COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
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Dec. 31, 2012
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Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Commitments and Contingencies | COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES We enter into certain obligations for the purchase of raw materials. These obligations are primarily in the form of forward contracts for the purchase of raw materials from third-party brokers and dealers. These contracts minimize the effect of future price fluctuations by fixing the price of part or all of these purchase obligations. Total obligations for each year consisted of fixed price contracts for the purchase of commodities and unpriced contracts that were valued using market prices as of December 31, 2012. The cost of commodities associated with the unpriced contracts is variable as market prices change over future periods. We mitigate the variability of these costs to the extent that we have entered into commodities futures contracts or other commodity derivative instruments to hedge our costs for those periods. Increases or decreases in market prices are offset by gains or losses on commodities futures contracts or other commodity derivative instruments. Taking delivery of and making payments for the specific commodities for use in the manufacture of finished goods satisfies our obligations under the forward purchase contracts. For each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2012, we satisfied these obligations by taking delivery of and making payment for the specific commodities. As of December 31, 2012, we had entered into purchase agreements with various suppliers. Subject to meeting our quality standards, the purchase obligations covered by these agreements were as follows as of December 31, 2012:
We have commitments under various lease obligations. Future minimum payments under lease obligations with a remaining term in excess of one year were as follows as of December 31, 2012:
Future minimum rental payments reflect commitments under non-cancelable operating leases primarily for offices, retail stores, warehouse and distribution facilities, and certain equipment. We have a number of facilities that contain varying amounts of asbestos in certain locations within the facilities. Our asbestos management program is compliant with current applicable regulations. Current regulations require that we handle or dispose of asbestos in a special manner if such facilities undergo major renovations or are demolished. Costs associated with the removal of asbestos related to the closure of a manufacturing facility under the Next Century program were recorded in 2012 and included in business realignment and impairment charges. The costs associated with the removal of asbestos from the facility were not material. With regard to other facilities, we believe we do not have sufficient information to estimate the fair value of any asset retirement obligations related to these facilities. We cannot specify the settlement date or range of potential settlement dates and, therefore, sufficient information is not available to apply an expected present value technique. We expect to maintain the facilities with repairs and maintenance activities that would not involve or require the removal of asbestos. As of December 31, 2012, certain real estate associated with the closure of facilities under the global supply chain transformation program was being held for sale. Obligations related to the environmental remediation of this real estate have been reflected in our current estimates. In 2007, the Competition Bureau of Canada began an inquiry into alleged violations of the Canadian Competition Act in the sale and supply of chocolate products sold in Canada between 2002 and 2008 by members of the confectionery industry, including Hershey Canada, Inc. The U.S. Department of Justice also notified the Company in 2007 that it had opened an inquiry, but has not requested any information or documents. Subsequently, 13 civil lawsuits were filed in Canada and 91 civil lawsuits were filed in the United States against the Company. The lawsuits were instituted on behalf of direct purchasers of our products as well as indirect purchasers that purchase our products for use or for resale. Several other chocolate and confectionery companies were named as defendants in these lawsuits as they also were the subject of investigations and/or inquiries by the government entities referenced above. The cases seek recovery for losses suffered as a result of alleged conspiracies in restraint of trade in connection with the pricing practices of the defendants. The Canadian civil cases were settled in 2012. The Canadian Competition Bureau investigation remains pending. However, Hershey Canada, Inc. has reached a tentative settlement agreement with the Canadian government with regard to its investigation and the Company has accrued a liability related thereto. We do not believe the terms of the tentative settlement agreement should have a material impact on the Company's results of operations, financial position or liquidity. With regard to the U.S. lawsuits, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation assigned the cases to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Plaintiffs are seeking actual and treble damages against the Company and other defendants based on an alleged overcharge for certain, or in some cases all chocolate products sold in the U.S. between 2003 and 2008. The lawsuits have been proceeding on different scheduling tracks for different groups of plaintiffs. Defendants have briefed summary judgment against the plaintiffs that have not sought class certification (the “Opt-Out Plaintiffs”). The plaintiffs that purchased products from defendants directly (the “Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs”) were granted class certification in December 2012. Defendants will conduct expert discovery on liability and damages and brief summary judgment against the Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs through the third quarter of 2013. The hearing on summary judgment for the Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs is scheduled for September 2013, combined with the summary judgment hearing for the Opt-Out Plaintiffs. Putative class plaintiffs that purchased product indirectly for resale (the “Indirect Purchasers for Resale”) have a May 1, 2013 deadline to file for class certification. Putative class plaintiffs that purchased product indirectly for use (the “Indirect End Users”) may seek class certification after summary judgment against the Direct Purchaser Plaintiffs and the Opt-Out Plaintiffs has been resolved. No trial date has been set for any group of plaintiffs. The Company will continue to vigorously defend against these lawsuits. At this stage, we are unable to predict the range of any potential liability that is reasonably possible as a result of the proceedings outlined above. Competition and antitrust law investigations can be lengthy and violations are subject to civil and/or criminal fines and other sanctions. Class action civil antitrust lawsuits are expensive to defend and could result in significant judgments, including in some cases, payment of treble damages and/or attorneys' fees to the successful plaintiff. Additionally, negative publicity involving these proceedings could affect our Company's brands and reputation, possibly resulting in decreased demand for our products. These possible consequences, in our opinion, should not materially impact our financial position or liquidity, but could materially impact our results of operations and cash flows in the period in which they are accrued or paid, respectively. Please refer to Item 1A. Risk Factors, beginning on page 9, for additional information concerning the key risks to achieving the Company's future performance goals. We have no other material pending legal proceedings, other than ordinary routine litigation incidental to our business. |