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Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Jul. 03, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
Note 10: Commitments and Contingencies

Environmental Contingencies

There are no new environmental contingencies subsequent to the filing of the 2019 Form 10-K.
Financing Contingencies

In the ordinary course of business, the Company provides standby letters of credit or other guarantee instruments to certain parties initiated by either the Company or its subsidiaries, as required for transactions, including, but not limited to, material purchase commitments, agreements to mitigate collection risk, leases, utilities or customs guarantees. As of July 3, 2020, the Company's Revolving Credit Facility included $15.0 million of commitment subject to the available balance of the Revolving Credit Facility for the issuance of letters of credit, which, as of the date of this Form 10-Q was $4.0 million. There were $1.0 million letters of credit outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility as of July 3, 2020, which reduced the Company's borrowing capacity. As of July 3, 2020, the Company also had outstanding guarantees and letters of credit outside of its Revolving Credit Facility totaling $6.8 million.
As part of obtaining financing in the ordinary course of business, the Company issued guarantees related to certain of its subsidiaries' term loan financing and surety bond, which totaled $1.4 million as of July 3, 2020.
Based on historical experience and information currently available, the Company believes that it will not be required to make payments under the standby letters of credit or guarantee arrangements for the foreseeable future.
Indemnification Contingencies

There are no new indemnification contingencies subsequent to the filing of the 2019 Form 10-K.

Legal Matters

From time to time, the Company is party to various legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business, including indemnification claims, claims of alleged infringement of patents, trademarks, copyrights and other IP rights, claims of alleged non-compliance with contract provisions and claims related to alleged violations of laws and regulations. The Company regularly evaluates the status of the legal proceedings in which it is involved to assess whether a loss is probable or there is a reasonable possibility that a loss, or an additional loss, may have been incurred and determines if accruals are appropriate. If
accruals are not appropriate, the Company further evaluates each legal proceeding to assess whether an estimate of possible loss or range of possible loss can be made for disclosure. Although litigation is inherently unpredictable, the Company believes that it has adequate provisions for any probable and estimable losses. Nevertheless, it is possible that the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or liquidity could be materially and adversely affected in any particular period by the resolution of a legal proceeding. The Company’s estimates do not represent its maximum exposure. Legal expenses related to defense, negotiations, settlements, rulings and advice of outside legal counsel are expensed as incurred.

The Company is currently involved in a variety of legal matters that arise in the ordinary course of business. Based on information currently available, except as disclosed below, the Company is not involved in any pending or threatened legal proceedings that it believes could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. The litigation process is inherently uncertain, and the Company cannot guarantee that the outcome of any litigation matter will be favorable to the Company.

Litigation with AcBel Polytech, Inc.

On November 27, 2013, Fairchild and Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation were named as defendants in a complaint filed by AcBel Polytech, Inc. (“AcBel”) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The lawsuit alleged a number of causes of action, including breach of warranty, fraud, negligence and strict liability, and has been docketed as AcBel Polytech, Inc. v. Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. et al, Case # 1:13-CV-13046-DJC. On December 10, 2016, the Court issued an order on the Company’s motion for summary judgment dismissing all of AcBel’s claims except for claims alleging breach of implied warranties. A bench trial was held in June 2017. On December 27, 2017, the Court rendered a verdict in favor of the Fairchild defendants on the remaining implied warranty claims. AcBel appealed the Court’s ruling, and on September 11, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit heard arguments in this matter from Fairchild and AcBel. On June 20, 2019, the First Circuit vacated the decision of the District Court in favor of Fairchild and remanded the matter for additional discovery and a new trial. The First Circuit also reversed the District Court’s dismissal of the fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation and negligent misrepresentation claims at the summary judgment phase and remanded those claims for trial. The District Court scheduled a new trial for July 6, 2020.

In parallel to the litigation with AcBel, Fairchild filed an arbitration against its distributor, Synnex Technology International Corp (“Synnex”), in Hong Kong in response to Synnex’s failure to pass along Fairchild’s limited warranty to AcBel. The arbitration was held in December 2017. On August 17, 2018, the arbitrator ruled in favor of Fairchild and ordered Synnex to indemnify Fairchild for any damages Fairchild is required to pay AcBel in connection with the litigation between Fairchild and AcBel. On November 16, 2018, Synnex appealed the arbitrator’s ruling. A hearing was held on October 23, 2019, and on November 1, 2019, a Hong Kong court affirmed the arbitrator’s ruling in favor of Fairchild.

Prior to the July 6, 2020 trial, AcBel, Fairchild and Synnex tentatively agreed to a settlement of all disputes related to the litigation. AcBel and Fairchild notified the Court of the potential settlement, and the Court adjourned the case until August 10, 2020. On July 31, 2020, the Company entered into a settlement agreement and release in respect of the dispute with Synnex and Acbel. As of the date of this Form 10-Q, the Company has paid its full aggregate liability of $6.0 million in accordance with the settlement agreement and all applicable claims have been released.

Intellectual Property Matters

The Company faces risk of exposure from claims of infringement of the IP rights of others. In the ordinary course of business, the Company receives letters asserting that the Company’s products or components breach another party’s rights. Such letters may request royalty payments from the Company, that the Company cease and desist using certain IP or other remedies.