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Litigation And Other Contingencies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Litigation And Other Contingencies [Abstract]  
Litigation And Other Contingencies

3. Litigation and Other Contingencies

Litigation

A variety of claims have been made against ExxonMobil and certain of its consolidated subsidiaries in a number of pending lawsuits. Management has regular litigation reviews, including updates from corporate and outside counsel, to assess the need for accounting recognition or disclosure of these contingencies. The Corporation accrues an undiscounted liability for those contingencies where the incurrence of a loss is probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. If a range of amounts can be reasonably estimated and no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount, then the minimum of the range is accrued. The Corporation does not record liabilities when the likelihood that the liability has been incurred is probable but the amount cannot be reasonably estimated or when the liability is believed to be only reasonably possible or remote. For contingencies where an unfavorable outcome is reasonably possible and which are significant, the Corporation discloses the nature of the contingency and, where feasible, an estimate of the possible loss. For purposes of our contingency disclosures, “significant” includes material matters as well as other matters which management believes should be disclosed. ExxonMobil will continue to defend itself vigorously in these matters. Based on a consideration of all relevant facts and circumstances, the Corporation does not believe the ultimate outcome of any currently pending lawsuit against ExxonMobil will have a material adverse effect upon the Corporation's operations, financial condition, or financial statements taken as a whole.

Other Contingencies

The Corporation and certain of its consolidated subsidiaries were contingently liable at March 31, 2016, for guarantees relating to notes, loans and performance under contracts. Where guarantees for environmental remediation and other similar matters do not include a stated cap, the amounts reflect management’s estimate of the maximum potential exposure. These guarantees are not reasonably likely to have a material effect on the Corporation’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

As of March 31, 2016
EquityOther
CompanyThird Party
Obligations (1)ObligationsTotal
(millions of dollars)
Guarantees
Debt-related111 38 149
Other2,761 4,576 7,337
Total 2,872 4,614 7,486
(1) ExxonMobil share

Additionally, the Corporation and its affiliates have numerous long-term sales and purchase commitments in their various business activities, all of which are expected to be fulfilled with no adverse consequences material to the Corporation’s operations or financial condition. The Corporation's outstanding unconditional purchase obligations at March 31, 2016, were similar to those at the prior year-end period. Unconditional purchase obligations as defined by accounting standards are those long-term commitments that are noncancelable or cancelable only under certain conditions, and that third parties have used to secure financing for the facilities that will provide the contracted goods or services.

The operations and earnings of the Corporation and its affiliates throughout the world have been, and may in the future be, affected from time to time in varying degree by political developments and laws and regulations, such as forced divestiture of assets; restrictions on production, imports and exports; price controls; tax increases and retroactive tax claims; expropriation of property; cancellation of contract rights and environmental regulations. Both the likelihood of such occurrences and their overall effect upon the Corporation vary greatly from country to country and are not predictable.

In accordance with a nationalization decree issued by Venezuela’s president in February 2007, by May 1, 2007, a subsidiary of the Venezuelan National Oil Company (PdVSA) assumed the operatorship of the Cerro Negro Heavy Oil Project. This Project had been operated and owned by ExxonMobil affiliates holding a 41.67 percent ownership interest in the Project. The decree also required conversion of the Cerro Negro Project into a “mixed enterprise” and an increase in PdVSA’s or one of its affiliate’s ownership interest in the Project, with the stipulation that if ExxonMobil refused to accept the terms for the formation of the mixed enterprise within a specified period of time, the government would “directly assume the activities” carried out by the joint venture. ExxonMobil refused to accede to the terms proffered by the government, and on June 27, 2007, the government expropriated ExxonMobil’s 41.67 percent interest in the Cerro Negro Project.

On September 6, 2007, affiliates of ExxonMobil filed a Request for Arbitration with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The ICSID Tribunal issued a decision on June 10, 2010, finding that it had jurisdiction to proceed on the basis of the Netherlands-Venezuela Bilateral Investment Treaty. On October 9, 2014, the ICSID Tribunal issued its final award finding in favor of the ExxonMobil affiliates and awarding $1.6 billion as of the date of expropriation, June 27, 2007, and interest from that date at 3.25% compounded annually until the date of payment in full. The Tribunal also noted that one of the Cerro Negro Project agreements provides a mechanism to prevent double recovery between the ICSID award and all or part of an earlier award of $908 million to an ExxonMobil affiliate, Mobil Cerro Negro, Ltd., against PdVSA and a PdVSA affiliate, PdVSA CN, in an arbitration under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce.

On June 12, 2015, the Tribunal rejected in its entirety Venezuela’s October 23, 2014, application to revise the ICSID award. The Tribunal also lifted the associated stay of enforcement that had been entered upon the filing of the application to revise.

Still pending is Venezuela’s February 2, 2015, application to ICSID seeking annulment of the ICSID award. That application alleges that, in issuing the ICSID award, the Tribunal exceeded its powers, failed to state reasons on which the ICSID award was based, and departed from a fundamental rule of procedure. A separate stay of the ICSID award was entered following the filing of the annulment application. On July 7, 2015, the ICSID Committee considering the annulment application heard arguments from the parties on whether to lift the stay of the award associated with that application. On July 28, 2015, the Committee issued an order that would lift the stay of enforcement unless, within 30 days, Venezuela delivered a commitment to pay the award if the application to annul is denied. On September 17, 2015, the Committee ruled that Venezuela had complied with the requirement to submit a written commitment to pay the award and so left the stay of enforcement in place. A hearing on Venezuela’s application for annulment was held March 8-9, 2016.

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York entered judgment on the ICSID award on October 10, 2014. Motions filed by Venezuela to vacate that judgment on procedural grounds and to modify the judgment by reducing the rate of interest to be paid on the ICSID award from the entry of the court’s judgment, until the date of payment, were denied on February 13, 2015, and March 4, 2015, respectively. On March 9, 2015, Venezuela filed a notice of appeal of the court’s actions on the two motions. Oral arguments on this appeal were held before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on January 7, 2016.

The District Court’s judgment on the ICSID award is currently stayed until such time as ICSID’s stay of the award entered following Venezuela’s filing of its application to annul has been lifted. The net impact of these matters on the Corporation’s consolidated financial results cannot be reasonably estimated. Regardless, the Corporation does not expect the resolution to have a material effect upon the Corporation’s operations or financial condition.

An affiliate of ExxonMobil is one of the Contractors under a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) covering the Erha block located in the offshore waters of Nigeria. ExxonMobil's affiliate is the operator of the block and owns a 56.25 percent interest under the PSC. The Contractors are in dispute with NNPC regarding NNPC's lifting of crude oil in excess of its entitlement under the terms of the PSC. In accordance with the terms of the PSC, the Contractors initiated arbitration in Abuja, Nigeria, under the Nigerian Arbitration and Conciliation Act. On October 24, 2011, a three-member arbitral Tribunal issued an award upholding the Contractors' position in all material respects and awarding damages to the Contractors jointly in an amount of approximately $1.8 billion plus $234 million in accrued interest. The Contractors petitioned a Nigerian federal court for enforcement of the award, and NNPC petitioned the same court to have the award set aside. On May 22, 2012, the court set aside the award. The Contractors appealed that judgment to the Court of Appeal, Abuja Judicial Division. In June 2013, the Contractors filed a lawsuit against NNPC in the Nigerian federal high court in order to preserve their ability to seek enforcement of the PSC in the courts if necessary. In October 2014, the Contractors filed suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York to enforce, if necessary, the arbitration award against NNPC assets residing within that jurisdiction. NNPC has moved to dismiss the lawsuit. Proceedings in the Southern District of New York are currently stayed. At this time, the net impact of this matter on the Corporation's consolidated financial results cannot be reasonably estimated. However, regardless of the outcome of enforcement proceedings, the Corporation does not expect the proceedings to have a material effect upon the Corporation's operations or financial condition.