Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2017

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

15. Commitments and Contingencies

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Civil Complaint

On September 21, 2015, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a civil complaint against Sensient Natural Ingredients LLC (SNI) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. SNI is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. The EEOC’s complaint alleges that SNI failed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended, when it terminated five employees in 2011. The EEOC seeks to enjoin SNI from engaging in employment practices that discriminate on the basis of disability; asks the Court to order SNI to implement policies, practices, and programs to ensure it does not violate the ADA; and requests back pay with prejudgment interest, reinstatement, front pay, compensation for past and future pecuniary and non-pecuniary losses, and punitive damages on behalf of the five named former employees and any similarly aggrieved individuals. Recoverable compensatory and punitive damages are subject to statutory caps. The complaint does not request a specific damages amount. To date, the EEOC has provided the Company with a list of 13 additional potentially aggrieved former employees not listed in the complaint who may have been terminated in violation of the ADA during the relevant time period. In its discovery responses, the EEOC has identified 3 of those 13 former employees as additional claimants for whom the Agency seeks relief.

As of May 1, 2017, the parties finalized a settlement, which is pending Court approval. The Company previously accrued $0.6 million for the settlement of this matter, which it will pay to claimants after the settlement is approved by the Court.

Other Claims and Litigation

The Company is subject to various claims and litigation arising in the normal course of business. The Company establishes reserves for claims and proceedings when it is probable that liabilities exist and reasonable estimates of loss can be made. While it is not possible to predict the outcome of these matters, based on our assessment of the facts and circumstances now known, we do not believe that these matters, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our financial position. However, actual outcomes may be different from those expected and could have a material effect on our results of operations or cash flows in a particular period.