Note 10 – Contingent Liabilities



The testing, manufacturing and marketing of consumer products by the Company entail an inherent risk that product liability claims will be asserted against the Company.  The Company maintains product liability insurance coverage for claims arising from the use of its products.  The coverage amount is currently $10.0 million.



Litigation



In response to the APP Acquisition, two purported derivative and class action lawsuits were filed against the Company and certain of its officers and directors in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, captioned Glotzer v. The Female Health Company, et al., Case No. 2016-CH-13815, and Schartz v. Parrish, et al., Case No. 2016-CH-14488.  These lawsuits were originally filed on or about October 21, 2016 and November 7, 2016, respectively. On January 9, 2017, these two lawsuits were consolidated. On March 31, 2017, the plaintiffs filed a consolidated complaint.  The consolidated complaint named as defendants Veru, the members of our board of directors prior to the closing of the APP Acquisition and the members of our board of directors after the closing of the APP Acquisition. The consolidated complaint alleged, among other things, that the directors breached their fiduciary duties, or aided and abetted such breaches, by consummating the APP Acquisition in violation of the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law and NASDAQ voting requirements and by causing us to issue the shares of our common stock and Series 4 Preferred Stock to the former stockholders of APP pursuant to the APP Acquisition in order to evade the voting requirements of the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law. The consolidated complaint also alleged that Dr. Steiner, a director and the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Veru and a co-founder of APP, and Dr. Fisch, a director and Vice Chairman of Veru and a co-founder of APP, were unjustly enriched in receiving shares of our common stock and Series 4 Preferred Stock in the APP Acquisition.



On May 5, 2017, the defendants filed a motion to dismiss the consolidated complaint. On August 15, 2017, the court entered an order dismissing without prejudice the claims that the post-acquisition directors aided and abetted the alleged breaches of fiduciary duties by the pre-acquisition directors and that Dr. Steiner and Dr. Fisch were unjustly enriched.  The court did not dismiss the claims that our directors prior to the closing of the APP Acquisition breached their fiduciary duties and the claims that Veru consummated the APP Acquisition in violation of the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law and NASDAQ voting requirements.  On November 30, 2018, plaintiffs filed an Amended Consolidated Complaint.  The Amended Consolidated Complaint makes allegations similar to those in the original consolidated complaint as to the claims that were not dismissed and names as defendants Veru and the members of our board of directors prior to the closing of the APP Acquisition. The Amended Consolidated Complaint also makes claims against Dr. Steiner for allegedly aiding and abetting the pre-acquisition directors’ breach of fiduciary duty and for unjust enrichment.  Like the original consolidated complaint, the Amended Consolidated Complaint seeks equitable relief, including rescission of the APP Acquisition, money damages, disgorgement of the shares of our common stock and Series 4 Preferred Stock issued to Dr. Steiner, and costs and expenses of the litigation, including attorneys' fees.  On December 14, 2018, the defendants filed their answer to the Amended Consolidated Complaint wherein they denied any and all liability and asserted additional defenses.  On January 14, 2019, the plaintiffs filed a motion for class certification.  The defendants’ response to plaintiffs’ motion for class certification is due on February 15, 2019.  Veru believes that this action is without merit and is vigorously defending itself. No amount has been accrued for possible losses relating to this litigation as any such losses are not both probable and reasonably estimable.



License and Purchase Agreements



From time to time, we license or purchase rights to technology or intellectual property from third parties. These licenses and purchase agreements require us to pay upfront payments as well as development or other payments upon successful completion of preclinical, clinical, regulatory or revenue milestones. In addition, these agreements may require us to pay royalties on sales of products arising from the licensed or acquired technology or intellectual property. Because the achievement of future milestones is not reasonably estimable, we have not recorded a liability in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for any of these contingencies.