Note 18. Commitments and Contingencies

Contingencies

On August 28, 2018, Silvon S. Simmons (the "Plaintiff") amended a complaint against the City of Rochester, New York and various city employees, filed in the United States District Court, Western District of New York, to add the Company and employees as defendants. The amended complaint alleges conspiracy to violate plaintiff's civil rights, denial of the right to a fair trial, and malicious prosecution. The Plaintiff claims that ShotSpotter colluded with the City of Rochester to fabricate and create gunshot alert evidence to secure Plaintiff's conviction. On the basis of the allegations, the Plaintiff has petitioned for compensatory and punitive damages and other costs and expenses, including attorney's fees. The Company believes that the Plaintiff's claims are without merit and are disputing them vigorously.

On October 12, 2021, the Company filed a defamation lawsuit against VICE Media, LLC ("VICE"), in Delaware Superior Court. The complaint alleges that VICE intentionally misrepresented court records and targeted ShotSpotter with false accusations in order to cultivate a subversive brand that enables VICE to sell sponsored content to corporate advertisers. The lawsuit was dismissed by the prevailing judge on June 30, 2022, but the Company obtained a retraction from VICE of several false statements following the dismissal.

The Company may become subject to legal proceedings, as well as demands and claims that arise in the normal course of business. Such claims, even if not meritorious, could result in the expenditure of significant financial and management resources. The Company makes a provision for a liability relating to legal matters when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. These provisions are reviewed and adjusted to include the impacts of negotiations, estimated settlements, legal rulings, advice of legal counsel, and other information and events pertaining to a particular matter.

An unfavorable outcome on any litigation matters could require payment of substantial damages, or, in connection with any intellectual property infringement claims, could require the Company to pay ongoing royalty payments or could prevent the Company from selling certain of its products. As a result, a settlement of, or an unfavorable outcome on, any of the matters referenced above or other litigation matters could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, operating results, financial condition and cash flows.