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Commitments and Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Lease Exit Accruals The majority of our dealership properties are leased under long-term operating lease arrangements. When leased properties are no longer utilized in operations, we record lease exit accruals. These situations could include the relocation of an existing facility or the sale of a dealership when the buyer will not be subleasing the property for either the remaining term of the lease or for an amount equal to our obligation under the lease, or situations in which a store is closed as a result of the associated franchise being terminated by us or the manufacturer and no other operations continue on the leased property. The lease exit accruals represent the present value of the lease payments, net of estimated sublease rentals, for the remaining life of the operating leases and other accruals necessary to satisfy lease commitments to the landlords. As of March 31, 2018, we had approximately $10.8 million accrued for lease exit costs. In addition, based on the terms and conditions negotiated in the sale of dealerships in the future, additional accruals may be necessary if the purchaser of the dealership does not assume any associated lease, or we are unable to negotiate a sublease with the buyer of the dealership on terms that are identical to or better than those associated with the original lease. A summary of the activity of these operating lease exit accruals consists of the following:
| (In thousands)
Balance at December 31, 2017 | $ | 6,478 |
Lease exit expense (1) | 5,070 |
Payments (2) | (771 | )
Balance at March 31, 2018 | $ | 10,777 |
(1) | Expense of approximately $5.0 million is recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income. In addition, expense of approximately $0.1 million is recorded in income (loss) from discontinued operations before taxes in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income.
(2) | Amount is recorded as an offset to rent expense, with approximately $0.3 million recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income and approximately $0.5 million recorded in income (loss) from discontinued operations before taxes in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of income.
Legal and Other Proceedings Sonic is involved, and expects to continue to be involved, in various legal and administrative proceedings arising out of the conduct of its business, including regulatory investigations and private civil actions brought by plaintiffs purporting to represent a potential class or for which a class has been certified. Although Sonic vigorously defends itself in all legal and administrative proceedings, the outcomes of pending and future proceedings arising out of the conduct of Sonic’s business, including litigation with customers, employment-related lawsuits, contractual disputes, class actions, purported class actions and actions brought by governmental authorities, cannot be predicted with certainty. An unfavorable resolution of one or more of these matters could have a material adverse effect on Sonic’s business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects. Included in other accrued liabilities and other long-term liabilities at March 31, 2018 was approximately $4.5 million and $0.2 million, respectively, in reserves that Sonic was holding for pending proceedings. Included in other accrued liabilities and other long-term liabilities at December 31, 2017 was approximately $3.0 million and $0.2 million, respectively, for such reserves. Except as reflected in such reserves, Sonic is currently unable to estimate a range of reasonably possible loss, or a range of reasonably possible loss in excess of the amount accrued, for pending proceedings. Guarantees and Indemnification Obligations In accordance with the terms of Sonic’s operating lease agreements, Sonic’s dealership subsidiaries, acting as lessees, generally agree to indemnify the lessor from certain exposure arising as a result of the use of the leased premises, including environmental exposure and repairs to leased property upon termination of the lease. In addition, Sonic has generally agreed to indemnify the lessor in the event of a breach of the lease by the lessee. In connection with dealership dispositions and facility relocations, certain of Sonic’s subsidiaries have assigned or sublet to the buyer their interests in real property leases associated with such dealerships. In general, the subsidiaries retain responsibility for the performance of certain obligations under such leases, including rent payments and repairs to leased property upon termination of the lease, to the extent that the assignee or sublessee does not perform. In the event an assignee or a sublessee does not perform its obligations, Sonic remains liable for the lease payments. See Note 12, “Commitments and Contingencies,” to the consolidated financial statements in Sonic’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 for further discussion. In accordance with the terms of agreements entered into for the sale of Sonic’s dealerships, Sonic generally agrees to indemnify the buyer from certain liabilities and costs arising subsequent to the date of sale, including environmental exposure and exposure resulting from the breach of representations or warranties made in accordance with the agreements. While Sonic’s exposure with respect to environmental remediation and repairs is difficult to quantify, Sonic’s maximum exposure associated with these general indemnifications was approximately $5.0 million at both March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017. These indemnifications typically expire within a period of one to three years following the date of sale. The estimated fair value of these indemnifications was not material and the amount recorded for this contingency was not significant at March 31, 2018. Sonic also guarantees the floor plan commitments of its 50%-owned joint venture, the amount of which was approximately $2.8 million at both March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017. Earnout Consideration In association with the acquisition of a business in the three months ended September 30, 2017, Sonic entered into an earnout agreement whereby the seller may be entitled to certain variable earnout payments, subject to certain restrictions, based on the acquired business achieving specified earnings targets over a 10-year period, not to exceed a maximum aggregate earnout payment of $80.0 million. Sonic will recognize the accrual of any such variable earnout payments as compensation expense as earned. There were no amounts accrued related to this agreement at March 31, 2018.

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