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Commitments and Contingencies
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
As a manufacturer of products primarily for use in building construction, the Company is inherently exposed to various types of contingent claims, both asserted and unasserted, in the ordinary course of business. As a result, from time to time, the Company may become involved in various legal proceedings or other contingent matters arising from claims or potential claims arising out of its operations and businesses that cover a wide range of matters, including, among others, environmental, contract, employment, including applicable benefit and pension plans, intellectual property, securities, personal injury, property damage, product liability, warranty and modification, adjustment or replacement of component parts or units sold, which may include product recalls. The Company insures (or self-insures) against these risks to the extent deemed prudent by its management and to the extent insurance is available. Management believes that the ultimate disposition of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial position or cash flows. However, such matters are subject to many uncertainties and outcomes and are not predictable with assurance. The Company believes it is adequately reserved for all matters.
Environmental
The Company’s operations are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign environmental, health and safety laws. Among other things, these laws regulate the emissions or discharge of contaminants into the environment; govern the use, storage, treatment, disposal and management of hazardous substances and wastes; protect employee health and safety, public health and welfare and the end-users of its products; regulate the chemicals used in its products; and impose liability for the costs of investigating and remediating (as well as other damages resulting from) present and past releases of hazardous substances. Violations of these laws or of any conditions contained in environmental permits could impact the Company's current and future operations.
The Company believes it is in material compliance with all applicable environmental laws and regulations and has recorded a liability of $4.1 million at December 31, 2024 and $8.8 million at December 31, 2023.
Litigation
The Company is a party to a variety of legal actions arising out of the normal course of business. Plaintiffs occasionally seek punitive or exemplary damages. The Company is also included in other kinds of legal actions, some of which assert or may assert claims or seek to impose fines or penalties and other costs in substantial amounts and are described below.
Stockholder Litigation
In July 2022, and pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated March 5, 2022, Clayton, Dubilier and Rice, LLC (“CD&R”) became the indirect owner of Cornerstone Building Brands. In January 2023, purported former stockholders filed 2 separate complaints challenging the fairness of the Merger. The complaints are captioned Firefighters’ Pension System of the City of Kansas City, Missouri Trust and Gary D. Voigt v. Affeldt et al., C.A. No. 2023-0091-JTL (Del. Ch.) and Whitebark Value Partners LP and Robert Garfield v. Clayton Dubilier & Rice, LLC et al., C.A. No. 2023-0092-JTL (Del. Ch.). In both complaints, the plaintiffs allege that CD&R and its affiliates controlled the Company prior to the transaction and that certain directors and officers of the Company, as well as CD&R and its affiliates, breached their fiduciary duties and engaged in conduct resulting in a sale of the Cornerstone Building Brands public stockholders’ shares to CD&R at an unfair price. The plaintiffs seek unspecified monetary damages, attorneys’ fees, expenses and costs. The court consolidated the two cases, and on May 3, 2023, selected Whitebark Value Partners LP as lead plaintiff. On July 14, 2023, the defendants moved to dismiss the operative complaint. The motion to dismiss was denied on January 10, 2024, and the case is ongoing. On June 26, 2024, the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint. On February 24, 2025, the parties to the case filed a Stipulation of Compromise and Settlement (“Stipulation”) setting forth their agreement to settle the litigation. The Stipulation remains subject to court approval. The Stipulation provides for CD&R and the Company, on behalf of the defendants, to pay or cause their respective insurers to pay a total of $45.0 million into an escrow account that will be used to pay escrow expenses,
satisfy any fee and incentive amounts awarded by the court in favor of plaintiff and plaintiff’s counsel, and distribute the remaining funds to the non-affiliated shareholders of the Company. The Company's portion of the proposed settlement relating to its indemnification of its former directors and officers is recoverable from insurance. The agreement is contingent upon final court approval, which is anticipated to occur later in 2025.
In June 2023, a purported former stockholder filed a class action complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware alleging that the Company’s disclosures issued in connection with the Merger were materially misleading in violation of Section 14(a) and Section 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The complaint is captioned Water Island Merger Arbitrage Institutional Commingled Master Fund, L.P. v. Cornerstone Building Brands et al., Case No. 1:23-cv-00701 (D. Del.). The complaint alleges that the Company’s directors and officers issued misleading disclosures, which caused stockholders to approve the Merger at an unfair price. The plaintiff seeks unspecified monetary damages, interest, attorney’s fees, expenses and costs. On December 8, 2023, the defendants moved to dismiss the operative complaint, and, in the alternative, to stay in litigation. On September 30, 2024, the court granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss without prejudice. On October 15, 2024, the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint, which the defendants again moved to dismiss or stay on November 26, 2024. The Company intends to vigorously defend against these claims. The Company cannot predict with any degree of certainty the outcome of this matter or determine the extent of any potential liabilities. The Company also cannot provide an estimate of the possible loss or range of loss.