Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2016

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

The Company is involved in various matters of litigation arising in the normal course of business. While the Company is unable to predict with certainty the amounts involved, the Company’s management and counsel are of the opinion that, when such litigation is resolved, the Company’s resulting liability, if any, will not have a significant effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, or liquidity. The Company's policy is to accrue legal expenses as they are incurred.

During August 2009, the Company terminated the employment of a former Senior Vice President (the "Former Employee") for engaging in conduct that materially violated the Company's employee handbook. The Company determined that the behavior fell within the definition of "cause" in his severance agreement with us and therefore did not pay him anything thereunder. The Former Employee brought a lawsuit against the Company in New York State Supreme Court (the "Court"), in the amount of $0.9 million alleging breach of the severance agreement. On August 7, 2014, the Court granted summary judgment in favor of the Company, as defendant, and against plaintiff, the Former Employee, finding that his conduct in fact and law, constituted "cause" under his severance agreement. The Court rendered two decisions, one granting the Company’s motion for summary judgment and a second denying the Former Employee's motion to dismiss the Company’s answer as an abuse of judicial discretion. The Former Employee appealed the latter decision, but the decision of the Court was affirmed by the appellate court.

Commitments and Guaranties

In conjunction with the development and expansion of various properties, the Company has entered into agreements with general contractors for the construction or development of properties aggregating approximately $85.4 million as of December 31, 2016.

At December 31, 2016, the Company had letters of credit outstanding of $2.5 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 ventures' lenders, 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 $165.7 million at December 31, 2016.