Item 1. Legal Proceedings
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
On February 22, 2019, Webasto filed a lawsuit, which was subsequently amended on April 5, 2019, against us in Delaware Superior Court, arising from the sale of the EES Business to Webasto in June 2018. Webasto again amended the complaint in May 2021 to include additional claims. The lawsuit generally alleges several claims against us for breach of contract, indemnity, declaratory judgment, and fraud and misrepresentation, including allegations regarding inaccuracy of certain diligence disclosures, financial disclosures, failure to provide certain consents to contract assignments and related to the previously announced recall. Webasto seeks to recover the costs of the recall and other damages totaling over $100 million in addition to attorneys’ fees, costs, and punitive damages. Additionally, Webasto is seeking a declaratory judgment that we did not meet the requirements to receive the additional $6.5 million of the purchase price which was held back at the closing of the transaction (the “Holdback Amount”). On August 16, 2019, we filed our answer to Webasto’s amended complaint filed in April 2019 and a counterclaim against Webasto seeking payment of the Holdback Amount and declaratory relief regarding Webasto’s cancellation of an assigned contract. On June 2, 2021, we filed an answer to Webasto’s second amended complaint filed in May 2021.
In order to avoid the future cost, expense, and distraction of continued litigation, we executed a written settlement agreement with Webasto effective December 16, 2021, under which we did not admit to any fault or wrongdoing and fully settled all claims in the lawsuit. The lawsuit was dismissed on December 28, 2021.
On August 9, 2021, a former employee filed a class action complaint against AeroVironment in California Superior Court in Los Angeles, California alleging various claims pursuant to the California Labor Code related to wages, meal breaks, overtime and other recordkeeping matters. The complaint seeks a jury trial and payment of various alleged unpaid wages, penalties, interest and attorneys’ fees in unspecified amounts. We filed our answer on December 16, 2021. Discovery in this lawsuit has begun and is ongoing. We continue to mount a vigorous defense.
We are subject to lawsuits, government investigations, audits and other legal proceedings from time to time in the ordinary course of our business. It is not possible to predict the outcome of any legal proceeding with any certainty. The outcome or costs we incur in connection with a legal proceeding could adversely impact our operating results and financial position.
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