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Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Legal Contingencies Eaton is subject to a broad range of claims, administrative and legal proceedings such as lawsuits that relate to contractual allegations, tax audits, patent infringement, personal injuries (including asbestos claims), antitrust matters and employment-related matters. Although it is not possible to predict with certainty the outcome or cost of these matters, the Company believes they will not have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements. In December 2010, a Brazilian court held that a judgment obtained by a Brazilian company, Raysul, against another Brazilian company, Saturnia, which was sold by Eaton in 2006, could be enforced against Eaton Ltda. This judgment is based on an alleged violation of an agency agreement between Raysul and Saturnia. At December 31, 2012, the Company has a total accrual of 79 Brazilian Reais related to this matter ($39 based on current exchange rates), comprised of 60 Brazilian Reais recognized in the fourth quarter of 2010 ($30 based on current exchange rates) with an additional 19 Brazilian Reais recognized through December 31, 2012 ($9 based on current exchange rates) due to subsequent accruals for interest and inflation. The Company expects that any sum it may be required to pay in connection with this matter will not exceed the amount of the recorded liability. In 2010, Eaton filed motions for clarification with the Brazilian court of appeals which were denied on April 6, 2011. Eaton Holding and Eaton Ltda. filed appeals on various issues to the Superior Court of Justice in Brasilia. All appeals have been accepted by the Superior Court of Justice and will be heard in due course. On October 5, 2006, ZF Meritor LLC and Meritor Transmission Corporation (collectively, Meritor) filed an action against Eaton in the United States District Court for Delaware. The action sought damages, which would be trebled under United States antitrust laws, as well as injunctive relief and costs. The suit alleged that Eaton engaged in anti-competitive conduct against Meritor in the sale of heavy-duty truck transmissions in North America. Following a four week trial on liability only, on October 8, 2009, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Meritor. Eaton firmly believes that it competes fairly and honestly for business in the marketplace, and that at no time did it act in an anti-competitive manner. During an earlier stage in the case, the judge concluded that damage estimates contained in a report filed by Meritor were not based on reliable data and the report was specifically excluded from the case. On November 3, 2009, Eaton filed a motion for judgment as a matter of law and to set aside the verdict. That motion was denied on March 10, 2011. On March 14, 2011, Eaton filed a motion for entry of final judgment of liability, zero damages and no injunctive relief. That motion was denied on June 9, 2011. On August 19, 2011, the Court entered final judgment of liability but awarded zero damages to plaintiffs. The Court also entered an injunction prohibiting Eaton from offering rebates or other incentives based on purchasing targets but stayed the injunction pending appeal. Eaton appealed the liability finding and the injunction to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Meritor cross-appealed the finding of zero damages. On September 28, 2012, the Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court's denial of Eaton's motion for judgment as a matter of law, and let stand the jury verdict in favor of Meritor. The Third Circuit also ruled that the plaintiffs' damages report was properly excluded, but reversed the judgment of zero damages and ordered that the District Court must allow plaintiffs a limited opportunity to amend the damages report, which may be re-considered for reliability and admissibility. Injunctive relief also was vacated. An estimate of any potential loss related to this action cannot be made at this time. Environmental Contingencies Eaton has established policies to ensure that its operations are conducted in keeping with good corporate citizenship and with a positive commitment to the protection of the natural and workplace environments. The Company's manufacturing facilities are required to be certified to ISO 14001, an international standard for environmental management systems. The Company routinely reviews EHS performance at each of its facilities and continuously strives to improve pollution prevention. Eaton is involved in remedial response and voluntary environmental remediation at a number of sites, including certain of its currently-owned or formerly-owned plants. The Company has also been named a potentially responsible party under the United States federal Superfund law at a number of disposal sites. The Company became involved in these sites through the Company's voluntary decision, in connection with business acquisitions, or as a result of government action. At the end of 2012, the Company was involved with a total of 142 sites worldwide, including the Superfund sites mentioned above, with none of these sites being individually significant to the Company. Remediation activities, generally involving soil and/or groundwater contamination, include pre-cleanup activities such as fact finding and investigation, risk assessment, feasibility study, design and action planning, performance (where actions may range from monitoring, to removal of contaminants, to installation of longer-term remediation systems), and operation and maintenance of a remediation system. The extent of expected remediation activities and costs varies by site. A number of factors affect the cost of environmental remediation, including the number of parties involved at a particular site, the determination of the extent of contamination, the length of time the remediation may require, the complexity of environmental regulations, and the continuing advancement of remediation technology. Taking these factors into account, Eaton has estimated the costs of remediation, which will be paid over a period of years. The Company accrues an amount on an undiscounted basis, consistent with the estimates of these costs when it is probable that a liability has been incurred. Actual results may differ from these estimates. At December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company had an accrual totaling $125 and $62, respectively, for these costs. Based upon Eaton's analysis and subject to the difficulty in estimating these future costs, the Company expects that any sum it may be required to pay in connection with environmental matters is not reasonably possible to exceed the recorded liability by an amount that would have a material effect on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Warranty Accruals A summary of the current and long-term warranty accruals follows:
| 2012 |  | 2011 |  | 2010
Balance at January 1 | $ | 158 |  |  | $ | 153 |  |  | $ | 147 |
Provision | 85 |  |  | 98 |  |  | 99 |
Settled | (84 | ) |  | (94 | ) |  | (91 | )
Acquisitions and other | 21 |  |  | 1 |  |  | (2 | )
Balance at December 31 | $ | 180 |  |  | $ | 158 |  |  | $ | 153 |
Lease Commitments Eaton leases certain real properties and equipment. A summary of minimum rental commitments at December 31, 2012 under noncancelable operating leases, which expire at various dates and in most cases contain renewal options, for each of the next five years and thereafter in the aggregate, follow:
2013 | $ | 174 |
2014 | 137 |
2015 | 101 |
2016 | 73 |
2017 | 59 |
Thereafter | 85 |
Total noncancelable lease commitments | $ | 629 |
A summary of rental expense follows:
2012 | $ | 199 |
2011 | 194 |
2010 | 172 |

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