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Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments and Contingencies
 
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
 
The following lawsuits, which all alleged premature corrosion of the Company’s strap tie holdown products in a housing development known as Ocean Pointe in Honolulu, Hawaii, have been resolved by means of a written settlement agreement (the “Settlement”): 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,” and collectively, the “Cases”). Cases 1 and 4 were homeowner class actions consolidated for all purposes. The Hawaii First District Circuit Court had previously granted the Company summary judgment on all claims asserted by the plaintiff homeowners against the Company in Cases 1 and 4. The Court further granted the Company summary judgment on various claims and cross-claims asserted by the housing developer and sub-contractor defendants against the Company. The only claim remaining against the Company in any of the Cases, which was asserted by the developer and sub-contractor defendants for alleged negligent misrepresentation, was resolved pursuant to the Settlement without adjudication or any admission of liability by the Company. The Settlement may not be used as evidence of liability against any party. The Court granted final approval of the Settlement on June 19, 2015, and the Cases will be dismissed in due course. The Company incurred no uninsured liability to the homeowner plaintiffs, or to the developer or sub-contractor defendants, in connection with the Cases or the Settlement.

The following insurance coverage lawsuits related to the above-referenced Cases have also been resolved through settlement: National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, PA v. Simpson Manufacturing Company, Inc., et al., Civil No. 11-00254 ACK (the "National Union Action"); Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company v. Hartford Fire Insurance Company, Civil No. 11 1789 SBA (the “Fireman’s Fund Action”); and Simpson Manufacturing Company, Inc, et al. v. National Union Fire Insurance Company, et al., Case No. CGC-11-516046 (collectively the “Insurance Coverage Cases”). These Insurance Coverage Cases will be dismissed in due course after the Company’s insurance companies make agreed contributions to the above-referenced Settlement. The Company incurred no liability in connection with the Insurance Coverage Cases.

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. The Plaintiffs continue to prosecute their claims against the developer of their properties, and on April 1, 2015, filed a motion to seek certification to proceed on behalf of a class of homeowner plaintiffs. As a result of the Court's prior rulings, there are currently no claims pending against the Company.
 
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, labeling defects, adulteration, environmental conditions, or other factors can contribute to failure of fasteners, connectors, anchors, adhesives, specialty chemicals, such as fiber reinforced polymers, 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.