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Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Basis of presentation

Basis of presentation— Lorillard, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes. Its principal products are marketed under the brand names of Newport, Kent, True, Maverick and Old Gold with substantially all of its sales in the United States of America.

The consolidated financial statements of Lorillard, Inc. (the “Company”), together with its subsidiaries (“Lorillard” or “we” or “us” or “our”), include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries after the elimination of intercompany accounts and transactions. The Company manages its operations on the basis of one operating and reportable segment through its principal subsidiary, Lorillard Tobacco Company (“Lorillard Tobacco” or “Issuer”).

Use of estimates

Use of estimates—The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts in the consolidated financial statements and related notes. Significant estimates in the consolidated financial statements and related notes include: (1) accruals for tobacco settlement costs, litigation, sales incentive programs, income taxes and share-based compensation, (2) the determination of discount and other rate assumptions for defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit expenses and (3) the valuation of pension assets. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash equivalents

Cash equivalents—Cash equivalents consist of short-term liquid investments with a maturity at date of purchase of 90 days or less. Interest and dividend income are included in investment income.

Inventories

Inventories—Inventories are valued at the lower of cost, determined on a last-in, first-out (“LIFO”) basis, or market. A significant portion of leaf tobacco on hand will not be sold or used within one year, due to the duration of the aging process. All inventory of leaf tobacco, including the portion that has an operating cycle that exceeds 12 months, is classified as a current asset and is a generally recognized trade practice.

Depreciation

Depreciation—Buildings, machinery and equipment are depreciated for financial reporting purposes on the straight-line method over estimated useful lives of those assets of 40 years for buildings and 3 to 12 years for machinery and equipment.

Derivative agreements

Derivative agreements—In September 2009, Lorillard Tobacco entered into interest rate swap agreements, which the Company guaranteed, with a total notional amount of $750 million. The interest rate swap agreements qualify for hedge accounting and were designated as fair value hedges. Under the swap agreements, Lorillard Tobacco receives a fixed rate settlement and pays a variable rate settlement with the difference recorded in interest expense. Changes in the fair value of the swap agreements are recorded in other assets or other liabilities with an offsetting adjustment to the carrying amount of the hedged debt. See Notes 8 and 11.

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) — The primary components of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) (“AOCI”) are unamortized actuarial gains and losses and prior service costs related to Lorillard’s defined benefit pension and postretirement plans. These unamortized gains and losses and prior service costs are recognized in net periodic benefit costs over the estimated service lives of covered employees.

Revenue recognition

Revenue recognition—Revenue from product sales, net of sales incentives, is recognized at the time ownership of the goods transfers to customers and collectability is reasonably assured. Federal excise taxes are recognized on a gross basis, and are reflected in both net sales and cost of sales. Sales incentives include retail price discounts, coupons and retail display allowances and are recorded as a reduction of revenue based on amounts estimated as due to customers and consumers at the end of a period based primarily on use and redemption rates. Sales to one customer represented 28%, 27% and 26% of Lorillard’s revenues in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Our largest selling brand, Newport, accounted for approximately 88.4%, 88.8% and 90.0% of net sales of Lorillard in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Cost of sales

Cost of sales—Cost of sales includes federal excise taxes, leaf tobacco cost, wrapping and casing material, manufacturing labor and production salaries, wages and overhead, research and development costs, distribution, other manufacturing costs, State Settlement Agreement expenses, the federal assessment for tobacco growers, Food and Drug Administration fees, and promotional product expenses. Promotional product expenses include the cost, including excise taxes, of the free portion of “buy some get some free” promotions. We purchased approximately 24.9%, 27.4% and 21.7% of our leaf tobacco from one dealer in 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Advertising and marketing costs

Advertising and marketing costs—Advertising costs are recorded as expense in the year incurred. Marketing and advertising costs that include such items as direct mail, advertising, agency fees and point of sale materials are included in selling, general and administrative expenses. Advertising expense was $41 million, $35 million and $40 million for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Research and development costs

Research and development costs—Research and development costs are recorded as expense as incurred, are included in cost of sales and amounted to $22 million, $19 million and $19 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Tobacco settlement costs

Tobacco settlement costs—Lorillard recorded pre-tax charges of $1.307 billion, $1.212 billion and $1.128 billion for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively, to accrue its obligations under the State Settlement Agreements (see Note 19). Lorillard’s portion of ongoing adjusted settlement payments and legal fees is based on its share of total domestic cigarette shipments in that year. Accordingly, Lorillard records its portion of ongoing adjusted settlement payments as part of cost of sales as the related sales occur. Payments are made annually and are generally due in April of the year following the accrual of costs. The settlement cost liability on the balance sheets represents the unpaid portion of the Company’s obligations under the State Settlement Agreements.

