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Commitments and Contingencies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Commitments And Contingencies Abstract  
Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments and Contingencies
The Company is involved in various litigations, claims and administrative proceedings, including those related to environmental, asbestos, and product liability matters. Amounts recorded for identified contingent liabilities are estimates, which are reviewed periodically and adjusted to reflect additional information when it becomes available. Subject to the uncertainties inherent in estimating future costs for contingent liabilities, except as expressly set forth in this note, management believes that any liability which may result from these legal matters would not have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, results of operations, liquidity or cash flows of the Company.
Environmental Matters
The Company continues to be dedicated to an environmental program to reduce the utilization and generation of hazardous materials during the manufacturing process and to remediate identified environmental concerns. As to the latter, the Company is currently engaged in site investigations and remediation activities to address environmental cleanup from past operations at current and former manufacturing facilities.
The Company is sometimes a party to environmental lawsuits and claims and has received notices of potential violations of environmental laws and regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency and similar state authorities. It has also been identified as a potentially responsible party (PRP) for cleanup costs associated with off-site waste disposal at federal Superfund and state remediation sites. For all such sites, there are other PRPs and, in most instances, the Company’s involvement is minimal.
In estimating its liability, the Company has assumed it will not bear the entire cost of remediation of any site to the exclusion of other PRPs who may be jointly and severally liable. The ability of other PRPs to participate has been taken into account, based on our understanding of the parties’ financial condition and probable contributions on a per site basis. Additional lawsuits and claims involving environmental matters are likely to arise from time to time in the future.
During the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company incurred $2.4 million and $1.8 million, respectively, of expenses for environmental remediation at sites presently or formerly owned or leased by us. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company has recorded reserves for environmental matters of $47.7 million and $47.9 million, respectively. Of these amounts, $39.9 million and $42.1 million, respectively, relate to remediation of sites previously disposed by the Company. Environmental reserves are classified as Accrued expenses and other current liabilities or Other noncurrent liabilities based on their expected term. The Company's total current environmental reserve at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was $15.7 million and $13.5 million, respectively. Given the evolving nature of environmental laws, regulations and technology, the ultimate cost of future compliance is uncertain.
Asbestos-Related Matters
Certain wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company are named as defendants in asbestos-related lawsuits in state and federal courts. In virtually all of the suits, a large number of other companies have also been named as defendants. The vast majority of those claims have been filed against either IR-New Jersey or Trane U.S. Inc. (Trane) and generally allege injury caused by exposure to asbestos contained in certain historical products sold by IR-New Jersey or Trane, primarily pumps, boilers and railroad brake shoes. Neither IR-New Jersey nor Trane was a producer or manufacturer of asbestos, however, some formerly manufactured products utilized asbestos-containing components such as gaskets and packings purchased from third-party suppliers.
The Company engages an outside expert to assist in calculating an estimate of the Company’s total liability for pending and unasserted future asbestos-related claims and annually performs a detailed analysis with the assistance of an outside expert to update its estimated asbestos-related assets and liabilities. The methodology used to project the Company’s total liability for pending and unasserted potential future asbestos-related claims relied upon and included the following factors, among others:
the outside expert’s interpretation of a widely accepted forecast of the population likely to have been occupationally exposed to asbestos;
epidemiological studies estimating the number of people likely to develop asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma and lung cancer;
the Company’s historical experience with the filing of non-malignancy claims and claims alleging other types of malignant diseases filed against the Company relative to the number of lung cancer claims filed against the Company;
the outside expert’s analysis of the number of people likely to file an asbestos-related personal injury claim against the Company based on such epidemiological and historical data and the Company’s most recent three-year claims history;
an analysis of the Company’s pending cases, by type of disease claimed and by year filed;
an analysis of the Company’s most recent three-year history to determine the average settlement and resolution value of claims, by type of disease claimed;
an adjustment for inflation in the future average settlement value of claims, at a 2.5% annual inflation rate, adjusted downward to 1.5% to take account of the declining value of claims resulting from the aging of the claimant population; and
an analysis of the period over which the Company has and is likely to resolve asbestos-related claims against it in the future.
At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, over 80 percent of the open claims against the Company are non-malignancy claims, many of which have been placed on inactive or deferral dockets and the vast majority of which have little or no settlement value against the Company, particularly in light of recent changes in the legal and judicial treatment of such claims.
The Company’s liability for asbestos-related matters and the asset for probable asbestos-related insurance recoveries were included in the following balance sheet accounts:
In millions
March 31,
2014
 
December 31,
2013
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
$
69.1

 
$
69.1

Other noncurrent liabilities
760.4

 
777.1

Total asbestos-related liabilities
$
829.5

 
$
846.2

Other current assets
$
22.3

 
$
22.3

Other noncurrent assets
294.6

 
299.5

Total asset for probable asbestos-related insurance recoveries
$
316.9

 
$
321.8


The Company's asbestos insurance receivable related to IR-New Jersey and Trane was $135.0 million and $181.9 million at March 31, 2014, and $137.6 million and $184.2 million at December 31, 2013, respectively.
The (costs) income associated with the settlement and defense of asbestos-related claims after insurance recoveries for the three months ended March 31 were as follows:
 
Three months ended
In millions
2014
 
2013
Continuing operations
$
(1.8
)
 
$
(3.3
)
Discontinued operations
(1.3
)
 
(4.0
)
Total
$
(3.1
)
 
$
(7.3
)

