Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

Insurance

The Company maintains insurance programs with substantial limits for property damage, including resulting business interruption, and third-party liability. A certain amount of risk is retained by the Company on each insurance program. Under its property insurance program, the Company retains all risk up to $100 million per occurrence for losses from floods and named windstorms and up to $75 million per occurrence for other property losses. For third-party liability claims, the Company retains all risk up to $100 million per occurrence. As CSX negotiates insurance coverage above its full self-retention amounts, it retains a percentage of risk at various layers of coverage. While the Company believes its insurance coverage is adequate, future claims could exceed existing insurance coverage or insurance may not continue to be available at commercially reasonable rates.

Legal

The Company is involved in litigation incidental to its business and is a party to a number of legal actions and claims, various governmental proceedings and private civil lawsuits, including, but not limited to, those related to fuel surcharge practices, tax matters, environmental and hazardous material exposure matters, FELA and labor claims by current or former employees, other personal injury or property claims and disputes and complaints involving certain transportation rates and charges. Some of the legal proceedings include claims for compensatory as well as punitive damages and others are, or are purported to be, class actions. While the final outcomes of these matters cannot be predicted with certainty, considering, among other things, the legal defenses available and liabilities that have been recorded along with applicable insurance, it is currently the opinion of management that none of these pending items is likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. An unexpected adverse resolution of one or more of these items, however, could have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity in that particular period.

The Company is able to estimate a range of possible loss for certain matters for which a loss is reasonably possible in excess of reserves established. The Company has estimated this range to be $3 million to $16 million in the aggregate at September 30, 2023. This estimated aggregate range is based upon currently available information and is subject to significant judgment and a variety of assumptions. Accordingly, the Company's estimate will change from time to time, and actual losses may vary significantly from the current estimate.

Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litigation

In May 2007, class action lawsuits were filed against CSXT and three other U.S.-based Class I railroads alleging that the defendants' fuel surcharge practices relating to contract and unregulated traffic resulted from an illegal conspiracy in violation of antitrust laws. The class action lawsuits were consolidated into one case in federal court in the District of Columbia. In 2017, the District Court issued its decision denying class certification. On August 16, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit affirmed the District Court’s ruling. The consolidated case is now moving forward without class certification. Although the class was not certified, individual shippers have since brought claims against the railroads, which have been consolidated into a separate case.

NOTE 5.    Commitments and Contingencies, continued

CSXT believes that its fuel surcharge practices were arrived at and applied lawfully and that the case is without merit. Accordingly, the Company intends to defend itself vigorously. However, penalties for violating antitrust laws can be severe, and resolution of these matters individually or when aggregated could have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity in that particular period.

Environmental

CSXT is indemnifying Pharmacia LLC, formerly known as Monsanto Company, ("Pharmacia") for certain liabilities associated with real estate located in Kearny, New Jersey along the Lower Passaic River (the “Property”). The Property, which was formerly owned by Pharmacia, is now owned by CSXT. CSXT's indemnification and defense duties arise with respect to several matters. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA"), using its CERCLA authority, seeks the investigation and cleanup of hazardous substances in the 17-mile Lower Passaic River Study Area (the "Study Area”). CSXT, on behalf of Pharmacia, and a significant number of other potentially responsible parties are together conducting a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study of the Study Area pursuant to an Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent with the EPA. Pharmacia’s share of responsibility, indemnified by CSXT, for the investigation and cleanup costs of the Study Area may be determined through various mechanisms including (a) an allocation and settlement with EPA; (b) litigation brought by EPA against non-settling parties; or (c) litigation among the responsible parties.

For the lower eight miles of the Study Area, EPA issued its Record of Decision detailing the agency’s mandated remedial process in March 2016. Occidental Chemical Corporation ("Occidental") is performing the remedial design for the lower eight-mile portion of the Study Area pursuant to a consent order with EPA.

For the remaining upper nine miles of the Study Area, EPA selected an interim remedy in a Record of Decision dated September 28, 2021. On March 2, 2023, EPA issued an administrative order requiring Occidental to design the interim remedy for the upper nine miles of the Study Area.

Approximately 80 parties, including Pharmacia, participated in an EPA-directed allocation and settlement process to assign responsibility. CSXT participated in the EPA-directed allocation and settlement process on behalf of Pharmacia. On March 2, 2022, EPA issued a Notice Letter to Pharmacia, Occidental and eight other parties alleging they are liable under Section 107(a) of CERCLA for releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances and requesting each party, individually or collectively, submit good faith offers to EPA in connection with the entire Study Area. CSXT, on behalf of Pharmacia, responded to the Notice Letter and submitted a good faith offer to EPA on June 27, 2022, following meetings with a mediator from EPA’s Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center. Negotiations with EPA and other parties to resolve this matter continue.

CSXT is also defending and indemnifying Pharmacia with regard to the Property in litigation filed by Occidental, which is seeking to recover its past and future costs associated with the remediation of the entire Study Area. Alternatively, Occidental seeks to compel some, or all, of the defendants to participate in the remediation of the Study Area. Pharmacia is one of approximately 110 defendants in a federal lawsuit filed by Occidental on June 30, 2018, and one of 37 defendants in a federal lawsuit filed by Occidental on March 24, 2023. CSXT is also defending and indemnifying Pharmacia in a cooperative natural resource damages assessment process related to the Property.

Based on currently available information, the Company does not believe its share of remediation costs as determined by the EPA-directed allocation with respect to the Property and the Study Area would be material to the Company's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.