Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees

9 Months Ended

Oct. 01, 2020

Commitments Contingencies And Guarantees [Abstract]

Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees

Litigation

From time to time, the Company is subject to, and is presently involved in, litigation, legal proceedings, or other claims arising in the ordinary course of business. While the final outcome of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, considering, among other things, the meritorious legal defenses available, the Company believes that, on a basis of information presently available, none of these items, when finally resolved, will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s long-term financial position or liquidity.

On February 10, 2020, February 24, 2020, and March 24, 2020, three separate private securities class action lawsuits were filed against the Company in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, its Chief Executive Officer, Tom Gentile III, former chief financial officer, Jose Garcia, and former controller (principal accounting officer), John Gilson. On April 20, 2020, the Class Actions were consolidated by the court (the “Consolidated Class Action”), and on July 20, 2020, the plaintiffs filed a Consolidated Class Action Complaint which added Shawn Campbell, the Company’s former Vice President for the 737NG and 737 Max program, as a defendant. Allegations in the Consolidated Class Action include (i) violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder against the Company and Messrs. Gentile, Garcia and Gilson, (ii) violations of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act against the individual defendants, and (iii) violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5(a) and (c) promulgated thereunder against all defendants.

On June 11, 2020, a shareholder derivative lawsuit (the “Derivative Action 1”) was filed against the Company (as nominal defendant), all members of the Company’s Board of Directors, and Messrs. Garcia and Gilson in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. Allegations in the Derivative Action 1 include (i) breach of fiduciary duty, (ii) abuse of control, and (iii) gross mismanagement. On October 5, 2020, a shareholder derivative lawsuit (the “Derivative Action 2” and, together with Derivative Action 1, the “Derivative Actions”) was filed against the Company (as nominal defendant), all members of the Company’s Board of Directors, and Messrs. Garcia and Gilson in the Eighteenth Judicial District, District Court of Sedgwick County, Kansas. Allegations in the Derivative Action 2 include (i) breach of fiduciary duty, (ii) waste of corporate assets, and (iii) unjust enrichment.

The facts underlying the Consolidated Class Action and Derivative Actions relate to the accounting process compliance independent review (the “Accounting Review”) discussed in the Company’s January 30, 2020 press release and described under Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Accounting Review of the 2019 Form 10-K and its resulting conclusions. The Company voluntarily reported to the SEC the determination that, with respect to the third quarter of 2019, the Company did not comply with its established accounting processes related to potential third quarter contingent liabilities received after the quarter-end. On March 24, 2020, the Staff of the SEC Enforcement Division informed the Company that it had determined to close its inquiry without recommending any enforcement action against Spirit. In addition, the facts underlying the Consolidated Class Action and Derivative Actions relate to the Company’s disclosures regarding the B737 MAX grounding and Spirit’s production rate (and related matters) after the grounding. The Company and individual defendants deny the allegations in the Consolidated Class Action and the Derivative Actions.

From time to time, in the ordinary course of business and similar to others in the industry, the Company receives requests for information from government agencies in connection with their regulatory or investigational authority. Such requests can include subpoenas or demand letters for documents to assist the government in audits or investigations. The Company reviews such requests and notices and takes appropriate action. Additionally, the Company is subject to federal and state requirements for protection of the environment, including those for disposal of hazardous waste and remediation of contaminated sites. As a result, the Company is required to participate in certain government investigations regarding environmental remediation actions.

The Company is involved in a lawsuit filed by a former executive officer for benefits withheld in connection with a disputed violation of restrictive covenants within his retirement agreement. While the Company believes it is not probable that the former executive will succeed in the lawsuit, based upon the executive’s selection of cash as the sole remedy in the third quarter of 2020, the lawsuit could result in a loss up to $40 including pre-trial interest and any other relief, including an estimated offset by retaining previously vested shares. Factors underlying this estimated range of loss may change from time to time, and actual results may vary significantly from this estimate.

