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Legal Proceedings
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Legal Proceedings

14. Legal Proceedings — During the reporting period, the only material developments in legal proceedings that had been reported in the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 were as follows:

EPA FIFRA/RCRA Matter.  On November 10, 2016, the Company was served with a grand jury subpoena out of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama in which the U.S. Department of Justice (“DoJ”) sought production of documents relating to the Company’s reimportation of depleted Thimet containers from Canada and Australia. The Company retained defense counsel and completed production of documents. Since the fourth quarter of 2018, government attorneys have interviewed several individuals (both current and former employees) who may be knowledgeable of the matter. Three more such interviews are scheduled to occur in November 2020. At this stage, however, DoJ has not made clear its intentions with regard to either its theory of the case or potential criminal enforcement. Thus, it is too early to tell whether a loss is probable or reasonably estimable. Accordingly, the Company has not recorded a loss contingency on this matter.

Harold Reed v. AMVAC et al.  During January 2017, the Company was served with two Statements of Claim that had been filed on March 29, 2016 with the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta, Canada (as case numbers 160600211 and 160600237) in which plaintiffs Harold Reed (an applicator) and 819596 Alberta Ltd. dba Jem Holdings (an application equipment rental company) allege physical injury and damage to equipment, respectively, arising from a fire that occurred during an application of the Company’s potato sprout inhibitor, SmartBlock, at a potato storage facility in Coaldale, Alberta on April 2, 2014. The parties have exchanged written discovery, and depositions of persons most knowledgeable took place during the first quarter of 2019. Citing the length of the cases’ pendency and the expense, in December 2019, plaintiff Reed voluntarily dismissed two actions (160600211 and 160600237) for no consideration. With respect to the remaining action, additional depositions took place during the first quarter of 2020. The parties have scheduled a voluntary mediation for December 14-15, 2020. The Company believes that the claims against it in the remaining matters are without merit and intends to defend them vigorously. At this stage in the proceedings, however, it is too early to determine whether a loss is probable or reasonably estimable; accordingly, the Company has not recorded a loss contingency.