Cappelli Litigation and Sullivan County Planned Casino and Resort Development

On December 31, 2009, the Company commenced litigation in Kansas City, Missouri, against Mr. Cappelli and several of his affiliates seeking payment of amounts due under various loans to them and a declaratory judgment that no further investments are required to be made by the Company under any prior commitment to Mr. Cappelli or any of his affiliates. This litigation included claims by the Company seeking payment of amounts due under a mortgage note receivable (the Concord Mortgage Note) with a carrying value of $131.2 million, net of unearned interest, from Concord Resort, LLC (Concord Resort), an entity controlled by Mr. Cappelli, related to a planned casino and resort development in Sullivan County, New York, and other notes receivable. On April 9, 2010, Mr. Cappelli and certain affiliates commenced separate litigation in Westchester County, New York against the Company seeking declaratory relief, derivative relief and money damages with respect to the Sullivan County casino project and City Center.

On June 18, 2010, the Company entered into a series of agreements with Mr. Cappelli and several of his affiliates regarding the settlement of all pending litigation and a restructuring of the Company's investments with Mr. Cappelli and his affiliates. The significant terms of the agreements are as follows:

Concord Resort transferred its interests in the Concord resort property to one of the Company's wholly owned subsidiaries in exchange for its release from obligations under the Concord Mortgage Note, subject to, among other terms: an option granted to Concord Resort to purchase for a two-year period the Company's subsidiary that is holding the Concord resort property for $143.0 million, plus interest accruing on such sum at the rate of 6% per annum, a right of first refusal granted to Concord Resort with respect to purchasing the Company's interest in the Concord resort property applicable for a period of two years running concurrently with the option described above, certain limitations for a period of time on the Company's ability to own or operate any casino, racino, racing or gaming facility on the Concord resort property, which is adjacent to the Concord casino property owned by an affiliate of Mr. Cappelli (the Casino Owner), and certain perpetual limitations on the ability of the Casino Owner (or its successor) to own or operate a resort facility, golf course or other operation or facility on the Concord casino property, other than the currently contemplated casino and hotel project. The Company agreed that, upon the Cappelli affiliate's execution of an agreement for the construction of the Concord casino on the Concord casino property and execution of a Master Credit Agreement (the MCA) on or before June 11, 2012, substantially in the form attached to the settlement documents, the Company would lease or sublease, as applicable, two golf courses that are associated with the Concord resort property to a Cappelli affiliate on a triple-net basis for an initial term of 10 years, plus fivefive-year extensions at fair market value rent mutually acceptable to the parties. The Company also agreed that, upon the Cappelli affiliate's execution of the MCA on or before June 11, 2012, substantially in the form attached to the settlement documents, the Company would enter into a ground lease (for $1.00 per year), with a right for the Cappelli affiliate to eventually purchase, a parcel of approximately 51 acres known as the “Racino Parcel” upon completion of construction of the harness track and relocation of a roadway. The Cappelli affiliate also has the right to ground lease the parcel (with option to purchase) for a five year period (until June 11, 2017) if the MCA is not signed, but in that case, rent would be $200,000 per year, payable in advance. In either case, the purchase option described above would be exercisable for nominal consideration ($1.00), but the lease and the option would lapse if vertical construction on the Cappelli affiliate's proposed casino had not commenced, or was not being diligently and continuously pursued to completion on June 18, 2015. Management determined the fair value of the real estate to be $180.0 million by taking into account an independent appraisal prepared as of the settlement date. The fair value of the option granted to Concord Resort of $27.8 million was recorded as noncontrolling interest and a ground lease assumed by the Company was recorded as a capital lease obligation of $9.2 million, which is equal to the fair value. This lease obligation was subsequently satisfied by the Company on December 7, 2011. Additionally, the option granted to Concord Resort expired unexercised on June 11, 2012. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company reduced the value of the noncontrolling interest from $27.8 million to zero and recorded an adjustment to increase additional paid-in-capital by the same amount.

