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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

9.

Commitments and Contingencies

Legal Matters

Coventry II Fund

The Company is a party to various joint ventures with the Coventry II Fund, through which 10 existing or proposed retail properties, along with a portfolio of former Service Merchandise locations, were acquired at various times from 2003 through 2006.  The Company was generally responsible for day-to-day management of the properties through December 2011.  On November 4, 2009, Coventry Real Estate Advisors L.L.C., Coventry Real Estate Fund II, L.L.C. and Coventry Fund II Parallel Fund, L.L.C. (collectively, “Coventry”) filed suit against the Company and certain of its affiliates and officers in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of New York.  The complaint contained allegations including breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraudulent inducement, misrepresentation and economic duress.  The complaint sought compensatory, consequential and punitive damages.

In response to this action, the Company filed a motion to dismiss the complaint.  In June 2010, the court granted the motion in part (which was affirmed on appeal), dismissing Coventry’s claim that the Company breached a fiduciary duty owed to Coventry.  The Company also filed an answer to the complaint, and asserted various counterclaims against Coventry.  On October 10, 2011, the Company filed a motion for summary judgment, seeking dismissal of all of Coventry’s remaining claims.  On April 18, 2013, the court issued an order dismissing most of Coventry’s remaining claims against the Company.  The court’s decision denied the Company’s motion solely with respect to several claims for breach of contract under the Company’s prior management agreements in connection with certain assets.  Coventry appealed the court’s ruling dismissing its claims.  On June 14, 2014, the appellate court issued an opinion affirming the dismissal of most of Coventry’s remaining claims.  

On October 10, 2014, the Company and Coventry entered into a settlement agreement.  The agreement, which is subject to certain contingencies, provides for mutual releases of all claims and for the dismissal of the pending litigation and is expected to be finalized during the first quarter of 2015.  The Company does not expect the settlement to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.  

Other

In addition to the litigation discussed above, the Company and its subsidiaries are subject to various legal proceedings, which, taken together, are not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company.  The Company is also subject to a variety of legal actions for personal injury or property damage arising in the ordinary course of its business, most of which are covered by insurance.  While the resolution of all matters cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes that the final outcome of such legal proceedings and claims will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s liquidity, financial position or results of operations.

Commitments and Guaranties

In conjunction with the development and expansion of various shopping centers, the Company has entered into agreements with general contractors for the construction or redevelopment of shopping centers aggregating approximately $52.2 million as of December 31, 2014.  

At December 31, 2014, the Company had letters of credit outstanding of $31.3 million.  The Company has not recorded any obligation associated with these letters of credit.  The majority of the letters of credit are collateral for existing indebtedness and other obligations of the Company.  

In connection with certain of the Company’s unconsolidated joint ventures, the Company agreed to fund amounts due to the joint venture’s lender, under certain circumstances, if such amounts are not paid by the joint venture based on the Company’s pro rata share of such amount, aggregating $4.9 million at December 31, 2014.  

The Company has guaranteed certain special assessment and revenue bonds issued by the Midtown Miami Community Development District.  The bond proceeds were used to finance certain infrastructure and parking facility improvements.  In the event of a debt service shortfall, the Company is responsible for satisfying its share of the shortfall.  There are no assets held as collateral or liabilities recorded related to these guaranties.  To date, tax revenues have exceeded the debt service payments for these bonds.  

Leases

The Company is engaged in the operation of shopping centers that are either owned or, with respect to certain shopping centers, operated under long-term ground leases that expire at various dates through 2070, with renewal options.  Space in the shopping centers is leased to tenants pursuant to agreements that provide for terms ranging generally from one month to 30 years and, in some cases, for annual rentals subject to upward adjustments based on operating expense levels, sales volume or contractual increases as defined in the lease agreements.  

The scheduled future minimum rental revenues from rental properties under the terms of all non-cancelable tenant leases, assuming no new or renegotiated leases or option extensions for such premises and the scheduled minimum rental payments under the terms of all non-cancelable operating leases in which the Company is the lessee, principally for office space and ground leases as of December 31, 2014, are as follows for continuing operations (in thousands):

 

Year

 

Minimum

Rental

Revenues

 

 

Minimum

Rental

Payments

 

2015

 

$

697,101

 

 

$

3,672

 

2016

 

 

619,175

 

 

 

3,542

 

2017

 

 

529,607

 

 

 

3,105

 

2018

 

 

431,771

 

 

 

2,971

 

2019

 

 

339,182

 

 

 

2,606

 

Thereafter

 

 

1,123,625

 

 

 

128,658

 

 

 

$

3,740,461

 

 

$

144,554