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CONTINGENCIES | 9 Months Ended
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Jan. 29, 2012
Loss Contingency [Abstract] |
CONTINGENCIES | CONTINGENCIES Litigation Other than the following matters, there have been no significant developments regarding litigation disclosed in Note 17 of our Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 1, 2011, nor have any significant new matters arisen during the nine months ended January 29, 2012. Missouri Litigation As previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 1, 2011 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 31, 2011, in 2002, lawsuits based on the law of nuisance were filed against Premium Standard Farms (PSF), a wholly-owned subsidiary acquired on May 7, 2007, and Continental Grain Company (CGC) in the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri entitled Steven Adwell, et al. v. PSF, et al. and Michael Adwell, et al. v. PSF, et al. On March 4, 2010, a jury trial involving 15 plaintiffs who live near Homan farm resulted in a jury verdict of compensatory damages for the plaintiffs for a total of $11.1 million. The Court of Appeals of Missouri (Western District) denied defendants' appeal. On May 17, 2011, defendants filed an Application for Transfer of the appeal with the Missouri Supreme Court, which was denied on August 30, 2011 and PSF will pay the judgment plus interest. Pursuant to a pre-existing arrangement, PSF is obligated to indemnify CGC for certain liabilities, if any, resulting from the Missouri litigation, including the liabilities resulting from the foregoing verdict. The next Adwell trial, which will resolve the claims of up to 28 plaintiffs who live near Scott Colby farm, has been scheduled to commence on February 4, 2013, and discovery is ongoing. As previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 1, 2011, a lawsuit based on the law of nuisance was filed against the Company, PSF, CGC, and three other defendants in the Circuit Court of Daviess County, Missouri in April 2008 entitled Vernon Hanes, et al. v. PSF, et al. The case was transferred to DeKalb County, and the Court granted the Company's Motion for Summary Judgment dismissing it from the case on September 1, 2010. A jury trial for the remaining claims against the remaining defendants commenced on June 2, 2011. On June 22, 2011, the jury returned a verdict in favor of all remaining defendants as to all claims. As previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 1, 2011, in May 2004, a putative class action lawsuit entitled Daniel Herrold, et al. and Others Similarly Situated v. ContiGroup Companies, Inc., PSF, and PSF Group Holdings, Inc. was filed in the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri. As a result of various venue transfer rulings and notices of dismissal, Herrold cases are pending in Chariton, Clark, DeKalb, Harrison, Jackson, and Linn counties. Trial for one of the Herrold cases pending in Harrison County, Engel, et al. v. PSF, et al., which involves the claims of four plaintiffs, has been scheduled to commence on October 9, 2012, and discovery is ongoing. As previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 1, 2011, in May 2007, a nuisance lawsuit entitled Jake Cooper, et al. v. Smithfield Foods, Inc., et al. was filed against numerous defendants in the Circuit Court of Vernon County, Missouri. Trial for the claims of the eleven plaintiffs remaining in the Cooper case has been scheduled to commence on May 1, 2013, and discovery is ongoing. Our policy for establishing accruals and disclosures for contingent liabilities is contained in Note 1—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 1, 2011. We established an accrual with respect to the Missouri nuisance suits, including the cases described above, on the opening balance sheet for our acquisition of PSF in fiscal 2008 and we have periodically adjusted that accrual as developments have occurred. The accrual, as adjusted from time to time, represents our best estimate of the probable loss for these suits. In response to recent developments, including substantial progress made in global settlement negotiations, we increased the accrual by $39.0 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2012 pursuant to applicable accounting guidance governing contingencies and subsequent events. These charges were recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses. Beginning in late June and continuing into the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, we have made substantial progress in global settlement negotiations with counsel representing substantially all of the plaintiffs in the Missouri nuisance suits. As a result of this progress, we believe a global settlement with those plaintiffs is probable although we have not yet entered into a global settlement agreement and it is possible that we will be unsuccessful in doing so. If a settlement is reached, we intend to seek recovery under various insurance policies and believe that we could eventually recover a substantial portion of the settlement payment. Expenses and other liabilities associated with the Missouri nuisance suits will not affect our future profits or losses unless the accrual, as adjusted, proves to be insufficient or excessive. Although legal expenses incurred in our and our subsidiaries' defense of these claims and any payments made to plaintiffs will reduce our cash flows and our liquidity position, we do not expect such payments to have a material adverse impact on our overall financial position or liquidity. Given the uncertainty of the outcome of the Missouri nuisance suits, including the uncertain outcome of ongoing global settlement negotiations, we cannot reasonably estimate the maximum potential exposure or the range of possible loss, if any, in excess of amounts accrued for these contingencies. However, it is possible that the total costs incurred related to such claims could exceed or be less than our current accrual. We will continue to review the amount of any necessary accruals and record changes in the period in which the determination is made that an adjustment is required.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for loss and gain contingencies. Describes any existing condition, situation, or set of circumstances involving uncertainty as of the balance sheet date (or prior to issuance of the financial statements) as to a probable or reasonably possible loss incurred by an entity that will ultimately be resolved when one or more future events occur or fail to occur, and typically discloses the amount of loss recorded or a range of possible loss, or an assertion that no reasonable estimate can be made. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 5 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6952336&loc=d3e14453-108349 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 10 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6952336&loc=d3e14615-108349 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 5 -Paragraph 9, 10, 11, 12 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 9 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6952336&loc=d3e14557-108349 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6952336&loc=d3e14326-108349 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 460 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6851643&loc=d3e12053-110248 Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name FASB Interpretation (FIN) -Number 14 -Paragraph 3 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 460 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6851643&loc=d3e12021-110248 Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 6 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6952336&loc=d3e14472-108349 Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6952336&loc=d3e14435-108349 Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6952336&loc=d3e14394-108349 + Details
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