| Commitments and Contingencies | 16. Commitments and Contingencies
Asserted and Unasserted Claims – Various claims and lawsuits are pending against us and certain of our subsidiaries. We cannot fully determine the effect of all asserted and unasserted claims on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity. To the extent possible, we have recorded a liability where asserted and unasserted claims are considered probable and where such claims can be reasonably estimated. We do not expect that any known lawsuits, claims, environmental costs, commitments, contingent liabilities, or guarantees will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity after taking into account liabilities and insurance recoveries previously recorded for these matters.
Personal Injury – The cost of personal injuries to employees and others related to our activities is charged to expense based on estimates of the ultimate cost and number of incidents each year. We use an actuarial analysis to measure the expense and liability, including unasserted claims. The Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) governs compensation for work-related accidents. Under FELA, damages are assessed based on a finding of fault through litigation or out-of-court settlements. We offer a comprehensive variety of services and rehabilitation programs for employees who are injured at work.
Our personal injury liability is not discounted to present value due to the uncertainty surrounding the timing of future payments. Approximately 94% of the recorded liability is related to asserted claims and approximately 6% is related to unasserted claims at June 30, 2016. Because of the uncertainty surrounding the ultimate outcome of personal injury claims, it is reasonably possible that future costs to settle these claims may range from approximately $289 million to $315 million. We record an accrual at the low end of the range as no amount of loss within the range is more probable than any other. Estimates can vary over time due to evolving trends in litigation.
Our personal injury liability activity was as follows:
Millions,
for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2016
2015
Beginning balance
$ 318
$ 335
Current year accruals
38
43
Changes in estimates for prior years
(25)
(1)
Payments
(42)
(65)
Ending balance at June 30
$ 289
$ 312
Current portion, ending balance at June 30
$ 63
$ 64
We have insurance coverage for a portion of the costs incurred to resolve personal injury-related claims, and we have recognized an asset for estimated insurance recoveries at June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015. Any changes to recorded insurance recoveries are included in the above table in the Changes in estimates for prior years category.
Asbestos – We are a defendant in a number of lawsuits in which current and former employees and other parties allege exposure to asbestos. We assess our potential liability using a statistical analysis of resolution costs for asbestos-related claims. This liability is updated annually and excludes future defense and processing costs. The liability for resolving both asserted and unasserted claims was based on the following assumptions:
·
The ratio of future claims by alleged disease would be consistent with historical averages adjusted for inflation.
·
The number of claims filed against us will decline each year.
·
The average settlement values for asserted and unasserted claims will be equivalent to historical averages.
·
The percentage of claims dismissed in the future will be equivalent to historical averages.
Our liability for asbestos-related claims is not discounted to present value due to the uncertainty surrounding the timing of future payments. Approximately 22% of the recorded liability related to asserted claims and approximately 78% related to unasserted claims at June 30, 2016.
Our asbestos-related liability activity was as follows:
Millions,
for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2016
2015
Beginning balance
$ 120
$ 126
Accruals
-
-
Payments
(16)
(3)
Ending balance at June 30
$ 104
$ 123
Current portion, ending balance at June 30
$ 6
$ 6
We have insurance coverage for a portion of the costs incurred to resolve asbestos-related claims, and we have recognized an asset for estimated insurance recoveries at June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015.
We believe that our estimates of liability for asbestos-related claims and insurance recoveries are reasonable and probable. The amounts recorded for asbestos-related liabilities and related insurance recoveries were based on currently known facts. However, future events, such as the number of new claims filed each year, average settlement costs, and insurance coverage issues, could cause the actual costs and insurance recoveries to be higher or lower than the projected amounts. Estimates also may vary in the future if strategies, activities, and outcomes of asbestos litigation materially change; federal and state laws governing asbestos litigation increase or decrease the probability or amount of compensation of claimants; and there are material changes with respect to payments made to claimants by other defendants.
Environmental Costs – We are subject to federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations. We have identified 303 sites at which we are or may be liable for remediation costs associated with alleged contamination or for violations of environmental requirements. This includes 32 sites that are the subject of actions taken by the U.S. government, 20 of which are currently on the Superfund National Priorities List. Certain federal legislation imposes joint and several liability for the remediation of identified sites; consequently, our ultimate environmental liability may include costs relating to activities of other parties, in addition to costs relating to our own activities at each site.