Customer and Vendor Claims

From time to time the Company receives, or is subject to, customer and vendor claims arising in the ordinary course of business, including, but not limited to, those related to product quality and late delivery. The Company accrues for matters when losses are deemed probable and reasonably estimable. In evaluating matters for accrual and disclosure purposes, we take into consideration multiple factors including without limitation our historical experience with matters of a similar nature, the specific facts and circumstances asserted, the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome, and the severity of any potential loss. Any accruals deemed necessary are reevaluated at least quarterly and updated as matters progress over time.

While the final outcome of these types of matters cannot be predicted with certainty, considering, among other things, the factual and legal defenses available, it is the opinion of the Company that, when finally resolved, no current claims will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s long-term financial position or liquidity. However, it is possible that the Company’s results of operations in a period could be materially affected by one or more of these other matters.

Guarantees

Outstanding guarantees were $19.4 and $21.5 at October 1, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

Restricted Cash - Collateral Requirements

The Company was required to maintain $19.5 and $16.4 of restricted cash as of October 1, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, related to certain collateral requirements for obligations under its workers’ compensation programs. The restricted cash is included in “Other assets” in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Indemnification

The Company has entered into customary indemnification agreements with its non-employee directors, and its bylaws and certain executive employment agreements include indemnification and advancement provisions. Pursuant to the terms of the bylaws and, with respect to Jose Garcia, his employment agreement, the Company is providing Messrs. Garcia and Gilson advancement of defense costs and provisional indemnity with respect to the Consolidated Class Action and Derivative Actions. Under the bylaws and any applicable agreements, the Company agrees to indemnify each of these individuals against claims arising out of events or occurrences related to that individual’s service as the Company’s agent or the agent of any of its subsidiaries to the fullest extent legally permitted.

The Company has agreed to indemnify parties for specified liabilities incurred, or that may be incurred, in connection with transactions they have entered into with the Company. The Company is unable to assess the potential number of future claims that may be asserted under these indemnities, nor the amounts thereof (if any). As a result, the Company cannot estimate the maximum potential amount of future payments under these indemnities and therefore, no liability has been recorded.

Service and Product Warranties and Extraordinary Rework

Provisions for estimated expenses related to service and product warranties and certain extraordinary rework are evaluated on a quarterly basis. These costs are accrued and are recorded to unallocated cost of goods sold. These estimates are established using historical information on the nature, frequency, and average cost of warranty claims, including the experience of industry peers. In the case of new development products or new customers, Spirit considers other factors including the experience of other entities in the same business and management judgment, among others. Service warranty and extraordinary rework is reported in current liabilities and other liabilities on the balance sheet.

The warranty balance presented in the table below includes unresolved warranty claims that are in dispute in regards to their value as well as their contractual liability. The Company estimated the total costs related to some of these claims, however, there is significant uncertainty surrounding the disposition of these disputed claims and as such, the ultimate determination of the provision’s adequacy requires significant management judgment. The amount of the specific provisions recorded against disputed warranty claims was $8.1 as of October 1, 2020 and December 31, 2019. These specific provisions represent the Company’s best estimate of probable warranty claims. Should the Company incur higher than expected warranty costs and/or discover new or additional information related to these warranty provisions, the Company may incur additional charges that exceed these recorded provisions. The Company utilized available information to make appropriate assessments, however, the Company recognizes that data on actual claims experience is of limited duration and therefore, claims projections are subject to significant judgment. The amount of the reasonably possible disputed warranty claims in excess of the specific warranty provision was $12.1 as of October 1, 2020 and December 31, 2019.

The following is a roll forward of the service warranty and extraordinary rework balance at October 1, 2020:


Balance, December 31, 2019	$	64.7
Charges to costs and expenses	2.9
Payouts	(1.4)
Exchange rate	(0.2)
Balance, October 1, 2020	$	66.0