Commitments and Contingencies

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2023

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and ContingenciesThe Company and certain of its subsidiaries are involved in litigation and other legal proceedings and forms of dispute resolution in the ordinary course of business, including but not limited to disputes over contract payment and/or performance-related issues (such as disagreements regarding delay or a change in the scope of work of a project and/or the price associated with that change) and other matters incidental to the Company’s business. In accordance with ASC 606, the Company makes assessments of these types of matters on a routine basis and, to the extent permitted by ASC 606, estimates and records recovery related to these matters as a form of variable consideration at the most likely amount the Company expects to receive, as discussed further in Note 3. In addition, the Company is contingently liable for litigation, performance guarantees and other commitments arising in the ordinary course of business, which are accounted for in accordance with ASC 450, Contingencies. Management reviews these matters regularly and updates or revises its estimates as warranted by subsequent information and developments. These assessments require judgments concerning matters that are inherently uncertain, such as litigation developments and outcomes, the anticipated outcome of negotiations and the estimated cost of resolving disputes.

Consequently, these assessments are estimates, and actual amounts may vary from such estimates. In addition, because such matters are typically resolved over long periods of time, the Company’s assets and liabilities may change over time should the circumstances dictate. The description of the legal proceedings listed below include management’s assessment of those proceedings. Management believes that, based on current information and discussions with the Company’s legal counsel, the ultimate resolution of other matters is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

A description of the material pending legal proceedings, other than ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business is as follows:

Alaskan Way Viaduct Matter

In January 2011, Seattle Tunnel Partners (“STP”), a joint venture between Dragados USA, Inc. and the Company, entered into a design-build contract with the Washington State Department of Transportation (“WSDOT”) for the construction of a large-diameter bored tunnel in downtown Seattle, King County, Washington to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, also known as State Route 99. The Company has a 45% interest in STP.

The construction of the large-diameter bored tunnel required the use of a tunnel boring machine (“TBM”). In December 2013, the TBM struck a steel pipe, installed by WSDOT as a well casing for an exploratory well. The TBM was significantly damaged and was required to be repaired. STP has asserted that the steel pipe casing was a differing site condition that WSDOT failed to properly disclose. The Disputes Review Board mandated by the contract to hear disputes issued a decision finding the steel casing was a Type I (material) differing site condition. WSDOT did not accept that finding.

The TBM was insured under a Builder’s Risk Insurance Policy (the “Policy”) with Great Lakes Reinsurance (UK) PLC and a consortium of other insurers (the “Insurers”). STP submitted the claims to the Insurers and requested interim payments under the Policy. The Insurers refused to pay and denied coverage. In June 2015, STP filed a lawsuit in the King County Superior Court, State of Washington seeking declaratory relief concerning contract interpretation, as well as damages as a result of the Insurers’ breach of their obligations under the terms of the Policy. STP is also asserting extra-contractual and statutory claims against the Insurers. STP submitted damages to the Insurers in the King County lawsuit in the amount of $532 million. WSDOT is deemed a plaintiff since WSDOT is an insured under the Policy and had filed its own claim for damages. Hitachi Zosen (“Hitachi”), the manufacturer of the TBM, joined the case as a plaintiff for costs incurred to repair the damages to the TBM.

In April and September 2018, rulings received on pre-trial motions limited some of the potential recoveries under the Policy for STP, WSDOT and Hitachi. On August 2, 2021, the Court of Appeals reversed in part certain of those limitations but affirmed other parts of those rulings. On September 15, 2022, the Washington Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeals, which limits recovery of certain damages under the Policy. Based on the rulings of the Court of Appeals, the case will continue for adjudication on the remaining facts and legal issues, including the number of covered occurrences which could increase the amount of available coverage under the Policy and the amount of investigative costs that are subject to the Policy limits. STP also has claims for costs, fees, pre-judgment interest and extra-contractual and statutory claims, which are not subject to the Policy limits.

With respect to STP’s direct and indirect claims against the Insurers, management has included in receivables an estimate of the total anticipated recovery concluded to be probable.

In March 2016, WSDOT filed a complaint against STP in Thurston County Superior Court alleging breach of contract, seeking $57.2 million in delay-related damages and seeking declaratory relief concerning contract interpretation. STP subsequently filed a counterclaim against WSDOT. The jury trial between STP and WSDOT commenced on October 7, 2019 and concluded on December 13, 2019, with a jury verdict in favor of WSDOT awarding them $57.2 million in damages. The Company recorded the impact of the jury verdict during the fourth quarter of 2019, resulting in a pre-tax charge of $166.8 million, which included $25.7 million for the Company’s 45% proportionate share of the $57.2 million in damages awarded by the jury to WSDOT. The charge was for non-cash write-downs primarily related to the costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings and receivables that the Company previously recorded to reflect its expected recovery in this case. STP filed a petition for discretionary review by the Washington Supreme Court on July 12, 2022, which was denied by the Supreme Court on October 10, 2022. On October 18, 2022, STP paid the damages and associated interest from the judgment, which included the Company’s proportionate share of $34.6 million. As a result, the lawsuit between STP and WSDOT has concluded.

