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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
May 31, 2018
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Leases

The Company is committed under non-cancelable operating leases for facilities and equipment. During fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016, aggregate rental costs under all operating leases were approximately $2.8 million, $2.5 million and $2.5 million, respectively. Future annual payments under non-cancelable operating leases in the aggregate, of which one includes an escalation clause, with initial remaining terms of more than one year at May 31, 2018, are summarized as follows (in thousands):
 
(in thousands)
 
2019
$
2,234

2020
1,829

2021
993

2022
884

2023 and thereafter
1,668

 
$
7,608



Other Commitments and Contingencies

The following table summarizes the Company's other future commitments and contingencies as of May 31, 2018
(in thousands)
Total
 
2019
 
2020
 
2021
 
2022
 
2023 and thereafter
Purchase obligations (1)
$
56,201

 
$
11,751

 
$
14,243

 
$
15,485

 
$
9,189

 
$
5,533

Royalties
45,000

 
3,000

 
3,500

 
3,500

 
3,500

 
31,500

Other
667

 
167

 
167

 
167

 
166

 

 
$
101,868

 
$
14,918

 
$
17,910

 
$
19,152

 
$
12,855

 
$
37,033

(1)
The non-cancelable inventory purchase obligations are not reflected on our consolidated balance sheets under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
 
Legal Proceedings

The Company is involved in various legal proceedings, including commercial, intellectual property, product liability, and regulatory matters of a nature considered normal for its business. The Company accrues for amounts related to these matters if it is probable that a liability has been incurred, and an amount can be reasonably estimated. The Company discloses such matters when there is at least a reasonable possibility that a material loss may have been incurred. However, the Company cannot predict the outcome of any litigation or the potential for future litigation.
 
C.R. Bard, Inc. v. AngioDynamics, Inc.

On January 11, 2012, C.R. Bard, Inc. (“Bard”) filed a suit in the United States District Court of Utah claiming certain of our implantable port products infringe on three U.S. patents held by Bard (the “Utah Action”). Bard’s Complaint sought unspecified damages and other relief. We filed petitions for reexamination in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) seeking to invalidate all three patents asserted by Bard in the litigation. Our petitions were granted and 40 of Bard's 41 patent patent claims were rejected and, following further proceedings, the Patent Office issued a Final Rejection of all 40 claims subject to reexamination. Thereafter, Bard filed appeals to the USPTO Board of Appeals and Interferences for all three reexaminations. The Patent Office issued decisions in all three appeals. In one (issued on March 11, 2016 for U.S. Patent No. 7,785,302), the rejections of six of the ten claims under reexamination were affirmed, but were reversed on four of the ten claims.   In the second (issued on March 24, 2016 for U.S. Patent No. 7,959,615), the rejections of eight of the ten claims under reexamination were affirmed but the rejections of the other two of the ten claims were reversed. In the third (issued on March 29 for U.S. Patent No. 7,947.022) the rejections of all  twenty claims under reexamination were affirmed. Thereafter, Bard filed Requests for Rehearing in all three reexamination appeals and the Company filed Requests for Rehearing in two of the reexamination appeals (the ‘302 and ‘615 patent reexaminations). The PTO denied all three Rehearing Requests - - on February 1, 2017 for the ‘302 reexam; on February 17, 2017 for the ‘022 reexam; and on February 21, 2017 for the ‘615 reexam, but modified its characterization of one prior art reference for the ‘302 and ‘022 decisions.  Bard filed a Notice of Appeal to the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in all three reexams and the Company filed Cross-Appeals for the ‘302 and the ‘615 reexams. The parties have completed the process of filing the various appellate briefs.  MedComp also filed an Amicus Brief in support of the Company on November 22, 2017. A date for the oral hearing has not yet been set. The Utah Action has been stayed pending final resolution of the USPTO process. We believe these claims are without merit and intend to defend them vigorously. We have not recorded an expense related to the outcome of this litigation because it is not yet possible to determine if a potential loss is probable nor reasonably estimable.

On March 10, 2015, C.R. Bard, Inc. (“Bard”) and Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc. (“BPV”) filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware claiming certain of our implantable port products infringe on  three U.S. patents held by Bard (the “Delaware Action”). Bard's complaint seeks unspecified damages and other relief. The patents asserted in the Delaware Action are different than those asserted in the Utah Action. On June 1, 2015, the Company filed two motions in response to Bard’s Complaint - one sought transfer to the District of Utah where the Utah Action is currently pending, and the other sought dismissal of the entire complaint on grounds that none of the claims in the asserted patents is directed to patent eligible subject matter under Section 101 of the Patent Statute and in light of recent authority from the U. S. Supreme Court. On January 12, 2016, the Court issued a decision denying both motions. A Markman hearing was held on March 10, 2017 and the Court issued its Claim Construction Order on May 19, 2017. On May 19, 2017, Bard served its Final Infringement Contentions and on June 2, 2017, the Company served its Final Invalidity Contentions.

On October 20, 2017, the scheduling order for the case was amended to, among other things, set a trial date commencing July 23, 2018. The parties completed Expert Discovery in January 2018. The parties completed briefing on their respective case dispositive motions on April 27, 2018. On June 26, 2018, the Court denied all case dispositive motions, ruling that issues of material fact remained in dispute. On July 9, 2018, the Court continued the trial to a later date to be determined by the Court and the parties. We believe these claims are without merit and intend to defend them vigorously. We have not recorded an expense related to the outcome of this litigation because it is not yet possible to determine if a potential loss is probable nor reasonably estimable.

AngioDynamics, Inc. v. C.R. Bard, Inc.

On May 30, 2017, we commenced an action in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York entitled AngioDynamics, Inc. v. C.R. Bard, Inc. and Bard Access Systems, Inc. (“Bard”).  In this action, we allege that Bard has illegally tied the sales of its tip location systems to the sales of its PICCs.  We allege that this practice violates the federal antitrust laws and has had, and continues to have, an anti-competitive effect in the market for PICCs.  We seek both monetary damages and injunctive relief. Bard moved to dismiss on September 8, 2017 and the motion has been submitted to the court.  The court has adjourned the initial conference in the case pending its resolution of the motion to dismiss.

Governmental Investigations

In June 2014 we received a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) requesting documents in relation to a criminal and civil investigation the DOJ is conducting regarding BTG International, Inc.’s LC Bead® product beginning in 2003.  RITA Medical Systems and AngioDynamics, Inc., after its acquisition of RITA, was the exclusive distributor of LC Beads in the United States from 2006 through December 31, 2011.  We are cooperating fully with this investigation.

In April 2015 we received a subpoena from the DOJ requesting documents in relation to a criminal and civil investigation the DOJ is conducting regarding purported promotion of certain of AngioDynamics’ VenaCure EVLT products for un-cleared indications.  We are cooperating fully with this investigation.

As of May 31, 2017 the Company accrued $12.5 million for these matters and in August 2017, the Company agreed in principle with the government to resolve these matters for approximately $12.5 million. This amount was still accrued for at May 31, 2018 and was paid in the first quarter of fiscal year 2019.