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11. Commitments and Contingencies | 6 Months Ended
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Jul. 01, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Contracts: We have entered into material contracts with three appliance manufacturers. Under the agreements there are no minimum purchase commitments; however, we have agreed to indemnify the manufacturers for certain claims, allegations or losses with respect to appliances we sell. Litigation On November 6, 2015, a complaint was filed in the Minnesota District Court for Hennepin County, Minnesota, by David Gray and Michael Boller, purporting to bring suit derivatively on behalf of the Company against twelve current and former officers and directors of the Company. The complaint alleges that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties to the Company, and that the defendants have been unjustly enriched as a result thereof. The complaint seeks damages, disgorgement, an award of attorneys’ fees and other expenses, and an order compelling changes to the Company’s corporate governance and internal procedures. The parties have reached a settlement that, if approved by the court, will fully resolve plaintiffs’ claims and provide for the release of all claims asserted in the litigation. On August 2, 2017, the court entered an order granting preliminary approval of the settlement. The court has scheduled a final approval hearing to take place on September 29, 2017. We can make no assurances that the court will grant final approval of the settlement. This matter has been submitted to our insurance carriers. In February 2012, various individuals commenced a class action lawsuit against Whirlpool Corporation (“Whirlpool”) and various distributors of Whirlpool products, including Sears, The Home Depot, Lowe’s and us, alleging certain appliances Whirlpool sold through its distribution chain, which includes us, were improperly designated with the ENERGY STAR® qualification rating established by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. The claims against us include breach of warranty claims, as well as various state consumer protection claims. The amount of the claim is, as yet, undetermined. Whirlpool has offered to fully indemnify and defend its distributors in this lawsuit, including us, and has engaged legal counsel to defend itself and the distributors. We are monitoring Whirlpool’s defense of the claims and believe the possibility of a material loss is remote. AMTIM Capital Inc. (“AMTIM”) provides management and sales services in respect of our recycling services in Canada, and is paid pursuant to agreements between AMTIM and us. A dispute has arisen between AMTIM and us with respect to the calculation of amounts due to AMTIM pursuant to the agreements. In a lawsuit filed in the province of Ontario, AMTIM claims a discrepancy in the calculation of fees due to AMTIM by us in excess of $1.6 million. The United States District Court for the District of Minnesota has issued a declaratory judgment to the effect that our method of calculating of the amounts due to AMTIM is correct. Although the outcome of this Ontario claim is uncertain, we believe that no further amounts are due under the terms of the agreement and we will continue to defend our position relative to this lawsuit. We are party from time to time to ordinary course disputes that we do not believe to be material or have merit. We intend to vigorously defend ourselves against these ordinary course disputes.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for commitments and contingencies. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2127136 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 440 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2144648 + Details
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