Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

19) COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Commitments

Our commitments not recorded on the balance sheet primarily consist of programming and talent commitments and purchase obligations for goods and services resulting from our normal course of business.

Our programming and talent commitments, estimated to aggregate $10.36 billion as of December 31, 2019, include $5.39 billion for sports programming rights, $3.80 billion relating to the production and licensing of television and film programming, and $1.17 billion for talent contracts.  We also have committed purchase obligations which include agreements to purchase goods or services in the future that totaled $1.52 billion as of December 31, 2019.

Other long-term contractual obligations recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheet include program liabilities, participations due to producers, residuals, and a tax liability resulting from the enactment of the Tax Reform Act in December 2017. This tax liability reflects the remaining tax on the Company’s historical accumulated foreign earnings and profits, which is payable to the IRS in 2024 and 2025.

At December 31, 2019, commitments for programming and talent and purchase obligations not recorded on the balance sheet, and other long-term contractual obligations recorded on the balance sheet were payable as follows:

	Payments Due by Period
													2025 and
	Total		2020		2021		2022		2023		2024		Thereafter
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
Programming and talent commitments	$	10,355	$	3,003	$	2,980	$	2,370	$	744	$	415	$	843
Purchase obligations	$	1,517	$	609	$	558	$	186	$	45	$	37	$	82
On-Balance Sheet Arrangements
Other long-term contractual obligations	$	2,076	$	—	$	988	$	491	$	232	$	180	$	185

We also have long-term operating and finance lease commitments for office space, equipment, transponders and studio facilities, which are recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2019. See Note 9 for detail of our operating and finance lease commitments.

Guarantees

Letters of Credit and Surety Bonds. We have indemnification obligations with respect to letters of credit and surety bonds primarily used as security against non-performance in the normal course of business. At December 31, 2019, the outstanding letters of credit and surety bonds approximated $136 million and were not recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

CBS Television City. During 2019, we completed the sale of CBS Television City. We have guaranteed a specified level of cash flows to be generated by the business during the first five years following the completion of the sale. Included in “Other current liabilities” and “Other liabilities” on the Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2019 is a liability of $124 million, reflecting the present value of the estimated amount payable under the guarantee obligation.

Lease Guarantees. We have certain indemnification obligations with respect to leases primarily associated with the previously discontinued operations of Famous Players Inc. (“Famous Players”). These lease commitments amounted to $86 million as of December 31, 2019, and are presented on the Consolidated Balance Sheets within “Other liabilities”. The amount of lease commitments varies over time depending on expiration or termination of

individual underlying leases, or the related indemnification obligation, and foreign exchange rates, among other things. We may also have exposure for certain other expenses related to the leases, such as property taxes and common area maintenance. We believe our accrual is sufficient to meet any future obligations based on our consideration of available financial information, the lessees’ historical performance in meeting their lease obligations and the underlying economic factors impacting the lessees’ business models.

In the course of our business, we both provide and receive indemnities which are intended to allocate certain risks associated with business transactions. Similarly, we may remain contingently liable for various obligations of a business that has been divested in the event that a third party does not live up to its obligations under an indemnification obligation. We record a liability for our indemnification obligations and other contingent liabilities when probable and reasonably estimable.

Legal Matters

General.    On an ongoing basis, we vigorously defend ourselves in numerous lawsuits and proceedings and respond to various investigations and inquiries from federal, state, local and international authorities (collectively, “litigation’’). Litigation may be brought against us without merit, is inherently uncertain and always difficult to predict. However, based on our understanding and evaluation of the relevant facts and circumstances, we believe that the below-described legal matters and other litigation to which we are a party are not likely, in the aggregate, to have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

