Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Legal Proceedings

From time to time we are involved in legal and regulatory proceedings that are incidental to the operation of our businesses (or the business operations of previously-owned entities). These proceedings may seek remedies relating to environmental matters, tax, intellectual property matters, acquisitions or divestitures, product liability and personal injury claims, privacy, employment, labor and pension matters, government contract issues and commercial or contractual disputes.

From time to time, claims may be asserted against Xylem alleging injury caused by any of our products resulting from asbestos exposure. We believe there are numerous legal defenses available for such claims and would defend ourselves vigorously. Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement among ITT Corporation (now ITT LLC), Exelis and Xylem, ITT Corporation (now ITT LLC) has an obligation to indemnify, defend and hold Xylem harmless for asbestos product liability matters, including settlements, judgments, and legal defense costs associated with all pending and future claims that may arise from past sales of ITT’s legacy products. We believe ITT Corporation (now ITT LLC) remains a substantial entity with sufficient financial resources to honor its obligations to us.

See Note 6, "Income Taxes", of our condensed consolidated financial statements for a description of a pending tax litigation matter.

Although the ultimate outcome of any legal matter cannot be predicted with certainty, based on present information, including our assessment of the merits of the particular claims, we do not believe it is reasonably possible that any asserted or unasserted legal claims or proceedings, individually or in aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, or financial condition. We have estimated and accrued $3 million and $5 million as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, for these general legal matters.

Indemnifications

As part of our 2011 spin-off from our former parent, ITT Corporation (now ITT LLC), Exelis Inc. and Xylem will indemnify, defend and hold harmless each of the other parties with respect to such parties’ assumed or retained liabilities under the Distribution Agreement and breaches of the Distribution Agreement or related spin agreements. The former parent’s indemnification obligations include asserted and unasserted asbestos and silica liability claims that relate to the presence or alleged presence of asbestos or silica in products manufactured, repaired or sold prior to October 31, 2011, the Distribution Date, subject to limited exceptions with respect to certain employee claims, or in the structure or material of any building or facility, subject to exceptions with respect to employee claims relating to Xylem buildings or facilities. The indemnification associated with pending and future asbestos claims does not expire. Xylem has not recorded a liability for material matters for which we expect to be indemnified by the former parent or Exelis Inc. through the Distribution Agreement and we are not aware of any claims or other circumstances that would give rise to material payments from us under such indemnifications. On May 29, 2015, Harris Inc. acquired Exelis. As the parent of Exelis, Harris Inc. is responsible for Exelis’ indemnification obligations under the Distribution Agreement.

Guarantees

We obtain certain stand-by letters of credit, bank guarantees, surety bonds and insurance letters of credit from third-party financial institutions in the ordinary course of business when required under contracts or to satisfy insurance related requirements. As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the amount of surety bonds, bank guarantees, stand-by letters of credit and insurance letters of credit was $330 million and $340 million, respectively.

Environmental

In the ordinary course of business, we are subject to federal, state, local, and foreign environmental laws and regulations. We are responsible, or are alleged to be responsible, for ongoing environmental investigation and remediation of sites in various countries. These sites are in various stages of investigation and/or remediation and in many of these proceedings our liability is considered de minimis. We have received notification from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and from similar state and foreign environmental agencies, that a number of sites formerly or currently owned and/or operated by Xylem or for which we are responsible under the Distribution Agreement, and other properties or water supplies that may be or have been impacted from those operations, contain disposed or recycled materials or wastes and require environmental investigation and/or remediation. These sites include instances where we have been identified as a potentially responsible party under federal and state environmental laws and regulations.

Accruals for environmental matters are recorded on a site-by-site basis when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the liability can be reasonably estimated, based on current law and existing technologies. Our accrued liabilities for these environmental matters represent our best estimates related to the investigation and remediation of environmental media such as water, soil, soil vapor, air and structures, as well as related legal fees. These estimates, and related accruals, are reviewed quarterly and updated for progress of investigation and remediation efforts and changes in facts and legal circumstances. Liabilities for these

environmental expenditures are recorded on an undiscounted basis. We have estimated and accrued $3 million and $3 million as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, for environmental matters.

It is difficult to estimate the final costs of investigation and remediation due to various factors, including incomplete information regarding particular sites and other potentially responsible parties, uncertainty regarding the extent of investigation or remediation and our share, if any, of liability for such conditions, the selection of alternative remedial approaches, and changes in environmental standards and regulatory requirements. We believe the total amount accrued is reasonable based on existing facts and circumstances.

Warranties

We warrant numerous products, the terms of which vary widely. In general, we warrant products against defect and specific non-performance. The table below provides the changes in our product warranty accrual:


(in millions)	2020		2019
Warranty accrual – January 1	$	41	$	60
Net charges for product warranties in the period	22		5
Settlement of warranty claims	(7)		(13)
Foreign currency and other	(1)		—
Warranty accrual - March 31	$	55	$	52