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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2023
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 15. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Legal Proceedings The nature of CoreCivic's business results in claims and litigation alleging that it is liable for damages arising from the conduct of its employees, offenders or others. The nature of such claims includes, but is not limited to, claims arising from employee or offender misconduct, medical malpractice, employment matters, property loss, contractual claims, including claims regarding compliance with contract performance requirements, and personal injury or other damages resulting from contact with CoreCivic's facilities, personnel or offenders, including damages arising from an offender's escape or from a disturbance at a facility. CoreCivic maintains insurance to cover many of these claims, which may mitigate the risk that any single claim would have a material effect on CoreCivic's consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows, provided the claim is one for which coverage is available. The combination of self-insured retentions and deductible amounts means that, in the aggregate, CoreCivic is subject to self-insurance risk. Based upon management's review of the potential claims and outstanding litigation, and based upon management's experience and history of estimating losses, and taking into consideration CoreCivic's self-insured retention amounts, management believes a loss in excess of amounts already recognized would not be material to CoreCivic's financial statements. Adversarial proceedings and litigation are, however, subject to inherent uncertainties, and unfavorable decisions and rulings resulting from legal proceedings could occur which could have a material impact on CoreCivic's consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows for the period in which such decisions or rulings occur, or future periods. Expenses associated with legal proceedings may also fluctuate from quarter to quarter based on changes in CoreCivic's assumptions, new developments, or by the effectiveness of CoreCivic's litigation and settlement strategies. CoreCivic records a liability in the consolidated financial statements for loss contingencies when a loss is known or considered probable, and the amount can be reasonably estimated. If the reasonable estimate of a known or probable loss is a range, and no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other, the minimum amount of the range is accrued. If a loss is reasonably possible but not known or probable, and can be reasonably estimated, the estimated loss or range of loss is disclosed. When determining the estimated loss or range of loss, significant judgment is required to estimate the amount and timing of a loss to be recorded. Any receivable for insurance recoveries is recorded separately from the corresponding litigation reserve, and only if recovery is determined to be probable and the amount of payment can be determined. CoreCivic does not accrue for anticipated legal fees and costs and expenses those items as incurred. ICE Detainee Labor and Related Matters. On May 31, 2017, two former ICE detainees, who were detained at the Company's Otay Mesa Detention Center ("OMDC") in San Diego, California, filed a class action lawsuit against the Company in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. The complaint alleged that the Company forces detainees to perform labor under threat of punishment in violation of state and federal anti-trafficking laws and that OMDC's Voluntary Work Program ("VWP") violates state labor laws including state minimum wage law. ICE requires that CoreCivic offer and operate the VWP in conformance with ICE standards and ICE prescribes the minimum rate of pay for VWP participants. The Plaintiffs seek compensatory damages, exemplary damages, restitution, penalties, and interest as well as declaratory and injunctive relief on behalf of former and current detainees. On April 1, 2020, the district court certified a nationwide anti-trafficking claims class of former and current detainees who participated in an ICE VWP at a CoreCivic facility. It also certified a state law class of former and current detainees who participated in a VWP wherever the Company held ICE detainees in California. The court did not certify any claims for injunctive or declaratory relief. On March 10, 2021, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted CoreCivic's petition to appeal the class certification ruling. On June 3, 2022, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit affirmed the class certification ruling. Following the three-judge panel affirmance, the Company petitioned the Ninth Circuit for a discretionary appellate review, which was denied. On January 3, 2023, the Ninth Circuit Court granted the Company's motion to stay its mandate during the pendency of the Company's petition for Supreme Court review. On June 12, 2023, the Supreme Court dismissed the Company's petition. The claims resulting in certified classes will now proceed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Since this case was filed, four similar lawsuits have been filed. A second California lawsuit concerning the Otay Mesa facility has been stayed pending the outcome of class proceedings in the first California case discussed above. The Company disputes the allegations in this case and intends to vigorously defend itself against them. A Maryland case was dismissed on September 27, 2019, and the dismissal was affirmed on appeal. Two suits filed in Georgia and Texas do not allege minimum wage violations. The Texas case was voluntarily dismissed on March 14, 2022. The Georgia case was appealed to the Eleventh Circuit following the District Court's decision not to certify any classes, and the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the District Court's ruling on May 31, 2023. On September 29, 2023, the parties submitted a notice of settlement to the District Court, and finalized the settlement on October 17, 2023, without material liability to the Company. Due to the stage of the ongoing proceedings, the Company cannot reasonably predict the outcomes, nor can it estimate the amount of loss or range of loss, if any, that may result. As a result, the Company has not recorded an accrual relating to these matters at this time, as losses are not considered probable or reasonably estimable at this stage of these lawsuits. Shareholder Litigation. In a memorandum to