Commitments and Contingencies	6 Months Ended
Mar. 25, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments and Contingencies	11. Commitments and Contingencies Legal Proceedings In the normal course of business, we are subject to various legal proceedings and claims, including patent infringement claims, product liability matters, employment disputes, disputes on agreements, other commercial disputes, environmental matters, antitrust claims, and tax matters, including non-income tax matters such as value added tax, sales and use tax, real estate tax, and transfer tax. Although it is not feasible to predict the outcome of these proceedings, based upon our experience, current information, and applicable law, we do not expect that the outcome of these proceedings, either individually or in the aggregate, will have a material effect on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows. However, the proceedings discussed below in "Income Tax Matters" could have a material effect on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows. As previously reported, we had a contingent purchase price commitment of $80 million related to our fiscal 2001 acquisition of Com-Net. This represented the maximum amount payable to the former shareholders of Com-Net only after the construction and installation of a communications system was completed for and approved by the State of Florida in accordance with guidelines set forth in the contract. Under the terms of the purchase and sale agreement, we did not believe we had any obligation to the sellers. However, the sellers contested our position and initiated a lawsuit in June 2006 in the Court of Common Pleas in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Trial began in March 2015 and culminated in the entry of final judgment on October 8, 2015, in favor of the sellers and against us for $127 million plus costs. The judgment represents the $80 million contingent purchase price plus pre-judgment interest, which will continue to accrue until the judgment is paid in full. We are appropriately reserved for this matter and are proceeding with an appeal. Income Tax Matters The Tax Sharing Agreement generally governs our, Tyco International's, and Covidien's respective rights, responsibilities, and obligations with respect to taxes for periods prior to and including June 29, 2007. Pursuant to the Tax Sharing Agreement, we entered into certain guarantee commitments and indemnifications with Tyco International and Covidien. See Note 10 for additional information regarding the Tax Sharing Agreement. In October 2012, the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") issued special agreement Forms 870-AD, effectively settling its audit of all tax matters for the years 1997 through 2000, excluding one issue involving the tax treatment of certain intercompany debt transactions. The IRS field examination asserted that certain intercompany loans originated during the years 1997 through 2000 did not constitute debt for U.S. federal income tax purposes and disallowed approximately $2.7 billion of related interest deductions recognized during the period on Tyco International's U.S. income tax returns. In addition, if the IRS is ultimately successful in asserting its claim, it is likely to disallow an additional $6.6 billion of interest deductions reflected on U.S. income tax returns in years subsequent to fiscal 2000. Tyco International contends that the intercompany financing qualified as debt for U.S. income tax purposes and that the interest deductions reflected on the income tax returns were appropriate. The IRS and Tyco International were unable to resolve this matter through the IRS appeals process. On June 20, 2013, Tyco International advised us that it had received Notices of Deficiency from the IRS for certain former U.S. subsidiaries of Tyco International increasing taxable income by approximately $2.9 billion in connection with the audit of Tyco International's fiscal years 1997 through 2000. The Notices of Deficiency asserted that Tyco International owes additional taxes totaling $778 million, associated penalties of $154 million, and withholding taxes of $105 million. In addition, Tyco International received Final Partnership Administrative Adjustments for certain U.S. partnerships owned by former U.S. subsidiaries with respect to which Tyco International estimates an additional tax deficiency of approximately $30 million will be asserted. The amounts asserted by the IRS exclude any applicable deficiency interest, and do not reflect any impact to subsequent period tax liabilities in the event that the IRS prevails on some or all of its assertions. We understand that Tyco International strongly disagrees with the IRS position and has filed petitions in the U.S. Tax Court contesting the IRS's proposed adjustments. Tyco International has advised us that it believes there are meritorious defenses for the tax filings in question and that the IRS position with regard to this matter is inconsistent with the applicable tax laws and existing U.S. Treasury regulations. If the IRS were to prevail on its assertions, our share of the assessed tax, deficiency interest, and applicable withholding taxes and penalties could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows. We have reviewed the Notices of Deficiency, the relevant facts surrounding the intercompany debt transactions, relevant tax regulations, and applicable case law, and we continue to believe that we are adequately reserved for this matter. In the first quarter of fiscal 2015, the IRS issued general agreement Forms 870, effectively settling its audits of tax matters for the years 2001 through 2007, excluding the disputed issue discussed above. As a result of these developments, in the first six months of fiscal 2015, we recognized an income tax benefit of $202 million, representing a reduction in tax reserves for the matters that were effectively settled, and other expense of $94 million, representing a reduction of associated indemnification receivables, pursuant to the Tax Sharing Agreement with Tyco International and Covidien. Also during fiscal 2015, the IRS issued general agreement Forms 870, effectively settling its audits of tax matters for the years 2008 through 2010, excluding the disputed issue discussed above. On January 15, 2016, Tyco International entered into Stipulations of Settled Issues (the "Stipulations") with the IRS intended to resolve all disputes related to the intercompany debt matter discussed above. The Stipulations are contingent upon the IRS Appeals Division applying the same settlement or framework to all intercompany debt issues on appeal for subsequent audit cycles (years 2001 through 2007) and, if applicable, the review by the U.S. Congress Joint Committee on Taxation. If finalized, this would resolve all aspects of the intercompany debt dispute relating to the 1997 through 2000 audit cycle before the U.S. Tax Court and subsequent audit cycles (years 2001 through 2007) before the Appeals Division of the IRS. In addition, we expect the terms of the resolution will be consistently applied by the IRS to all of our U.S. income tax returns filed subsequent to fiscal 2007. In accordance with the Tax Sharing Agreement, we, Tyco International, and Covidien share 31%, 27%, and 42%, respectively, of any payments made in connection with this matter. During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, we made a pre-payment to the IRS of $443 million, for deficiencies for which we are the primary obligor, to stop the accretion of deficiency interest. Concurrent with remitting this payment, we were reimbursed $305 million by Tyco International and Covidien pursuant to their indemnifications for pre-separation tax matters. In addition, we paid $2 million to Covidien for our share of deficiencies for which Covidien was the primary obligor. As a result, our net cash payment was $140 million during the second quarter of fiscal 2016. We do not expect to recognize any additional charges if the settlement becomes effective, as we previously recorded sufficient reserves with respect to this dispute and our obligations under the Tax Sharing Agreement. In the event that the case were to proceed to trial, it is our understanding that the U.S. Tax Court trial date currently scheduled to commence during October 2016 would likely be delayed to the second half of fiscal 2017. At March 25, 2016 and September 25, 2015, we have reflected $17 million of income tax liabilities related to the audits of Tyco International's and our income tax returns in accrued and other current liabilities as certain of these matters could be resolved within the next twelve months. Environmental Matters We are involved in various stages of investigation and cleanup related to environmental remediation matters at a number of sites. The ultimate cost of site cleanup is difficult to predict given the uncertainties regarding the extent of the required cleanup, the interpretation of applicable laws and regulations, and alternative cleanup methods. As of March 25, 2016, we concluded that it was probable that we would incur remedial costs in the range of $16 million to $43 million, and that the best estimate within this range was $19 million. We believe that any potential payment of such estimated amounts will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows.

