(8) LITIGATION

The Company recognizes legal expense in connection with loss contingencies as incurred.

The Company’s claims and advertising for its toning products including for its Shape-ups are subject to the requirements of, and routinely come under review by regulators including pending inquiries from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), states’ Attorneys General and government and quasi-government regulators in foreign countries. The Company is currently responding to requests for information regarding its claims and advertising from regulatory and quasi-regulatory agencies in several countries and is fully cooperating with those requests. While the Company believes that its claims and advertising with respect to its core toning shoe products are supported by scientific tests, expert opinions and other relevant data, and while the Company has been successful in defending its claims and advertising in several different countries, it has discontinued using certain test results and periodically reviews and updates its claims and advertising. The regulatory inquiries may conclude in a variety of outcomes, including the closing of the inquiry with no further regulatory action, settlement of any issues through changes in our claims and advertising, settlement of any issues through payment to the regulatory entity, or litigation.

In accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, the Company records a liability in its consolidated financial statements for loss contingencies when a loss is known or considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. When determining the estimated loss or range of loss, significant judgment is required to estimate the amount and timing of a loss to be recorded. Estimates of probable losses resulting from litigation and governmental proceedings are inherently difficult to predict, particularly when the matters are in the procedural stages or with unspecified or indeterminate claims for damages, potential penalties, or fines. During the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2011, the Company reserved $45 million for costs and potential exposure relating to existing litigation and regulatory matters. Additionally, the Company recorded a pre-tax expense of $5 million in legal and professional fees related to the aforementioned matters, which was included in general and administrative expense in our consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2011. On May 16, 2012, the Company announced that it had settled all domestic legal proceedings relating to advertising claims made in connection with marketing its toning shoe products, including Shape-ups. Under the terms of the global settlement—without admitting any fault or liability, with no findings being made that the Company had violated any law, and with no fines or penalties being imposed—it made payments in the aggregate amount of $45 million and expects to pay a maximum of $5 million in class action attorneys’ fees to settle the domestic advertising lawsuits and related claims brought by the FTC and states’ Attorneys General for 44 states and the District of Columbia (“SAG”). The FTC Stipulated Final Judgment was approved by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on July 12, 2012, and consent judgments have been approved and entered in the 45 SAG actions. On August 13, 2012, the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky granted preliminary approval of the consumer class action settlement agreement and scheduled a hearing date for final approval on March 19, 2013. Although the Company believes the $50 million global settlement reflects the current estimated range of loss, the consumer class action settlement has not obtained final Court approval and therefore it is not possible to predict the final outcome of the related proceedings or any other pending legal proceedings. Consequently, the final exposure and costs associated with pending legal proceedings could have a further material adverse impact on the Company’s result of operations or financial position.