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DIRTT ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS LTD

For the period ended Mar 31, 2024. Filed May 8, 2024.

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Mar 31, 2024 · Filed May 8, 2024

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Item 1. Legal Proceedings

DIRTT is pursuing multiple lawsuits against its founders, Mogens Smed and Barrie Loberg, as well as Falkbuilt Ltd. and Falkbuilt, Inc. (collectively, “Falkbuilt”) and related individuals and corporations. DIRTT alleges breaches of fiduciary duties and non-competition and non-solicitation covenants, and the misappropriation of its confidential and proprietary information (in violation of numerous U.S. state and federal laws pertaining to the protection of trade secrets and proprietary information and the prevention of false advertising and deceptive trade practices). Except as described below, there have been no material developments in the legal proceedings previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.

DIRTT’s litigation against Falkbuilt, Messrs. Smed and Loberg, and their associates is comprised of three main lawsuits: (i) an action in the Alberta Court of King’s Bench commenced on May 9, 2019 against Falkbuilt, Messrs. Smed and Loberg, and several other former DIRTT employees alleging breaches of restrictive covenants, fiduciary duties, and duties of loyalty, fidelity and confidentiality, and the misappropriation of DIRTT’s confidential information (the “Canadian Non-Compete Case”); (ii) an action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Utah instituted on December 11, 2019 against Falkbuilt, Smed, and other individual and corporate defendants alleging misappropriation of DIRTT’s confidential information, trade secrets, business intelligence and customer information (the “Utah Misappropriation Case”); and (iii) an action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas instituted on June 24, 2021 alleging that Falkbuilt has unlawfully used DIRTT’s confidential information in the United States and intentionally caused confusion in the United States in an attempt to steal customers, opportunities, and business intelligence, with the aim of establishing a competing business in the United States market (the “Texas Unfair Competition Case”). DIRTT intends to pursue the cases vigorously.

We recently requested the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta to schedule the summary judgment application for our Canadian litigation. The court has proposed three potential dates in September 2025 and we expect to have the date finalized in the next several weeks. In the Canadian Non-Compete Case, on February 14, 2023, the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta granted DIRTT’s application to schedule the hearing of its summary judgment application and dismissed Falkbuilt’s cross-application to strike the summary judgment application. DIRTT’s. The is aggressively pursuing its summary judgment application has been scheduled for September 22-26, 2025.

In the Utah Misappropriation Case, on April 11, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit reversed the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Utah’s decision that Utah was an inconvenient forum for DIRTT’s claims against Falkbuilt and others for the misappropriation of confidential information, trade secrets, business intelligence and customer information. The Utah Court had previously, and erroneously, found that DIRTT’s United States-based claims should be litigated in Canada. The Court of Appeals remanded the matter back to the Utah District Court. Falkbuilt filed motions to stay the Tenth Circuit decision pending its petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the Supreme Court of the United States. The Court of Appeals promptly denied the motion to stay. A similar motion subsequently filed with the Supreme Court of the United States on the same basis was also promptly denied. Fallkbuilt also petitioned the Supreme Court to accept review, even after losing the stay motion, that petition was also denied in early October.

The Texas Unfair Competition Case was dismissed, without prejudice, in reliance upon the now-reversed decision in the Utah Misappropriation Case, described above. DIRTT appealed that decision, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit stayed the appeal pending the Tenth Circuit ruling at Falkbuilt's request. After prevailing in the Tenth Circuit, DIRTT asked Falkbuilt if it would, consistent with its prior representations, agree to remand the appeal to the Texas Court for disposition to Utah. Falkbuilt refused and DIRTT filed a Motion to Remand. The Court denied the Motion for Remand without prejudice and asked for full briefing. Prior to the argument, DIRTT sought leave to amend the Utah claims to include the Texas claims and notified the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals of the proposed amendment in Utah. Falkbuilt did not object to the amendment, but answered the Complaint and reserved the right to dismiss the Amended Complaint on grounds of inconvenient forum or international comity. The Amended Complaint not only presents the Texas claims in Utah but also updates DIRTT’s allegations as to events and damages incurred during the time the parties were participating in the appellate process. Argument proceeded on December 7, 2023 in New Orleans. The Tenth Circuit ultimately denied Falkbuilt’s appeal to have the Texas claims joined in Canada and those claims are in Utah. Notwithstanding all the prior litigation, Falkbuilt has again moved to stay the Utah case and move it, including the Texas claims, to Canada. DIRTT has vigorously opposed these motions and commenced discovery. Falkbuilt’s response to pending discovery are due shortly. Briefing on Falkbuilt’s motion to stay the case and renewed motion to move it to Canada will be fully briefed shortly. DIRTT is proceeding as though the Motions will be denied.

On April 25, 2024, DIRTT filed a Statement of Claim at the Court of the King’s Bench of Alberta against McMillan LLP, one of their partners and several former Directors of DIRTT for negligence and breach of fiduciary duties. The Claim explains that as a result DIRTT has suffered loss and damages and seeks compensation for damages of approximately C$30 million.

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