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Legal and Other Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 29, 2014
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Legal and Other Contingencies | (13) Legal and Other Contingencies As of March 29, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company had recorded reserves for pending legal disputes, including commercial disputes and other matters, of $19.4 million and $17.5 million, respectively. Such reserves reflect amounts recognized in accordance with GAAP and typically exclude the cost of legal representation. Product liability and warranty reserves are recorded separately from legal reserves, as described below. On October 5, 2011, a plaintiff filed a putative class action complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan against the Company and several other global suppliers of automotive wire harnesses alleging violations of federal and state antitrust and related laws. Since that time, a number of other plaintiffs have filed substantially similar class action complaints against the Company and these and other suppliers and individuals in a number of different federal district courts, and it is possible that additional similar lawsuits may be filed in the future. Plaintiffs purport to be direct and indirect purchasers of automotive wire harnesses supplied by the Company and/or the other defendants during the relevant period. The complaints allege that the defendants conspired to fix prices at which automotive wire harnesses were sold and that this had an anticompetitive effect upon interstate commerce in the United States. The complaints further allege that defendants fraudulently concealed their alleged conspiracy. The plaintiffs in these proceedings seek injunctive relief and recovery of an unspecified amount of damages, as well as costs and expenses relating to the proceedings, including attorneys’ fees. On February 7, 2012, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation entered an order transferring and coordinating the various civil actions, for pretrial purposes, into one proceeding in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. On May 14, 2012, three purported classes of plaintiffs — direct purchasers of automotive wire harnesses; automotive dealers that indirectly purchased automotive wire harnesses or vehicles containing such harnesses; and indirect purchasers that purchased or leased vehicles containing automotive wire harnesses (or purchased replacement automotive wire harnesses for their vehicles) — filed consolidated amended complaints in the consolidated proceeding. With respect to the Company, the consolidated amended complaints are substantially similar to the individual complaints that had been filed in the various jurisdictions. On July 13, 2012, the Company filed a motion to have these actions dismissed. On June 6, 2013, the District Court entered an order denying the Company’s motion to dismiss and, on September 6, 2013, denied the Company’s motion to certify the June 6, 2013 order for interlocutory appeal. On February 20, 2014, another plaintiff — the City of Richmond, California — filed a putative class action in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on behalf of itself and other “Public Entities” comprising states, state subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities and local government subdivisions and agencies that assert substantially the same claims as the indirect purchasers. Beginning in early 2012, putative class action complaints were filed in the Superior Courts of Justice in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia against the Company and several other global suppliers of automotive wire harnesses alleging violations of Canadian laws related to competition. The allegations in the complaints are substantially similar to those complaints that have been filed in the United States. On November 17, 2011, the Company filed a motion with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York seeking entry of an order enforcing the Company’s 2009 Plan of Reorganization and directing dismissal of the pending class action complaints. The bankruptcy court heard oral argument on the motion and, on February 10, 2012, ruled that claims against the Company alleging violation of antitrust law are enjoined to the extent that they arose prior to the Company’s emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings on November 9, 2009. The bankruptcy court further held that the District Court was the appropriate forum to address antitrust claims arising after the Company’s emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The Company appealed the bankruptcy court’s decision on this issue, and in November 2012, the appellate court ruled in favor of the Company and remanded for consideration by the bankruptcy court the possible effects of certain alleged antitrust claims arising after November 9, 2009. This issue was stayed by the bankruptcy court until a decision was entered with respect to the Company’s motion to dismiss the underlying class action complaints in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Following the order entered by the District Court on June 6, 2013, denying the Company’s motion to dismiss, the Company renewed its request that the bankruptcy court enjoin the antitrust class action plaintiffs, and any similarly situated potential plaintiffs, from seeking damages against the Company for the period prior to November 9, 2009. The bankruptcy court heard oral argument on this matter on September 10, 2013. The ultimate outcome of this litigation, and consequently, an estimate of the possible loss, if any, related to this litigation, cannot reasonably be determined at this time. However, the Company believes the plaintiffs’ allegations against it are without merit and intends to continue to vigorously defend itself in these proceedings. Commercial Disputes The Company is involved from time to time in legal proceedings and claims, including, without limitation, commercial or contractual disputes with its customers, suppliers and competitors. These disputes vary in nature and are usually resolved by negotiations between the parties. Product