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Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2025

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

17.COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

In the normal course of its business and as a result of the extensive governmental regulation of the solid waste and E&P waste industries, the Company is subject to various judicial and administrative proceedings involving Canadian regulatory authorities as well as U.S. federal, state and local agencies. In these proceedings, an agency may subpoena the Company for records, or seek to impose fines on the Company or revoke or deny renewal of an authorization held or sought by the Company, including an operating permit. From time to time, the Company may also be subject to actions brought by special interest or other groups, adjacent landowners or residents in connection with the permitting and licensing of landfills, transfer stations, and E&P waste treatment, recovery and disposal operations, or alleging environmental damage or violations of the permits and licenses pursuant to which the Company operates. The Company uses $1,000 as a threshold for disclosing environmental matters involving a governmental authority and potential monetary sanctions.

In addition, the Company is a party to various claims and suits pending for alleged damages to persons and property, alleged violations of certain laws and alleged liabilities arising out of matters occurring during the normal operation of the

Company’s business. Except as noted in the matters described below, as of March 31, 2025, there is no current proceeding or litigation involving the Company or its property that the Company believes could have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Landfill Litigation

Between June 2016 and December 31, 2020, one of the Company’s subsidiaries, Louisiana Regional Landfill Company (“LRLC”), conducted certain operations at a municipal solid waste landfill known as the Jefferson Parish Landfill (the “JP Landfill”), located in Avondale, Louisiana, near the City of New Orleans. LRLC’s operations were governed by an Operating Agreement entered into in May 2012 by LRLC under its previous name, IESI LA Landfill Corporation, and the owner of the JP Landfill, Jefferson Parish (the “Parish”). The Parish also holds the State of Louisiana permit for the operation of the JP Landfill. Aptim Corporation, and later River Birch, LLC, operated the landfill gas collection system at the JP Landfill under a separate contract with the Parish.

In July and August 2018, four separate lawsuits seeking class action status were filed against LRLC and certain other Company subsidiaries, the Parish, and Aptim Corporation in Louisiana state court, and subsequently removed to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, before Judge Susie Morgan in New Orleans. The court later consolidated the claims of the putative class action plaintiffs (the “Ictech-Bendeck” action). Beginning in December 2018, a series of 11 substantively identical mass actions were filed in Louisiana state court against LRLC and certain other Company subsidiaries, the Parish, and Aptim Corporation. The claims of the mass action plaintiffs were removed to and consolidated in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana, also before Judge Susie Morgan (the “Addison” action). On August 10, 2024, the Company’s subsidiaries and the Addison plaintiffs reached an agreement in principle to settle the Addison plaintiffs’ claims against the Company in an amount not material to the Company’s financial statements; the Parish and Aptim Corporation also reached agreements in principle to settle the Addison action. On August 12, 2024, the court entered an order dismissing the Addison action without prejudice pending consummation of the settlement agreements.

The Ictech-Bendeck plaintiffs assert claims for damages from odors allegedly emanating from the JP Landfill. The consolidated putative class action complaint alleges that the JP Landfill released “noxious odors” into the plaintiffs’ properties and the surrounding community and asserts a range of liability theories—nuisance, negligence (since dismissed), and strict liability—against all defendants. The Ictech-Bendeck plaintiffs seek unspecified damages.

The court held an eight-day trial on general causation during January and February 2022. On November 29, 2022, the court issued a 45-page decision on the general causation trial. The court concluded that all putative class plaintiffs established general causation—specifically that emissions and gases from the JP Landfill were capable of causing certain damages alleged by the plaintiffs. The court held that it only needed to determine the level of exposure necessary to result in injuries and that the level existed somewhere offsite, and that it was not required to delineate this level of exposure within a geographic area. The court did, however, limit the time period for damages, to between July 2017 and December 2019, and the types of alleged injuries for which the plaintiffs are able to seek damages, to headaches, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, sleep disruption, dizziness, fatigue, anxiety and worry, a decrease in quality of life, and loss of enjoyment or use of property.

After the general causation decision, extensive discovery occurred in 2023 and 2024. On May 15, 2024, the Ictech-Bendeck plaintiffs filed an amended motion for class certification, which the defendants opposed. Plaintiffs described the putative class as residents of the Parish suffering an injury as a result of exposure to odors from the JP Landfill between July 1, 2017 and December 31, 2019, in five proposed geographic sub-classes encompassing residents within a delineated area of the Parish that extended roughly five miles from the JP Landfill to the north and east. Counsel for the putative class

asked the court to certify a class on liability and allocation issues and that specific causation be left for individual determinations after a class trial.

