NOTE 11.CONTINGENCIES

In the normal course of business, the Company and its subsidiaries are involved in, and will continue to be involved in, various claims, arbitrations, contractual disputes, investigations, and regulatory and litigation matters relating to, and arising out of, our businesses and our operations. These matters may involve, but are not limited to, allegations that our services or vehicles caused damage or injury, claims that our services did not achieve the desired results, claims related to acquisitions and allegations by federal, state or local authorities of violations of regulations or statutes. In addition, we are parties to employment-related cases and claims from time to time, which may include claims on a representative or class action basis alleging wage and hour law violations. We are also involved from time to time in certain environmental matters primarily arising in the normal course of business. We evaluate pending and threatened claims and establish loss contingency reserves based upon outcomes we currently believe to be probable and reasonably estimable.

As previously disclosed, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) conducted an investigation primarily focused on how the Company established accruals and reserves at period-ends for periods beginning January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2018 and the impact of certain adjustments to those accruals and reserves on reported earnings per share, specifically, in the first quarter of 2016 and the second quarter of 2017 (the “SEC Investigation”).  The Company previously disclosed that it had reached a settlement with the SEC, which was publicly announced on April 18, 2022.  Under the terms of the settlement, the Company neither admitted nor denied the SEC’s findings and paid an $8.0 million civil penalty, which was accrued in the third and fourth quarters of 2021. During the first quarter of 2022, the Company placed the $8.0 million in escrow for this settlement. This amount is included in cash and cash equivalents in the condensed consolidated statements of financial position. The settlement resolves the SEC Investigation, and there will be no restatement of the Company’s historical financial results related to this investigation.

Management does not believe that any pending claim, proceeding or litigation, regulatory action or investigation, either alone or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or liquidity; however, it is possible that an unfavorable outcome of some or all of the matters could result in a charge that might be material to the results of an individual quarter or year.