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Contingencies and Litigation
6 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2013
Contingencies and Litigation [Abstract]  
Contingencies and Litigation
Note 17: Contingencies and Litigation

Environmental: The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) has designated the Company as a potentially responsible party (“PRP”) for remediation of three sites where the Company had involvement.  These sites include: Auburn Incinerator, Inc./Lake Calumet Cluster (Illinois), Cam-Or (Indiana) and a scrap metal site known as Chemetco (Illinois).  In addition, Modine is voluntarily participating in the care of an inactive landfill owned by the City of Trenton (Missouri).  These sites are not Company-owned and allegedly contain materials attributable to Modine from past operations.  The percentage of material allegedly attributable to Modine is relatively low.  Remediation of these sites is in various stages of administrative or judicial proceedings and includes recovery of past governmental costs and the costs of future investigations and remedial actions.  The Company accrues for costs anticipated for the remedial settlement of the sites listed above if they are probable and can be reasonably determined.  Costs anticipated for the remedial settlement of the sites listed above that are not probable or cannot be reasonably determined at this time have not been accrued; however, the Company does not believe any potential costs would be material to the Company’s financial position due to Modine’s relatively small portion of contributed materials.

The Company has recorded environmental investigation and remediation accruals for groundwater contamination at its manufacturing facility in Brazil and subsurface contamination at its former manufacturing facility in the Netherlands, along with other lesser environmental matters at certain facilities located in the United States.  These accruals generally relate to facilities where past operations followed practices and procedures that were considered acceptable under then-existing regulations, or where the Company is a successor to the obligations of prior owners and current laws and regulations require investigative and/or remedial work to ensure sufficient environmental compliance.  The accruals for these environmental matters totaled $5.1 million and $5.2 million at September 30, 2013 and March 31, 2013, respectively.  As additional information becomes available, any potential liability related to these matters will be assessed and the estimated accrual will be revised, if necessary.  Based on currently available information, Modine believes that the ultimate outcome of these matters, individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on its financial position.  However, these matters are subject to inherent uncertainties, and unfavorable outcomes could occur, including significant monetary damages.  During fiscal 2011, one of the adjacent businesses to the Company’s facility in Brazil filed suit against Modine’s Brazilian subsidiary seeking remediation and certain other damages as a result of contamination allegedly attributable to Modine’s operations.  The Company is defending this suit and believes that the ultimate outcome of this matter will not be material.

Other litigation:  In the normal course of business, the Company and its subsidiaries are named as defendants in various other lawsuits and enforcement proceedings by private parties, governmental agencies and/or others in which claims are asserted against Modine.  In the opinion of management, the liabilities, if any, which may ultimately result from such lawsuits are not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.