On August 8, 2024, the Parish and the Ictech-Bendeck plaintiffs notified the court and the other parties that they had reached an agreement in principle on settlement of the plaintiffs’ class claims against the Parish. The court held a settlement conference on August 9, 2024, memorializing the terms of the plaintiffs’ settlement with the Parish, including a settlement amount of $4,500 to be paid by the Parish to the Ictech-Bendeck plaintiffs. The settlement agreement purports to assign to the Ictech-Bendeck plaintiffs the Parish’s claims against the Company defendants and Aptim Corporation. On March 27, 2025, the court approved the settlement.

After the completion of briefing and an evidentiary hearing on the Ictech-Bendeck class certification motion against the Company defendants and Aptim Corporation, on March 27, 2025, the court denied the motion for class certification. The court has set a deadline of May 7, 2025 for the Ictech-Bendeck plaintiffs to amend their complaint to proceed with the claims of the individual plaintiffs.

At this time, the Company is not able to determine the likelihood of any outcome regarding the underlying claims of the individual plaintiffs in the Ictech-Bendeck action, including the allocation of any potential liability among the Company defendants, the Parish, and Aptim Corporation.

Los Angeles County, California Landfill Expansion Litigation

A.

Chiquita Canyon, LLC Lawsuit Against Los Angeles County

In October 2004, the Company’s subsidiary, Chiquita Canyon, LLC (“CCL”), then under prior ownership, filed an application (the “Application”) with the County of Los Angeles (the “County”) Department of Regional Planning (“DRP”) for a conditional use permit (the “CUP”) to authorize the continued operation and expansion of the Chiquita Canyon Landfill (the “CC Landfill”). The CC Landfill has operated since 1972, and as a regional landfill, accepted approximately 2.3 million tons of materials for disposal and beneficial use in 2024. The CC Landfill was the second largest landfill in the County and played a vital role in the County’s ability to safely and quickly gather, process, and dispose of thousands of tons of waste, six days a week. The Application requested expansion of the existing waste footprint on CCL’s contiguous property, an increase in maximum elevation, creation of a new entrance and new support facilities, construction of a facility for the County or another third-party operator to host household hazardous waste collection events, designation of an area for mixed organics/composting, and other modifications.

After many years of reviews and delays, upon the recommendation of County staff, the County’s Regional Planning Commission (the “Commission”) approved the Application on April 19, 2017, but imposed operating conditions, fees and exactions that substantially reduced the historical landfill operations and represented a large increase in aggregate taxes and fees. CCL objected to many of the requirements imposed by the Commission. Estimates for new costs imposed on CCL under the CUP are in excess of $300,000, if the CC Landfill was still open for the acceptance of waste.

CCL appealed the Commission’s decision to the County Board of Supervisors (“Board”), but the appeal was not successful. At a subsequent hearing, on July 25, 2017, the Board approved the CUP. On October 20, 2017, CCL filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles a verified petition for writ of mandate and complaint against the County and the Board captioned Chiquita Canyon, LLC v. County of Los Angeles (the “Complaint”). The Complaint challenges the terms of the CUP in 13 counts generally alleging that the County violated multiple California and federal statutes and California and federal constitutional protections. CCL seeks the following relief: (a) an injunction and writ of mandate against certain of the CUP’s operational restrictions, taxes and fees, (b) a declaration that the challenged conditions are unconstitutional and in violation of state and federal statutes, (c) reimbursement for any such illegal fees

paid under protest, (d) damages, (e) an award of just compensation for a taking, (f) attorney fees, and (g) all other appropriate legal and equitable relief.

Following extensive litigation in 2018 and 2019 on the permissible scope of CCL’s challenge, the Superior Court issued its decision on July 2, 2020, granting CCL’s petition for writ of mandate in part and denying it in part. CCL prevailed with respect to 12 of the challenged conditions, many of which imposed new fees and exactions on the CC Landfill. On October 11, 2022, CCL and the County entered into a settlement agreement that required CCL to file a CUP modification application with the County embodying the terms of the settlement agreement. CCL filed the CUP modification application on November 10, 2022, an addendum to CCL’s environmental impact report in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act on January 12, 2024, and a revised addendum on September 30, 2024. The next steps contemplated by the settlement agreement included: completion of review by the County; scheduling the CUP modification application for a hearing before the Commission; if appealed, a hearing before the Board; and, upon approval by the Board of the CUP modification application and satisfaction of certain other contingencies, CCL would dismiss this lawsuit.

