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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 25, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments and Contingencies

Lease Commitments
The Company has various lease agreements with other parties with terms up to 30 years.  Non-cancelable, long-term leases may include provisions for maintenance, options to purchase and options to extend the terms.  The Company uses the straight-line method to recognize rent expense associated with operating leases that include escalations over their terms. These amounts are shown in the table below.

 
Fiscal Years
(Dollars in Millions)
2015
 
2014
 
2013
Rent Expense on Operating Leases
$
66

 
$
61

 
$
60



At December 2015, minimum rentals on land, buildings, track and equipment under operating leases are disclosed in the table below.  Also, payments to Conrail for leases on shared rail infrastructure are included in these amounts. (See Note 12, Related Party Transactions).
 (Dollars in Millions)
Operating
 
Sublease
 
Net Lease
Years
Leases
 
Income
 
Commitments
2016
$
76

 
$
(3
)
 
$
73

2017
69

 
(3
)
 
66

2018
55

 
(2
)
 
53

2019
53

 
(2
)
 
51

2020
35

 
(2
)
 
33

Thereafter
167

 
(8
)
 
159

Total
$
455

 
$
(20
)
 
$
435



Purchase Commitments
     CSXT has a commitment under a long-term maintenance program that currently covers 50% of CSXT’s fleet of locomotives.  The agreement is based on the maintenance cycle for each locomotive.  Under CSXT’s current obligations, the agreement will expire no earlier than 2031.  The costs expected to be incurred throughout the duration of the agreement fluctuate as locomotives are placed into or removed from service, or as required maintenance schedules are revised.  The table below includes both active and inactive locomotives covered under this agreement. 

NOTE 7.  Commitments and Contingencies, continued

The following table summarizes the number of locomotives covered and CSXT’s payments under the long-term maintenance program.
 
Fiscal Years
(Dollars in Millions)
2015

 
2014

 
2013

Amounts Paid
$
233

 
$
247

 
$
287

Number of Locomotives
2,310

 
1,886

 
1,886


    
Annual payments related to the locomotive purchase obligations, including amounts that would be payable under the long-term maintenance program, are estimated in the table below. The amount of the ultimate purchase commitment depends upon the model of locomotive acquired and the timing of delivery. 

     Additionally, the Company has various other commitments to purchase technology, communications, railcar maintenance and other services from various suppliers.  Total annual payments under all of these purchase commitments are also estimated in the table below.
(Dollars in Millions)
Locomotive & Maintenance Payments
 
Other
Commitments
 
Total
2016
$
570

 
$
110

 
$
680

2017
561

 
74

 
635

2018
287

 
20

 
307

2019
306

 
17

 
323

2020
316

 
12

 
328

Thereafter
4,515

 
64

 
4,579

Total
$
6,555

 
$
297

 
$
6,852



Insurance
The Company maintains numerous insurance programs with substantial limits for property damage (which includes business interruption) and third-party liability.  A certain amount of risk is retained by the Company on each of the property and liability programs.  The Company has a $25 million retention per occurrence for the non-catastrophic property program (such as a derailment) and a $50 million retention per occurrence for the liability and catastrophic property programs (such as hurricanes and floods). While the Company believes its insurance coverage is adequate, future claims could exceed existing insurance coverage or insurance may not continue to be available at commercially reasonable rates. 

NOTE 7.  Commitments and Contingencies, continued

Legal
The Company is involved in litigation incidental to its business and is a party to a number of legal actions and claims, various governmental proceedings and private civil lawsuits, including, but not limited to, those related to fuel surcharge practices, environmental and hazardous material exposure matters, FELA and labor claims by current or former employees, other personal injury or property claims and disputes and complaints involving certain transportation rates and charges. Some of the legal proceedings include claims for compensatory as well as punitive damages and others are, or are purported to be, class actions. While the final outcome of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, considering, among other things, the legal defenses available and liabilities that have been recorded along with applicable insurance, it is currently the opinion of management that none of these pending items will have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. An unexpected adverse resolution of one or more of these items, however, could have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity in that particular period.
The Company is able to estimate a range of possible loss for certain legal proceedings for which a loss is reasonably possible in excess of reserves established. The Company has estimated this range to be $2 million to $78 million in aggregate at December 25, 2015. This estimated aggregate range is based upon currently available information and is subject to significant judgment and a variety of assumptions. Accordingly, the Company's estimate will change from time to time, and actual losses may vary significantly from the current estimate.
Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litigation
In May 2007, class action lawsuits were filed against CSXT and three other U.S.-based Class I railroads alleging that the defendants' fuel surcharge practices relating to contract and unregulated traffic resulted from an illegal conspiracy in violation of antitrust laws. In November 2007, the class action lawsuits were consolidated in federal court in the District of Columbia, where they are now pending. The suit seeks treble damages allegedly sustained by purported class members as well as attorneys' fees and other relief. Plaintiffs are expected to allege damages at least equal to the fuel surcharges at issue.

In June 2012, the District Court certified the case as a class action. The decision was not a ruling on the merits of plaintiffs' claims, but rather a decision to allow the plaintiffs to seek to prove the case as a class. The defendant railroads petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit for permission to appeal the District Court's class certification decision. In August 2013, the D.C. Circuit issued a decision vacating the class certification decision and remanded the case to the District Court to reconsider its class certification decision. The District Court remand proceedings are underway. Although a class certification hearing had been scheduled for November 2015, it has been postponed pending the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on a class certification issue in an unrelated case. The District Court has delayed proceedings on the merits of the case pending the outcome of the class certification remand proceedings.

CSXT believes that its fuel surcharge practices were arrived at and applied lawfully and that the case is without merit. Accordingly, the Company intends to defend itself vigorously. However, penalties for violating antitrust laws can be severe, and an unexpected adverse decision on the merits could have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity in that particular period.

NOTE 7.  Commitments and Contingencies, continued

Environmental
CSXT has indemnified Pharmacia LLC (formerly known as Monsanto Company) for certain liabilities associated with real estate located in Kearny, New Jersey along the Lower Passaic River (the “Property”).  The Property, which was formerly owned by Pharmacia, is now owned by CSXT.  CSXT's indemnification and defense duties arise with respect to several matters.  CSXT, on behalf of Pharmacia, is conducting a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study of the 17-mile Lower Passaic River Study Area with approximately 55 other parties pursuant to an Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA").  The EPA, using its CERCLA authority, seeks cleanup and removal costs and other damages associated with the presence of hazardous substances in the Lower Passaic River Study Area.  In April 2014, the EPA announced its proposed plan to remediate the lower 8 miles of the Lower Passaic River, which was based on a Focused Feasibility Study. After review of public comments, EPA is expected to issue its cleanup plan for the lower eight miles of the Lower Passaic River in 2016.

CSXT is also defending and indemnifying Pharmacia in a cooperative natural resource damages assessment process related to the Property. Based on currently available information, the Company does not believe any remediation costs potentially allocable to CSXT would be material to the Company's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.