11. Commitments and Contingencies

Legal Proceedings

In the normal course of business, we are subject to various legal proceedings and claims, including patent infringement claims, product liability matters, employment disputes, disputes on agreements, other commercial disputes, environmental matters, antitrust claims, and tax matters, including non-income tax matters such as value added tax, sales and use tax, real estate tax, and transfer tax. Although it is not feasible to predict the outcome of these proceedings, based upon our experience, current information, and applicable law, we do not expect that the outcome of these proceedings, either individually or in the aggregate, will have a material effect on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows. However, the proceedings discussed below in "Income Tax Matters" could have a material effect on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows.

As previously reported, we had a contingent purchase price commitment of $80 million related to our fiscal 2001 acquisition of Com-Net. This represented the maximum amount payable to the former shareholders of Com-Net only after the construction and installation of a communications system was completed for and approved by the State of Florida in accordance with guidelines set forth in the contract. Under the terms of the purchase and sale agreement, we did not believe we had any obligation to the sellers. However, the sellers contested our position and initiated a lawsuit in June 2006 in the Court of Common Pleas in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Trial began in March 2015 and culminated in the entry of final judgment on October 8, 2015, in favor of the sellers and against us for $127 million plus costs. The judgment represents the $80 million contingent purchase price plus pre-judgment interest, which will continue to accrue until the judgment is paid in full. We are appropriately reserved for this matter and are proceeding with an appeal.

Income Tax Matters

The Tax Sharing Agreement generally governs our, Tyco International's, and Covidien's respective rights, responsibilities, and obligations with respect to taxes for periods prior to and including June 29, 2007. Pursuant to the Tax Sharing Agreement, we entered into certain guarantee commitments and indemnifications with Tyco International and Covidien. See Note 10 for additional information regarding the Tax Sharing Agreement.