At a meeting between the County and the Company on September 23, 2024, the County first stated that it would not be possible to complete the environmental review and present the CUP modification to the Commission in 2024. Absent approval of the modified CUP, beginning January 1, 2025, the CUP requires CCL to reduce its maximum annual solid waste tonnage capacity from approximately two million tons of solid waste per year to approximately one million tons of solid waste per year. CCL and the County were required under the settlement agreement to cooperate to take additional lawful and reasonable measures to effectuate the basic terms and goals of the settlement agreement, which included modifying this tonnage reduction to a gradual step-down in tonnage. However, because the County was unable to fully implement the settlement agreement or provide a viable alternative solution to address the severe tonnage restrictions that took effect on January 1, 2025, maintaining ongoing operations at the CC Landfill was no longer economically viable. Thus, CCL closed active waste disposal operations as of December 31, 2024.

On January 10, 2025, CCL and the County appeared before the Superior Court for a trial setting conference and the Court set the remaining claims for a bench trial, beginning October 13, 2025. At this time, the Company is not able to determine the likelihood of any outcome in this matter.

B.

December 11, 2017 Notice of Violation Regarding Certain CUP Conditions.

The County, through its DRP, issued a Notice of Violation (“NOV”), dated December 11, 2017, alleging that CCL violated certain conditions of the CUP, including Condition 79(B)(6) by failing to pay an $11,600 Bridge & Thoroughfare Fee (“B&T fee”) that was purportedly due on July 25, 2017. The alleged B&T fee was ostensibly to fund the construction of transportation infrastructure in the area of the CC Landfill. At the time the NOV was issued, CCL had already contested the legality of the B&T fee in the October 20, 2017 Complaint filed against the County in Los Angeles County Superior Court, described above under paragraph A (the “CUP lawsuit”).

On January 12, 2018, CCL filed an appeal of the alleged violations in the NOV. Subsequently, CCL filed additional legal arguments and exhibits contesting the NOV. On March 6, 2018, a DRP employee designated as hearing officer sustained the NOV, including the $11,600 B&T fee, and imposed an administrative penalty in the amount of $83 and a noncompliance fee of $0.75. A written decision memorializing the hearing officer’s findings and order was issued on July 10, 2018. On April 13, 2018, CCL filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, a Petition for Writ of Administrative Mandamus against the County seeking to overturn the decision sustaining the NOV, contending that the NOV and decision are not supported by the facts or law. On July 17, 2018, the court granted CCL leave to pay the $11,600 B&T fee and to amend its Complaint in the CUP lawsuit to reflect the payment under protest, allowing the challenge to the B&T fee under the Mitigation Fee Act to proceed in the CUP lawsuit. CCL paid the B&T fee under protest on August 10, 2018, and also paid on that date the administrative penalty of $83 and the noncompliance fee of $0.75. The court indicated that the NOV case would be coordinated with the CUP lawsuit. On October 11, 2022, CCL and the County entered into a settlement agreement, described above under paragraph A. However, as described above, CCL has now

closed the CC Landfill for the acceptance of waste as of December 31, 2024, and CCL’s remaining claims have been set for trial. A status conference and order to show cause in this case is currently set for May 8, 2025. At this time, the Company is not able to determine the likelihood of any outcome in this matter.

Elevated Temperature Landfill Event

Beginning in May 2023, the Company’s subsidiary, CCL, began receiving NOVs from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (“SCAQMD”) for alleged violations of Section 41700 of the California Health & Safety Code and SCAQMD Rule 402 based on complaints from the public of odors, which SCAQMD inspectors stated that they verified were from the CC Landfill. Each Rule 402 NOV alleges the CC Landfill is “discharging such quantities of air contaminants to cause injury, detriment, nuisance or annoyance to a considerable number of persons.” CCL’s retained expert consultants in Elevated Temperature Landfill (“ETLF”) events have attributed the odors and other impacts to an ETLF event that is occurring in a lined, non-active area of the CC Landfill.

Since May 2023, CCL has received approximately 321 NOVs for alleged violations of SCAQMD Rule 402. CCL has also received 18 additional NOVs from SCAQMD alleging violations of the Stipulated Order for Abatement, the California Health & Safety Code, other SCAQMD rules, and CCL’s Title V permit.

