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Litigation and Other Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Nov. 30, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Litigation and Other Contingencies Litigation and Other Contingencies
Cintas is subject to legal proceedings, insurance receipts, legal settlements and claims arising from the ordinary course of its business, including personal injury, customer contract, environmental and employment claims. In the opinion of management, the aggregate liability, if any, with respect to such ordinary course of business actions will not have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position, consolidated results of operations or consolidated cash flows of Cintas. Cintas is party to additional litigation not considered in the ordinary course of business, including the litigation discussed below.

The Company is a defendant in a purported class action lawsuit, City of Laurel, Mississippi v. Cintas Corporation No. 2, filed on March 12, 2021. This is a contract dispute whereby plaintiffs allege that Cintas breached its contracts with participating public agencies and seek, among other things, contract-based damages in an unspecified amount. In March 2022, the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada denied Cintas’ motion to compel arbitration, and on March 6, 2023, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed. Any liability in this matter is not probable nor estimable at this time.

The Company, the Board of Directors, Scott Farmer (Executive Chairman) and the Investment Policy Committee are defendants in a purported class action, filed on December 13, 2019, pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio alleging violations of The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). The lawsuit asserts that the defendants improperly managed the costs of the employee retirement plan, breached their fiduciary duties in failing to investigate and select lower cost alternative funds and failed to monitor and control the employee retirement plan’s recordkeeping costs. In November 2023, an agreement in principle was reached with the plaintiffs, which would require a payment of an immaterial amount that would be covered by the Company's insurance. The settlement remains subject to reaching a definitive agreement and the approval of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Cintas records an accrual for legal contingencies when Cintas determines that it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. As of November 30, 2023 and May 31, 2023, Cintas did not accrue any material amounts for legal contingencies. The litigation discussed above, if decided or settled adversely to Cintas, may result in liability material to Cintas' consolidated financial condition, consolidated results of operations or consolidated cash flows and could increase costs of operations on an ongoing basis. Cintas may enter into discussions regarding settlement of these and other lawsuits and may enter into settlement agreements if it believes such settlement is in the best interest of Cintas' shareholders.