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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
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FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)
April 17, 1998
FMC CORPORATION
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(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware 1-2376 94-0479804
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(State or other jurisdiction (Commission (I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation) File Number) Identification No.)
200 East Randolph Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601
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(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(312) 861-6000
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Registrant's telephone number,
including area code
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Item 5. Other Events
As previously reported, in 1986 a former employee of FMC brought a qui tam
lawsuit against the company in the United States District Court for the Northern
District of California. The lawsuit alleges that FMC violated the False Claims
Act ("FCA") in connection with the development, testing and manufacture of the
Bradley Fighting Vehicle by the company's Defense Systems Group (which was sold
during 1997 and is presently accounted for as a discontinued operation.)
Following an investigation of the allegations raised by the lawsuit, the U.S.
Department of Justice declined to intervene in the action. On April 14, 1998 a
jury returned a verdict against the company in the amount of $125 million. No
judgment resulting from the verdict has been entered at this time. Under the
FCA, any judgment stemming from the verdict may include, based on certain
determinations to be made by the court, a doubling or trebling of part or all of
the damages reflected in the verdict, as well as penalties and costs, including
attorneys' fees.
Management believes the verdict is unjustified and intends to pursue all
available remedies to set aside the jury's decision or reverse any judgment
resulting therefrom. It is the company's position that the lawsuit is without
merit. Although any legal proceeding is subject to inherent uncertainty, based
upon an analysis of relevant factual and legal issues and consultation with
counsel, management believes that the likelihood that any material adverse
judgment in this action will stand against the company is remote. As management
does not believe that this litigation will have a material impact on the
company's earnings or financial condition, no provision for this matter has been
or is expected to be made in the company's financial statements.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, The
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
FMC CORPORATION
By /s/ J. Paul McGrath
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J. Paul McGrath
Senior Vice President, General
Counsel and Secretary
Date April 20, 1998
