Litigation and Other Contingencies

12 Months Ended

May 31, 2024

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 March 2024, an agreement in principle was reached with the plaintiff which would require a one-time monetary payment related to the contract dispute of $45.0 million, which was accrued for and included in accrued liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet at May 31, 2024. The amount reserved for this matter did not have a material impact on the consolidated statements of income for any period presented. The Company will also make certain future investments such as people and technology. These future investments are not expected to be material to the Company. The tentative settlement remains subject to confirmatory discovery and approval of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, however, we do not anticipate any material changes in the amounts reflected in the consolidated financial statements.

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 final approval of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.