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Note 6 - Commitments and Contingencies
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]
Note 6 - Commitments and Contingencies

a.  
Indemnity

The Delaware General Corporation Law provides that our directors or officers will be reimbursed for all expenses, to the fullest extent permitted by law arising out of their performance.

b.  
Purchase Commitments

As of December 31, 2012, we have made commitments to purchase approximately $457 of production machinery and equipment.

c.  
Royalty Agreements

Technology underlying certain of our products is based in part on non-exclusive transfer agreements.  In 2003, we entered into an agreement with Saft Groupe S.A., to license certain tooling for battery cases.  The licensing fee associated with this agreement is based on a percentage of the sales price of the individual battery case, up to a maximum of one dollar per battery case.  The total royalty expense reflected in 2012 and 2011 was $1 and $5, respectively.  This agreement expires in the year 2017.

d.  
Government Grants/Loans

In conjunction with the City of West Point, Mississippi, we applied for a Community Development Block Grant (“CDBG”) from the State of Mississippi for infrastructure improvements to our leased facility that is owned by the City of West Point, Mississippi.  The CDBG was awarded and as of December 31, 2011, approximately $480 has been distributed under the grant.  Under an agreement with the City of West Point, we agreed to employ at least 30 full-time employees at the facility, of which 51% of the jobs had to be filled or made available to low or moderate income families, within three years of completion of the CDBG improvement activities.  In addition, we agreed to invest at least $1,000 in equipment and working capital into the facility within the first three years of operation of the facility.  While we have yet to receive formal notice from the applicable government agency confirming the closure of the grant, we believe that both of these commitments were satisfied as of March 2011 and, therefore, have not recorded an accrual with respect to any potential liability for the grant amounts received under the CDBG.

In conjunction with Clay County, Mississippi, we applied for a Mississippi Rural Impact Fund Grant (“RIFG”) from the State of Mississippi for infrastructure improvements to our leased facility that is owned by the City of West Point, Mississippi.  The RIFG was awarded and as of December 31, 2011, approximately $150 has been distributed under the grant.  Under an agreement with Clay County, we agreed to employ at least 30 full-time employees at the facility, of which 51% of the jobs had to be filled or made available to low or moderate income families, within two years of completion of the RIFG improvement activities.  In September 2010, we received an extension for this commitment to March 31, 2011.  In addition, we agreed to invest at least $1,000 in equipment and working capital into the facility within the first three years of operation of the facility.  While we have yet to receive formal notice from the applicable government agency confirming the closure of the grant, we believe that both of these commitments were satisfied as of March 2011 and, therefore, have not recorded an accrual with respect to any potential liability for the grant amounts received under the RIFG.

e.  
Employment Contracts

We have an employment contract with Michael D. Popielec, our President and Chief Executive Officer, which stays in effect until terminated by either party.  This agreement provides for a base salary, as adjusted for increases at the discretion of our Board of Directors, and includes incentive bonuses based upon attainment of specified quantitative and qualitative performance goals.  This agreement also provides for severance payments in the event of specified events of termination of employment.  In addition, this agreement provides for a lump sum payment in the event of termination of employment in association with a change in control.

We have an employment contract with Peter F. Comerford, our Vice-President of Administration & General Counsel and Secretary, with automatic one-year renewals unless terminated by either party.  This agreement provides for a minimum salary, as adjusted for annual increases, and may include incentive bonuses based upon attainment of specified management goals.  This agreement also provides for severance payments in the event of specified termination of employment.  In addition, this agreement provides for a lump sum payment in the event of termination of employment in association with a change in control.

Select key employees are required to enter into agreements providing for confidentiality and the assignment of rights to inventions made by them while employed by us. These agreements also contain certain noncompetition and nonsolicitation provisions effective during the employment term and for varying periods thereafter depending on position and location. There can be no assurance that we will be able to enforce these agreements.  All of our employees agree to abide by the terms of a Code of Ethics policy that provides for the confidentiality of certain information received during the course of their employment.

f.  
Product Warranties

We estimate future costs associated with expected product failure rates, material usage and service costs in the development of our warranty obligations.  Warranty reserves are based on historical experience of warranty claims and generally will be estimated as a percentage of sales over the warranty period.  In the event the actual results of these items differ from the estimates, an adjustment to the warranty obligation would be recorded.  Changes in our product warranty liability during the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 were as follows:

