Commitments and Contingencies

Leases

Certain properties occupied by the Company are leased. The leases expire at various dates through 2022 and generally require the Company to assume the obligations for insurance, property taxes and maintenance of the facilities.

Rental expense for 2014, 2013 and 2012 with respect to all leased property was approximately $6.9 million, $6.9 million and $6.9 million, respectively.

At December 31, 2014, minimum rental commitments under all non-cancelable leases were as follows:

(in thousands)



2015	$	6,658
2016	4,668
2017	2,710
2018	2,218
2019	993
Thereafter	1,947
Total	$	19,194

Some of these minimum rental commitments contain renewal options and provide for periodic rental adjustments based on changes in the consumer price index or current market rental rates. Other rental commitments provide options to cancel early without penalty. Future minimum rental payments, under the earliest cancellation options, are included in minimum rental commitments in the table above.

Other Contractual Obligations

Purchase obligations consist of commitments primarily related to the acquisition, construction or expansion of facilities and equipment, consulting agreements, and minimum purchase quantities of certain raw materials. The Company is not a party to any long-term supply contracts with respect to the purchase of raw materials or finished goods. Debt interest obligations include interest payments on fixed-term debt, line-of-credit borrowings and annual facility fees on the Company’s primary line-of-credit facility. Interest on line-of-credit facilities was estimated based on historical borrowings and repayment patterns.

At December 31, 2014, other contractual obligations were as follows:

(in thousands)



	Purchase Obligations		Debt Interest Obligations		Total
2015	$	25,581	$	450	$	26,031
2016	31		450		481
2017	31		263		294
2018	30		—		30
2019	—		—		—
Thereafter	—		—		—
	$	25,673	$	1,163	$	26,836

Employee Relations

Approximately 14% of the Company’s employees are represented by labor unions and are covered by collective bargaining agreements. Simpson Strong-Tie’s facility in San Bernardino County, California, has two of SST’s collective bargaining agreements, one with tool and die craftsmen and maintenance workers, and the other with sheetmetal workers. These two contracts expire in February 2017 and June 2018, respectively. Simpson Strong-Tie’s facility in Stockton, California, is also a union facility with two collective bargaining agreements, which also cover tool and die craftsmen and maintenance workers and sheetmetal workers. These two contracts will expire June and September 2015, respectively. Negotiations to extend both union labor contracts have not begun. The Company believes that the negotiations to extend these two contracts are not likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to provide products to its customers or on the Company’s profitability, even if new agreements are not reached before the existing agreements expire.

Environmental

The Company’s policy with regard to environmental liabilities is to accrue for future environmental assessments and remediation costs when information becomes available that indicates that it is probable that the Company is liable for any related claims and assessments and the amount of the liability is reasonably estimable. The Company does not believe that these matters will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, cash flows or results of operations.

Litigation

From time to time, the Company is involved in various legal proceedings and other matters arising in the normal course of business. The resolution of claims and litigation is subject to inherent uncertainty and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

Pending Claims

Four lawsuits (the “Cases”) have been filed against the Company in the Hawaii First Circuit Court: Alvarez v. Haseko Homes, Inc. and Simpson Manufacturing, Inc., Civil No. 09-1-2697-11 (“Case 1”); Ke Noho Kai Development, LLC v. Simpson Strong-Tie Company, Inc., and Honolulu Wood Treating Co., LTD., Case No. 09-1-1491-06 SSM (“Case 2”); North American Specialty Ins. Co. v. Simpson Strong-Tie Company, Inc. and K.C. Metal Products, Inc., Case No. 09-1-1490-06 VSM (“Case 3”); and Charles et al. v. Haseko Homes, Inc. et al. and Third Party Plaintiffs Haseko Homes, Inc. et al. v. Simpson Strong-Tie Company, Inc., et al., Civil No. 09-1-1932-08 (“Case 4”). Case 1 was filed on November 18, 2009. Cases 2 and 3 were originally filed on June 30, 2009. Case 4 was filed on August 19, 2009. The Cases all relate to alleged premature corrosion of the Company’s strap tie holdown products installed in buildings in a housing development known as Ocean Pointe in Honolulu, Hawaii, allegedly causing property damage. Case 1 is a putative class action brought by the owners of allegedly affected Ocean Pointe houses. Case 1 was originally filed as Kai et al. v. Haseko Homes, Inc., Haseko Construction, Inc. and Simpson Manufacturing, Inc., Case No. 09-1-1476, but was voluntarily dismissed and then re-filed with a new representative plaintiff. Case 2 is an action by the builders and developers of Ocean Pointe against the Company, claiming that either the Company’s strap tie holdowns are defective in design or manufacture or the Company failed to provide adequate warnings regarding the products’ susceptibility to corrosion in certain environments. Case 3 is a subrogation action brought by the insurance company for the builders and developers against the Company claiming the insurance company expended funds to correct problems allegedly caused by the Company’s products. Case 4 is a putative class action brought, like Case 1, by owners of allegedly affected Ocean Pointe homes. In Case 4, Haseko Homes, Inc. (“Haseko”), the developer of the Ocean Pointe development, brought a third party complaint against the Company alleging that any damages for which Haseko may be liable are actually the fault of the Company. Similarly, Haseko’s sub-contractors on the Ocean Pointe development brought cross-claims against the Company seeking indemnity and contribution for any amounts for which they may ultimately be found liable. None of the Cases alleges a specific amount of damages sought, although each of the Cases seeks compensatory damages, and Case 1 seeks punitive damages. Cases 1 and 4 have been consolidated. In December 2012, the Court granted the Company summary judgment on the claims asserted by the plaintiff homeowners in Cases 1 and 4, and on the third party complaint and cross-claims asserted by Haseko and the sub-contractors, respectively, in Case 4. In April 2013, the Court granted Haseko and the sub-contractors’ motion for leave to amend their cross-claims to allege a claim for negligent misrepresentation. The Company continues to investigate the facts underlying the claims asserted in the Cases, including, among other things, the cause of the alleged corrosion; the severity of any problems shown to exist; the buildings affected; the responsibility of the general contractor, various subcontractors and other construction professionals for the alleged damages; the amount, if any, of damages suffered; and the costs of repair, if needed. At this time, the likelihood that the Company will be found liable under any legal theory and the extent of such liability, if any, are unknown. Management believes the Cases may not be resolved for an extended period should the written agreement reached to settle the Cases and other related legal proceedings (the “Settlement”) (discussed below) not receive final approval by the Court and become effective as defined therein, in accordance with its terms. The Company is defending itself vigorously in connection with the Cases.

