Commitments and Contingencies (Notes)

6 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Legal Proceedings [Abstract]

Commitments and contingencies

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Legal Proceedings

Joint Juice Litigation

In March 2013, a complaint was filed on behalf of a putative, nationwide class of consumers against Premier Nutrition in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief. The case asserted that some of Premier Nutrition’s advertising claims regarding its Joint Juice® line of glucosamine and chondroitin dietary supplements were false and misleading. In April 2016, the district court certified a California-only class of consumers in this lawsuit (this lawsuit is hereinafter referred to as the “California Federal Class Lawsuit”).

In 2016 and 2017, the lead plaintiff’s counsel in the California Federal Class Lawsuit filed ten additional class action complaints in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of putative classes of consumers under the laws of Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Pennsylvania. These additional complaints contain factual allegations similar to the California Federal Class Lawsuit, also seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief.

In April 2018, the district court dismissed the California Federal Class Lawsuit with prejudice. This dismissal was appealed and is pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The other ten complaints remain pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and the court has certified individual state classes in each of those cases.

In January 2019, the same lead counsel filed another class action complaint against Premier Nutrition in Alameda County California Superior Court, alleging claims similar to the above actions and seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief on behalf of a putative class of California consumers.

The Company continues to vigorously defend these cases. The Company does not believe that the resolution of these cases will have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Other than legal fees, no expense related to this litigation was incurred during the three or six months ended March 31, 2020 or 2019. At both March 31, 2020 and September 30, 2019, the Company had accrued $8.5 related to this matter that was included in “Other current liabilities” on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Other

The Company is subject to various other legal proceedings and actions arising in the normal course of business. In the opinion of management, based upon the information presently known, the ultimate liability, if any, arising from such pending legal proceedings, as well as from asserted legal claims and known potential legal claims which are likely to be asserted, taking into account established accruals for estimated liabilities (if any), are not expected to be material individually or in the aggregate to the financial condition, results of operations or cash flows of the Company. In addition, although it is difficult to estimate the potential financial impact of actions regarding expenditures for compliance with regulatory matters, in the opinion of management, based upon the information currently available, the ultimate liability arising from such compliance matters is not expected to be material to the financial condition, results of operations or cash flows of the Company.