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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2025
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
The Company may be party to a variety of litigation, claims, legal or regulatory proceedings, inquiries, and investigations including but not limited to matters arising out of the ordinary course of business, including those related to advertising, marketing or commercial practices, personal injury and property damage, intellectual property rights, employment, tax and insurance, and matters relating to compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Responding to these matters, even those that are ultimately non-meritorious, may require the Company to incur significant expense and devote significant resources. While it is not possible to predict the ultimate resolution of these matters, management believes, based upon examination of currently available information, experience to date, and advice from legal counsel, that, after taking into account existing insurance coverage and amounts already provided for, the currently pending legal proceedings against the Company will not have a material adverse impact on the Company's consolidated statements of operations, balance sheets, or cash flows.
Liabilities for loss contingencies arising from claims, assessments, litigation, fines, and penalties are recorded when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated. Legal costs incurred in connection with loss contingencies are expensed as incurred. Other than with respect to the matter described below, the Company believes there is no litigation pending that could have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated statements of operations, balance sheets or cash flows. The Company believes it has made appropriate and adequate reserves and accruals for its current contingencies and the likelihood of a material loss beyond amounts accrued is remote.
Patane Litigation
On August 15, 2017, Mark Patane and 11 other named plaintiffs (collectively, the “Plaintiffs”) commenced a putative class action against Nestlé Waters North America Inc. ("Nestlé Waters") in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut (the “Court”). The Plaintiffs alleged that Poland Spring product labels fraudulently represent the product to be natural spring water. The Plaintiffs have asserted claims of common law fraud, violations of certain consumer protection laws in nine states (with the Plaintiffs’ claims under the consumer protection laws of four of those states having been dismissed) and, for home and office customers, breach of contract. As a result of Triton Water Holdings' acquisition of all of the equity interests of Nestlé Waters North America Holdings, Inc., along with the acquisition of certain assets and assumption of certain liabilities of Nestlé Canada Inc. from Nestlé S.A. (the "Nestlé Acquisition"), Nestlé Waters was renamed BlueTriton Brands, Inc. (“BlueTriton Brands”), and BlueTriton Brands is continuing to defend against the lawsuit.
As a result of rulings on multiple dispositive motions, including most recently on December 30, 2024, the case has been narrowed in certain respects. On January 6, 2025, both the Plaintiffs and BlueTriton Brands moved for reconsideration of portions of the December 30, 2024 decision, which granted in part and denied in part BlueTriton Brands’ motion for summary judgment. Upon the resolution of those motions, the Plaintiffs are expected to seek to certify multiple classes, including a nine state common law fraud class, a subclass comprised of BlueTriton Brands’ Poland Spring home and office customers in nine states for breach of contract, and state subclasses comprised of retail purchasers of Poland Spring for violation of consumer protection statutes in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. Plaintiffs’ claims for injunctive relief have been dismissed. The claims of eight Plaintiffs who are members of a class in a prior class action and subject to the Final Judgement entered in Ramsey v. Nestlé Waters N.Am., Case No. 03-CHK-817 (Ill Cir. Ct. 16th Cir. Kane Cnty.), have also been dismissed to the extent that they rely on purchases of Poland Spring bottled water sourced from four spring water sources: Poland Spring; Clear Spring; Evergreen Spring; and Garden Spring.
The Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages and/or statutory damages. For the common law fraud claims, the Plaintiffs purport to compute damages by multiplying the alleged price premium that Nestlé Waters obtained from its alleged “spring water” misrepresentation by Nestlé Waters's total dollar sales of Poland Spring still water products sold by Nestlé Waters during the class period, while statutory damages normally are determined by multiplying a statutorily established amount by the number of violations. The quantification of Plaintiffs’ recoverable damages is not reasonably determinable at this stage of the litigation. No trial date has been set. We believe that Plaintiffs’ claims are without merit, and we intend to defend ourselves vigorously. Based upon information presently known to management, the Company has not accrued a loss for the matters described above as the Company believes that a loss is not probable and reasonably estimable. While it is reasonably possible a loss may be incurred, the Company is unable to estimate a loss or range of loss in this matter.
Purchase Commitments
The Company may enter into unconditional purchase obligations with third party suppliers in the ordinary course of business. Such arrangements are entered into to secure subscriptions, utilities, services and supplies vital to the Company's operations and ability to serve its customers. The Company has various long-term supply and service contracts which may require that the Company purchase minimum quantities, for a minimum term, at fixed or variable rates.
Letters of Credit
As of March 31, 2025, the Company had $138.5 million of letters of credit outstanding.