Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

19. Commitments and Contingencies

Non-Cancelable Operating Leases

The Company leases certain facilities and equipment under agreements expiring at various dates through 2028. Certain leases contain renewal options or escalation clauses providing for increased rental payments based upon maintenance, utility and tax increases. No lease agreement imposes a restriction on the Company’s ability to pay dividends, engage in debt or equity financing transactions, or enter into further lease agreements.

The following table presents future minimum payments under non-cancelable operating leases with initial or remaining terms in excess of one year at December 31, 2011.

	Real Estate		Equipment		Total
	(in millions)
2012	$	167	$	11	$	178
2013		120		6		126
2014		101		3		104
2015		68		1		69
2016		50		—		50
Thereafter		103		—		103
Total minimum payments required		609		21		630
Less: Sublease rentals under non-cancelable leases		10		—		10
Net minimum payments required	$	599	$	21	$	620

Rent expense, net of sublease income, was $164 million for 2011, $176 million for 2010, and $170 million for 2009.

Letters of Credit

The Company enters into standby letters of credit with financial institutions covering performance and financial guarantees pursuant to contractual arrangements with certain customers. The Company had total outstanding letters of credit aggregating to $410 million, of which $3 million reduces the amount of available borrowings to the Company under the Revolving Credit Facility at December 31, 2011, and $394 million, of which, $17 million reduced the amount of available borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility at December 31, 2010. These letters of credit may be drawn upon in the event of the Company’s nonperformance.

Guarantees

The Company, from time to time, enters into contractual guarantees that arise in connection with its business acquisitions, dispositions, and other contractual arrangements in the normal course of business.

The Company has two existing real estate lease agreements, which include residual guarantee amounts, expiring on August 31, 2012 and are accounted for as operating leases. On or before the lease expiration date, the Company can exercise options under the lease agreements to either renew the leases, purchase both properties for $28 million, or sell both properties on behalf of the lessor (the “Sale Option”). If the Company elects the Sale Option, the Company must pay the lessor a residual guarantee amount of $23 million for both properties, on or before the lease expiration date. In addition, at the time both properties are sold, the Company must pay the lessor a supplemental rent payment equal to the gross sales proceeds in excess of the residual guarantee, provided that such amount shall not exceed $5 million. For these real estate lease agreements, if the gross sales proceeds are less than the sum of the residual guarantee amount and the supplemental rent payment, the Company is required to pay a supplemental rent payment to the extent the reduction in the fair value of the properties is demonstrated by an independent appraisal to have been caused by the Company’s failure to properly maintain the properties. The aggregate residual guarantee amounts equal $23 million and are included in the future minimum payments under non-cancelable real estate operating lease payments relating to the expiration dates of such leases.

The Company has a contract to provide and operate for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) a full-service training facility, including simulator systems adjacent to a USAF base in Oklahoma. The Company acted as the construction agent on behalf of the third-party owner-lessors for procurement and construction for the simulator systems, which were completed and delivered in August 2002. The Company, as lessee, entered into operating lease agreements for a term of 15 years for the simulator systems with the owner-lessors. At the end of the lease term, the Company may elect to purchase the simulator systems at fair market value, which can be no less than $7 million and no greater than $21 million. If the Company does not elect to purchase the simulator systems on the date of expiration (July 15, 2017), the Company shall pay to the lessor, as additional rent, $3 million and return the simulator systems to the lessors.

Environmental Matters

Management continually assesses the Company’s obligations with respect to applicable environmental protection laws, including those obligations assumed in connection with certain business acquisitions. While it is difficult to determine the timing and ultimate cost to be incurred by the Company in order to comply with these laws, based upon available internal and external assessments, with respect to those environmental loss contingencies of which management is aware, the Company believes that there are no environmental loss contingencies that, individually or in the aggregate, would be material to the Company’s consolidated results of operations. The Company accrues for these contingencies when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated.

Procurement Regulations

A substantial majority of the Company’s revenues are generated from providing products and services under legally binding agreements or contracts with U.S. Government and foreign government customers. U.S. Government contracts are subject to extensive legal and regulatory requirements, and from time to time, agencies of the U.S. Government investigate whether such contracts were and are being conducted in accordance with these requirements. The Company is currently cooperating with the U.S. Government on several investigations, including those specified below, from which civil, criminal or administrative proceedings have or could result and give rise to fines, penalties, compensatory and treble damages, restitution and/or forfeitures. The Company does not currently anticipate that any of these investigations will have a material adverse effect, individually or in the aggregate, on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. However, under U.S. Government regulations, an indictment of the Company by a federal grand jury, or an administrative finding against the Company as to its present responsibility to be a U.S. Government contractor or subcontractor, could result in the Company being suspended for a period of time from eligibility for awards of new government contracts or task orders or in a loss of export privileges. A conviction, or an administrative finding against the Company that satisfies the requisite level of seriousness, could result in debarment from contracting with the federal government for a specified term. In addition, all of the Company’s U.S. Government contracts: (1) are subject to audit and various pricing and cost controls, (2) include standard provisions for termination for the convenience of the U.S. Government or for default, and (3) are subject to cancellation if funds for contracts become unavailable. Foreign government contracts generally include comparable provisions relating to terminations for convenience and default, as well as other procurement clauses relevant to the foreign government.

