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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 7. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES Commitments Under a number of indemnity agreements between the Company and each of its officers and directors, the Company has agreed to indemnify each of its officers and directors against any liability asserted against them in their capacity as an officer or director, or both. The Company’s indemnity obligations under the indemnity agreements are subject to certain conditions and limitations set forth in each of the agreements. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company is contingently liable for costs which may be incurred by the officers and directors in connection with claims arising by reason of these individuals’ roles as officers and directors. The Company has obtained directors’ and officers’ insurance policies to fund certain obligations under the indemnity agreements. The Company has salary continuation agreements with past employees. These agreements provide for monthly payments to each of the employees or their designated beneficiary upon the employee’s retirement or death. The payment benefits range from $1,000 to $3,000 per month with the term of such payments limited to 15 years after the employee’s retirement. The agreements also provide for survivorship benefits if the employee dies before attaining age 65, and severance payments if the employee is terminated without cause; the amount of which is dependent on the length of company service at the date of termination. The net present value of the retirement payments associated with these agreements is $302,000 as of December 31, 2024, of which $255,000 is included in Other Long Term Liabilities, and the remaining current portion of $47,000 is included in Other Liabilities, associated with the applicable retirement benefit payments over the next twelve months. The December 31, 2023 liability of $326,000 had $278,000 reported in Other Long Term Liabilities, and a current portion of $48,000 in Other Liabilities. In addition to the above, the Company has other contractual employment and or change of control agreements in place with key employees, as previously disclosed and noted in the Exhibit Index to this Form 10-K. Obligations related to these arrangements are currently indeterminable due to the variable nature and timing of possible events required to incur such obligations. As disclosed in detail in Note 10, Leases, to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report, the Company has several lease obligations in place that will be paid over time. Most notably, the Company leases a facility in Banbury, England that serves the manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution functions. Lastly, the Company has contractual obligations in place for the forthcoming year to purchase raw materials totaling $10,548,000. Contingencies In the ordinary and normal conduct of the Company’s business, it is subject to lawsuits, investigations, and claims (collectively, the “Claims”). The Claims generally relate to potential lightning or other electrical damage to our flexible gas piping products and may result in legal and product liability related expenses. The Company does not believe the Claims have legal merit and vigorously defends them. It is possible that the Company may incur increased litigation costs in the future due to a variety of factors, including a higher number of Claims, higher legal and expert costs, and higher insurance deductibles or self-insured retention limits (or “retentions”). The Company has in place commercial general liability insurance policies that cover most Claims, which are subject to deductibles or retentions, ranging primarily from $250,000 to $3,000,000 per claim (depending on the terms of the policy and the applicable policy year), up to an aggregate amount. Litigation is subject to many uncertainties and management is unable to predict the outcome of the pending suits and claims. The potential liability for a given claim could range from zero to a maximum of $3,000,000, depending upon the circumstances, and insurance deductible or retention in place for the respective claim year. The aggregate maximum exposure for all current open Claims as of December 31, 2024 is estimated to not exceed approximately $3,620,000, which represents the potential costs that may be incurred over time for the Claims within the applicable insurance policy deductibles or retentions. From time to time, depending upon the nature of a particular case, the Company may decide to spend in excess of a deductible or retention to enable more discretion regarding the defense, although this is not common. It is possible that the results of operations or liquidity of the Company, as well as the Company’s ability to procure reasonably priced insurance, could be adversely affected by the pending litigation, potentially materially. The Company is currently unable to estimate the ultimate liability, if any, that may result from the pending litigation, or potential litigation from future claims or claims that have not yet come to our attention, and accordingly, the liability in the Consolidated Financial Statements primarily represents an accrual for legal costs for services previously rendered, outstanding settlements for Claims not yet paid, and anticipated, probable, settlements for Claims within the Company’s remaining retention under its insurance policies. The liabilities recorded in the Company’s books as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 were $706,000 and $947,000, respectively, and are included in Other Liabilities.

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