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Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | 14. Commitments and Contingencies Leases The Company leases certain facilities and equipment under operating lease arrangements. Aggregate minimum rental commitments at December 31, 2015, for all noncancelable operating leases with an initial lease term greater than one year for the years ending December 31 are as follows: 2016, $9.8 million; 2017, $6.3 million; 2018, $4.2 million; 2019, $2.3 million; 2020, $1.6 million and $1.8 million thereafter. Rent expense from continuing operations totaled $12.3 million, $10.7 million and $10.6 million during the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Commercial Litigation U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Civil Complaint On September 21, 2015, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a civil complaint against Sensient Natural Ingredients LLC (SNI) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. SNI is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. The EEOC’s complaint alleges that SNI failed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended, when it terminated five employees in 2011. The EEOC seeks to enjoin SNI from engaging in employment practices that discriminate on the basis of disability; asks the Court to order SNI to implement policies, practices, and programs to ensure it does not violate the ADA; and requests back pay with prejudgment interest, reinstatement, front pay, compensation for past and future pecuniary and non-pecuniary losses, and punitive damages on behalf of the five named former employees and any similarly aggrieved individuals. Recoverable compensatory and punitive damages are subject to statutory caps. The complaint does not request a specific damages amount. To date, the EEOC has provided the Company with a list of 13 additional potentially aggrieved former employees not listed in the complaint who may have been terminated in violation of the ADA during the relevant time period. The Company is vigorously investigating the facts alleged in the complaint to determine what exposure SNI may have. Since 2013, SNI’s on-site human resources representatives have worked closely with both Company counsel and outside labor and employment counsel to ensure that all policies, procedures and actions, including terminations, comply with applicable law. At this early stage, it is not possible to assess the probability of any legal or financial exposure in this matter. Other Claims The Company is subject to various claims and litigation arising in the normal course of business. The Company establishes reserves for claims and proceedings when it is probable that liabilities exist and reasonable estimates of loss can be made. While it is not possible to predict the outcome of these matters, based on our assessment of the facts and circumstances now known, we do not believe that these matters, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our financial position. However, actual outcomes may be different from those expected and could have a material effect on our results of operations or cash flows in a particular period.

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