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LAWSUITS, CLAIMS, COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2020
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
LAWSUITS, CLAIMS, COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES |
NOTE 11 - 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. Reserves for matters, other than for environmental remediation, that satisfy this criteria as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, 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% 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% 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% economic interest in the block. The merits hearing occurred in September 2020 and an arbitration decision is expected within the next six months. In August 2019, Sanchez Energy Corporation and certain of its affiliates (Sanchez) filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. Sanchez is a party to agreements with Anadarko as a result of its 2017 purchase of Anadarko's Eagle Ford Shale assets. Sanchez is attempting to reject some of the agreements related to the purchase of Anadarko’s Eagle Ford Shale assets. If Sanchez is permitted to reject certain of those agreements, then Anadarko may owe deficiency payments to various third parties. Occidental intends to defend vigorously any attempt by Sanchez to reject the agreements. Occidental expects a ruling on Sanchez's purported contract rejection in the first half of 2021. On May 26, 2020, a putative securities class action captioned City of Sterling Heights General Employees’ Retirement System, et al. v. Occidental Petroleum Corporation, et al., No. 651994/2020 (City of Sterling), was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 11, 12 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), based on alleged misstatements in the Securities Act filings, including the registration statement filed in connection with the Anadarko Acquisition and Occidental’s related issuance of common stock and debt securities offerings that took place in August 2019. The lawsuit was filed against Occidental, certain current and former officers and directors and certain underwriters of the debt securities offerings and seeks damages in an unspecified amount, plus attorneys’ fees and expenses. Two additional putative class actions were filed in the same court (together with City of Sterling, the State Cases) and the State Cases were consolidated into In re Occidental Petroleum Corporation Securities Litigation, No. 651830/2020. Occidental intends to vigorously defend itself in all respects in regard to the State Cases. 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 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. Taxable years through 2017 for U.S. federal income tax purposes have been audited by the U.S. 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. 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. For Anadarko, its taxable years through 2014 and tax year 2016 for U.S. federal and state income tax purposes have been audited by the IRS and respective state taxing authorities. There are outstanding significant audit matters in one foreign jurisdiction. 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 matter discussed below, Occidental believes that the resolution of these outstanding tax matters 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. As a result, Anadarko filed a petition with the U.S. Tax Court to dispute the disallowances in November 2018. The case was in the IRS appeals process until the second quarter of 2020, however it has since been returned to the U.S. Tax Court where Occidental expects to continue pursuing resolution. In accordance with ASC 740’s guidance on the accounting for uncertain tax positions, Occidental has recorded no tax benefit on the tentative cash tax refund of $881 million. As a result, should Occidental 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 Occidental would be required to repay approximately $925 million ($898 million in federal taxes and $27 million in state taxes) plus accrued interest of approximately $255 million. A liability for this amount plus interest is included in deferred credits and other liabilities-other. 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 December 31, 2020, 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, primarily to secure terminal and pipeline capacity, and also for 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. At December 31, 2020, total purchase obligations were $13.2 billion, which included approximately $2.8 billion in 2021, $4.4 billion in 2022 and 2023, $3.0 billion in 2024 and 2025, and $3.0 billion in 2026 and thereafter.

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