   
2012
   
2011
 
             
Balance at beginning of year
  $ 839     $ 1,314  
Accruals for warranties issued
    370       591  
Settlements made
    (602 )     (1,066 )
Balance at end of year
  $ 607     $ 839  

g.  
Post Audits of Government Contracts

We had certain “exigent”, non-bid contracts with the U.S. government, which were subject to audit and final price adjustment, which resulted in decreased margins compared with the original terms of the contracts.  As of December 31, 2012, there were no outstanding exigent contracts with the U.S. government.  As part of its due diligence, the U.S. government has conducted post-audits of the completed exigent contracts to ensure that information used in supporting the pricing of exigent contracts did not differ materially from actual results.  In September 2005, the Defense Contracting Audit Agency (“DCAA”) presented its findings related to the audits of three of the exigent contracts, suggesting a potential pricing adjustment of approximately $1,400 related to reductions in the cost of materials that occurred prior to the final negotiation of these contracts.  In addition, in June 2007, we received a request from the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Defense (“DoD IG”) seeking certain information and documents relating to our business with the Department of Defense.  We cooperated with the DCAA audit and DoD IG inquiry by making available to government auditors and investigators our personnel and furnishing the requested information and documents.  The DCAA Audit and DoD IG inquiry were consolidated and the US Attorney’s Office represented the government in connection with these matters.  Under applicable federal law, we may have been subject up to treble damages and penalties associated with the potential pricing adjustment.  In light of the uncertainty, we decided to enter into discussions with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in April 2011 to negotiate a settlement that would be in the best interests of our customers, employees and shareholders.  On April 21, 2011, we were advised by the government that there was a $2,730 settlement-in-principle to resolve all claims related to the contracts, subject to final approval by the Department of Justice.  As a result, we recorded a $2,730 charge as a reduction in revenues for the first quarter of 2011.  On June 1, 2011, we entered into a Settlement Agreement with the United States of America, acting through the United States Department of Justice and on behalf of the Department of Defense that required us to pay a total of $2,700 plus accrued interest thereon at the rate of 2.625% per annum. Under the Settlement Agreement, we were required to make principal payments of $1,000, $567, $567 and $566 being due on June 8, 2011, December 1, 2011, June 1, 2012 and December 1, 2012, respectively.  Each principal payment was accompanied by a payment of accrued interest.  As of December 31, 2012, we have made all required payments.

h.  
Legal Matters

We are subject to legal proceedings and claims that arise in the normal course of business.   We believe that the final disposition of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Arista Power Litigation

On September 23, 2011, we initiated an action against Arista Power, Inc. (“Arista”) and our former senior sales and engineering employee, David Modeen, in the State of New York Supreme Court, County of Wayne (Index No. 73379).  In our initial Complaint, we alleged that Arista recruited all but one of the members of its executive team from us, subsequently changed its business to compete directly with us by using our confidential information, and during the summer of 2011, recruited Modeen to become an Arista employee.  We alleged that, as a result of actions by Arista and Modeen: (i) Modeen has breached the terms of his Employee Confidentiality, Non-Disclosure, Non-Compete, Non-Disparagement and Assignment Agreement with us; (ii) Modeen has breached certain agreements, duties and obligations he owed us, including to protect and refrain from disclosing our trade secrets and confidential and proprietary information; (iii) Arista’s employment of Modeen will inevitably lead to the disclosure and use of our trade secrets by Arista, in violation of Modeen’s duties and obligations to us; (iv) Arista unlawfully induced Modeen to breach his agreements with and duties and obligations to us; and (v) Arista’s recruitment and employment of Modeen has breached a subcontract between Arista and us.  We seek damages as determined at trial and preliminary and permanent injunctive relief.  The defendants answered the allegations set forth in the Complaint, without asserting any counterclaims.

On December 5, 2011, Arista served us with a Complaint it filed on November 29, 2011, in the State of New York Supreme Court, County of Monroe (Index No.  11-13896) against us, our officers, several of our directors, and an employee.  In its Complaint, Arista alleges that we and our named defendants have violated the terms of a Confidentiality Agreement with Arista and have unfairly competed against Arista by unlawfully appropriating Arista’s trade secrets and that as a result of such activity, Arista has incurred damages in excess of $60,000.  Arista seeks damages, an accounting, and preliminary and permanent injunctive relief.

