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Litigation, Contractual Commitments and Contingent Liabilities
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Litigation, Contractual Commitments and Contingent Liabilities
Litigation, Contractual Commitments and Contingent Liabilities
Litigation
The Company is party to ordinary and routine litigation incidental to our business. We do not expect the outcome of any pending litigation to have a material effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
Contractual Commitments
As of June 30, 2014, our estimated interest payments for the rest of the year ended December 31, 2014 are $1,213.0 million, for the years ended December 31, 2015 through 2018 are $2,186.7 million, $2,120.1 million, $1,930.3 million, and $1,544.0 million, respectively, and our estimated interest payments thereafter are $2,079.6 million. See Note 8, "Debt."
As of June 30, 2014, there have been no other material changes outside of the ordinary course of business to our other known contractual obligations, which are set forth in the table included in Item 7 in our 2013 10-K.
Contingent Liabilities
Employee Benefit Obligations
In December 1998, Hilton Hotels Corporation ("Hilton") spun-off its gaming operations as Park Place Entertainment Corporation ("Park Place"). In connection with the spin-off, Hilton and Park Place entered into various agreements, including an Employee Benefits and Other Employment Allocation Agreement dated December 31, 1998 (the "Allocation Agreement") whereby Park Place assumed or retained, as applicable, certain liabilities and excess assets, if any, related to the Hilton Hotels Retirement Plan (the "Hilton Plan") based on the accrued benefits of Hilton employees and Park Place employees. CEOC is the ultimate successor to this Allocation Agreement. In 2013, a lawsuit was settled related to the Hilton Plan, which retroactively and prospectively increased total benefits to be paid under the Hilton Plan. In 2009, we received a letter from Hilton, notifying us of a lawsuit related to the Hilton Plan which alleged that we had potential liability for the additional claims under the terms of the Allocation Agreement. Based on conversations between our representative and a representative of the defendants, we recorded a charge of $25.0 million representing our allocated share of the total damages estimate in accordance with FASB Codification Topic 450, Contingencies, during the second quarter 2010.
In December 2013, we received a letter from Hilton notifying us that all final court rulings have been rendered in relation to this matter. We were subsequently informed that our obligation under the Allocation Agreement was approximately $53.5 million, and that approximately $18.5 million relates to contributions for historical periods and approximately $35.0 million relates to estimated future contributions. We are currently assessing the information supporting Hilton’s calculation of total amounts due under the Allocation Agreement. We met with Hilton representatives in March 2014, have had discussions subsequently, and have requested additional financial information in order to adequately assess the claimed amounts. Because we have yet to receive and assess this additional information, we have not been able to revise our estimate. We cannot currently predict the ultimate outcome of this matter, but we continue to believe that we may have various defenses against such claims, including defenses as to the amount of liabilities.
Self-Insurance
We are self-insured for employee health, dental, vision and other insurance and our insurance claims and reserves includes accruals of estimated settlements for known claims, as well as accruals of actuarial estimates of incurred but not reported claims. As of June 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, we had total self-insurance liability accruals of $220.0 million and $208.2 million, respectively.
Other Matters
In recent years, governmental authorities have been increasingly focused on anti-money laundering ("AML") policies and procedures, with a particular focus on the gaming industry. As an example, a major gaming company recently settled a U.S. Attorney investigation into its AML practices. On October 11, 2013, a subsidiary of the Company received a letter from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the United States Department of the Treasury ("FinCEN"), stating that FinCEN is investigating the Company’s subsidiary, Desert Palace, Inc. (the owner of Caesars Palace), for alleged violations of the Bank Secrecy Act to determine whether it is appropriate to assess a civil penalty and/or take additional enforcement action against Caesars Palace. Additionally, the Company has been informed that a federal grand jury investigation regarding the Company’s anti-money laundering practices and procedures is ongoing. The Company is fully cooperating with both the FinCEN and grand jury investigations. Based on proceedings to date, the Company is currently unable to determine the probability of the outcome of these matters or the range of reasonably possible loss, if any.
