Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Note 12. Commitments and Contingencies

Legal Matters

We are party to various legal actions in the normal course of business. We are not currently subject to a significant claim other than the lawsuits noted below.

On May 20, 2020, a shareholder class action lawsuit captioned Hunter v. Elanco Animal Health Inc., et al. was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana (the Court) against Elanco and certain executives. On September 3, 2020, the Court appointed a lead plaintiff, and on November 9, 2020, the lead plaintiff filed an amended complaint adding additional claims against Elanco, certain executives, and other individuals. The lawsuit alleges, in part, that Elanco and certain of its executives made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose certain facts about Elanco’s supply chain, inventory, revenue and projections. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and purports to represent purchasers of Elanco securities between September 30, 2018 and May 6, 2020, and purchasers of Elanco common stock issued in connection with Elanco's acquisition of Aratana. We filed a motion to dismiss on January 13, 2021. On August 17, 2022, the Court issued an order granting our motion to dismiss the case without prejudice. On October 14, 2022, the plaintiffs filed a motion for leave to amend the complaint, and we intend to oppose the plaintiffs' motion. We believe the claims made in the case are meritless, and we intend to vigorously defend our position. The process of resolving these matters is inherently uncertain and may develop over an extended period of time; therefore, at this time, the ultimate resolution cannot be predicted.

On October 16, 2020, a shareholder class action lawsuit captioned Saffron Capital Corporation v. Elanco Animal Health Inc., et al. was filed in the Marion Superior Court of Indiana against Elanco, certain executives, and other individuals. On December 23, 2020, the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint adding an additional plaintiff. The lawsuit alleges, in part, that Elanco and certain of its executives made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose certain facts about Elanco’s relationships with third party distributors and revenue attributable to those distributors within the registration statement on Form S-3 dated January 21, 2020 and accompanying prospectus filed in connection with Elanco’s public offering which closed on or about January 27, 2020. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and purports to represent purchasers of Elanco common stock or 5.00% TEUs issued in connection with the public offering. This case was previously stayed in deference to Hunter v. Elanco Animal Health Inc. On October 24, 2022, we filed a motion to dismiss. We believe the claims made in the case are meritless, and we intend to vigorously defend our position. The process of resolving these matters is inherently uncertain and may develop over an extended period of time; therefore, at this time, the ultimate resolution cannot be predicted.

Claims seeking actual damages, injunctive relief, and/or restitution for allegedly deceptive marketing have been made against Elanco Animal Health Inc. and Bayer HealthCare LLC, along with other Elanco and Bayer entities, arising out of the use of Seresto™, a non-prescription flea and tick collar for cats and dogs. During 2021, putative class action lawsuits were filed in federal courts in the U.S. alleging that the Seresto collars contain pesticides that can cause serious injury and death to cats and/or dogs wearing the product. The cases mention the existence of incident reports involving humans, but no plaintiff has claimed personal harm from the product. In August 2021, the lawsuits were consolidated by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, and the cases were transferred to the Northern District of Illinois. We are vigorously defending these lawsuits.

Further, in March 2021, a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee chair requested that Elanco produce certain documents and information related to the Seresto collar and further made a request to temporarily recall Seresto collars from the market. On June 15, 2022, the subcommittee held a hearing at which our President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) testified. During and after the hearing, the subcommittee chair repeated his request that Elanco voluntarily recall the collars and also requested that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commence administrative proceedings that would allow the EPA to remove Seresto from the market.

Seresto is a pesticide registered with the EPA. A non-profit organization submitted a petition to the EPA requesting that the agency take action to cancel Seresto’s pesticide registration and suspend the registration pending cancellation. The EPA is considering this petition and asked for public comment. We submitted a comment to the EPA supporting the safety profile of Seresto. Data and scientific evaluation used during the product registration process and through pharmacovigilance review supports the product’s positive safety profile and efficacy. Therefore, we believe no removal, recall, or cancellation of the pesticide registration is warranted, nor has it been suggested by any regulatory agency. We continue to stand behind the safety profile for Seresto, and it remains available to consumers globally.

In the third quarter of 2019, Tevra Brands, LLC (Tevra) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California, alleging that Bayer Animal Health (acquired by us in August 2020) had been involved in unlawful exclusive dealing and tying of its flea and tick products Advantage, Advantix, and Seresto and maintained a monopoly in the market. The complaint was amended in March 2020 and then dismissed in September 2020 with leave to amend. A second amended complaint was filed in March 2021 and realleges claims of unlawful exclusive dealing related to Advantage and Advantix and monopoly maintenance. A motion to dismiss the second amended complaint was denied in January 2022. Tevra’s demands include both actual and treble damages. We intend to defend our position vigorously. The process of resolving these matters is inherently uncertain and may develop over an extended period of time; therefore, at this time, the ultimate resolution cannot be predicted.

We are party to various other legal actions in the normal course of business. In determining whether a pending matter is significant for financial reporting and disclosure purposes, we consider both quantitative and qualitative factors in order to assess materiality. If a loss is reasonably possible but not known or probable, and may be reasonably estimated, the estimated loss or range of loss is disclosed. We accrue for liability claims to the extent that it is probable we will incur a loss and we can formulate a reasonable estimate of the costs. As of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we had no material liabilities established related to litigation as there were no significant claims which were probable and estimable. We are not currently subject to a significant claim other than the lawsuits noted above.

Regulatory Matters

On July 1, 2021, we received a subpoena from the SEC relating to our channel inventory and sales practices prior to mid-2020. We have cooperated in providing documents and information to the SEC and will continue to do so. Management believes that its actions were appropriate.

Other Commitments

As of September 30, 2022, we have a lease commitment that has not yet commenced for our new corporate headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. Total minimum lease payments are estimated to be approximately $378 million over a term of 25 years, excluding extensions. The increase in estimated minimum lease payments in comparison to prior periods is primarily due to higher expected construction and debt costs. Final lease payments may vary depending on the actual cost of certain construction activities. Lease commencement is expected in 2025.

The land for our new corporate headquarters is located in a Tax Increment Finance District, and the project is, in part, funded through Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) through an incentive agreement between us and the City of Indianapolis. The agreement provides for an estimated total incentive of $64 million to be funded by the City of Indianapolis in connection with the future tax increment revenue generated from the developed property. In December 2021, as part of a funding and development agreement entered into between us and the developer, we made a commitment to use the expected TIF proceeds towards the cost of developing and constructing the headquarters. In exchange, the developer reimbursed us up to the $64 million commitment in 2021. We expect to refund approximately $15 million to the developer within the next three months, and this amount is included in other current liabilities on our condensed consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2022. As a result, it is our expectation that our future lease payments will be reduced. The remaining accrued incentive is included in other noncurrent liabilities on our condensed consolidated balance sheets and will be amortized over the lease term beginning at the commencement date and offset future rent expense.