ADTRAN Holdings, Inc. Commitments Disclosure
Note 17 – Commitments and Contingencies
Legal Matters
From time to time, the Company is subject to or otherwise involved in various lawsuits, claims, investigations and legal proceedings that arise out of or are incidental to the conduct of our business (collectively, “Legal Matters”), including those relating to employment matters, patent rights, regulatory compliance matters, stockholder claims, and contractual and other commercial disputes. Such Legal Matters, even if not meritorious, could result in the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources. Additionally, an unfavorable outcome in a legal matter, including in a patent dispute, could require the Company to pay damages, entitle claimants to other relief, such as royalties, or could prevent the Company from selling some of its products in certain jurisdictions. The Company records an accrual for any Legal Matters that arise whenever it considers that it is probable that it is exposed to a loss contingency and the amount of the loss contingency can be reasonably estimated. Although the ultimate disposition of asserted claims cannot be predicted with certainty, it is our belief that the outcome of any such claims, either individually or on a combined basis, will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position.
As disclosed in Amendment No. 1 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on May 20, 2025, we identified errors in our previously issued financial statements related to the historical accounting for certain inventory and cost of goods sold transactions (“Adjustment”). The affected periods included the annual periods ended December 31, 2023 and 2024 and the interim periods ended March 31, 2024, June 30, 2024 and September 30, 2024. In connection with the identification of the Adjustment, the Audit Committee oversaw an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Adjustment and its impact on the Company’s historical financial statements. Based on the findings of the internal investigation, it was determined that the underlying errors giving rise to the Adjustment were not properly addressed in the Company’s previously filed financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 and were not communicated to the Audit Committee or the independent auditors prior to the filing of the initial Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024. The Company has taken certain remedial actions to address the material weaknesses in its internal controls associated with these findings. On August 4, 2025, the Company received a letter from the Atlanta regional office of the SEC in connection with a non-public, fact-finding inquiry, requesting that we voluntarily provide information regarding the internal investigation. The Company is cooperating in response to the SEC’s inquiry and cannot predict the timing or outcome of the inquiry.
DPLTA Appraisal Proceedings
In addition to such Legal Matters, the Company is a party to appraisal proceedings relating to the DPLTA which were originally filed with the Landgericht Meiningen (Meiningen Regional Court) on February 3, 2023. The DPLTA provides that Adtran Networks shareholders (other than the Company) be offered, at their election, (i) to put their Adtran Networks shares to the Company in exchange for compensation in cash of €17.21 per share, plus guaranteed interest or (ii) to remain Adtran Networks shareholders and receive recurring cash compensation of €0.52 per share for each full fiscal year of Adtran Networks. The appraisal proceedings, which were initiated by certain minority shareholders of Adtran Networks, challenge the adequacy of both forms of compensation. While the Company believes that the compensation offered in connection with the DPLTA is fair, it notes that German courts often adjudicate increases of the cash compensation to plaintiffs in varying amounts in connection with German appraisal proceedings. Therefore, the Company cannot rule out that the court or an appellate court may increase the cash compensation owed to the minority Adtran Networks shareholders. Given the stage of the appraisal proceedings, the Company is currently unable to predict the likely outcome or estimate the potential financial impact, if any, of the appraisal proceedings. If a ruling were to occur and be upheld upon appeal that required the Company to pay significant additional cash compensation to the Adtran Networks minority shareholders, there exists the possibility of a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations for the period in which the ruling occurs or future periods.
DPLTA Exit and Recurring Compensation Costs and the Absorption of Adtran Network's Annual Net Loss
Pursuant to the terms of the DPLTA, each Adtran Networks shareholder (other than the Company) has received an offer to elect either (1) to remain an Adtran Networks shareholder and receive from us an Annual Recurring Compensation payment, or (2) to receive Exit Compensation plus guaranteed interest. The guaranteed interest under the Exit Compensation is calculated from the effective date of the DPLTA to the date the shares are tendered, less any Annual Recurring Compensation paid. The guaranteed interest rate is 5.0% plus a variable component (according to the German Civil Code) that was 1.27% as of December 31, 2025. Assuming all the minority holders of currently outstanding Adtran Networks shares were to elect the second option, we would be obligated to make aggregate Exit Compensation payments, including guaranteed interest, of approximately €303.9 million or approximately $357.0 million, based on an exchange rate as of December 31, 2025 and reflecting interest accrued through December 31, 2025 during the pendency of the appraisal proceedings discussed below. Shareholders electing the first option of Annual Recurring Compensation may later elect the second option. The opportunity for outside Adtran Networks shareholders to tender Adtran Networks shares in exchange for Exit Compensation had been scheduled to expire on March 16, 2023. However, due to the appraisal proceedings that were initiated in 2023 in accordance with applicable German law, this time period for tendering shares has been extended pursuant to the German Stock Corporation Act (Aktiengesetz) and will end two months after the date on which a final decision in such appraisal proceedings has been published in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger). Following the court's decision on a procedural matter in the DPLTA appraisal proceedings on July 14, 2025, the proceeding for the trial on the merits of the DPLTA has recommenced. It is expected to take a minimum of 12 months for a ruling of the court on the merits and such ruling will most likely be appealed, which would be expected to take an additional 12-24 months to be resolved. Accordingly, the Company does not expect a final decision on the DPLTA appraisal proceedings to be rendered and published prior to 2027, and most likely not until 2028 or beyond.