On August 15, 2023, SCAQMD petitioned its Hearing Board for an Order for Abatement in Hearing Board Case No. 6177-4 to address the Rule 402 NOVs issued by SCAQMD inspectors as a result of the ETLF event. SCAQMD and CCL negotiated a Stipulated Order for Abatement (the “Stipulated Order”), which was issued by the Hearing Board on September 6, 2023. Modifications to the Stipulated Order were approved by the Hearing Board after hearings on January 16 and 17, March 21, April 24, August 17, 20, and 27, and November 13, 2024, and April 16, 2025. The modified Stipulated Order contains 105 conditions. The next status and modification hearing is scheduled for June 4 and 17, 2025.

On November 22, 2023, CCL received an NOV from the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (“Water Board”) for alleged violations of CCL’s Waste Discharge Requirements Order No. R4-2018-0172, including the Monitoring and Reporting Program. The allegations relate to increased leachate production and leachate seeps caused by the ETLF event. CCL has received three more NOVs from the Water Board regarding alleged discharges, reporting, and other compliance violations. CCL has submitted full responses to each of the November 22, 2023, and January 24, March 28, and April 9, 2024 NOVs from the Water Board.

On June 27, 2024, CCL received a fifth NOV from the Water Board for alleged non-compliance with a March 20, 2024 Investigative Order issued by the Water Board pursuant to California Water Code §§ 13267 and 13383. CCL has provided a full response to the alleged violations.

On February 15 and March 29, 2024, CCL received two Summaries of Violations (“SOV”) from the Department of Toxic Substances Control (“DTSC”). The SOVs allege violations of California’s hazardous waste control laws and their implementing regulations related to three incidents in which offsite shipments of leachate, which tested above a regulatory threshold, were shipped to non-hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities. CCL has submitted full responses to both SOVs from DTSC.

On April 1, 2025, CCL received a third SOV from DTSC. The SOV alleges violations of California’s hazardous waste control laws and their implementing regulations related to three loads of leachate which allegedly failed to comply with landfill disposal restriction requirements and for allegedly failing to minimize the possibility of a release of hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents. CCL is in the process of evaluating and preparing a full response to this SOV.

On June 4, 2024, CCL received a Finding of Violation (“FOV”) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, alleging violations of the New Source Performance Standards (“NSPS”) and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (“NESHAP”) for municipal solid waste landfills, the NSPS and NESHAP General Provisions, and certain conditions of CCL’s Title V permit. CCL has submitted a full response to the alleged violations.

At this time, CCL is not able to determine the likely penalties that the regulatory agencies will seek for these alleged violations, but they could be substantial. CCL is also incurring substantial costs in conjunction with efforts to address the ETLF event and any related impacts, including attendant air emissions, and to manage the increased production and changing composition of the leachate. At this time, the Company is not able to determine the likelihood of any outcome of the resolution of these alleged violations, including the amount of penalties.

Chiquita Canyon Landfill Civil Litigation

Given the facts related to the ETLF event and the alleged violations described above, numerous civil lawsuits have been filed against CCL and other Company subsidiaries, including Chiquita Canyon, Inc., Waste Connections of California, Inc., Waste Connections Management Services Inc. and Waste Connections US, Inc. These began with Howse et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC, et al. (Los Angeles Co. Superior Court; filed September 5, 2023, removed to U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. October 4, 2023). That case included class action claims, but in May 2024, those claims were dropped and the case continues as a mass tort case in federal district court. In November 2024, Judge Frimpong in the Central District of California consolidated Howse and all other then filed, related cases into In re Chiquita Landfill Litigation. Master File No. 2:23-CV-08380-MEMF-MAR. (C.D. Cal.). As additional, related cases have been filed, the Company has sought to consolidate them with In re Chiquita Landfill Litigation. The Court consolidated the County Action (described below) with In re Chiquita Landfill Litigation for discovery purposes only.

There are approximately 9,200 total plaintiffs in these civil lawsuits as of April 21, 2025, which includes some from cases filed but not yet served, and the Company expects additional complaints and plaintiffs in the future.

The claims in the ongoing cases allege, among other things, nuisance odors, chemical exposures and other torts, including private nuisance (continuing and permanent), public nuisance (continuing and permanent), negligence, negligence per se, strict liability for ultrahazardous activities, and a violation of Health and Safety Code § 41700. Plaintiffs seek damages for physical injury, fear of future physical injury, increased risk of future injury, including the need for medical monitoring, emotional distress, harm to real and personal property, medical expenses, relocation expenses, and punitive damages. Plaintiffs seek all costs of suits and attorneys’ fees. Some of the cases allege that officers and directors and/or agents of the Company’s subsidiaries had advance knowledge that failure to properly maintain and operate the CC Landfill would result in the sorts of harms that the plaintiffs allegedly suffered. Some of the cases seek injunctive relief to prevent further harm to the plaintiffs or to close the CC Landfill.

