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Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies. |
Commitments and Contingencies | Note 14. Commitments and Contingencies Lease Commitments We lease land, buildings and equipment under non-cancelable operating leases expiring in various years through 2028. Rent expense for leases that contain scheduled rent increases are recorded on a straight-line basis. Several of the leases have renewal options providing for additional lease periods. Future minimum payments, by year and in the aggregate, under the non-cancelable leases with initial or remaining terms of one year or more, consisted of the following as of December 31, 2014:
|  | Operating Leases |
|  | (in millions) |
2015 |  | $ | 65.8 |
2016 |  |  | 52.7 |
2017 |  |  | 42.0 |
2018 |  |  | 33.4 |
2019 |  |  | 23.7 |
Thereafter |  |  | 32.4 |
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
|  | $ | 250.0 |
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
Total rental expense amounted to $79.3 million, $79.9 million and $73.6 million for 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Included in the amounts for operating leases are lease payments to various related parties, who are not executive officers of the Company, in the amounts of $5.5 million, $4.8 million and $4.6 million for 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively. These related party leases are for buildings leased to certain of the companies we have acquired and expire in various years through 2021. Purchase Commitments As of December 31, 2014, we had commitments to purchase minimum quantities of certain steel products, which we entered into to secure material for corresponding long-term sales commitments we have entered into with our customers. The total amount of the minimum commitments based on current pricing is estimated at approximately $82.1 million, with amounts in 2015 and 2016 being $64.9 million and $17.2 million, respectively. Collective Bargaining Agreements As of December 31, 2014, approximately 11% of our total employees are covered by 43 collective bargaining agreements, which expire at various times over the next five years. Approximately 5.3% of our employees are covered by 17 different collective bargaining agreements that expire during 2015. Environmental Contingencies We are subject to extensive and changing federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations designed to protect the environment, including those relating to the use, handling, storage, discharge and disposal of hazardous substances and the remediation of environmental contamination. Our operations use minimal amounts of such substances. We believe we are in material compliance with environmental laws and regulations; however, we are from time to time involved in administrative and judicial proceedings and inquiries relating to environmental matters. Some of our owned or leased properties are located in industrial areas with histories of heavy industrial use. We may incur some environmental liabilities because of the location of these properties. In addition, we are currently involved with certain environmental remediation projects related to activities at former manufacturing operations of EMJ, our 100%-owned subsidiary, that were sold many years prior to Reliance's acquisition of EMJ in 2006. Although the potential cleanup costs could be significant, EMJ had insurance policies in place at the time it owned the manufacturing operations that have covered costs incurred to-date, and are expected to continue to cover the majority of the related costs. We do not expect that these obligations will have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Legal Matters On April 29, 2014, a judgment was entered against Reliance and its subsidiary, Chapel Steel Corp. ("Chapel"), along with four other co-defendants, in an antitrust lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. As previously disclosed, Reliance has been involved in this legal proceeding brought by two former employees who left Chapel to start their own business and claim that Reliance, Chapel and the co-defendants engaged in anticompetitive activities. The judgment, entered against all defendants jointly and severally, awarded the plaintiff $156.0 million in damages, representing a trebling under federal antitrust laws of the jury verdict of $52.0 million in damages. On May 27, 2014 the judgment was reduced to $153.5 million. On October 20, 2014, Reliance and Chapel settled all claims against them relating to this matter for $23.0 million. We had previously recorded a $10.0 million charge for this matter during the three months ended March 31, 2014, which represented the low end of our range of estimated potential loss. On October 22, 2014, the Plaintiff filed a Release of Judgment with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas releasing Reliance and Chapel from any liability under the judgment and Reliance and Chapel dismissed their appeal of the judgment by filing a Notice of Dismissal with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. From time to time, we are named as a defendant in legal actions. Generally, these actions arise out of our normal course of business. We are not a party to any pending legal proceedings other than routine litigation incidental to the business. We expect that these matters will be resolved without having a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition. We maintain liability insurance against risks arising out of our normal course of business.

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