Commitments and Contingencies |
6 Months Ended |
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Jul. 31, 2021 | |
| Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Purchase Obligations
At July 31, 2021, we have commitments totaling $274.0 million related to agreements for ocean shipping contracts.
Contingencies
We are defendants in legal proceedings including the class, collective, representative and large cases described below as well as individual claims in arbitration. We will vigorously defend ourselves in these matters. We do not believe that any of these matters will, individually or in the aggregate, have a material effect on our business or financial condition. We cannot give assurance, however, that one or more of these matters will not have a material effect on our results of operations for the quarter or year in which they are resolved.
We assess our legal proceedings monthly and reserves are established if a loss is probable and the amount of such loss can be reasonably estimated. For matters that have settled, we reserve the estimated settlement amount even if the settlement has not been approved by the court. Many, if not substantially all, of our legal proceedings are subject to significant uncertainties and, therefore, determining the likelihood of a loss and the measurement of any loss can be complex and subject to judgment. With respect to legal proceedings where we have determined that a loss is reasonably possible but not probable, we are unable to estimate the amount or range of the reasonably possible loss due to the inherent difficulty of predicting the outcome of and uncertainties regarding legal proceedings. Our assessments are based on estimates and assumptions that have been deemed reasonable by management, but that may prove to be incomplete or inaccurate, and unanticipated events and circumstances may occur that might cause us to change those estimates and assumptions. Management’s assessment of legal proceedings could change because of future determinations or the discovery of facts which are not presently known. Accordingly, the ultimate costs of resolving these proceedings may be substantially higher or lower than currently estimated.
Dollar Tree Active Matters
The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has alleged that we improperly sold certain topically applied, over the counter (“OTC”) products manufactured by certain Chinese factories that were on an import “alert” restriction issued by the FDA. We responded to the FDA by proposing enhanced procedures and processes for any OTC products we import from China.
Actual or threatened California state court lawsuits have been filed against Dollar Tree and Family Dollar for similar employment-related claims brought under Private Attorney General Act (“PAGA”). These cases may allege violations such as failure to provide employees with compliant rest and meal breaks, suitable seating and overtime pay, reimburse business expenses, pay minimum wages for all time worked, provide accurate wage statements, and timely pay wages as well as other potential labor code violations.
Four lawsuits are pending against us and our vendors alleging that personal talc powder products caused cancer. We do not believe the products we sold caused the illnesses. Our past talc lawsuits have been resolved without material loss to the company but no assurance can be given as to the outcome of pending or future cases. Although we have indemnification rights against our vendors,
it is uncertain whether the vendors will have the financial ability to carry out their obligations. It is also uncertain whether our insurers will deny coverage under our various policies.
Dollar Tree Resolved Matters
In December 2020, a former store manager brought a class action in California state court alleging we failed to reimburse employees for business expenses and in so failing, engaged in unfair competition. The case has been resolved on a single plaintiff basis.
Family Dollar Active Matters
In August 2020, a consumer class action was filed against us in New York alleging Smoked Almonds sold by us are mislabeled because the almonds do not go through a smoking process but rather acquire their smoky taste through the use of smoked flavoring. The legal claims include New York consumer protection laws, negligent misrepresentations, breach of warranties, fraud and unjust enrichment.
In January and April 2021, state-wide consumer class actions were filed against us by the same law firm in Georgia and Alabama, respectively, for breach of warranty based on the allegation that the coffee we sold was mislabeled because the canisters did not contain enough coffee to make the number of cups of coffee stated on the label.
Please see the description above for talc and PAGA lawsuits against Family Dollar.
Family Dollar Resolved Matters
In late 2019 and early 2020, personal injury and consumer class actions were filed alleging that we sold Zantac containing a probable carcinogen. The lawsuits were dismissed in June 2021. The time for appealing the dismissal has not run.
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