Legal Proceedings

12 Months Ended

Jul. 31, 2022

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]


14. Legal Proceedings

Beginning in May 2019, various legal proceedings were filed and certain regulatory inquiries were commenced in connection with our provision and marketing of free online tax preparation programs. We believe that the allegations contained within these legal proceedings are without merit and continue to defend our interests in them. These proceedings included, among others, multiple putative class actions that were consolidated into a single putative class action in the Northern District of California in September 2019 (the Intuit Free File Litigation). In August 2020, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered that the putative class action claims be resolved through arbitration. In May 2021, the Intuit Free File Litigation was dismissed on a non-class basis after we entered into an agreement that resolved the matter on an individual non-class basis for an immaterial amount, without any admission of wrongdoing.

These proceedings also included individual demands for arbitration that were filed beginning in October 2019. On February 23, 2022 and May 23, 2022, we entered into settlement agreements that will resolve all of these pending arbitration claims, without any admission of wrongdoing. The ultimate amount that we are required to pay under these agreements will depend on the number of claimants that provide releases of claims thereunder. During the twelve months ended July 31, 2022, we accrued an immaterial amount based on our estimate of the probable payments we could make under these agreements. While we believe our accrual is adequate, the final payments required under these agreements could differ from our recorded estimate.

In June 2021, we received a demand and draft complaint from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and certain state attorneys general relating to the ongoing inquiries described above. On March 29, 2022, the FTC filed an action in federal court seeking a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction enjoining certain Intuit business practices pending resolution of the FTC’s administrative complaint seeking to permanently enjoin certain Intuit business practices (the FTC Actions). On April 22, 2022, the Northern District of California denied the FTC’s requests for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction. On August 22, 2022, the FTC filed a motion for summary decision in the administrative action that, if granted, would decide that matter in favor of the FTC before a trial was held. On August 30, 2022, we filed our response to the FTC’s motion. While we continue to believe that the allegations contained in the FTC’s administrative complaint are without merit, the defense and resolution of this matter could involve significant costs to us. The state attorneys general did not join the FTC Actions and, on May 4, 2022, we entered into a settlement agreement with the attorneys general of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, admitting no wrongdoing, that resolved the states’ inquiry, as well as actions brought by the Los Angeles City Attorney and the Santa Clara County (California) Counsel. As part of this agreement, we agreed to pay $141 million and made certain commitments regarding our advertising and marketing practices. For the twelve months ended July 31, 2022, we recorded this payment as a one-time charge.

In view of the complexity and ongoing and uncertain nature of the outstanding proceedings and inquiries, at this time we are unable to estimate a reasonably possible financial loss or range of financial loss that we may incur to resolve or settle the remaining matters.

To date, the legal and other fees we have incurred related to these proceedings and inquiries have not been material. The ongoing defense and any resolution or settlement of these proceedings and inquiries could involve significant costs to us.

Intuit is subject to certain routine legal proceedings, including class action lawsuits, as well as demands, claims, government inquiries and threatened litigation, that arise in the normal course of our business, including assertions that we may be infringing patents or other intellectual property rights of others. Our failure to obtain necessary licenses or other rights, or litigation arising out of intellectual property claims could adversely affect our business. We currently believe that, in addition to any amounts accrued, the amount of potential losses, if any, for any pending claims of any type (either alone or combined) will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. The ultimate outcome of any legal proceeding is uncertain and, regardless of outcome, legal proceedings can have an adverse impact on Intuit because of defense costs, negative publicity, diversion of management resources and other factors.