Our obligation to pay Annual Recurring Compensation under the DPLTA is a continuing payment obligation, which will amount to approximately €7.9 million (or $9.3 million based on the exchange rate as of December 31, 2025) per year assuming none of the minority Adtran Networks shareholders were to elect Exit Compensation. The foregoing amounts do not reflect any potential increase in payment obligations that we may have depending on the outcome of ongoing appraisal proceedings in Germany. The Annual Recurring Compensation is due on the third banking day following the ordinary general shareholders’ meeting of Adtran Networks for the respective preceding fiscal year (but in any event within eight months following expiration of the fiscal year). With respect to the 2024 fiscal year, Adtran Networks’ ordinary general shareholders' meeting occurred on June 27, 2025 and, therefore, the Annual Recurring Compensation was paid on July 1, 2025. With respect to the 2025 fiscal year, Adtran Networks’ ordinary general shareholder meeting is scheduled for the second quarter of 2026, and the Annual Recurring Compensation will be due on the third banking day following the meeting. During the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, we accrued $9.3 million and $9.8 million, respectively, in Annual Recurring Compensation, which was reflected as an increase to retained deficit.
For the year ended December 31, 2025, 2.0 million shares, of Adtran Networks stock were tendered to the Company. This resulted in total Exit Compensation payments of €40.2 million, or $46.6 million, based on exchange rates at the time of the transactions, being paid to Adtran Networks shareholders. For the year ended December 31, 2024, 0.8 million shares of Adtran Networks shares were tendered to the Company. This resulted in Exit Compensation payments of €15.7 million or $17.4 million, based on an exchange rate as of December 31, 2024, being paid to Adtran Networks shareholders.
In addition, under the DPLTA, subject to certain limitations pursuant to applicable law and the specific terms of the DPLTA, (i) the Company is entitled to issue binding instructions to the management board of Adtran Networks, (ii) Adtran Networks will transfer its annual profit to the Company, subject to, among other things, the creation or dissolution of certain reserves, and (iii) the Company will absorb the annual net loss incurred by Adtran Networks. The Company’s payment obligation in satisfaction of the requirement that it
absorb Adtran Networks’ annual net loss applies to the net loss generated by Adtran Networks in 2025, and it will apply to any net loss generated by Adtran Networks in 2026.
Performance Bonds
Certain contracts, customers and jurisdictions in which the Company operates require us to provide various guarantees of performance such as bid bonds, performance bonds and customs bonds. As of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the Company had commitments related to these bonds totaling $22.4 million and $15.7 million, respectively, which expire at various dates through April 2029. In general the Company would only be liable for the amount of these guarantees in the event of default under each contract, the probability of which the Company believes is remote.
Purchase Obligations
The Company purchases components from a variety of suppliers and use contract manufacturers to provide manufacturing services for our products. Our inventory purchase obligations are for short-term product manufacturing requirements, as well as for obligations to suppliers to secure manufacturing capacity. Certain of our inventory purchase obligations with contract manufacturers and suppliers relate to arrangements to secure supply and pricing for certain product components for multi-year periods. As of December 31, 2025, purchase obligations totaled $205.9 million.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Feb 26, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Mar 3, 2025 | |
| 2023 | Mar 15, 2024 | |
| 2022 | Mar 1, 2023 | |
| 2021 | Feb 25, 2022 | |
| 2020 | Feb 26, 2021 | |
| 2019 | Feb 25, 2020 | |
| 2018 | Feb 28, 2019 | |
| 2017 | Feb 23, 2018 | |
| 2016 | Feb 24, 2017 | |
| 2015 | Feb 24, 2016 | |
About Commitments Disclosures
Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.
Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.