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Commitments and Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2021
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies We are subject to various legal proceedings, claims and governmental inspections, audits or investigations pertaining to issues such as contract disputes, product liability, tax matters, patents and trademarks, advertising, governmental regulations, employment and other matters. Under the terms of the distribution agreement we entered into with Kimberly-Clark Corporation (“Kimberly-Clark”) prior to the spin-off, legal proceedings, claims and other liabilities that are primarily related to our business are our responsibility and we are obligated to indemnify and hold Kimberly-Clark harmless for such matters. For the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, we incurred $22.5 million and $2.2 million, respectively, for these matters which is included in “Other expense, net.” Government Investigation In June 2015, we were served with a subpoena from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General (“VA OIG”) seeking information related to the design, manufacture, testing, sale and promotion of MicroCool and other Company surgical gowns, and, in July 2015, we also became aware that the subpoena and an earlier VA OIG subpoena served on Kimberly-Clark requesting information about gown sales to the federal government are related to a United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) investigation. In May 2016, April 2017 and September 2018, we received additional subpoenas from the DOJ seeking further information related to Company gowns. The Company is cooperating with the DOJ investigation, including engaging in discussions with the DOJ beginning in March 2021 about a potential resolution of this matter that would provide for a total monetary payment in the amount of $22.2 million. An accrual has been recorded related to the potential resolution. If finalized, the resolution would resolve all aspects of the DOJ investigation described above. Patent Litigation We operate in an industry characterized by extensive patent litigation and competitors may claim that our products infringe upon their intellectual property. Resolution of patent litigation or other intellectual property claims is typically time consuming and costly and can result in significant damage awards and injunctions that could prevent the manufacture and sale of the affected products or require us to make significant royalty payments in order to continue selling the affected products. At any given time we may be involved as either a plaintiff or a defendant in a number of patent infringement actions, the outcomes of which may not be known for prolonged periods of time. On November 4, 2019, we filed the matter styled Avanos Medical Sales LLC v Medtronic Sofamor Danek USA, Inc., et al. (No. 2:19-cv-02754-JMP-TMP (W.D. Tenn.)), alleging that Medtronic’s manufacture, marketing, sale, and importation of the Accurian system infringes certain claims of U.S. Patent 8,822,755. Medtronic’s motion to dismiss was denied. On June 1, 2020, Medtronic petitioned the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) for an inter partes review (“IPR”) of the patent at issue in the litigation. On October 23, 2020, the USPTO instituted an IPR. The IPR will not affect Avanos’s ability to manufacture, market or sell the products covered by the underlying patent. We will continue to vigorously prosecute and defend the litigation and IPR. General While we maintain general and professional liability, product liability and other insurance, our insurance policies may not cover all of these matters and may not fully cover liabilities arising out of these matters. In addition, we may be obligated to indemnify our directors and officers against these matters. We record provisions in the consolidated financial statements for pending litigation when we determine that an unfavorable outcome is probable and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. For any matters that are reasonably possible to result in loss and for which no possible loss or range of loss is disclosed in this report, management has determined that it is unable to estimate the possible loss or range of loss because, in each case, at least the following facts applied: (a) early stage of the proceedings; (b) indeterminate (or unspecified) damages; and (c) significant factual issues yet to be resolved, or such amounts have been determined to be immaterial. At present, although the results of litigation and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, we believe that the ultimate resolution of these matters will not materially impact our liquidity, access to capital markets or ability to conduct our daily operations. As of March 31, 2021, we have an accrued liability for the matters described herein, and reasonably possible losses have been disclosed. The accrued liability is included in “Accrued Expenses” in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet. Our estimate of these liabilities is based on facts and circumstances existing at this time, along with other variables. Factors that may affect our estimate include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in the number of lawsuits filed against us, including the potential for similar, duplicate or “copycat” lawsuits filed in multiple jurisdictions, including lawsuits that bring causes or action or allege violations of law with regard to additional products; (ii) changes in the legal costs of defending such claims; (iii) changes in the nature of the lawsuits filed against us; (iv) changes in the applicable law governing any legal claims against us; (v) a determination that our assumptions used in estimating the liability are no longer reasonable; and (vi) the uncertainties associated with the judicial process, including adverse judgments rendered by courts or juries. Thus, the actual amount of these liabilities for existing and future claims could be materially different than the accrued amount. Additionally, the above matters, regardless of the outcome, could disrupt our business and result in substantial costs and diversion of management attention. Environmental Compliance We are subject to federal, state and local environmental protection laws and regulations with respect to our business operations and are operating in compliance with, or taking action aimed at ensuring compliance with, these laws and regulations. None of our compliance obligations with environmental protection laws and regulations, individually or in the aggregate, is expected to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

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