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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
The Company is the lessee under several ground lease agreements and its executive office lease agreement. The executive office lease agreement was terminated during the third quarter of 2022. As of December 31, 2023, the Company's weighted average remaining lease term is approximately 47.8 years and the weighted average discount rate used to calculate the Company's lease liability is approximately 8.6%. Rent expense under the Company's ground lease and executive office lease agreements was approximately $0.2 million and $0.3 million for 2023 and 2022, respectively.
The following table represents a reconciliation of the Company's undiscounted future minimum lease payments for its ground lease and executive office lease agreements applicable to lease liabilities as of December 31, 2023:
2024$179,000 
2025179,000 
2026179,000 
2027179,000 
2028179,000 
Thereafter7,673,000 
Total undiscounted future minimum lease payments8,568,000 
Future minimum lease payments, discount(6,509,000)
Lease liabilities$2,059,000 
Insurance
The Company carries comprehensive liability, property, fire, flood, wind, extended coverage, business interruption and rental loss insurance covering all of the properties in its portfolio under an insurance policy, in addition to other coverages, such as trademark and pollution coverage that may be appropriate for certain of its properties. Additionally, the Company carries a directors', officers', entity and employment practices liability insurance policy that covers such claims made against the Company and its directors and officers. The Company believes the policy specifications and insured limits are appropriate and adequate for its properties given the relative risk of loss, the cost of the coverage and industry practice; however, its insurance coverage may not be sufficient to fully cover losses.
Regulatory and Environmental
As the owner of the buildings on our properties, the Company could face liability for the presence of hazardous materials (e.g., asbestos or lead) or other adverse conditions (e.g., poor indoor air quality) in its buildings. Environmental laws govern the presence, maintenance, and removal of hazardous materials in buildings, and if the Company does not comply with such laws, it could face fines for such noncompliance. Also, the Company could be liable to third parties (e.g., occupants of the buildings) for damages related to exposure to hazardous materials or adverse conditions in its buildings, and the Company could incur material expenses with respect to abatement or remediation of hazardous materials or other adverse conditions in its buildings. In addition, some of the Company's tenants routinely handle and use hazardous or regulated substances and wastes as part of their operations at our properties, which are subject to regulation. Such environmental and health and safety laws and regulations could subject the Company or its tenants to
liability resulting from these activities. Environmental liabilities could affect a tenant's ability to make rental payments to the Company, and changes in laws could increase the potential liability for noncompliance. This may result in significant unanticipated expenditures or may otherwise materially and adversely affect the Company's operations. The Company is not aware of any material contingent liabilities, regulatory matters or environmental matters that may exist.
Litigation
The Company is involved in various legal proceedings in the ordinary course of its business, including, but not limited to commercial disputes. The Company believes that such litigation, claims and administrative proceedings will not have a material adverse impact on its financial position or its results of operations. The Company records a liability when it considers the loss probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. In addition, the below legal proceedings are in process:
As described in Note 1, on March 2, 2022, the Company entered into definitive agreements for the Transactions, which provided for the sale of the Company and its assets in a series of related all-cash transactions. On April 8, 2022, several purported holders of the Company's outstanding preferred stock filed a putative class action complaint against the Company, the Board of Directors prior to the Merger, and WHLR in Montgomery County Circuit Court, Maryland entitled Sydney, et al. v. Cedar Realty Trust, Inc., et al., (Case No. C-15-CV-22-001527).
On May 6, 2022, the Plaintiffs in Sydney filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. Also on May, 6, 2022, a purported holder of the Company's outstanding preferred stock filed a separate putative class action complaint against the Company and the Board of Directors prior to the Merger in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, entitled Kim v. Cedar Realty Trust, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 22-cv-01103. On May 11, 2022, the Company, the former Board of Directors of the Company and WHLR removed the Sydney action to the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, Case No. 8:22-cv-01142-GLR. On May 16, 2022, the court ordered that a hearing on the Sydney Plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction be held on June 22, 2022. On June 2, 2022, the Plaintiffs in Kim also filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. The court consolidated the motions for preliminary injunction.
On June 23, 2022, following a hearing, the court issued an order denying both motions for preliminary injunction, holding that the Plaintiffs in both cases were unlikely to succeed on the merits and that Plaintiffs had not established that they would suffer irreparable harm if the injunction was denied.
By order dated July 11, 2022, the court consolidated the Sydney and Kim cases and set an August 24, 2022 deadline for the Plaintiffs in both cases to file a consolidated amended complaint. Plaintiffs filed their amended complaint on August 24, 2022. The amended complaint alleges on behalf of a putative class of holders of the Company's preferred stock, among other things, claims for breach of contract against the Company and the former Board of Directors with respect to the articles supplementary governing the terms of the Company's preferred stock, breach of fiduciary duty against the former Board of Directors, and tortious interference and aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty against WHLR. On October 7, 2022, Defendants moved to dismiss the amended complaint. Plaintiffs opposed the motion to dismiss and filed a motion to certify a question of law to Maryland's Supreme Court. On August 1, 2023, the court issued a decision and order granting Defendants' motions to dismiss, without leave to amend, and denying Plaintiffs' motion to certify a question of law to the Maryland Supreme Court. The Plaintiffs appealed the dismissal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Case No. 23-1905, docketed on August 30, 2023. The appeal has been fully briefed. At this juncture, the outcome of the litigation remains uncertain.
On July 11, 2022, a purported holder of the Company's outstanding preferred stock filed a complaint against the Company and the Board of Directors prior to the Merger in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, entitled High Income Securities Fund v. Cedar Realty Trust, Inc., et al., No. 2:22-cv-4031. The complaint alleged that the Defendants violated Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and SEC Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by making false and misleading statements and omissions, and that the former Board of Directors are control persons under Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act. On September 25, 2023, the Court granted Defendants' motion to dismiss the complaint with prejudice, and the time within which the Plaintiff could have appealed such decision has passed.
On October 14, 2022, a purported holder of the Company's outstanding preferred stock filed a putative class action against the Company, the Board of Directors prior to the Merger, and WHLR in Nassau County Supreme Court, New York entitled Krasner v. Cedar Realty Trust, Inc., et al., (Case No. 613985/2022). The complaint alleges on behalf of a putative class of holders of the Company's preferred stock, among other things, claims for breach of contract against the Company and the former Board of Directors with respect to the articles supplementary governing the terms of the Company's preferred stock, breach of fiduciary duty against the
former Board of Directors, and tortious interference and aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty against WHLR. The complaint seeks, among other relief, an award of monetary damages, attorneys' fees, and expert fees. The Defendants filed motions in the Nassau County action to dismiss or stay the case based both on the pendency of the lawsuit in Maryland in which the same claims were asserted by other preferred stockholders and on the merits. The court held a hearing on the motions on October 27, 2023, and on December 4, 2023 granted the motions to dismiss based on the pendency of the lawsuit in Maryland without addressing the merits.