Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Related Party Transactions

v3.19.3
Related Party Transactions
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2019
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]  
Related Party Transactions
Related Party Transactions

Loan Advances in lieu of Future Payouts from WMS
In February 2019, the Company entered into a demand promissory note with WMS (as an advance against future dividends that WMS may pay the Company) for approximately $7.4 million, bearing interest at 6.5% per annum, and concurrently signed an agreement to waive future dividends or other such distributions by WMS to the Company until such time as the outstanding principal on the demand promissory note has been repaid in full. The outstanding demand promissory note would be reduced dollar-for-dollar by any such distribution amounts waived. The Company may prepay the promissory note at any time without prepayment penalty. The entire principal balance of this promissory note together with all accrued but unpaid interest is due on the earliest to occur of (i) demand by the holder, (ii) December 31, 2020 and (iii) the date of acceleration of the promissory note as a result of the occurrence of an event of default. During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, WMS approved a deemed dividend to the Company totaling $9.2 million, resulting in a full offset of the $7.4 million loan balance and $1.8 million cash distribution.
Due to Santander
In connection with the EMC Acquisition, the Company acquired a 49% equity interest in Santander. The Company accounts for its interest in Santander using the equity method and includes our share of Santander’s profits or losses in Income from equity method investments in the condensed consolidated statements of operations. The Company purchased approximately $1.1 million and $3.5 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, and approximately $1.1 million and $2.9 million for the three and nine ended September 30, 2018, respectively, from Santander for their Teleport services and related network operations support services. As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company owed Santander approximately $1.4 million and $1.3 million, respectively, as remaining payments for these services, which is included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities in the condensed consolidated balance sheets for their teleport services and related network operations support services.

Subscription Receivable with Former Employee
A former employee is party to a Secured Promissory Note dated July 15, 2011, pursuant to which the former employee agreed to pay the Company (as successor to Row 44, Inc., which is a Company subsidiary) a principal sum of approximately $0.4 million, plus interest thereon at a rate of 6% per annum. The former employee granted the Company a security interest in shares of Row 44 held by him (which Row 44 shares were subsequently converted into 223,893 shares of the Company’s common stock) to secure his obligations to repay the loan. As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the balance of the note (with interest) was approximately $0.6 million, which is presented as a subscription receivable. We recognize interest income on the note when earned (using the simple interest method) but have not collected any interest payments since the origination of the note. Interest income recognized by the Company during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018 was not material. The Company makes ongoing assessments regarding the collectability of this note and the subscription receivable balance, and is currently in litigation with the former employee to recover the loan and to address the former employee’s allegations that we breached related settlement agreements with him in 2014 and 2015.

Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement
When we consummated our business combination in January 2013 with Row 44 and Advanced Inflight Alliance AG, we entered into an amended and restated registration rights agreement with Par Investment Partners, L.P. (“PAR”), entities affiliated with Putnam Investments, Global Eagle Acquisition LLC (the “Sponsor”) and a current member of our board of directors (“Board of Directors” or “Board”), Harry E. Sloan and our then Board member, Jeff Sagansky, both of whom were affiliated with the Sponsor. Under that agreement, we agreed to register the resale of securities held by such parties (the “registrable securities”) and to sell those registrable securities pursuant to an effective registration statement in a variety of manners, including in underwritten offerings. We also agreed to pay the security holders’ expenses in connection with their exercise of their registration rights.

In addition, the amended and restated registration rights agreement restricts our ability to grant registration rights to a third party on parity with or senior to those held by the “holders” (as defined under that agreement) without the consent of holders of at least a majority of the “registrable securities” under that agreement. In April 2018, we entered into a consent to the amended and restated registration rights agreement with PAR whereby PAR (as a holder of a majority of registrable securities thereunder) consented to the registration rights that we provided to Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P. (“Searchlight”) as part of its investment in us.

According to a Schedule 13G/A filed on February 7, 2018, and a Schedule 13D/A filed on June 6, 2019, respectively, neither Putnam Investments nor PAR hold more than 5% of our outstanding common stock, and as such each has ceased to be a related party. Furthermore, Mr. Sagansky ceased being a related party on June 24, 2019 when he retired from our Board. Mr. Sloan continues to be a related party.

Amendment to Second Lien Notes
Concurrently with entering into the 2017 Credit Agreement Amendment, the Company entered into a second amendment to the securities purchase agreement and amendment to security agreement (the “Second Lien Amendment”), which amended that certain securities purchase agreement, by and among the Company, Searchlight II TBO, L.P., Searchlight II TBO-W, L.P., and the other parties thereto relating to the Second Lien Notes, to, among other things, remove the ability to make any cash interest payments under the Second Lien Notes so long as such payments are prohibited by the terms of the 2017 Credit Agreement, add collateral for the Second Lien Notes consistent with the additional collateral provided under the 2017 Credit Agreement and modify the prepayment premium schedule to extend through maturity of the Second Lien Notes.