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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2011
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES [Abstract] 
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
NOTE 7:  COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Environmental
The Company's undiscounted accrued liabilities for future environmental investigation, remediation, and monitoring costs are composed of the following items:

   
As of
 
(in millions)
 
September 30,
  
December 31,
 
   
2011
  
2010
 
        
Eastman Business Park site, Rochester, NY
 $50  $53 
Other operating sites
  11   11 
Sites associated with former operations
  19   20 
Sites associated with the non-imaging health businesses sold in 1994
  18   19 
           Total
 $98  $103 
          


These amounts are reported in Other long-term liabilities in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Financial Position.

Cash expenditures for the aforementioned investigation, remediation and monitoring activities are expected to be incurred over the next thirty years for most of the sites.  For these known environmental liabilities, the accrual reflects the Company's best estimate of the amount it will incur under the agreed-upon or proposed work plans.  The Company's cost estimates were determined using the ASTM Standard E 2137-06, "Standard Guide for Estimating Monetary Costs and Liabilities for Environmental Matters," and have not been reduced by possible recoveries from third parties.  The overall method includes the use of a probabilistic model which forecasts a range of cost estimates and a single most probable cost estimate for the remediation required at individual sites.  For the purposes of establishing Company-level environmental reserves, the single most probable cost estimate for each site is used.  All projects are closely monitored and the models are reviewed as significant events occur or at least once per year.  The Company's estimate includes investigations, equipment and operating costs for remediation and long-term monitoring of the sites.

The Company is presently designated as a potentially responsible party (PRP) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (Superfund Law), or under similar state laws, for environmental assessment and cleanup costs as the result of the Company's alleged arrangements for disposal of hazardous substances at seven Superfund sites.  Numerous other PRPs have also been designated at all of these sites.  Although the law imposes joint and several liability on PRPs, the Company's historical experience demonstrates that these costs are shared with other PRPs.  Settlements and costs paid by the Company in Superfund matters to date have not been material.

Among these matters is a case in which the Company has been named by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a PRP with potential liability for the study and remediation of the Lower Passaic River Study Area portion of the Diamond Alkali Superfund Site.  Additionally, the Company has been named as a third-party defendant (along with approximately 300 other entities) in an action initially brought by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in the Supreme Court of New Jersey, Essex County seeking recovery of all costs associated with the investigation, removal, cleanup and damage to natural resources resulting from the disposal of various forms of chemicals in the Passaic River.  The total costs (for all parties involved) to clean up the Passaic River could potentially be as high as several billions of dollars.  Based on currently available information, the Company is unable to determine the likelihood or reasonably estimate a range of loss pertaining to this matter at this time.
 
Estimates of the amount and timing of future costs of environmental remediation requirements are by their nature imprecise because of the continuing evolution of environmental laws and regulatory requirements, the availability and application of technology, the identification of presently unknown remediation sites and the allocation of costs among the potentially responsible parties.  Based on information presently available, the Company does not believe it is reasonably possible that losses for known exposures could exceed current accruals by material amounts, although costs could be material to a particular quarter or year, with the possible exception of matters related to the Passaic River which are described above.

Other Commitments and Contingencies

As of September 30, 2011, the Company had outstanding letters of credit of $96 million issued under the Second Amended Credit Agreement, as well as bank guarantees and letters of credit of $17 million, surety bonds in the amount of $14 million, and cash and investments in trust of $32 million, primarily to ensure the payment of possible casualty and workers' compensation claims, environmental liabilities, legal contingencies, rental payments, and to support various customs, tax and trade activities.  The restricted cash and investment amounts are recorded within Other long-term assets in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position.

The Company's Brazilian operations are involved in governmental assessments of indirect and other taxes in various stages of litigation, primarily related to federal and state value-added taxes.  The Company is disputing these matters and intends to vigorously defend its position.  Based on the opinion of legal counsel and current reserves already recorded for those matters deemed probable of loss, management does not believe that the ultimate resolution of these matters will materially impact the Company's results of operations or financial position.  The Company routinely assesses all these matters as to the probability of ultimately incurring a liability in its Brazilian operations and records its best estimate of the ultimate loss in situations where it assesses the likelihood of loss as probable.  As of September 30, 2011, the unreserved portion of these contingencies, inclusive of any related interest and penalties, for which there was at least a reasonable possibility that a loss may be incurred, amounted to approximately $70 million.

The Company and its subsidiaries are involved in various lawsuits, claims, investigations and proceedings, including commercial, customs, employment, environmental, and health and safety matters, which are being handled and defended in the ordinary course of business.  In addition, the Company is subject to various assertions, claims, proceedings and requests for indemnification concerning intellectual property, including patent infringement suits involving technologies that are incorporated in a broad spectrum of the Company's products.  These matters are in various stages of investigation and litigation and are being vigorously defended.  Although the Company does not expect that the outcome in any of these matters, individually or collectively, will have a material adverse effect on its financial condition or results of operations, litigation is inherently unpredictable.  Therefore, judgments could be rendered or settlements entered, that could adversely affect the Company's operating results or cash flow in a particular period.  The Company routinely assesses all its litigation and threatened litigation as to the probability of ultimately incurring a liability, and records its best estimate of the ultimate loss in situations where it assesses the likelihood of loss as probable.