Bondholder Disputes
On March 21, 2014, CEC, CEOC, CERP, Caesars Acquisition Company ("CAC"), and CGP LLC received a letter (the "March 21 Letter") from a law firm acting on behalf of unnamed clients who claim to hold Second-Priority Secured Notes of CEOC, alleging, among other things, that CEOC is insolvent and that CEOC’s owners improperly transferred or seek to transfer valuable assets of CEOC to affiliated entities in connection with: (a) the transaction agreement dated October 21, 2013 by and among CEC, certain subsidiaries of CEC and CEOC, CAC and CGP LLC, which, among other things, provides for the asset transfers from subsidiaries of CEOC to CGP LLC of Planet Hollywood Las Vegas and interests in Horseshoe Baltimore that was consummated in 2013; (b) the transfer by CEOC to CERP of Octavius Tower and Linq that was consummated in 2013; and (c) the then-contemplated transfers by CEOC to CGP LLC of the Properties. The March 21 Letter does not identify the holders or specify the amount of Second-Priority Secured Notes of CEOC or other securities that they may hold. The March 21 Letter includes allegations that these transactions constitute or will constitute voidable fraudulent transfers and represent breaches of alleged fiduciary duties owed to CEOC creditors and that certain disclosures concerning the transactions were inadequate. The March 21 Letter demands, among other things, that the transactions be rescinded or terminated, as would be applicable. CEC strongly believes there is no merit to the March 21 Letter’s allegations and will defend itself vigorously and seek appropriate relief now that an action has been brought, as discussed below.
On April 3, 2014, a letter was sent to CEC, the Board of Directors of CEC (the "CEC Board") and the Board of Directors of CEOC (the "CEOC Board" and, together with the CEC Board, the "Boards") (the "April 3 Letter") by a law firm claiming to act on behalf of unnamed parties who assert that they are lenders under CEOC’s credit agreement and/or holders of CEOC’s first priority senior secured notes (collectively, the "First Lien Group"), alleging, among other things, that CEC and CEOC improperly transferred or seek to transfer assets of CEC and CEOC to affiliated entities in connection with: (a) the transaction agreement dated October 21, 2013 by and among CEC, certain subsidiaries of CEC and CEOC, CAC and CGP LLC, which, among other things, provides for the contributions by CEC and its subsidiaries to CGP LLC of CIE and $1.1 billion face amount of CEOC’s unsecured notes in exchange for non-voting interests of CGP LLC, and the asset transfers from subsidiaries of CEOC to CGP LLC of the Planet Hollywood casino and interests in Horseshoe Baltimore that was consummated in 2013; (b) the transfer by CEOC to CERP of Octavius Tower and Linq that was consummated in 2013 ((a) and (b) collectively, the "2013 Transactions"); and (c) the then-contemplated transfers by CEOC to CGP LLC of the Properties and formation of a new services joint venture between CEOC, CERP and CGP LLC to provide certain centralized services, including but not limited to common management of enterprise-wide intellectual property (the "Contemplated Transaction"). The April 3 Letter asserts that the consideration provided by CGP LLC and CERP in connection with the 2013 Transactions and the Contemplated Transaction is inadequate and that CEC and CEOC were insolvent at the time the transactions were approved. The April 3 Letter claims that the First Lien Group consists of institutions that collectively hold in excess of $1.85 billion of CEOC’s first lien debt and that holders of an additional $880 million of CEOC’s first lien debt endorse and support the April 3 Letter. The April 3 Letter alleges, among other things, that these transactions represent breaches of alleged fiduciary duties owed to CEOC creditors and that certain disclosures concerning the transactions were inadequate. The April 3 Letter demands, among other things, that the transactions be rescinded or terminated, as would be applicable, and requests a meeting with representatives of CEC and other parties to discuss these matters. CEC strongly believes there is no merit to the April 3 Letter’s allegations and will defend itself vigorously and seek appropriate relief should any action be brought.
