2002, LKI was awarded a patent, jointly with the General Electric Company, for the high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) process for improving the color of certain all-natural diamond types. In addition, LKI has secured numerous patents on diamond setting techniques and innovations in displays for loose polished stones and jewelry. Missing diamonds and litigation On May 17, 2010, Lazare Kaplan sued various Lloyd's of London syndicates and European insurers for $640 million in damages arising from the disappearance of diamonds. The lawsuit alleges that the insurers breached two "all risk" New York property insurance policies. In 2011, Lazare filed a US$1.5 billion Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) complaint in the US against KBC Bank, the largest bank in Belgium, after defaulting on a $45 million loan from KBC in a case about an alleged conspiracy to steal diamonds and money. According to KBC Bank's lawyers, Lazare chairman Maurice Tempelsman was involved, as was Erez Daleyot, described as "a notorious diamond dealer who once controlled a third of all trade in diamonds". In 2019, KBC won a motion to dismiss the US case, considered to be a major win for the bank. Litigation in Belgium between KBC and Lazare continued. A summary of the complex case involving LKI and KBC Bank was included in a 2020 KBC Base Prospectus, up to proceedings pending before the Belgian Court of Cassation initiated by LKI on 2 April 2019. After ten years of litigation the Company Court of Antwerp, section Antwerp had not been able to decide on the merits of the case. LKI has been suspended from trading on the American Stock Exchange since September 2009 and has not filed quarterly or annual reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) since early 2009. Ethical standards LKI supports (and has helped develop) policies that prohibit the trade in conflict diamonds, prevent money laundering, combat the financing of terrorism, and promote transparency, fair dealing and disclosure throughout the diamond pipeline. It is LKI's strict policy to clearly identify its prospective suppliers and its customers before entering into any business transaction. Kimberley Process Certification Scheme – LKI actively participated in the inaugural meeting of diamond industry stakeholders in Kimberley, South Africa, in May 2000, and participated in all subsequent deliberations that led to the January 2003 adoption of the KPCS and its system of controls over rough diamond trading, intended to combat the trade