Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Aug. 31, 2019

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Contingencies

Contingencies

Financial Instruments

The Company maintained standby letters of credit (“LOC”) totaling $4.2 million at August 31, 2019 that were issued under our Revolving Credit Facility.  The outstanding LOCs are for the benefit of certain insurance companies, and are not recorded as a liability on the consolidated balance sheets.

Egg Antitrust Litigation

On September 25, 2008, the Company was named as one of several defendants in numerous antitrust cases involving the United States shell egg industry. The cases were consolidated into In re: Processed Egg Products Antitrust Litigation, No. 2:08-md-02002-GP, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (the “District Court”), in three groups of cases - the “Direct Purchaser Putative Class Action”, the “Indirect Purchaser Putative Class Action” and the “Non-Class Cases.” As previously reported, the Company settled all of the Direct Purchaser Putative Class Action cases and the Indirect Purchaser Putative Class Action cases, and all Non-Class cases except for the claims of certain plaintiffs who sought substantial damages allegedly arising from the purchase of egg products (as opposed to shell eggs). As previously reported, the Company settled all

claims brought by one of these plaintiffs, Conopco, Inc. The Court entered a final judgment dismissing Conopco’s claims against the Company on November 21, 2018. The remaining plaintiffs are Kraft Food Global, Inc., General Mills, Inc., Nestle USA, Inc., and The Kellogg Company (“Egg Products Plaintiffs”). The Egg Products Plaintiffs seek treble damages and injunctive relief under the Sherman Act and are attacking certain features of the UEP animal-welfare guidelines and program used by the Company and many other egg producers. On July 2, 2019 the Egg Products Plaintiffs filed a motion to remand, and on September 13, 2019 the case was remanded to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Kraft Foods Global, Inc. et al v. United Egg Producers, Inc. et al, No. 1:11-cv-08808 (DP), where it was initially filed, for trial. The Illinois court has not issued a case management order or any other directive.

The Company intends to continue to defend the remaining case as vigorously as possible based on defenses which the Company believes are meritorious and provable.  While management believes that the likelihood of a material adverse outcome in the overall egg antitrust litigation has been significantly reduced as a result of the settlements and rulings described above, there is still a reasonable possibility of a material adverse outcome in the remaining egg antitrust litigation. At the present time, however, it is not possible to estimate the amount of monetary exposure, if any, to the Company because of this remaining case.  Adjustments, if any, which might result from the resolution of these remaining legal matters, have not been reflected in the financial statements.

Other Matters

In addition to the above, the Company is involved in various other claims and litigation incidental to its business. Although the outcome of these matters cannot be determined with certainty, management, upon the advice of counsel, is of the opinion that the final outcome should not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated results of operations or financial position.