Visnack Lawsuit
On June 29, 2020, Michael Visnack, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated (collectively, the “Visnack Plaintiffs”) filed a purported class action lawsuit in the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego, on behalf of all current and former store managers, and others similarly situated. The Complaint alleges violation of the California Labor Code including, among other items, failure to pay wages and overtime, wage statement violations, meal and rest break violations, unpaid reimbursements and waiting time, and engaging in unfair business practices (the “Visnack matter”). The Visnack Plaintiffs seek certification of a class period beginning September 20, 2019, through the date of Notice of Class Certification, if granted. The Visnack Plaintiffs did not quantify any alleged damages but, in addition to attorneys’ fees and costs, they seek unspecified amounts for each of the causes of action such as unpaid wages and overtime wages, failure to provide meal periods and rest breaks, payroll record and wage statement violations, failure to reimburse expenses and waiting time, liquidated and/or punitive damages, declaratory relief, restitution, statutory penalties, injunctive relief and other damages.
On December 14, 2020, the court ruled in favor of a motion by the Company to compel arbitration for Michael Visnack under the existing agreement between the Company and Mr. Visnack. The court declined to outright dismiss the putative class claims but stayed the putative class claims and Private Attorneys General Act claims pending arbitration. The court denied plaintiff’s request to conduct discovery. In the first quarter of 2021, the Company received notice that Mr. Visnack has filed an arbitration claim, which the Company intends to defend. Mr. Visnack is a Collective Member of the Mason Putative Class and will have the opportunity to decide whether to participate in the Mason settlement and release his claims against the Company, in which case he would be removed as the lead Plaintiff in the Visnack matter. In December 2020, the Company began contacting individuals who constitute the purported class in the Visnack matter and has offered individual settlements in satisfaction of their claims. To the extent individuals accepted these settlement offers, they have released the Company from the claims and been removed from the purported class. As of March 31, 2021, the Company had reached agreement with a portion of the purported class incurring less than $50 thousand in fees, taxes, and other costs. The Company included those amounts in “Other Matters” in the chart above.
The Company is evaluating the Visnack Putative Class Employees' claims and intends to defend itself vigorously in this matter. Given the uncertainty of litigation, the preliminary stage of the case and the legal standards that must be met for, among other things, class certification and success on the merits, the Company cannot estimate the reasonably possible loss or range of loss, if any, that may result from this action and therefore no accrual has been made related to this. Any such losses could, potentially, have a material adverse effect, individually or collectively, on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
Antidumping and Countervailing Duties Investigation
The Company is subject to antidumping (“AD”) and countervailing duties (“CVD”) for its certain imports of multilayered wood flooring from China. The Company’s multilayered wood flooring imports from China accounted for approximately 3% of its flooring purchases in 2021.
At the time of import, the Company makes deposits at the then prevailing rate. This rate is subsequently reviewed to establish the final rate. When rates are declared final by the United States Department of Commerce (“DOC”), the Company accrues a receivable or payable depending on where that final rate compares to the deposits it has made. The Company and/or the domestic manufacturers can appeal the final rate for any period. Because of the length of time for finalization of rates as well as appeals, any subsequent adjustment of AD and CVD rates typically flows through a period different from those in which the inventory was originally purchased and/or sold.
Results by period for the Company are shown below. The column labeled “March 31, 2022 Receivable/Liability Balance” represents the amount the Company would receive or pay (net of any collections or payments) as the result of subsequent adjustment to rates whether due to finalization by the DOC or because of action of a court based on appeals by various parties. It does not include any initial amounts paid for AD or CVD in the current period at the in-effect rate at that time.