Lawsuits, Claims, Commitments and Contingencies

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2019

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Lawsuits, Claims, Commitments and Contingencies

Lawsuits, Claims, Commitments and Contingencies

Legal Matters

Occidental or certain of its subsidiaries are involved, in the normal course of business, in lawsuits, claims and other legal proceedings that seek, among other things, compensation for alleged personal injury, breach of contract, property damage or other losses, punitive damages, civil penalties, or injunctive or declaratory relief. Occidental or certain of its subsidiaries also are involved in proceedings under CERCLA and similar federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws. These environmental proceedings seek funding or performance of remediation and, in some cases, compensation for alleged property damage, punitive damages, civil penalties and injunctive relief. Usually Occidental or such subsidiaries are among many companies in these environmental proceedings and have to date been successful in sharing response costs with other financially sound companies. Further, some lawsuits, claims and legal proceedings involve acquired or disposed assets with respect to which a third party or Occidental retains liability or indemnifies the other party for conditions that existed prior to the transaction.

In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, Occidental accrues reserves for outstanding lawsuits, claims and proceedings when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the liability can be reasonably estimated. In Note 6, Environmental Liabilities and Expenditures, Occidental has disclosed its reserve balances for environmental remediation matters that satisfy this criteria. Reserve balances for matters, other than environmental remediation, that satisfy this criteria as of June 30, 2019, and December 31, 2018, were not material to Occidental’s consolidated balance sheets.

In 2016, Occidental received payments from the Republic of Ecuador of approximately $1.0 billion pursuant to a November 2015 arbitration award for Ecuador’s 2006 expropriation of Occidental's Participation Contract for Block 15. The awarded amount represented a recovery of 60 percent of the value of Block 15. In 2017, Andes Petroleum Ecuador Ltd. (Andes) filed a demand for arbitration, claiming it is entitled to a 40 percent share of the judgment amount obtained by Occidental. Occidental contends that Andes is not entitled to any of the amounts paid under the 2015 arbitration award because Occidental’s recovery was limited to Occidental’s own 60 percent economic interest in the block. The merits hearing is scheduled for May 2020. Occidental intends to vigorously defend against this claim in arbitration.

On May 30, 2019, a complaint was filed in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware by purported Occidental stockholders High River Limited Partnership, Icahn Partners Master Fund LP and Icahn Partners LP (the Icahn Complainants), captioned High River Ltd. P’ship v. Occidental Petroleum Corp., C.A. No. 2019-0403-JRS, seeking inspection of Occidental’s books and records pursuant to Section 220 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the DGCL). In the complaint, the Icahn Complainants noted that they had accumulated over $1.6 billion of Occidental Common Stock. On June 14, 2019, Occidental filed an answer to the complaint in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware.

The ultimate outcome and impact of outstanding lawsuits, claims and proceedings on Occidental cannot be predicted. Management believes that the resolution of these matters will not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on Occidental's consolidated balance sheet. If unfavorable outcomes of these matters were to occur, future results of operations or cash flows for any particular quarterly or annual period could be materially adversely affected. Occidental’s estimates are based on information known about the legal matters and its experience in contesting, litigating and settling similar matters. Occidental reassesses the probability and estimability of contingent losses as new information becomes available.

Tax Matters

During the course of its operations, Occidental is subject to audit by tax authorities for varying periods in various federal, state, local and foreign tax jurisdictions. Taxable years through 2016 for United States federal income tax purposes have been audited by the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) pursuant to its Compliance Assurance Program and subsequent taxable years are currently under review. Taxable years through 2009 have been audited for state income tax purposes. While a single foreign tax jurisdiction is open for 2002 and subsequent years, all other significant audit matters in foreign jurisdictions have been resolved through 2010. During the course of tax audits, disputes have arisen and other disputes may arise as to facts and matters of law. Occidental believes that the resolution of outstanding tax matters would not have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position or results of operations.

Indemnities to Third Parties

Occidental, its subsidiaries, or both, have indemnified various parties against specified liabilities those parties might incur in the future in connection with purchases and other transactions that they have entered into with Occidental. These indemnities usually are contingent upon the other party incurring liabilities that reach specified thresholds. As of June 30, 2019, Occidental is not aware of circumstances that it believes would reasonably be expected to lead to indemnity claims that would result in payments materially in excess of reserves.