17. Related Party Transactions

The Company’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, individually and through certain trusts over which he has voting and dispositive control, beneficially owned approximately 10.3% and 9.9% of the Company’s issued and outstanding Common Stock as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The Company’s Executive Vice Chairman, Strategic Development individually owns approximately 11.1% and 10.8% of the Company’s issued and outstanding Common Stock at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

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Shared Services Agreement with TGTX

In July 2015, TGTX and the Company entered into an arrangement to share the cost of certain research and development employees. The Company’s Executive Vice Chairman, Strategic Development, is Executive Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer of TGTX. Under the terms of the Agreement, TGTX will reimburse the Company for the salary and benefit costs associated with these employees based upon actual hours worked on TGTX related projects. In connection with the shared services agreement, the Company invoiced TGTX $0.4 million and $0.6 million, and received payments of $0.4 million and $0.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Shared Services Agreement with Journey

On November 12, 2021, Journey and the Company entered into an arrangement to share the cost of certain legal, finance, regulatory, and research and development employees. The Company’s Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is the Executive Chairman of Journey. Under the terms of the Agreement, Journey will reimburse the Company for the salary and benefit costs associated with these employees based upon actual hours worked on Journey related projects following the completion of their initial public offering. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company’s employees have provided services to Journey totaling approximately $0.6 million.  Upon completion of Journey’s initial public offering in November 2021 (see Note 14) $0.5 million was converted into 52,438 shares of Journey common stock at the initial public offering price of $10.00 per share.

Desk Share Agreement with TGTX

The Desk Share Agreement with TGTX, as amended, requires TGTX to pay 65% of the average annual rent. Additionally, the Company has reserved the right to execute desk share agreements with other third parties and those arrangements will affect the cost of the lease actually borne by the Company. Each initial Desk Share Agreement has a term of five years. In connection with the Company’s Desk Share Agreement with TGTX for the New York, NY office space, for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had paid $2.7 million and $2.6 million in rent, respectively, and invoiced TGTX approximately $1.5 million and $1.6 million respectively, for their prorated share of the rent base. At December 31, 2021, there were no amounts due from TGTX related to this arrangement.

As of July 1, 2018, TGTX employees began to occupy desks in the Waltham, MA office under the Desk Share Agreement. TGTX began to pay their share of the rent based on actual percentage of the office space occupied on a month by month basis. For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had paid approximately $0.2 million and $0.3 million in rent for the Waltham, MA office, and invoiced TGTX approximately $0.1 million and $0.1 million, respectively.

Checkpoint Collaborative Agreements with TGTX

Checkpoint has entered into various agreements with TGTX to develop and commercialize certain assets in connection with its licenses, including a collaboration agreement for some of the Dana Farber licensed antibodies, and a sublicense agreement for the Jubilant family of patents. Checkpoint believes that by partnering with TGTX to develop these compounds in therapeutic areas outside of its business focus, it may substantially offset its preclinical costs and milestone costs related to the development and marketing of these compounds in solid tumor indications.

Journey Promissory Note

On September 30, 2021, the Company increased the Journey promissory note by $9.5 million in response to a cyber incident that occurred at Journey and resulted in $9.5 million of fraudulent payments.  The $9.5 million contribution was approved by the boards of directors of both the Company and Journey, and ensured that Journey’s accounts payable function continued to operate smoothly.  This contribution, along with the $5.2 million already outstanding under the Journey Promissory Note, converted into 1,476,044 shares of Journey common stock upon completion of Journey’s initial public offering in November 2021 (see Note 14)  at the initial public offering price of $10.00 per share.  The amounts associated with the Journey Promissory Note are eliminated in the consolidated balance sheets.

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2019 Notes (formerly the Opus Credit Facility)

During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company used certain proceeds from the Oaktree Note to pay off the $9.0 million balance previously outstanding under the 2019 Notes. For the year ended December 31, 2020, in connection with the 2019 Notes pay off, the Company paid $0.5 million in interest on the portion of the 2019 Notes held by the Company's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer and the Company's Executive Vice President, Strategic Development.

Founders Agreement and Management Services Agreement

The Company has entered into Founders Agreements with each of the Fortress partner companies listed in the table below. Pursuant to each Founders Agreement, in exchange for the time and capital expended in the formation of each partner company and the identification of specific assets the acquisition of which result in the formation of a viable emerging growth life science company, the Company will loan each such partner company an amount representing the up-front fee required to acquire assets. Each Founders Agreement has a term of 15 years, which upon expiration automatically renews for successive one-year periods unless terminated by the Company or a Change in Control (as defined in the Founders Agreement) occurs. In connection with each Founders Agreement the Company receives 250,000 Class A Preferred shares (except for that with Checkpoint, in which the Company holds Class A Common Stock).

