Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is party to litigation, or threats thereof, both as defendant and plaintiff with some regularity, although individual cases that are material in size occur infrequently. As a defendant, the Company establishes reserves for claimed amounts that are considered probable and capable of estimation. If those cases are resolved for lesser amounts, the excess reserves are taken into income and, conversely, if those cases are resolved for larger than the amount the Company has accrued, the Company records additional expense. The Company believes it is unlikely that the results of its current legal proceedings for which it is the defendant, even if unfavorable, will be material. As a plaintiff, amounts that are collected can also result in sudden, non-recurring income.

Litigation results depend upon a variety of factors, including the availability of evidence, the credibility of witnesses, the performance of counsel, the state of the law, and the impressions of judges and jurors, any of which can be critical in importance, yet difficult, if not impossible, to predict. Consequently, cases currently pending, or future matters, may result in unexpected, and non-recurring losses, or income, from time to time. Finally, litigation results are often subject to judicial reconsideration, appeal and further negotiation by the parties, and as a result, the final impact of a particular judicial decision may be unknown for some time, or may result in continued reserves to account for the potential of such post-verdict actions.

The Company recorded a $5.0 million reserve relating to an outstanding non-regulatory litigation claim, based upon preliminary settlement negotiations in the first quarter of 2019. The claim is in response to penalties and fines paid to regulatory entities by LTG in 2018 for the settlement of matters which focused on certain trading activity.

The estimated losses for all other outstanding claims that are considered reasonably possible are not material.

Commitments

In the first quarter of 2018, the Company began construction of a new ethanol facility, which is expected to be completed in 2019. Portions of the project are covered by design and build contracts, with approximately $39.8 million of remaining obligation not yet incurred, of which $3.6 million has been prepaid, as of March 31, 2019.