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Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Commitments The Company has certain future purchase commitments entered in the normal course of business to meet operational and capital requirements. As of September 30, 2023, these commitments aggregated to approximately $1.621 billion and will be expended over the next several years. Contingencies The Company is involved, both as a plaintiff and a defendant, in various legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business, including, without limitation, product liability and environmental matters in certain U.S. and international locations. Given the uncertain nature of litigation generally, the Company is not able, in all cases, to estimate the amount or range of loss that could result from an unfavorable outcome of litigation in which the Company is a party. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Company establishes accruals to the extent probable future losses are estimable (and in the case of environmental matters, without considering possible third-party recoveries). With respect to putative class action lawsuits in the United States and certain of the Canadian lawsuits described below, the Company is unable to estimate a range of reasonably possible losses for the following reasons: (i) all or certain of the proceedings are in early stages; (ii) the Company has not received and reviewed complete information regarding all or certain of the plaintiffs and their medical conditions; and/or (iii) there are significant factual issues to be resolved. In addition, there is uncertainty as to the likelihood of a class being certified or the ultimate size of any class. With respect to the civil investigative demands (“CIDs”) served by the Department of Justice which are discussed below, the Company is unable to estimate a range of reasonably possible losses for the following reasons: (i) all or certain of the proceedings are in early stages; and/or (ii) there are significant factual and legal issues to be resolved. Product Liability Matters As of September 30, 2023, the Company is defending approximately 34,845 product liability claims involving the Company’s line of hernia repair devices (collectively, the “Hernia Product Claims”). The Company’s outstanding Hernia Product Claims as of September 30, 2022 were approximately 31,445. The Company’s outstanding product liability claims represent nonhomogeneous populations of claims which vary widely based upon various factors, most notably the quality of the claims. As such, claim activity during any given period may not necessarily be indicative of the Company’s ultimate liability under a mass tort matter. As further discussed below, the Company’s underlying estimate of its product liability includes and already accounts for unfiled claims and as such, the net year-to-date change in the number of outstanding Hernia Product Claims did not materially impact the Company’s product liability accrual as of September 30, 2023. The majority of the outstanding claims are currently pending in a coordinated proceeding in Rhode Island State Court (“RI”) and in a federal multi-district litigation (“MDL”) established in the Southern District of Ohio, but claims are also pending in other state and/or federal court jurisdictions. In addition, outstanding claims include multiple putative class actions in Canada. Generally, the Hernia Product Claims seek damages for personal injury allegedly resulting from use of the products. From time to time, the Company engages in resolution discussions with plaintiffs’ law firms regarding certain of the Hernia Product Claims, but the Company also intends to vigorously defend Hernia Product Claims that do not settle, including through litigation and trial. A trial for the Hernia Product Claims is currently scheduled in the MDL in April 2024. The Company also continues to be a defendant in certain other mass tort litigation. As of September 30, 2023, the Company is defending product liability claims involving the Company’s line of pelvic mesh products, the majority of which are pending in a coordinated proceeding in New Jersey Superior Court and in various federal court jurisdictions, and the Company’s line of inferior vena cava (“IVC”) filter products, which are pending in various jurisdictions. Also, as of September 30, 2023, the Company is defending product liability claims involving its implantable ports, the majority of which are pending in an MDL formed on August 8, 2023 in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. The Company believes that it has meritorious defenses and is vigorously defending itself in these matters. In most product liability litigations like those described above, plaintiffs allege a wide variety of claims, ranging from allegations of serious injury caused by the products to efforts to obtain compensation notwithstanding the absence of any injury. In many of these cases, the Company has not yet received and reviewed complete information regarding the plaintiffs and their medical conditions and, consequently, is unable to fully evaluate the claims. The Company expects that it will receive and review additional information regarding any remaining unsettled product liability matters. Other Legal Matters On February 27, 2020, a putative class action captioned Kabak v. Becton, Dickinson and Company, et al., Civ. No. 2:20-cv-02155 (SRC) (CLW), now captioned Industriens Pensionsforsikring v. Becton, Dickinson and Company, et al., was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against the Company and certain of its officers. The complaint, which purports to be brought on behalf of all persons (other than defendants) who purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's common stock from November 5, 2019 through February 5, 2020, asserts claims for purported violations of Sections 10 and 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”) and Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, and