OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORP /DE/OXY
OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORP /DE/ Commitments Disclosure
| NOTE 12 - LAWSUITS, CLAIMS, COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | ||
LEGAL MATTERS
The Company is 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. The Company is also involved in proceedings under CERCLA and similar federal, regional, state, provincial, tribal, local and international environmental laws. These environmental proceedings seek funding or performance of remediation and, in some cases, compensation for alleged property damage, natural resource damages, punitive damages, civil penalties, injunctive relief and government oversight costs, as described in Note 11 - Environmental Liabilities and Expenditures. Usually the Company is among many companies in these environmental proceedings and has to date been successful in sharing remediation 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 the Company retains liability or indemnifies the other party for conditions that existed prior to the transaction.
In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, the Company 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. Other than reserves for the environmental remediation discussed above and tax matters discussed below, reserves for matters that satisfied these criteria as of December 31, 2025 and 2024 were not material to the Company’s Consolidated 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. The Company’s estimates are based on information known about the legal matters and its experience in contesting, litigating and settling similar matters. The Company will reassess the probability and estimability of contingent losses as new information becomes available.
TAX MATTERS AND OTHER DISPUTES
During the course of its operations, the Company is subject to audit by tax authorities for varying periods in various federal, state, local and international tax jurisdictions. Tax years through 2021 for U.S. federal income tax purposes have been audited by the IRS pursuant to its Compliance Assurance Program and subsequent taxable years are currently under review. Tax years through 2018 have been audited for state income tax purposes. There are no outstanding significant audit matters in international jurisdictions. During the course of tax audits, disputes have arisen and other disputes may arise as to facts and matters of law.
The IRS is currently reviewing the legal entity reorganization transaction as part of the Company’s 2022 federal tax audit. Following the acquisition of Anadarko and related divestitures, the Company reorganized its legal entities to better align with the nature of its business activities. This reorganization resulted in the Company making an adjustment to the tax basis in a portion of its operating assets, reducing deferred tax liabilities and recording a $2.7 billion tax benefit in 2022.
For Anadarko, its taxable years through 2014 and tax year 2016 for U.S. federal tax purposes have been audited and closed by the IRS. Tax years 2015 and 2017 through 2019 have been audited by the IRS but remain open pending the outcome of the Tronox U.S. Tax Court litigation discussed below. Tax years through 2018 have been audited for state income tax purposes. There are no outstanding significant audit matters in international jurisdictions. As stated above, during the course of tax audits, disputes have arisen and other disputes may arise as to facts and matters of law.
Other than the dispute discussed below, the Company believes that the resolution of these outstanding tax disputes would not have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position or results of operations.
Anadarko received an $881 million tentative refund in 2016 related to its $5.2 billion Tronox Adversary Proceeding settlement payment in 2015. In September 2018, Anadarko received a statutory notice of deficiency from the IRS disallowing the net operating loss carryback and rejecting Anadarko’s refund claim. Anadarko disagreed and, in November 2018, filed a petition with the U.S. Tax Court to dispute the disallowance. Trial was held in May 2023. The parties filed post-trial briefs throughout 2023 and 2024. Closing arguments were held in May 2024. The Tax Court may issue an opinion at any time. If the Tax Court opines that all or a portion of the original $5.2 billion deduction is not deductible, a computation phase will commence where the parties will compute the tax amount to be included in the Tax Court’s decision. Once the parties submit their computation, the Tax Court judge will formally enter the decision reflecting the computed tax amount. To pursue an appeal of the Tax Court’s decision, any tax due as a result of the Tax Court’s decision must be fully bonded or paid within 90 days of the decision’s entry. If Anadarko does not pursue an appeal, the IRS will assess any resulting tax deficiency, including interest, and issue a notice demanding payment thereof.
In accordance with ASC 740’s guidance on the accounting for uncertain tax positions, the Company has recorded no tax benefit on the tentative cash tax refund of $881 million. Additionally, the Company has recorded no tax benefit on approximately $500 million of additional cash tax benefits realized from the utilization of tax attributes generated as a result of the deduction of the $5.2 billion Tronox Adversary Proceeding settlement payment in 2015. If the payment is ultimately determined not to be deductible, the Company would be required to repay the tentative refund received, plus other cash benefits received related to the $5.2 billion deduction, plus interest, which as of December 31, 2025 totaled approximately $2.3 billion. As a result, should the Company not ultimately prevail on the issue, there would be no additional tax expense recorded relative to this position for financial statement purposes other than future interest. However, in that event, as of December 31, 2025, the Company would be required to repay approximately $1.4 billion in federal and state taxes and accrued interest of $0.9 billion. A liability for the taxes and interest is included in deferred credits and other liabilities - other.
INDEMNITIES TO THIRD PARTIES
The Company has 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 the Company. These indemnities usually are contingent upon the other party incurring liabilities that reach specified thresholds. The Company reserves for indemnity claims when a payment for such claims is probable and estimable. As discussed in Note 4 - Acquisitions, Divestitures and Other Transactions, The Company is providing indemnification to Berkshire Hathaway for retained liabilities in the OxyChem Transaction.
PURCHASE OBLIGATIONS AND COMMITMENTS
The Company has entered into agreements providing for future payments, primarily to secure terminal, pipeline and processing capacity, CO2, drilling rigs and services, electrical power, non-lease components and steam. The Company 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. The amounts that will be paid for such outstanding off-balance sheet purchase obligations as of December 31, 2025 are $3.0 billion in 2026, $4.7 billion in 2027 and 2028, $2.6 billion in 2029 and 2030, and $2.3 billion in 2031 and thereafter.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Feb 18, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Feb 18, 2025 | |
| 2023 | Feb 14, 2024 | |
| 2022 | Feb 27, 2023 | |
| 2021 | Feb 24, 2022 | |
| 2020 | Feb 26, 2021 | |
| 2019 | Feb 28, 2020 | |
| 2018 | Feb 21, 2019 | |
| 2017 | Feb 23, 2018 | |
| 2016 | Feb 23, 2017 | |
| 2015 | Feb 26, 2016 | |
About Commitments Disclosures
Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.
Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.