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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
The Company is involved in legal actions that arise in the ordinary course of business. It is the opinion of management that the resolution of any currently pending litigation will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. 

Stockholder lawsuits

On January 25, 2022, a lawsuit entitled Shiva Stein v. Lawson Products, Inc. et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-00639, was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Lawson and the members of the Lawson board of directors (the “Stein Action”). On January 27, 2022, a lawsuit entitled Matthew Hopkins v. Lawson Products, Inc. et al, Case No. 1:22-cv-00724, was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Lawson and the members of the Lawson board of directors (the “Hopkins Action”). On February 7, 2022, a lawsuit entitled Ema Bell v. Lawson Products, Inc. et al, Case No. 1:22-cv-01056, was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Lawson, the members of the Lawson board of directors, LKCM TE Investors, LLC (the “TestEquity Equityholder”), TestEquity, Tide Sub, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lawson (“Merger Sub 1”), 301 HW Opus Investors, LLC, (the “Gexpro Services Stockholder”), Gexpro Services and Gulf Sub, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lawson (“Merger Sub 2”) (the “Bell Action”). On February 11, 2022, a lawsuit entitled John Yurco v. Lawson Products, Inc. et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-01201, was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Lawson and the members of the Lawson board of directors (the “Yurco Action”). The Stein Action, the Hopkins Action, the Bell Action and the Yurco Action are collectively referred to as the “Actions.” The Actions allege that the defendants violated Sections 14(a) (and Rule 14a-9 promulgated thereunder) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act by, among other things, omitting certain allegedly material information with respect to the Transactions (as defined in Note 1) in the Company's proxy statement. The Bell Action also alleges that the members of the Lawson board of directors breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the Transactions and that Lawson aided and abetted the members of its board of directors in such breach. The Actions seek, among other things, injunctive relief, money damages and the costs of the Actions, including reasonable attorneys’ and experts’ fees.

Lawson and the members of its board of directors disagree with and intend to vigorously defend against the Actions. If the Actions are not resolved favorably on a timely basis, the Actions could delay or prevent consummation of the Transactions and result in additional costs to Lawson, including costs associated with the indemnification of directors. Additional plaintiffs may file lawsuits against Lawson and/or its directors and officers in connection with the Transactions. At this time, the Company is unable to predict the ultimate outcome of the Actions or meaningfully quantify how the final resolution of the Actions may impact its business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, on each of February 2, 2022, February 14, 2022 and February 15, 2022, purported Lawson stockholders made demands pursuant to Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law to inspect certain books and records of Lawson (collectively, the “Books and Records Demands”). One stated purpose of the Books and Records Demands is to investigate questions of director disinterestedness and independence and the possibility of wrongdoing, mismanagement and/
or material non-disclosure related to the Special Committee’s (a Special Committee was formed to independently evaluate and negotiate the terms of the Merger Agreements and related Transactions) and the Lawson board of directors’ approval of the Transactions. Lawson and the members of its board of directors disagree with and intend to vigorously defend against any claim, if asserted, arising from the Books and Records Demands.

Environmental matter

In 2012, it was determined a Company owned site in Decatur, Alabama, contained hazardous substances in the soil and groundwater as a result of historical operations prior to the Company's ownership. The Company retained an environmental consulting firm to further investigate the contamination, prepare a remediation plan, and enroll the site in the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (“ADEM") voluntary cleanup program.

A remediation plan was approved by ADEM in 2018. The plan consists of chemical injections throughout the affected area, as well as subsequent monitoring of the area. The injection process was completed in the first quarter of 2019 and the environmental consulting firm is monitoring the affected area. At December 31, 2021 the Company had less than $0.1 million accrued for potential monitoring costs. The costs for future monitoring are not significant and have been fully accrued. The Company does not expect to capitalize any amounts related to the remediation plan.