Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Legal. The Company is continually engaged in administrative proceedings, arbitrations, and litigation with owners, general contractors, suppliers and other unrelated parties, all arising in the ordinary courses of business. The ultimate resolution of these contingencies could, individually or in the aggregate, be material to the consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of the Company’s management, the current belief is that the results of these actions will not have a material adverse effect on the financial position, results of operations, or cash flows of the Company.

On November 13, 2019, claimant, Lanzo Trenchless Technologies, Inc. – North (“Lanzo”), filed a Demand for Arbitration in the state of Michigan against the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Limbach Company LLC. The demand sought damages in excess of $0.4 million based upon the allegation that Limbach breached a construction contract by improperly terminating

Lanzo’s subcontract, and for withholding payment from Lanzo based upon deficient performance. The Company filed a counterclaim against Lanzo, seeking to recover damages for Lanzo’s deficient work. In October of 2021, Lanzo and the Company negotiated a confidential settlement pursuant to which Lanzo paid the Company to resolve all claims, resulting in the matter being concluded.

On January 23, 2020, plaintiff, Bernards Bros. Inc. (“Bernards”), filed a complaint against the Company in Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles. The complaint alleges that the Company’s Southern California operations refused to honor a proposal made to Bernards to act as a subcontractor on a construction project, and that, as a result of the wrongful failure to honor the proposal, Bernards suffered damages in excess of $3.0 million, including alleged increased costs for hiring a different subcontractor to perform the work. The Company is vigorously defending the suit. A non-binding mediation took place on August 19, 2021 that did not result in a settlement. Per the agreement of the Company and Bernards, in January 2022, the Court appointed a private referee to manage the case and adjudicate the dispute. A trial date before the private referee is pending scheduling. As of December 31, 2021, the Company believes that a loss is neither probable nor reasonably estimable for this matter, and, as such, has not recorded a loss contingency.

On April 17, 2020, plaintiff, LA Excavating, Inc., filed a complaint against the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Limbach Company LP, and several other parties, in Superior Court of the State of California, for the County of Los Angeles. The complaint seeks damages of approximately $1.0 million for alleged failure to pay contract balances and extra work ordered by Limbach Company LP, as well as seeks to enforce payment obligations under a payment bond. The Company disputes the allegations and intends to vigorously defend the suit, which is currently set for mediation on May 11, 2022 and trial beginning on February 7, 2023. As of December 31, 2021, the Company believes that a loss is neither probable nor reasonably estimable for this matter, and, as such, has not recorded a loss contingency.

On January 26, 2022, claimant, Suffolk Construction Company, Inc. (“Suffolk”) filed a Demand for Arbitration in Massachusetts against Boston Medical Center Corporation (“BMC”) and numerous of Suffolk’s trade subcontractors, including, the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Limbach Company LLC, seeking to recover monies BMC withheld from Suffolk and its subcontractors based on an audit of project billings. Suffolk has demanded the Company to defend and indemnify Suffolk against BMC’s audit findings that the Company overbilled the project just over $0.3 million and for the Company’s share of BMC’s audit costs, which share has not been, and cannot currently be, quantified. The Company disputes the findings of BMC’s audit and intends to vigorously defend the allegation that it overbilled the project. A final arbitration hearing has not been scheduled. Because this matter was just filed, the Company cannot determine at this time if a loss is probable or reasonably estimable, and, as such, has not recorded a loss contingency.

Surety. The terms of its construction contracts frequently require that the Company obtains from surety companies, and provide to its customers, payment and performance bonds (“Surety Bonds”) as a condition to the award of such contracts. The Surety Bonds secure its payment and performance obligations under such contracts, and the Company has agreed to indemnify the surety companies for amounts, if any, paid by them in respect of Surety Bonds issued on its behalf. In addition, at the request of labor unions representing certain of the Company's employees, Surety Bonds are sometimes provided to secure obligations for wages and benefits payable to or for such employees. Public sector contracts require Surety Bonds more frequently than private sector contracts, and accordingly, the Company's bonding requirements typically increase as the amount of public sector work increases. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had approximately $159.2 million in surety bonds outstanding. The surety bonds are issued by surety companies in return for premiums, which vary depending on the size and type of bond.

Collective Bargaining Agreements. Many of the Company’s craft labor employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. The agreements require the Company to pay specified wages, provide certain benefits and contribute certain amounts to multi-employer pension plans. If the Company withdraws from any of the multi-employer pension plans or if the plans were to otherwise become underfunded, the Company could incur additional liabilities related to these plans. Although the Company has been informed that some of the multi-employer pension plans to which it contributes have been classified as “critical” status, the Company is not currently aware of any significant liabilities related to this issue.

Self-insurance. The Company is substantially self-insured for workers’ compensation and general liability claims, in the view of the relatively high per-incident deductibles we absorb under our insurance arrangements for these risks. The Company purchases workers’ compensation and general liability insurance under policies with per-incident deductibles of $250,000 per occurrence and a $4.4 million maximum aggregate deductible loss limit per year. Losses incurred over primary policy limits are covered by umbrella and excess policies up to specified limits with multiple excess insurers. The Company accrues for the unfunded portion of costs for both reported claims and claims incurred but not reported. The liability for unfunded reported claims and future claims is reflected on the consolidated balance sheets as current and non-current liabilities. The liability is determined by determining a reserve for each reported claim on a case-by-case basis based on the nature of the claim and historical loss experience for similar claims plus an allowance for the cost of incurred but not reported claims. The current

portion of the liability is included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet. The non-current portion of the liability is included in other long-term liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet.

The Company is self-insured related to medical and dental claims under policies with annual per-claimant and annual aggregate stop-loss limits. The Company accrues for the unfunded portion of costs for both reported claims and claims incurred but not reported. The liability for unfunded reported claims and future claims is reflected on the consolidated balance sheets as a current liability in accrued expenses and other current liabilities.

The components of the self-insurance liability as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 are as follows:


(in thousands)	December 31, 2021		December 31, 2020
Current liability — workers' compensation and general liability	$	184	$	197
Current liability — medical and dental	456		764
Non-current liability	451		890
Total liability	$	1,091	$	1,851
Restricted cash	$	113	$	113

The restricted cash balance represents an imprest cash balance set aside for the funding of workers' compensation and general liability insurance claims. This amount is replenished either when depleted or at the beginning of each month.