the BOP dated August 18, 2016, the DOJ directed that, as each contract with privately operated prisons reaches the end of its term, the BOP should either decline to renew that contract or substantially reduce its scope in a manner consistent with law and the overall decline of the BOP's inmate population. Following the release of the August 18, 2016 DOJ memorandum, a securities class action lawsuit was filed on August 23, 2016 against the Company and certain of its current and former officers in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (the "District Court"), captioned Grae v. Corrections Corporation of America et al., Case No. 3:16-cv-02267. The Company settled this lawsuit in April 2021. The settlement, which was approved by the District Court on November 8, 2021, contains no admission of liability, wrongdoing, or responsibility by any of the defendants including the Company. The Company paid the settlement amount of $56.0 million in May 2021. As a result of the settlement, the Company recognized an expense of $54.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2021, which was net of the remaining insurance available under the Company's policies. The Company was also named along with several of our directors in six derivative lawsuits which raise similar allegations to those raised in the Grae securities litigation. On June 17, 2022, CoreCivic and derivative plaintiffs informed the District Court that the parties had reached an agreement as to the plaintiffs' attorneys' fees and expenses, including $1.9 million the Company expensed during the year ended December 31, 2022. The final settlement, which was approved by the District Court on December 2, 2022, also calls for the Company to adopt certain governance changes, which the Company has implemented. Insurance Contingencies Each of CoreCivic's management contracts and the statutes of certain states require the maintenance of insurance. CoreCivic maintains various insurance policies including employee health, workers' compensation, automobile liability, and general liability insurance. These policies are fixed premium policies with various deductible amounts that are self-funded by CoreCivic. Reserves are provided for estimated incurred claims for which it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the range of such loss can be estimated. Retirement Plan All employees of CoreCivic are eligible to participate in the CoreCivic 401(k) Savings and Retirement Plan (the "Plan") upon reaching age 18 and completing six months of qualified service. Eligible employees may contribute up to 90% of their eligible compensation, subject to IRS limitations. For the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, CoreCivic provided a discretionary matching contribution equal to 100% of the employee's contributions up to 5% of the employee's eligible compensation to employees with at least 500 hours of employment in the plan year. Employer matching contributions paid into the Plan each pay period vest immediately pursuant to safe harbor provisions adopted by the Plan. During 2023, 2022, and 2021, CoreCivic's discretionary contributions and expense to the Plan were $14.4 million, $15.3 million, and $15.2 million, respectively. Deferred Compensation Plans CoreCivic provides two non-qualified deferred compensation plans (the "Deferred Compensation Plans") for non-employee directors and for certain senior executives. The Deferred Compensation Plans are unfunded plans maintained for the purpose of providing CoreCivic's directors and certain of its senior executives the opportunity to defer a portion of their compensation. Under the terms of the Deferred Compensation Plans, certain senior executives may elect to contribute on a pre-tax basis up to 50% of their base salary and up to 100% of their cash bonus, and non-employee directors may elect to contribute on a pre-tax basis up to 100% of their director retainer and meeting fees. During the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, CoreCivic matched 100% of employee contributions up to 5% of total cash compensation. CoreCivic also contributes a fixed rate of return on balances in the Deferred Compensation Plans, determined at the beginning of each plan year. Matching contributions and investment earnings thereon become vested 20% after two years of service, 40% after three years of service, 80% after four years of service, and 100% after five or more years of service. Distributions are generally payable no earlier than five years subsequent to the date an individual becomes a participant in the Plan, or upon termination of employment (or the date a director ceases to serve as a director of CoreCivic), at the election of the participant. Distributions to senior executives must commence on or before the later of 60 days after the participant's separation from service or the fifteenth day of the month following the month the individual attains age 65. During 2023, 2022, and 2021, CoreCivic provided a fixed return of 5.0% in each year to participants in the Deferred Compensation Plans. CoreCivic has purchased life insurance policies on the lives of certain employees of CoreCivic, which are intended to fund distributions from the Deferred Compensation Plans. CoreCivic is the sole beneficiary of such policies. At the inception of the Deferred Compensation Plans, CoreCivic established an irrevocable Rabbi Trust to secure the plans' obligations. However, assets in the Deferred Compensation Plans are subject to creditor claims in the event of bankruptcy. During 2023, 2022, and 2021, CoreCivic recorded $0.3 million, $0.3 million, and $0.2 million, respectively, of matching contributions as general and administrative expense associated with the Deferred Compensation Plans. Assets in the Rabbi Trust were $16.5 million and $16.0 million as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and were reflected in other assets on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, CoreCivic's liability related to the Deferred Compensation Plans was $14.6 million and $13.8 million, respectively, which was reflected in accounts payable and accrued expenses and other liabilities on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Employment and Severance Agreements CoreCivic currently has employment agreements with several of its executive officers, which provide for the payment of certain severance amounts upon termination of employment under certain circumstances or a change of control, as defined in the agreements.

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