Legal Proceedings and Other Matters	12 Months Ended
May 31, 2023
Legal Proceedings and Other Matters
Legal Proceedings and Other Matters	17. Legal Proceedings and Other Matters We are involved in various claims and legal actions, including environmental matters, arising in the ordinary course of business. We are not a party to any material pending legal proceeding (including any governmental or environmental proceeding) other than routine litigation incidental to our business except for the following: Department of Justice Investigation As previously reported, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DoJ”), acting through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois, conducted an investigation of AAR Airlift Group, Inc. (“Airlift”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of AAR CORP., under the federal civil False Claims Act (“FCA”). The investigation related to Airlift’s performance of several contracts awarded by the U.S. Transportation Command (“TRANSCOM”) concerning the operations and maintenance of rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft in Afghanistan and Africa, as well as several U.S. Navy contracts. In June 2018, the DoJ informed Airlift that part of the investigation was precipitated by a lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the FCA by a former employee of Airlift. In June 2021, Airlift and the DoJ reached an agreement to settle the FCA investigation and related matters for approximately $11.5 million which concluded the DoJ investigation into Airlift’s contracts with TRANSCOM and the U.S. Navy. As part of the settlement, Airlift and AAR did not admit any wrongdoing. We recognized charges of $11.0 million in discontinued operations in fiscal 2021 related to this agreement and related matters with payment for the entire matter made in the first quarter of fiscal 2022. Self-Reporting of Potential Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Violations The Company retained outside counsel to investigate possible violations of the Company’s Code of Conduct, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and other applicable laws, relating to the Company’s activities in Nepal and South Africa. Based on these investigations, in fiscal 2019, we self-reported these matters to the DoJ, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the UK Serious Fraud Office. The Company is fully cooperating with the reviews by these agencies, although we are unable at this time to predict what action, if any, they may take. Russian Bankruptcy Litigation During calendar years 2016 and 2017, certain of the Company’s subsidiaries purchased four engines from VIM-AVIA Airlines, LLC (“VIM-AVIA”), a company organized in Russia. Subsequent to the purchase of the engines, VIM-AVIA declared bankruptcy in Russian courts, and shortly thereafter the receiver of the VIM-AVIA bankruptcy estate and one of the major creditors of VIM-AVIA filed a claw-back action against our subsidiaries alleging that the contracts entered into with VIM-AVIA in the 2016-2017 timeframe are invalid. The clawback action alleged that our subsidiaries owe the VIM-AVIA bankruptcy estate approximately $13 million, the alleged fair market value of the four engines at the time of sale. In March 2022, the Russian court awarded a $1.8 million judgment against the Company relating to one engine, and dismissed all the other claims against the Company relating to the three remaining engines. The Company has appealed the $1.8 million judgment entered against it by the Russian court, and the receiver and the creditor have appealed that portion to the Russian court’s judgment dismissing their claims relating to the remaining three engines. These appeals remain pending. The Company strongly disputes all claims asserted in the clawback action. However, with the developments in the Russia/Ukraine conflict, the U.S. and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies imposed a range of sanctions and export controls in February 2022 on Russian entities and individuals. These sanctions and export controls have resulted in heightened tensions between the United States and Russia and a hostile business and legal environment for foreign companies in Russia, which may negatively impact the Company’s ability to defend a VIM-AVIA appeal of the judgments in the Company’s favor. We have recognized a liability for the $1.8 million judgment in the three-month period ended February 28, 2023. Performance Guarantee In conjunction with the fiscal 2021 sale of our Composites business, we retained a performance guarantee to a customer of the Composites business (the “Customer”) under an existing contract providing flap track fairings on the A220 aircraft (“A220 Contract”). The term of the A220 Contract and our performance guarantee extend for the duration that A220 aircraft are in service and the customer continues to maintain support for the A220 aircraft. The performance guarantee does not contain a financial cap. In March 2022, the buyer of the Composites business (the “Buyer”) filed for bankruptcy and moved to have the bankruptcy court reject the A220 Contract. The Customer also notified us that it believes the Buyer has failed to timely deliver products in accordance with the terms of the A220 Contract and that the Customer has incurred losses related to the asserted non-compliance that the Customer believes is covered by our performance guarantee. To date, the Customer has provided us with limited details in support of the extent of the Customer’s claimed losses with respect to the A220 Contract and its contention that we may be responsible under our performance guarantee to reimburse the Customer for any portion of its claimed losses. The Customer filed suit against us during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023 claiming damages of at least $32 million. In this regard, while we are continuing to seek additional detail around the facts and legal basis underlying the claim for losses the Customer attributed to the A220 Contract and the Customer’s corresponding claim under the performance guarantee, we strongly disagree with the premise of the Customer’s claim based on the information available and known to us at this time, and we believe that we have numerous defenses available against this claim that we will vigorously pursue. While it is reasonably possible that we will incur a loss from the claim under the performance guarantee, we are unable to estimate the range of loss on this claim. There can be no assurance that the Customer’s claim under the performance guarantee will not have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial position and cash flows.

