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Commitments and Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2019
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Asbestos As of March 31, 2019, the Company was a party to 370 pending cases involving an aggregate of 4,811 claims primarily alleging personal injury from exposure to asbestos containing materials formerly used in gaskets (both encapsulated and otherwise) manufactured or distributed by certain of its subsidiaries for use primarily in the petrochemical, refining and exploration industries. The following chart summarizes the number of claims, number of claims filed, number of claims dismissed, number of claims settled, the average settlement amount per claim and the total defense costs, excluding amounts reimbursed under the Company's primary insurance, at the applicable date and for the applicable periods:
|  | Claims pending at beginning of period |  | Claims filed during period |  | Claims dismissed during period |  | Claims settled during period |  | Claims pending at end of period |  | Average settlement amount per claim during period |  | Total defense costs during period
Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 |  | 4,820 |  |  | 32 |  |  | 38 |  |  | 3 |  |  | 4,811 |  |  | $ | 59,300 |  |  | $ | 590,000 |
Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2018 |  | 5,256 |  |  | 171 |  |  | 564 |  |  | 43 |  |  | 4,820 |  |  | $ | 7,191 |  |  | $ | 2,260,000 |
In addition, the Company acquired various companies to distribute its products that had distributed gaskets of other manufacturers prior to acquisition. The Company believes that many of its pending cases relate to locations at which none of its gaskets were distributed or used. The Company may be subjected to significant additional asbestos-related claims in the future, the cost of settling cases in which product identification can be made may increase, and the Company may be subjected to further claims in respect of the former activities of its acquired gasket distributors. The Company is unable to make a meaningful statement concerning the monetary claims made in the asbestos cases given that, among other things, claims may be initially made in some jurisdictions without specifying the amount sought or by simply stating the requisite or maximum permissible monetary relief, and may be amended to alter the amount sought. The large majority of claims do not specify the amount sought. Of the 4,811 claims pending at March 31, 2019, 54 set forth specific amounts of damages (other than those stating the statutory minimum or maximum). At March 31, 2019, of the 54 claims that set forth specific amounts, there were no claims seeking specific amounts for punitive damages. Below is a breakdown of the amount sought for those claims seeking specific amounts:
|  | Compensatory
Range of damages sought (dollars in millions) |  | $0.0 to $0.6 |  | $0.6 to $5.0 |  | $5.0+
Number of claims |  | — |  | 12 |  | 42
In addition, relatively few of the claims have reached the discovery stage and even fewer claims have gone past the discovery stage. Total settlement costs (exclusive of defense costs) for all such cases, some of which were filed over 25 years ago, have been approximately $9.0 million. All relief sought in the asbestos cases is monetary in nature. To date, approximately 40% of the Company's costs related to settlement and defense of asbestos litigation have been covered by its primary insurance. Effective February 14, 2006, the Company entered into a coverage-in-place agreement with its first level excess carriers regarding the coverage to be provided to the Company for asbestos-related claims when the primary insurance is exhausted. The coverage-in-place agreement makes asbestos defense costs and indemnity insurance coverage available to the Company that might otherwise be disputed by the carriers and provides a methodology for the administration of such expenses. The Company's primary insurance exhausted in November 2018, and the Company will be solely responsible for defense costs and indemnity payments prior to the commencement of coverage under this agreement, the duration of which would be subject to the scope of damage awards and settlements paid. Based on the settlements made to date and the number of claims dismissed or withdrawn for lack of product identification, the Company believes that the relief sought (when specified) does not bear a reasonable relationship to its potential liability. Based upon the Company's experience to date, including the trend in annual defense and settlement costs incurred to date, and other available information (including the availability of excess insurance), the Company does not believe these cases will have a material adverse effect on its financial position and results of operations or cash flows. Metaldyne Corporation Prior to 2002, the Company was wholly-owned by Metaldyne Corporation ("Metaldyne"). In connection with the reorganization between TriMas and Metaldyne in 2002, TriMas assumed certain liabilities and obligations of Metaldyne, mainly comprised of contractual obligations to former TriMas employees, tax related matters, benefit plan liabilities and reimbursements to Metaldyne of normal course payments to be made on TriMas' behalf. In 2007, Metaldyne merged into a subsidiary of Asahi Tec Corporation (“Asahi”) whereby Metaldyne became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asahi, and in 2009, Metaldyne and its U.S. subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions in the United States Bankruptcy Court under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In January 2018, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court entered a final decree to close all remaining cases and finalize the Metaldyne bankruptcy distribution trust, effectively terminating any potential obligation by TriMas to Metaldyne. In consideration of the final decree, the Company removed the obligation from its balance sheet during the first quarter of 2018, resulting in an approximate $8.2 million non-cash reduction in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statement of income. Claims and Litigation The Company is subject to other claims and litigation in the ordinary course of business, but does not believe that any such claim or litigation will have a material adverse effect on its financial position and results of operations or cash flows.

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