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Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies.  
Commitments and Contingencies

Note 13 - Commitments and Contingencies

Data Storage Renewal Commitment

In June 2022, we entered into a purchase agreement for cloud hosting with a six year term beginning July 1, 2022. The purchase agreement includes a total commitment of $425.0 million. Storage fees under this agreement were $11.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The remaining purchase commitment at September 30, 2022 was $413.8 million.

Product Litigation

As a manufacturer of weapons and other law enforcement tools used in high-risk field environments, we are often the subject of products liability litigation concerning the use of our products.  We are currently named as a defendant in two lawsuits in which the plaintiffs allege either wrongful death or personal injury in situations in which a TASER CED was used by law enforcement officers in connection with arrests or training. While the facts vary from case to case, these product liability claims typically allege defective product design, manufacturing, and/or failure to warn.  They seek compensatory and sometimes punitive damages, often in unspecified amounts.

We continue to aggressively defend all product litigation. As a general rule, it is our policy not to settle suspect injury or death cases. Exceptions are sometimes made where the settlement is strategically beneficial to us. Due to the confidential nature of our litigation strategy and the confidentiality agreements that are executed in the event of a settlement, we do not identify or comment on specific settlements by case or amount. Based on current information, we do not believe that the outcome of any such legal proceeding will have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. We are self-insured for the first $5.0 million of any product claim made after 2014. No judgment or settlement has ever exceeded this amount in any products case. We continue to maintain product liability insurance coverage, including an insurance policy fronting arrangement, above our self-insured retention with various limits depending on the policy period.

The litigation information in this note is current through the date of these financial statements.

U.S. Federal Trade Commission Litigation

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) filed an administrative enforcement action in January 2020 regarding our May 2018 acquisition of an insolvent body worn camera competitor, Vievu LLC. The FTC alleges the merger was anticompetitive and adversely affected the body worn camera and digital evidence management market for “large metropolitan police departments,” which we deny. The administrative hearing remains stayed pending our federal court constitutional challenges to the FTC’s structure and administrative processes. Even if we ultimately are required to divest Vievu and other assets, any such result will not interfere with our ability to meet contractual obligations or implement our solutions.

Prior to the FTC’s enforcement action, we sued the FTC in federal court in the District of Arizona for declaratory and injunctive relief alleging the FTC’s structure and administrative processes violate Article II of the U.S. Constitution and our Fifth Amendment rights to due process and equal protection. The district court dismissed the action, without prejudice, for lack of jurisdiction. The Ninth Circuit affirmed in a split decision but granted our motion to stay the appellate mandate pending the filing of our petition for certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court. On January 24, 2022, the Supreme Court granted our petition. Oral argument was held November 7, 2022. The FTC’s administrative case will remain stayed pending resolution of the Supreme Court proceedings.

In parallel to these matters, we are evaluating strategic alternatives to litigation, which we might pursue if determined to be in the best interests of shareholders and customers. This could include a divestiture of the Vievu entity and/or related assets and the licensure of certain intellectual and other intangible property. While we continue to believe the acquisition of Vievu was lawful and a benefit to Vievu’s customers, the cost, risk and distraction of protracted litigation merit consideration of settlement if achievable on terms agreeable to the FTC and Axon.

General

From time to time, we are notified that we may be a party to a lawsuit or that a claim is being made against us. It is our policy to not disclose the specifics of any claim or threatened lawsuit until the summons and complaint are actually served on us. After carefully assessing the claim, and assuming we determine that we are not at fault or we disagree with the damages or relief demanded, we vigorously defend any lawsuit filed against us. We record a liability when losses are

deemed probable and reasonably estimable. When losses are deemed reasonably possible but not probable, we determine whether it is possible to provide an estimate of the amount of the loss or range of possible losses for the claim, if material for disclosure. In evaluating matters for accrual and disclosure purposes, we take into consideration factors such as our historical experience with matters of a similar nature, the specific facts and circumstances asserted, the likelihood of our prevailing, the availability of insurance, and the severity of any potential loss. We reevaluate and update accruals as matters progress over time.

Based on our assessment of outstanding litigation and claims as of September 30, 2022, we have determined that it is not reasonably possible that these lawsuits will individually, or in the aggregate, materially affect our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. However, the outcome of any litigation is inherently uncertain and there can be no assurance that any expense, liability or damages that may ultimately result from the resolution of these matters will be covered by our insurance or will not be in excess of amounts recognized or provided by insurance coverage and will not have a material adverse effect on our operating results, financial condition or cash flows.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

Under certain circumstances, we use letters of credit and surety bonds to guarantee our performance under various contracts, principally in connection with the installation and integration of Axon cameras and related technologies. Certain of our letters of credit and surety bonds have stated expiration dates with others being released as the contractual performance terms are completed. At September 30, 2022, we had outstanding letters of credit issued under our credit facility of $6.5 million that are expected to expire throughout 2023. We also had outstanding letters of credit of $0.4 million that do not draw against our credit facility. The outstanding letters of credit that do not draw against our credit facility are expected to expire in May 2023. Additionally, we had $21.1 million of outstanding surety bonds at September 30, 2022, with $3.1 million expiring in 2022, $7.5 million expiring in 2023 and the remaining $10.5 million expiring in 2024.