Item 3. Legal Proceedings
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
We have certain actions, claims and other matters pending as discussed and reported in “ Part II. Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—Note 12—Commitments and Contingencies ” and “ Part II. Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Other Matters—Regulatory Matters ” in our annual report on Form 10-K. We are also involved in various tax matters as described in “ Part II. Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—Note 10—Income Taxes ” and in “ Part II. Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Other Matters—Tax matters ” in this annual report on Form 10-K. All such actions, claims, tax and other matters disclosed therein are incorporated herein by reference.
As of December 31, 2025, we were involved in a number of other lawsuits, regulatory matters, disputes and claims, asserted and unasserted, all of which constitute ordinary routine litigation incidental to our business and for which we do not expect the liability, if any, to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. We cannot predict with certainty the outcome or effect of any of the matters referred to above or of any such other pending, threatened or possible litigation or legal proceedings. We can provide no assurance that our beliefs or expectations as to the outcome or effect of any lawsuit or claim or dispute will prove correct, and the eventual outcome of these matters could materially differ from management’s current estimates.
On December 17, 2021, Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc. (“TODDI”), our wholly owned subsidiary, received a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice (the “DOJ”) related to alleged violations by our subsidiary of its Clean Water Act (“CWA”) National
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Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for the western U.S. Gulf of America (“Permit”). The alleged violations, involving seven of our drillships, were identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) following an initial inspection in 2018 of our compliance with the Permit and the CWA and relate to deficiencies with respect to administrative monitoring and reporting obligations. In connection with the initial EPA inspection, we initiated modifications to our Permit and CWA compliance processes and maintained a dialogue with the EPA regarding the design and implementation of enhancements to these processes. At the DOJ’s invitation, in an effort to resolve the matter, we initiated settlement discussions with the DOJ, which concluded with the execution of a civil consent decree by and between the DOJ, EPA, and TODDI, effective January 3, 2024 (the “Consent Decree”), that resolved the claims of the DOJ based upon the alleged violations of our Permit and the CWA. Pursuant to the Consent Decree, we agreed to pay an immaterial monetary civil penalty, and we further agreed (i) to take or continue to take certain corrective actions to ensure current and future Permit and CWA compliance, including implementing certain procedures and submitting reports and other information, in each case according to the timelines and as described in the Consent Decree, (ii) to appoint an independent auditor to review, audit and report on our compliance with certain of our obligations thereunder, and (iii) to certain non-exclusive stipulated monetary penalties if we fail to comply with applicable provisions of the Consent Decree. We may request termination of the Consent Decree after we have (x) completed timely the civil penalty payment and any accrued stipulated penalty requirements of the Consent Decree, and (y) maintained continuous satisfactory compliance with the Consent Decree for at least three years. We do not believe that the enforcement of the Consent Decree would have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
In addition to the legal proceedings described above, we may from time to time identify other matters that we monitor through our compliance program or in response to events arising generally within our industry and in the markets where we do business. We evaluate matters on a case-by-case basis, investigate allegations in accordance with our policies and cooperate with applicable governmental authorities. Through the process of monitoring and proactive investigation, we strive to ensure no violation of our policies, Code of Integrity or law has occurred, or will occur; however, we can provide no assurance as to the outcome of these matters.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
PART II