On December 21, 2011, we and our officers, directors and employee named in Arista’s Complaint filed a motion to dismiss Arista’s Complaint against our officers, directors and employee as Arista’s Complaint fails to state any cause of action against any of them and to dismiss the claim of fraud against our officers, directors and employee.  Subsequently, Arista filed an Amended Complaint alleging essentially the same causes of action but adding additional factual allegations against us and our officers, directors and employee.  In addition, Arista filed a motion to disqualify our outside legal counsel representing us and our officers, directors and employee in both Arista’s Complaint and our Complaint against Arista.  In response, we and our officers, directors and employee filed a new motion to dismiss Arista’s Complaint against us in its entirety and seeking dismissal of the fraud claim against us.  Arista’s motion to disqualify our outside legal counsel was denied on February 10, 2012.  On March 9, 2012, the Court issued its decision on our motion to dismiss, granting the motion to the extent of dismissing some claims against us, but denying the motion to dismiss the individuals from the lawsuit at this preliminary stage.  On April 19, 2012, an Answer was filed on behalf of us, our officers, directors and employee.

On February 16, 2012, we filed an Amended Complaint in the action in Supreme Court, Wayne County, adding claims in that action against Modeen and Arista for misappropriation of our trade secrets and unfair competition, based on Arista’s strategy to hire Modeen and other former Ultralife employees, and thereby obtain improper access to information that is confidential and proprietary to us for Arista’s own benefit. We seek damages and injunctive relief limiting Arista’s employment of Modeen, and precluding Arista from using or disclosing information and trade secrets it acquired from us. Arista and Modeen answered the Amended Complaint on March 19, 2012, and discovery has commenced and is ongoing in both cases.

We initiated the September 23, 2011, Complaint against Arista to protect our customers, employees and shareholders from the unauthorized use and theft of our investments in intellectual property, trade secrets and confidential information by Arista and its employees.  Protecting our collective intellectual property and know-how, developed at great cost to us to form our competitive position in the marketplace and create value for our shareholders, is a fundamental responsibility of all our employees.

We believe the action Arista filed on November 29, 2011, is retaliatory and without merit.  Our development of the foundation for the new product concept for which Arista claims we allegedly used its trade secrets commenced in 2008, long prior to the departure of those individuals who now constitute the executive team of Arista.  Furthermore, we believe the purported damage of $60,000 being claimed by Arista is based solely on the reduction in its market capitalization between November 2009 and the filing date of the Complaint. This market value loss is totally unrelated to any actions attributable to us, and claims for recovery of this or any other amount are legally and factually baseless.

Accordingly, we are vigorously pursuing our complaint against Arista and defending what we believe to be a meritless action on the part of Arista.

Energy Services Litigation

In May 2010, we were served with a summons and complaint by a customer of one of our subsidiaries that performed energy services.  The complaint sought damages in an amount of at least $1,500 and included claims of breach of contract, negligent installation, and breach of warranty against us and breach of warranty against the manufacturer of the installed batteries.  In January 2011, we settled all claims related to the litigation.  Pursuant to the settlement, we agreed to pay the customer $1,100, of which, $1,075 was paid by our insurance providers.

9-Volt Battery Litigation

In July 2010, we were served with a summons and complaint filed in Japan by one of our 9-volt battery customers. The complaint alleged damages associated with claims of breach of warranty in an amount of approximately $1,100. A trial was held on May 25, 2012, in Japan before a panel of three judges, after which the parties agreed to settle the matter for approximately $125, which has been reflected in our cost of products sold in 2012.  The terms of the settlement agreement include no legal liability on our part and the plaintiff abandoning all other claims against us.

i.  
Workers’ Compensation Self-Insured Trust

From August 2002 through August 2006, we participated in a self-insured trust to manage our workers’ compensation activity for our employees in New York State.  All members of this trust had, by design, joint and several liability during the time they participated in the trust.  The New York Attorney General’s office notified the members of the trust of a funding deficit in 2008 and, in November 2009, the New York Attorney General’s office presented the results of the deficit reconstruction of the trust.  As a result of the deficit reconstruction, the State of New York has determined that the trust was underfunded by $19,100 during the period December 1, 1997 to August 31, 2006.  Our pro-rata share of the liability was determined to be $452.  The Attorney General’s office proposed a settlement by which we could avoid joint and several liability in exchange for a settlement payment of $520, which we paid in 12 monthly installments of $43 each following the execution of the settlement agreement starting in June 2010 and ending in 2011.  On October 11, 2011, an order was filed with the Albany County Clerk wherein this lawsuit was discontinued against us.