IR-New Jersey records income and expenses associated with its asbestos liabilities and corresponding insurance recoveries within discontinued operations, as they relate to previously divested businesses, primarily Ingersoll-Dresser Pump, which was sold in 2000. Income and expenses associated with Trane’s asbestos liabilities and corresponding insurance recoveries are recorded within continuing operations.
Trane has now settled claims regarding asbestos coverage with most of its insurers. The settlements collectively account for approximately 95% of its recorded asbestos-related insurance receivable as of March 31, 2014. Most of Trane’s settlement agreements constitute “coverage-in-place” arrangements, in which the insurer signatories agree to reimburse Trane for specified portions of its costs for asbestos bodily injury claims and Trane agrees to certain claims-handling protocols and grants to the insurer signatories certain releases and indemnifications. Trane remains in litigation in an action that Trane filed in November 2010 in the Circuit Court for La Crosse County, Wisconsin, relating to claims for insurance coverage for a subset of Trane's historical asbestos-related liabilities.
In January 2012, IR-New Jersey filed an action in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Middlesex County, seeking a declaratory judgment and other relief regarding the Company's rights to defense and indemnity for asbestos claims. The defendants are several dozen solvent insurance companies, including companies that had been paying a portion of IR-New Jersey's asbestos claim defense and indemnity costs. The action involves IR-New Jersey's unexhausted insurance policies applicable to the asbestos claims that are not subject to any settlement agreement. The responding defendants generally challenged the Company's right to recovery, and raised various coverage defenses. In December 2013, IR-New Jersey filed a similar action in the same court against an insurer that was not a party to the 2012 action.
The Company continually monitors the status of pending litigation that could impact the allocation of asbestos claims against the Company's various insurance policies. The Company has concluded that its IR-New Jersey insurance receivable is probable of recovery because of the following factors:
a review of other companies in circumstances comparable to IR-New Jersey, including Trane, and the success of other companies in recovering under their insurance policies, including Trane's favorable settlement discussed above;
the Company's confidence in its right to recovery under the terms of its policies and pursuant to applicable law; and
the Company's history of receiving payments under the IR-New Jersey insurance program, including under policies that had been the subject of prior litigation.
The amounts recorded by the Company for asbestos-related liabilities and insurance-related assets are based on currently available information. The Company’s actual liabilities or insurance recoveries could be significantly higher or lower than those recorded if assumptions used in the calculations vary significantly from actual results. Key variables in these assumptions include the number and type of new claims to be filed each year, the average cost of resolution of each such new claim, the resolution of coverage issues with insurance carriers, and the solvency risk with respect to the Company’s insurance carriers. Furthermore, predictions with respect to these variables are subject to greater uncertainty as the projection period lengthens. Other factors that may affect the Company’s liability include uncertainties surrounding the litigation process from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and from case to case, reforms that may be made by state and federal courts, and the passage of state or federal tort reform legislation.
The aggregate amount of the stated limits in insurance policies available to the Company for asbestos-related claims acquired over many years and from many different carriers, is substantial. However, limitations in that coverage, primarily due to the considerations described above, are expected to result in the projected total liability to claimants substantially exceeding the probable insurance recovery.
Warranty Liability
Standard product warranty accruals are recorded at the time of sale and are estimated based upon product warranty terms and historical experience. The Company assesses the adequacy of its liabilities and will make adjustments as necessary based on known or anticipated warranty claims, or as new information becomes available.
The changes in the standard product warranty liability for the three months ended March 31 were as follows:
In millions
2014
 
2013
Balance at beginning of period
$
245.7

 
$
253.4

Reductions for payments
(34.8
)
 
(33.6
)
Accruals for warranties issued during the current period
37.7

 
29.2

Changes to accruals related to preexisting warranties
4.7

 
(3.8
)
Translation
(0.2
)
 
(0.9
)
Balance at end of period
$
253.1

 
$
244.3

Standard product warranty liabilities are classified as Accrued expenses and other current liabilities or Other noncurrent liabilities based on their expected term. The Company's total current standard product warranty reserve at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was $130.4 million and $127.9 million, respectively.
The Company's extended warranty liability represents the deferred revenue associated with its extended warranty contracts and is amortized into Revenue on a straight-line basis over the life of the contract, unless another method is more representative of the costs incurred. The Company assesses the adequacy of its liability by evaluating the expected costs under its existing contracts to ensure these expected costs do not exceed the extended warranty liability.
The changes in the extended warranty liability for the three months ended March 31 were as follows:
In millions
2014
 
2013
Balance at beginning of period
$
359.1

 
$
375.1

Amortization of deferred revenue for the period
(24.0
)
 
(23.7
)
Additions for extended warranties issued during the period
17.9

 
21.2

Changes to accruals related to preexisting warranties
(2.4
)
 
2.5

Translation
(0.5
)
 
(0.3
)
Balance at end of period
$
350.1

 
$
374.8

The extended warranty liability is classified as Accrued expenses and other current liabilities or Other noncurrent liabilities based on the timing of when the deferred revenue is expected to be amortized into Revenue. The Company's total current extended warranty liability at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was $97.6 million and $98.5 million, respectively. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company incurred costs of $12.7 million and $12.4 million, respectively, related to extended warranties.
Other
Trane has commitments and performance guarantees, including energy savings guarantees, totaling $443.3 million extending from 2014-2033. These guarantees are provided under long-term service and maintenance contracts related to its air conditioning equipment and system controls. Through March 31, 2014, the Company has experienced no significant losses under such arrangements and considers the probability of any significant future losses to be remote.