Note 15.  Commitments and Contingencies

 

Environmental liabilities — Accrued environmental liabilities were $14 and $15 at  December 31, 2025 and 2024. We consider the most probable method of remediation, current laws and regulations and existing technology in estimating our environmental liabilities.

 

Other legal matters — We are subject to various pending or threatened legal proceedings arising out of the normal course of business or operations. In view of the inherent difficulty of predicting the outcome of such matters, we cannot state what the eventual outcome of these matters will be. However, based on current knowledge and after consultation with legal counsel, we believe that any liabilities that may result from these proceedings will not have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition or results of operations.

 

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Feb 27, 2026Showing above
2024Feb 20, 2025
2023Feb 20, 2024
2022Feb 21, 2023
2021Feb 23, 2022
2020Feb 18, 2021
2019Feb 14, 2020
2018Feb 15, 2019
2017Feb 14, 2018
2016Feb 10, 2017
2015Feb 18, 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.