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Commitments and Contingencies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies

NOTE 4 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

The Company and its subsidiaries are involved in certain legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business and, as required, have accrued an estimate of the probable costs for the resolution of those claims for which the occurrence of loss is probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. These estimates have been developed in consultation with counsel and are based upon an analysis of potential results, assuming a combination of litigation and settlement strategies. It is possible, however, that future results of operations for any particular period could be materially affected by changes in the Company’s assumptions or the effectiveness of the Company’s strategies related to these proceedings. Additionally, due to the inherent uncertainty of litigation, there can be no assurance that the resolution of any particular claim or proceeding would not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.

Although the Company is involved in a variety of legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business, a large portion of the Company’s litigation arises in the following contexts: commercial disputes; defamation matters; employment and benefits related claims; governmental fines; intellectual property claims; and tax disputes.

Los Angeles Litigation

In 2008, Summit Media, LLC, one of the Company’s competitors, sued the City of Los Angeles (the “City”), Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. and OUTFRONT Media Inc. (formerly CBS Outdoor Americas Inc.) in Los Angeles Superior Court (Case No. BS116611) challenging the validity of a settlement agreement that had been entered into in November 2006 among the parties and pursuant to which Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. had taken down existing billboards and converted 83 existing signs from static displays to digital displays. In 2009 the Los Angeles Superior Court ruled that the settlement agreement constituted an ultra vires act of the City, and nullified its existence. After further proceedings, on April 12, 2013 the Los Angeles Superior Court invalidated 82 digital modernization permits issued to Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. (77 of which displays were operating at the time of the ruling), and Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. was required to turn off the electrical power to all affected digital displays on April 15, 2013. The digital display structures remain intact but digital displays are currently prohibited in the City. Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. is seeking permits under the existing City sign code to either wrap the LED faces with vinyl or convert the LED faces to traditional static signs, and has obtained a number of such permits. Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. is also pursuing a new ordinance to permit digital signage in the City.