Commitment and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

Legal Proceedings

On July 19, 2018, we filed suit against BASF Corporation (“BASF”) in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware (the “Delaware Proceeding”) alleging BASF infringed Ingevity’s patent covering canister systems used in the control of automotive gasoline vapor emissions (U.S. Patent No. RE38,844) (the “844 Patent”). On February 14, 2019, BASF asserted counterclaims against us in the Delaware Proceeding, alleging two claims for violations of U.S. antitrust law (one for exclusive dealing and the other for tying) as well as a claim for tortious interference with an alleged prospective business relationship between BASF and a BASF customer (the “BASF Counterclaims”). The BASF Counterclaims relate to our enforcement of the 844 Patent and our entry into several supply agreements with customers of its fuel vapor canister honeycombs. The U.S. District Court dismissed our patent infringement claims on November 18, 2020, and the case proceeded to trial on the BASF Counterclaims in September 2021.

On September 15, 2021, a jury in the Delaware Proceeding issued a verdict in favor of BASF on the BASF Counterclaims and awarded BASF damages of approximately $28.3 million, which will be trebled under U.S. antitrust law to approximately $85.0 million when the court enters judgment. In addition, BASF may seek pre- and post-judgment interest and attorneys’ fees and costs in amounts that they will have to support at a future date.

We disagree with the verdict, including the court’s application of the law, and we intend to seek judgment as a matter of law in the Delaware Proceeding post-trial briefing stage and on appeal, if necessary. In addition, we intend to challenge the U.S. District Court’s November 2020 dismissal of our patent infringement claims against BASF. Ingevity believes in the strength of its intellectual property and the merits of its position and intends to pursue all legal relief available to challenge these outcomes in the Delaware Proceeding. Final resolution of these matters could take up to eighteen months.

As a result of the jury's $85.0 million verdict, we have accrued the full amount as of December 31, 2021. The amount accrued for this matter is included in Other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2021, and the charge is included in Other (income) expense, net on the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021. The amount of any liability we may ultimately incur related to the Delaware Proceeding could be more or less than the amount accrued.