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Commitments
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Mar. 31, 2014
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| Commitments [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commitments |
COMMITMENTS
Plugging and Abandonment Funds
In connection with the Company's acquisition in 1997 of the remaining 50% interest in its WCBB properties, the Company assumed the seller’s (Chevron) obligation to contribute approximately $18,000 per month through March 2004 to a plugging and abandonment trust and the obligation to plug a minimum of 20 wells per year for 20 years commencing March 11, 1997. Chevron retained a security interest in production from these properties until the Company's abandonment obligations to Chevron have been fulfilled. Beginning in 2009, the Company could access the trust for use in plugging and abandonment charges associated with the property, although it has not yet done so. As of March 31, 2014, the plugging and abandonment trust totaled approximately $3.1 million. At March 31, 2014, the Company had plugged 374 wells at WCBB since it began its plugging program in 1997, which management believes fulfills its current minimum plugging obligation.
Employment Agreements
Effective November 1, 2012, the Company entered into an employment agreement with each of its three executive officers, each with an initial three-year term expiring on November 1, 2015 subject to automatic one-year extensions unless terminated by either party to the agreement at least 90 days prior to the end of the then current term. These agreements provided for minimum salary and bonus levels, subject to review and potential increase by the Compensation Committee and/or the Board of Directors, as well as participation in the Company's incentive plans and other employee benefits.
Effective February 15, 2014, Gulfport's former Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Palm, retired and his employment agreement with the company terminated. The Company entered into a separation agreement with Mr. Palm, under which agreement certain benefits are provided to, and obligations imposed on, Mr. Palm. Gulfport's former Chairman, Mr. Liddell, resigned effective June 2013 at which date his employment agreement with Gulfport terminated. At that same date, the Company entered into a consulting agreement with Mr. Liddell. The minimum commitment under Mr. Liddell's consulting agreement at March 31, 2014 was approximately $0.9 million and the minimum commitment under Mr. Palm's separation agreement at March 31, 2014 was approximately $0.6 million. The aggregate minimum commitment for future salaries and bonuses at March 31, 2014 under the remaining November 2012 employment agreement was approximately $1.6 million.
On April 22, 2014, the Company's Board of Directors appointed Michael Moore as Chief Executive Officer, at which same date, Mr. Moore entered into an amended and restated employment agreement.
Operating Leases
The Company leases office facilities under non-cancellable operating leases exceeding one year. Future minimum lease commitments under these leases at March 31, 2014 are as follows:
Litigation
The Louisiana Department of Revenue (“LDR”) is disputing Gulfport’s severance tax payments to the State of Louisiana from the sale of oil under fixed price contracts during the years 2005 through 2007. The LDR maintains that Gulfport paid approximately $1.8 million less in severance taxes under fixed price terms than the severance taxes Gulfport would have had to pay had it paid severance taxes on the oil at the contracted market rates only. Gulfport has denied any liability to the LDR for underpayment of severance taxes and has maintained that it was entitled to enter into the fixed price contracts with unrelated third parties and pay severance taxes based upon the proceeds received under those contracts. Gulfport has maintained its right to contest any final assessment or suit for collection if brought by the State. On April 20, 2009, the LDR filed a lawsuit in the 15th Judicial District Court, Lafayette Parish, in Louisiana against Gulfport seeking $2.3 million in severance taxes, plus interest and court costs. Gulfport filed a response denying any liability to the LDR for underpayment of severance taxes. The LDR had taken no further action on this lawsuit since filing its petition other than propounding discovery requests to which Gulfport has responded. Gulfport served discovery requests on the LDR and received the LDR's responses in 2012. No trial date has been set.
In December 2010, the LDR filed two identical lawsuits against Gulfport in different venues (the 15th Judicial District Court and the 19th Judicial Court) to recover allegedly underpaid severance taxes on crude oil for the period January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2010, together with a claim for attorney’s fees. The petitions do not make any specific claim for damages or unpaid taxes. As with the lawsuit filed by the LDR in 2009 discussed in the paragraph above, Gulfport denies all liability. The LDR filed motions to stay the lawsuits before Gulfport filed any responsive pleadings. Subsequently, the LDR recently moved to dismiss one of the identical lawsuits it filed in the 19th Judicial District Court in 2010, amended the petition it filed in the 15th Judicial District Court in 2010 and served discovery requests on Gulfport. The LDR asserts that Gulfport underpaid severance taxes by nearly $12 million from 2007 to 2010. The LDR also asserts that Gulfport owes an additional $4.4 million and may be subject to additional penalties. In 2013, the LDR asserted that Gulfport owes additional severance taxes in connection with the cash settlements it received to terminate forward sales contracts. The LDR's claims are still in their infancy and there has been no formal discovery. Gulfport maintains that the LDR's claims are not well-grounded in fact or law and intends to aggressively defend the lawsuits.