When we identify an environmental issue with respect to property owned, leased, or otherwise used in our business, we perform, with assistance of our consultants, environmental assessments on the property. We expense the cost of the assessments as incurred. We accrue the cost of remediation where our obligation is probable and such costs can be reasonably estimated. Our environmental liability is not discounted to present value due to the uncertainty surrounding the timing of future payments.
Our environmental liability activity was as follows:
Millions,
for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2016
2015
Beginning balance
$ 190
$ 182
Accruals
52
42
Payments
(31)
(22)
Ending balance at June 30
$ 211
$ 202
Current portion, ending balance at June 30
$ 55
$ 59
The environmental liability includes future costs for remediation and restoration of sites, as well as ongoing monitoring costs, but excludes any anticipated recoveries from third parties. Cost estimates are based on information available for each site, financial viability of other potentially responsible parties, and existing technology, laws, and regulations. The ultimate liability for remediation is difficult to determine because of the number of potentially responsible parties, site-specific cost sharing arrangements with other potentially responsible parties, the degree of contamination by various wastes, the scarcity and quality of volumetric data related to many of the sites, and the speculative nature of remediation costs. Estimates of liability may vary over time due to changes in federal, state, and local laws governing environmental remediation. Current obligations are not expected to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition, or liquidity.
Insurance – The Company has a consolidated, wholly-owned captive insurance subsidiary (the captive), that provides insurance coverage for certain risks including FELA claims and property coverage which are subject to reinsurance. The captive entered into annual reinsurance treaty agreements that insure workers compensation, general liability, auto liability and FELA risk. The captive cedes a portion of its FELA exposure through the treaty and assumes a proportionate share of the entire risk. The captive receives direct premiums, which are netted against the Company’s premium costs in other expenses in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. The treaty agreements provide for certain protections against the risk of treaty participants’ non-performance, and we do not believe our exposure to treaty participants’ non-performance is material at this time. In the event the Company leaves the reinsurance program, the Company is not relieved of its primary obligation to the policyholders for activity prior to the termination of the treaty agreements. We record both liabilities and reinsurance receivables using an actuarial analysis based on historical experience in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.
Guarantees – At both June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015, we were contingently liable for $53 million in guarantees. The fair value of these obligations as of both June 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015 was $0 . We entered into these contingent guarantees in the normal course of business, and they include guaranteed obligations related to our affiliated operations. The final guarantee expires in 2022 . We are not aware of any existing event of default that would require us to satisfy these guarantees. We do not expect that these guarantees will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity.
Indemnities – We are contingently obligated under a variety of indemnification arrangements, although in some cases the extent of our potential liability is limited, depending on the nature of the transactions and the agreements. Due to uncertainty as to whether claims will be made or how they will be resolved, we cannot reasonably determine the probability of an adverse claim or reasonably estimate any adverse liability or the total maximum exposure under these indemnification arrangements. We do not have any reason to believe that we will be required to make any material payments under these indemnity provisions .
Operating Leases – At June 30, 2016, we had commitments for future minimum lease payments under operating leases with initial or remaining non-cancelable lease terms in excess of one year of approximately $3.2 billion.
Gain Contingency – UPRR and Santa Fe Pacific Pipelines (SFPP, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P.) currently are engaged in a proceeding to resolve the fair market rent payable to UPRR commencing on January 1, 2004, for pipeline easements on UPRR rights-of-way ( Union Pacific Railroad Company vs. Santa Fe Pacific Pipelines, Inc., SFPP, L.P., Kinder Morgan Operating L.P. “D” Kinder Morgan G.P., Inc., et al., Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles, filed July 28, 2004 ). In February 2007, a trial began to resolve this issue, and in May 2012, the trial judge rendered an opinion establishing the fair market rent and entering judgment for back rent, including prejudgment interest. SFPP appealed the judgment. On November 5, 2014, the Second District Circuit Court of Appeal in California issued an opinion holding that UPRR was not entitled to collect rent from SFPP for easements on the portions of the property acquired solely through federal government land grants issued during the 1800s. The Appellate Court also reversed the award of prejudgment interest and remanded the case to the trial court. A favorable final judgment may materially affect UPRR's results of operations in the period of any monetary recoveries. Due to the uncertainty regarding the amount and timing of any recovery or any subsequent proceedings, we consider this a gain contingency and have not recognized any amounts in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of June 30, 2016. |