On June 5, 2014, CEOC received a Notice of Default and Reservation of Rights (the "Notice") from holders (the "Noteholders") purporting to own at least 30% in principal amount of CEOC’s outstanding 10.00% second-priority senior secured notes due 2018 (the "Notes") issued under the Indenture, dated April 15, 2009 (the "Indenture"), by and among CEOC, CEC and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (the "Trustee"). The Notice alleges that the following defaults have occurred and are continuing under the Indenture: (i) the transfers by CEOC and its subsidiaries to CGP LLC of The Cromwell, The Quad Resort & Casino, Bally’s Las Vegas, Harrah’s New Orleans and 50% of the ongoing management fees and any termination fees under the management agreements for these properties, which were consummated on May 5, 2014 and May 20, 2014, violated the asset sales covenant under the Indenture because, among other things and (ii) in violation of the Indenture, CEC denied and/or disaffirmed its obligations under the Indenture and/or its guarantee of the Notes by stating in its Current Report on Form 8-K dated May 6, 2014 that upon the sale of CEOC’s common stock to certain investors, CEC’s guarantee of CEOC’s outstanding secured and unsecured notes was automatically released (the "Guarantee Default"). The Notice alleges that the conditions to the release of CEC’s guarantee under the Indenture have not occurred and the alleged Guarantee Default constitutes an event of default under the Indenture as a result of CEOC’s failure to cure the default prior to May 16, 2014, as proscribed by the Indenture. The Notice claims that absent any immediate written notice and agreement from CEOC that it will promptly take all steps necessary to rescind the asset sales in order to comply with the Indenture, such default also constitutes an event of default under the Indenture. CEC strongly believes that no default or events of default have occurred under the Indenture. 
On July 18, 2014, a letter was sent to outside counsel of CEOC (the "July 18 Letter") by the law firm acting on behalf of the First Lien Group alleging, among other things, that CEOC and the pledgors of assets under the collateral agreement entered into in connection with the senior notes held by the First Lien Group were not in compliance with the terms of the collateral agreement.
On August 4, 2014, Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB, solely in its capacity as successor Indenture Trustee for the Notes, on behalf of itself and, it alleges, derivatively on behalf of CEOC, filed a lawsuit (the "Second Lien Lawsuit") in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware against CEC and CEOC, Caesars Growth Partners, LLC, Caesars Acquisition Company, Caesars Entertainment Resort Properties, LLC, Caesars Enterprise Services, LLC, Eric Hession, Gary Loveman, Jeffrey D. Benjamin, David Bonderman, Kelvin L. Davis, Marc C. Rowan, David B. Sambur, and Eric Press. The lawsuit alleges claims for breach of contract, intentional and constructive fraudulent transfer, breach of fiduciary duty, aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty, and corporate waste. The lawsuit seeks (1) an award of money damages; (2) to void certain transfers, the earliest of which dates back to 2010; (3) an injunction directing the recipients of the assets in these transactions to return them to CEOC; (4) a declaration that CEC remains liable under the parent guarantee formerly applicable to the Notes; (5) to impose a constructive trust or equitable lien on the transferred assets; and (6) an award to plaintiffs for their attorneys’ fees and costs. CEC believes this lawsuit is without merit and will defend itself vigorously.
On August 5, 2014, CEC, along with CEOC, filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York, against certain institutional first and second lien note holders. The complaint states that such institutional first and second lien note holders have acted against the best interests of CEOC and other creditors, including for the purpose of inflating the value of their credit default swap positions or improving other unique securities positions. The complaint asserts claims for tortious interference with prospective economic advantage, declaratory judgment and breach of contract and seeks, among other things, (1) money damages; (2) a declaration that no default or event of default has occurred or is occurring and the Company and CEOC have not breached their fiduciary duties or engaged in fraudulent transfers or other violation of law; and (3) a preliminary and permanent injunction prohibiting the defendants from taking further actions to damage the Company or CEOC.