In October 2012, the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") issued special agreement Forms 870-AD, effectively settling its audit of all tax matters for the years 1997 through 2000, excluding one issue involving the tax treatment of certain intercompany debt transactions. The IRS field examination asserted that certain intercompany loans originated during the years 1997 through 2000 did not constitute debt for U.S. federal income tax purposes and disallowed approximately $2.7 billion of related interest deductions recognized during the period on Tyco International's U.S. income tax returns. In addition, if the IRS is ultimately successful in asserting its claim, it is likely to disallow an additional $6.6 billion of interest deductions reflected on U.S. income tax returns in years subsequent to fiscal 2000. Tyco International contends that the intercompany financing qualified as debt for U.S. income tax purposes and that the interest deductions reflected on the income tax returns were appropriate. The IRS and Tyco International were unable to resolve this matter through the IRS appeals process. On June 20, 2013, Tyco International advised us that it had received Notices of Deficiency from the IRS for certain former U.S. subsidiaries of Tyco International increasing taxable income by approximately $2.9 billion in connection with the audit of Tyco International's fiscal years 1997 through 2000. The Notices of Deficiency asserted that Tyco International owes additional taxes totaling $778 million, associated penalties of $154 million, and withholding taxes of $105 million. In addition, Tyco International received Final Partnership Administrative Adjustments for certain U.S. partnerships owned by former U.S. subsidiaries with respect to which Tyco International estimates an additional tax deficiency of approximately $30 million will be asserted. The amounts asserted by the IRS exclude any applicable deficiency interest, and do not reflect any impact to subsequent period tax liabilities in the event that the IRS prevails on some or all of its assertions. We understand that Tyco International strongly disagrees with the IRS position and has filed petitions in the U.S. Tax Court contesting the IRS's proposed adjustments. Tyco International has advised us that it believes there are meritorious defenses for the tax filings in question and that the IRS position with regard to this matter is inconsistent with the applicable tax laws and existing U.S. Treasury regulations. If the IRS were to prevail on its assertions, our share of the assessed tax, deficiency interest, and applicable withholding taxes and penalties could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows. We have reviewed the Notices of Deficiency, the relevant facts surrounding the intercompany debt transactions, relevant tax regulations, and applicable case law, and we continue to believe that we are adequately reserved for this matter.

In the first quarter of fiscal 2015, the IRS issued general agreement Forms 870, effectively settling its audits of tax matters for the years 2001 through 2007, excluding the disputed issue discussed above. As a result of these developments, in the first six months of fiscal 2015, we recognized an income tax benefit of $202 million, representing a reduction in tax reserves for the matters that were effectively settled, and other expense of $94 million, representing a reduction of associated indemnification receivables, pursuant to the Tax Sharing Agreement with Tyco International and Covidien.

Also during fiscal 2015, the IRS issued general agreement Forms 870, effectively settling its audits of tax matters for the years 2008 through 2010, excluding the disputed issue discussed above.

On January 15, 2016, Tyco International entered into Stipulations of Settled Issues (the "Stipulations") with the IRS intended to resolve all disputes related to the intercompany debt matter discussed above. The Stipulations are contingent upon the IRS Appeals Division applying the same settlement or framework to all intercompany debt issues on appeal for subsequent audit cycles (years 2001 through 2007) and, if applicable, the review by the U.S. Congress Joint Committee on Taxation.

If finalized, this would resolve all aspects of the intercompany debt dispute relating to the 1997 through 2000 audit cycle before the U.S. Tax Court and subsequent audit cycles (years 2001 through 2007) before the Appeals Division of the IRS. In addition, we expect the terms of the resolution will be consistently applied by the IRS to all of our U.S. income tax returns filed subsequent to fiscal 2007. In accordance with the Tax Sharing Agreement, we, Tyco International, and Covidien share 31%, 27%, and 42%, respectively, of any payments made in connection with this matter. During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, we made a pre-payment to the IRS of $443 million, for deficiencies for which we are the primary obligor, to stop the accretion of deficiency interest. Concurrent with remitting this payment, we were reimbursed $305 million by Tyco International and Covidien pursuant to their indemnifications for pre-separation tax matters. In addition, we paid $2 million to Covidien for our share of deficiencies for which Covidien was the primary obligor. As a result, our net cash payment was $140 million during the second quarter of fiscal 2016.

We do not expect to recognize any additional charges if the settlement becomes effective, as we previously recorded sufficient reserves with respect to this dispute and our obligations under the Tax Sharing Agreement.

In the event that the case were to proceed to trial, it is our understanding that the U.S. Tax Court trial date currently scheduled to commence during October 2016 would likely be delayed to the second half of fiscal 2017.

At March 25, 2016 and September 25, 2015, we have reflected $17 million of income tax liabilities related to the audits of Tyco International's and our income tax returns in accrued and other current liabilities as certain of these matters could be resolved within the next twelve months.

Environmental Matters

We are involved in various stages of investigation and cleanup related to environmental remediation matters at a number of sites. The ultimate cost of site cleanup is difficult to predict given the uncertainties regarding the extent of the required cleanup, the interpretation of applicable laws and regulations, and alternative cleanup methods. As of March 25, 2016, we concluded that it was probable that we would incur remedial costs in the range of $16 million to $43 million, and that the best estimate within this range was $19 million. We believe that any potential payment of such estimated amounts will not have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows.