NOTE 18. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

The Company is party to various legal actions and administrative proceedings and subject to various claims arising in the ordinary course of business. These proceedings primarily involve commercial claims, product liability claims, personal injury claims and workers’ compensation claims. The Company believes that the ultimate liability, if any, in excess of amounts already provided for in the Consolidated Financial Statements or covered by insurance on the disposition of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on the financial position, results of operations or cash flows of the Company.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Feb 24, 2026Showing above
2024Feb 13, 2025
2023Feb 14, 2024
2022Feb 16, 2023
2021Feb 17, 2022
2020Feb 18, 2021
2019Feb 27, 2020
2018Feb 26, 2019
2017Feb 15, 2018
2016Feb 24, 2017
2015Feb 19, 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.