PENNZOIL CO /DE/
8-K, 1997-07-11
PETROLEUM REFINING
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                 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                     Washington D. C.  20549



                            FORM 8-K

                         CURRENT REPORT



                  Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                 the Securities Exchange Act of 1934



Date  of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  June 23, 1997




                        PENNZOIL COMPANY
     (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

                           Delaware
         (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)


                 1-5591                           74-1597290
       (Commission File Number)                (I.R.S. Employer
                                                Identification No.)


Pennzoil Place, P.O. Box 2967
Houston, Texas                                      77252-2967
(Address of principal                              (Zip code)
 executive offices)


(Registrant's telephone number, including area code): (713) 546-4000

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Item 5.  Other Events

      On  June 23, 1997, Resources Newco, Inc. ("Newco"),  a
Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of  Union
Pacific  Resources Group Inc., a Utah corporation  ("UPR"),
commenced a tender offer to purchase up to 25,094,200 shares
of common stock, par value $0.83 1/3 per share ("Shares"), of
Pennzoil  Company  ("Pennzoil" or the "Company")  (including
the  associated  preferred stock  purchase  rights  of   the
Company  (the  "Rights")  issued  pursuant  to  the   Rights
Agreement  dated  as  of  October  28,  1994  (the   "Rights
Agreement") between the Company and Chemical Bank, as Rights
Agent)  or such greater number of Shares as equals 50.1%  of
the  Shares outstanding on a fully diluted basis, at  $84.00
per  Share,  net  to  the seller in cash,  without  interest
thereon (the "Offer").

      UPR has disclosed that it is seeking to negotiate with
the  Company a definitive acquisition agreement to effect  a
merger (the "Proposed Squeeze Out Merger" and, together with
the Offer, the "UPR Proposal"), pursuant to which all Shares
not tendered and purchased pursuant to the Offer (other than
Shares  held in the treasury of Pennzoil or owned by UPR  or
its subsidiaries) would be converted into a number of shares
of  common stock, no par value, of UPR ("UPR Common Stock"),
determined, within a pricing collar of $25.00 to $30.00,  by
dividing  $84.00  by the average of the closing  prices  per
share  of  UPR  Common Stock for the 20 consecutive  trading
days  ending  five  days  prior to  a  meeting  of  Pennzoil
stockholders that would be called for the purpose of  voting
on the Proposed Squeeze Out Merger.  UPR has disclosed that,
if  the  average  of the closing prices during  such  20-day
period  were  less than $25.00 or greater than  $30.00,  the
exchange ratio for the Proposed Squeeze Out Merger would  be
fixed  at 3.36 shares of UPR Common Stock or 2.80 shares  of
UPR Common Stock, respectively.

      On  June  23, 1997, UPR and Newco commenced litigation
against  Pennzoil and the Board of Directors of the  Company
(the  "Board")  in  the Chancery Court of Delaware  seeking,
among  other things, an order compelling the Board to redeem
the  Rights  or render the Rights Agreement inapplicable  to
the Offer and the Proposed Squeeze Out Merger, and to compel
the  Board to approve the Offer and the Proposed Squeeze Out
Merger  for purposes of Section 203 of the Delaware  General
Corporation  Law  and  for  purposes  of  Article  Sixth  of
Pennzoil's Restated Certificate of Incorporation, all on the
grounds that the failure to do so would constitute a  breach
of  the  fiduciary  obligations of the Board  to  Pennzoil's
stockholders under Delaware law.  Pennzoil and its directors
have filed an answer in the proceeding in the Chancery Court
denying  that  Pennzoil's Board has breached  any  fiduciary
obligations.  The Complaint filed by UPR and  Newco  and
the  Answer  filed  by  Pennzoil in the  Chancery  Court  of
Delaware   have   been  filed  as  Exhibits   19   and   20,
respectively,  to the Solicitation/Recommendation  Statement
on  Schedule 14D-9 of Pennzoil filed with the Securities and
Exchange  Commission  (the "Commission")  on  July  1,  1997
("Schedule  14D-9").   UPR  and Newco  have  also  commenced
litigation  against Pennzoil in the United  States  District
Court   for  the  Northern  District  of  Texas  seeking   a
declaratory judgment that the disclosure documents that have
been  filed  with  the  Commission  by  UPR  and  Newco   in
connection  with the Offer comply fully with all  applicable
provisions  of  law.  Newco and UPR have also  commenced  an
action  in  United  States District  Court  for  the  Middle
District of Louisiana seeking a declaratory judgment that  a
Louisiana  state takeover statute as applied to  any  Shares
purchased pursuant to the Offer is unconstitutional  and  an
injunction against enforcement of such statute in connection
with  the Offer.  The Complaints filed in the United  States
District Courts for the Northern District of Texas  and  for
the Middle District of Louisiana have been filed as Exhibits
22 and 23, respectively, to the Schedule 14D-9.

