CONTINGENCIES

3 Months Ended

Sep. 29, 2021

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Contingencies

Lease Commitments

We have, in certain cases, divested brands or sold restaurants to franchisees and have not been released from lease guarantees for the related restaurants. As of September 29, 2021 and June 30, 2021, we have outstanding lease guarantees or are secondarily liable for an estimated $28.4 million and $29.2 million, respectively. These amounts represent the known potential liability of future rent payments under the leases. These leases have been assigned to the buyers and expire at the end of the respective lease terms, which range from fiscal 2022 through fiscal 2027. In the event of default under a lease by a franchisee or owner of a divested brand, the indemnity and default clauses in our agreements with such third parties and applicable laws govern our ability to pursue and recover amounts we may pay on behalf of such parties.

We have received notices of default and have been named a party in lawsuits pertaining to some of these leases in circumstances where the current lessee did not pay its rent obligations. These lessees are in communication with the landlords to defer or resolve payments. We will continue to closely monitor this situation.

Letters of Credit

We provide letters of credit to various insurers to collateralize obligations for outstanding claims. As of September 29, 2021, we had $5.9 million in undrawn standby letters of credit outstanding. All standby letters of credit are renewable within the next 12 months.

Cyber Security Litigation

In fiscal 2018, we discovered malware at certain Chili’s restaurants that may have resulted in unauthorized access or acquisition of customer payment card data. We settled all claims from payment card companies related to this incident and do not expect material claims in the future. The Company was also named as a defendant in a putative class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (the “Litigation”) relating to this incident. In the Litigation, plaintiffs assert various claims at the Company’s Chili’s restaurants involving customer payment card information and seek monetary damages in excess of $5.0 million, injunctive and declaratory relief, and attorney’s fees and costs.

On April 14, 2021, the district court issued an order granting in part and deferring in part Plaintiffs’ motion for class certification. The court certified a class on Plaintiffs’ negligence claim and a separate class on Plaintiffs’ California state Unfair Competition Law claims. On September 16, 2021, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals granted Brinker’s petition seeking immediate discretionary review of the district court’s certification orders.

We believe we have defenses and intend to continue defending the Litigation. As such, as of September 29, 2021, we have concluded that a loss, or range of loss, from this matter is not determinable, therefore, we have not recorded a liability related to the Litigation. We will continue to evaluate this matter based on new information as it becomes available.

Legal Proceedings

Evaluating contingencies related to litigation is a process involving judgment on the potential outcome of future events, and the ultimate resolution of litigated claims may differ from our current analysis. Accordingly, we review the adequacy of accruals and disclosures pertaining to litigated matters each quarter in consultation with legal counsel and we assess the probability and range of possible losses associated with contingencies for potential accrual in the Consolidated Financial Statements.

We are engaged in various legal proceedings and have certain unresolved claims pending. Liabilities have been established based on our best estimates of our potential liability in certain of these matters. Based upon consultation with legal counsel, management is of the opinion that there are no matters pending or threatened which are expected to have a material adverse effect, individually or in the aggregate, on the consolidated financial condition or results of operations.