COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES The Company is subject to various legal proceedings, both asserted and unasserted, that arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company cannot predict the ultimate outcome of such legal proceedings or in certain instances provide reasonable ranges of potential losses. However, as of the date of this report, the Company believes that none of these claims will have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position or results of operations. In the event of unexpected subsequent developments and given the inherent unpredictability of these legal proceedings, there can be no assurance that the Companys assessment of any claim will reflect the ultimate outcome, and an adverse outcome in certain matters could, from time to time, have a material adverse effect on the Companys consolidated financial position or results of operations in particular quarterly or annual periods. On October 21, 2011, the Company was notified that a complaint claiming $3.0 million for an investment banking fee (the Lawsuit) was filed by Jefferies &amp; Company, Inc. (Jefferies) against the Company in New York State Supreme Court in the County of New York. In December 2010, Ascent and Jefferies entered into an engagement agreement (the Fee Agreement) pursuant to which Jefferies was hired to act as the Company's financial advisor in relation to certain potential transactions. In addition, Jefferies claimed an award for attorney's fees and prejudgment interest in the approximate amount of $1.2 million . On April 16, 2014, the parties settled the lawsuit where the Company agreed to pay Jefferies a total of $2.0 million in equal installments over 40 months. The Company paid $339,481 during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 . The Company records a liability in its financial statements for costs related to claims, including settlements and judgments, where the Company has assessed that a loss is probable and an amount can be reasonably estimated. The Company accrued $ 1.7 million , the