Legal Proceedings

3-state legal-proceedings disclosure status with evidence.

'specific_matters_disclosed' = at least one identifiable matter is described (a named case, a specific regulatory action/investigation, a specific tax or antitrust matter); populate matters[]. 'general_only' = the filing discusses legal proceedings only in generic, ordinary-course terms with NO identifiable matter (e.g. Starbucks: 'involved in various legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business... not currently a party to any legal proceeding that management believes could have a material adverse effect'); matters is null. 'none_disclosed' = no legal-proceedings content at all — silence, 'None', or 'Not applicable'; matters is null. A filing with BOTH generic boilerplate AND >=1 specific matter is 'specific_matters_disclosed'.

Value

Evidence object. Never null.

One entry per distinct legal matter / proceeding (a named case, a regulatory enforcement action, a government investigation, a tax dispute, an antitrust/competition matter, etc.). Related proceedings that share a single root cause but are distinct cases (different parties, courts, or claims — e.g. CrowdStrike's several July 19 Incident suits) are separate entries. An unspecified aggregate reference ('a wide variety of disputes, claims, and investigations') is one summary entry. null when disclosure_status is 'general_only' or 'none_disclosed' (no empty array).

Proper noun identifying the matter, verbatim: the case caption, labeled incident, or named action. null when the filing describes the matter without a proper name.

Nature of the proceeding. 'litigation' = an ordinary civil lawsuit (contract dispute, tort, IP). 'class_action' = a putative/certified class or collective action. 'derivative_action' = a shareholder derivative suit. 'arbitration' = a confidential/contractual arbitration. 'regulatory_enforcement' = a regulator's enforcement action, forfeiture, fine, or penalty (e.g. FCC Forfeiture Order). 'government_investigation' = a government/agency investigation or inquiry without (yet) an enforcement action. 'tax_dispute' = an ACTUAL dispute with a tax authority over taxes owed (income or non-income, e.g. lodging/occupancy taxes, VAT): an asserted deficiency/assessment, or a position the company contests — including contesting whether a tax applies or that it is liable (e.g. a platform's lodging/withholding-tax liability). Routine periodic reviews / ongoing audits / examinations of tax returns with NO asserted deficiency and no contested position are ordinary-course accounting procedures and are OUT OF SCOPE (not a matter). 'antitrust_competition' = an antitrust or competition-authority matter, including a competition regulator's surcharge/fine (e.g. a fair-trade-commission penalty). 'other' = none of the above. The specific instrument (fine / surcharge / penalty / damages / tax assessment) is carried by monetary_amounts[].type, not here.

WHO brought the matter and WHO it is against. Each field is an array of verbatim names/roles or null. Not independently evidence-bearing — the matter-level evidence anchors these.

Chronological timeline of dated events for this matter. One entry per dated step the filing states. null when the filing gives no dated event.

Monetary figures tied to this matter — claimed amount, damages, settlement, accrual/reserve, regulatory penalty/fine/surcharge, or tax assessment. One entry per distinct figure. null when no amount is stated.

Current status as of the filing. 'ongoing' = active/pending, being defended, no resolution. 'settled' = a settlement has been reached or agreed in principle (may still be paying). 'on_appeal' = a party has appealed a ruling. 'dismissed' = the matter was dismissed. 'judgment_entered' = a court entered judgment (e.g. a jury verdict). 'stayed' = the proceeding is stayed/paused pending another matter. 'resolved' = fully concluded and closed (e.g. settlement paid, final approval received and satisfied). 'unknown' = the filing does not state a determinable status.

A 1-2 sentence plain-language summary of the matter, written so the matter is understandable on its own. State what the dispute is about and the gist (e.g. 'A purported class action alleging Cintas breached its uniform-rental contracts with public agencies; settled in principle for $45.0 million and paid in July 2025.'). This is the extractor's own summary, NOT a verbatim quote.

Evidence object. Never null.