Contingencies, Environmental and Legal Matters

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2018

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

CONTINGENCIES, ENVIRONMENTAL AND LEGAL MATTERS

CONTINGENCIES, ENVIRONMENTAL AND LEGAL MATTERS

Asset Retirement Obligations (AROs)

The Company has recognized AROs for properties where it can make a reasonable estimate of the future expenditures necessary to satisfy the related obligations. When calculating its ARO liability, the Company considers identified legally-enforceable obligations, estimated settlement dates and appropriate discount and inflation rates.

The Company's ARO liabilities included in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as "Accrued expenses and other current liabilities" and "Other liabilities," totaled $7.0 million and $6.9 million at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively.

Environmental

The Company is involved in various claims relating to environmental matters at a number of current and former plant sites and waste management sites. The Company engages or participates in remedial and other environmental compliance activities at certain of these sites. At other sites, it has been named as a potential responsible party pursuant to the federal Superfund Act and/or state Superfund laws comparable to the federal law for site remediation. The Company analyzes each individual site, considering the number of parties involved, the level of its potential liability or contribution relating to the other parties, the nature and magnitude of the hazardous wastes involved, the method and extent of remediation, the potential insurance coverage, the estimated legal and consulting expense with respect to each site, and the time period over which any costs would likely be incurred. Based on this analysis, the Company estimates the clean-up costs and related claims for each site. The estimates are based in part on discussions with other potential responsible parties, governmental agencies, and engineering firms.

The Company accrues for environmental matters when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated based on current laws and existing technologies. The accruals are adjusted periodically as assessment and remediation efforts progress or as additional technical or legal information becomes available. While uncertainty exists with respect to the amount and timing of its ultimate environmental liabilities, the Company does not currently anticipate any material losses in excess of the amount recorded. However, it is possible that new information about the sites referred to above, such as results of investigations, could make it necessary for the Company to reassess its potential exposure related to these environmental matters.

The Company's environmental liabilities, which are included in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as "Accrued expenses and other current liabilities" and "Other liabilities," totaled $18.6 million and $27.9 million at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively, primarily driven by environmental remediation, clean-up costs, and monitoring of sites that were either closed or disposed of in prior years. As of the date hereof, management does not believe it is possible to develop an estimate of the range of reasonably possible environmental loss in excess of the Company's recorded liabilities, and is unable to ascertain the ultimate aggregate amount of monetary liability or financial impact with respect to these matters.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time, the Company is involved in various legal proceedings, investigations and/or claims in the normal course of its business. Although it cannot predict with certainty the ultimate resolution of these matters which involve judgments that are inherently subjective, the Company believes that their resolutions, to the extent not covered by insurance, will not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In June 2017, MacDermid Printing and DuPont reached an agreement to settle and dismiss their respective lawsuits against each other, as well as MacDermid Printing's lawsuit against Cortron Corporation, involving MacDermid Printing's flexographic printing technology and related business. In connection with the settlement, in July 2017, DuPont made a payment of $20.0 million to MacDermid Printing, and the Company recorded a net settlement gain in the second quarter of 2017 totaling $10.6 million in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations as "Other (expense) income, net." The settlement resolved all outstanding litigation between MacDermid Printing, DuPont and Cortron Corporation.