XML 31 R13.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.20.4
Commitments and Contingencies
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
From time to time, we are involved in litigation, claims, government inquiries, investigations and proceedings, including but not limited to those relating to environmental exposures, intellectual property matters, personal injury claims, regulatory matters, commercial and government contract issues, employment and employee benefit matters, commercial or contractual disputes, and securities matters.
Although the ultimate outcome of any legal matter cannot be predicted with certainty, based on present information including our assessment of the merits of the particular claim, as well as our current reserves and insurance coverage, we do not expect that such legal proceedings will have any material adverse impact on our financial statements, unless otherwise noted below. However, there can be no assurance that an adverse outcome in any of the proceedings described below will not result in material fines, penalties or damages, changes to the Company's business practices, loss of (or litigation with) customers or a material adverse effect on our financial statements.
Asbestos Matters
Subsidiaries of ITT, including ITT LLC and Goulds Pumps LLC, have been sued, along with many other companies in product liability lawsuits alleging personal injury due to asbestos exposure. These claims generally allege that certain products sold by our subsidiaries prior to 1985 contained a part manufactured by a third party (e.g., a gasket) which contained asbestos. To the extent these third-party parts may have contained asbestos, it was encapsulated in the gasket (or other) material and was non-friable. As of December 31, 2020, there were approximately 25 thousand pending claims against ITT subsidiaries, including Goulds Pumps LLC, filed in various state and federal courts alleging injury as a result of exposure to asbestos. Activity related to these asserted asbestos claims during the period was as follows:
(in thousands)202020192018
Pending claims – Beginning24 24 26 
New claims4 4 4 
Settlements(1)(1)(1)
Dismissals(2)(3)(5)
Pending claims – Ending25 24 24 
Frequently, plaintiffs are unable to identify any ITT LLC or Goulds Pumps LLC products as a source of asbestos exposure. Our experience to date is that a majority of resolved claims are dismissed without any payment from ITT subsidiaries. Management believes that a large majority of the pending claims have little or no value. In addition, because claims are sometimes dismissed in large groups, the average cost per resolved claim can fluctuate significantly from period to period. ITT expects more asbestos-related suits will be filed in the future, and ITT will continue to aggressively defend or seek a reasonable resolution, as appropriate.
Asbestos litigation is a unique form of litigation. Frequently, the plaintiff sues a large number of defendants and does not state a specific claim amount. After filing a complaint, the plaintiff engages defendants in settlement negotiations to establish a settlement value based on certain criteria, including the number of defendants in the case. Rarely do the plaintiffs seek to collect all damages from one defendant. Rather, they seek to spread the liability, and thus the payments, among many defendants. 
Estimating the Liability and Related Asset
In the third quarter of each year, we conduct our annual remeasurement with the assistance of outside consultants in order to review and update the underlying assumptions used in our asbestos liability and related asset estimates. In each remeasurement, the underlying assumptions are updated based on our actual experience since our previous annual remeasurement, and we reassess the appropriate reference period used in determining each assumption and our expectations regarding future conditions. Based on the results of this study, in the third quarter of 2020, we extended our projection to include pending claims and claims expected to be filed through 2052, reflecting the full time period over which we expect asbestos-related claims to be filed against us. Previous estimates included pending claims and claims expected to be filed over the next 10 years. Our ability to reasonably estimate the liability over the full time horizon in the current year resulted from the culmination of various factors, including:
•We have observed stability in our data, particularly our experience in the number and percentage of claims compensated by the Company, the amounts paid to settle claims, and related defense costs, subsequent to the implementation of our one-firm defense strategy.
•Recent favorable developments in our insurance coverage litigation, including a stipulation filed with the court in the third quarter of 2020, upon which we subsequently entered into a coverage-in-place agreement with a group of insurers regarding the remaining available and solvent limits of a significant coverage block, and our experience with insurance settlements, have provided additional certainty with respect to the availability of insurance to reimburse us for certain asbestos-related expenses and the overall net exposure of the Company.
Overall, we believe there is greater predictability of outcomes from insurance settlements and stability of underlying inputs used in calculating the gross liability. As a result, we believe the uncertainty in calculating the net liability has been reduced and we now have sufficient reliability to transition to a full time horizon. Consequently, in the third quarter of 2020, we increased our estimated undiscounted asbestos liability, including legal fees, by $155.7. As of December 31, 2020, the liability for pending claims and claims estimated to be filed through 2052 was $932.0. The asbestos liability has not been discounted to present value as the timing of future cash flows may vary.