Share-Based compensation costs

Share-Based compensation costs—Under the 2008 Incentive Compensation Plan, the fair market value of the restricted shares and the exercise price of stock options is based on the closing price at the date of the grant. Share-based compensation expense is recognized net of an estimated forfeiture rate and for shares expected to vest, using a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the award.

Legal costs and loss contingencies

Legal costs and loss contingencies—Legal costs are expensed as incurred and amounted to $140 million, $116 million and $98 million for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Lorillard establishes accruals in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic 450, Contingencies (“ASC 450”), when a material litigation liability is both probable and can be reasonably estimated as a charge to selling, general and administrative expense. There are a number of factors impacting Lorillard’s ability to estimate the possible loss or a range of loss, including the specific facts of each matter; the legal theories proffered by plaintiffs and legal defenses available to Lorillard Tobacco and Lorillard, Inc.; the wide-ranging outcomes reached in similar cases; differing procedural and substantive laws in the various jurisdictions in which lawsuits have been filed, including whether punitive damages may be pursued or are permissible; the degree of specificity in a plaintiff’s complaint; the history of the case and whether discovery has been completed; plaintiffs’ history of use of Lorillard Tobacco’s cigarettes relative to those of the other defendants; the attribution of damages, if any, among multiple defendants; the application of contributory and/or comparative negligence to the allocation of damage awards among plaintiffs and defendants; the likelihood of settlements for de minimus amounts prior to trial; the likelihood of success at trial; the likelihood of success on appeal; and the impact of current and pending state and federal appellate decisions. It has been Lorillard’s experience and is its continued expectation that the above complexities and uncertainties will not be clarified until the late stages of litigation. For those reasonably possible loss contingencies for which an estimate of the possible loss or range of loss cannot be made, Lorillard discloses the nature of the litigation and any developments as appropriate. See Note 19 for a description of loss contingencies.

Income taxes

Income taxes—Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities, using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Judgment is required in determining income tax provisions and in evaluating tax positions. For uncertain tax positions to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The amount recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Where applicable, interest related to uncertain tax positions is recognized in interest expense. Penalties, if incurred, are recognized as a component of income tax expense.

Recently adopted accounting pronouncements  
FASB ASC Subtopic 715-20

Recently adopted accounting pronouncements —Lorillard adopted FASB ASC Subtopic 715-20 “Employers’ Disclosures about Postretirement Benefit Plan Assets.” ASC Subtopic 715-20 requires disclosure of investment policies and strategies in narrative form. ASC Subtopic 715-20 also requires employer disclosure on the fair value of plan assets, including (a) the level in the fair value hierarchy, (b) a reconciliation of beginning and ending fair value balances for Level 3 assets and (c) information on inputs and valuation techniques. ASC Subtopic 715-20 was effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2009.

FASB ASC Topic 808

Lorillard adopted FASB ASC Topic 808 “Collaborative Arrangements.” ASC 808 defines a collaborative arrangement as an arrangement where the parties are active participants and have exposure to significant risks. Transactions with third parties should be classified in the financial statements in the appropriate category according to ASC Subtopic 605-45 “Principal Agent Considerations.” Payments between the partners of the collaborative agreement should be categorized based on the terms of the agreement, business operations and authoritative literature. ASC 808 was effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008. The adoption of ASC 808 did not have a material impact on Lorillard’s financial position or results of operations.

FASB ASC Section 815-10-50

Lorillard adopted FASB ASC Section 815-10-50 “Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities — an amendment of FASB Statement No. 133.” ASC 815-10-50 requires qualitative disclosures about the objectives and strategies for using derivatives; quantitative data about the fair value of, and gains and losses on, derivative contracts; and details of credit-risk-related contingent features in hedged positions. ASC 815-10-50 also requires enhanced disclosure around derivative instruments in financial statements accounted for under ASC Subtopic 815-20, “Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities,” and how hedges affect an entity’s financial position, financial performance and cash flows. ASC 815-10-50 was effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after November 15, 2008. Lorillard adopted ASC 815-10-50 in September 2009. See Note 11 for related disclosure.

FASB ASC Section 820-10-35

Lorillard adopted FASB ASC Section 820-10-35 “Determining Fair Value When the Volume and Level of Activity for the Asset or Liability Have Significantly Decreased and Identifying Transactions That Are Not Orderly.” ASC 820-10-35 includes factors for evaluating if a market has a significant decrease in the volume and level of activity. If there has been a decrease, then the entity must do further analysis of the transactions or quoted prices to determine if the transactions were orderly. The entity cannot ignore available information and should apply appropriate risk adjustments in the fair value calculation. The effective date was for interim periods ending after June 15, 2009. The adoption of ASC 820-10-35 did not have a material impact on Lorillard’s financial position or results of operations.

