WABASH NATIONAL Corp

As of December 31, 2024, the Company was named as a defendant or was otherwise involved in numerous legal proceedings and governmental examinations, including class action lawsuits, in connection with the conduct of its business activities, in various jurisdictions, both in the United States and internationally. Accrual for losses have been recorded in accordance with GAAP. On the basis of information currently available to it, management does not believe that existing proceedings and investigations will have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition or liquidity if determined in a manner adverse to the Company. However, such matters are unpredictable, and we could incur judgments or enter into settlements for current or future claims that could materially and adversely affect our financial statements. Costs associated with the litigation and settlements of legal matters are reported within General and administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Legal Matter Estimated Liability

The Company has been named as a defendant in California state court in three purported class action lawsuits, alleging wage and hour claims under California-specific employment laws: one that remains pending (“Pending Class Action”), and two which were resolved in the first quarter of 2024 (collectively “Closed Class Action”). The defense of the Closed Class Action lawsuits were being handled in conjunction with one another. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, in accordance with ASC 450, the Company concluded a liability related to the Matters was probable and estimable. As such, an estimated liability of $3.0 million was included in General & administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2023. During the second quarter of 2023, the Company reached an agreement to resolve the Closed Class Action Matters via settlement for an amount materially consistent with the estimated liability. The settlement proceeds were paid in the first quarter of 2024, and the Company received confirmation on February 20, 2024 that the administrator received the settlement payment. Those matters are now closed.

Product Liability Claims

The Company is and has been, and may in the future be, subject to product liability claims and litigation incidental to the Company’s normal operating activities. On October 6, 2020, the Company was named as a co-defendant in a lawsuit, Eileen Williams, Elizabeth Perkins, et al. v. Wabash National Corporation, et al., filed in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, Missouri (the “Product Liability Matter”). On September 5, 2024, a jury awarded compensatory damages of $12.0 million and punitive damages of $450 million (the “Award”) against the Company in the Product Liability Matter. On November 22, 2024, applying an offset related to the plaintiff’s settlement with a separate defendant, the Circuit Court entered judgment in the Product Liability Matter consisting of compensatory damages of $11.5 million and punitive damages of $450 million. The case related to a 2019 motor vehicle accident in which a passenger vehicle with an unobstructed view struck the back of a nearly stopped 2004 Wabash trailer that was operated by co-defendant GDS Express Inc. at the time of the accident. The evidence was undisputed that the trailer fully complied with all applicable regulations. Based on the Award, as of December 31, 2024, the Company has recognized an aggregate liability for this matter of $461.5 million included in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet within Other non-current liabilities. The Company believes that the compensatory damages will be covered by the Company’s insurance policies and recorded a $11.5 million receivable included in Other assets in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2024.

The Company believes the Award is abnormally high and the verdict is not supported by the facts or the law. Among other things, and despite precedent to the contrary, the jury was prevented from hearing critical evidence in the case, including that the driver’s blood alcohol level was over the legal limit at the time of the accident. The fact that neither the driver nor his passenger was wearing a seatbelt was also kept from the jury, even though plaintiffs argued both would have survived a 55-mile-per-hour collision had the vehicle not broken through the trailer’s rear impact guard. There will be post-trial proceedings before the court enters a final judgment for purpose of appeal, and the Company will be evaluating all available legal options.

The ultimate outcome of such claims and litigation, including the Product Liability Matter, cannot be predicted with any certainty and any such claim or litigation could materially and adversely affect the Company’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Environmental Disputes

In August 2014, the Company received notice as a potentially responsible party (“PRP”) by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (the “DHEC”) pertaining to the Philip Services Site located in Rock Hill, South Carolina pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”) and corresponding South Carolina statutes. PRPs include parties identified through manifest records as having contributed to deliveries of hazardous substances to the Philip Services Site between 1979 and 1999. The DHEC’s allegation that the Company was a PRP arises out of four manifest entries in 1989 under the name of a company unaffiliated with Wabash National Corporation (or any of its former or current subsidiaries) that purport to be delivering a de minimis amount of hazardous waste to the Philip Services Site “c/o Wabash National Corporation.” As such, the Philip Services Site PRP Group (the “PRP Group”) notified Wabash in August 2014 that it was offering the Company the opportunity to resolve any liabilities associated with the Philip Services Site by entering into a Cash Out and Reopener Settlement Agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) with the PRP Group, as well as a Consent Decree with the DHEC. The Company has accepted the offer from the PRP Group to enter into the Settlement Agreement and Consent Decree, while reserving its rights to contest its liability for any deliveries of hazardous materials to the Philips Services Site. The requested settlement payment is immaterial to the Company’s financial condition and results of operations, and as a result, if the Settlement Agreement and Consent Decree are finalized, the payment to be made by the Company thereunder is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.

On November 13, 2019, the Company received a notice that it was considered one of several PRPs by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (“IDEM”) under CERCLA and state law related to substances found in soil and groundwater at a property located at 817 South Earl Avenue, Lafayette, Indiana (the “Site”). The Company has never owned or operated the Site, but the Site is near certain of the Company’s owned properties. In 2020, the Company agreed to implement a limited work plan to further investigate the source of the contamination at the Site and worked with IDEM and other PRPs to finalize the terms of the work plan. The Company submitted its initial site investigation report to IDEM during the third quarter of 2020, indicating that the data collected by the Company’s consultant confirmed that the Company’s properties are not the source of contamination at the Site. In December 2021, after completing further groundwater sampling work, the Company submitted to IDEM a supplemental written report, which again stated that the Company is not a responsible party and the Company’s properties are not a source of any contamination. In June 2022, the Company and other PRPs finalized Work Plan Addendum No. 3, which provided for additional groundwater sampling on another PRP property. The Company completed all additional sampling and submitted supplemental reports to IDEM as of the first quarter of 2024. All available information and reports establish there is no source of any contamination on the Company’s owned properties. As of December 31, 2024, based on the information available, the Company does not expect this matter to have a material adverse effect on its financial condition or results of operations.