Litigation Matters

The Company is also subject to litigation, proceedings, claims or assessments and various contingent liabilities incidental to its businesses, including those specified below. Furthermore, in connection with certain business acquisitions, the Company has assumed some or all claims against, and liabilities of, such acquired businesses, including both asserted and unasserted claims and liabilities.

In accordance with the accounting standard for contingencies, the Company records a liability when management believes that it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and the Company can reasonably estimate the amount of the loss. Generally, the loss is recorded at the amount the Company expects to resolve the liability. The estimated amounts of liabilities recorded for pending and threatened litigation are disclosed in Note 8. Amounts recoverable from insurance contracts or third parties are recorded as assets when deemed probable. At December 31, 2011, the Company did not record any amounts for recoveries from insurance contracts or third parties in connection with the amount of liabilities recorded for pending and threatened litigation. Legal defense costs are expensed as incurred. The Company believes it has recorded adequate provisions for its litigation matters. The Company reviews these provisions quarterly and adjusts these provisions to reflect the impact of negotiations, settlements, rulings, advice of legal counsel and other information and events pertaining to a particular matter. While it is reasonably possible that an unfavorable outcome may occur in one or more of the following matters, unless otherwise stated below, the Company believes that it is not probable that a loss has been incurred in any of these matters. With respect to the litigation matters below for which it is reasonably possible that an unfavorable outcome may occur, an estimate of loss or range of loss is disclosed when such amount or amounts can be reasonably estimated. Although the Company believes that it has valid defenses with respect to legal matters and investigations pending against it, the results of litigation can be difficult to predict, particularly those involving jury trials. Accordingly, our current judgment as to the likelihood of our loss (or our current estimate as to the potential range of loss, if applicable) with respect to any particular litigation matter may turn out to be wrong. Therefore, it is possible that the financial position, results of operations or cash flows of the Company could be materially adversely affected in any particular period by the unfavorable resolution of one or more of these or other contingencies.

Kalitta Air. On January 31, 1997, a predecessor of Kalitta Air filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (the trial court) asserting, among other things, negligence and negligent misrepresentation against Central Texas Airborne Systems, Inc. (CTAS), a predecessor to L-3 Integrated Systems (L-3 IS), in connection with work performed by a predecessor to CTAS to convert two Boeing 747 aircraft from passenger configuration to cargo freighters. CTAS’ insurance carrier has accepted defense of this matter and has retained counsel, subject to a reservation of rights by the insurer to dispute its obligations under the applicable insurance policies in the event a judgment is ultimately rendered against CTAS. The work at issue in the lawsuit was performed using Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) issued in 1988 by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In 1996, following completion of the work, the FAA issued an airworthiness directive with respect to the STCs that effectively grounded the aircraft. On August 11, 2000, the trial court granted CTAS’ motion for summary judgment as to negligence, dismissing that claim. In January 2001, after a ruling by the trial court that excluded certain evidence from trial, a jury rendered a unanimous defense verdict in favor of CTAS on the negligent misrepresentation claim. On December 10, 2002, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (the Court of Appeals) reversed the trial court’s decisions as to summary judgment and the exclusion of evidence, and remanded the case for a new trial on both the negligence and negligent misrepresentation claims. The retrial ended on March 2, 2005 with a deadlocked jury and mistrial. On July 22, 2005, the trial court granted CTAS’ motion for judgment as a matter of law as to negligence, dismissing that claim, and denied CTAS’ motion for judgment as a matter of law as to negligent misrepresentation. On October 8, 2008, the Court of Appeals reversed the trial court’s dismissal of the negligence claim and affirmed the trial court’s ruling as to the negligent misrepresentation claim. As a result, the case was remanded to the trial court to reconsider the negligence claim and for further proceedings on the negligent misrepresentation claim. The trial court held a new hearing on CTAS’ motion to dismiss the negligence claim on April 30, 2009, after which it determined to take the matter under advisement. A third jury trial for this matter began on October 31, 2011, during which Kalitta Air sought damages of approximately $235 million plus an unspecified amount of pre-judgment interest that, in other contexts, has been claimed by Kalitta Air to exceed $240 million. Following the completion of the third trial on November 30, 2011, the jury rendered a verdict in favor of CTAS, finding no negligence on the part of CTAS. CTAS subsequently filed a motion seeking entry of judgment on the verdict, and the parties are awaiting the trial court’s decision. Kalitta Air has indicated that it intends to appeal once the trial court enters a judgment upon the verdict.

