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Note 12 - Contingencies | 6 Months Ended
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Nov. 26, 2023
Notes to Financial Statements |
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block] | 12. CONTINGENCIES Litigation Matters We are a party to certain litigation matters as a result of our acquisition of Beatrice Company ("Beatrice") in fiscal 1991, including litigation proceedings related to lead-based paint and pigment businesses divested by Beatrice prior to our acquisition. These lawsuits have generally sought damages for personal injury, property damage, economic loss, and governmental expenditures allegedly caused by the use of lead-based paint. We have denied liability, both on the merits of the claims and on the basis that we do not believe we are the successor to any such liability. In one such action in California, we agreed to pay $101.7 million, in seven annual installments from fiscal 2020 through fiscal 2026 (of which $73.0 million had been paid as of November 26, 2023), pursuant to a 2019 settlement, which settlement also included a default guarantee for up to $15.0 million in payments to be made by co-defendant, NL Industries, Inc. We had accrued $28.8 million ($11.6 million within other accrued liabilities and $17.2 million within other noncurrent liabilities) as of November 26, 2023 and $40.7 million ($11.8 million within other accrued liabilities and $28.9 million within other noncurrent liabilities) as of May 28, 2023 for this matter. We are a party to a number of matters asserting product liability claims against the Company related to certain Pam® and other cooking spray products. These lawsuits generally seek damages for personal injuries allegedly caused by defects in the design, manufacture, or safety warnings of the cooking spray products. On October 31, 2023, a jury entered a verdict against the Company for $3.1 million in compensatory damages and $4.0 million in punitive damages in one of these lawsuits, captioned Reese v. Conagra Brands, Inc., et al. (“Reese”). The judgment in the Reese lawsuit is not final and we are challenging the verdict through post-trial motions. We may pursue additional options in Reese including appealing the judgment when final. We have put the Company's insurance carriers on notice of these matters regarding our cooking spray products. While we cannot predict with certainty the results of these or any other legal proceedings, the Company believes adequate provision has been made in its Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for all probable and reasonably estimable losses for the litigation related to the cooking spray products based on information available to us at the time of our evaluation. We are a party to various other lawsuits such as putative class action lawsuits challenging various product claims made in the Company's product labeling and matters challenging the Company's wage and hour practices. While we cannot predict with certainty the results of these or any other legal proceedings, we do not expect these matters to have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or business. Our accrual for all litigation matters, including those matters described above that are probable and estimable, was $54.5 million ( $26.1 million within other accrued liabilities and $28.4 million within other noncurrent liabilities) as of November 26, 2023 and $51.3 million ( $22.4 million within other accrued liabilities and $28.9 million within other noncurrent liabilities) as of May 28, 2023. Environmental Matters Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") regulations require us to disclose certain information about environmental proceedings if a governmental authority is a party to such proceedings and such proceedings involve potential monetary sanctions that we reasonably believe will exceed a stated threshold. Pursuant to the SEC regulations, the Company uses a threshold of $1.0 million for purposes of determining whether disclosure of any such proceedings is required. We are a party to certain environmental proceedings relating to businesses divested by Beatrice prior to our acquisition in fiscal 1991, including litigation and administrative proceedings involving Beatrice's possible status as a potentially responsible party at approximately 35 Superfund, proposed Superfund, or state-equivalent sites (the "Beatrice sites"). The Beatrice sites consist of locations previously owned or operated by predecessors of Beatrice that used or produced petroleum, pesticides, fertilizers, dyes, inks, solvents, polychlorinated biphenyls, acids, lead, sulfur, tannery wastes, and/or other contaminants. Reserves for these Beatrice environmental proceedings have been established based on our best estimate of the undiscounted remediation liabilities, which estimates include evaluation of investigatory studies, extent of required clean-up, the known volumetric contribution of Beatrice and other potentially responsible parties, and its experience in remediating sites. The accrual for Beatrice-related environmental matters totaled $38.8 million ($1.5 million within other accrued liabilities and $37.3 million within other noncurrent liabilities) as of November 26, 2023 and $40.1 million ($1.5 million within other accrued liabilities and $38.6 million within other noncurrent liabilities) as of May 28, 2023, a majority of which relates to the Superfund and state-equivalent sites referenced above. Guarantees and Other Contingencies In certain limited situations, we will guarantee an obligation of an unconsolidated entity. As of November 26, 2023, we continued to guarantee an obligation of the Lamb Weston business pursuant to a guarantee arrangement that existed prior to the spinoff of the Lamb Weston business (the "Spinoff"), remained in place following completion of the Spinoff, and will remain in place until such guarantee obligation is substituted for guarantees issued by Lamb Weston. Pursuant to the separation and distribution agreement, dated as of November 8, 2016 (the "Separation Agreement"), between us and Lamb Weston, this guarantee arrangement is deemed a liability of Lamb Weston that was transferred to Lamb Weston as part of the Spinoff. Accordingly, under the Separation Agreement, in the event that we are required to make any payments as a result of this guarantee arrangement, Lamb Weston is obligated to indemnify us for any such liability, reduced by any insurance proceeds received by us. Lamb Weston is a party to an agricultural sublease agreement with a third party for certain farmland through 2025 (subject, at Lamb Weston's option, to extension for one additional five-year period). Under the terms of the sublease agreement, Lamb Weston is required to make certain rental payments to the sublessor. We have guaranteed to the sublessor Lamb Weston's performance and the payment of all amounts (including indemnification obligations) owed by Lamb Weston under the sublease agreement, up to a maximum of $75.0 million. We believe the farmland associated with this sublease agreement is readily marketable for lease to other area farming operators. As such, we believe that any financial exposure to the Company, in the event that we were required to perform under the guarantee, would be largely mitigated. We also guarantee a lease resulting from an exited facility. As of November 26, 2023, the remaining term of this arrangement did not exceed three years and the maximum amount of guaranteed future payments was $7.4 million. General After taking into account liabilities recognized for all of the foregoing matters, management believes the ultimate resolution of such matters should not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity; however, it is reasonably possible that a change of the estimates of any of the foregoing matters may occur in the future that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity. Costs of legal services associated with the foregoing matters are recognized within SG&A expenses as services are provided.

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