Item 3. Legal Proceedings
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
In the ordinary course of its business, Alcoa is involved in a number of lawsuits and claims, both actual and potential. Proceedings that were previously disclosed may no longer be reported because, as a result of rulings in the case, settlements, changes in our business, or other developments, in our judgment, they are no longer material to Alcoa’s business, financial position or results of operations. See Part II Item 8 of this Form 10-K in Note S to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
In addition to the matters discussed below, various other lawsuits, claims, and proceedings have been or may be instituted or asserted against Alcoa Corporation, including those pertaining to environmental, safety and health, commercial, tax, product liability, intellectual property infringement, employment, employee and retiree benefit matters, and other actions and claims arising out of the normal course of business. While the amounts claimed in these other matters may be substantial, the ultimate liability is not readily determinable because of the considerable uncertainties that exist. Accordingly, it is possible that the Company’s liquidity or results of operations in a particular period could be materially affected by one or more of these other matters. However, based on facts currently available, management believes that the disposition of these other matters that are pending or asserted will not have a material adverse effect, individually or in the aggregate, on the financial position of the Company.
St. Croix Proceedings - Abednego and Abraham cases . In January 2010, ParentCo was served with a multi-plaintiff action complaint involving several thousand individual persons claiming to be residents of St. Croix alleging personal injury or property damage from Hurricane Georges or winds blowing material from the St. Croix Alumina, L.L.C. (SCA) facility on the island of St. Croix (U.S. Virgin Islands). This complaint, Abednego, et al. v. Alcoa, et al., which added the then current owners of the facility to a February 1999 action, was filed in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix Division.
In 2012, ParentCo was served with a separate multi-plaintiff action alleging claims essentially identical to those set forth in the Abednego v. Alcoa complaint.
In 2015, the Superior Court dismissed all plaintiffs’ complaints without prejudice, permitting the plaintiffs to re-file the complaints individually. In 2017, the court issued an order that consolidated all timely complaints into the Red Dust Claims docket (Master Case No.: SX-15-CV-620). Following this order, a total of approximately 430 complaints were filed and accepted by the court, which included claims of approximately 1,360 individuals. In November 2018, the Red Dust Claims docket was transferred to the Complex Litigation Division within the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands. At such time, the Company was unable to reasonably predict an outcome or to estimate a range of reasonably possible loss, and thereafter the Red Dust Claims docket became inactive for several years. The Court issued an amended case management order dividing the complaints filed in the Red Dust docket into groups of 50 complaints, designated Groups A though I in March 2022. The parties selected 10 complaints from Group A to proceed to trial as the Group A lead cases. In November 2023, the Court issued an amended case management order with regard to the Group A lead cases scheduling trials to begin in July 2024. Trials with regard to the Group A lead cases will continue through March 2025. Concurrently, the Court is considering discovery issues with respect to other group cases. The Company remains unable to reasonably predict an outcome or to estimate the range of reasonably possible loss in the Red Dust Claims docket cases.
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Environmental Matters
SEC regulations require disclosure of certain environmental matters when a governmental authority is a party to the proceedings and such proceedings involve potential monetary sanctions that the Company reasonably believes will exceed a specified threshold. Pursuant to these regulations, the Company uses a threshold of $1 for purposes of determining whether disclosure of any such proceedings is required.
Alcoa is involved in proceedings under CERCLA and analogous state or other statutory or jurisdictional provisions regarding the usage, disposal, storage, or treatment of hazardous substances at a number of sites. The Company has committed to participate, or is engaged in negotiations with authorities relative to its alleged liability for participation, in clean-up efforts at several such sites. The most significant of these matters are discussed in Part II Item 8 of this Form 10-K in Note S to the Consolidated Financial Statements under the caption Contingencies.
Intalco (Washington) Notice of Violation—In May 2022, the Company received a Notice of Violation (NOV) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA). The NOV alleges violations under the Clean Air Act at the Company’s curtailed Intalco (Washington) smelter from when the smelter was operational. The EPA has referred the matter to the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Division (the DOJ). The DOJ and the Company are engaged in discussions with respect to a resolution of this matter.
Asbestos Litigation
Some of our subsidiaries as premises owners are defendants in active lawsuits filed in various jurisdictions on behalf of persons seeking damages for alleged personal injury as a result of occupational exposure to asbestos at various facilities. Our subsidiaries and acquired companies all have had numerous insurance policies over the years that provide coverage for asbestos based claims. Many of these policies provide layers of coverage for varying periods of time and for varying locations. We have significant insurance coverage and believe that our reserves are adequate for known asbestos exposure related liabilities. The costs of defense and settlement have not been and are not expected to be material to the results of operations, cash flows, and financial position of Alcoa Corporation.
Item 4. Mine Saf ety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
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PART II