Vale S.A. | CIK:0000917851 |

 

27.        Litigation

 

a)Provision for litigation

 

Vale is party to labor, civil, tax and other ongoing lawsuits, at administrative and court levels. Provisions for losses resulting from lawsuits are estimated and updated by the Company, based on analysis from the Company’s legal consultants.

 

Changes in provision for litigation are as follows:

 

 

(i)   refers to litigations of PIS/COFINS of interest on capital.

 

i.   Provisions for labor litigation - Consist of lawsuits filed by employees and service suppliers, related to employment relationships mainly in Brazil. The most recurring claims are related to payment of overtime, hours in itinerary, and health and safety. Also the social security in Brazil (“INSS”) contingencies are related to legal and administrative disputes between INSS and Vale due to applicability of compulsory social security charges.

 

b)   Contingent liabilities

 

Contingent liabilities of administrative and judicial claims, with expectation of loss classified as possible, and for which the recognition of a provision is not considered necessary by the Company, based on legal advice are as follows:

 

 

(i)  US$193 from merger of Valepar S.A.

 

i - Tax litigation - Our most significant tax-related contingent liabilities result from disputes related to (i) the deductibility of our payments of social security contributions on the net income (CSLL) from our taxable income, (ii) challenges of certain tax credits we deducted from our PIS and COFINS payments, (iii) assessments of CFEM (royalties), and (iv) charges of value-added tax on services and circulation of goods (ICMS), especially relating to certain tax credits we claimed from the sale and transmission of energy, ICMS charges to anticipate the payment in the entrance of goods to Pará State and ICMS/penalty charges on our own transportation.  The changes reported in the period resulted, mainly, from additions of other periods to the existing proceedings related to PIS, COFINS, ICMS, CFEM; as well as the inclusion of Valepar S.A. proceedings and the application interest and inflation adjustments to the disputed amounts.

 

ii - Civil litigation - Most of those claims have been filed by suppliers for indemnification under construction contracts, primarily relating to certain alleged damages, payments and contractual penalties. A number of other claims related to contractual disputes regarding inflation index.

 

iii - Labor litigation - Represents individual claims by employees and service providers, primarily involving demands for additional compensation for overtime work, time spent commuting or health and safety conditions; and the Brazilian federal social security administration (“INSS”) regarding contributions on compensation programs based on profits.

 

iv - Environmental litigation - The most significant claims concern alleged procedural deficiencies in licensing processes, non-compliance with existing environmental licenses or damage to the environment.

 

c)    Judicial deposits

 

In addition to the provisions and contingent liabilities, the Company is required by law to make judicial deposits to secure a potential adverse outcome of certain lawsuits. These court-ordered deposits are monetarily adjusted and reported as non-current assets until a judicial decision to draw the deposit occurs.

 

 

(i)  Includes US$951 related to the merger of Valepar (note 29).

 

d) Contingencies related to Samarco accident

 

(i) Public civil claim filed by the Federal Government and others

 

The federal government, the two Brazilian states affected by the failure (Espirito Santo and Minas Gerais) and other governmental authorities have initiated a public civil lawsuit against Samarco and its shareholders, Vale S.A. and BHPB, with an estimated value indicated by the plaintiffs of US$6.1 billion (R$20.2 billion).

 

The Framework Agreement signed in March 2016, was ratified by the Federal Regional Court (“TRF”) in May 2016. This ratification was suspended by the Superior Court of Justice (“STJ”) in June 2016 and resulted in the restoration of the public civil claim, and maintained other measures, such as: (a) the prohibition of the defendants from transferring or conveying any of their interest in its Brazilian iron ore concessions, without, however, limiting their production and commercial activities and; (b) the order of the deposit with the court of US$363 (R$1.2 billion) by January 2017, which was provisionally replaced by the guarantees provided for under the agreements with Federal Prosecution Office (“MPF”), as detailed in the item (ii) below.

 

(ii) Public civil action filed by Federal Prosecution Office

 

On May 3, 2016, the Federal Prosecution Office (MPF) filed a public civil lawsuit against Samarco and its shareholders and presented several demands, including: (i) the adoption of measures for mitigating the social, economic and environmental impacts resulting from the dam failure and other emergency measures; (ii) the payment of compensation to the community; and (iii) payments for the collective moral damage. The action value indicated by the MPF is US$47 billion (R$155 billion).

 

In January 2017 Samarco, Vale S.A. and BHPB entered into two preliminary agreements with the MPF.

 

The first agreement (“First Agreement”) aims to outline the process and timeline for negotiations of a Final Agreement (“Final Agreement”), initially expected to occur by June 30, 2017 and extended by April 20, 2018. This First Agreement establishes a timeline and actions to set the ground for conciliation of two public civil lawsuits in the amounts of US$6.1 billion (R$20.2 billion) and US$47 billion (R$155 billion), mentioned above, which are actually suspended.

 

In addition, the First Agreement provides for: (a) the appointment of experts to give support the Federal Prosecutors and paid for by the companies to conduct a diagnosis and monitor the progress of the programs under the Framework Agreement, and (b) holding at public hearings and the engagement of technical assistance to the affected people, in order to allow these communities to take part in the definition of the content of the Final Agreement.

