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Commitments And Contingencies
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments And Contingencies
8. Commitments and Contingencies
General
In the normal course of business, the Company guarantees its performance of services or indemnifies third parties against its negligence. In addition, in the normal course of business, the Company guarantees to certain tenants the obligations of its subsidiaries for the payment of tenant improvement allowances and brokerage commissions in connection with their leases and limited costs arising from delays in delivery of their premises. 
The Company had letter of credit and performance obligations related to lender and development requirements that total approximately $21.6 million at March 31, 2024.
Certain of the Company’s joint venture agreements include provisions whereby, at certain specified times, each partner has the right to initiate a purchase or sale of its interest in the joint ventures. From time to time, under certain of the Company’s joint venture agreements, if certain return thresholds are achieved, either the Company or its partners may be entitled to an additional promoted interest or payments.
From time to time, the Company (or ventures in which the Company has an ownership interest) has agreed, and may in the future agree, to (1) guarantee portions of the principal, interest and other amounts in connection with their borrowings, (2) provide customary environmental indemnifications and nonrecourse carve-outs (e.g., guarantees against fraud, misrepresentation and bankruptcy) in connection with their borrowings and (3) provide guarantees to lenders, tenants and other third parties for the completion of development projects. The Company has agreements with its outside or joint venture partners whereby the partners agree to reimburse the joint venture for their share of any payments made under the guarantee. In some cases, the Company earns a fee from the applicable joint venture for providing the guarantee.
In connection with the refinancing of 767 Fifth Avenue’s (the General Motors Building) secured loan by the Company’s consolidated joint venture entity, 767 Venture, LLC, the Company guaranteed the consolidated entity’s obligation to fund various reserves for tenant improvement costs and allowances, leasing commissions and free rent obligations in lieu of cash deposits. As of March 31, 2024, the maximum funding obligation under the guarantee was approximately $8.5 million. The Company earns a fee from the joint venture for providing the guarantee and has an agreement with the outside partners to reimburse the joint venture for their share of any payments made under the guarantee. As of March 31, 2024, no amounts related to the guarantee were recorded as liabilities in the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In connection with the sale of Metropolitan Square, in which the Company had a 20% equity interest, the Company agreed to become a co-lender of up to $20.0 million under a mezzanine loan. The mezzanine loan has a maximum principal amount of $100.0 million, and it is subordinate only to an existing senior loan. The mezzanine loan may be drawn upon for future lease-up, operating and other costs on an as needed basis, and amounts borrowed will bear interest at a per annum rate of 12%, compounded monthly. As of March 31, 2024, the Company has funded approximately $2.2 million.
Legal Matters 
The Company is subject to various legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. These matters are generally covered by insurance. Management believes that the final outcome of such matters will not have a material adverse effect on the financial position, results of operations or liquidity of the Company. 
In connection with the acquisition of a premier workplace in New York City in 2010, the Company entered into an agreement with the seller pursuant to which the seller could earn various fees based on the future leasing performance of the property. The Company initially accrued approximately $1.5 million as an estimate of the fees it would owe the seller. The seller filed suit against the Company claiming that consideration significantly in excess of the initial reserve amount is owed under the agreement in 2020. The disagreement between the Company and the
seller involves material issues of contract interpretation and, more importantly, the method of calculating fees, including various inputs (both facts and assumptions) that drive the calculation. In February 2024, a summary judgment was issued interpreting certain sections of the agreement in favor of the seller’s claims. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses to the seller’s claims, is disputing the seller’s calculations and intends to continue defending itself vigorously. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will prevail in the lawsuit. If the court ultimately agrees with the seller’s calculations, then amounts due to the seller could theoretically be as high as the additional $31 million claimed in the seller’s complaint, plus interest. Although the Company rejects those calculations, there can be no assurance that the Company’s ultimate liability will not be significantly greater than its established accrual.
On April 26, 2024, Brammer Bio MA, LLC (“Brammer”), a subsidiary of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. and an abutter to the Company’s 290 Binney Street development project located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, filed a complaint in Superior Court in Suffolk County, Massachusetts against the Company relating to certain ongoing construction activities.
In the first quarter of 2023, the Company commenced development of 290 Binney Street, an approximately 566,000 net rentable square foot laboratory/life sciences property that is 100% pre-leased to AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals (“AstraZeneca”). The Company has a 55% interest in the joint venture that owns 290 Binney Street. Brammer subleases the premises at 250 Binney Street, the Company’s approximately 67,000 net rentable square foot life sciences property that is adjacent to 290 Binney Street.
Brammer alleges that, as a result of the Company’s construction of 290 Binney Street, it is threatened with irreparable harm due to intrusion onto the 250 Binney Street premises and the loss of its property rights. Brammer also alleges that the 290 Binney Street development project has caused and is causing major disruption to its manufacturing operations, and that it has suffered and will continue to suffer damages in the form of losses to its clients and customers. Brammer brought the action for quiet title, breach of contract, trespass and nuisance, and it is seeking declaratory and injunctive relief and specific performance purportedly to protect its property interests in the premises located at 250 Binney Street.