The methodology used to estimate our asbestos liability for pending claims and claims estimated to be filed through 2052 determines a point estimate based on our assessment of the value of each underlying assumption, rather than a range of reasonably possible outcomes, and relies on and includes the following:
•interpretation of a widely accepted forecast of the population likely to have been exposed to asbestos in the workplace;
•widely accepted epidemiological studies estimating the number of people likely to develop mesothelioma and lung cancer from exposure to asbestos;
•the Company’s historical experience with the filing of non-malignant claims against it and the historical relationship between non-malignant and malignant claims filed against the Company;
•analysis of the number of likely asbestos personal injury claims to be compensated by the Company based on such epidemiological and historical data and the Company’s recent claims experience in settling and dismissing claims;
•analysis of the Company’s pending cases, by disease type;
•analysis of the Company’s recent experience to determine the expected settlement value of claims, by disease type;
•analysis of the Company’s recent experience in the ratio of settled claims to total resolved claims, by disease type; and
•analysis of the Company’s defense costs, including agreements in place with external counsel.
In addition, we record a corresponding undiscounted asbestos-related asset that represents our best estimate of probable recoveries from our insurers for the estimated asbestos liabilities. In developing this estimate, the Company considers coverage-in-place and other agreements with its insurers, and a number of additional factors. These additional factors reviewed include the financial viability of our insurance carriers and any related solvency issues, the method by which losses will be allocated to the various insurance policies and the years covered by those policies, the extent to which settlement and defense costs will be reimbursed by the insurance policies and interpretation of the various policy and contract terms and limits and their interrelationships, and various judicial determinations relevant to our insurance programs. The timing and amount of reimbursements will vary due to a time lag between when ITT pays an amount to defend or settle a claim and when a reimbursement is received from an insurer, differing policy terms and certain gaps in our insurance coverage as a result of uninsured periods, insurer insolvencies, and prior insurance settlements.
The Company retains an insurance consulting firm to assist management in estimating probable recoveries for pending asbestos claims and for claims estimated to be filed in the future based on the analysis of policy terms, the likelihood of recovery provided by external legal counsel, and incorporating risk mitigation judgments where policy terms or other factors are not certain. The aggregate amount of insurance available to the Company for asbestos-related claims was acquired over many years and from many different carriers. The Company is in litigation with certain of these carriers to enforce its right to coverage for asbestos-related losses under policies they or their predecessors issued. Amounts deemed not recoverable generally are due from insurers that are insolvent.
The Company has negotiated with certain of its insurers to reimburse the Company for a portion of its indemnity and defense costs through "coverage-in-place" agreements or policy buyout agreements. The agreements are designed to facilitate the collection of the Company’s insurance portfolio, to mitigate issues that insurers may raise regarding their responsibility to respond to claims, and to promote an orderly exhaustion of the policies. As of December 31, 2020, approximately 76% of our recorded asbestos-related asset was related to coverage-in-place agreements and buyout agreements with insurers.
As a result of the annual remeasurement, during the third quarter of 2020, we increased the asbestos-related asset by $19.8, representing additional recoveries due to the increase in the estimated liability for certain claims. In the fourth quarter, we increased our asbestos-related asset by an additional $52.1 based on a settlement agreement with a group of insurers as described below. After reviewing our portfolio of insurance policies, with consideration given to applicable deductibles, retentions and policy limits, the solvency and historical payment experience of various insurance carriers, existing insurance settlements, and the advice of outside counsel with respect to the applicable insurance coverage law relating to the terms and conditions of its insurance policies, we believe that our recorded receivable for insurance recoveries is probable of collection.
Estimating our exposure to pending asbestos claims and those that may be filed in the future is subject to significant uncertainty and risk as there are multiple variables that can affect the timing, severity, quality, quantity and resolution of claims, including uncertainty related to asbestos claims and estimated costs arising from the long latency period prior to the manifestation of an asbestos-related disease, changes in available medical treatments and changes in medical costs, changes in plaintiff behavior resulting from bankruptcies of other companies that are or could be co-defendants, uncertainties surrounding the litigation process from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and from case to case and the impact of potential legislative or judicial changes. Additionally, future insurance insolvencies or settlement agreements with insurers could impact the overall recoverability of our asbestos-related asset. The asbestos liability and related receivables reflect management’s best estimate of future events. However, future events affecting the key factors and other variables for either the asbestos liability or the related receivables could cause actual costs or recoveries to be materially higher or lower than currently estimated. Due to these uncertainties, it is difficult to predict the ultimate cost of resolving all pending and unasserted asbestos claims. We believe it is possible that future events affecting the key factors and other variables in estimating our liability and expected recoveries could have a material adverse effect on our financial statements.
