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Contingencies | 6 Months Ended
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Nov. 30, 2018
Loss Contingency [Abstract] |
Contingencies | (9) Contingencies Independent Contractor — Lawsuits and Administrative Proceedings. FedEx Ground is involved in lawsuits and administrative proceedings claiming that owner-operators engaged under operating agreements no longer in place should have been treated as employees of FedEx Ground, rather than independent contractors. In addition, we are defending joint-employer cases where it is alleged that FedEx Ground should be treated as an employer of the drivers employed by owner-operators engaged by FedEx Ground. These cases are in varying stages of litigation, and we are not currently able to estimate an amount or range of potential loss in all of these matters. However, we do not expect to incur, individually or in the aggregate, a material loss in these matters. Nevertheless, adverse determinations in matters related to owner-operators engaged by FedEx Ground could, among other things, entitle certain owner-operators to the reimbursement of certain expenses, and their drivers to the benefit of wage-and-hour laws, and result in employment and withholding tax and benefit liability for FedEx Ground. We continue to believe that owner-operators engaged by FedEx Ground are properly classified as independent contractors and that FedEx Ground is not an employer or joint employer of the drivers of these independent contractors. City and State of New York Cigarette Suit. The City of New York and the State of New York filed two related lawsuits against FedEx Ground in December 2013 and November 2014 arising from FedEx Ground’s alleged shipments of cigarettes to New York residents in contravention of several statutes, including the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) and New York’s Public Health Law, as well as common law nuisance claims. The first-filed lawsuit alleges that FedEx Ground provided delivery services on behalf of four shippers, and the second-filed lawsuit alleges that FedEx Ground provided delivery services on behalf of six additional shippers; none of these shippers continue to ship in our network. On July 10, 2017, the City of New York and the State of New York filed a third lawsuit against FedEx Ground and included FedEx Freight as a co-defendant. This additional case identifies no shippers or shipments, but generally alleges violations of the same laws that are the subject of the other two lawsuits. On October 10, 2018, FedEx Ground and the City and State of New York reached an agreement in principle to settle the pending lawsuits arising from FedEx Ground’s and FedEx Freight’s alleged shipments of cigarettes to New York residents for $35.4 million. The settlement does not include any admission of liability by FedEx Ground or FedEx Freight. An accrual has been established for the amount of the settlement. Additionally, we have accrued $10.5 million for certain attorney’s fees in connection with this matter. Other Matters. During the third quarter of 2017, FedEx Trade Networks informed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) that in connection with certain customs entries it may have made improper claims for (i) reduced-duty treatment and (ii) duty-free treatment. In the fourth quarter of 2017 we established accruals totaling $39.3 million for the then-current estimated probable loss for these matters. In the first quarter of 2018, FedEx Trade Networks tendered payments to CBP in these matters totaling $46.5 million, and an additional expense of $7.2 million was recognized. CBP acknowledged receipt of the amounts tendered in these matters. In May 2018, FedEx Trade Networks was informed that CBP was demanding additional payment for duty loss plus interest in connection with the claims for reduced-duty treatment. In June 2018, we submitted a response to CBP challenging the additional demand. In October 2018, FedEx Trade Networks received notice from CBP that is has dropped the additional demand and that the claims for reduced-duty treatment and duty-free treatment are fully resolved. FedEx and its subsidiaries are subject to other legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business, including certain lawsuits containing various class-action allegations of wage-and-hour violations in which plaintiffs claim, among other things, that they were forced to work “off the clock,” were not paid overtime or were not provided work breaks or other benefits. In the opinion of management, the aggregate liability, if any, with respect to these other actions will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for loss and gain contingencies. Describes any existing condition, situation, or set of circumstances involving uncertainty as of the balance sheet date (or prior to issuance of the financial statements) as to a probable or reasonably possible loss incurred by an entity that will ultimately be resolved when one or more future events occur or fail to occur, and typically discloses the amount of loss recorded or a range of possible loss, or an assertion that no reasonable estimate can be made. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 30 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2127197 Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2127163 + Details
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