Commitments and Contingencies |
9 Months Ended | ||||||
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Sep. 30, 2022 | |||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |||||||
| Commitments and Contingencies |
Litigation
The Company is involved, at times, in claims, legal and regulatory proceedings and governmental inquiries arising in the ordinary course of its business, including but not limited to: breach of contract, fraud and bad faith claims with franchisees in connection with franchise agreements and with owners in connection with management contracts, as well as negligence, breach of contract, fraud, employment, consumer protection and other statutory claims asserted in connection with alleged acts or occurrences at owned, franchised or managed properties or in relation to guest reservations and bookings. The Company may also at times be involved in claims, legal and regulatory proceedings and governmental inquiries relating to bankruptcy proceedings involving efforts to collect receivables from a debtor in bankruptcy, employment matters, claims of infringement upon third parties’ intellectual property rights, claims relating to information security, privacy and consumer protection, fiduciary duty/trust claims, tax claims, environmental claims and landlord/tenant disputes. Along with many of its competitors, the Company and/or certain of its subsidiaries have been named as defendants in litigation matters filed in state and federal courts, alleging statutory and common law claims related to purported incidents of sex trafficking at certain franchised and managed hotel facilities. These matters are in the pleading or discovery stages at this time. As of September 30, 2022, the Company is aware of approximately 30 pending matters filed naming the Company and/or subsidiaries. Based upon the status of these matters, the Company has not made a determination as to the likelihood of loss of any one of these matters and is unable to estimate a range of losses at this time.
The Company records an accrual for legal contingencies when it determines, after consultation with outside counsel, that it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. In making such determinations, the Company evaluates, among other things, the degree of probability of an unfavorable outcome, and when it is probable that a liability has been incurred, its ability to make a reasonable estimate of loss. The Company reviews these accruals each reporting period and makes revisions based on changes in facts and circumstances, including changes to its strategy in dealing with these matters.
The Company believes that it has adequately accrued for such matters with reserves of $3 million and $6 million as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. The Company also had receivables of $1 million and $3 million as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, for certain matters which are covered by insurance and were included in other current assets on its Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. Litigation is inherently unpredictable and, although the Company believes that its accruals are adequate and/or that it has valid defenses in these matters, unfavorable results could occur. As such, an adverse outcome from such proceedings for which claims are awarded in excess of the amounts accrued, if any, could be material to the Company with respect to earnings and/or cash flows in any given reporting period. As of September 30, 2022, the potential exposure resulting from adverse outcomes of such legal proceedings could, in the aggregate, range up to approximately $3 million in excess of recorded accruals. However, the Company does not believe that the impact of such litigation will result in a material liability to the Company in relation to its combined financial position or liquidity.
Guarantees
Separation-related guarantees
The Company assumed one-third of certain contingent and other corporate liabilities of former Parent incurred prior to the spin-off, including liabilities of former Parent related to, arising out of or resulting from certain terminated or divested businesses, certain general corporate matters of former Parent and any actions with respect to the separation plan or the distribution made or brought by any third party.
Former Parent’s Sale of its European Vacation Rentals Business
In connection with the sale of the European Vacation Rentals business, the Company was entitled to one-third of the excess of net proceeds from the sale above a pre-set amount. During 2019, the Buyer notified former Parent of certain proposed post-closing adjustments of approximately $44 million which could serve to reduce the net consideration received from the sale of the European Vacation Rentals business. On December 13, 2021, former Parent entered into a settlement agreement, contingent upon regulatory approval, to settle the post-closing adjustment claims for $7 million which will be split one-third and two-thirds between the Company and former Parent, respectively. The Company had a $2 million reserve for such settlement as of December 31, 2021. During the third quarter of 2022, the settlement was approved by the regulatory authority and as a result, the Company paid $2 million for its obligation of the settlement and all claims on the Company were dismissed.
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