seeks, among other things, damages and costs. The complaint alleges that defendants concealed certain material information regarding Alaris TM infusion pumps, allegedly rendering certain public statements about the Company’s business, operations and prospects false or misleading, thereby allegedly causing investors to purchase stock at an inflated price. After an initial without prejudice dismissal, additional submissions were filed and the court permitted certain aspects of the case to proceed including claims asserted on behalf of option holders. In October 2023, an agreement in principle was reached to resolve this matter for an amount that is not material to the Company’s consolidated financial results and for which it is adequately reserved; the terms of the settlement, including the amount, are subject to judicial approval. On November 2, 2020, a putative shareholder derivative action captioned Jankowski v. Forlenza, et al., Civ. No. 2:20-cv-15474, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey by a shareholder, derivatively on behalf of the Company, against certain of the Company’s directors and officers. The complaint asserts claims for breach of fiduciary duty; violations of sections 10(b), 14(a) and 21D of the Exchange Act, and insider trading. The complaint principally alleges, that the Company made misleading statements regarding Alaris TM infusion pumps in a proxy statement and other SEC filings. A second derivative action was filed on January 24, 2021, and the two actions were consolidated. In March 2021, the Company received letters from two additional shareholders which, in general, mirrored the allegations in the derivative actions, and demanded, among other things, that the Board of Directors pursue claims against members of management for claimed breaches of fiduciary duties. Consistent with New Jersey law, the Board appointed a special committee to review the allegations and demands in the derivative actions and demand letters. Following an investigation, the special committee determined that no action was warranted, and rejected the shareholders’ demands, communicating its determination to counsel for the shareholders. On January 10, 2023, one of the two shareholders referenced above filed a separate derivative action that: (i) is generally consistent with the shareholder letter and the two prior actions; and (ii) purports to challenge the reasonableness of the special committee’s process and determination. The Company believes that it has meritorious defenses and is vigorously defending itself in these matters. Beginning in February 2021, the Company received subpoenas from the Enforcement Division of the SEC requesting information from the Company relating to, among other things, Alaris TM infusion pumps. The Company is cooperating with the SEC and responding to these requests, including requests for employee interviews and depositions. The Company cannot anticipate the timing, scope, outcome or possible impact of the investigation, financial or otherwise. In April 2019, the Department of Justice served the Company and CareFusion with CIDs seeking information regarding certain of CareFusion’s contracts with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs for certain products, including Alaris TM and Pyxis TM devices, in connection with a civil investigation of possible violations of the False Claims Act, and the government later expanded the investigation to include several additional contracts. The government has made several requests for documents and interviews or depositions of Company personnel. The Company is cooperating with the government and responding to these requests. In September 2021, the Company received a CID related to an inquiry initiated by the Northern District of Georgia in 2018 concerning sales and marketing practices with respect to certain aspects of the Company’s urology business. After multiple document productions and interviews, the Company and the government mediated the case in an effort to resolve this dispute; such discussions are ongoing. In April 2023, the Department of Justice served the Company with a CID seeking information regarding the Company’s Genesis TM container products in connection with an investigation of possible violations of the False Claims Act. The government has requested documents and the Company is cooperating with the government and responding to its requests. In September 2021, the Company was served with a complaint from the New Mexico Attorney General, alleging violations of the state’s consumer protection laws in connection with the sales and marketing of its IVC filters. The Company’s motion to dismiss certain of the claims was granted on May 10, 2022 and discovery is proceeding as to the remaining claims. Trial is currently scheduled for June 2024. The Company believes that it has meritorious defenses and is vigorously defending itself in this matter. The Company cannot anticipate the timing, scope, outcome or possible impact at present. The Company was sued in state and federal courts in Georgia by plaintiffs who work or reside near Company facilities in Covington, GA, where ethylene oxide (“EtO”) sterilization activities take place. The federal cases have been dismissed and refiled in state court. The plaintiffs in the cases seek compensatory and punitive damages. Pursuant to Georgia statute, punitive damages in these cases are generally capped at $250,000 per claimant. The cases allege a variety of injuries, including but not limited to multiple types of cancer, allegedly attributable to exposure to EtO. The Company does not believe these cases are appropriate for class action treatment and they have not been filed as such. The Company currently has approximately 230 of such suits involving approximately 340 plaintiffs asserting personal injury claims; approximately 45 of the cases also allege injury caused by exposure to a chemical of