FASB ASC Section 825-10-65

Lorillard adopted FASB ASC Section 825-10-65 “Interim Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments.” ASC 825-10-65 requires interim disclosures on the fair value of financial instruments. The effective date was for interim periods ending after June 15, 2009. The adoption of ASC 825-10-65 was reflected in our interim financial statements beginning with the second quarter of 2009.

FASB ASC Topic 855

Lorillard adopted FASB ASC Topic 855 “Subsequent Events,” which sets forth (1) the period after the balance sheet date during which management of a reporting entity shall evaluate events or transactions that may occur for potential recognition or disclosure in the financial statements, (2) the circumstances under which an entity shall recognize events or transactions occurring after the balance sheet date in its financial statements and (3) the disclosures that an entity shall make about events or transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date. ASC 855 applies to the accounting for and disclosure of subsequent events not addressed in other applicable generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). ASC 855 was effective for financial statements issued for interim periods and fiscal years ending after June 15, 2009. The adoption of ASC 855 did not have a material impact on Lorillard’s financial position or results of operations.

FASB ASU 2009-05

Lorillard adopted FASB ASU 2009-05 “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (Topic 820): Measuring Liabilities at Fair Value.” Fair value of liabilities is defined as a price in an orderly transaction between market participants, but often liabilities are not transferred in the market due to significant restrictions. If a quoted price in an active market is available, it should be used and disclosed as a Level 1 valuation. When that is not available, an entity can use either a) the quoted price of an identical liability when traded as an asset in an active or inactive market, b) the quoted price for similar liabilities traded as assets in an active market or c) a valuation technique, such as the income or present value approaches. No adjustments should be made for the existence of contractual restrictions that prevent transfer. The update was effective for the first period after the issue date of August 2009. ASU 2009-05 did not have a material impact on Lorillard’s financial position or results of operations.

FASB ASU 2010-06

Lorillard adopted FASB ASU 2010-06 “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (Topic 820): Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements.” ASU 2010-06 establishes additional disclosures related to fair value. Transfers in and out of Level 1 and Level 2 and the reasons for the transfers must be disclosed. Level 3 purchases, sales, issuances and settlements should be presented separately rather than net. In addition, the level of disaggregation and input and valuation techniques need to be disclosed. The effective dates are periods beginning after December 15, 2010 for the Level 3 purchases, sales, issuances and settlements disclosure, and periods beginning after December 15, 2009 for all other provisions. ASU 2010-06 did not have a material impact on Lorillard’s financial position or results of operations.

FASB ASU 2010-09

Lorillard adopted FASB ASU 2010-09 “Subsequent Events (Topic 855): Amendments to Certain Recognition and Disclosure Requirements.” ASU 2010-09 amends Topic 855 for SEC filers to eliminate the disclosure of the date through which subsequent events have been reviewed. The effective date was February 24, 2010. ASU 2010-09 did not have a material impact on Lorillard’s financial position or results of operations.

Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted Policy

Accounting pronouncements not yet adopted — In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-04 “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRS.” ASU 2011-04 clarifies certain areas of the fair value guidance, including application of the highest and best use and valuation premise concepts, measuring the fair value of an instrument classified in a reporting entity’s shareholders’ equity, and quantitative information about unobservable inputs used in a Level 3 fair value measurement. Additionally, ASU 2011-04 contains guidance on measuring the fair value of instruments that are managed within a portfolio, application of premiums and discounts in a fair value measurement, and requires additional disclosures about fair value measurements. The amendments contained in ASU 2011-04 are to be applied prospectively, and ASU 2011-04 is effective for public companies for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. The adoption of ASU 2011-04 will not have a material impact on Lorillard’s financial position or results of operations.

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-05 “Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Presentation of Comprehensive Income.” ASU 2011-05 requires presentation of comprehensive income in either a single statement of comprehensive income or two separate but consecutive statements. ASU 2011-05 does not change the definitions or the components of net income and other comprehensive income (OCI), when an item must be reclassified from OCI to net income, or earnings per share, which is still calculated using net income. The entity still has the choice to either present OCI components before tax with one line amount for tax, or net of taxes. Disclosure of the tax impact for each OCI component is still required. ASU 2011-05 is effective for public companies for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2011 and must be applied retrospectively. The adoption of ASU 2011-05 will not have a material impact on Lorillard’s financial position or results of operations but will result in the presentation of a separate statement of other comprehensive income.