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Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 03, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Contingencies | CONTINGENCIES Legal Contingencies From time to time, the Company is subject to lawsuits, investigations and disputes (some of which involve substantial claimed amounts) arising out of the conduct of its business, including matters relating to commercial transactions, product liability, intellectual property and other matters. Certain significant items included in these other matters are discussed below. The Company believes recorded reserves in its Consolidated Financial Statements are adequate in light of the probable and reasonably estimable outcomes of the items discussed below and other applicable matters. Any recorded liabilities were not material to the Company’s financial position, results of operation or liquidity for the periods presented, and the Company does not currently believe that any pending claims or litigation, including those identified below, will materially affect its financial position, results of operation or liquidity. TransWeb/3M On May 21, 2010, 3M Company and 3M Innovative Properties (“3M”) brought a lawsuit against TransWeb, LLC ("TransWeb") in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, alleging that certain TransWeb products infringe multiple claims of certain 3M patents. Shortly after receiving service of process in this litigation, TransWeb filed its own complaint against 3M in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, seeking a declaratory judgment that the asserted patents are invalid and that the products in question do not infringe. 3M withdrew its Minnesota action, and the parties litigated the matter in New Jersey. The litigation in question was filed and underway before the Company acquired TransWeb in December 2010, but the Company assumed the risk of this litigation as a result of the acquisition. During the litigation TransWeb sought judgment that (i) the asserted 3M patents are invalid, the TransWeb products in question do not infringe, and the 3M patents are unenforceable due to inequitable conduct by 3M in obtaining the patents, and (ii) 3M violated U.S. federal antitrust laws under theories of Walker Process fraud and sham litigation. Following a 2012 trial in which a six-member jury unanimously found in TransWeb's favor on all counts other than sham litigation, on April 21, 2014 the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey issued a ruling in favor of TransWeb and awarded TransWeb approximately $26,147 in damages. 3M timely exercised its automatic right to appeal the District Court's judgment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. On February 10, 2016, the Court of Appeals issued a unanimous decision upholding the lower court's rulings in all respects. Following this ruling, on March 7, 2016, 3M agreed to pay TransWeb $27,250 in full and final satisfaction of the judgment and applicable interest and to forgo any further rights of appeal, and TransWeb and the Company agreed not to seek any further recoveries from 3M with respect to this matter. 3M made the required payment on March 9, 2016, and the parties jointly filed a stipulated satisfaction of judgment with the District Court on March 14, 2016, concluding this matter. The Company recorded the payment in Other, net in the Consolidated Statements of Earnings. Other The Company is party to various proceedings relating to environmental issues. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and/or other responsible state agencies have designated the Company as a potentially responsible party, along with other companies, in remedial activities for the cleanup of waste sites under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (commonly referred to as the federal Superfund statute). Although it is not certain what future environmental claims, if any, may be asserted in connection with these known environmental matters, the Company currently believes that its potential liability for known environmental matters is not material and that it has adequately reserved for any probable and reasonably estimable liabilities based on the information available to the Company. However, environmental and related remediation costs are difficult to quantify for a number of reasons, including the number of parties involved, the difficulty in determining the nature and extent of the contamination at issue, the length of time remediation may require, the complexity of the environmental regulation, the continuing advancement of remediation technology, and the potential imposition of joint and several liability on each potentially responsible party for the cleanup. In addition to the matters cited above, the Company is involved in legal actions arising in the normal course of business. The Company records provisions with respect to identified claims or lawsuits when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Claims and lawsuits are reviewed quarterly and provisions are taken or adjusted to reflect the status of a particular matter. Other Contingencies In the event of a change in control of the Company, including in connection with the pending Parker-Hannifin transaction, termination benefits are likely to be required for certain executive officers and other employees. The range of the termination benefits could vary significantly and thus are not estimable.

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