c) Governing Law. The Addendum shall be construed in accordance, governed by, and enforced in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Nevada without giving effect to principles of conflicts of law. Each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the federal and state courts located in Clark County, Nevada in any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the Duties hereunder.
[Signatures appear on the following page S-1]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Addendum, effective as of the day and date first above written.
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION
By: /s/ L. Jack Staley
L. Jack Staley
Chairman, Compensation Committee
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
EXECUTIVE
By: /s/ Daniel R. Thompson
Daniel R. Thompson
| S-1 |
Exhibit 23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Cardiff Lexington Corporation
Las Vegas, Nevada
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements on Form S-8 (No. 333-276918) of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (the “Company”) of our report dated March 14, 2025, relating to the consolidated financial statements, which appear in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K as of and for the year ended December 31, 2024 to which this consent is filed as an exhibit. Our report contains an explanatory paragraph regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
/s/ GBQ Partners, LLC
Columbus, Ohio
March 14, 2025
Exhibit 23.2
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement of Cardiff Lexington Corporation and Subsidiaries (the “Company”) on Form S-8 File No. 333-276918 of our report dated March 27, 2024, except for Notes 1, 2 and 17, as to which date is July 23, 2024, with respect to our audit of the consolidated financial statements of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and for the year then ended, which is included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company. Our report includes an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern and an emphasis of matter paragraph with respect to a restatement of the 2023 financial statements.
/s/ Grassi & Co., CPAs, P.C.
Jericho, New York
March 14, 2025
Exhibit 31.1
CERTIFICATIONS
I, Alex Cunningham, certify that:
| 1. | I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Cardiff Lexington Corporation; |
| 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
| 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| 4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: |
| a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
| b) | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; | ||
| c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and | ||
| d) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
| 5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
| a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
| b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
Date: March 14, 2025
|
/s/ Alex Cunningham | |
| Alex Cunningham | |
|
Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
Exhibit 31.2
CERTIFICATIONS
I, Matthew Shafer, certify that:
| 1. | I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Cardiff Lexington Corporation; |
| 2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
| 3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
| 4. | The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have: |
| a) | Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
| b) | Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; | ||
| c) | Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and | ||
| d) | Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
| 5. | The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
| a) | All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
| b) | Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting. |
| Date: March 14, 2025 | |
| /s/ Matthew Shafer | |
|
Matthew Shafer Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) |
Exhibit 32.1
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 906
OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
The undersigned Chief Executive Officer of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (the “Company”), DOES HEREBY CERTIFY that:
1. The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 (the “Report”) fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
2. Information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operation of the Company.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this statement on March 14, 2025.
|
/s/ Alex Cunningham | |
| Alex Cunningham | |
|
Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) |
A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has been provided to Cardiff Lexington Corporation and will be retained by Cardiff Lexington Corporation and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.
The forgoing certification is being furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to § 18 U.S.C. Section 1350. It is not being filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company, whether made before or after the date hereof, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.
Exhibit 32.2
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 906
OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
The undersigned Chief Financial Officer of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (the “Company”), DOES HEREBY CERTIFY that:
1. The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 (the “Report”) fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
2. Information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operation of the Company.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this statement on March 14, 2025.
| /s/ Matthew Shafer | |
|
Matthew Shafer Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) |
A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has been provided to Cardiff Lexington Corporation and will be retained by Cardiff Lexington Corporation and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.
The forgoing certification is being furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to § 18 U.S.C. Section 1350. It is not being filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company, whether made before or after the date hereof, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.
Exhibit 97.1
CARDIFF LEXINGTON CORPORATION
CLAWBACK POLICY
| A. | OVERVIEW |
In accordance with the applicable rules of the NYSE American LLC Company Guide (the “NYSE American Rules”), Section 10D and Rule 10D-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) (“Rule 10D-1”), the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Cardiff Lexington Corporation (the “Company”) has adopted this Policy (the “Policy”) to provide for the recovery of erroneously awarded Incentive-based Compensation from Executive Officers. All capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in Section H, below.
