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Note 6 Commitments and Contingencies | 9 Months Ended
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Jun. 30, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block] | Contingencies From time to time, the Company is a party to litigation, claims and other contingencies, including environmental and employee matters and examinations and investigations by governmental agencies, which arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company records a contingent liability when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount of loss is reasonably estimable in accordance with ASC Topic 450, Contingencies, or other applicable accounting standards. As of June 30, 2018 and September 30, 2017, the Company had reserves of $34 million and $36 million, respectively, for environmental matters, warranty, litigation and other contingencies (excluding reserves for uncertain tax positions) which the Company believes are adequate. However, there can be no assurance that the Company's reserves will be sufficient to settle these contingencies. Such reserves are included in accrued liabilities and other long-term liabilities on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. In January 2018, the Company received a notice of intent from a foreign government agency to bring a claim seeking up to $23 million asserting that the Company had been out of compliance from April 2015 through September 2016 with certain requirements of the Company’s exemption from goods and services tax on imported goods. Such claim, if formally made, could seek payment for allegedly unpaid goods and services tax. No formal claim has been brought to date. The Company believes it has good faith arguments in defense of its actions and has provided these arguments to the government agency in writing, most recently in April 2018. No further communications have been received from the agency since that time and the Company cannot, at this time, determine the outcome of this matter and has not provided a reserve for this matter as of the end of the third quarter of 2018. Legal Proceedings Environmental Matters The Company is subject to various federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations and administrative orders concerning environmental protection, including those addressing the discharge of pollutants into the environment, the management and disposal of hazardous substances, the cleanup of contaminated sites, the materials used in products, and the recycling, treatment and disposal of hazardous waste. As of June 30, 2018, the Company had been named in a lawsuit and several administrative orders alleging certain of its current and former sites contributed to groundwater contamination. One such order requires the Company's Canadian subsidiary to remediate certain environmental contamination at a site owned by the subsidiary between 1999 and 2006. As of June 30, 2018, the Company believes it has reserved a sufficient amount to satisfy currently anticipated future investigation and remediation costs at this site. Another such order demands that the Company and other alleged defendants remediate groundwater contamination at two landfills located in Northern California to which the Company may have sent wastewater in the past. The Company continues to investigate the allegations contained in this order and has reserved its estimated exposure for this matter as of June 30, 2018. However, there can be no assurance that the Company's reserve will ultimately be sufficient. In June 2008, the Company was named by the Orange County Water District in a suit alleging that its actions contributed to polluted groundwater managed by the plaintiff. The complaint seeks recovery of compensatory and other damages, as well as declaratory relief, for the payment of costs necessary to investigate, monitor, remediate, abate and contain contamination of groundwater within the plaintiff’s control. In April 2013, all claims against the Company were dismissed. The plaintiff appealed this dismissal and the appeals court reversed the judgment in August 2017. In November 2017, the California Supreme Court denied the Company’s petition to review this decision and in December 2017 the Court of Appeal remanded the case back to the Superior Court for further proceedings. A trial date has not yet been set. The Company intends to contest the plaintiff’s claims vigorously. Other Matters Two of the Company’s subsidiaries in Brazil are parties to a number of administrative and judicial proceedings for claims alleging that these subsidiaries failed to comply with certain bookkeeping and tax rules for certain periods between 2001 and 2011. These claims seek payment of social fund contributions and income and excise taxes allegedly owed by the subsidiaries, as well as fines. The subsidiaries believe they have meritorious positions in these matters and intend to continue to contest the claims. Other Contingencies One of the Company's most significant risks is the ultimate realization of accounts receivable and customer inventory exposures. This risk is partially mitigated by ongoing credit evaluations of, and frequent contact with, the Company's customers, especially its most significant customers, thus enabling the Company to monitor changes in business operations and respond accordingly. Customer bankruptcies also entail the risk of potential recovery by the bankruptcy estate of amounts previously paid to the Company that are deemed a preference under bankruptcy laws.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for commitments and contingencies. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2127136 Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 440 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2144648 + Details
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