We provide, through our wholly-owned insurance subsidiaries, certain insurance coverage, primarily product liability coverage, to our other subsidiaries. Excess coverage is provided by third-party insurers. Our product liability accruals provide for these potential losses as well as other uninsured claims. Product liability accruals are established based upon actuarial calculations of potential liability using industry experience, actual historical experience and actuarial assumptions developed for similar types of product liability claims, including development factors and lag times. To the extent there is a reasonable possibility that potential losses could exceed the amounts already accrued, we believe that the amount of any such additional loss would be immaterial to our results of operations, liquidity and consolidated financial position.

We also offer warranties on many of our products, as well as long-term warranty programs at certain of our businesses, and have established product warranty liabilities. We review these liabilities for adequacy on a quarterly basis and adjust them as necessary. The primary factors that could affect these liabilities may include changes in performance rates as well as costs of replacement. Provision for estimated warranty costs is recorded at the time of sale and periodically adjusted, as required, to reflect actual experience. It is probable that we will incur future losses related to warranty claims we have received but that have not been fully investigated and related to claims not yet received. While our warranty liabilities represent our best estimates at November 30, 2023, we can provide no assurances that we will not experience material claims in the future or that we will not incur significant costs to resolve such claims beyond the amounts accrued or beyond what we may recover from our suppliers. Based upon the nature of the expense, product warranty expense is recorded as a component of cost of sales or within SG&A.

Also, due to the nature of our businesses, the amount of claims paid can fluctuate from one period to the next. While our warranty liabilities represent our best estimates of our expected losses at any given time, from time-to-time we may revise our estimates based on our experience relating to factors such as weather conditions, specific circumstances surrounding product installations and other factors.

The following table includes the changes in our accrued warranty balances:


	Three Months Ended						Six Months Ended
	November 30,			November 30,			November 30,			November 30,
(In thousands)	2023			2022			2023			2022
Beginning Balance	$	12,002		$	12,500		$	11,776		$	10,905
Deductions (1)		(9,977	)		(8,160	)		(17,384	)		(14,504	)
Provision charged to expense		10,626			7,169			18,259			15,108
Ending Balance	$	12,651		$	11,509		$	12,651		$	11,509

(1) Primarily claims paid during the period.

Like other companies participating in similar lines of business, some of our subsidiaries are involved in environmental remediation matters. It is our policy to accrue remediation costs when the liability is probable and the costs are reasonably estimable, which generally is not later than at completion of a feasibility study or when we have committed to an appropriate plan of action. We also take into consideration the estimated period of time over which payments may be required. The liabilities are reviewed periodically and, as investigation and remediation activities continue, adjustments are made as necessary. Liabilities for losses from environmental remediation obligations do not consider the effects of inflation and anticipated expenditures are not discounted to their present value. The liabilities are not offset by possible recoveries from insurance carriers or other third parties but do reflect anticipated allocations among potentially responsible parties at federal superfund sites or similar state-managed sites, third-party indemnity obligations, and an assessment of the likelihood that such parties will fulfill their obligations at such sites.

One of our former subsidiaries in our SPG reportable segment has been the subject of a proceeding in which one of its former distributors brought suit against the subsidiary for breach of contract. Following a June 2017 trial, a jury determined that the distributor was not entitled to any damages on the distributor’s claims. On appeal, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a new trial with respect to certain issues. On December 10, 2021, a new jury awarded $6.0 million in damages to the distributor. Per the parties’ contracts, the distributor was also entitled to seek recovery of some portion of its attorneys’ fees and costs. On July 3, 2023, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its decision rejecting the distributor's arguments and denying all appellate relief to the distributor, which also rendered our cross-appeal moot. On November 15, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California issued an order awarding the distributor approximately $4.4 million in connection with attorney's fees and costs the distributor allegedly incurred throughout the duration of this legal action. As a result of this order, we increased our accrual to $10.4 million. We strongly disagree with the District Court's decision, and timely filed an appeal of its order with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. We incurred SG&A expense of $4.0 million and $4.4 million for the three- and six-month periods ending November 30, 2023, respectively, related to this matter. This contingency remains a liability of the Company.

In April 2021, there was a significant plant explosion at a key alkyd resin supplier which caused severe supply chain disruptions. As a result of this disruption, the Consumer segment incurred incremental costs and lost sales during fiscal 2021 and 2022. A claim for these losses was submitted under our business interruption insurance policy. During the first half of fiscal 2024 the Consumer segment recovered $11.1 million from insurance. These proceeds were recorded as a gain of $0.8 million and $11.1 million for the three- and six-month periods ending November 30, 2023, respectively. The insurance gain is recorded as a reduction to SG&A expenses in our Consolidated Statements of Income, and the proceeds are included within cash flows from operating activities in our Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.