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Litigation, Claims, Contingencies and Other | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2019
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Litigation, Claims, Contingencies and Other | Note 21. Litigation, Claims, Contingencies, and Other We are plaintiffs or defendants to various actions, proceedings, and pending claims, some of which involve, or may involve, compensatory, punitive, or other damages. Litigation is subject to many uncertainties and it is possible that some of the legal actions, proceedings, or claims could be decided against us. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we recorded an $8.5 million charge to resolve a legal dispute at GES involving a former industry contractor. Although the amount of liability as of December 31, 2019 with respect to unresolved legal matters is not ascertainable, we believe that any resulting liability, after taking into consideration amounts already provided for and insurance coverage, will not have a material effect on our business, financial position, or results of operations. We are subject to various U.S. federal, state, and foreign laws and regulations governing the prevention of pollution and the protection of the environment in the jurisdictions in which we have or had operations. If we fail to comply with these environmental laws and regulations, civil and criminal penalties could be imposed, and we could become subject to regulatory enforcement actions in the form of injunctions and cease and desist orders. As is the case with many companies, we also face exposure to actual or potential claims and lawsuits involving environmental matters relating to our past operations. As of December 31, 2019, we had recorded environmental remediation liabilities of $2.3 million related to previously sold operations. Although we are a party to certain environmental disputes, we believe that any resulting liabilities, after taking into consideration amounts already provided for and insurance coverage, will not have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations. As of December 31, 2019, on behalf of our subsidiaries, we had certain obligations under guarantees to third parties. These guarantees are not subject to liability recognition in the consolidated financial statements and relate to leased facilities and equipment leases entered into by our subsidiary operations. We would generally be required to make payments to the respective third parties under these guarantees in the event that the related subsidiary could not meet its own payment obligations. The maximum potential amount of future payments that we would be required to make under all guarantees existing as of December 31, 2019 would be $79.3 million. These guarantees relate to our leased equipment and facilities through January 2040. There are no recourse provisions that would enable us to recover from third parties any payments made under the guarantees. Furthermore, there are no collateral or similar arrangements pursuant to which we could recover payments. A significant number of our employees are unionized and we are a party to approximately 100 collective bargaining agreements, with approximately one-third requiring renegotiation each year. If we are unable to reach an agreement with a union during the collective bargaining process, the union may call for a strike or work stoppage, which may, under certain circumstances, adversely impact our business and results of operations. We believe that relations with our employees are satisfactory and that collective bargaining agreements expiring in 2020 will be renegotiated in the ordinary course of business. Although our labor relations are currently stable, disruptions could occur, with the possibility of an adverse impact on the operating results of GES. During 2019, we finalized the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement with the Teamsters Local 727 union. The terms included a withdrawal from the underfunded Central States Pension Plan. Accordingly, we recorded a charge of $15.5 million, which represents the estimated present value of future contributions we will be required to make to the plan as a result of this withdrawal and $0.2 million of other withdrawal costs. Refer to Note 18 – Pension and Postretirement Benefits for additional information on specific union-related pension issues. We are self-insured up to certain limits for workers’ compensation and general liabilities, which includes automobile, product general liability, and client property loss claims. The aggregate amount of insurance liabilities (up to our retention limit) related to our continuing operations was $14.3 million as of December 31, 2019, which includes $9.9 million related to workers’ compensation liabilities, and $4.4 million related to general liability claims. We have also retained and provided for certain workers’ compensation insurance liabilities in conjunction with previously sold businesses of $2.3 million as of December 31, 2019. We are also self-insured for certain employee health benefits and the estimated employee health benefit claims incurred but not yet reported was $1.6 million as of December 31, 2019. Provisions for losses for claims incurred, including actuarially derived estimated claims incurred but not yet reported, are made based on our historical experience, claims frequency, and other factors. A change in the assumptions used could result in an adjustment to recorded liabilities. We have purchased insurance for amounts in excess of the self-insured levels, which generally range from $0.2 million to $0.5 million on a per claim basis. We do not maintain a self-insured retention pool fund as claims are paid from current cash resources at the time of settlement. Our net cash payments in connection with these insurance liabilities were $6.9 million for 2019, $5.4 million for 2018, and $5.5 million for 2017. In addition, as of December 31, 2019, we have recorded insurance liabilities of $10.0 million related to continuing operations, which represents the amount for which we remain the primary obligor after self-insured insurance limits, without taking into consideration the above-referenced insurance coverage. Of this total, $6.5 million related to workers’ compensation liabilities and $3.5 million related to general/auto liability claims, which are recorded in other deferred items and liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets with a corresponding receivable in other investments.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for legal proceedings, legal contingencies, litigation, regulatory and environmental matters and other contingencies. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2127136 + Details
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