Settlement Agreements
The Company periodically enters into settlement agreements with insurers to settle responsibility for insurance claims. Under the terms of the settlements, the insurers agree to a payment or specified series of payments to a Qualified Settlement Fund for past costs and/or agree to provide coverage for certain future asbestos claims on specified terms and conditions. In March 2020, we finalized a settlement agreement with a group of insurers to settle responsibility for claims under certain insurance policies for a lump sum payment of $66.4, resulting in a benefit of $52.5. During June 2020, we entered into a settlement agreement with an insurer accelerating payments previously included in a buyout agreement, resulting in a loss of $4.2. In December 2020, ITT entered into a coverage-in-place agreement with a group of insurers resulting in a benefit of $52.1.
Asbestos-Related Costs (Benefit), Net
The table below summarizes the total net asbestos-related charge for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018.
202020192018
Asbestos provision, net(a)
$30.8 $47.9 $53.8 
Asbestos remeasurement, net(b)
135.9 (68.1)10.0 
Settlement agreements and other(100.4)— (58.9)
Asbestos-related costs (benefit), net$66.3 $(20.2)$4.9 
Changes in Financial Position
The following table provides a rollforward of the estimated asbestos liability and related assets for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.
 20202019
LiabilityAssetNetLiabilityAssetNet
Balance as of January 1$817.6 $386.8 $430.8 $849.3 $376.7 $472.6 
Asbestos provision(a)
37.1 6.3 30.8 59.4 11.5 47.9 
Asbestos remeasurement(b)
155.7 19.8 135.9 (4.5)63.6 (68.1)
Settlement agreements— 100.4 (100.4)— — — 
Net cash activity and other(a)
(78.4)(68.6)(9.8)(86.6)(65.0)(21.6)
Balance as of December 31$932.0 $444.7 487.3 $817.6 $386.8 $430.8 
Current portion91.4 91.0 86.0 67.2 
Noncurrent portion840.6 353.7  731.6 319.6  
(a)Includes certain administrative costs such as legal-related costs for insurance asset recoveries. The asbestos provision includes amounts to maintain a rolling 10-year provision prior to the transition in the third quarter of 2020 to full horizon.
(b)In the third quarter of 2020, we extended our projection to include pending claims and claims expected to be filed through 2052, reflecting the full time period over which we expect asbestos-related claims to be filed against us.
Environmental Matters
In the ordinary course of business, we are subject to federal, state, local, and foreign environmental laws and regulations. We are responsible, or are alleged to be responsible, for ongoing environmental investigation and site remediation. These sites are in various stages of investigation and/or remediation and in many of these proceedings our liability is considered de minimis. We have received notification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and from similar state and foreign environmental agencies, that a number of sites formerly or currently owned or operated by the Company, and other properties or water supplies that may be or have been impacted from those operations, contain disposed or recycled materials or wastes and require environmental investigation or remediation. These sites include instances where we have been identified as a potentially responsible party under federal and state environmental laws and regulations.
Accruals for environmental matters are recorded on a site-by-site basis when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated. The following table provides a rollforward of the estimated current and long-term environmental liability for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.
 20202019
Balance as of January 1$61.9 $66.8 
Changes in estimates for pre-existing accruals:
Continuing operations1.4 0.4 
Discontinued operations(1.5)0.1 
Net cash activity(3.7)(5.4)
Foreign currency0.2 — 
Balance as of December 31$58.3 $61.9 
Environmental-related assets, including a qualified settlement fund (QSF) and estimated recoveries from insurance providers and other third parties, were $18.6 and $22.2 as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
In 2020, the environmental QSF was amended to cover remediation activities for additional sites. Prior to this amendment, there was $7.2 of deferred income representing the excess of assets in the QSF over the probable liabilities associated with the previously covered sites. As a result of the amendment, we recognized income of $7.2, including $1.3 related to discontinued operations.
The following table illustrates the reasonably possible high range of estimated liability, and number of active sites for environmental matters.
20202019
High end range$97.6 $108.4 
Number of active environmental investigation and remediation sites27 28 
As actual costs incurred at identified sites in future periods may vary from our current estimates given the inherent uncertainties in evaluating environmental exposures, management believes it is possible that the outcome of these uncertainties may have a material adverse effect on our financial statements.