Liability and Warranty Matters In the event that use of the Company’s products results in, or is alleged to result in, bodily injury and/or property damage or other losses, the Company may be subject to product liability lawsuits and other claims. Such lawsuits generally seek compensatory damages, punitive damages and attorneys’ fees and costs. In addition, the Company is a party to warranty-sharing and other agreements with certain of its customers related to its products. These customers may pursue claims against the Company for contribution of all or a portion of the amounts sought in connection with product liability and warranty claims. The Company can provide no assurances that it will not experience material claims in the future or that it will not incur significant costs to defend such claims. In addition, if any of the Company’s products are, or are alleged to be, defective, the Company may be required or requested by its customers to participate in a recall or other corrective action involving such products. Certain of the Company’s customers have asserted claims against the Company for costs related to recalls or other corrective actions involving its products. In certain instances, allegedly defective products may be supplied by Tier 2 suppliers. The Company may seek recovery from its suppliers of materials or services included within the Company’s products that are associated with product liability and warranty claims. The Company carries insurance for certain legal matters, including product liability claims, but such coverage may be limited. The Company does not maintain insurance for product warranty or recall matters. Future dispositions with respect to the Company’s product liability claims that were subject to compromise under the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings will be satisfied out of a common stock and warrant reserve established for that purpose. The Company records product warranty reserves based on its individual customer agreements. Product warranty reserves are recorded for known warranty issues when liability for such issues is probable and related amounts are reasonably estimable. A summary of the changes in reserves for product liability and warranty claims for the three months ended March 29, 2014, is shown below (in millions):
Balance as of January 1, 2014 |  | $ | 28.3 |
Expense, net (including changes in estimates) |  |  | 4.6 |
Settlements |  |  | (0.7 | )
Balance as of March 29, 2014 |  | $ | 32.2 |
Environmental Matters The Company is subject to local, state, federal and foreign laws, regulations and ordinances which govern activities or operations that may have adverse environmental effects and which impose liability for clean-up costs resulting from past spills, disposals or other releases of hazardous wastes and environmental compliance. The Company’s policy is to comply with all applicable environmental laws and to maintain an environmental management program based on ISO 14001 to ensure compliance with this standard. However, the Company currently is, has been and in the future may become the subject of formal or informal enforcement actions or procedures. The Company has been named as a potentially responsible party at several third-party landfill sites and is engaged in the cleanup of hazardous waste at certain sites owned, leased or operated by the Company, including several properties acquired in its 1999 acquisition of UT Automotive, Inc. (“UT Automotive”). Certain present and former properties of UT Automotive are subject to environmental liabilities which may be significant. The Company obtained agreements and indemnities with respect to certain environmental liabilities from United Technologies Corporation (“UTC”) in connection with the Company’s acquisition of UT Automotive. UTC manages and directly funds these environmental liabilities pursuant to its agreements and indemnities with the Company. As of March 29, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company had recorded environmental reserves of $4.9 million and $5.0 million, respectively. The Company does not believe that the environmental liabilities associated with its current and former properties will have a material adverse impact on its business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows; however, no assurances can be given in this regard. Other Matters The Company is involved from time to time in various other legal proceedings and claims, including, without limitation, intellectual property matters, tax claims and employment matters. Although the outcome of any legal matter cannot be predicted with certainty, the Company does not believe that any of these other legal proceedings or claims in which the Company is currently involved, either individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse impact on its business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. However, no assurances can be given in this regard. Although the Company records reserves for legal disputes, product liability and warranty claims and environmental and other matters in accordance with GAAP, the ultimate outcomes of these matters are inherently uncertain. Actual results may differ significantly from current estimates. Insurance Recoveries The Company has incurred losses and incremental costs related to the destruction of assets caused by a fire at one of its European production facilities in the third quarter of 2011. During the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company reached a settlement for the recovery of such costs under applicable insurance policies. In connection with this event, the Company incurred losses and incremental costs of $5.8 million and received cash proceeds of $10.0 million, of which $2.9 million has been reflected in cash flows from operating activities and $7.1 million has been reflected in cash flows from investing activities, in the first quarter of 2013. For further information on cumulative losses and incremental costs incurred and recoveries received in connection with this event, see Note 11, “Commitments and Contingencies,” to the consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.

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