Litigation and Environmental Matters

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2024

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Litigation and Environmental Matters

Litigation and Environmental Matters

Abbott has been identified as a potentially responsible party for investigation and cleanup costs at a number of locations in the United States and Puerto Rico under federal and state remediation laws and is investigating potential contamination at a number of company-owned locations. Abbott has recorded an estimated cleanup cost for each site for which management believes Abbott has a probable loss exposure. No individual site cleanup exposure is expected to exceed $4 million, and the aggregate cleanup exposure is not expected to exceed $10 million.

Abbott has been named as a defendant in a number of lawsuits alleging that its preterm infant formula and human milk fortifier products that contain cow’s milk cause an intestinal disease known as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and inadequately warn about the risk of NEC. These lawsuits claim that certain preterm infants suffered injury or death as a result of contracting NEC. In a trial held in July 2024, a jury in a Missouri state court awarded a plaintiff $495 million in damages. Abbott stands by its products and the information it provided about them, and it appealed this jury’s verdict with the Missouri Court of Appeals in December 2024. In a trial held in October 2024 involving Abbott and another infant formula manufacturer and the treating hospital as co-defendants, a jury in a Missouri state court returned a unanimous verdict for Abbott and its co-defendants. In December 2024, the plaintiff filed a motion for a new trial. Abbott does not believe that it is probable that a material loss will be incurred related to these lawsuits and therefore, no reserves have been recorded. Given the uncertainty as to the possible outcome in each of these lawsuits, Abbott is unable to reasonably estimate a range of possible loss related to these lawsuits.

Abbott is involved in various claims and legal proceedings, and Abbott estimates the range of possible loss for its legal proceedings and environmental exposures to be from approximately $25 million to $35 million. The recorded accrual balance at December 31, 2024 for these proceedings and exposures was approximately $30 million. This accrual represents management’s best estimate of probable loss, as defined by FASB ASC No. 450, “Contingencies.” Within the next year, legal proceedings may occur that may result in a change in the estimated loss accrued by Abbott. While it is not feasible to predict the outcome of all such proceedings and exposures with certainty, management believes that their ultimate disposition should not have a material adverse effect on Abbott’s financial position, cash flows, or results of operations, except for the cases discussed in the second paragraph of this note, the resolution of which could be material to Abbott's financial position, cash flows, or results of operations.