Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

v3.22.1
Commitments and Contingencies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies  
Commitments and Contingencies

(9) Commitments and Contingencies

General Litigation

The Company has contingent liabilities related to legal and tax proceedings and other matters arising in the ordinary course of business. Although it is reasonably possible the Company may incur losses upon conclusion of such matters, an estimate of any loss or range of loss cannot be made. In the opinion of management, it is expected that amounts, if any, which may be required to satisfy such contingencies will not be material in relation to the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.

Hollywood Firefighters’ Pension Fund, et al. v. GCI Liberty, Inc., et al. In October 2020, a putative class action complaint was filed by two purported GCI Liberty stockholders which named as defendants GCI Liberty, as well as the members of the GCI Liberty board of directors. The complaint alleged, among other things, that Mr. Gregory B. Maffei, a director and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Broadband and, prior to the Combination, GCI Liberty, and Mr. John C. Malone, the Chairman of the board of directors of Liberty Broadband and, prior to the Combination, GCI Liberty, in their purported capacities as controlling stockholders and directors of GCI Liberty, and the other directors of GCI Liberty, breached their fiduciary duties by approving the Combination. The complaint also alleged that various prior and current

relationships among members of the GCI Liberty special committee, Mr. Malone and Mr. Maffei rendered the members of the GCI Liberty special committee not independent.

During March 2021 and in advance of the expenditure of significant time and costs to conduct the depositions proposed to have been taken in this action, the parties began negotiations with the class of plaintiffs for a potential settlement of this action. On May 5, 2021, the plaintiffs (on behalf of themselves and other members of a proposed settlement class) and defendants entered into an agreement in principle to settle the litigation pursuant to which the parties agreed that the plaintiffs will dismiss their claims with prejudice, with customary releases, in return for a settlement payment of $110 million to be paid by a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Broadband (as successor by merger to GCI Liberty) and/or insurers for the defendants and for GCI Liberty, which was recorded as a litigation settlement expense within operating income in the condensed consolidated statements of operations during the first quarter of 2021. This litigation was subsequently settled and paid in accordance with the agreement settlement during 2021. Liberty Broadband also agreed to final settlement amounts with its insurance carriers in the third quarter of 2021.