Note 3 - Commitments, Contingencies, and Guarantees

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

3.      Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees

Dow Corning Corporation

Corning and The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) each own 50% of the common stock of Dow Corning Corporation (“Dow Corning”).  In May 1995, Dow Corning filed for bankruptcy protection to address pending and claimed liabilities arising from breast implant product lawsuits.  On June 1, 2004, Dow Corning emerged from Chapter 11 with a Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”) which provided for the settlement or other resolution of implant claims.  The Plan also included releases for Corning and Dow as shareholders in exchange for contributions to the Plan.

Under the Plan, Dow Corning has established and is funding a Settlement Trust and a Litigation Facility to provide a means for tort claimants to settle or litigate their claims.  Inclusive of insurance, Dow Corning has paid approximately $1.8 billion to the Settlement Trust.  As of September 30, 2014, Dow Corning had recorded a liability of $1.7 billion for future funding of the Settlement Trust.  This amount reflects Dow Corning’s estimate of the remaining obligation to fund the resolution of breast implant claims pursuant to the Plan.  Future filing behaviors and the remaining level of funding that will be required are uncertain.  Actual funding amounts may be materially different than the recorded liability.  Dow Corning, with the assistance of a third party advisor, is in the process of assessing the impact of recent information about potential future claims experience, and, as a result, it is reasonably possible Dow Corning’s estimate of the remaining obligation could materially change in the near term.  Although Dow Corning is not yet able to estimate the impact of these matters, the implant liability currently reflects the maximum capped amount under the Plan; therefore, any future revision to the estimate is expected to result in a lower recorded liability.  Any adjustment to Dow Corning’s breast implant liability would impact the Company’s earnings in proportion to the Company’s 50 percent ownership interest in Dow Corning.

As a separate matter arising from its bankruptcy proceedings, Dow Corning is defending claims asserted by a number of commercial creditors who claim additional interest at default rates and enforcement costs, during the period from May 1995 through June 2004.  As of September 30, 2014, Dow Corning has estimated the potential liability to these creditors to be within the range of $98 million to $320 million.  As Dow Corning management believes no single amount within the range appears to be a better estimate than any other amount within the range, Dow Corning has recorded the minimum liability within the range.  Should Dow Corning not prevail in this matter, Corning’s equity earnings would be reduced by its 50% share of the amount in excess of $98 million, net of applicable tax benefits.

Pittsburgh Corning Corporation and Other Asbestos Litigation

Corning and PPG Industries, Inc. (“PPG”) each own 50% of the capital stock of Pittsburgh Corning Corporation (“PCC”).  Over a period of more than two decades, PCC and several other defendants were named in numerous lawsuits involving claims alleging personal injury from exposure to asbestos.  On April 16, 2000, PCC filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.  At the time PCC filed for bankruptcy protection, there were approximately 11,800 claims pending against Corning in state court lawsuits alleging various theories of liability based on exposure to PCC’s asbestos products and typically requesting monetary damages in excess of one million dollars per claim.  Corning has defended those claims on the basis of the separate corporate status of PCC and the absence of any facts supporting claims of direct liability arising from PCC’s asbestos products.

PCC Plan of Reorganization

Corning, with other relevant parties, has been involved in ongoing efforts to develop a Plan of Reorganization that would resolve the concerns and objections of the relevant courts and parties.  On November 12, 2013, the Bankruptcy Court issued a decision confirming an Amended PCC Plan of Reorganization (the “Amended PCC Plan”).  On September 30, 2014, the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (the “District Court”) affirmed the Bankruptcy Court’s decision confirming the Amended PCC Plan.  The lone objector may appeal that decision to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.  If that occurs, it would likely take many months for the confirmation of the Amended PCC Plan to be finally affirmed.

Under the Amended PCC Plan, Corning is required to contribute its equity interests in PCC and Pittsburgh Corning Europe N.V. (“PCE”), a Belgian corporation, and to contribute $290 million in a fixed series of payments, recorded at present value.  Corning has the option to use its shares rather than cash to make these payments, but the liability is fixed by dollar value and not the number of shares.  The Amended PCC Plan requires Corning to make: 1) one payment of $70 million one year from the date the Amended PCC Plan becomes effective and certain conditions are met; and 2) five additional payments of $35 million, $50 million, $35 million, $50 million, and $50 million, respectively, on each of the five subsequent anniversaries of the first payment, the final payment of which is subject to reduction based on the application of credits under certain circumstances.

