Contingencies	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Contingencies
Contingencies	22. Contingencies Ball is subject to numerous lawsuits, claims or proceedings arising out of the ordinary course of business, including actions related to product liability; personal injury; the use and performance of company products; warranty matters; patent, trademark or other intellectual property infringement; contractual liability; the conduct of the company’s business; tax reporting in domestic and non-U.S. jurisdictions; workplace safety and environmental and other matters. The company has also been identified as a potentially responsible party (PRP) at several waste disposal sites under U.S. federal and related state environmental statutes and regulations and may have joint and several liability for any investigation and remediation costs incurred with respect to such sites. In addition, the company has received claims alleging that employees in certain plants have suffered damages due to exposure to alleged workplace hazards. Some of these lawsuits, claims and proceedings involve substantial amounts, including as described below, and some of the environmental proceedings involve potential monetary costs or sanctions that may be material. Ball has denied liability with respect to many of these lawsuits, claims and proceedings and is vigorously defending such lawsuits, claims and proceedings. The company carries various forms of commercial, property and casualty, and other forms of insurance; however, such insurance may not be applicable or adequate to cover the costs associated with a judgment against Ball with respect to these lawsuits, claims and proceedings. The company estimates that potential liabilities for all currently known and estimable environmental matters are approximately $24 million in the aggregate, and such amounts have been included in other current liabilities and other noncurrent liabilities at December 31, 2023. Based on the information available at the present time, any reasonably possible loss that may be incurred in excess of the recorded accruals cannot be estimated. On February 1, 2012, Ball Metal Beverage Container Corp. (“BMBCC”) filed suit against Crown Technology Holding, Inc. (“Crown”) in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio seeking a declaratory judgment that the CDL beverage can end made and sold by BMBCC did not infringe certain U.S. patents held by Crown. In response, Crown filed a counterclaim alleging that the CDL ends made and sold by BMBCC infringed the subject patents and seeking damages. On September 25, 2019, the District Court granted BMBCC’s motion for summary judgment holding that the patents at issue were invalid due to indefiniteness. On October 20, 2019, Crown appealed this decision to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“CAFC”). On December 31, 2020, the CAFC in a non-precedential decision, vacated the decision of the District Court finding that the District Court had not considered an additional factor under a novel position advanced by the CAFC, and remanded the case to the District Court for further proceedings. On August 2, 2023, the District Court again granted summary judgment to Ball finding that patent claims at issue are invalid due to invalidity under the revised analytical framework specified by the CAFC. On August 4, 2023, Crown appealed this decision to the CAFC. Briefing for this appeal is in process and will conclude on February 20, 2024. Oral argument is expected to be scheduled during 2024 with a decision to follow. Based on the information available at the present time, the Company is unable to predict the ultimate outcome of this claim including the amount of any reasonably possible loss and we intend to vigorously defend this matter. A former Rexam Personal Care site in Annecy, France, was found in 2003 to be contaminated following a leak of chlorinated solvents (TCE) from an underground feedline. The site underwent extensive investigation and an active remediation treatment system was put in place in 2006. The business operating from the site was sold to Albea in 2013 and in turn to a French company CATIDOM (operating as Reboul). Reboul vacated the site in September 2014, and the site reverted back to Rexam during the first quarter of 2015. As part of the site closure regulatory requirements, a regulatory permit (Prefectoral Order) was issued in June 2016, which included requirements to undertake a cost-benefit analysis and pilot studies of further treatment for the known residual solvent contamination following the shutdown of the current on-site treatment system. A management plan based on the findings of this analysis was proposed to the French environmental authorities in 2018. Following discussions with the authorities, the final proposals for remediation works and subsequent monitoring have been agreed and were included in a Prefectural Order issued by the French Authorities in December 2022. The remediation works were completed in November 2023 and ongoing monitoring of the site will now be performed as options for the future of the site are considered. Based on the information available at this time, the company does not believe that this matter will have a material adverse effect upon its liquidity, results of operations or financial condition. The company’s operations in Brazil are involved in various governmental assessments, which have historically mainly related to claims for taxes on the internal transfer of inventory, gross revenue taxes, and indirect tax incentives and deductibility of goodwill. In addition, one of the company’s Brazilian subsidiaries received an income tax assessment focused on the disallowance of deductions associated with the acquisition price paid to a third party for a portion of its operations. Based on the information available at the present time, the Company is unable to predict the ultimate outcome of these claims including the amount of reasonably possible loss and intends to vigorously defend these matters. On October 7, 2021, the French Autorité de la concurrence (the French Competition Authority or “FCA”) issued a statement of objections to 14 trade associations, one public entity and 101 legal entities from 28 corporate groups, including the company, other leading metal can manufacturers, certain can fillers and certain retailers in France. The FCA alleged violations of Articles 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and L.420-1 of the French Commercial Code. The statement of objections alleged, among other things, anti-competitive behavior in connection with the removal of bisphenol-A from metal packaging in France. The removal of bisphenol-A was mandated by French legislation that went into effect in 2015. The oral hearing in the matter took place in January 2023. In December 2023, the FCA determined that the case against Ball was time barred and therefore the Company has no liability.

Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2023

22. Contingencies

Ball is subject to numerous lawsuits, claims or proceedings arising out of the ordinary course of business, including actions related to product liability; personal injury; the use and performance of company products; warranty matters; patent, trademark or other intellectual property infringement; contractual liability; the conduct of the company’s business; tax reporting in domestic and non-U.S. jurisdictions; workplace safety and environmental and other matters. The company has also been identified as a potentially responsible party (PRP) at several waste disposal sites under U.S. federal and related state environmental statutes and regulations and may have joint and several liability for any investigation and remediation costs incurred with respect to such sites. In addition, the company has received claims alleging that employees in certain plants have suffered damages due to exposure to alleged workplace hazards. Some of these lawsuits, claims and proceedings involve substantial amounts, including as described below, and some of the environmental proceedings involve potential monetary costs or sanctions that may be material. Ball has denied liability with respect to many of these lawsuits, claims and proceedings and is vigorously defending such lawsuits, claims and proceedings. The company carries various forms of commercial, property and casualty, and other forms of insurance; however, such insurance may not be applicable or adequate to cover the costs associated with a judgment against Ball with respect to these lawsuits, claims and proceedings. The company estimates that potential liabilities for all currently known and estimable environmental matters are approximately $24 million in the aggregate, and such amounts have been included in other current liabilities and other noncurrent liabilities at December 31, 2023. Based on the information available at the present time, any reasonably possible loss that may be incurred in excess of the recorded accruals cannot be estimated.

On February 1, 2012, Ball Metal Beverage Container Corp. (“BMBCC”) filed suit against Crown Technology Holding, Inc. (“Crown”) in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio seeking a declaratory judgment that the CDL beverage can end made and sold by BMBCC did not infringe certain U.S. patents held by Crown. In response, Crown filed a counterclaim alleging that the CDL ends made and sold by BMBCC infringed the subject patents and seeking damages. On September 25, 2019, the District Court granted BMBCC’s motion for summary judgment holding that the patents at issue were invalid due to indefiniteness. On October 20, 2019, Crown appealed this decision to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“CAFC”). On December 31, 2020, the CAFC in a non-precedential decision, vacated the decision of the District Court finding that the District Court had not considered an additional factor under a novel position advanced by the CAFC, and remanded the case to the District Court for further proceedings. On August 2, 2023, the District Court again granted summary judgment to Ball finding that patent claims at issue are invalid due to invalidity under the revised analytical framework specified by the CAFC. On August 4, 2023, Crown appealed this decision to the CAFC. Briefing for this appeal is in process and will conclude on February 20, 2024. Oral argument is expected to be scheduled during 2024 with a decision to follow. Based on the information available at the present time, the Company is unable to predict the ultimate outcome of this claim including the amount of any reasonably possible loss and we intend to vigorously defend this matter.

A former Rexam Personal Care site in Annecy, France, was found in 2003 to be contaminated following a leak of chlorinated solvents (TCE) from an underground feedline. The site underwent extensive investigation and an active remediation treatment system was put in place in 2006. The business operating from the site was sold to Albea in 2013 and in turn to a French company CATIDOM (operating as Reboul). Reboul vacated the site in September 2014, and the site reverted back to Rexam during the first quarter of 2015. As part of the site closure regulatory requirements, a regulatory permit (Prefectoral Order) was issued in June 2016, which included requirements to undertake a cost-benefit analysis and pilot studies of further treatment for the known residual solvent contamination following the shutdown of the current on-site treatment system. A management plan based on the findings of this analysis was proposed to the French environmental authorities in 2018. Following discussions with the authorities, the final proposals for remediation works and subsequent monitoring have been agreed and were included in a Prefectural Order issued by the French Authorities in December 2022. The remediation works were completed in November 2023 and ongoing monitoring of the site will now be performed as options for the future of the site are considered. Based on the information available at this time, the company does not believe that this matter will have a material adverse effect upon its liquidity, results of operations or financial condition.

The company’s operations in Brazil are involved in various governmental assessments, which have historically mainly related to claims for taxes on the internal transfer of inventory, gross revenue taxes, and indirect tax incentives and deductibility of goodwill. In addition, one of the company’s Brazilian subsidiaries received an income tax assessment focused on the disallowance of deductions associated with the acquisition price paid to a third party for a portion of its operations. Based on the information available at the present time, the Company is unable to predict the ultimate outcome of these claims including the amount of reasonably possible loss and intends to vigorously defend these matters.

On October 7, 2021, the French Autorité de la concurrence (the French Competition Authority or “FCA”) issued a statement of objections to 14 trade associations, one public entity and 101 legal entities from 28 corporate groups, including the company, other leading metal can manufacturers, certain can fillers and certain retailers in France. The FCA alleged violations of Articles 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and L.420-1 of the French Commercial Code. The statement of objections alleged, among other things, anti-competitive behavior in connection with the removal of bisphenol-A from metal packaging in France. The removal of bisphenol-A was mandated by French legislation that went into effect in 2015. The oral hearing in the matter took place in January 2023. In December 2023, the FCA determined that the case against Ball was time barred and therefore the Company has no liability.