Disputes, Litigation and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Disputes, Litigation and Contingencies

7 – Disputes, Litigation and Legal Contingencies

We are subject to lawsuits and claims arising out of the nature of our business. We have certain claims, disputes and pending litigation for which we do not believe a negative outcome is probable or for which we can only estimate a range of liability. It is possible, however, that an unexpected judgment could be rendered against us, or we could decide to resolve a case or cases, that would result in a liability that could be uninsured and beyond the amounts we currently have reserved and in some cases those losses could be material. If one or more negative outcomes were to occur relative to these cases, the aggregate impact to our financial condition could be material.

Accrued litigation and settlements recorded in “Other Current Liabilities” on the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 were $36 million and $41 million, respectively.

GAMCO Shareholder Litigation

On September 6, 2019, GAMCO Asset Management, Inc. (“GAMCO”), purportedly on behalf of itself and other similarly situated shareholders, filed a lawsuit asserting violations of the federal securities laws against certain then-current and former officers and directors of the Company. GAMCO alleges violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and violations of Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) based on allegations that the Company and certain of its officers made false and/or misleading statements, and alleged non-disclosure of material facts, regarding our business, operations, prospects and performance. GAMCO seeks damages on behalf of purchasers of the Company’s ordinary shares from October 26, 2016 through May 10, 2019. GAMCO’s lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, and it is captioned GAMCO Asset Management, Inc. v. McCollum, et al., Case No. 4:19-cv-03363. The District Court Judge appointed Utah Retirement Systems (“URS”) as Lead Plaintiff, and on March 16, 2020, URS filed its Amended Complaint. URS added the Company as a defendant but dropped the claims against non-officer board members and all the claims under the Securities Act. The defendants filed their motion to dismiss on May 18, 2020, and the Court granted the motion on May 14, 2021. URS appealed the Court’s Opinion on Dismissal to the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the parties are continuing to await a decision. We cannot reliably predict the outcome of the claims, including the amount of any possible loss.