CyTerra Government Investigation. Since November 2006, CyTerra has been served with civil and Grand Jury subpoenas by the DoD Office of the Inspector General and the DoJ and has been asked to facilitate employee interviews. The Company is cooperating fully with the U.S. Government. The Company believes that it is entitled to indemnification with respect to this matter, and has made a claim against a $15 million escrow fund established in connection with the Company’s acquisition of CyTerra in March 2006. The Company was advised in June 2011 that the Grand Jury portion of this matter has been closed without further action. Although the civil portion of this matter remains open, in light of the preliminary nature of the proceedings, the Company is unable to estimate a range of loss that is reasonably possible for this matter.

Bashkirian Airways. On July 1, 2004, lawsuits were filed on behalf of the estates of 31 Russian children in the state courts of Washington, Arizona, California, Florida, New York and New Jersey against Honeywell, Honeywell TCAS, Thales USA, Thales France, the Company and Aviation Communications & Surveillance Systems (ACSS), which is a joint venture of L-3 and Thales. The suits relate to the crash over southern Germany of Bashkirian Airways Tupelov TU 154M aircraft and a DHL Boeing 757 cargo aircraft. On-board the Tupelov aircraft were 9 crew members and 60 passengers, including 45 children. The Boeing aircraft carried a crew of two. Both aircraft were equipped with Honeywell/ACSS Model 2000, Change 7 Traffic Collision and Avoidance Systems (TCAS). Sensing the other aircraft, the on-board DHL TCAS instructed the DHL pilot to descend, and the Tupelov on-board TCAS instructed the Tupelov pilot to climb. However, the Swiss air traffic controller ordered the Tupelov pilot to descend. The Tupelov pilot disregarded the on-board TCAS and put the Tupelov aircraft into a descent striking the DHL aircraft in midair at approximately 35,000 feet. All crew and passengers of both planes were lost. Investigations by the National Transportation Safety Board after the crash revealed that both TCAS units were performing as designed. The suits allege negligence and strict product liability based upon the design of the units and the training provided to resolve conflicting commands and seek approximately $315 million in damages, including $150 million in punitive damages. The Company’s insurers have accepted defense of this matter and have retained counsel. The matters were consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, which has dismissed the actions on the basis of forum non conveniens. The plaintiffs re-filed a complaint on April 23, 2007 with the Barcelona Court’s Registry in Spain. On March 9, 2010, the court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and entered judgment against ACSS in the amount of approximately $6.7 million, all of which represented compensatory damages. The Company believes that the verdict and the damages awarded are inconsistent with the law and evidence presented. Accordingly, ACSS filed an appeal of this ruling on April 27, 2010. The plaintiffs also filed an appeal of this ruling on the same date.

Gol Airlines. A complaint was filed on November 7, 2006 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York against ExcelAire, Joseph Lepore, Jan Paul Paladino, and Honeywell. On October 23, 2007, an amended complaint was filed to include Lockheed, Raytheon, Amazon Technologies and ACSS. The complaints relate to the September 29, 2006 airplane crash over Brazil of a Boeing 737-800 operated by GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes, S.A. and an Embraer 600 business jet operated by ExcelAire. The complaints allege that ACSS designed the TCAS on the ExcelAire jet, and assert claims of negligence, strict products liability and breach of warranty against ACSS based on the design of the TCAS and the instructions provided for its use. The complaints seek unspecified monetary damages, including punitive damages. The Company’s insurers have accepted defense of this matter and have retained counsel. On July 2, 2008, the District Court dismissed the actions on the basis of forum non conveniens on the grounds that Brazil was the location of the accident and is more convenient for witnesses and document availability. On December 2, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld this decision. Twelve of the plaintiffs re-filed their complaints in the Lower Civil Court in the Judicial District of Peixoto de Azevedo in Brazil on July 3, 2009, but withdrew their complaints in July 2010 without prejudice to their right to re-file them against ACSS. An additional four plaintiffs re-filed their complaints in the Lower Civil Court in Rio de Janiero before the expiration of the statute of limitations. ACSS has not been served in any of these actions. While the statute of limitations has expired and would bar any additional plaintiffs (beyond the 16 noted above) from re-filing claims directly against ACSS, it would not bar GOL from filing a future suit against ACSS based on litigation claims being pursued by the original plaintiffs against GOL in connection with this matter. The Company is unable to estimate a range of loss that is reasonably possible for this matter because: (i) the proceedings are in early stages; (ii) there are significant factual issues to be resolved and (iii) there is uncertainty as to the outcome of the claims being pursued against GOL, and the Company’s knowledge of the proceedings relating to these claims is limited.