| B. | RECOVERY OF ERRONEOUSLY AWARDED COMPENSATION |
(1) In the event of an Accounting Restatement, the Company will reasonably promptly recover the Erroneously Awarded Compensation Received in accordance with the NYSE American Rules and Rule 10D-1 as follows:
| (i) | After an Accounting Restatement, the Compensation Committee of the Board (the “Committee”) shall determine the amount of any Erroneously Awarded Compensation Received by each Executive Officer and shall promptly notify each Executive Officer with a written notice containing the amount of any Erroneously Awarded Compensation and a demand for repayment or return of such compensation, as applicable. For Incentive-based Compensation based on (or derived from) the Company’s common stock price or total stockholder return, where the amount of Erroneously Awarded Compensation is not subject to mathematical recalculation directly from the information in the applicable Accounting Restatement: |
| (a) | The amount to be repaid or returned shall be determined by the Committee based on a reasonable estimate of the effect of the Accounting Restatement on the Company’s common stock price or total stockholder return upon which the Incentive-based Compensation was Received; and |
| (b) | The Company shall maintain documentation of the determination of such reasonable estimate and provide the relevant documentation as required to NYSE American. |
| (ii) | The Committee shall have discretion to determine the appropriate means of recovering Erroneously Awarded Compensation based on the particular facts and circumstances. Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as set forth in Section B(2) below, in no event may the Company accept an amount that is less than the amount of Erroneously Awarded Compensation in satisfaction of an Executive Officer’s obligations hereunder. |
| (iii) | To the extent that the Executive Officer has already reimbursed the Company for any Erroneously Awarded Compensation Received under any duplicative recovery obligations established by the Company or applicable law, it shall be appropriate for any such reimbursed amount to be credited to the amount of Erroneously Awarded Compensation that is subject to recovery under this Policy. |
| (iv) | To the extent that an Executive Officer fails to repay all Erroneously Awarded Compensation to the Company when due, the Company shall take all actions reasonable and appropriate to recover such Erroneously Awarded Compensation from the applicable Executive Officer. The applicable Executive Officer shall be required to reimburse the Company for any and all expenses reasonably incurred (including legal fees) by the Company in recovering such Erroneously Awarded Compensation in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence. |
(2) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be required to take the actions contemplated by Section B(1) above if the Committee determines that recovery would be impracticable and any of the following two conditions are met:
| (i) | The Committee has determined that the direct expenses paid to a third party to assist in enforcing the Policy would exceed the amount to be recovered. Before making this determination, the Company must make a reasonable attempt to recover the Erroneously Awarded Compensation, document such attempt(s) and provide such documentation to NYSE American. |
| (ii) | Recovery would likely cause an otherwise tax-qualified retirement plan, under which benefits are broadly available to employees of the Company, to fail to meet the requirements of Section 401(a)(13) or Section 411(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and regulations thereunder. |
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| C. | DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS |
The Company shall file all disclosures with respect to this Policy required by applicable U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filings and rules.
| D. | PROHIBITION OF INDEMNIFICATION |
The Company shall not be permitted to insure or indemnify any Executive Officer against (i) the loss of any Erroneously Awarded Compensation that is repaid, returned or recovered pursuant to the terms of this Policy, or (ii) any claims relating to the Company’s enforcement of its rights under this Policy. Further, the Company shall not enter into any agreement that exempts any Incentive-based Compensation that is granted, paid or awarded to an Executive Officer from the application of this Policy or that waives the Company’s right to recovery of any Erroneously Awarded Compensation, and this Policy shall supersede any such agreement (whether entered into before, on or after the Effective Date of this Policy). It is hereby acknowledged that Rule 10D-1(b)(1)(v) and Section 811 of the NYSE American Rules provide that the Company is prohibited from indemnifying any executive officer or former executive officer against the loss of erroneously awarded compensation. It is therefore acknowledged that such indemnification is prohibited by applicable law for all purposes, including any and all such agreements.
| E. | ADMINISTRATION AND INTERPRETATION |
This Policy shall be administered by the Committee, and any determinations made by the Committee shall be final and binding on all affected individuals.