Litigation Relating to the Merger.  On September 27, 2019, Bucks County Employees Retirement Fund (the “Bucks County Fund”), a purported holder of CBS Class B Common Stock, served us with a demand for inspection of books and records pursuant to 8 Del. C. § 220 in connection with the Merger (the “Demand”). On October 10, 2019, we offered to produce certain categories of documents properly within the scope of a books and records demand under § 220. The Bucks County Fund rejected our offer and filed litigation in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware on October 15, 2019, seeking to compel production of all documents requested in the Demand (the “Section 220 Complaint”). A trial on the Section 220 Complaint took place on November 22, 2019, and the Court ordered limited additional production on November 25, 2019. On December 2, 2019, we certified that we had completed production of all relevant documents. On February 20, 2020, the Bucks County Fund filed a putative derivative and class action complaint in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware against Shari Redstone, NAI, Sumner M. Redstone National Amusements Trust (“SMR Trust”), the CBS board of directors (comprised of Candace K. Beinecke, Barbara M. Byrne, Gary L. Countryman, Brian Goldner, Linda M. Griego, Robert N. Klieger, Martha L. Minow, Susan Schuman, Frederick O. Terrell and Strauss Zelnick), former CBS President and Acting Chief Executive Officer Joseph Ianniello and ViacomCBS Inc. The complaint alleges breaches of fiduciary duties to CBS stockholders and waste in connection with the negotiation and approval of the Merger Agreement. The complaint seeks unspecified damages, costs and expenses as well as other relief. We believe that the claims are without merit and we intend to defend against them vigorously. We are currently unable to determine a range of potential liability, if any. Accordingly, no accrual for this matter has been made in our consolidated financial statements.

On January 23, 2020, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware consolidated four putative class action suits filed by purported Viacom stockholders against NAI, NAI Entertainment Holdings LLC, Shari E. Redstone, the members of the Viacom special transaction committee of the Viacom board of directors (comprised of Thomas J. May, Judith A. McHale, Ronald L. Nelson and Nicole Seligman) and our President and Chief Executive Officer and director, Robert M. Bakish, in In re Viacom Inc. Stockholders Litigation. The four actions allege breaches of fiduciary duties to Viacom stockholders in connection with the negotiation and approval of the Merger Agreement, and seek unspecified damages, costs and expenses. On February 6, 2020, the Court appointed the California Public Employees’ Retirement System as the lead plaintiff in the consolidated action. We believe that the claims are without merit and we intend to

defend against them vigorously. We are currently unable to determine a range of potential liability, if any. Accordingly, no accrual for this matter has been made in our consolidated financial statements.

Investigation-Related Matters. As announced on August 1, 2018, the CBS Board of Directors (the “CBS Board”) retained two law firms to conduct a full investigation of the allegations in press reports about CBS’ former Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, Leslie Moonves, CBS News and cultural issues at CBS. On December 17, 2018, the CBS Board announced the completion of its investigation, certain findings of the investigation and the CBS Board’s determination, discussed below, with respect to the termination of Mr. Moonves’ employment. We have received subpoenas from the New York County District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Commission on Human Rights regarding the subject matter of this investigation and related matters. The New York State Attorney General’s Office and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission have also requested information about these matters, including with respect to CBS’ related public disclosures. We may continue to receive additional related regulatory and investigative inquiries from these and other entities in the future. We are cooperating with these inquiries.

On August 27, 2018 and on October 1, 2018, each of Gene Samit and John Lantz, respectively, filed putative class action suits in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, individually and on behalf of others similarly situated, for claims that are similar to those alleged in the amended complaint described below. On November 6, 2018, the Court entered an order consolidating the two actions. On November 30, 2018, the Court appointed Construction Laborers Pension Trust for Southern California as the lead plaintiff of the consolidated action. On February 11, 2019, the lead plaintiff filed a consolidated amended putative class action complaint against CBS, certain current and former senior executives and members of the CBS Board. The consolidated action is stated to be on behalf of purchasers of CBS Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock between September 26, 2016 and December 4, 2018. This action seeks to recover damages arising during this time period allegedly caused by the defendants’ purported violations of the federal securities laws, including by allegedly making materially false and misleading statements or failing to disclose material information, and seeks costs and expenses as well as remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. On April 12, 2019, the defendants filed motions to dismiss this action, which the Court granted in part and denied in part on January 15, 2020. With the exception of one statement made by Mr. Moonves at an industry event in November 2017, in which he allegedly was acting as the agent of CBS, all claims as to all other allegedly false and misleading statements were dismissed. We believe that the remaining claims are without merit and we intend to defend against them vigorously. We are currently unable to determine a range of potential liability, if any. Accordingly, no accrual for this matter has been made in our consolidated financial statements.

