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Commitments and Contingencies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Operating Leases. The Company has obligations under noncancelable operating leases, primarily for office space and equipment used in drilling and services activities. Total rental expense under operating leases for the years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010 was approximately $2.6 million, $1.5 million and $2.6 million, respectively. Future minimum payments under noncancelable operating leases (with initial lease terms exceeding one year) as of December 31, 2012 were as follows (in thousands):
Years ending December 31 |
2013 | $ | 2,694 |
2014 | 2,511 |
2015 | 2,251 |
2016 | 2,018 |
2017 | 1,339 |
| $ | 10,813 |
Rig Commitments. The Company has contracts with third-party drilling rig operators for the use of their rigs at specified day or footage rates. These commitments are not recorded in the consolidated balance sheets. Minimum future commitments as of December 31, 2012 were $44.2 million for 2013 and $9.7 million for 2014. Hydraulic Well Fracturing Services Agreements. The Company has third-party hydraulic well fracturing services agreements through early 2014 that contain provisions for the payment of certain termination fees in the event the Company terminates the agreements prior to completion. At December 31, 2012, these potential termination fees were approximately $33.4 million. Oil and Natural Gas Transportation and Throughput Agreements. The Company has subscribed firm gas transportation service under a transportation service agreement on the Midcontinent Express Pipeline, the term of which continues until March 2019. This commitment is not recorded in the consolidated balance sheets. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company is obligated to pay a demand charge and in exchange, obtains the right to flow natural gas production through this pipeline to more competitive marketing areas. The Company also has oil and natural gas throughput agreements in place, which require fixed fees based on minimum volume requirements for the right to flow oil and natural gas through certain pipelines. The amounts of the required payments related to the transportation and throughput agreements as of December 31, 2012 were as follows (in thousands):
Years ending December 31 |
2013 | $ | 26,653 |
2014 | 19,671 |
2015 | 12,977 |
2016 | 11,346 |
2017 | 11,315 |
Thereafter | 14,105 |
| $ | 96,067 |
Natural Gas Gathering Agreement. The Company has a gas gathering agreement with PGC related to its properties located in the Piñon Field in west Texas. Under the gas gathering agreement, the Company has dedicated its west Texas acreage for priority gathering services through June 30, 2029 and will pay a fee for such services. Pursuant to the gas gathering agreement, the base fee can be reduced if certain criteria are met. The table below presents the base fee contractual obligations under this agreement as of December 31, 2012 (in thousands).
Years ending December 31 |
2013 | $ | 42,634 |
2014 | 42,360 |
2015 | 42,153 |
2016 | 42,091 |
2017 | 41,812 |
Thereafter | 141,775 |
| $ | 352,825 |
Treating Agreement. In conjunction with the Century Plant construction agreement, the Company entered into a 30-year treating agreement with Occidental for the removal of CO 2 from the Company’s delivered production volumes. Under the agreement, the Company is required to deliver a total of approximately 3,200 Bcf of CO 2 during the agreement period and is required to compensate Occidental to the extent certain minimum annual CO 2 volume requirements are not met. Based upon natural gas production levels in 2012, the Company accrued $8.5 million for amounts related to the Company’s shortfall in meeting its 2012 delivery obligations, which was included in production expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2012. The Company expects to accrue between approximately $29.5 million and $36.0 million during the year ending December 31, 2013 for amounts related to the Company’s anticipated shortfall in meeting its 2013 annual delivery obligations based on current projected natural gas production levels. Due to the sensitivity of natural gas production to prevailing market prices, the Company is unable to estimate additional amounts it may be required to pay under this agreement in subsequent periods; however, curtailed drilling due to continued low natural gas prices may result in additional shortfall payments in future periods. Litigation and Claims. On or about June 27, 2008 and November 6, 2008, there were fires at the Company’s Grey Ranch Plant and a nearby compressor station. The Company, as owner of the plant and compressor station, recovered approximately $24.5 million from its insurance carriers for damages caused by the fires. At the time of the fires, the plant was operated by Southern Union Gas Services, Ltd. (“Southern Union Gas”). On June 4, 2010, November 10, 2010, and March 15, 2011, the Company’s insurance carriers filed lawsuits against Southern Union Gas and its parent, Southern Union Company (together with Southern Union Gas, “Southern Union”) seeking recovery for amounts paid under the Company’s insurance policies. Southern Union, in turn, tendered indemnity requests to GRLP, of which the Company is a 50% owner. All three lawsuits have been settled between the Company’s insurance carrier and Southern Union; however, Southern Union’s indemnification claim against GRLP remains unresolved. GRLP has not accepted or acknowledged any responsibility to indemnify Southern Union. As a result of the settlement of the lawsuits, an estimate of reasonably possible losses associated with these claims is approximately $1.1 million. As a loss is not probable, the Company has not established any reserves relating to these claims. To the extent the