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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2021
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies    
Included below is a discussion of the Company's various future commitments and contingencies as of December 31, 2021. The Company has provided accruals where necessary for contingent liabilities, based on ASC 450, Contingencies, when it has determined that a liability is probable and reasonably estimable. The Company continuously assesses the potential liability related to the Company's pending litigation and revises its estimates when additional information becomes available. Additionally, the Company currently expenses all legal costs as they are incurred. The commitments and contingencies under these arrangements are not recorded in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. At December 31, 2021 the Company's only material commitment in each of the next five years and beyond is its asset retirement obligations. See Note 12 for additional discussions.

Legal Proceedings. As previously disclosed, on May 16, 2016, the Company and certain of its direct and indirect subsidiaries (collectively, the “Debtors”) filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the “Bankruptcy Court”). The Bankruptcy Court confirmed the joint plan of organization (the “Plan”) of the Debtors on September 9, 2016, and the Debtors subsequently emerged from bankruptcy on October 4, 2016.

Pursuant to the Plan, claims against the Company were discharged without recovery in each of the following consolidated cases (the “Cases”):

In re SandRidge Energy, Inc. Securities Litigation, Case No. 5:12-cv-01341-LRW, USDC, Western District of Oklahoma (“In re SandRidge Energy, Inc. Securities Litigation”); and

Ivan Nibur, Lawrence Ross, Jase Luna, Matthew Willenbucher, and the Duane & Virginia Lanier Trust v. SandRidge
Mississippian Trust I, et al., Case No. 5:15-cv-00634-SLP, USDC, Western District of Oklahoma (“Lanier Trust”)

The lead plaintiffs in both In re SandRidge Energy, Inc. Securities Litigation and Lanier Trust assert claims on behalf of themselves and (i) in In re SandRidge Energy, Inc. Securities Litigation, a class of all purchasers of SandRidge common stock from February 24, 2011 and November 8, 2012 under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, and (ii) in Lanier Trust, a putative class of purchasers of SandRidge Mississippian Trust I and SandRidge Mississippian Trust II common units between April 7, 2011 and November 8, 2012 under Sections 11, 12(a)(2), and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 and Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, both based on allegations that defendants, which include certain former officers of the Company and the SandRidge Mississippian Trust I, made misrepresentations or omissions concerning various topics including the performance of wells operated by the Company in the Mississippian region.
In each of the Cases, lead plaintiffs seek to recover unspecified damages, interest, costs and expenses incurred in the litigation on behalf of themselves and class members. Although the claims against the Company in each Case have been discharged pursuant to the Plan, the Company remains a nominal defendant. The Company may also be contractually obligated to indemnify two former officers who are defendants and the SandRidge Mississippian Trust I against losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses, including reasonable costs of investigation and attorney’s fees and expenses, which it is required to advance, arising out of the Cases, although the Company disputes any such obligations. Such indemnification is not covered by insurance with respect to the Trust. As of October 2020, we have exhausted all remaining insurance coverage for the costs of indemnification and expect no further reimbursements.

In light of the status of the Cases, and the facts, circumstances and legal theories relating thereto, the Company is not able to determine the likelihood of an outcome in either case or provide an estimate of any reasonably possible loss or range of possible loss related thereto. However, considering the exhaustion of insurance coverage available to the Company, such losses, if incurred, could be material. The Company has not established any liabilities relating to the Cases and believes that the plaintiffs’ claims are without merit. The Company intends to continue to vigorously defend against the Cases in its capacity as a nominal defendant.

In addition to the matters described above, the Company is involved in various lawsuits, claims and proceedings, which are being handled and defended by the Company in the ordinary course of business.