Note 15 - Commitments and Contingencies |
12 Months Ended | |||||||||
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Dec. 31, 2022 | ||||||||||
Notes to Financial Statements | ||||||||||
Commitments Contingencies and Guarantees [Text Block] |
15. Commitments and Contingencies
Litigation Matters
In the ordinary course of business, the Company is party to lawsuits as plaintiff or defendant involving its operations and activities. Additionally, from time to time in the ordinary course of business, the Company is involved in disputes with existing and former employees, vendors, taxing jurisdictions, and various other parties and also receives individual consumer complaints as well as complaints received through regulatory and consumer agencies. The Company takes these matters seriously and attempts to resolve any such issues as they arise.
Reserves are accrued for matters in which management believes it is probable that a loss will be incurred and the amount of such loss can be reasonably estimated. Management does not believe that the aggregate liability relating to known contingencies in excess of the aggregate amounts accrued will have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial condition. However, litigation is inherently uncertain, and the actual costs of resolving legal claims, including awards of damages, may be substantially higher than the amounts accrued for these claims and may have a material adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial condition.
Adverse judgments and the costs of defending or resolving legal claims may be substantial and may have a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial statements. Management is not at this time able to estimate a range of reasonably possible losses with respect to matters in which it is reasonably possible that a loss will occur. In certain matters, management is unable to estimate the loss or reasonable range of loss until additional developments provide information sufficient to support an assessment of the loss or reasonable range of loss. Frequently in these matters, the claims are broad, and the plaintiffs have not quantified or factually supported their claims.
There were no material pending legal proceedings against BBX Capital or its subsidiaries as of December 31, 2022.
Renin Supplier Dispute
In October 2020, Renin incurred approximately $6.0 million in costs for the expedited shipment of products to Renin from a foreign supplier and an additional $2.0 million in costs for the expedited shipment of product displays from the same supplier. The supplier had failed to deliver both the products and displays on the contractually agreed upon delivery schedule, and Renin incurred these costs, which were significantly in excess of the shipping costs that would have been incurred had such products been delivered on schedule, based on its belief that the costs were necessary in order for Renin to meet its obligations to one of its major customers. The products were committed to be sold by Renin in connection with the customer’s November 2020 holiday sale program, while the displays were required to be delivered in connection with the rollout of new products with the customer. Renin believed that the supplier was liable to Renin for damages related to the increased costs pursuant to the terms of the agreements between Renin and the supplier and notified the supplier that it is exercising a right of offset of the costs against outstanding amounts due to the supplier of approximately $8.1 million in order to recover its damages. The supplier disputed that it was liable for the additional shipping costs.
Since there was no assurance regarding the ultimate resolution of the matter and whether Renin’s assertion that it is entitled to damages would be sustained, Renin recognized the cost of the products and related shipping costs upon the sale of such products in cost of trade sales in the Company’s statement of operations and comprehensive income during the year ended December 31, 2020, while the costs of the displays and related shipping were deferred and are being amortized over the period in which the Company expects to benefit from their use. In December 2021, Renin and the foreign supplier settled the dispute and outstanding amounts due to the supplier for $4.2 million to be paid by Renin to the supplier in two equal installments in December 2021 and June 2022. As Renin had accrued a $8.1 million liability for amounts due to the supplier during the year ended December 31, 2021, Renin reduced its cost of trade sales by $2.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 and reduced the unamortized balance of its display contract asset by $1.0 million as of December 31, 2021. BBX Capital contributed a total of $4.0 million of capital to Renin to fund the December 2021 and June 2022 settlement payments to the foreign supplier.
Other Commitments, Contingencies, and Guarantees
BBX Capital guarantees certain obligations of its wholly-owned subsidiaries and unconsolidated real estate joint ventures, including the following:
BBX Capital was previously a guarantor of 50% of the outstanding balance of a third-party mortgage loan to the Bayview joint venture which had an outstanding balance of $5.0 million as of December 31, 2021. In June 2022, the Company sold its equity interest in the joint venture to its joint venture partner. In connection with the sale, the Company obtained a release from the lender under the mortgage loan for any liability to the lender under the loan documents, including any obligation related to the Company’s guaranty of the outstanding loan balance.
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