Legal Proceedings, Guarantees, and Commitments

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Guarantees [Abstract]

Legal Proceedings, Guarantees, and Commitments

Legal Proceedings

The Company is routinely involved in a number of actual or threatened legal actions, including those involving alleged personal injuries, employment law, product liability, intellectual property, environmental issues, alleged tax liability (see Note 13 for information on income tax matters), and class actions. The Company also routinely receives inquiries from regulators and other government authorities relating to various aspects of our business, and at any given time, the Company has matters at various stages of resolution. The outcomes of these matters are not within our complete control and may not be known for prolonged periods of time. In some actions, claimants seek damages, as well as other relief including injunctive relief, that could require significant expenditures or result in lost revenues. In accordance with applicable accounting standards, the Company records a liability in its consolidated financial statements for material loss contingencies when a loss is known or considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. If the reasonable estimate of a known or probable loss is a range, and no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other, the minimum amount of the range is accrued. If a material loss contingency is reasonably possible but not known or probable, and can be reasonably estimated, the estimated loss or range of loss is disclosed in the notes to the consolidated financial statements. When determining the estimated loss or range of loss, significant judgment is required to estimate the amount and timing of a loss to be recorded. Estimates of probable losses resulting from litigation and governmental proceedings involving the Company are inherently difficult to predict, particularly when the matters are in early procedural stages, with incomplete facts or legal discovery; involve unsubstantiated or indeterminate claims for damages; potentially involve penalties, fines, disgorgement, or punitive damages; or could result in a change in business practice.

On September 4, 2019, AOT Holding AG (AOT) filed a putative class action under the U.S. Commodities Exchange Act in federal district court in Urbana, Illinois, alleging that the Company sought to manipulate the benchmark price used to price and settle ethanol derivatives traded on futures exchanges. AOT alleges that members of the putative class suffered “hundreds of millions of dollars in damages” as a result of the Company’s alleged actions. On July 14, 2020, Green Plains Inc. and its related entities filed a putative class action lawsuit, alleging substantially the same operative facts, in federal court in Nebraska, seeking to represent all sellers of ethanol. On July 23, 2020, Midwest Renewable Energy, LLC filed a putative class action in federal court in Illinois alleging substantially the same operative facts and asserting claims under the Sherman Act. On November 11, 2020, six ethanol producers filed a lawsuit in federal court in Illinois alleging substantially the same facts and asserting claims under the Sherman Act and Illinois and Wisconsin law. The Company denies liability, and is vigorously defending itself in these actions. As these actions are in pretrial proceedings, the Company is unable at this time to predict the final outcome with any reasonable degree of certainty, but believes the outcome will not have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

On September 5, 2019, D&M Farms, Mark Hasty, and Dustin Land filed a putative class action on behalf of a purported class of peanut farmers under the U.S. federal antitrust laws in federal court in Norfolk, Virginia, alleging that the Company’s subsidiary, Golden Peanut, and another peanut shelling company, conspired to fix the price they paid to farmers for raw peanuts. Plaintiffs subsequently added a third peanut shelling company to the case. Two defendants have reached preliminary settlements with the plaintiffs. On December 2, 2020, the district court certified the class. The Company denies liability and is vigorously defending itself, in this action. As this action is in pretrial proceedings, the Company is unable at this time to predict the final outcome with any reasonable degree of certainty, but believes the outcome will not have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.