George Washington Bridge Bus Station Matter

In August 2013, Tutor Perini Building Corp. (“TPBC”) entered into a contract with the George Washington Bridge Bus Station Development Venture, LLC (the “Developer”) to renovate the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, a mixed-use facility owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (the “Port Authority”) that serves as a transit facility and retail space. The $100 million project experienced significant design errors and associated delays, resulting in damages to TPBC and its subcontractors, including WDF and Five Star, wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company. The facility opened to the public on May 16, 2017.

On February 26, 2015, the Developer filed a demand for arbitration, subsequently amended, seeking $30 million in alleged damages and declaratory relief that TPBC’s requests for additional compensation were invalid due to lack of notice. TPBC denied the Developer’s claims and filed a counterclaim in March 2018. TPBC was seeking in excess of $113 million in the arbitration, which included unpaid contract balance claims, the return of $29 million retained by the Developer in alleged damages, as well as extra work claims, pass-through claims and delay claims. The Developer was seeking an additional $4.8 million in damages from TPBC beyond the $29 million it had withheld.

Hearings on the merits commenced on September 24, 2018 before the arbitration panel. On June 4, 2019, the arbitration panel, as confirmed by the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, issued a writ of attachment against Developer for $23 million of the $29 million discussed above. On October 7, 2019, the Developer filed for bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of New York under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. The filing for bankruptcy stayed the pending arbitration proceedings. TPBC appeared in the bankruptcy proceedings on October 8, 2019 and filed a Proof of Claim in the amount of $113 million on December 13, 2019.

On June 5, 2020, the Developer, secured lenders and the Port Authority announced that they had reached a settlement of their disputes. As part of the settlement, the Port Authority waived the enforcement of its right to seek a “cure” pursuant to its lease agreement with the Developer, which requires construction costs be paid prior to any sale of the leasehold, the sole asset in the Developer’s bankruptcy estate to be distributed in this bankruptcy. On July 14, 2020, the bankruptcy court conducted a hearing to determine (1) whether to approve the settlement agreement between the Developer, secured lenders and the Port Authority; and (2) whether TPBC can assert third-party beneficiary rights to the lease agreement and require that prior to the sale of the leasehold, any outstanding costs owed to contractors for the cost of building the project must be paid pursuant to the lease agreement’s “cure” provisions. On August 12, 2020, the bankruptcy court approved the settlement and denied TPBC’s third-party beneficiary rights under the lease agreement. On August 20, 2020, TPBC filed an appeal with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York seeking to challenge the denial of its third-party beneficiary rights under the lease agreement’s “cure” provisions to avoid being subordinate to the claims of the secured lenders in the bankruptcy proceedings, which was denied by the U.S. District Court on August 4, 2021. TPBC filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on August 20, 2021, which conducted oral argument on October 27, 2022. On April 10, 2023, the Second Circuit affirmed the bankruptcy court’s and district court’s denials of TPBC’s third-party beneficiary rights under the project’s lease agreement’s “cure” provisions and concluded that TPBC’s claims were not otherwise entitled to priority treatment under the Bankruptcy Code and should therefore be treated as unsecured claims that are subordinate to the claims of the secured lenders in the Developer’s bankruptcy case. As a result of this adverse decision from the Second Circuit, the Company recorded a non-cash, pre-tax charge to income (loss) from construction operations of $83.6 million in the first quarter of 2023. TPBC has no further avenues to recover its costs from the Developer or the bankruptcy-related actions, nor does the Developer have any ability to recover its claims against TPBC, and these lawsuits have now concluded.

Separately, on July 2, 2018, TPBC filed a lawsuit against the Port Authority, as owner of the project, seeking the same $113 million in damages pursuant to the lease agreement between the Port Authority and the Developer. On August 20, 2018, the Port Authority filed a motion to dismiss all causes of action, which was denied by the court on July 1, 2019. The Port Authority appealed this decision on July 15, 2019. On February 18, 2021, the Appellate Division affirmed in part and reversed in part the trial court's denial of the Port Authority's motion to dismiss TPBC’s causes of action. On April 11, 2022, the court granted the Port Authority’s motion to dismiss on statutory notice grounds. The Company filed a notice of appeal on April 28, 2022, which is pending.

In addition, on August 11, 2021, TPBC filed a second lawsuit in state court against the Port Authority alleging unjust enrichment and tortious interference with TPBC’s right to recover under the lease agreement’s “cure” provision in the bankruptcy proceeding. The case was removed to the federal bankruptcy court on September 21, 2021. The Port Authority filed

a motion to dismiss on March 4, 2022, which the federal bankruptcy court granted on September 30, 2022. This lawsuit is now concluded.

On January 27, 2020, TPBC filed separate litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in which TPBC asserted related claims seeking the same $113 million in damages against the individual owners of the Developer for their wrongful conversion of project funds and against lenders that received interest payments from project funds and other amounts earmarked to pay the contractors. On December 29, 2020, the court granted in part and denied in part the defendants’ motions to dismiss, resulting in the lender defendants being dismissed from the lawsuit and the lawsuit against the individual owners of the Developer continuing. The lawsuit was refiled in New York state court on July 26, 2021. On June 8, 2022, the court certified the class under the New York construction trust fund statutes. The case remains pending before the court.

Management has made an estimate of the total anticipated recovery of TPBC’s claims against the individual owners of the Developer and the Port Authority on this project, and such estimate is included in revenue recorded to date.