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Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

20. Commitments and Contingencies

Tariff Matter

With the assistance of a third-party consultant, during the first quarter of fiscal year 2021 the Company initiated a review of the transaction value it used to calculate tariffs on inter-company imports of samples shipped from its GENEWIZ business. As a result, this review and a new interpretation surrounding the valuation method used to calculate the estimated transaction value, the Company revised its estimate of the tariffs owed and recorded a liability of $6.1 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2021. The Company submitted a payment in the amount of $5.9 million to the customs authorities during fiscal 2022, related to November 2021 and prior periods. The customs authorities will review the Company’s calculation of tariffs for these periods and determine if any further tariffs are owed. The Company does not expect to incur any significant penalties associated with the tariffs.

Purchase Commitments

As of June 30, 2023, the Company had non-cancellable commitments of $70.8 million, comprised of purchase orders for inventory of $48.1 million and information technology related commitments of $22.7 million.

Contingencies

The Company is subject to various legal proceedings, both asserted and unasserted, that arise in the ordinary course of business. The Company cannot predict the ultimate outcome of such legal proceedings or, in certain instances, provide reasonable ranges of potential losses.

The Company may also have certain indemnification obligations pursuant to claims made under the definitive agreement it entered into with Edwards Vacuum LLC (a member of the Atlas Copco Group) in connection with the

Company’s sale of its semiconductor cryogenics business in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2018. In the third quarter of fiscal year 2020, Edwards asserted claims for indemnification under the definitive agreement relating to alleged breaches of representations and warranties relating to customer warranty claims and inventory (the “2020 Claim”). In addition, in January 2023, Edwards filed a lawsuit against the Company in the Supreme Court of the State of New York in the County of New York seeking indemnification from the Company under such definitive agreement for $1.0 million and other related damages, including interest and attorney’s fees, arising from a third-party claim that was included as part of their initial claims (the “2023 Claim”).

In the second quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company accrued a liability of $2.5 million for the litigation with Edwards related to the 2020 and 2023 Claim of which $0.8 million was paid during the third quarter of 2023.

In April 2023, the Company responded to and filed a counterclaim against Edwards for the 2023 Claim alleging breach of the definitive agreements by Edwards and seeking a declaratory judgment. During the third quarter of fiscal 2023, the Company and Edwards entered into a settlement agreement related to the 2023 Claim to avoid the costs and uncertainties of potential litigation. Under the settlement agreement, the Company paid Edwards $0.8 million from one of the indemnification escrows established at closing of the sale in return for the release of the 2023 Claim and any residual funds in this escrow. The 2020 Claim remains outstanding and $1.7 million remains in the balance of the accrued liability.

The Company cannot determine the probability of any losses or outcome of the 2020 Claim including the amount of any indemnifiable losses, if any, resulting from these claims. However, the Company does not believe that this claim will have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position or results of operations. If the resolution of the 2020 Claim results in indemnifiable losses in excess of the applicable indemnification deductibles established under the definitive agreement, Edwards would be required to seek recovery under the representation and warranty insurance Edwards obtained in connection with the closing of the sale of the semiconductor cryogenics business. Management believes that any indemnifiable losses in excess of the applicable deductibles established in the definitive agreement would be covered by such insurance. For indemnifiable claims other than those arising from breaches of representations and warranties and for indemnifiable claims arising from breaches of representations and warranties exceeding the maximum coverage of the representations and warranties insurance policy, Edwards could seek recovery of such indemnifiable losses, if any, directly from the Company. In the event of unexpected subsequent developments and given the inherent unpredictability of these matters, there can be no assurance that the Company’s assessment of any claim will reflect the ultimate outcome, and an adverse outcome in certain matters could, from time to time, have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations in particular quarterly or annual periods.