Lawsuits, Claims, Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 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 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (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 12 - 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 September 30, 2019, and December 31, 2018, were not material to Occidental’s Consolidated Condensed 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. 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. A trial was held on September 20, 2019, and the parties are awaiting a ruling.

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 Condensed Balance Sheets. 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. With the Merger, Occidental maintains two separate federal consolidated groups. For the legacy Occidental group, 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.

For Anadarko, taxable years through 2016 for United States federal and state income tax purposes have been audited by the IRS and respective state taxing authorities. While the local country audit of a single foreign tax jurisdiction is open for tax years 2011 through 2013, there are no outstanding significant audit matters in foreign jurisdictions. 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.

The tax deduction for the Tronox Adversary Proceeding (Tronox) settlement payment contributed to a net operating loss reported on Anadarko’s 2015 federal income tax return that was subsequently carried back to previous years and resulted in a tentative cash refund of $881 million of prior taxes paid, which was received in 2016. While Occidental believes it is entitled to this refund, in accordance with ASC 740's guidance on the accounting for uncertain tax positions, as of September 30, 2019, Occidental has recorded no tax benefit on the tentative cash tax refund of prior federal taxes paid of $881 million. As a result, should Occidental not ultimately prevail on the issue, there would be no tax expense recorded for financial statement purposes other than future interest. However, in that event Occidental would be required to repay approximately $917 million ($898 million federal and $19 million in state taxes) plus accrued interest of approximately $171 million.  

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 September 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.

Purchase Obligations and Commitments

Occidental, its subsidiaries, or both, have entered into agreements providing for future payments to secure terminal and pipeline capacity, drilling rigs and services, electrical power, steam and certain chemical raw materials. Occidental has certain other commitments under contracts, guarantees and joint ventures, including purchase commitments for goods and services at market-related prices and certain other contingent liabilities.

As of September 30, 2019, there were no material changes to Occidental's legacy purchase obligations since disclosure in the 2018 Form 10-K. In the Merger, Occidental assumed purchase obligations of approximately $5.2 billion, which included approximately $315 million, $1.0 billion, $907 million, $735 million, $589 million and $1.6 billion that will be paid for the remainder of 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 and thereafter, respectively. These amounts were discounted at 3.88%. These purchase obligations are related to long-term and work-related commitments for drilling wells, obtaining and processing seismic data, and fulfilling rig commitments, as well as various processing, transportation, storage, and purchase agreements to access markets and provide flexibility to sell its oil, natural gas, and NGL in certain areas.