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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES As previously disclosed, in 2017, the Division of Enforcement of the SEC asked the Company to provide documents and information relating to the Company’s accounting and disclosures related to various matters including the Company’s distributors and their levels of inventory. On December 16, 2020, the Company and the SEC entered into a settlement resolving this matter. Pursuant to the administrative order settling this matter, under which the Company neither admitted nor denied the SEC’s findings (except as to the SEC’s jurisdiction), the Company agreed to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act and Rules 12b-20 and 13a-13 thereunder, and pay a $1 million civil penalty. The $1 million settlement amount, which had previously been recorded as an accrued liability within the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019, was paid in December 2020. On January 11, 2018, Tom Redlich, a former employee, filed a lawsuit against the Company, demanding supplemental compensation pursuant to an agreement allegedly entered into with Sirona Dental GmbH which was intended to entice Mr. Redlich to continue to work for the company for no less than eight years following the date of this agreement. The Company filed its response on April 4, 2018, denying the authenticity and enforceability of, and all liability under, the alleged agreement. Mr. Jost Fischer, upon invitation of the Company, joined the litigation against Mr. Redlich as a third party. In his submission to the Court, Mr. Fischer disputed the central allegations raised by Mr. Redlich in his lawsuit. The Court held several hearings in the matter, and then closed the hearings in June 2019 pending the Court’s decision on the capacity of Mr. Fischer to enter into a binding agreement of the type alleged by Mr. Redlich in the manner alleged. On November 5, 2019, the Company received the Court’s judgment rejecting Mr. Redlich’s lawsuit and dismissing his claims. Mr. Redlich appealed in December 2019 and the Company filed its response in January 2020 seeking to uphold the Court’s ruling. On February 27, 2020, the Company received the Appellate Court’s decision rejecting Mr. Redlich’s appeal and upholding the decision of the lower court dismissing his claims. The Court of Appeals has denied Mr. Redlich the right to file a further appeal in this matter, however, on March 23, 2020, Mr. Redlich filed an extraordinary appeal with the Austrian Supreme Court which will assess the appeal. If the Austrian Supreme Court accepts Mr. Redlich’s extraordinary appeal, the Company will then file its response. On January 25, 2018, Futuredontics, Inc., a former wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, received service of a purported class action lawsuit brought by Henry Olivares and other similarly situated individuals in the Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles. In January 2019, an amended complaint was filed adding another named plaintiff, Rachael Clarke, and various claims. The plaintiff class alleges several violations of the California wage and hours laws, including, but not limited to, failure to provide rest and meal breaks and the failure to pay overtime. The parties have engaged in written and other discovery. On February 5, 2019, Plaintiff Calethia Holt (represented by the same counsel as Mr. Olivares and Ms. Clarke) filed a separate representative action in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging a single violation of the Private Attorneys’ General Act that is based on the same underlying claims as the Olivares/Clarke lawsuit. On April 5, 2019, Plaintiff Kendra Cato filed a similar action in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging a single violation of the Private Attorneys’ General Act that is based on the same underlying claims as the Olivares/Clarke lawsuit. The Company has agreed to resolve all three actions (Olivares, Holt, and Cato), the parties to each action are in the process of finalizing the settlement terms, and the parties will then seek court approval of the settlements. The expected settlement amount, which is immaterial to the financial statements, has been recorded as an accrued liability within the Company's consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2020. On June 7, 2018, and August 9, 2018, two putative class action suits were filed, and later consolidated, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York claiming that the Company and certain individual defendants, violated U.S. securities laws (the "State Court Action") by making material misrepresentations and omitting required information in the December 4, 2015 registration statement filed with the SEC in connection with the Merger. The amended complaint alleges that the defendants failed to disclose, among other things, that a distributor had purchased excessive inventory of legacy Sirona products and that three distributors of the Company's products had been engaging in anticompetitive conduct. The plaintiffs seek to recover damages on behalf of a class of former Sirona shareholders who exchanged their shares for shares of the Company's stock in the Merger. On September 26, 2019, the Court granted the Company's motion to dismiss all claims and a judgment dismissing the case was subsequently entered. On February 4, 2020, the Court denied plaintiffs' post-judgment motion to vacate or modify the judgment and to grant them leave to amend their complaint. The plaintiffs appealed the dismissal and the denial of the post-judgment motion to the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, First Department, and the Company cross-appealed select rulings in the Court's decision dismissing the action. The plaintiffs' appeals and the Company's cross-appeal were consolidated and argued on January 12, 2021. On February 2, 2021, the Appellate Division issued its decision upholding the dismissal of the State Court Action with prejudice on statute of limitations grounds. On December 19, 2018, a related putative class action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York against the Company and certain individual defendants (the "Federal Class Action"). The plaintiff makes similar allegations and asserts the same claims as those asserted in the State Court Action. In addition, the plaintiff alleges that the defendants violated U.S. securities laws by making false and misleading statements in quarterly and annual reports and other public statements between February 20, 2014, and August 7, 2018. The plaintiff asserts claims on behalf of a putative class consisting of (a) all purchasers of the Company's stock during the period February 20, 2014 through August 7, 2018 and (b) former shareholders of Sirona who exchanged their shares of Sirona stock for shares of the Company's stock in the Merger. The Company moved to dismiss the amended complaint on August 15, 2019. On January 8, 2021, the parties filed a stipulation, which is subject to the Court's approval, (1) withdrawing the Company's motion to dismiss without prejudice, (2) allowing plaintiff to file a second amended complaint by January 22, 2021, and (3) providing for a briefing schedule on a motion to dismiss that will be completed by May 13, 2021. The plaintiff filed its second amended complaint on January 22, 2021, and the Company intends to move to dismiss the second amended complaint. On April 29, 2019, two purported stockholders of the Company filed a derivative action on behalf of the Company