Legal Proceedings |
3 Months Ended |
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Apr. 01, 2023 | |
| Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| Legal Proceedings | Legal Proceedings Lufthansa
One of the Company’s subsidiaries is involved in numerous patent infringement actions brought by Lufthansa Technik AG (“Lufthansa”) in Germany, UK and France. The Company is vigorously defending all such litigation and proceedings. Additional information about these legal proceedings can be found in Note 19 “Legal Proceedings” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. The reserve for the German indirect claim and interest was approximately $18.0 million at April 1, 2023, which included an additional $0.2 million in interest accrued during the three months ended April 1, 2023, and $17.8 million at December 31, 2022. The Company currently believes it is unlikely that the appeals process will be completed or the damages and related interest will be paid within the next twelve months. Therefore, the liability related to these matters is classified within Other Liabilities (non-current) in the Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets at April 1, 2023 and December 31, 2022. There were no significant developments in the German indirect claim during the quarter ended April 1, 2023.
In the UK matter, as previously disclosed, Lufthansa has pleaded its case for monetary compensation, which will be determined at a separate trial, which is now set to take place in October 2024. Under English Law, Lufthansa had the option of pursuing a claim in relation to the defendants’ profits from their infringing activities or pursuing a claim in relation to Lufthansa's own lost profits. Lufthansa has now elected for the infringers’ profits as the measure of compensation. We have estimated damages and accrued interest for AES and its indemnified customers of approximately $7.2 million and $7.0 million at April 1, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. This variance is due to currency fluctuation. Interest will accrue until final payment to Lufthansa. This amount is subject to change as additional data is received and evaluated, and as additional information regarding the nature of its claim is put forward by Lufthansa in advance of the damages trial. The damages trial is scheduled to be heard starting in October 2024, with payment likely due in late 2024 or early 2025. Therefore, the liability related to these matters is classified within Other Liabilities (non-current) in the Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets at April 1, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
As previously disclosed, in 2020, the Court held the French patent invalid for all asserted claims. There can consequently be no finding of infringement on first instance. Lufthansa has appealed this judgment. The appeal hearing took place on December 8, 2022, and on February 24, 2023, the court upheld the first instance judgment in favor of AES. On March 20, 2023, Lufthansa lodged an appeal before the French Supreme Court. The merits of this Supreme Court challenge remain to be filed and assessed. As loss exposure is not probable and estimable at this time, the Company has not recorded any liability with respect to the French matter as of April 2, 2023 or December 31, 2022.
There were no other significant developments in any of these matters during the three months ended April 1, 2023.
A liability for reimbursement of Lufthansa’s legal expenses associated with the UK matter was approximately $0.7 million at December 31, 2022 and $0.8 million at April 1, 2023 which is expected to be paid within the next twelve months and, as such, is classified in Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities in the accompanying Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheet as of April 1, 2023 and December 31, 2022.
Other
On March 23, 2020, Teradyne, Inc. filed a complaint against the Company and its subsidiary, Astronics Test Systems (“ATS”) (together, “the Defendants”) in the United States District Court for the Central District of California alleging patent and
copyright infringement, and certain other related claims. The Defendants moved to dismiss certain claims from the case. On November 6, 2020, the Court dismissed the Company from the case, and also dismissed a number of claims, though the patent and copyright infringement claims remained. The case proceeded to discovery. In addition, on December 21, 2020, ATS filed a petition for inter partes review (“IPR”) with the US Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”), seeking to invalidate the subject patent, and on July 21, 2021, the PTAB instituted IPR. ATS requested and, on August 26, 2021, the District Court granted, a stay of litigation during the IPR proceeding. Oral arguments on the IPR were held on April 21, 2022. The PTAB issued its decision on July 20, 2022, in which it invalidated all of Teradyne’s patent claims. Teradyne will not appeal the decision. The stay of litigation was lifted with respect to the remaining claims in August 2022 and discovery has resumed. Trial is scheduled for December 5, 2023. No amounts have been accrued for this matter in the April 1, 2023 or December 31, 2022 financial statements, as loss exposure was neither probable nor estimable at such times.
Other than these proceedings, we are not party to any significant pending legal proceedings that management believes will result in a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
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