Contingencies and Commitments	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2019
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Contingencies and Commitments	Note 24. Contingencies and Commitments We are parties in a variety of legal actions that routinely arise out of the normal course of business, including legal actions seeking to establish liability directly through insurance contracts or indirectly through reinsurance contracts issued by Berkshire subsidiaries. Plaintiffs occasionally seek punitive or exemplary damages. We do not believe that such normal and routine litigation will have a material effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Berkshire and certain of its subsidiaries are also involved in other kinds of legal actions, some of which assert or may assert claims or seek to impose fines and penalties. We believe that any liability that may arise as a result of other pending legal actions will not have a material effect on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations. On April 30, 2019, Berkshire committed to invest a total of $10 billion in Occidental Petroleum Corporation (“Occidental”) in connection with Occidental’s proposal to acquire Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (“Anadarko”). The investment is contingent upon Occidental entering into and completing its proposed acquisition of Anadarko. If completed, Berkshire’s investment would include newly issued Occidental Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock with an aggregate liquidation value of $10 billion, together with warrants to purchase up to 80.0 million shares of Occidental common stock at an exercise price of $62.50 per share. The preferred stock will accrue dividends at 8% per annum and will be redeemable at the option of Occidental commencing on the tenth anniversary of issuance at a redemption price equal to 105% of the liquidation preference plus any accumulated and unpaid dividends, or mandatorily under certain specified capital return events. Dividends will be paid in cash or, at Occidental’s option, in shares of Occidental common stock. The warrants issued with the preferred stock may be exercised in whole or in part until one year after the redemption of the preferred stock.

Note 24. Contingencies and Commitments

We are parties in a variety of legal actions that routinely arise out of the normal course of business, including legal actions seeking to establish liability directly through insurance contracts or indirectly through reinsurance contracts issued by Berkshire subsidiaries. Plaintiffs occasionally seek punitive or exemplary damages. We do not believe that such normal and routine litigation will have a material effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Berkshire and certain of its subsidiaries are also involved in other kinds of legal actions, some of which assert or may assert claims or seek to impose fines and penalties. We believe that any liability that may arise as a result of other pending legal actions will not have a material effect on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

On April 30, 2019, Berkshire committed to invest a total of $10 billion in Occidental Petroleum Corporation (“Occidental”) in connection with Occidental’s proposal to acquire Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (“Anadarko”). The investment is contingent upon Occidental entering into and completing its proposed acquisition of Anadarko. If completed, Berkshire’s investment would include newly issued Occidental Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock with an aggregate liquidation value of $10 billion, together with warrants to purchase up to 80.0 million shares of Occidental common stock at an exercise price of $62.50 per share. The preferred stock will accrue dividends at 8% per annum and will be redeemable at the option of Occidental commencing on the tenth anniversary of issuance at a redemption price equal to 105% of the liquidation preference plus any accumulated and unpaid dividends, or mandatorily under certain specified capital return events. Dividends will be paid in cash or, at Occidental’s option, in shares of Occidental common stock. The warrants issued with the preferred stock may be exercised in whole or in part until one year after the redemption of the preferred stock.