Legal Proceedings and Other Matters

12 Months Ended

May 31, 2023

17. Legal Proceedings and Other Matters

We are involved in various claims and legal actions, including environmental matters, arising in the ordinary course of business. We are not a party to any material pending legal proceeding (including any governmental or environmental proceeding) other than routine litigation incidental to our business except for the following:

Department of Justice Investigation

As previously reported, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DoJ”), acting through the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois, conducted an investigation of AAR Airlift Group, Inc. (“Airlift”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of AAR CORP., under the federal civil False Claims Act (“FCA”). The investigation related to Airlift’s performance of several contracts awarded by the U.S. Transportation Command (“TRANSCOM”) concerning the operations and maintenance of rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft in Afghanistan and Africa, as well as several U.S. Navy contracts. In June 2018, the DoJ informed Airlift that part of the investigation was precipitated by a lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the FCA by a former employee of Airlift.

In June 2021, Airlift and the DoJ reached an agreement to settle the FCA investigation and related matters for approximately $11.5 million which concluded the DoJ investigation into Airlift’s contracts with TRANSCOM and the U.S. Navy. As part of the settlement, Airlift and AAR did not admit any wrongdoing.

We recognized charges of $11.0 million in discontinued operations in fiscal 2021 related to this agreement and related matters with payment for the entire matter made in the first quarter of fiscal 2022.

Self-Reporting of Potential Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Violations

The Company retained outside counsel to investigate possible violations of the Company’s Code of Conduct, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and other applicable laws, relating to the Company’s activities in Nepal and South Africa. Based on these investigations, in fiscal 2019, we self-reported these matters to the DoJ, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the UK Serious Fraud Office. The Company is fully cooperating with the reviews by these agencies, although we are unable at this time to predict what action, if any, they may take.

Russian Bankruptcy Litigation

During calendar years 2016 and 2017, certain of the Company’s subsidiaries purchased four engines from VIM-AVIA Airlines, LLC (“VIM-AVIA”), a company organized in Russia. Subsequent to the purchase of the engines, VIM-AVIA declared bankruptcy in Russian courts, and shortly thereafter the receiver of the VIM-AVIA bankruptcy estate and one of the major creditors of VIM-AVIA filed a claw-back action against our subsidiaries alleging that the contracts entered into with VIM-AVIA in the 2016-2017 timeframe are invalid. The clawback action alleged that our subsidiaries owe the VIM-AVIA bankruptcy estate approximately $13 million, the alleged fair market value of the four engines at the time of sale. In March 2022, the Russian court awarded a $1.8 million judgment against the Company relating to one engine, and dismissed all the other claims against the Company relating to the three remaining engines. The Company has appealed the $1.8 million judgment entered against it by the Russian court, and the receiver and the creditor have appealed that portion to the Russian court’s judgment dismissing their claims relating to the remaining three engines. These appeals remain pending. The Company strongly disputes all claims asserted in the clawback action. However, with the developments in the Russia/Ukraine conflict, the U.S. and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies imposed a range of sanctions and export controls in February 2022 on Russian entities and individuals. These sanctions and export controls have resulted in heightened tensions between the United States and Russia and a hostile business and legal environment for foreign companies in Russia, which may negatively impact the Company’s ability to defend a VIM-AVIA appeal of the judgments in the Company’s favor. We have recognized a liability for the $1.8 million judgment in the three-month period ended February 28, 2023.

Performance Guarantee

In conjunction with the fiscal 2021 sale of our Composites business, we retained a performance guarantee to a customer of the Composites business (the “Customer”) under an existing contract providing flap track fairings on the A220 aircraft (“A220 Contract”). The term of the A220 Contract and our performance guarantee extend for the duration that A220 aircraft are in service and the customer continues to maintain support for the A220 aircraft. The performance guarantee does not contain a financial cap.

In March 2022, the buyer of the Composites business (the “Buyer”) filed for bankruptcy and moved to have the bankruptcy court reject the A220 Contract. The Customer also notified us that it believes the Buyer has failed to timely deliver products in accordance with the terms of the A220 Contract and that the Customer has incurred losses related to the asserted non-compliance that the Customer believes is covered by our performance guarantee. To date, the Customer has provided us with limited details in support of the extent of the Customer’s claimed losses with respect to the A220 Contract and its contention that we may be responsible under our performance guarantee to reimburse the Customer for any portion of its claimed losses. The Customer filed suit against us during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023 claiming damages of at least $32 million.

In this regard, while we are continuing to seek additional detail around the facts and legal basis underlying the claim for losses the Customer attributed to the A220 Contract and the Customer’s corresponding claim under the performance guarantee, we strongly disagree with the premise of the Customer’s claim based on the information available and known to us at this time, and we believe that we have numerous defenses available against this claim that we will vigorously pursue. While it is reasonably possible that we will incur a loss from the claim under the performance guarantee, we are unable to estimate the range of loss on this claim. There can be no assurance that the Customer’s claim under the performance guarantee will not have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial position and cash flows.