Separation Agreement. On September 9, 2018, CBS entered into a separation and settlement agreement and releases (the “Separation Agreement”) with Mr. Moonves, pursuant to which Mr. Moonves resigned as a director and as Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS. In October 2018, we contributed $120 million to a grantor trust pursuant to the Separation Agreement. On December 17, 2018, the CBS Board announced that, following its consideration of the findings of the investigation referred to above, it had determined that there were grounds to terminate Mr. Moonves’ employment for cause under his employment agreement with CBS. Any dispute related to the CBS Board’s determination is subject to binding arbitration as set forth in the Separation Agreement. On January 16, 2019, Mr. Moonves commenced a binding arbitration proceeding with respect to this matter and the related CBS Board investigation, which proceeding is ongoing. The assets of the grantor trust will remain in the trust until a final determination in the arbitration. We are currently unable to determine the outcome of the arbitration and the amount, if any, that may be awarded thereunder and, accordingly, no accrual for this matter has been made in our consolidated financial statements.

Claims Related to Former Businesses: Asbestos. We are a defendant in lawsuits claiming various personal injuries related to asbestos and other materials, which allegedly occurred as a result of exposure caused by various products manufactured by Westinghouse, a predecessor, generally prior to the early 1970s. Westinghouse was neither a producer

nor a manufacturer of asbestos. We are typically named as one of a large number of defendants in both state and federal cases. In the majority of asbestos lawsuits, the plaintiffs have not identified which of our products is the basis of a claim. Claims against us in which a product has been identified most commonly relate to allegations of exposure to asbestos-containing insulating material used in conjunction with turbines and electrical equipment.

Claims are frequently filed and/or settled in groups, which may make the amount and timing of settlements, and the number of pending claims, subject to significant fluctuation from period to period. We do not report as pending those claims on inactive, stayed, deferred or similar dockets that some jurisdictions have established for claimants who allege minimal or no impairment. As of December 31, 2019, we had pending approximately 30,950 asbestos claims, as compared with approximately 31,570 as of December 31, 2018 and 31,660 as of December 31, 2017. During 2019, we received approximately 3,460 new claims and closed or moved to an inactive docket approximately 4,080 claims. We report claims as closed when we become aware that a dismissal order has been entered by a court or when we have reached agreement with the claimants on the material terms of a settlement. Settlement costs depend on the seriousness of the injuries that form the basis of the claims, the quality of evidence supporting the claims and other factors. Our total costs for the years 2019 and 2018 for settlement and defense of asbestos claims after insurance recoveries and net of tax were approximately $58 million and $45 million, respectively. Our costs for settlement and defense of asbestos claims may vary year to year and insurance proceeds are not always recovered in the same period as the insured portion of the expenses.

Filings include claims for individuals suffering from mesothelioma, a rare cancer, the risk of which is allegedly increased by exposure to asbestos; lung cancer, a cancer which may be caused by various factors, one of which is alleged to be asbestos exposure; other cancers, and conditions that are substantially less serious, including claims brought on behalf of individuals who are asymptomatic as to an allegedly asbestos-related disease. The predominant number of pending claims against us are non-cancer claims. It is difficult to predict future asbestos liabilities, as events and circumstances may impact the estimate of our asbestos liabilities, including, among others, the number and types of claims and average cost to resolve such claims. We record an accrual for a loss contingency when it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and when the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. We believe that our accrual and insurance are adequate to cover our asbestos liabilities. Our liability estimate is based upon many factors, including the number of outstanding claims, estimated average cost per claim, the breakdown of claims by disease type, historic claim filings, costs per claim of resolution and the filing of new claims, as well as consultation with a third party firm on trends that may impact our future asbestos liability.

Other.    From time to time we receive claims from federal and state environmental regulatory agencies and other entities asserting that we are or may be liable for environmental cleanup costs and related damages principally relating to our historical and predecessor operations. In addition, from time to time we receive personal injury claims including toxic tort and product liability claims (other than asbestos) arising from our historical operations and predecessors.