 

Samarco, Vale S.A. and BHPB has agreed to provide a guarantee for fulfillment of the obligations regarding the financing and payment of the socio-environmental and socio-economic remediation programs resulting from the Fundão dam failure, pursuant to the two public civil actions, until the signing of the Final Agreement, amounting to US$665 (R$2.2 billion), of which (i) US$30 (R$100 million) in financial investments; (ii) US$393 (R$1.3 billion) in insurance bonds; and (iii) US$242 (R$800 million) in assets of Samarco. If, by April 20, 2018, the negotiations have not been completed, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office may require that the Court re-institute the order for the deposit of US$363 (R$1.2 billion) in relation to the US$6.1 billion (R$20.2 billion) public civil action and US$2.2 billion (R$7.7 billion) related US$47 billion (R$155 billion), mentioned above, which are actually suspended.

 

On March 16, 2017, the 12th Judicial Federal Court of Belo Horizonte partially ratified the First Agreement, which decision includes: (i) ratification of the engagement of experts to perform a socio-environmental impact assessment and assessment of programs under the Framework Agreement and a period for the companies to engage an expert to perform the socio-economic impact assessment; (ii) the consolidation and suspension of related claims aiming to avoid contradictory or conflicting decisions and to establish a unified judicial procedure in order for the parties to be able to reach a final agreement; (iii) accepted the guarantees proposed by Samarco and its shareholders under the Preliminary Agreement on a temporary basis.

 

In addition, the Second Agreement (“Second Agreement”) was signed on January 19, 2017, which establishes a timetable to make funds available to remediate the social, economic and environmental damages caused by the Fundão dam failure in the municipalities of Barra Longa, Rio Doce, Santa Cruz do Escalvado and Ponte Nova, amounting to US$60 (R$200 million). The 12th Judicial Federal Court of Belo Horizonte ratified this Second Agreement.

 

Parties are still negotiating an agreement regarding the choice of the expert to perform the socio-economic impact assessment. In this regard, on November 16th, 2017, they signed an addendum to the First Agreement, in which the parties defined matters related to the socio-economic impact assessment, its institutional structure and the respective experts, which, in the period of 90 days from the signing of the addendum, shall present their technical and commercial proposals.

 

Alongside, the parties, together with the plaintiffs of the US$6.1 billion (R$20.2 billion) public civil lawsuit, the State Prosecutors and the Public Defenders, are conducting the discussions regarding the Final Agreement.

 

(iii) U.S. Securities class action suits

 

Related to the Vale´s American Depositary Receipts

 

Vale S.A. and certain of its officers were named as defendants in securities class action suits in the Federal Court in New York brought by holders of Vale’s American Depositary Receipts under U.S. federal securities laws. The lawsuits allege that Vale S.A. made false and misleading statements or did not make disclosures concerning the risks and dangers of the operations of Samarco’s Fundão dam and the adequacy of related programs and procedures. The plaintiffs have not specified an amount of alleged damages or indemnities in these actions.

 

On March 23, 2017 the judge issued a decision rejecting a significant portion of the claims against Vale S.A. and the individual defendants, and determining the prosecution of the action with respect to more limited claims. The portion of plaintiffs’ case that remains is related to certain statements about procedures, policies and risk mitigation plans contained in Vale S.A.’s sustainability reports in 2013 and 2014, and certain statements regarding to the responsibility of Vale S.A. for the Fundão dam failure made in a conference call in November 2015.

 

This lawsuit is currently ongoing with under discovery the gathering of documents to be provided to the plaintiffs.

 

Vale S.A. continues to contest the outstanding points related to this lawsuit.

 

Related to the Samarco bonds

 

In March 2017, holders of bonds issued by Samarco filed a class action suit in the Federal Court in New York against Samarco, Vale S.A. and BHPB under U.S. federal securities laws demanding for indemnification for alleged violation of U.S. federal securities laws. The plaintiffs allege that false and misleading statements were made or disclosures omitted concerning the risks and dangers of the operations of Samarco’s Fundão dam and the adequacy of related programs and procedures. It is alleged that with the Fundão dam collapse, the securities have dramatically decreased, in order that the investors who have purchased such securities in a misleading way should be compensated, without, however, specifying an amount for the alleged damages or indemnities in this action.

 

Vale S.A. continues to contest this lawsuit.

 

(iv) Criminal lawsuit

 

On October 20, 2016, the MPF brought a criminal lawsuit in the Brazilian Federal Justice Court against Vale S.A., BHPB, Samarco, VogBr Recursos Hídricos e Geotecnia Ltda. and 22 individuals for alleged crimes against the environment, urban planning and cultural heritage, flooding, landslide, as well as for alleged crimes against the victims of the Fundão dam failure.

 

In November 2017 it was published a decision by means of the Federal Lower Court of Ponte Nova established the resume of the criminal lawsuit and determined the beginning of the Discovery phase.

 

(v) Other lawsuits

 

In addition, Samarco and its shareholders were named as a defendant in several other lawsuits brought by individuals, corporations, governmental entities or public prosecutor seeking personal and property damages.

 

Given the status of these lawsuits, it is not possible at this time to provide a range of possible outcomes or a reliable estimates of potential exposures for Vale S.A. Consequently, no contingent liability has been quantified and no provision was recognized for lawsuits related to Samarco´s dam failure.

 

Accounting policy

 

A provision is recognized when is considered probable that an outflow of resources will be required to settle the obligation and can be reliably estimated. The liability is accounted against an expense in the income statement. This obligation is updated based on the developments of the judicial process or interest accretion and can be reversed if the expectation of loss is not considered probable  due to changes in circumstances or when the obligation is settled.

 

Critical accounting estimates and judgments

 

By nature, litigations will be resolved when one or more future event occurs or fails to occur. Typically, the occurrence or not of such events is outside of the Company’s control. Legal uncertainties involve the application of significant estimates and judgments by management regarding the potential out comes of future events.