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Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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May 31, 2020
Loss Contingency [Abstract] |
Contingencies | NOTE 18: CONTINGENCIES Service Provider Lawsuits. FedEx Ground is defending lawsuits in which it is alleged that FedEx Ground should be treated as a joint employer of drivers employed by service providers 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 these matters could, among other things, entitle service providers’ drivers to certain wage payments from the service providers and FedEx Ground, and result in employment and withholding tax and benefit liability for FedEx Ground. We continue to believe that FedEx Ground is not an employer or joint employer of the drivers of these independent businesses. Federal Securities Litigation and Derivative Lawsuits. On June 26, 2019 and July 2, 2019, FedEx and certain present and former officers were named as defendants in two putative class action securities lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The complaints, which have been consolidated, allege violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder relating to alleged misstatements or omissions in FedEx’s public filings with the SEC and other public statements during the period from September 19, 2017 to December 18, 2018. We are not currently able to estimate the probability of loss or the amount or range of potential loss, if any, at this stage of the litigation. On September 17, 2019 and November 6, 2019, FedEx, its Board of Directors and certain present and former directors and officers were named as defendants in two stockholder derivative lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. The complaints, which were subsequently consolidated, repeated the allegations in the federal securities litigation complaints, and asserted new claims against the FedEx Board of Directors and certain present and former directors and officers for breach of fiduciary duty, waste of corporate assets, unjust enrichment, insider selling and violations of the federal securities laws. On June 24, 2020, the consolidated lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice. Any appeal of the dismissal must be made by July 24, 2020. Derivative Lawsuit Related to New York Cigarette Litigation. On October 3, 2019, FedEx and certain present and former FedEx directors and officers were named as defendants in a stockholder derivative lawsuit filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery. The complaint alleges the defendants breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the activities alleged in lawsuits filed by the City of New York and the State of New York against FedEx Ground in December 2013 and November 2014 and against FedEx Ground and FedEx Freight in July 2017. The underlying lawsuits related to the alleged shipment of cigarettes to New York residents in contravention of several statutes, as well as common law nuisance claims, and were dismissed by the court in December 2018 following entry into a final settlement agreement for approximately $35 million. The settlement did not include any admission of liability by FedEx Ground or FedEx Freight. In addition to the settlement amount, we recognized approximately $10 million for certain attorney’s fees in connection with the underlying lawsuits. We are not currently able to estimate the probability of loss or the amount or range of potential loss, if any, at this stage of the lawsuit. On August 14, 2019, a separate stockholder derivative lawsuit alleging similar breaches of fiduciary duty was filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery. The plaintiff voluntarily dismissed this lawsuit on June 25, 2020. Environmental Matters. SEC regulations require disclosure of certain environmental matters when a governmental authority is a party to the proceedings and the proceedings involve potential monetary sanctions that management reasonably believes could exceed $100,000. Prior to our acquisition of TNT Express, a lawsuit was filed in Simões Filho, Bahia, Brazil against a subsidiary of TNT Express alleging violations of Brazilian environmental laws. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that in 2012, certain employees unlawfully discarded non-toxic trash on a highway. We could be subject to monetary sanctions and fines related to such activity that exceed $100,000. We believe that the aggregate amount of any such sanctions and fines will be immaterial. Other Matters. 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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