Other Asbestos Litigation

In addition to the claims against Corning related to its ownership interest in PCC, Corning is also the defendant in approximately 9,700 other cases (approximately 37,400 claims) alleging injuries from asbestos related to its Corhart business and similar amounts of monetary damages per case.  When PCC filed for bankruptcy protection, the Bankruptcy Court granted a preliminary injunction to suspend all asbestos cases against PCC, PPG and Corning – including these non-PCC asbestos cases (the “stay”).  The stay remains in place as of the date of this filing.  Under the Bankruptcy Court’s order confirming the Amended PCC Plan, the stay will remain in place until the Amended PCC Plan is finally affirmed.  These non-PCC asbestos cases have been covered by insurance without material impact to Corning to date.  As of September 30, 2014, Corning had received for these cases approximately $19 million in insurance payments related to those claims.  If and when the Bankruptcy Court’s confirmation of the Amended PCC Plan is finally affirmed, these non-PCC asbestos claims would be allowed to proceed against Corning.  Corning has recorded in its estimated asbestos litigation liability an additional $150 million for these and any future non-PCC asbestos cases.

Total Estimated Liability for the Amended PCC Plan and the Other Asbestos Litigation

The liability for the Amended PCC Plan and the other asbestos litigation was estimated to be $701 million at September 30, 2014, compared with an estimate of liability of $690 million at December 31, 2013.  This $701 million liability is comprised of $261 million of the fair value of PCE, $290 million for the fixed series of payments, and $150 million for the non-PCC asbestos litigation, all referenced in the preceding paragraphs.  With respect to the PCE liability, at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the fair value of $261 million of our interest in PCE significantly exceeded its carrying value of $164 million and $167 million, respectively.  There have been no impairment indicators for our investment in PCE and we continue to recognize equity earnings of this affiliate.  At the time Corning recorded this liability, it determined it lacked the ability to recover the carrying amount of its investment in PCC and its investment was other than temporarily impaired.  As a result, we reduced our investment in PCC to zero.  As the fair value in PCE is significantly higher than book value, management believes that the risk of an additional loss in an amount materially higher than the fair value of the liability is remote.  With respect to the liability for other asbestos litigation, the liability for non-PCC claims was estimated based upon industry data for asbestos claims since Corning does not have recent claim history due to the injunction issued by the Bankruptcy Court.  The estimated liability represents the undiscounted projection of claims and related legal fees over the next 20 years.  The amount may need to be adjusted in future periods as more data becomes available; however, we cannot estimate any additional losses at this time.  The entire obligation is classified as a non-current liability as installment payments for the cash portion of the obligation under the Amended PCC Plan are not scheduled to commence until more than 12 months after the Plan becomes effective and the PCE portion of the obligation will be fulfilled through the direct contribution of Corning’s investment in PCE (currently recorded as a non-current other equity method investment).

Non-PCC Asbestos Cases Insurance Litigation

Several of Corning’s insurers have commenced litigation in state courts for a declaration of the rights and obligations of the parties under insurance policies affecting the non-PCC asbestos cases, including rights that may be affected by the potential resolutions described above.  Corning is vigorously contesting these cases, and management is unable to predict the outcome of the litigation.

Other Commitments and Contingencies

We are required, at the time a guarantee is issued, to recognize a liability for the fair value or market value of the obligation it assumes.  In the normal course of our business, we do not routinely provide significant third-party guarantees.  Generally, any third-party guarantees provided by Corning are limited to certain financial guarantees including stand-by letters of credit and performance bonds, and the incurrence of contingent liabilities in the form of purchase price adjustments related to attainment of milestones.  When provided, these guarantees have various terms, and none of these guarantees are individually significant.

As of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, contingent guarantees totaled a notional value of $153 million and $151 million, respectively.  We believe a significant majority of these contingent guarantees will expire without being funded.  We also were contingently liable for purchase obligations of $300 million and $126 million, at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.  The increase in purchase obligations from December 31, 2013 to September 30, 2014, was attributable to the acquisition of the remaining interests of Samsung Corning Precision Materials, which increased the amount of obligations at September 30, 2014 by $166 million.

Product warranty liability accruals were considered insignificant at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Corning is a defendant in various lawsuits, including environmental litigation, product-related suits, the Dow Corning and PCC matters, and is subject to various claims which arise in the normal course of business.  In the opinion of management, the likelihood that the ultimate disposition of these matters will have a material adverse effect on Corning’s consolidated financial position, liquidity, or results of operations, is remote.  Other than certain asbestos related claims, there are no other material loss contingencies related to litigation.

Corning has been named by the Environmental Protection Agency (“the Agency”) under the Superfund Act or by state governments under similar state laws, as a potentially responsible party for 15 hazardous waste sites.  Under the Superfund Act, all parties who may have contributed any waste to a hazardous waste site, identified by the Agency, are jointly and severally liable for the cost of cleanup unless the Agency agrees otherwise.  It is Corning’s policy to accrue for its estimated liability related to Superfund sites and other environmental liabilities related to property owned by Corning based on expert analysis and continual monitoring by both internal and external consultants.  At September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, Corning had accrued approximately $28 million (undiscounted) and $15 million (undiscounted), respectively, for the estimated liability for environmental cleanup and related litigation.  Based upon the information developed to date, management believes that the accrued reserve is a reasonable estimate of the Company’s liability and that the risk of an additional loss in an amount materially higher than that accrued is remote.