Golden Minerals Co

During April 2021, the Company became aware of a lawsuit in Mexico against one of the Company’s Mexican subsidiaries, Minera William, S.A. de C.V. (“Minera William”). The plaintiff in the matter is Unifin Financiera, S.A.B de C.V. (“Unifin”). The lawsuit was assigned to the Fifth Specialized Commercial District Court. In November 2022, the Company was formally served with the complaint in connection with the lawsuit and in December 2022 the Company filed its answer to the complaint. Unifin is alleging that a representative of Minera William signed certain documents in July 2011 purporting to bind Minera William as a guarantor of payment obligations owed by a third party to Unifin in connection with that third party’s acquisition of certain drilling equipment. At the time the documentation was allegedly signed, Minera William was a subsidiary of ECU Silver Mining prior to the Company’s acquisition of ECU in September 2011. As a preemptive measure, Unifin has obtained a preliminary court order freezing Minera William’s bank accounts in Mexico, which has limited the Company’s and Minera William’s ability to access approximately $153,000 according to current currency exchange rates. Notwithstanding this action, the restrictions imposed on Minera William’s bank accounts do not impact the Company’s ability to operate the Rodeo mine, which is held through a different Mexico subsidiary. Likewise, the action does not impact the Company’s ability to continue with the Company’s evaluation plans for a potential Velardeña mine restart or move forward with any of the Company’s other exploration programs in Mexico. A preliminary hearing was scheduled to take place on April 3, 2023 but was rescheduled to June 2023. In June 2023 Minera William and Unifin agreed to pursue discussions to settle the matter and the Court agreed to suspend trial to allow Minera William and Unifin to negotiate a settlement agreement. On December 6, 2023, Minera William and Unifin filed a joint motion to notify the court that they entered into the Settlement Agreement. Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement, Minera William has agreed to pay $250,000 to Unifin and Unifin has agreed to release Minera Williams from any future claim related to the dispute. The Settlement Agreement has been approved by Mexico courts. The Company anticipates that the settlement amount will be paid in 2024.