another defendant entirely unrelated to the Company. Three trial dates have been set in 2024. The Company believes that it has meritorious defenses and is vigorously defending itself in these matters. The Company is also involved both as a plaintiff and a defendant in other legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company believes that it has meritorious defenses and is vigorously defending itself in each of these matters. Except for the matters for which a potential disposition has been noted per above, the Company cannot predict the outcome of the other legal matters discussed above, nor can it predict whether any outcome will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations and/or consolidated cash flows. Accordingly, the Company has made no provisions for these legal matters in its consolidated results of operations. The Company is a potentially responsible party to a number of federal administrative proceedings in the United States brought under the Comprehensive Environment Response, Compensation and Liability Act, also known as “Superfund,” and similar state laws. The Company also is subject to administrative proceedings under environmental laws in jurisdictions outside the U.S. The affected sites are in varying stages of development. In some instances, the remedy has been completed, while in others, environmental studies are underway or commencing. For several sites, there are other potentially responsible parties that may be jointly or severally liable to pay all or part of cleanup costs. While it is not feasible to predict the outcome of these proceedings, based upon the Company’s experience, current information and applicable law, the Company does not expect these proceedings to have a material adverse effect on its consolidated results of operations and/or consolidated cash flows. Litigation Accruals The Company regularly monitors and evaluates the status of product liability and other litigated matters, and may, from time-to-time, engage in settlement discussions and mediation taking into consideration, among other things, developments in the litigation and the risks and uncertainties associated therewith. These activities have resulted in confidential settlements and going forward could result in further settlements, the terms of which would be confidential. A determination of the accrual amounts for these contingencies is made after analysis of each litigation matter. When appropriate, the accrual is developed with the consultation of outside counsel and, in the case of certain mass tort litigation, actuarial specialists regarding the nature, timing, and extent of each matter. During fiscal years 2023, 2022, and 2021, the Company recorded pre-tax charges to Other operating (income) expense, net, of approximately $26 million, $21 million, and $361 million, respectively, related to certain of the product liability matters discussed above under the heading “Product Liability Matters,” including the related legal defense costs. The Company considers relevant information when estimating its product liability accruals, including, but not limited to: the nature, number, and quality of unfiled and filed claims; the rate of claims being filed; the status of settlement discussions with plaintiffs’ counsel; the allegations and documentation supporting or refuting such allegations; publicly available information regarding similar medical device mass tort settlements; historical information regarding other product liability settlements involving the Company; and the stage of litigation. Because currently available information regarding product liability matters is often limited, there is inherent uncertainty and volatility relating to the Company’s estimate of product liability. As additional information becomes available, the Company records adjustments to its product liability accruals as required. Accruals for the Company's product liability claims which are discussed above, as well as the related legal defense costs, amounted to approximately $1.9 billion and $2.1 billion at September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. These accruals, which are generally long-term in nature, are largely recorded within Deferred Income Taxes and Other Liabilities on the Company's consolidated balance sheets. The decrease in the Company’s product liability accrual as of September 30, 2023, as compared with September 30, 2022, largely reflected the payment of settlements and legal fees during the fiscal year 2023, which reduced the amount of the accrual. The increase in the number of outstanding hernia repair device claims discussed above did not materially impact the Company’s product liability accrual because the underlying estimate of the Company’s liability includes and already accounts for unfiled claims. Moreover, the accrual reflects the determination that the quality of new hernia repair device claims has generally diminished over time. Claim activity during the fiscal year 2023 relating to the pelvic mesh device and IVC filter matters did not materially impact the Company’s product liability accrual as of September 30, 2023. Additionally, the particular outcome in any one product liability trial is typically not representative of potential outcomes of all cases or claims. Because the accrual already contemplates a wide range of possible outcomes, including those with a de minimis value, individual outcomes generally do not impact the value of other cases in the total case inventory or the overall product liability accrual. In view of the uncertainties discussed above, the Company could incur charges in excess of any currently established accruals and, to the extent available, liability insurance. In the opinion of management, any such future charges, individually or in the aggregate, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations, financial condition, and /or consolidated cash flows.

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