Commitments and Contingencies |
9 Months Ended |
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Oct. 03, 2015 | |
| Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| Commitments and Contingencies |
Commitments and Contingencies
Contracts: We have entered into material contracts with three appliance manufacturers. Under the agreements there are no minimum purchase commitments; however, we have agreed to indemnify the manufacturers for certain claims, allegations or losses with respect to appliances we sell.
Litigation: On March 6, 2015, a complaint was filed in United States District Court for the Central District of California by Jason Feola, individually and as a representative of a class consisting of purchasers of the Company’s common stock between March 15, 2012 and February 11, 2015, against Appliance Recycling Centers of America, Inc. and certain current and former officers of the Company. Mr. Feola, pursuant to terms of his retainer agreement with The Rosen Law Firm, certified that he purchased 240 shares of the Company’s common stock for $984 in total consideration. In May 2015, the Company and the individual defendants were served the complaint. In July 2015, the Company and the individual defendants received an amended complaint. The complaint alleges that misstatements and omissions occurred in press releases and filings by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission and that these misstatements or omissions constitute violations of Section 20 (a) and Section 10(b) of, and Rule 10b-5 under, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In October 2015, the court held a hearing on the Company's motion to dismiss the complaint.The Company is awaiting a ruling from the court on such motion. This matter has been submitted to our insurance carrier and we intend to contest vigorously the claims made in the complaint.
On November 6, 2015, a complaint was filed in the Minnesota District Court for Hennepin County, Minnesota, by David Gray and Michael Boller, derivatively and on behalf of Appliance Recycling Centers of America, Inc., against twelve current and former officers and directors of the Company. The complaint alleges that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties, including by failing to adopt adequate internal controls for the Company, by approving false and misleading statements issued by the Company, and by causing the Company to violate generally accepted accounting principles and SEC regulations, and that the defendants have been unjustly enriched as a result thereof. The complaint seeks damages, disgorgement, an award of attorneys’ fees and other expenses, and an order compelling changes to the Company’s corporate governance and internal procedures. This matter has been submitted to our insurance carrier. We have not yet responded but intend to contest vigorously the claims made in the complaint.
Given the uncertainty of litigation and the preliminary stage of these cases, we cannot reasonably estimate the possible loss or range of loss that may result from these actions. The Company maintains directors and officers liability insurance policies that may reduce the Company’s exposure, if any. In the event the Company incurs a loss, the Company will pursue recoveries to the maximum extent available under these policies.
In February 2012, various individuals commenced a class action lawsuit against Whirlpool Corporation (“Whirlpool”) and various distributors of Whirlpool products, including Sears, The Home Depot, Lowe’s and us, alleging certain appliances sold by Whirlpool through its distribution chain, which includes us, were improperly designated with the ENERGY STAR® qualification rating established by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. The claims against us include breach of warranty claims, as well as various state consumer protection claims. The amount of the claim is, as yet, undetermined. Whirlpool has offered to fully indemnify and defend its distributors in this lawsuit, including us, and has engaged legal counsel to defend itself and the distributors. We are monitoring Whirlpool’s defense of the claims and believe the possibility of a material loss is remote.
AMTIM Capital, Inc. (“AMTIM”) acts as our representative to market our recycling services in Canada under an arrangement that pays AMTIM for revenues generated by recycling services in Canada as set forth in the agreements between the parties. A dispute has arisen between AMTIM and us with respect to the calculation of amounts due to AMTIM pursuant to the agreement. In a lawsuit filed in the province of Ontario, AMTIM claims a discrepancy in the calculation of fees due to AMTIM by us of approximately $2.0 million. Although the outcome of this claim is uncertain, we believe that no further amounts are due under the terms of the agreement and that we will continue to defend our position relative to this lawsuit.
We are party from time to time to ordinary course disputes that we do not believe to be material or have merit. We intend to vigorously defend ourselves against these ordinary course disputes.
Sales and Use Taxes: We operate in twenty-three states in the U.S. and in various provinces in Canada. From time to time, we are subject to sales and use tax audits that could result in additional taxes, penalties and interest owed to various taxing authorities.
As previously disclosed, the California Board of Equalization (“BOE”) is conducting a sales and use tax examination covering the California operations of Appliance Recycling Centers of America, Inc. (the “Company”) for 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Company believed it was exempt from collecting sales taxes under service agreements with utility customers that included appliance replacement programs. During the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company received communication from the BOE indicating they are not in agreement with the Company’s interpretation of the law. As a result, the Company applied for and, as of February 9, 2015, received approval to participate in the California Board of Equalization’s Managed Audit Program. The period covered under this program includes 2011, 2012, 2013 and extends through the nine-month period ended September 30, 2014. At this time, our best estimate of the amount that will be assessed by the BOE covering all periods under audit is approximately $4.1 million ($2.5 million net of income tax benefit) in sales tax and interest related to the appliance replacement programs that we administered on behalf of our customers on which we did not assess, collect or remit sales tax. The Company has been working with outside consultants to arrive at our assessment estimate and will continue to engage the services of these sales tax experts throughout the Managed Audit Program process. The sales tax amounts that we will likely be assessed relate to transactions in the period under examination by the BOE. Such assessment, however, will be subject to protest and appeal, and would not need to be funded until the matter has been fully resolved. Resolution could take up to two years.
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