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LITIGATION
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
LITIGATION LITIGATION
The Company is a party to routine legal proceedings arising out of the normal course of business. Due to the difficult nature of predicting unresolved and future legal claims, the Company cannot anticipate or predict the material adverse effect on its consolidated financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows as a result of efforts to comply with, or liabilities pertaining to, legal judgments.

In June 2015, Titan Tire Corporation (Titan Tire) and Dico, Inc. (Dico) appealed an order from the U.S. District Court for the South District of Iowa granting the federal government’s motion for summary judgment that found Dico liable for violating the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) and an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrative Order and awarded response costs, civil penalties, and punitive damages.

In December 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed the District Court’s summary judgment order with respect to “arranger” liability for Titan Tire and Dico under CERCLA and the imposition of punitive damages against Dico for violating the EPA Administrative Order, but affirmed the summary judgment order imposing civil penalties in the amount of $1.62 million against Dico for violating the EPA Administrative Order. The case was remanded to the District Court for a new trial on the remaining issues.

The trial occurred in April 2017. On September 5, 2017, the District Court issued an order: (a) concluding Titan Tire and Dico arranged for the disposal of a hazardous substance in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 9607(a); (b) holding Titan Tire and Dico jointly and severally liable for $5.45 million in response costs previously incurred and reported by the United States relating to the alleged violation, including enforcement costs and attorney’s fees; and (c) awarding a declaratory judgment holding Titan Tire and Dico jointly and severally liable for all additional response costs previously incurred but not yet reported or to be incurred in the future, including enforcement costs and attorney’s fees. The District Court also held Dico liable for $5.45 million in punitive damages under 42 U.S.C. § 9607(c)(3) for violating a unilateral administrative order. The punitive damages award does not apply to Titan Tire. The Company accrued a contingent liability of $6.5 million, representing $5.45 million in costs incurred by the United States and $1.05 million of additional response costs, for this order in the quarter ended September 30, 2017.

Titan Tire and Dico appealed the case to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. On April 11, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the District Court’s September 5, 2017, order. Thereafter, Dico and Titan Tire filed a petition for rehearing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, which was denied in August 2019.

Following settlement negotiations with the U.S. federal government and the City of Des Moines, an agreement was reached in September 2020 which has been reduced to a Consent Decree that was executed by all parties on February 1, 2021. The Consent Decree prescribes total cash payments by Titan Tire to the federal government in the amount of $11.5 million, with
$9.0 million due and payable within 30 days of the settlement becoming final, $1.5 million (plus interest at a rate of 2.22% per annum) due and payable within one year of the settlement becoming final and $1.0 million (plus interest at a rate of 2.22% per annum) due and payable within two years of the settlement becoming final. The Company paid $9.2 million and $1.6 million, including accrued interest, to the federal government on February 25, 2021 and February 1, 2022, respectively. The remaining amount of $1.2 million, including accrued interest, are accounted for within the Company's other long-term liabilities line item within the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2021. On May 27, 2021, the Company transferred ownership of the Dico land to the City of Des Moines, in accordance with the agreement.