LanzaTech Global, Inc.LNZA
LanzaTech Global, Inc. Commitments Disclosure
Commitments and Contingencies
Litigation
The Company may be involved in legal proceedings and exposed to potential claims in the normal course of business. As of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company did not have any reasonably possible or probable losses from such claims. The Company has filed suit against Vellar under the FPA, and Vellar has filed suit against the Company, as discussed below.
Schara litigation
In May 2024, a putative class action complaint (the “Complaint”) was filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery against LanzaTech f/k/a/ AMCI, AMCI Sponsor II LLC (“AMCI Sponsor”) and the individual directors of AMCI (the “Director Defendants”) for purported damages arising from the February 10, 2023, merger between AMCI and Legacy LanzaTech. The Company was subsequently voluntarily dismissed from the case in July 2024, before it was required to respond to the Complaint. The Complaint asserts claims for (i) breach of fiduciary duty against the Director Defendants; and (ii) unjust enrichment against AMCI Sponsor and the Director Defendants. The parties have not yet engaged in any discovery in connection with the litigation and Defendants have not yet been required to respond to the Complaint. The Company and the defendants believe the allegations and claims made in the Complaint are without merit. As the surviving entity following the merger at issue, the Company has certain indemnification obligations to the Director Defendants in connection with the defense of the litigation. The Company has notified the relevant D&O insurance carriers of the litigation and while the Director Defendants are covered for such costs by directors’ and officers’ insurance, such coverage is subject to a retention of $5,000.
FPA litigation
In relation to the FPA, the Company’s volume-weighted average share price was below $3.00 per share for 50 trading days during the 60 day consecutive trading period ended on July 1, 2024 (the “VWAP Trigger Event”). On July 22, 2024, Vellar (one of the Purchasers) notified the Company of a VWAP Trigger Event, purporting to accelerate the FPA Maturity Date of its portion of the Recycled Shares (i.e., 2,990,000 shares) to July 22, 2024. Vellar asserts that it is entitled to: (i) the Maturity Consideration of $7,500 (payable at the Company’s option in cash or shares of common stock valued at the average daily VWAP Price (as defined in the FPA) over 30 scheduled trading days ending on the accelerated FPA Maturity Date of July 22, 2024 of $1.91 per share) and (ii) Share Consideration of $2,539, payable in cash, in each case, due and payable on July 24, 2024. On July 25, 2024 the Company received a notice from Vellar pursuant to the FPA, stating that the Company is in default of its payment obligations. On July 30, 2024, the Company received a notice of an event of default under the FPA from Vellar that (i) designated such date as the early termination date of the FPA and (ii) purports to result in an early termination cash payment of $4,164 becoming due to Vellar (equating to the sum of the Maturity Consideration and the Share Consideration minus the VWAP Price (as defined in the FPA) (as of July 29, 2024) of Vellar’s portion of the Recycled Shares).
On July 24, 2024, LanzaTech filed suit against Vellar, primarily in connection with Vellar’s sale of Recycled Shares, which LanzaTech alleges are in breach of the FPA’s requirement that Recycled Shares be held in a bankruptcy remote special purpose vehicle for the benefit of the Company unless the sale is noticed to the Company as part of an early termination, which Vellar has not done. In the event of a sale of Recycled Shares subject to an optional early termination, the Company is entitled to receive approximately $10.16 for each share sold (see Note 2 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies). LanzaTech believes that Vellar’s notice regarding the VWAP Trigger Event and consequently, its notice of an event of default, is not valid and accordingly, that no payments are owed to Vellar in connection with the purported acceleration of the FPA Maturity Date or early termination of the FPA. LanzaTech filed an amended complaint on September 30, 2024. Vellar moved to dismiss, and the motion, which is fully briefed, remains pending. The Company intends to vigorously pursue its claims against Vellar.
On October 23, 2024, Vellar filed suit against the Company, alleging breach of the FPA, and seeking $4,164 plus interest. The Company intends to vigorously defend itself against the claim. On October 24, 2024, Vellar sought advancement of certain expenses from the Company in connection with this litigation. The Company denied the request on October 28, 2024. Vellar filed a motion for advancement of fees on November 20, 2024,
which was fully briefed on December 20, 2024 and which remains pending. On April 11, 2025, Vellar filed a motion to amend its complaint, seeking to add a claim for breach of the FPA Warrants, to which LanzaTech and Vellar are parties. The amended complaint seeks damages, including liquidated damages under the FPA Warrants. The motion to amend remains pending.
As of December 31, 2024, the Company did not have sufficient information to predict the outcome of the lawsuits.About Commitments Disclosures
Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.
Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.