The Company believes Brammer’s claims are without merit and intends to defend against them vigorously. However, there can be no assurance the Company will prevail in the litigation. If the Company is enjoined from further construction activities, it could suffer delays in construction that could result in its failure to deliver a completed building on the schedule contemplated by the Company’s lease with AstraZeneca or at all, and this could result in owing financial penalties to AstraZeneca and other third parties. Although the Company is unable to estimate a range of loss for all related matters for which losses are reasonably possible, if the court grants injunctive relief or awards monetary damages to Brammer, it could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.
Insurance
The Company’s property insurance program per occurrence limits are $1.0 billion for its portfolio insurance program, including coverage for acts of terrorism other than nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological terrorism (“Terrorism Coverage”). The Company also carries $1.35 billion of property insurance in excess of the $1.0 billion of coverage in the Company’s property insurance program for 601 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York, consisting of $750 million of property and Terrorism Coverage in excess of the Company’s property insurance program and $600 million of Terrorism Coverage only in excess of the $1.75 billion of coverage. Certain properties, including the General Motors Building located at 767 Fifth Avenue in New York, New York (“767 Fifth Avenue”), are currently insured in separate insurance programs. The property insurance program per occurrence limits for 767 Fifth Avenue are $1.625 billion, including Terrorism Coverage. The Company also currently carries nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological terrorism insurance coverage for acts of terrorism certified under the Federal Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (as amended, “TRIA”) (“NBCR Coverage”), which is provided by IXP as a direct insurer, for the properties in the Company’s portfolio, including 767 Fifth Avenue, but excluding certain other properties owned in joint ventures with third parties or which the Company manages. The per occurrence limit for NBCR Coverage is $1.0 billion. Under TRIA, after the payment of the required deductible and coinsurance, the NBCR Coverage provided by IXP is backstopped by the Federal Government if the aggregate industry insured losses resulting from a certified act of terrorism exceed a “program trigger.” The program trigger is $200 million, the coinsurance is 20% and the deductible is 20% of the premiums earned by the insurer for the year prior to a claim. If the Federal Government pays out for a loss under TRIA, it is mandatory that the Federal Government recoup the full amount of the loss from insurers offering TRIA coverage after the payment of the loss pursuant to a formula in TRIA. The Company may elect to terminate the NBCR Coverage if the Federal Government seeks recoupment for losses paid
under TRIA, if TRIA is not extended after its expiration on December 31, 2027, if there is a change in its portfolio or for any other reason. The Company intends to continue to monitor the scope, nature and cost of available terrorism insurance.
The Company also currently carries earthquake insurance on its properties located in areas known to be subject to earthquakes. Specifically, the Company currently carries earthquake insurance which covers its San Francisco and Los Angeles regions with a $330 million per occurrence limit, and a $330 million annual aggregate limit, $30 million of which is provided by IXP, as a direct insurer. This insurance is subject to a deductible in the amount of 5% of the value of the affected property. In addition, the Company currently carries earthquake insurance which covers its Seattle region with a $110 million per occurrence limit, and a $110 million annual aggregate limit. This insurance is subject to a deductible in the amount of 2% of the value of the affected property. The amount of the Company’s earthquake insurance coverage may not be sufficient to cover losses from earthquakes. In addition, the amount of earthquake coverage could impact the Company’s ability to finance properties subject to earthquake risk. The Company may discontinue earthquake insurance or change the structure of its earthquake insurance program on some or all of its properties in the future if the premiums exceed the Company’s estimation of the value of the coverage.
IXP, a captive insurance company which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, acts as a direct insurer with respect to a portion of the Company’s earthquake insurance coverage for its Greater San Francisco and Los Angeles properties and the Company’s NBCR Coverage. Insofar as the Company owns IXP, it is responsible for its liquidity and capital resources, and the accounts of IXP are part of the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In particular, if a loss occurs which is covered by the Company’s NBCR Coverage but is less than the applicable program trigger under TRIA, IXP would be responsible for the full amount of the loss without any backstop by the Federal Government. IXP would also be responsible for any recoupment charges by the Federal Government in the event losses are paid out and its insurance policy is maintained after the payout by the Federal Government. If the Company experiences a loss and IXP is required to pay under its insurance policy, the Company would ultimately record the loss to the extent of the required payment. Therefore, insurance coverage provided by IXP should not be considered as the equivalent of third-party insurance, but rather as a modified form of self-insurance. In addition, BPLP has issued a guarantee to cover liabilities of IXP in the amount of $20.0 million.
The Company continues to monitor the state of the insurance market in general, and the scope and costs of coverage for acts of terrorism, earthquakes, pandemics and cybersecurity incidents, in particular, but the Company cannot anticipate what coverage will be available on commercially reasonable terms in future policy years. There are other types of losses, such as from wars, for which the Company cannot obtain insurance at all or at a reasonable cost. With respect to such losses and losses from acts of terrorism, earthquakes, pandemics or other catastrophic events, if the Company experiences a loss that is uninsured or that exceeds policy limits, the Company could lose the capital invested in the damaged properties, as well as the anticipated future revenues from those properties. Depending on the specific circumstances of each affected property, it is possible that the Company could be liable for mortgage indebtedness or other obligations related to the property. Any such loss could materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.