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Legal Proceedings
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2012
Legal Proceedings [Abstract]  
Legal Proceedings

Note 10 – Legal Proceedings

Although the Company expects to incur significant legal costs in connection with the below legal proceedings, the Company is unable to estimate the amount of such legal costs and therefore, such costs will be expensed in the period the legal services are performed.

FCPA Matter

As a result of being a publicly traded company in the U.S., the Company is subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), which prohibits companies from making improper payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business. Beginning in 2009, the Company conducted an internal review into payments made to its former independent sales agent in China with respect to sales of the Company’s high voltage capacitor products produced by the Company’s Swiss subsidiary. In January 2011, the Company reached settlements with the SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) with respect to charges asserted by the SEC and DOJ relating to the anti-bribery, books and records, internal controls, and disclosure provisions of the FCPA and other securities law violations. The Company settled civil charges with the SEC, agreeing to an injunction against further violations of the FCPA. Under the terms of the settlement with the SEC, the Company agreed to pay a total of $6.4 million in profit disgorgement and prejudgment interest, in two installments, with $3.2 million paid in each of the first quarters of 2011 and 2012. Under the terms of the settlement with the DOJ, the Company agreed to pay a total of $8.0 million in penalties in three installments, with $3.5 million paid in the first quarter of 2011, $2.3 million paid in the first quarter of 2012, and $2.3 million payable in the first quarter of 2013. As part of the settlement, the Company entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement (“DPA”) with the DOJ. If the Company remains in compliance with the terms of the DPA, at the conclusion of the term, the charges against the Company asserted by the DOJ will be dismissed with prejudice. Further, under the terms of the agreements, the Company will periodically report to the SEC and DOJ on the Company’s internal compliance program concerning anti-bribery. As of June 30, 2012, the Company has accrued a liability of $2.3 million for this matter, which is included in “accounts payable and accrued liabilities” on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.

Customer Bankruptcy Matter

In January 2011, the Company attended a bankruptcy proceeding for a previous customer in order to bid on certain intellectual property and physical assets that were being auctioned. During this proceeding, an offer for sale was presented for any and all potential claims held by the previous customer against the Company. These potential claims related primarily to payments made to the Company prior to the previous customer filing bankruptcy, as well as a potential intellectual property dispute between the Company and the previous customer. At the January 2011 bankruptcy proceeding, the Company bid $250,000 to purchase the right to any and all future claims against the Company stemming from rights held by the previous customer. However, following the auction, the previous customer essentially declined this offer for settlement. Since this time, in the interest of a more expedient resolution to this matter, the Company recently increased its settlement offer to $750,000. However, this settlement offer was rejected by the previous customer. The Company believes that it has strong legal defenses against any and all potential claims related to this matter, and does not believe a settlement amount in excess of $750,000 is likely. The Company’s current estimate of the range of loss on this matter is $750,000 to $1,100,000, with the low end of this range based on the Company’s recent settlement offer, and the high end of the range based on the amount the Company expects that the previous customer would immediately accept without further negotiation. The Company has accrued a total of $750,000 as the estimated loss on this matter, which is included in “accounts payable and accrued liabilities” in the consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2012.