Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Jan. 01, 2022

Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Note 22.

Commitments and Contingencies

Self-insurance reserves and other commitments and contingencies

The company has recorded current liabilities of $29.8 million and $29.4 million related to self-insurance reserves at January 1, 2022 and January 2, 2021, respectively. The reserves include an estimate of expected settlements on pending claims, defense costs and a provision for claims incurred but not reported. These estimates are based on the company’s assessment of potential liability using an analysis of available information with respect to pending claims, historical experience and current cost trends.

In the event the company ceases to utilize the independent distributor model or exits a geographic market, the company is contractually required in some situations to purchase the distribution rights from the independent distributor. The company expects to continue operating under this model and has concluded that the possibility of a loss is remote.

The company’s facilities are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations regarding the discharge of material into the environment and the protection of the environment in other ways. The company is not a party to any material proceedings arising under these regulations. The company believes that compliance with existing environmental laws and regulations will not materially affect the consolidated financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or the competitive position of the company. The company believes it is currently in substantial compliance with all material environmental regulations affecting the company and its properties.

Litigation

The company and its subsidiaries from time to time are parties to, or targets of, lawsuits, claims, investigations and proceedings, including personal injury, commercial, contract, environmental, antitrust, product liability, health and safety and employment matters, which are being handled and defended in the ordinary course of business. While the company is unable to predict the outcome of these matters, it believes, based upon currently available facts, that it is remote that the ultimate resolution of any such pending matters will have a material adverse effect on its overall financial condition, results of operations or cash flows in the future. However, adverse developments could negatively impact earnings in a particular future fiscal period.

At this time, the company is defending twenty-four complaints filed by IDPs alleging that they were misclassified as independent contractors. Eight of these lawsuits seek class and/or collective action treatment. The remaining sixteen cases either allege individual claims or do not seek class or collective action treatment or, in cases in which class treatment was sought, the court denied class certification. The respective courts have ruled on plaintiffs’ motions for class certification in four of the pending cases, each of which is discussed below. Unless otherwise noted, a class was conditionally certified under the FLSA in each of the cases described below, although the company has the ability to petition the court to decertify that class at a later date:

Case Name	Case No.	Venue	Date Filed	Status
Noll v. Flowers Foods, Inc., Lepage Bakeries Park Street, LLC, and CK Sales Co., LLC	1:15-cv-00493	U.S. District Court District of Maine	12/3/2015	On October 21, 2021, Flowers Foods, Inc., Lepage Bakeries Park Street, LLC and CK Sales Co., LLC reached an agreement to settle this and two other lawsuits pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine – Bowen et al. v. Flowers Foods, Inc. et al. (No. 1:20-cv-00411); and Aucoin et al. v. Flowers Foods, Inc. et al (No. 1:20-cv-00410). The settlement provides for a payment of $16.5 million, comprised of up to $9 million in settlement funds and $7.5 million in attorneys’ fees. The settlement also requires a phased repurchase of approximately 75 distribution territories in Maine, which, once completed, the company will service its Maine market using company sales employees. The company estimates this cost to be $6.6 million (of which $4.7 million is included in other accrued liabilities and the remainder as a contra account to notes receivable). These amounts were recorded in the selling, distribution, and administrative expenses line item of the Consolidated Statements of Income. The terms of the settlement require court approval. The company remains committed to our IDP program.
Richard et al. v. Flowers Foods, Inc., Flowers Baking Co. of Lafayette, LLC, Flowers Baking Co. of Baton Rouge, LLC, Flowers Baking Co. of Tyler, LLC and Flowers Baking Co. of New Orleans, LLC	6:15-cv-02557	U.S. District Court Western District of Louisiana	10/21/2015	On April 9, 2021, the court decertified the FLSA collective action and denied plaintiffs' motion to certify under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 a state law class of distributors who operated in the state of Louisiana.
Coronado v. Flowers Foods, Inc. and Flowers Baking Co. of El Paso, LLC	1:16-cv-00350	U.S. District Court District of New Mexico	4/27/2016	On August 2, 2021, the court denied defendants' motion to decertify the FLSA collective action.
Martins v. Flowers Foods, Inc., Flowers Baking Co. of Bradenton, LLC and Flowers Baking Co. of Villa Rica, LLC	8:16-cv-03145	U.S. District Court Middle District of Florida	11/8/2016

The company and/or its respective subsidiaries contests the allegations and are vigorously defending all of these lawsuits. Given the stage of the complaints and the claims and issues presented, except for lawsuits disclosed herein that have reached a settlement or agreement in principle, the company cannot reasonably estimate at this time the possible loss or range of loss that may arise from the unresolved lawsuits.

