Note 17. Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

17.  CONTINGENCIES

From time to time, the Company is a defendant or plaintiff in various legal actions which arise in the normal course of business.  As such, the Company is required to assess the likelihood of any adverse outcomes to these matters as well as potential ranges of losses and possible recoveries.  The Company may not be covered by insurance as it pertains to some or all of these matters.  A determination of the amount of the provision required for these commitments and contingencies, if any, which would be charged to earnings, is made after careful analysis of each matter.  Once established, a provision may change in the future due to new developments or changes in circumstances, and could increase or decrease the Company’s earnings in the period that the changes are made.  Included in the Company’s accounts payable and accrued expenses is a provision for losses from legal matters aggregating approximately $0.3 million and $0.6 million as of December 31, 2011 and January 1, 2011, respectively.  Asserted claims in these matters seek approximately $13.4 million in damages as of December 31, 2011. 

The Company is also subject to other potential legal claims that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of its business, which may not be covered by insurance.