     On June 25, 1997, Pennzoil commenced litigation against
UPR  and  Newco in the United States District Court for  the
District of Delaware alleging, among other things, that  the
Tender  Offer Statement on Schedule 14D-1 of UPR  and  Newco
filed  with  the Commission (the "Schedule 14D-1")  contains
certain misstatements and omissions.  The complaint seeks  a
judgment  (1) to enjoin UPR and Newco from making false  and
misleading statements and omissions in connection  with  the
Offer,  (2)  to  compel  UPR and Newco  to  make  corrective
disclosures  that  cure  all  of  the  alleged   false   and
misleading  statements and omissions in the  Schedule  14D-1
and  (3)  to enjoin UPR and Newco from acquiring any  Shares
until  at  least 30 days after dissemination  of  additional
securities  filings.  The complaint filed by the Company  in
Delaware federal district court has been filed as Exhibit 24
to the Schedule 14D-9.

      On  June  25,  1997,  UPR and  Newco  amended  the
original  complaint filed by UPR and Newco against  Pennzoil
in  the  United  States  District  Court  for  the  Northern
District of Texas.  In addition to the allegations contained
in  the  original  complaint in  that  action,  the  amended
complaint   alleges,  among  other  things,  that   Pennzoil
violated  Section 14(d) of the Securities  Exchange  Act  of
1934,   as   amended  (the  "Exchange  Act"),   Rule   14d-9
promulgated  thereunder and Section 14(e)  of  the  Exchange
Act.  The Amended complaint has been filed as Exhibit 23  to
the Schedule 14D-9.

       Pennzoil  and  its  directors  have  been  named   as
defendants  in  five purported class actions  filed  between
June   23,  1997  and  June  30,  1997  on  behalf  of   the
stockholders  of  the  Company  in  the  Chancery  Court  of
Delaware.   These actions are entitled: Steiner v.  Pennzoil
Co.  (C.A.  No. 15764), Haberman v. Pennzoil Co.  (C.A.  No.
15773),  Caplan v. Pate (C.A. No. 15781), Katz v. Pate  (C.A.
No.  15775)  and  Axler  v. Pennzoil Co.  (C.A.  No.  15777)
(collectively, the "Stockholder Actions"). The complaints in
the  Stockholder  Actions contain similar  allegations,  and
allege  breach of fiduciary duty claims on the part  of  the
Board  arising  out of the UPR Proposal.  The complaints  in
the  Stockholder Actions also seek similar relief, including
declaratory  and  injunctive relief barring defendants  from
breaching  their  fiduciary duties  to  plaintiffs  and  the
putative class members and taking steps to impede any  offer
to acquire the Company, as well as damages in an unspecified
amount.  Copies of each of the Stockholder Actions are filed
as Exhibits 25 through 29 to the Schedule 14D-9.

Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 Exhibit            Description
   No.
   1.       - Complaint  filed  by  UPR and  Newco  against  the
              Company  et  al.  (dated June 23, 1997,  Court  of
              Chancery of the State of Delaware in and  for  New
              Castle   County)   (incorporated   by   reference,
              Pennzoil    Company    Solicitation/Recommendation
              Statement on  Schedule 14D-9 dated July  1,  1997,
              Exhibit 19).
   2.       - Answer filed by the Company to the Complaint filed
              by  UPR  and Newco (dated June 27, 1997, Court  of
              Chancery of the State of Delaware in and  for  New
              Castle   County)   (incorporated   by   reference,
              Pennzoil    Company    Solicitation/Recommendation
              Statement on  Schedule 14D-9 dated July  1,  1997,
              Exhibit 20).
   3.       - Original Complaint filed by UPR and Newco  against
              the  Company  (dated June 23, 1997, United  States
              District Court for the Northern District of Texas,
              Fort  Worth  Division) (incorporated by reference,
              Pennzoil    Company    Solicitation/Recommendation
              Statement on  Schedule 14D-9 dated July  1,  1997,
              Exhibit 21).
   4.       - Verified  Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive
              Relief  filed by UPR and Newco against the Company
              et   al.  (dated  June  23,  1997,  United  States
              District   Court  for  the  Middle   District   of
              Louisiana)  (incorporated by  reference,  Pennzoil
              Company  Solicitation/Recommendation Statement  on
              Schedule 14D-9 dated July 1, 1997, Exhibit 22).
   5.       - First  Amended  Complaint filed by UPR  and  Newco
              against  the Company (dated June 25, 1997,  United
              States   District   Court   for   the  Northern
              District of Texas,  Forth  Worth  Division)
              (incorporated by reference, Pennzoil Company
              Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on  Schedule
              14D-9 dated July 1, 1997, Exhibit 23).
   6.       - Complaint  filed  by the Company against  UPR  and
              Newco  (dated June 23, 1997, Court of Chancery  of
              the  State  of  Delaware in  and  for  New  Castle
              County)   (incorporated  by  reference,   Pennzoil
              Company  Solicitation/Recommendation Statement  on
              Schedule 14D-9 dated July 1, 1997, Exhibit 24).
   7.       - Complaint  filed  by Kenneth Steiner  against  the
              Company  et  al.  (dated June 23, 1997,  Court  of
              Chancery of the State of Delaware in and  for  New
              Castle   County)   (incorporated   by   reference,
              Pennzoil    Company    Solicitation/Recommendation
              Statement on  Schedule 14D-9 dated July  1,  1997,
              Exhibit 25).
   8.       - Complaint  filed  by  Jacob Haberman  against  the
              Company  et  al.  (dated June 24, 1997,  Court  of
              Chancery of the State of Delaware in and  for  New
              Castle   County)   (incorporated   by   reference,
              Pennzoil    Company    Solicitation/Recommendation
              Statement on  Schedule 14D-9 dated July  1,  1997,
              Exhibit 26).
   9.       - Complaint  filed  by Moise Katz against  James  L.
              Pate  et  al.  (dated  June  24,  1997,  Court  of
              Chancery of the State of Delaware in and  for  New
              Castle   County)   (incorporated   by   reference,
              Pennzoil    Company    Solicitation/Recommendation
              Statement on  Schedule 14D-9 dated July  1,  1997,
              Exhibit 27).
   10.      - Complaint  filed by Alan Caplan against  James  L.
              Pate et al. (filed June 25, 1997, Court of Chancery
              of  the  State of Delaware in and for  New  Castle
              County)   (incorporated  by  reference,   Pennzoil
              Company  Solicitation/Recommendation Statement  on
              Schedule 14D-9 dated July 1, 1997, Exhibit 28).
   11.      - Complaint filed by Marilyn Axler against James  L.
              Pate  et  al.  (dated  June  25,  1997,  Court  of
              Chancery of the State of Delaware in and  for  New
              Castle   County)   (incorporated   by   reference,
              Pennzoil    Company    Solicitation/Recommendation
              Statement on  Schedule 14D-9 dated July  1,  1997,
              Exhibit 29).

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                            SIGNATURES



          Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange
Act  of  1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report  to  be
signed   on   its  behalf  by  the  undersigned  thereunto   duly
authorized.




                                   PENNZOIL COMPANY




 Date: July 11, 1997               By:  DAVID P. ALDERSON, II
                                        David P. Alderson, II
                                        Group Vice President








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