During the last three fiscal years, the company has settled, and the appropriate court has approved, the following collective and/or class action lawsuits filed by distributors alleging that such distributors were misclassified as independent contractors. In each of these settlements, in addition to the monetary terms noted below, the settlements also included certain non-economic terms intended to strengthen and enhance the independent contractor model:

Case Name	Case No.	Venue	Date Filed	Comments
Caddick et al. v. Tasty Baking Co.	2:19-cv-02106	U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania	5/15/2019	On October 27, 2021, the Court dismissed this lawsuit and approved an agreement to settle this and a companion case (Bertino v. Tasty Baking Co., No. 2:20-cv-05823) for a payment of $3.15 million, inclusive of attorneys’ fees and cost, service awards and consideration for class members who are active distributors to enter into an amendment to their distributor agreements. This settlement charge was recorded as a selling, distribution and administrative expense in our Consolidated Statements of Income during the third quarter of Fiscal 2020. The settlement was paid in early November 2021.
Rosinbaum et al. v. Flowers Foods, Inc. and Franklin Baking Co., LLC	7:16-cv-00233	U.S. District Court Eastern District of North Carolina	12/1/2015	On December 29, 2020, the Court dismissed this lawsuit and approved an agreement to settle this matter for $8.3 million, inclusive of attorneys’ fees and costs, service awards, and incentives for class members who are active distributors to enter into an amendment to their distributor agreements. This settlement charge was recorded as a selling, distribution and administrative expense in our Consolidated Statements of Income during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019 and was paid during the first quarter of Fiscal 2021.
Carr et al. v. Flowers Foods, Inc. and Flowers Baking Co. of Oxford, Inc.	2:15-cv-06391	U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania	12/1/2015	On September 29, 2020, the Court dismissed this lawsuit and approved an agreement to settle this matter and the Boulange matter (see below) for a payment of $13.25 million, inclusive of attorneys’ fees and costs, service awards, and incentives for class members who are active distributors to enter into an amendment to their distributor agreements. This settlement charge was recorded as a selling, distribution and administrative expense in our Consolidated Statements of Income during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019 and was paid during the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2020.
Boulange v. Flowers Foods, Inc. and Flowers Baking Co. of Oxford, Inc.	2:16-cv-02581	U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania	3/25/2016	This matter was consolidated with the Carr litigation described immediately above.

Neff et al. v. Flowers Foods, Inc.,

Lepage Bakeries Park Street, LLC,

and CK Sales Co., LLC

5:15-cv-00254

U.S. District Court District of

Vermont

12/2/2015

On November 13, 2020, the court dismissed this lawsuit following a October 22, 2020 order approving an agreement to settle this matter for a payment of $7.6 million, inclusive of attorneys’ fees and costs, service awards, and incentives for class members who are active distributors to enter into an amendment to their distributor agreements. This settlement charge was recorded as a selling, distribution and administrative expense in our Consolidated Statements of Income during the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2019 and paid during the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2020.

Green et al. v. Flowers Foods, Inc. et al.

1:19-cv-01021

U.S. District Court Western District of Tennessee

2/1/2019

*On September 7, 2018, the company negotiated a global settlement to resolve 12 pending collective action lawsuits against the company for a payment in the amount of $9.0 million, comprised of $5.4 million in settlement funds and $3.6 million in attorneys’ fees. The proposed settlement class consisted of approximately 900 members. The settlement also contained certain non-economic terms intended to strengthen and enhance the independent contractor model, which remains in place. On February 1, 2019, plaintiffs’ counsel filed a consolidated complaint with the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee to obtain judicial approval of the parties’ global settlement. The court approved the global settlement on February 27, 2019. Thereafter, the parties moved to dismiss the 12 settled lawsuits with prejudice. This settlement was recorded as a selling, distribution and administrative expense in our Consolidated Statements of Income during the third quarter of Fiscal 2018. A total of $4.2 million was paid in March 2019, and a second payment of $3.5 million was made in June 2019. The remainder of the settlement funds ($1.3 million) reverted to Flowers during the second quarter of Fiscal 2019 per the terms of the settlement, and was recorded as a reduction of selling, distribution and administrative expense in our Consolidated Statements of Income.

See Note 14, Debt and Other Commitments, for additional information on the company’s commitments.