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Legal Proceedings | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Legal Proceedings | Legal Proceedings The Company is routinely involved in a number of actual or threatened legal actions, including those involving alleged personal injuries, employment law, product liability, intellectual property, environmental issues, alleged tax liability (see Note 13. Income Taxes for information on income tax matters), and class actions. The Company also routinely receives inquiries from regulators and other government authorities relating to various aspects of its business, and at any given time, the Company has matters at various stages of resolution. The outcomes of these matters are not within the Company’s complete control and may not be known for prolonged periods of time. In some actions, claimants seek damages, as well as other relief including injunctive relief, that could require significant expenditures or result in lost revenues. In accordance with applicable accounting standards, the Company records a liability in its Consolidated Financial Statements for material loss contingencies when a loss is known or considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. If the reasonable estimate of a known or probable loss is a range, and no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other, the minimum amount of the range is accrued. If a material loss contingency is reasonably possible but not known or probable, and can be reasonably estimated, the estimated loss or range of loss is disclosed in the notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. When determining the estimated loss or range of loss, significant judgment is required to estimate the amount and timing of a loss to be recorded. Estimates of probable losses resulting from litigation and governmental proceedings involving the Company are inherently difficult to predict, particularly when the matters are in early procedural stages, with incomplete facts or legal discovery; involve unsubstantiated or indeterminate claims for damages; potentially involve penalties, fines, disgorgement, or punitive damages; or could result in a change in business practice. The Company’s estimated loss or range of loss with respect to loss contingencies may change from time to time, and it is reasonably possible the Company will incur actual losses in excess of the amounts currently accrued and such additional amounts may be material. While the Company continues to work with parties with respect to potential resolution, no assurance can be given that it will be successful in doing so and the Company cannot predict the outcome of these matters. Commodities Class Actions On September 4, 2019, AOT Holding AG (“AOT”) filed a putative class action under the U.S. Commodities Exchange Act in federal district court in Urbana, Illinois, alleging that the Company sought to manipulate the benchmark price used to price and settle ethanol derivatives traded on futures exchanges. On March 16, 2021, AOT filed an amended complaint adding a second named plaintiff Maize Capital Group, LLC (“Maize”). AOT and Maize allege that members of the putative class collectively suffered damages calculated to be between approximately $500 million to over $2.0 billion as a result of the Company’s alleged actions. On July 14, 2020, Green Plains Inc. and its related entities (“GP”) filed a putative class action lawsuit, alleging substantially the same operative facts, in federal court in Nebraska, seeking to represent sellers of ethanol. On July 23, 2020, Midwest Renewable Energy, LLC (“MRE”) filed a putative class action in federal court in Illinois alleging substantially the same operative facts and asserting claims under the Sherman Act. On November 11, 2020, United Wisconsin Grain Producers LLC (“UWGP”) and five other ethanol producers filed a lawsuit in federal court in Illinois alleging substantially the same facts and asserting claims under the Sherman Act and Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin law. The court granted ADM’s motion to dismiss the MRE and UWGP complaints without prejudice on August 9, 2021 and September 28, 2021, respectively. On August 16, 2021, the court granted ADM’s motion to dismiss the GP complaint, dismissing one claim with prejudice and declining jurisdiction over the remaining state law claim. MRE filed an amended complaint on August 30, 2021, which ADM moved to dismiss on September 27, 2021. The court denied ADM’s motion to dismiss on September 26, 2023. On May 17, 2024, the court stayed MRE’s case pending a decision in UWGP’s appeal, described below. UWGP filed an amended complaint on October 19, 2021, which the court dismissed on July 12, 2022. UWGP has appealed the dismissal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. On October 26, 2021, GP filed a new complaint in Nebraska federal district court, alleging substantially the same facts and asserting a claim for tortious interference with contractual relations. On March 18, 2022, the Nebraska federal district court granted ADM’s motion to transfer the GP case back to the Central District of Illinois for further proceedings. ADM moved to dismiss the complaint on May 20, 2022 and on December 30, 2022, the court dismissed GP’s complaint with prejudice. GP appealed the dismissal. On January 12, 2024, the appellate court vacated the dismissal and remanded the case to the district court for further proceedings. On March 8, 2024, GP filed an amended complaint, which ADM moved to dismiss. On December 3, 2024, the court issued a decision on ADM’s motion to dismiss GP’s amended complaint, denying one ground for dismissal and certifying a question of law to the Nebraska Supreme Court before deciding the other ground. The Company denies liability, and is vigorously defending itself in these actions. As these actions are in pretrial proceedings, the Company is unable at this time to predict the final outcome with any reasonable degree of certainty, but believes the outcome will not have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. Government Investigations As previously disclosed, the Company is under investigation by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) relating to, among other things, intersegment sales between the Company’s Nutrition reporting segment and the Company’s Ag Services and Oilseeds and Carbohydrate Solutions reporting segments. The Company is continuing to cooperate with the SEC and DOJ investigations and is unable to predict the outcome of these investigations. Shareholder Litigation As previously disclosed, on January 24, 2024, following the Company’s announcement of an investigation relating to intersegment sales, a purported stockholder of the Company filed a putative securities fraud class action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the Company and certain of its current and former officers. Defendants filed motions to dismiss, which remain pending and are set for argument on March 6, 2025. The Company intends to continue to vigorously defend against these claims. However, given the uncertainty of litigation, the Company is unable to predict the final outcome of this proceeding with any reasonable degree of certainty, nor does it currently have sufficient information to estimate a reasonably possible loss or range of loss with respect to this matter. Also as previously disclosed, beginning on March 29, 2024, purported stockholders of the Company filed a number of related derivative lawsuits against certain current and former officers and directors of the Company, seeking unspecified damages. The derivative litigation is now consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the consolidated complaint, which remains pending. The Company is unable to predict the final outcome of this proceeding with any reasonable degree of certainty.

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