Company, as a 50% owner of GRLP, is required to fund any indemnification of Southern Union, it will pursue coverage for such liability under its general liability insurance policy. On February 14, 2011, Aspen Pipeline, II, L.P. (“Aspen”) filed a complaint in the District Court of Harris County, Texas, against Arena and the Company claiming damages based upon alleged representations by Arena in connection with Aspen’s construction of a natural gas pipeline in west Texas. On October 14, 2011, the complaint was amended to add Odessa Fuels, LLC, Odessa Fuels Marketing, LLC and Odessa Field Services and Compression, LLC as plaintiffs. The plaintiffs’ amended claims seek damages relating to the construction of the pipeline and performance under a related gas purchase agreement, which damages are alleged to approach $100.0 million. In February 2013, the parties reached an agreement to settle the lawsuit, pursuant to which the Company will pay the plaintiffs $20.0 million in cash and the lawsuit will be dismissed with prejudice, and pursuant to which the parties will further mutually release each other from all claims related to the subject matter of the lawsuit. The settlement amount was accrued in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2012. On April 5, 2011, Wesley West Minerals, Ltd. and Longfellow Ranch Partners, LP filed suit against the Company and SandRidge Exploration and Production, LLC (collectively, the “SandRidge Entities”) in the 83rd District Court of Pecos County, Texas. The plaintiffs, who have leased mineral rights to the SandRidge Entities in Pecos County, allege that the SandRidge Entities have not properly paid royalties on all volumes of natural gas (including carbon dioxide, or “CO 2”) produced from the acreage leased from the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs also allege that the SandRidge Entities have inappropriately failed to pay royalties on CO 2 produced from the plaintiffs’ acreage that results from the treatment of natural gas at the Century Plant. The plaintiffs seek approximately $45.5 million in actual damages for the period of time between January 2004 and December 2011, punitive damages and a declaration that the SandRidge Entities must pay royalties on CO 2 produced from plaintiffs’ acreage that results from treatment of natural gas at the Century Plant. The Commissioner of the General Land Office of the State of Texas (“GLO”) is named as an additional defendant in the lawsuit as some of the affected oil and natural gas leases described in the plaintiffs’ allegations cover mineral classified lands in which the GLO is entitled to one-half of the royalties attributable to such leases. The GLO has filed a cross-claim against the SandRidge Entities asserting the same claims as the plaintiffs with respect to the leases covering mineral classified lands and seeking approximately $13.0 million in actual damages, inclusive of penalties and interest. On February 5, 2013, the Company received a favorable summary judgment ruling that effectively removes a majority of the plaintiffs’ and GLO’s claims. It is unknown at this time whether the plaintiffs will appeal the ruling. The Company intends to continue to defend the remaining issues in this lawsuit as well as any appellate proceedings. At the time of the ruling on summary judgment, the lawsuit was still in the discovery stage and, accordingly, an estimate of reasonably possible losses associated with the remaining causes of action, if any, cannot be made until all of the facts, circumstances and legal theories relating to such claims and the Company’s defenses are fully disclosed and analyzed. The Company has not established any reserves relating to this action. On August 4, 2011, Patriot Exploration, LLC, Jonathan Feldman, Redwing Drilling Partners, Mapleleaf Drilling Partners, Avalanche Drilling Partners, Penguin Drilling Partners and Gramax Insurance Company Ltd. filed a lawsuit against the Company, SandRidge Exploration and Production, LLC (“SandRidge E&P”) and certain directors and senior executive officers of the Company (collectively, the “defendants”) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. On October 28, 2011, the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint alleging substantially the same allegations as those contained in the original complaint. The plaintiffs allege that the defendants made false and misleading statements to U.S. Drilling Capital Management LLC and to the plaintiffs prior to the entry into a participation agreement among Patriot Exploration, LLC, U.S. Drilling Capital Management LLC and SandRidge E&P, which provided for the investment by the plaintiffs in certain of SandRidge E&P’s oil and natural gas properties. To date, the plaintiffs have invested approximately $15.0 million under the participation agreement. The plaintiffs seek compensatory and punitive damages and rescission of the participation agreement. The Company intends to defend this lawsuit vigorously and believes the plaintiffs’ claims are without merit. On November 28, 2011, the defendants filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint, which motion is still pending with the court. This lawsuit is in the early stages and, accordingly, an estimate of reasonably possible losses associated with this action, if any, cannot be made until the facts, circumstances and legal theories relating to the plaintiffs’ claims and the Company’s defenses are fully disclosed and analyzed. The Company has not established any reserves relating to this action. As disclosed under Item 1A—Risk Factors, TPG-Axon is soliciting the written consents of the Company’s stockholders to three actions being proposed by TPG-Axon. Subsequent to the commencement of the consent solicitation, certain lawsuits, set forth below, were filed by Company stockholders, all of which refer to allegations made by TPG-Axon in its consent solicitation or to transactions that have been the focus of allegations by TPG-Axon:
• | Arthur I. Levine v. Tom L. Ward, et al., and SandRidge Energy, Inc., Nominal Defendant - filed on December 19, 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
• | Deborah Depuy v. Tom L. Ward, et al., and SandRidge Energy, Inc., Nominal Defendant - filed on January 22, 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
• | Paul Elliot, on Behalf of the Paul Elliot IRA R/O, v. Tom L. Ward, et al., and SandRidge Energy, Inc., Nominal Defendant - filed on January 29, 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
• | Dale Hefner v. Tom L. Ward, et al., and SandRidge Energy, Inc., Nominal Defendant - filed on January 4, 2013 in the District Court of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
• | Rocky Romano v. Tom L. Ward, et al., and SandRidge Energy, Inc., Nominal Defendant - filed on January 22, 2013 in the District Court of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
• | Joan Brothers v. Tom L. Ward, et al., and SandRidge Energy, Inc., Nominal Defendant - filed on February 15, 2013 in the District Court of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
Each lawsuit identified above was filed derivatively on behalf of the Company and names as defendants the Company’s current directors. The Hefner lawsuit also names as defendants certain Company senior executive officers and past directors. All five lawsuits assert substantially similar claims - generally that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties, grossly mismanaged the Company, wasted corporate assets, and engaged in, facilitated or approved self-dealing transactions. The Depuy lawsuit also alleges violations of federal securities laws in connection with the Company allegedly filing and distributing certain misleading proxy statements. The lawsuits seek, among other relief, injunctive relief related to the Company’s corporate governance and unspecified damages. Because these lawsuits have only been recently filed, an estimate of reasonably possible losses associated with them, if any, cannot be made until the facts, circumstances and legal theories relating to the plaintiffs’ claims and the Company’s defenses are fully disclosed and analyzed. The Company has not established any reserves relating to these actions. On December 5, 2012, James Glitz and Rodger A. Thornberry, on behalf of themselves and all other similarly situated stockholders, filed a putative class action complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma against SandRidge Energy, Inc. and certain of the Company’s executive officers. On January 4, 2013, Louis Carbone, on behalf of himself and all other similarly situated stockholders, filed a substantially similar putative class action complaint in the same court and against the same defendants. In each case, the plaintiffs allege that, between February 24, 2011, and November 8, 2012, the defendants made false and misleading statements, and omitted material information, concerning the Company’s oil reserves and business fundamentals, and engaged in a scheme to deceive the market. The plaintiffs seek, among other relief, unspecified damages. The Company intends to defend these lawsuits vigorously. Because these lawsuits have only been recently filed, an estimate of reasonably possible losses associated with them, if any, cannot be made until the facts, circumstances and legal theories relating to the plaintiffs’ claims and the Company’s defenses are fully disclosed and analyzed. The Company has not established any reserves relating to these actions. On January 7, 2013, Jerald Kallick, on behalf of himself and all other similarly situated stockholders, filed a putative class action complaint in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware against SandRidge Energy, Inc., and each of the Company’s current directors. On January 31, 2013, the plaintiff filed an amended class action complaint. In his amended complaint, the plaintiff seeks: (i) declaratory relief that certain change-in-control provisions in the Company’s indentures and credit agreement are invalid and unenforceable, (ii) declaratory relief that the directors breached their fiduciary duties by failing to approve nominees for the Board of Directors submitted by a dissident stockholder in order to avoid triggering the change-in-control provisions described above, (iii) a mandatory injunction requiring the directors to approve nominees for the Board of Directors submitted by the dissident stockholder, (iv) a mandatory injunction prohibiting the Company from paying the Company’s CEO his change-in-control benefits under his employment agreement in the event the CEO is removed as a director, but remains employed as the Company’s CEO, (v) a mandatory injunction enjoining the defendants from impeding or interfering with the dissident stockholder’s consent solicitation, (vi) a mandatory injunction requiring the defendants to disclose all material information related to the change-in-control provisions in the Company’s indentures and credit agreement; and (vii) an order requiring the Company’s current directors to account to the plaintiff and the putative class for alleged damages. The Company intends to defend this lawsuit vigorously and believes that at least part of the relief sought is now moot. In addition, the Company is a defendant in lawsuits from time to time in the normal course of business. While the results of litigation and claims cannot be predicted with certainty, the Company believes the reasonably possible losses of such matters, individually and in the aggregate, are not material. Additionally, the Company believes the probable final outcome of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, cash flows or liquidity.

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