in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware against the Company's directors (the "Stockholder's Derivative Action"). Based on allegations similar to those asserted in the class actions described above, the plaintiffs allege that the directors caused the Company to misrepresent its business prospects and thereby subjected the Company to multiple securities class actions and other litigation. On September 20, 2019, the plaintiffs in the Stockholder's Derivative Action filed an amended derivative complaint on behalf of the Company in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware against the Company's directors. The plaintiffs assert claims for breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, waste of corporate assets, and violations of the U.S. securities laws. The plaintiffs seek relief that includes, among other things, monetary damages and various corporate governance reforms. The Company filed a motion to dismiss, and on July 31, 2020 the Magistrate Judge issued a report and recommendation to the District Court Judge recommending dismissal of the case with prejudice. On September 25, 2020, the District Court Judge issued an order adopting the Magistrate Judge’s report dismissing the case, but without prejudice, and provided the plaintiffs with three weeks to file a motion to amend their complaint. On October 16, 2020, the plaintiffs filed a notice advising the Court that they would not be amending their complaint. On October 23, 2020, the Court issued an order dismissing the case with prejudice as to the plaintiffs. The same day, the plaintiffs submitted a letter to the Board of Directors demanding that the Board investigate and commence legal proceedings against the same current and former directors and officers of the Company previously named as defendants in the Stockholder's Derivative Action on the basis of the same claims alleged in the Stockholder's Derivative Action. On November 6, 2020, the Company sent a letter to counsel for the plaintiffs stating that the Board would consider the litigation demand and respond with its decision. The Company intends to defend itself vigorously in these actions. As a result of an audit by the IRS for fiscal years 2012 through 2013, on February 11, 2019, the IRS issued to the Company a “30-day letter” and a Revenue Agent’s Report (“RAR”), relating to the Company’s worthless stock deduction in 2013 in the amount of $546 million. The RAR disallows the deduction and, after adjusting the Company’s net operating loss carryforward, asserts that the Company is entitled to a refund of $5 million for 2012, has no tax liability for 2013, and owes a deficiency of $17 million in tax for 2014, excluding interest. In accordance with ASC 740, the Company recorded the tax benefit associated with the worthless stock deduction in the Company’s 2012 financial statements. In March 2019, the Company submitted a formal protest disputing on multiple grounds the proposed taxes. The Company and its advisors discussed its position with the IRS Appeals Office Team on October 28, 2020 and, on November 13, 2020, submitted a supplemental response to questions raised by the Appeals Team. The Company’s position continues to be reviewed by the IRS Appeals Office team. The Company believes the IRS' position is without merit and believes that it is more likely-than-not the Company’s position will be sustained in 2021 upon further review by the IRS Appeals Office Team. The Company has not accrued a liability relating to the proposed tax adjustments. However, the outcome of this dispute involves a number of uncertainties, including those inherent in the valuation of various assets at the time of the worthless stock deduction, and those relating to the application of the Internal Revenue Code and other federal income tax authorities and judicial precedent. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the dispute with the IRS will be resolved favorably. If determined adversely, the dispute would result in a current period charge to earnings and could have a material adverse effect in the consolidated results of operations, financial position, and liquidity of the Company. The Swedish Tax Agency has disallowed certain of the Company’s interest expense deductions for the tax years from 2013 to 2018. If such interest expense deductions were disallowed, the Company would be subject to an additional $57 million in tax expense. The Company has appealed the disallowance to the Swedish Administrative Court. With respect to such deductions taken in the tax years from 2013 to 2014, the Court ruled against the Company on July 5, 2017. On August 7, 2017, the Company appealed the unfavorable decision of the Swedish Administrative Court. On November 5, 2018, the Company delivered its final argument to the Administrative Court of Appeals at a hearing. The European Union Commission has taken the view that Sweden’s interest deduction limitation rules are incompatible with European Union law and supporting legal opinions, and therefore the Company has not paid the tax or made provision in its financial statements for such potential expense. This view has now been confirmed by the European Union Court of Justice in a preliminary ruling requested by the Swedish Supreme Administrative Court in a pending case. The Company intends to vigorously defend its position and pursue related appeals. In addition to the matters disclosed above, the Company is, from time to time, subject to a variety of litigation and similar proceedings incidental to its business. These legal matters primarily involve claims for damages arising out of the use of the Company’s products and services and claims relating to intellectual property matters including patent infringement, employment matters, tax matters, commercial disputes, competition and sales and trading practices, personal injury, and insurance coverage. The Company may also become subject to lawsuits as a result of past or future acquisitions or as a result of liabilities retained from, or representations, warranties or indemnities provided in connection with, divested businesses. Some of these lawsuits may include claims for punitive and consequential, as well as compensatory damages. Based upon the Company’s experience, current information, and applicable law, it does not believe that these proceedings and claims will have a material adverse effect on its consolidated results of operations, financial position, or liquidity. However, in the event of unexpected further developments, it is possible that the ultimate resolution of these matters, or other similar matters, if unfavorable, may be materially adverse to the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity. While the Company maintains general, product, property, workers’ compensation, automobile, cargo, aviation, crime, fiduciary and directors’ and officers’ liability insurance up to certain limits that cover certain of these claims, this insurance may be insufficient or unavailable to cover such losses. In addition, while the Company believes it is entitled to indemnification from third parties for some of these claims, these rights may also be insufficient or unavailable to cover such losses. Commitments From time to time, the Company enters into long-term inventory purchase commitments with minimum purchase requirements for raw materials and finished goods to ensure the availability of products for production and distribution. Future minimum annual payments for inventory purchase commitments were immaterial as of December 31, 2020.

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