Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

8. Commitments and Contingencies

Litigation. The Company has pending litigation relative to leases of certain equipment and real property with a former related party, Aero, Inc. Aero, Inc. is suing Servotronics, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary and has alleged damages in the amount of $3,000,000. The Company has filed a response to the Aero, Inc. lawsuit and has also filed a counter-claim in the amount of $3,191,000. The Company has not considered the risk of loss to be probable, and is unable to reasonably or accurately estimate the likelihood and amount of any liability or benefit that may be realized as a result of this litigation. Accordingly, no gain or loss has been recognized in the accompanying financial statements related to this litigation.

Final Arbitration Award. As previously disclosed in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), in the first quarter of 2015 the Company paid a former Executive Officer of the Company (the “Former Employee”) an arbitration award in connection with the termination of the Former Employee’s employment agreement.

The arbitration award, including interest and attorney’s fees and disbursements was approximately $5,201,000. The Company recognized the expense in fiscal 2014 and paid the award on March 6, 2015. The Company is also expected to pay post employment health related benefits for the Former Employee, of which approximately $471,000 has been accrued as of December 31, 2015 and is reflected as Accrued Arbitration Award Liability in the accompanying balance sheet.

Agreement with respect to Insurance Claim. As previously disclosed, the Company received $4,500,000 in the first quarter of 2015 from the carrier related to the Company's claim for insurance for damages the Company suffered in connection with the previously mentioned arbitration proceeding. The insurance carrier also paid under the policy partial attorney fees incurred by the Company in defense of the arbitration. The Company recorded the benefit from this agreement during the first quarter of 2015.

Leases. The Company leases certain equipment pursuant to operating lease arrangements. Total rental expense in the twelve month periods ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 and future minimum payments under such leases are not material to the consolidated financial statements.

Facility Expansion. As previously disclosed, the Company has commenced a multi-year investment plan designed to consolidate the operations of the CPG. The five year plan included the construction of an approximate 28,000 square foot addition, capital improvements to the existing plant, the reconfiguration of its production process within the expanded facility, and the addition of new state of the art knife-making equipment. The Company broke ground in the second quarter of 2014 and is now manufacturing in the newly constructed facility. The cost of the project is approximately $4,000,000 over a five year period of which approximately $3,432,000 was completed as of December 31, 2015 and is accounted for in property plant and equipment.

The Company’s CPG was awarded certain incentives from the County of Cattaraugus Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) in connection with the expansion of the Company’s CPG facility in Franklinville, New York and other proposed capital expenditures. The incentives include certain real property tax and sales tax abatements in connection with the proposed project. The Company’s CPG entered into customary lease and leaseback arrangements with the CCIDA to facilitate the various tax incentives.

The Company’s CPG was awarded a $300,000 grant from Cattaraugus County, New York. The grant was used towards new manufacturing equipment in connection with the proposed expansion project. As part of the terms of the Grant Contract with Cattaraugus County, the Company’s CPG has agreed to maintain certain employment levels for a period of five years from the date of the agreement, March 13, 2014. If the employment levels are not maintained, the Company will be required to repay the grant proceeds on a prorated basis. The Company’s CPG was also awarded a $416,000 New York State Community Development Block Grant from the Office of Community Renewal to be used towards the purchase of equipment. As of December 31, 2015, the Company has received the grants in full and recorded them as a reduction to the carrying value of the asset.

Employment Agreements. The Company has entered into employment agreements with Dr. Nicholas D. Trbovich and Kenneth D. Trbovich pursuant to which they are entitled to receive minimum salary compensation of $596,000 and $350,000 per annum, respectively, or such greater amount as the Company’s Board of Directors may approve/ratify and individual and spousal lifetime health and life insurance benefits. In the event of death or total disability during the term of the employment agreement, he or his estate is entitled to receive 50% of the compensation he is receiving from the Company at the time of his death or disability during the remainder of the term of the employment agreement. Also, in the event of (i) a breach of the agreement by the Company, (ii) a change in control of the Company, as defined, or (iii) a change in the responsibilities, positions or geographic office location, he is entitled to terminate the agreement and receive a payment of 2.99 times their average annual compensation from the Company for the preceding five years. If this provision is invoked and the Company makes the required payment, the Company will be relieved of any further salary liability under the agreement notwithstanding the number of years covered by the agreement prior to termination. The term of the agreement extends to and includes December 31, 2017 for Dr. Trbovich and December 31, 2019 for Kenneth Trbovich provided, however, the term of the agreement will be automatically extended for one additional year beyond its then expiration date unless either party has notified the other in writing that the term will not be extended. If the Company elects not to extend the agreement, he will be entitled to a severance payment equal to nine month’s salary and benefits.

The Company provides certain postretirement health and life insurance benefits for Dr. Trbovich and Kenneth Trbovich. Upon retirement and after attaining at least the age of 65, the Company will pay for the retired executives and dependents health benefits and will continue the Company-provided life insurance offered at the time of retirement. The retiree’s health insurance benefits ceases upon the death of the retired executive. See Note 5, Employee Benefit Plans for information regarding Other Postretirement Benefit Plans.