Making a Decision as Chief Financial Officer: Contingent Liabilities For each of the following situations, determine whether the company should (a) report a liability on the balance sheet, (b) disclose a contingent liability, or (c) not report the situation. Justify and explain your conclusions.
1. An automobile company introduces a new car. Past experience demonstrates that lawsuits will be filed as soon as the new model is involved in any accident The company can be certain that at least one jury will award damages to people injured in an accident.
2. A research scientist determines that the company’s best-selling product may infringe on another company’s patent. If the other company discovers the infringement and suit, your company could lose millions.
3. As part of land development for a new housing project, your company has polluted lake. Under state law, you must clean up the lake once you complete development project will take five to eight years to complete. Current estimates indicate it will cost $2 to $3 million to clean up the lake.
4. Your Company has just been notified that it lost a product liability lawsuit for $1 million that it plans to appeal. Management is confident that the company will on appeal, but the lawyears belive that it will lose.
5. A key customer is unhappy with the quality of a major construction project. The company belives that the customer is being unreasonable but, to maintain goodwill, has decided to do $250,000 in next year.