Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and ContingenciesLegal and Environmental

The Company is subject to various legal proceedings arising in the normal course of its business. These proceedings include claims for damages arising out of use of the Company’s products, intellectual property, workers’ compensation and environmental matters. The Company is self-insured up to specified limits for certain types of claims, including product liability and workers’ compensation, and is fully self-insured for certain other types of claims, including environmental and intellectual property matters. The Company recognizes a liability for any contingency that in management’s judgment is probable of occurrence and can be reasonably estimated. We continually reassess the likelihood of adverse judgments and outcomes in these matters, as well as estimated ranges of possible losses based upon an analysis of each matter which includes advice of outside legal counsel and, if applicable, other experts.

As previously reported, in the fourth quarter of 2016, the Company recorded a charge of $12.5 million in Cost of goods sold representing the estimated withdrawal liability from the multi-employer plans from which it subsequently withdrew in 2017.

In March 2019, the remaining employer in that multi-employer pension plan filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code and was proceeding towards liquidation as of June 2019. As a result, the Company concluded, as of June 30, 2019, it was probable under terms customary of multi-employer plans, that the Company was subject to an estimated $22.9 million mass withdrawal liability, as a result of the other employer's withdrawal from the pension plan and anticipated liquidation. Accordingly, the Company recognized a $22.9 million charge in the second quarter of 2019.

In December 2019, the Company subsequently entered into a settlement agreement with the multi-employer plan, whereby the parties agreed to settle all of Hubbell's obligations to the multi-employer plan for $21.0 million payable in three installments; $10.0 million paid in 2019, $6.0 million paid in, 2020, and $5.0 million payable before December 31, 2021. Accordingly, in the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company recognized a reduction of the second quarter 2019 charge to reflect the terms of that settlement, such that the effect to the full year of 2019 was a $8.5 million net charge.

The Company is subject to environmental laws and regulations which may require that it investigate and remediate the effects of potential contamination associated with past and present operations as well as those acquired through business combinations. Environmental liabilities are recorded when remedial efforts are probable and the costs can be reasonably estimated. The Company continues to monitor these environmental matters and revalues its liabilities as necessary. Total environmental liabilities were $7.6 million and $8.0 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

The Company accounts for conditional asset retirement and environmental obligations in accordance with the applicable accounting guidance. The accounting guidance defines “conditional asset retirement obligation” as a legal obligation to perform an asset retirement activity in which the timing and/or method of settlement are conditional on a future event that may or may not be within the control of the Company. Accordingly, an entity is required to recognize a liability for the fair value of a conditional asset retirement obligation if the fair value of the liability can be reasonably estimated. Asset retirement obligations were not material as of December 31, 2020 and 2019.