Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2021

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Asbestos

As of September 30, 2021, the Company was a party to 370 pending cases involving an aggregate of 4,709 claimants primarily alleging personal injury from exposure to asbestos containing materials formerly used in gaskets (both encapsulated and otherwise) manufactured or distributed by its former Lamons division and certain other related subsidiaries for use primarily in the petrochemical, refining and exploration industries. The following chart summarizes the number of claims, number of claims filed, number of claims dismissed, number of claims settled, the average settlement amount per claim and the total defense costs, at the applicable date and for the applicable periods:


	Claims pending at beginning of period	Claims filed during period	Claims dismissed during period	Claims settled during period	Claims pending at end of period	Average settlement amount per claim during period		Total defense costs during period
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021	4,655	171	89	28	4,709	$	11,632	$	1,560,000
Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2020	4,759	219	287	36	4,655	$	18,314	$	2,130,000

In addition, the Company acquired various companies to distribute its products that had distributed gaskets of other manufacturers prior to acquisition. The Company believes that many of its pending cases relate to locations at which none of its gaskets were distributed or used.

The Company may be subjected to significant additional asbestos-related claims in the future, and will aggressively defend or reasonably resolve, as appropriate. The cost of settling cases in which product identification can be made may increase, and the Company may be subjected to further claims in respect of the former activities of its acquired gasket distributors. The cost of claims varies as claims may be initially made in some jurisdictions without specifying the amount sought or by simply stating the requisite or maximum permissible monetary relief, and may be amended to alter the amount sought. The large majority of claims do not specify the amount sought. Of the 4,709 claims pending at September 30, 2021, 24 set forth specific amounts of damages (other than those stating the statutory minimum or maximum). At September 30, 2021, of the 24 claims that set forth specific amounts, there was one claim seeking more than $5 million for punitive damages. Below is a breakdown of the compensatory damages sought for those claims seeking specific amounts:

Compensatory

Range of damages sought (dollars in millions)

$0.0 to $0.6

$0.6 to $5.0

$5.0+

Number of claims

—

Relatively few claims have reached the discovery stage and even fewer claims have gone past the discovery stage. Total settlement costs (exclusive of defense costs) for all such cases, some of which were filed over 25 years ago, have been approximately $10.3 million. All relief sought in the asbestos cases is monetary in nature. Based on the settlements made to date and the number of claims dismissed or withdrawn for lack of product identification, the Company believes that the relief sought (when specified) does not bear a reasonable relationship to its potential liability.

There has been significant volatility in the historical number of claim filings and costs to defend, with previous claim counts and spend levels much higher than current levels. Management believes this volatility was associated more with tort reform, plaintiff practices and state-specific legal dockets than the Company’s underlying asbestos-related exposures. From 2017 to 2019, however, the number of new claim filings, and costs to defend, had become much more consistent, ranging between 143 to 173 new claims per year and total defense costs ranging between $2.2 million and $2.3 million.

The higher degree of consistency in census data and spend levels, as well as lower claim activity levels and an evolving defense strategy, has allowed the Company to more effectively and efficiently manage claims, making process or local counsel arrangement improvements where possible. Given the consistency of activity over a multi-year period, the Company believed a trend may have formed where it could be possible to reasonably estimate its future cash exposure for all asbestos-related activity with an adequate level of precision. As such, the Company commissioned an actuary to help evaluate the nature and predictability of its asbestos-related costs, and provide an actuarial range of estimates of future exposures. Based upon its review of the actuarial study, which was completed in June 2020 using data as of December 31, 2019 and which projected spend levels through a terminal year of 2064, the Company affirmed its belief that it now has the ability to reasonably estimate its future asbestos-related exposures for pending as well as unknown future claims.

During the second quarter 2020, the Company elected to change its method of accounting for asbestos-related defense costs from accruing for probable and reasonably estimable defense costs associated with known claims expected to settle to accrue for all future defense costs for both known and unknown claims, which the Company now believes are reasonably estimable. The Company believes this change is preferable, as asbestos-related defense costs represent expenditures related to legacy activities that do not contribute to current or future revenue generating activities, and recording an estimate of the full liability for asbestos-related costs, where estimable with reasonable precision, provides a more complete assessment of the liability associated with resolving asbestos-related claims. This accounting change was reflected as a change in accounting estimate effected by a change in accounting principle.

Following the change in accounting estimate, the Company’s liability for asbestos-related claims will be based on a study from the Company’s third-party actuary, the Company's review of the study, as well as the Company’s own review of asbestos claims and claim resolution activity. The study from the Company’s actuary, based on data as of December 31, 2019, provided for a range of possible future liability from $31.5 million to $43.3 million. The Company did not believe any amount within the range of potential outcomes represented a better estimate than another given the many factors and assumptions inherent in the projections, and therefore recorded a non-cash, pre-tax charge of $23.4 million in second quarter 2020 to increase the liability estimate to $31.5 million, at the low-end of the range. This charge is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations. As of September 30, 2021, the Company’s total asbestos-related liability is $26.8 million, and is included in accrued liabilities and other long-term liabilities, respectively, in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.

The Company’s primary insurance, which covered approximately 40% of historical costs related to settlement and defense of asbestos litigation, expired in November 2018, upon which the Company became solely responsible for defense costs and indemnity payments. The Company is party to a coverage-in-place agreement (entered into in 2006) with its first level excess carriers regarding the coverage to be provided to the Company for asbestos-related claims. The coverage-in-place agreement makes asbestos defense costs and indemnity insurance coverage available to the Company that might otherwise be disputed by the carriers and provides a methodology for the administration of such expenses. The Company will continue to be solely responsible for defense costs and indemnity payments prior to the commencement of coverage under this agreement, the duration of which would be subject to the scope of damage awards and settlements paid. Based upon the Company’s review of the actuarial study, the Company does not believe it is probable that it will reach the threshold of qualified future settlements required to commence excess carrier insurance coverage under the coverage-in-place agreement.

Based upon the Company's experience to date, including the trend in annual defense and settlement costs incurred to date, and other available information (including the availability of excess insurance), the Company does not believe these cases will have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

Claims and Litigation

The Company is subject to other claims and litigation in the ordinary course of business, but does not believe that any such claim or litigation will have a material adverse effect on its financial position and results of operations or cash flows.