Regulations with respect to the Company's operations govern, among other things, engineering and construction specifications for production facilities, safety procedures, plugging and abandonment of wells, removal of facilities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and certain obligations under the production sharing contracts with Mexico.

As of September 30, 2023, the Company had secured performance bonds from third party sureties totaling $1.4 billion. The cost of securing these bonds is reflected as “Interest expense” on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. Additionally, as of September 30, 2023, the Company had secured letters of credit issued under its Bank Credit Facility totaling $10.8 million. Letters of credit that are outstanding reduce the available revolving credit commitments. See Note 6 — Debt for further information on the Bank Credit Facility.

From time to time, the Company is involved in litigation, regulatory examinations and administrative proceedings primarily arising in the ordinary course of business in jurisdictions in which the Company does business. Although the outcome of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, the Company’s management believes none of these matters, either individually or in the aggregate, would have a material effect upon the Company’s financial position; however, an unfavorable outcome could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results from operations for a specific interim period or year.

On March 23, 2022, the Company entered into a settlement agreement to receive $27.5 million to resolve previously pending litigation, which was filed on October 23, 2017, against a third-party supplier related to quality issues. As part of the settlement agreement, the Company released all of its claims in the litigation. The settlement is reflected as “Other income (expense)” on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

The following proceedings represent previous EnVen litigation that was assumed as part of the EnVen Acquisition.

In June 2019, David M. Dunwoody, Jr., former President of EnVen, filed a lawsuit against EnVen in Texas District Court alleging that the circumstances of his resignation entitled him to the severance payments and benefits under his employment agreement dated as of November 6, 2015 as a resignation for “Good Reason.” In September 2021, the trial court entered a judgment in favor of Mr. Dunwoody, inclusive of Mr. Dunwoody’s legal fees and interest. EnVen filed a Notice of Appeal in December 2021. In April 2023, the appellate court affirmed the trial court’s judgment. The Company filed a petition for review with the Texas Supreme Court on August 2, 2023. As of September 30, 2023, the Company has recorded $14.1 million as “Other current liabilities” on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets related to the litigation.

In July 2019, EnVen filed a lawsuit against Mr. Dunwoody in Delaware Chancery Court for breach of fiduciary duty and equitable fraud relating to Mr. Dunwoody’s conduct while he was President of EnVen. In January 2020, EnVen filed an amended complaint that added claims against Oilfield Pipe of Texas, LLC for aiding and abetting Mr. Dunwoody’s breach of his fiduciary duty and equitable fraud. On April 21, 2022, the Delaware Chancery Court denied Mr. Dunwoody’s renewed motion to dismiss the suit. The trial was held in the Delaware Chancery Court in late July 2023. The Company agreed to dismiss the litigation with prejudice on September 14, 2023.

The Company, as a co-lessee or predecessor-in-interest in oil and natural gas leases located in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, is in the chain of title with unrelated third parties either directly or by virtue of divestiture of certain oil and natural gas assets previously owned and assigned by our subsidiaries. Certain counterparties in these divestiture transactions or third parties in existing leases have filed for bankruptcy protection or undergone associated reorganizations and may not be able to perform required abandonment obligations. Regulations or federal laws could require the Company to assume such obligations. The Company reflects such costs as “Other operating (income) expense” on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

The decommissioning obligations are included in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as “Other current liabilities” and “Other long-term liabilities” and the changes in that liability were as follows (in thousands):


	September 30, 2023			December 31, 2022
Balance, beginning of period	$	54,269		$	24,336
Additions		266			8,900
Changes in estimate		9,188			22,658
Settlements		(40,415	)		(1,625	)
Balance, end of period	$	23,308		$	54,269
Less: Current portion		7,200			42,069
Long-term portion	$	16,108		$	12,200

Although it is reasonably possible that the Company could receive state or federal decommissioning orders in the future or be notified of defaulting third parties in existing leases, the Company cannot predict with certainty, if, how or when such orders or notices will be resolved or estimate a possible loss or range of loss that may result from such orders. However, the Company could incur judgments, enter into settlements or revise its opinion regarding the outcome of certain notices or matters, and such developments could have a material adverse effect on its results of operations in the period in which the amounts are accrued and its cash flows in the period in which the amounts are paid.