The Class A Preferred Stock (Class A Common Stock with respect to Checkpoint) is identical to common stock other than as to voting rights, conversion rights and the PIK Dividend right (as described below). Each share of Class A Preferred Stock (Class A Common Stock with respect to Checkpoint) is entitled to vote the number of votes that is equal to one and one-tenth (1.1) times a fraction, the numerator of which is the sum of (A) the shares of outstanding common stock and (B) the whole shares of common stock into which the shares of outstanding Class A Preferred Stock (Class A Common Stock with respect to Checkpoint) are convertible and the denominator of which is the number of shares of outstanding Class A Preferred Stock (Class A Common Stock with respect to Checkpoint). Thus, the Class A Preferred Stock (Class A Common Stock with respect to Checkpoint) will at all times constitute a voting majority. Each share of Class A Preferred Stock (Class A Common Stock with respect to Checkpoint) is convertible, at the holder’s option, into one fully paid and nonassessable share of common stock of such partner company, subject to certain adjustments.

The holders of Class A Preferred Stock (and the Class A Common Stock with respect to Checkpoint), as a class, are entitled receive on each effective date or “Trigger Date” (defined as the date that the Company first acquired, whether by license or otherwise, ownership rights to a product) of each agreement (each a “PIK Dividend Payment Date”) until the date all outstanding Class A Preferred Stock (Class A Common Stock with respect to Checkpoint) is converted into common stock or redeemed (and the purchase price is paid in full), pro rata per share dividends paid in additional fully paid and nonassessable shares of common stock (“PIK Dividends”) such that the aggregate number of shares of common stock issued pursuant to such PIK Dividend is equal to two and one-half percent (2.5%) of such partner company’s fully-diluted outstanding capitalization on the date that is one (1) business day prior to any PIK Dividend Payment Date. The Company has reached agreements with several of the partner companies to change the PIK Dividend Interest Payment Date to January 1 of each year - a change that has not and will not result in the issuance of any additional partner company common stock beyond that amount to which the Company would otherwise be entitled absent such change(s). The Company owns 100% of the Class A Preferred Stock (Class A Common Stock with respect to Checkpoint) of each partner company that has a Founders Agreement with the Company.

As additional consideration under the Founders Agreement, each partner company with which the Company has entered into a Founders Agreement will also: (i) pay an equity fee in shares of the common stock of such partner company, payable within five (5) business days of the closing of any equity or debt financing for each partner company or any of its respective subsidiaries that occurs after the effective date of the Founders Agreement and ending on the date when the Company no longer has majority voting control in such partner company’s voting equity, equal to two and one-half (2.5%) of the gross amount of any such equity or debt financing; and (ii) pay a cash fee equal to four and one-half percent (4.5%) of such partner company’s annual net sales, payable on an annual basis, within ninety (90) days of the end of each calendar year. In the event of a Change in Control, each such partner company will pay a one-time change in control fee equal to five (5x) times the product of (A) net sales for the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the change in control and (B) four and one-half percent (4.5%).

The following table summarizes, by subsidiary, the effective date of the Founders Agreements and PIK dividend or equity fee payable to the Company in accordance with the terms of the Founders Agreements, Exchange Agreements and the partner companies’ certificates of incorporation.

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Equity Fees

The following table summarizes, by subsidiary, the PIK dividend or equity fee recorded by the Company in accordance with the terms of the Founders Agreements, Exchange Agreements and the partner companies’ certificates of incorporation for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 ($ in thousands):

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Note 1:   Includes 2022 PIK dividend accrued for the year ended December 31, 2021, as Type 1 subsequent event.

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Management Services Agreements

The Company has entered into Management Services Agreements (the “MSAs”) with certain of its partner companies. Pursuant to each MSA, the Company’s management and personnel provide advisory, consulting and strategic services to each partner company that has entered into an MSA with Fortress for a period of five (5) years. Such services may include, without limitation, (i) advice and assistance concerning any and all aspects of each such partner company’s operations, clinical trials, financial planning and strategic transactions and financings and (ii) conducting relations on behalf of each such partner company with accountants, attorneys, financial advisors and other professionals (collectively, the “Services”). Each such partner company is obligated to utilize clinical research services, medical education, communication and marketing services and investor relations/public relation services of companies or individuals designated by Fortress, provided those services are offered at market prices. However, such partner companies are not obligated to take or act upon any advice rendered from Fortress, and the Company shall not be liable to any such partner company for its actions or inactions based upon the Company’s advice. The Company and its affiliates, including all members of Fortress’ Board of Directors, have been contractually exempted from fiduciary duties to each such partner company relating to corporate opportunities.

The following table summarizes, by partner company, the effective date of the MSA and the annual consulting fee payable by the subsidiary to the Company in quarterly installments ($ in thousands):

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Note 1:   Pursuant to the terms of the agreement between Avenue and InvaGen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. during the term of the Avenue SPMA fees under the MSA will not be due or accrued.

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Fees and Stock Grants Received by Fortress

Fees recorded in connection with the Company’s agreements with its subsidiaries are eliminated in consolidation. These include management services fees, issuance of common shares of partner companies in connection with third party raises and annual stock dividend or issuances on the anniversary date of respective Founders Agreements.