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Commitments and Contingencies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments and Contingencies:

Leases
On March 22, 2013, we entered into an agreement with a financial institution to renew the lease of our corporate headquarters in Richardson, Texas (the "Lake Park Renewal") for a term of approximately six years through March 1, 2019. The leased property consists of an office building of approximately 192,000 square feet, land and related improvements. During the term, the Lake Park Renewal requires us to pay base rent in quarterly installments, payable in arrears. At the end of the term, we must do one of the following: (i) purchase the property for approximately $41.2 million; (ii) vacate the property and return it in good condition; (iii) arrange for the sale of the leased property to a third party; or (iv) renew the lease under mutually agreeable terms. If we elect to sell the property to a third party and the sales proceeds are less than the lease balance, we must pay any such deficit to the financial institution. Any such deficit payment cannot exceed 86% of the lease balance. The Lake Park Renewal is classified as an operating lease.
Our obligations under the Lake Park Renewal are secured by a pledge of our interest in the leased property. The Lake Park Renewal contains customary lease covenants and events of default as well as events of default if (i) indebtedness of $75 million or more is not paid when due, (ii) there is a change of control or (iii) we fail to comply with certain covenants incorporated from our Domestic Credit Facility. We were in compliance with those covenants as of March 31, 2013.

Product Warranties and Product Related Contingencies

Total liabilities for estimated product warranty costs related to continuing operations are included in the following captions on the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets (in millions):
 
 
As of March 31, 2013
 
As of December 31, 2012
Accrued expenses
$
24.2

 
$
25.1

Other liabilities
49.6

 
46.8

 
$
73.8

 
$
71.9


The changes in total product warranty liabilities related to continuing operations for the three months ended March 31, 2013 were as follows (in millions):
 
Total warranty liability as of December 31, 2012
$
71.9

Payments made in 2013
(3.9
)
Changes resulting from issuance of new warranties
6.1

Changes in estimates associated with pre-existing liabilities

Changes in foreign currency translation rates and other
(0.3
)
Total warranty liability as of March 31, 2013
$
73.8


We evaluate our heating, ventilation and air conditioning ("HVAC") warranty liabilities at the end of each accounting period and also perform a complete re-evaluation of these liabilities annually in the second quarter.
We incur the risk of liability claims for the installation and service of heating and air conditioning products, and we maintain liabilities for those claims that we self-insure. We are involved in various claims and lawsuits related to our products. Our product liability insurance policies have limits that, if exceeded, may result in substantial costs that could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, warranty claims are not covered by our product liability insurance and certain product liability claims also may not be covered by our product liability insurance. There have been no material changes in the circumstances that affect our product warranties since our latest fiscal year-end.
We may also incur costs related to our products that may not be covered under our warranties and are not covered by insurance, and we may, from time to time, repair or replace installed products experiencing quality issues in order to satisfy our customers and to protect our brand. These product quality issues may be caused by vendor-supplied components that fail to meet required specifications.
We identified non-warranty product quality issues we believe resulted from vendor supplied materials, including a heating and cooling product line produced in 2006 and 2007 and a refrigerant product quality issue. The expense for these product quality issues, and the related liabilities, are not included in the above tables related to our estimated warranty liabilities. The expenses related to these product quality issues were classified in Cost of Goods Sold in the Consolidated Statements of Operations and the related liabilities are included in Accrued Expenses in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We may incur additional charges in the future as more information becomes available. The changes in the accrued product quality issues for the three months ended March 31, 2013 were as follows (in millions):
 
Total accrued product quality issue as of December 31, 2012
$
6.7

Changes in estimates associated with pre-existing liabilities

Product quality claims
(0.6
)
Total accrued product quality issue as of March 31, 2013
$
6.1



Litigation

We are involved in a number of claims and lawsuits incident to the operation of our businesses. Insurance coverages are maintained and estimated costs are recorded for such claims and lawsuits, including costs to settle claims and lawsuits based on experience involving similar matters and specific facts known. Costs related to such matters were not material to the periods presented.

Some of these claims and lawsuits allege health problems resulting from exposure to asbestos and we expect that additional claims will be brought against us in the future. However, our liability exposure from those additional future claims cannot be estimated because of numerous uncertainties, including the number of such claims and lawsuits and the costs of defending and settling them, possible adverse judgments in amounts greater than previously experienced, and possible changes in the laws and process governing the compensation of asbestos claimants. In the first quarter of 2013, we recorded charges of $0.6 million, net of insurance recoveries, related to asbestos matters in Selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operation.

We are also involved in patent litigation claims related to products from an acquired business. The Company believes it has indemnification protection (with certain limitations) for these claims.

It is management's opinion that none of these claims or lawsuits or any threatened litigation will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Claims and lawsuits, however, involve uncertainties and it is possible that their eventual outcome could adversely affect our results of operations for a particular period.