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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Apr. 30, 2022
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

Note 12. Commitments and Contingencies

Environmental matters

The Company is not aware of any potential unasserted environmental claims that may be brought against us. The Company is involved in environmental investigations and/or remediation at two of its United Sates plant sites no longer used for operations. The Company uses environmental consultants to assist us in evaluating its environmental liabilities in order to establish appropriate accruals in its consolidated financial statements. Accruals are recorded when environmental remediation is probable and the costs can be reasonably estimated. A number of factors affect the cost of environmental remediation, including the determination of the extent of contamination, the length of time remediation may require, the complexity of environmental regulations and the advancement of remediation technology. Considering these factors, the Company has estimated (without discounting) the costs of remediation, which will be incurred over a period of several years. Recovery from insurance or other third parties is not anticipated. The Company is not yet able to determine when such remediation activity will be complete, but estimates for certain remediation efforts are projected through fiscal 2023.

As of April 30, 2022 and May 1, 2021, the Company had accruals, primarily based upon independent estimates, for environmental matters of $1.0 million and $0.9 million, respectively. The accrual as of April 30, 2022 consists of $0.7 million classified in other accrued expenses and the remainder was included in other long-term liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. The accrual as of May 1, 2021 consists of $0.6 million classified in other accrued expenses and the remainder was included in other long-term liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. The Company believes the provisions made for environmental matters are adequate to satisfy liabilities relating to such matters, however it is reasonably possible that costs could exceed accrued amounts if the selected methods of remediation do not reduce the contaminates at the sites to levels acceptable to federal and state regulatory agencies.

In each of fiscal 2022, fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2020, the Company spent $0.5 million on remediation cleanups and related studies. The costs associated with environmental matters as they relate to day-to-day activities were not material in fiscal 2022, fiscal 2021 or fiscal 2020.

Litigation

The Company, from time to time, is subject to various legal actions and claims incidental to our business, including those arising out of alleged defects, breach of contracts, patent infringement claims, employment-related matters and environmental matters. The Company considers insurance coverage and third party indemnification when determining required accruals for pending litigation and claims. Although the outcome of potential legal actions and claims cannot be determined, it is the opinion of the Company's management, based on the information available, that the Company has adequate reserves for these liabilities and that the ultimate resolution of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Hetronic Germany-GmbH Matters

For several years, Hetronic Germany-GmbH and Hydronic-Steuersysteme-GmbH (the “Fuchs companies”) served as our distributors for Germany, Austria and other central and eastern European countries pursuant to their respective intellectual property licenses and distribution and assembly agreements. The Company became aware that the Fuchs companies and their managing director, Albert Fuchs, had materially violated those agreements. As a result, the Company terminated all of its agreements with the Fuchs companies. On June 20, 2014, the Company filed a lawsuit against the Fuchs companies in the Federal District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma alleging material breaches of the distribution and assembly agreements and seeking damages, as well as various forms of injunctive relief. The defendants filed counterclaims alleging breach of contract, interference with business relations and business slander. On April 2, 2015, the Company amended its complaint against the Fuchs companies to add additional unfair competition and Lanham Act claims and to add additional affiliated parties.

A trial with respect to the matter began in February 2020. During the trial, the defendants dismissed their one remaining counterclaim with prejudice. On March 2, 2020, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the Company. The verdict included approximately $102 million in compensatory damages and $11 million in punitive damages. On April 22, 2020, the Court entered a permanent injunction barring defendants from selling infringing products and ordering them to return Hetronic’s confidential information. Defendants appealed entry of the permanent injunction. On May 29, 2020, the Court held defendants in contempt for violating the permanent injunction and entered the final judgment. Defendants appealed entry of the final monetary judgment as well. The appeal of the permanent injunction and the appeal of the final judgment were consolidated into a single appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. On August 24, 2021, the Tenth Circuit issued a decision affirming the lower court’s ruling with the exception that it instructed the District Court to modify the injunction from the entire world to all of the countries in which Hetronic sells its products. On April 20 and 21, 2022, the District Court held a hearing related to modifying the injunction pursuant to the Tenth Circuit’s opinion, and the parties currently are preparing post-hearing briefs. The defendants also filed a petition for certiorari with the United States Supreme Court seeking to further appeal the extraterritorial application of the Lanham Act in this case. Hetronic has opposed that petition. The Supreme Court has requested the views of the Solicitor General on the petition for certiorari. Like any judgment, particularly any judgment involving defendants outside of the United States, there is no guarantee that the Company will be able to collect all or any portion of the judgment.