On March 3, 2025, Isomedix Operations, Inc. (“Isomedix”), a subsidiary of STERIS plc (“STERIS” or the “Company”), entered into binding confidential term sheets with plaintiffs’ counsel (the “Term Sheets”), as well as settlement agreements with several plaintiffs currently scheduled for trial. The Term Sheets and the settlement agreements are expected to resolve substantially all of the claims for personal injury related to ethylene oxide (“EO”) that are currently pending in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.
Pursuant to the Term Sheets, Isomedix has entered into and expects to enter into additional agreements to pay up to $48,150,000 to settle claims. None of the term sheets nor any such agreements are an admission of liability or that emissions from the Waukegan, Illinois facility ever posed a safety hazard to the people who live or work in the surrounding areas.
Isomedix may exercise walkaway rights with respect to the claims covered by the Term Sheets if certain agreed terms are not fulfilled, including if a substantial majority of plaintiffs in such cases do not agree to settle or are disqualified under the applicable terms or the resulting settlements are ultimately not approved by the court. In the event it exercises its walkaway rights, Isomedix is prepared to continue to defend itself in the litigation and reserves all legal and factual defenses against such claims.
Pursuant to the Term Sheets, Isomedix will deposit the settlement funds into escrow with a mutually agreed upon escrow agent. The Term Sheets call for establishment of a claims administration process that includes guidelines and procedures for administering individual settlements, which process is expected to take up to 10 months to complete. The settlement will be funded with a mix of cash on hand and borrowings under the existing revolving credit facility. The Company will record a charge for the $48,150,000 million settlement for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025, which will be excluded from STERIS’s fiscal 2025 adjusted earnings measures. Isomedix anticipates dismissal of all pending EO-related claims brought by the covered plaintiffs upon completion of the claims administration process and approval by the court.
Forward-Looking Statements
This Current Report may contain statements concerning certain trends, expectations, forecasts, estimates, or other forward-looking information affecting or relating to STERIS or its industry, products or activities that are intended to qualify for the protections afforded “forward-looking statements” under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other laws and regulations. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date the statement is made and may be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “may,” “will,” “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “estimates,” “projects,” “targets,” “forecasts,” “outlook,” “impact,” “potential,” “confidence,” “improve,” “optimistic,” “deliver,” “orders,” “backlog,” “comfortable,” “trend,” and “seeks,” or the negative of such terms or other variations on such terms or comparable terminology. Many important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements including, without limitation, statements related to the expected benefits of and timing of completion of the Restructuring Plan, disruption of production or supplies, changes in market conditions, political events, pending or future claims or litigation, competitive factors, technology advances, actions of regulatory agencies, and changes in laws, government regulations, labeling or product approvals or the application or interpretation thereof. Many of these important factors are outside of STERIS’s control. No assurances can be provided as to any result or the timing of any outcome regarding matters described in STERIS’s securities filings or otherwise with respect to any regulatory action, administrative proceedings, government investigations, litigation, warning letters, cost reductions, business strategies, earnings or revenue trends or future financial results. References to products are summaries only and should not be considered the specific terms of the product clearance or literature. Unless legally required, STERIS does not undertake to update or revise any forward-looking statements even if events make clear that any projected results, express or implied, will not be realized. Other potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, without limitation, (a) the impact of public health crises on STERIS’s operations, supply chain, material and labor costs, performance, results, prospects, or value, (b) STERIS’s ability to achieve the expected benefits regarding the accounting and tax treatments of the redomiciliation to Ireland, (c) operating costs, Customer loss and business disruption (including, without limitation, difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, Customers, clients or suppliers) being greater than expected, (d)