Based on facts currently known to the Company, the Company believes that all or part of the claims alleged in the Cases may be covered by its insurance policies. On April 19, 2011, an action was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, PA v. Simpson Manufacturing Company, Inc., et al., Civil No. 11-00254 ACK (the "National Union Action"). In this National Union Action, Plaintiff National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (“National Union”), which issued certain Commercial General Liability insurance policies to the Company, seeks declaratory relief in the Cases with respect to its obligations to defend or indemnify the Company, Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc., and a vendor of the Company’s strap tie holdown products. By Order dated November 7, 2011, all proceedings in the National Union action have been stayed. If the stay is lifted, in the absence of an agreement to settle the Cases and the National Union action, the Company intends vigorously to defend all claims advanced by National Union.

On April 12, 2011, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company (“Fireman’s Fund”), another of the Company’s general liability insurers, sued Hartford Fire Insurance Company (“Hartford”), a third insurance company from whom the Company purchased general liability insurance, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company v. Hartford Fire Insurance Company, Civil No. 11 1789 SBA (the “Fireman’s Fund action”). The Company has intervened in the Fireman’s Fund action. By Order dated September 29, 2014, the Court formally stayed proceedings in the Fireman’s Fund Action, and ordered the action administratively closed. The Fireman’s Fund Action is subject to motion to reopen in the absence of an agreement to settle the Cases and the Fireman’s Fund Action

On November 21, 2011, the Company commenced a lawsuit against National Union, Fireman’s Fund, Hartford and others in the Superior Court of the State of California in and for the City and County of San Francisco (the “San Francisco coverage action”). In the San Francisco coverage action, the Company alleges generally that the separate pendency of the National Union action and the Fireman’s Fund action presents a risk of inconsistent adjudications; that the San Francisco Superior Court has jurisdiction over all of the parties and should exercise jurisdiction at the appropriate time to resolve any and all disputes that have arisen or may in the future arise among the Company and its liability insurers; and that the San Francisco coverage action should also be stayed pending resolution of the underlying Ocean Pointe Cases. The San Francisco coverage action has been ordered stayed pending resolution of the Cases.

Through mediation, the parties entered into the Settlement to resolve all of these legal proceedings, including Cases 1, 2, 3 and 4; the National Union action; the Fireman’s Fund action; and the San Francisco coverage action. All parties to the Cases have executed the Settlement and the Court has given its preliminary approval. If the Court gives final approval to the Settlement, and if the conditions are satisfied such that the Settlement becomes Effective as defined therein, the Company will incur no uninsured liability in any of these legal proceedings. The Company cannot predict when, if ever, the Settlement will be approved and its conditions satisfied such that it becomes Effective, and an unfavorable outcome could result in liability that substantially exceeds the amount of the Settlement. It is not possible to reasonably estimate the amount or range of any such possible excess.

Nishimura v. Gentry Homes, Ltd; Simpson Manufacturing Co., Inc.; and Simpson Strong-Tie Company, Inc., Civil no. 11-1-1522-7, was filed in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit of Hawaii on July 20, 2011. The Nishimura case alleges premature corrosion of the Company’s strap tie holdown products in a housing development at Ewa Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. In February 2012, the Court dismissed three of the five claims the plaintiffs had asserted against the Company. In December 2013, the Court granted the Company’s motion for summary judgment on the remaining claims. Currently, the case is closed, though it remains subject to appeal.

The Company is not engaged in any other legal proceedings as of the date hereof, which the Company expects individually or in the aggregate to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, cash flows or results of operations. The resolution of claims and litigation is subject to inherent uncertainty and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, cash flows or results of operations.

Other

Corrosion, hydrogen enbrittlement, cracking, material hardness, wood pressure-treating chemicals, misinstallations, misuse, design and assembly flaws, manufacturing defects, environmental conditions or other factors can contribute to failure of fasteners, connectors, anchors, adhesives and tool products. On occasion, some of the products that the Company sells have failed, although the Company has not incurred any material liability resulting from those failures. The Company attempts to avoid such failures by establishing and monitoring appropriate product specifications, manufacturing quality control procedures, inspection procedures and information on appropriate installation methods and conditions. The Company subjects its products to extensive testing, with results and conclusions published in Company catalogues and on its websites. Based on test results to date, the Company believes that, generally, if its products are appropriately selected, installed and used in accordance with the Company’s guidance, they may be reliably used in appropriate applications.