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Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Feb. 26, 2012
Contingencies [Abstract]  
Contingencies

15. CONTINGENCIES

a. Litigation - The Company is subject to a small number of proceedings, lawsuits and other claims related to environmental, employment, product and other matters. The Company is required to assess the likelihood of any adverse judgments or outcomes in these matters as well as potential ranges of probable losses. A determination of the amount of reserves required, if any, for these contingencies is made after careful analysis of each individual issue. The required reserves may change in the future due to new developments in each matter or changes in approach, such as a change in settlement strategy in dealing with these matters.

The $1,312 charge in the 39 weeks ended November 28, 2010 related to the closure, in January of 2009, of the Company's Neltec Europe SAS digital electronic materials business unit located in Mirebeau, France included an amount relating to certain employment litigation initiated in France after the closure. See Note 12.

b. Environmental Contingencies - The Company and certain of its subsidiaries have been named by the Environmental Protection Agency (the "EPA") or a comparable state agency under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (the "Superfund Act") or similar state law as potentially responsible parties in connection with alleged releases of hazardous substances at four sites. In addition, a subsidiary of the Company has received a cost recovery claim under a state law similar to the Superfund Act from another private party involving one other site.

Under the Superfund Act and similar state laws, all parties who may have contributed any waste to a hazardous waste disposal site or contaminated area identified by the EPA or comparable state agency may be jointly and severally liable for the cost of cleanup. Generally, these sites are locations at which numerous persons disposed of hazardous waste. In the case of the Company's subsidiaries, generally the waste was removed from their manufacturing facilities and disposed at waste sites by various companies which contracted with the subsidiaries to provide waste disposal services. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries have been accused of or charged with any wrongdoing or illegal acts in connection with any such sites. The Company believes it maintains an effective and comprehensive environ-mentalcompliance program.

The insurance carriers who provided general liability insurance coverage to the Company and its subsidiaries for the years during which the Company's subsidiaries' waste was disposed at these sites have in the past reimbursed the Company and its subsidiaries for 100% of their legal defense and remediation costs associated with three ofthese sites.

The total costs incurred by the Company and its subsidiaries in connection with these sites, including legal fees incurred by the Company and its subsidiaries and their assessed share of remediation costs and excluding amounts paid or reimbursed by insurance carriers, were approximately $127, $7 and $1 in fiscal years 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. In 2010 fiscal year, the Company reversed an accrual of approximately $835 for environmental remedial response and clean-up costs, which were recorded as reductions to selling, general and administrative expenses for such year, as a result of the Company's conclusion that the likelihood of any liability in connection with such accruals was remote. The recorded liabilities included in accrued liabilities for environmental matters were $0, $9 and $9 for fiscal years 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Such recorded liabilities do not include environmental liabilities and related legal expenses for which the Company and its subsidiaries have general liability insurance coverage for the years during which the Company's subsidiaries' waste was disposed at three sites for which certain subsidiaries of the Company have been named as potentially responsible parties. Pursuant to such general liability insurance coverage, two insurance carriers have been paying 100% of the legal defense and remediation costs associated with such three sites since 1985. In the 2012 fiscal year fourth quarter, one of such insurance carriers, which had been paying 45% of such legal defense and remediation costs, indicated that it no longer agreed to such percentage. As a result, the Company has commenced litigation against such insurance carrier and a third insurance carrier. Two of the three insurance carriers have filed answers to the lawsuit, and one has asserted counter claims against the Company.

Included in selling, general and administrative expenses are charges for actual expenditures and accruals, based on estimates, for certain environmental matters described above. The Company accrues estimated costs associated with known environmental matters, when such costs can be reasonably estimated and when the outcome appears probable. The Company believes that the ultimate disposition of known environmental matters, including the litigation described above, will not have a material adverse effect on the liquidity, capital resources, business or consolidated results of operations or financial position of the Company.

c. Acquisition – As of February 26, 2012, the Company was obligated to pay up to an additional $2,200 over the next two years depending on the achievement of specified earn-out objectives in connection with the acquisition, on April 1, 2008, of substantially all the assets and business of Nova Composites, Inc., a manufacturer of composite parts and assemblies and the tooling for such parts and assemblies, located in Lynnwood, Washington.