On July 30, 2010, six individuals and one limited liability company sued 15 oil and gas companies in Cameron Parish Louisiana for surface contamination in areas where the defendants operated in an action entitled Reeds et al. v. BP American Production Company et al.,38th Judicial District. No. 10-18714. The plaintiffs’ original petition for damages, which did not name Gulfport as a defendant, alleges that the plaintiffs’ property located in Cameron Parish, Louisiana within the Hackberry oil field is contaminated as a result of historic oil and gas exploration and production activities. The plaintiffs allege that the defendants conducted, directed and participated in various oil and gas exploration and production activities on their property which allegedly have contaminated or otherwise caused damage to the property, and have sued the defendants for alleged breaches of oil, gas and mineral leases, as well as for alleged negligence, trespass, failure to warn, strict liability, punitive damages, lease liability, contract liability, unjust enrichment, restoration damages, assessment and response costs and stigma damages. On December 7, 2010, Gulfport was served with a copy of the plaintiffs’ first supplemental and amending petition which added four additional plaintiffs and six additional defendants, including Gulfport, bringing the total number of defendants to 21. It also increased the total acreage at issue in this litigation from 240 acres to approximately 1,700 acres. In addition to the damages sought in the original petition, the plaintiffs now also seek: damages sufficient to cover the cost of conducting a comprehensive environmental assessment of all present and yet unidentified pollution and contamination of their property; the cost to restore the property to its pre-polluted original condition; damages for mental anguish and annoyance, discomfort and inconvenience caused by the nuisance created by defendants; land loss and subsidence damages and the cost of backfilling canals and other excavations; damages for loss of use of land and lost profits and income; attorney fees and expenses and damages for evaluation and remediation of any contamination that threatens groundwater. In addition to Gulfport, current defendants include ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, Mobil Exploration & Producing North America Inc., Chevron U.S.A. Inc., The Superior Oil Company, Union Oil Company of California, BP America Production Company, Tempest Oil Company, Inc., ConocoPhillips Company, Continental Oil Company, WM. T. Burton Industries, Inc., Freeport Sulphur Company, Eagle Petroleum Company, U.S. Oil of Louisiana, M&S Oil Company, and Empire Land Corporation, Inc. of Delaware. On January 21, 2011, Gulfport filed a pleading challenging the legal sufficiency of the petitions on several grounds and requesting that they either be dismissed or that plaintiffs be required to amend such petitions. In response to the pleadings filed by Gulfport and similar pleadings filed by other defendants, the plaintiffs filed a third amending petition with exhibits which expands the description of the property at issue, attaches numerous aerial photos and identifies the mineral leases at issue. In response, Gulfport and numerous defendants re-urged their pleadings challenging the legal sufficiency of the petitions. Some of the defendants’ grounds for challenging the plaintiffs’ petitions were heard by the court on May 25, 2011 and were denied. The court signed the written judgment on December 9, 2011. Gulfport noticed its intent to seek supervisory review on December 19, 2011 and the trial court fixed a return date of January 11, 2012 for the filing of the writ application. Gulfport filed its supervisory writ, which was denied by the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal and the Louisiana Supreme Court. The parties engaged in a non-binding mediation in July 2013 and discussion are on-going. In 2014, Gulfport and the plaintiffs have had settlement discussions focused on Gulfport's payment of approximately $18.0 million plus the cost of a plan of remediation to be approved by the Court and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. The settlement has not yet been finalized and there can be no assurance that a settlement will be reached on these or any other terms. The Company has accrued the $18.0 million proposed settlement as of March 31, 2014, which is included in litigation settlement in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. The case is set for trial in July 2014 in the event that the Company does not enter into a settlement agreement.
Due to the early stages of the LDR litigation and the remediation portion of the Reeds settlement, the outcome is uncertain and management cannot determine the amount of loss, if any, that may result. In the LDR case, management has determined the possibility of loss is remote. However, litigation is inherently uncertain. Adverse decisions in one or more of the above matters could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations and management cannot determine the amount of loss, if any, that may result.
The Company has been named as a defendant in various other lawsuits related to its business. In each such case, management has determined that the possibility of loss is remote. The resolution of these matters is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition or results of operations in future periods.
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