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CONTINGENCIES
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2025
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
CONTINGENCIES CONTINGENCIES
Wallace EPA Matter
Wallace Silversmiths de Puerto Rico, Ltd. (“WSPR”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, operates a manufacturing facility in San Germán, Puerto Rico that is leased from the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (“PRIDCO”). In March 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) announced that the San Germán Ground Water Contamination site in Puerto Rico (the “Site”) had been added to the Superfund National Priorities List due to organic compounds present in the local drinking water supply.
In May 2008, WSPR received from the EPA a Notice of Potential Liability and Request for Information pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Sections 9607(a) and 9604(e) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”). In July 2011, WSPR received a letter from the EPA requesting access to the property that it leases from PRIDCO to conduct an environmental investigation, and the Company granted such access. In February 2013, the EPA requested access to conduct a further environmental investigation at the property. PRIDCO agreed to such access and the Company consented. The EPA conducted a further investigation during 2013 and, in April 2015, notified the Company and PRIDCO that the results from vapor intrusion sampling may warrant the implementation of measures to mitigate potential exposure to sub-slab soil gas. The Company reviewed the information provided by the EPA and requested that PRIDCO, as the property owner, find and implement a solution acceptable to the EPA. In order to protect the health of its employees and continue its business operations, WSPR has implemented corrective action measures to respond to vapor intrusion, such as sealing the floors of the building and conducting periodic air monitoring to address potential exposure.
On August 13, 2015, the EPA released its remedial investigation and feasibility study (“RI/FS”) for the Site. On December 11, 2015, the EPA issued the Record of Decision (“ROD”) for an initial operable unit (“OU-1”), electing to implement its preferred remedy which consists of soil vapor extraction and dual-phase extraction/in-situ treatment. This selected remedy includes soil vapor extraction (“SVE”) to address soil (vadose zone) source areas at the Site, impermeable cover as necessary for the implementation of SVE, dual phase extraction in the shallow saprolite zone, and in-situ treatment as needed to address residual sources. The EPA’s total net present worth estimated cost for its selected remedy is $7.3 million. In February 2017, the EPA indicated that it planned to expand its field investigation for the RI/FS to a second operable unit (“OU-2”) to determine the nature and extent of the groundwater damage at and from the Site and to determine the nature of the remedial action needed to address the damage. The EPA requested access to the property occupied by WSPR to install monitoring wells and to undertake groundwater sampling as part of this expanded investigation. WSPR consented to the EPA’s access request, provided that the EPA received PRIDCO’s consent as the property owner. The EPA has also issued notices of potential liability to a number of other entities affiliated with the Site, which used the organic compounds of concern.
In December 2018, the Company, WSPR, and other identified potentially responsible parties affiliated with the Site entered into tolling agreements with the U.S. government to extend the statute of limitations for potential claims for the recovery of response costs for the initial operable unit under Section 107 of CERCLA. The tolling agreements have been extended multiple times and currently expire in November 2025. The tolling agreements do not constitute in any way an admission or acknowledgment of any fact, conclusion of law, or liability by the parties to the agreements.
The EPA released its proposed plan for OU-2 in July 2019, and on September 30, 2019, the EPA issued the ROD for OU-2. The EPA elected to implement its preferred remedy consisting of in-situ treatment of groundwater and a monitored natural attenuation program including monitoring of the plume fringe at the Site. The EPA’s estimated total net present worth cost for its selected remedy for OU-2 is $17.3 million, and the EPA is currently leading remediation of OU-2.
In August 2021, WSPR received a Notice of Liability for the Site from the Department of Justice on behalf of the EPA, and in September 2021, WSPR responded with a good faith offer to conduct additional testing and remedial design work for OU-1. WSPR has actively participated in negotiations among the U.S. Government (the Department of Justice and the EPA) and other potentially responsible parties with respect to the remedial work at OU-1, which negotiations culminated in the finalization of a Consent Decree for Remedial Design and Remedial Action at Operable Unit One of the San German Groundwater Contamination Site (“Decree”). On July 26, 2023, the U.S. Government filed a complaint in United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico for the purpose of seeking judicial approval of the Decree. As required by applicable regulations, the U.S. Government simultaneously lodged the Decree for public comment. No comments were received during the public comment period. On September 6, 2023, at the conclusion of the public comment period, the U.S. Government filed a Motion
to Enter the Decree, and the court entered the Decree into order on December 14, 2023, thereby effectuating the Decree. On January 10, 2024, EPA issued a notice to proceed with the OU-1 remedial work. The Company thereafter commenced remedial work on OU-1 in accordance with the Decree.
The Company reserved $5.6 million to cover probable and estimable liabilities with respect to the above remedial design and remedial action for the initial operable unit. However, it is not possible at this time for the Company to estimate its share of its ultimate liability for the Site. In the event of one or more adverse determinations related to this matter, it is possible that the ultimate liability resulting from this matter and the impact on the Company’s results of operations could be material. As of June 30, 2025, the remaining liability is $5.4 million.
Legal Settlement Gain
In 2015, Taylor Precision Products, Inc. (“Taylor” and/or the “Plaintiff”), acquired by the Company on March 2, 2018, commenced a legal action related to a 2013 acquisition, alleging that the seller failed to sufficiently disclose certain adverse information as part of the acquisition. In February 2025, the Company received a net settlement of $6.4 million, which consisted of a $7.0 million settlement less $0.6 million in legal fees related to this case. The Company recognized the gain in selling, general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statement of operations for the quarter ended March 31, 2025.
Other
The Company is, from time to time, involved in other legal proceedings. The Company believes that other current litigation is routine in nature and incidental to the conduct of the Company’s business and that none of this litigation, individually or collectively, would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.