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Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies 10. Commitments and Contingencies

Purchase Obligations

We enter into various purchase obligations in the ordinary course of business, generally of a short-term nature. Those that are binding primarily relate to commitments for food purchases and supplies, amounts owed under contractor and subcontractor agreements, orders submitted for equipment for restaurants under construction, and marketing initiatives and corporate sponsorships.

Litigation

New York Legal Proceedings

As reported in our previous SEC filings, on September 10, 2019, the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (“DCWP”) filed a complaint in the City of New York Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings alleging violations at five Chipotle restaurants of New York City’s Fair Work Week law (“FWW”) and Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (“ESTA”) between November 2017 and September 2019. On April 28, 2021, DCWP amended the complaint to cover purported violations of FWW and ESTA at substantially all Chipotle restaurants in New York City, through the date the amended complaint was filed. In August 2022, Chipotle signed an agreement with New York City to resolve the proceedings and related audits. Under the settlement agreement, Chipotle paid a $1.0 million civil penalty to New York City and will pay up to approximately $20 million in compensation to individuals who were hourly employees of Chipotle restaurants covered by the settlement agreement during the relevant time period. We have accrued a liability that represents the total estimated amount we expect to pay under the settlement agreement, and we do not expect any additional losses above the amount accrued to be material to our consolidated financial statements.

Other

We are involved in various claims and legal actions, such as wage and hour, wrongful termination and other employment-related claims, slip and fall and other personal injury claims, advertising and consumer claims, and lease, construction and other commercial disputes, that arise in the ordinary course of business, some of which may be covered by insurance. The outcomes of these actions are not predictable, but we do not believe that the ultimate resolution of these actions will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, liquidity, or capital resources. However, if there is a significant increase in the number of these claims, or if we incur greater liabilities than we currently anticipate under one or more claims, it could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Accrual for Estimated Liability

In relation to various legal matters, including those discussed above, as of September 30, 2022, we had an accrued legal liability balance of $20,229 included within accrued liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheet.