XML 42 R17.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v2.4.0.8

Legal Proceedings | 9 Months Ended
--- | ---
Sep. 30, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Legal Proceedings | Legal Proceedings From time to time, we are subject to claims alleging product liability, patent infringement, corrupt practices or other claims incurred in the ordinary course of business. These may involve our United States or foreign operations, or sales by foreign distributors. Likewise, from time to time, the Company may receive an information request or subpoena from a government agency such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Labor, the Treasury Department, or other federal and state agencies or foreign governments or government agencies. These information requests or subpoenas may or may not be routine inquiries, or may begin as routine inquiries and over time develop into enforcement actions of various types. The product liability claims are generally covered by various insurance policies, subject to certain deductible amounts, maximum policy limits and certain exclusions in the respective policies or as required as a matter of law. In some cases we may be entitled to indemnification by third parties. We establish reserves sufficient to cover probable losses associated with claims. We do not expect that the resolution of any pending claims or investigations will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. There can be no assurance, however, that future claims or investigations, or the costs associated with responding to such claims or investigations, especially claims and investigations not covered by insurance, will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Manufacturers of medical products may face exposure to significant product liability claims. To date, we have not experienced any product liability claims that have been material to our financial statements or financial condition, but any such claims arising in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations. We currently maintain commercial product liability insurance of $25 million per incident and $25 million in the aggregate annually, which we believe is adequate. This coverage is on a claims-made basis. There can be no assurance that claims will not exceed insurance coverage, that the carriers will be solvent or that such insurance will be available to us in the future at a reasonable cost. Our operations are subject, and in the past have been subject, to a number of environmental laws and regulations governing, among other things, air emissions, wastewater discharges, the use, handling and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, soil and groundwater remediation and employee health and safety. In some jurisdictions environmental requirements may be expected to become more stringent in the future. In the United States certain environmental laws can impose liability for the entire cost of site restoration upon each of the parties that may have contributed to conditions at the site regardless of fault or the lawfulness of the party’s activities. While we do not believe that the present costs of environmental compliance and remediation are material, there can be no assurance that future compliance or remedial obligations would not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. In September 2012, Bonutti Skeletal Innovations, LLC, an affiliate of Acacia Research Group, filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida against CONMED and certain of its subsidiaries. The Complaint asserts that select CONMED products infringe patents allegedly owned by Bonutti Skeletal Innovations. On the same day that it sued CONMED, Bonutti Skeletal Innovations sued several other orthopedic companies. The Company believed, and continues to believe, that the products in question do not infringe the patents-in-suit, and the Company vigorously defended the claims. In an order and decision dated March 25, 2014, the Court construed eight of the claims asserted in the case in a manner largely adverse to the plaintiff. In addition, on March 11 and March 28, 2014, the United States Patent Office granted CONMED’s petitions for inter partes review with respect to two of the patents-in-suit. On April 3, 2014, CONMED and Acacia agreed to settle the claims for a payment by CONMED of $0.9 million. During the third quarter of 2013, the FDA inspected our Centennial, CO manufacturing facility and issued a Form 483 with observations on September 20, 2013. The Company subsequently submitted responses to the observations, and the FDA issued a Warning Letter on January 30, 2014 relating to the inspection and the responses to the Form 483 Observations. Accordingly, we undertook corrective actions and believe our responses were complete. These remediation costs were not material, however there can be no assurance that a future inspection by the FDA will not result in an additional Form 483 or warning letter, or other regulatory actions which may include consent decrees or fines.

X
- Details
Name: | us-gaap_CommitmentsAndContingenciesDisclosureAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition The entire disclosure for legal proceedings, legal contingencies, litigation, regulatory and environmental matters and other contingencies. + References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_LegalMattersAndContingenciesTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | nonnum:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration