Note 18 - Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Aug. 31, 2015

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

18. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 Legal Proceedings

Immucor and BioArray Solutions Limited (“BioArray”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Immucor, are defendants in an action brought in August 2014 by Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey (“Rutgers”), in the Superior Court of New Jersey for Middlesex County, alleging breach of contract and fraud claims under a patent license between Rutgers and BioArray. The Company believes the claims are without merit and that it has meritorious defenses. The Company believes that liability is unlikely and that the amount of any liability is not currently reasonably estimable. Further, the Company believes that any potential liability would not be material to the Company’s operations or to its financial condition.

From time to time, the Company is party to certain legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business.  However, the Company is not currently subject to any legal proceedings expected to have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.  

 Purchase Commitments

Purchase commitments made in the normal course of business were $37.8 million as of August 31, 2015. These purchases were primarily for inventory items. The following is a schedule of approximate future payments for purchase commitments as of August 31, 2015 (in thousands):

Year ended May 31:
2016	$	13,917
2017		9,021
2018		3,883
2019		4,083
2020		4,283
Thereafter		2,567
	$	37,754