Skip to main content

SERVICE CORP INTERNATIONAL

For the period ended Jun 30, 2024. Filed Aug 1, 2024.

View on SEC.gov

About this filing

A company's report for each of its first three quarters. The financial statements are not audited. It shows how the business has moved since the last annual report, and what management says changed.

Jun 30, 2024 · Filed Aug 1, 2024

SCI$73.74-2.3%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026

Extracted filing text, with the paragraph anchors used by the comparison.

See the whole filing, with its images and exhibits

9. Commitments and Contingencies

  1. Commitments and Contingencies

Insurance Loss Reserves

We purchase various insurance products with high deductibles including: comprehensive general liability, morticians and cemetery professional liability, automobile liability, and workers’ compensation. The high-deductible insurance program means we are primarily self-insured for claims and associated costs and losses covered by these policies. As of June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we had self-insurance reserves of $106.6 million and $103.3 million, respectively.

Litigation and Regulatory Matters

We are a party to various litigation and regulatory matters, investigations, and proceedings. Some of the more frequent routine litigations incidental to our business are based on burial practice claims and employment-related matters, including discrimination, harassment, and wage and hour laws and regulations. For each of our outstanding legal matters, we evaluate the merits of the case, our exposure to the matter, possible legal or settlement strategies, and the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome. We intend to vigorously defend ourselves in the matters described herein; however, if we determine that an unfavorable outcome is probable and can be reasonably estimated, or if we determine an amount for which we would be willing to settle the matter to avoid further costs and risk, we establish the necessary accruals. We hold certain insurance policies that may reduce cash outflows with respect to an adverse outcome of these matters. We accrue such insurance recoveries when they become probable of being paid and can be reasonably estimated.

Operational Claims. We are named as a defendant in various lawsuits alleging operational claims, including but not limited to the State of California described below.

The People of the State of California v. Service Corporation International, a Texas corporation, SCI Direct, Inc. a Florida Corporation, S.E. Acquisition of California, Inc., a California corporation dba Neptune Society of Northern California, Neptune Management Corp., a California corporation, Trident Society, Inc. a California corporation, and Does 1 through 100, inclusive, Case No. RG 19045103; in the Superior Court of the State of California in and for the County of Alameda. In July 2019, we received a letter from the Attorney General, State of California, Department of Justice (“CAAG") alleging that the allocation of prices among certain of our cremation service contracts and cremation merchandise contracts, and the related preneed trust funding, violates section 7735 of the California Business and Professions Code and that provisions of these same contracts constitute false advertising and deceptive sales practices in violation of California consumer protection laws. On November 21, 2019, we filed a complaint, S.E. Combined Services of California, Inc., a California Corporation dba Neptune Society of Northern California, Neptune Management Corp. a California Corporation, and Trident Society, Inc. v. Xavier Becerra, Attorney General of the State of California, and Does 1-50, Case No. 34-2019-00269617; in the Sacramento County Superior Court seeking declaratory relief holding, in general, that our practices, methods, and documentation utilized in the sale of preneed funeral goods and services are in all respects compliant with California law. On December 2, 2019, the CAAG filed the complaint, referenced above, seeking permanent injunction from making false statements and engaging in unfair competition, a placement of funds into preneed trusts, civil penalties, customer refunds, attorneys’ fees, and costs. The parties have reached a settlement of the lawsuit that includes civil penalties of $23 million and provides certain preneed contract consumers the right to receive refunds. The court has approved the settlement, and the administrative claims process is underway. We maintain a reserve that we believe is sufficient to cover all costs related to the settlement, and the civil penalties have been paid as of June 30, 2024. The settlement represents a compromise of contested claims and does not contain any admission of wrongdoing or fault on the part of the Company, its board of directors or executive officers in the action settlement.

24 Service Corporation International

PART I

Unclaimed Property Audits

We have received notices from auditors representing the unclaimed property departments of approximately forty states regarding the escheatment of preneed trust funds held in association with unused preneed funeral and cemetery contracts ("Unused Preneed Trust Funds"). The states claim that these Unused Preneed Trust Funds are subject to the states’ unclaimed property or escheatment laws and generally assert that all or a portion of the Unused Preneed Trust Funds are escheatable if the beneficiary and/or purchaser is deceased or presumed deceased and no services or merchandise have been provided. We received notice that no additional property is due to be reported for the states of Alabama, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming. We consider the unclaimed property audits resolved in those eighteen states.

We have entered into an audit resolution agreement with the State of Florida Department of Financial Services and Division of Unclaimed Property ("Florida Agreement"). The Florida Agreement provides for the Company to retain the trust fund earnings and to escheat the principal to the State of Florida, which resulted in an increase in trust fund income in 2023 and 2024.

We have reserved all of our rights, claims, and defenses. Given the nature of these matters, we are unable to reasonably estimate the total possible loss or ranges of loss, if any.

We believe we have strong defenses to these claims and we intend to vigorously defend all of the above matters; however, an adverse decision in one or more of such matters could have a material effect on us, our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

ContentsView on SEC.gov

The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.