The Committee is authorized to interpret and construe this Policy and to make all determinations necessary, appropriate, or advisable for the administration of this Policy and for the Company’s compliance with the NYSE American Rules, Section 10D, Rule 10D-1 and any other applicable law, regulation, rule or interpretation of the SEC or NYSE American promulgated or issued in connection therewith.
| F. | AMENDMENT; TERMINATION |
The Committee may amend this Policy from time to time in its discretion and shall amend this Policy as it deems necessary. Notwithstanding anything in this Section F to the contrary, no amendment or termination of this Policy shall be effective if such amendment or termination would (after taking into account any actions taken by the Company contemporaneously with such amendment or termination) cause the Company to violate any federal securities laws, SEC rule or NYSE American rules.
| G. | OTHER RECOVERY RIGHTS |
This Policy shall be binding and enforceable against all Executive Officers and, to the extent required by applicable law or guidance from the SEC or NYSE American, their beneficiaries, heirs, executors, administrators or other legal representatives. The Committee intends that this Policy will be applied to the fullest extent required by applicable law. Any employment agreement, equity award agreement, compensatory plan or any other agreement or arrangement with an Executive Officer shall be deemed to include, as a condition to the grant of any benefit thereunder, an agreement by the Executive Officer to abide by the terms of this Policy. Any right of recovery under this Policy is in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other remedies or rights of recovery that may be available to the Company under applicable law, regulation or rule or pursuant to the terms of any policy of the Company or any provision in any employment agreement, equity award agreement, compensatory plan, agreement or other arrangement.
| H. | DEFINITIONS |
For purposes of this Policy, the following capitalized terms shall have the meanings set forth below.
(1) “Accounting Restatement” means an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance of the Company with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws, including any required accounting restatement to correct an error in previously issued financial statements that is material to the previously issued financial statements (a “Big R” restatement), or that would result in a material misstatement if the error were corrected in the current period or left uncorrected in the current period (a “little r” restatement).
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(2) “Clawback Eligible Incentive Compensation” means all Incentive-based Compensation Received by an Executive Officer (i) on or after the effective date of the applicable NYSE American rules, (ii) after beginning service as an Executive Officer, (iii) who served as an Executive Officer at any time during the applicable performance period relating to any Incentive-based Compensation (whether or not such Executive Officer is serving at the time the Erroneously Awarded Compensation is required to be repaid to the Company), (iv) while the Company has a class of securities listed on a national securities exchange or a national securities association, and (v) during the applicable Clawback Period (as defined below).
(3) “Clawback Period” means, with respect to any Accounting Restatement, the three completed fiscal years of the Company immediately preceding the Restatement Date (as defined below), and if the Company changes its fiscal year, any transition period of less than nine months within or immediately following those three completed fiscal years.
(4) “Erroneously Awarded Compensation” means, with respect to each Executive Officer in connection with an Accounting Restatement, the amount of Clawback Eligible Incentive Compensation that exceeds the amount of Incentive-based Compensation that otherwise would have been Received had it been determined based on the restated amounts, computed without regard to any taxes paid.
(5) “Executive Officer” means each individual who is currently or was previously designated as an “officer” of the Company as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act. For the avoidance of doubt, the identification of an executive officer for purposes of this Policy shall include each executive officer who is or was identified pursuant to Item 401(b) of Regulation S-K or Item 6.A of Form 20-F, as applicable, as well as the principal financial officer and principal accounting officer (or, if there is no principal accounting officer, the controller).
(6) “Financial Reporting Measures” means measures that are determined and presented in accordance with the accounting principles used in preparing the Company’s financial statements, and all other measures that are derived wholly or in part from such measures. Common stock price and total stockholder return (and any measures that are derived wholly or in part from common stock price or total stockholder return) shall, for purposes of this Policy, be considered Financial Reporting Measures. For the avoidance of doubt, a Financial Reporting Measure need not be presented in the Company’s financial statements or included in a filing with the SEC.
(7) “Incentive-based Compensation” means any compensation that is granted, earned or vested based wholly or in part upon the attainment of a Financial Reporting Measure.
(8) “NYSE American” means NYSE American LLC.
(9) “Received” means, with respect to any Incentive-based Compensation, actual or deemed receipt, and Incentive-based Compensation shall be deemed received in the Company’s fiscal period during which the Financial Reporting Measure specified in the Incentive-based Compensation award is attained, even if the payment or grant of the Incentive-based Compensation to the Executive Officer occurs after the end of that period.
(10) “Restatement Date” means the earlier to occur of (i) the date the Board, a committee of the Board or the officers of the Company authorized to take such action if Board action is not required, concludes, or reasonably should have concluded, that the Company is required to prepare an Accounting Restatement, or (ii) the date a court, regulator or other legally authorized body directs the Company to prepare an Accounting Restatement.
Effective as of March 31, 2024
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