The additional cases include: Suggs et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC, et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court; filed February 2, 2024, removed to U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. March 25, 2024)‎; Siryani et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC, et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court; filed March 27, 2024, removed to U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. on April 29, 2024)‎; Adams Evans et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court; filed April 15, 2014, removed to U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. on July 5, 2024)‎; Aleksanyan et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal.; filed May 20, 2024); Jolene Acosta et al., v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court; filed May 29, 2024, removed to U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. on July 12, 2024); Quaiden Fenstermaker et. al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court; filed May 29, 2024, removed to U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. on July 13, 2024)‎; Briana Mejia et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court; filed May 29, 2024, removed to U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. on July 15, 2024); Araiza et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal.; filed June 3, 2024); Melineh Gasparians et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court; filed June 10, 2024; removed to U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. on September 4, 2024); Claudia Rivera et al. v. Chiquita

Canyon, LLC et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court; filed June 14, 2024, removed to U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. on July 22, 2024)‎; Alejandra Suarez et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court; filed June 20, 2024; removed to U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. on July 29, 2024) ; ‎ Geon Hwang, et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal.; filed July 8, 2024); Anabel Austin, et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court; filed July 9, 2024; removed to U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. on August 16, 2024); Isabell ‎Dolores Palomino et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal.; filed July 12, 2024); Stephanie Audish et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC (Los Angeles Superior Court; filed July 16, 2024); Scott Benjamin Siegal et. al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court; filed July 16, 2024); Alina Hakopyan et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC (Los Angeles Superior Court; filed August 6, 2024); Kaiden Alim et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court, filed September 27, 2024); Nicholas Difatta et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court, filed October 5, 2024); Jane Chun-Won Yang et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. filed on November 19, 2024); K.E. et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. filed on November 22, 2024); Maria Magdalena Alanis, et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. filed January 6, 2025, transferred to Judge Frimpong but not yet consolidated). One law firm filed 359 individual cases in Los Angeles Superior Court, which the Company related and consolidated to that firm’s first filed case, Serieddine et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC, et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court; filed January 8, 2024), and removed the cases en masse as In re Serieddine. In re Serieddine was consolidated with In re Chiquita Landfill Litigation.

Six cases have been filed, but not yet served: Fernando Perez et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. filed December 30, 2024); Nancy Mariel Aguilar et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court, filed January 27, 2025); Grace Lara et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal. filed February 10, 2025); Kiwi Chang et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court, filed February 24, 2025); Lara Ojeda et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (Los Angeles Superior Court, filed March 6, 2025); and Babken Egoian et al. v. Chiquita Canyon, LLC et al. (U.S.D.C. C.D. Cal., filed March 31, 2025).

The Company is continuing to vigorously defend itself in these lawsuits; however, at this time, the Company is not able to determine the likelihood of any outcome regarding the underlying claims.

County of Los Angeles Litigation

Based upon the same facts alleged in the above-referenced “Chiquita Canyon Landfill Civil Litigation,” on December 17 2024, Los Angeles County filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, No. 2:24-cv-10819-RGK-PD, against Chiquita Canyon, LLC, Chiquita Canyon, Inc. and Waste Connections US, Inc. This case has been assigned to Judge Frimpong, the same judge overseeing In Re Chiquita Landfill Litigation and is now consolidated with the mass tort for discovery purposes. The Company filed a motion to dismiss on February 19, 2025 and that motion is set for hearing on May 29, 2025.

The County’s lawsuit alleges public nuisance under California statutes and Los Angeles County ordinances, public nuisance per se, and unfair business practices related to the alleged violation of ordinances referenced in the public nuisance claims. The County seeks an injunction to bring the CC Landfill into compliance with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations, including all necessary measures to “contain and extinguish” the ETLF, prevent odors and gases from reaching any residential zone, and eliminate leachate seeps; subsidize the relocation of affected citizens living near the CC Landfill; and subsidize mitigation measures undertaken by affected citizens living, working, or studying near the CC Landfill, such as the purchase of air purification systems, double paned windows, home hardening, and assistance with utility bills. Alternatively, the County requests the appointment of a receiver to take possession and control of the CC Landfill. The County also seeks to recover civil penalties and attorney’s fees. The Company is not able to determine the potential penalty amount that the County will seek in this lawsuit.

The Company is continuing to vigorously defend itself in this matter; however, at this time, the Company is not able to determine the likelihood of any outcome regarding the underlying claims.