The Company transferred to an affiliate of Mr. Cappelli, KBC Concord LLC (KBC Concord), three promissory notes, in an aggregate principal amount of $30.0 million and for which the Company had previously recorded a loan loss reserve in the aggregate of $28.0 million, in exchange for an agreement by KBC Concord to pay the Company up to $15.0 million payable from 50% of the available cash distributed to KBC Concord from its minority interest in the Concord casino project which was determined by management to have a fair value of approximately $463 thousand. The Company evaluated the $463 thousand asset related to cash flow rights in the Concord casino for impairment at December 31, 2010 and determined that it was fully impaired. An impairment charge was recorded as of December 31, 2010 for this amount.

The Company provided a commitment to acquire a $30.0 million participation (pari passu with the other lenders) from Union Labor Life Insurance Company (ULLICO) in a loan to be made by ULLICO and other lenders under a proposed amended and restated master credit agreement to the Concord casino project, which was conditioned upon, among other things, receipt of a $100.0 million equity investment by a major gaming operator prior to December 31, 2010. This commitment expired on December 31, 2010.

One of Mr. Cappelli's affiliates, LC New Roc LP, transferred to the Company its partnership interest in New Roc Associates, L.P. (previously a consolidated joint venture that had a noncontrolling interest with a fair value of $2.5 million at the date of settlement), which owns New Roc, in exchange for the Company's interest in LC White Plains Retail LLC and LC White Plains Recreation, LLC (together the White Plains LLCs, each part of a previously consolidated joint venture), which own City Center, and a promissory note related to City Center, in the original principal amount of $20.0 million payable by Cappelli Group, LLC to the Company (previously eliminated in consolidation). The deconsolidation by the Company of its ownership interest in City Center resulted in a charge of $7.4 million in conjunction with the settlement primarily related to the deficit balance in noncontrolling interest. As a result, the Company now holds a 100% interest in New Roc and has no interest in City Center. As further detailed in Note 21, the results of operations of City Center have been classified in discontinued operations.

In addition, the Company paid cash at closing of $3.7 million for the interests acquired, the acquisition of certain equipment and the payment of property obligations. The Company also incurred $1.6 million in closing costs and other expenses, including transfer taxes, and the parties mutually released and settled all claims, obligations and liabilities, including all pending litigation.

A reconciliation of the gain on settlement of $4 thousand is as follows (in thousands):



Fair value of Concord resort land received	$	180,000
Carrying value of extinguished mortgage note receivable related to Concord resort	(131,175		)
Fair value of option granted for purchase for Concord resort (included in non-controlling interest)	(27,785		)
Capital lease obligation assumed related to Concord resort	(9,215		)
Fair value of cash flow rights in Concord casino	463
Fair value of New Roc non-controlling interest received	2,452
Notes receivable forgiven, net of loan loss reserves	(2,000		)
Deconsolidation of ownership interests in City Center	(7,385		)
Cash paid at closing for interests acquired, equipment and payment of property obligations	(3,702		)
Settlement closing costs and other expenses, including land transfer taxes	(1,649		)
Net gain on settlement (included in other income)	$	4

On June 18, 2012, Concord Kiamesha Casino, LLC, an affiliate of Mr. Cappelli, exercised the right to ground lease approximately 57 acres of former Concord Resort property from the Company, pursuant to agreements entered into as part of the June 18, 2010 settlement between the parties. The affiliate has the right to ground lease the parcel (with option to purchase) for a five year period with annual rent payments of $200 thousand due in advance. Additionally, as agreed in the June 18, 2010 settlement, Concord Associates, L.P., an affiliate of Mr. Cappelli, has the right to purchase the Company's fee simple interest underlying the ground lease for $1.00 provided that construction of the harness racetrack and casino project is completed prior to the end of the ground lease term. The ground lease covers property which is not included in the Company's separate agreements with Empire Resorts, Inc. (Empire Resorts) and has no effect on the Company's development plans discussed below.

On June 7, 2011, affiliates of Louis Cappelli, Concord Associates, L.P., Concord Resort, LLC and Concord Kiamesha LLC (the Cappelli Group), filed a complaint with the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Sullivan, against a subsidiary of the Company seeking (i) a declaratory judgment on certain of the subsidiary's obligations under a previously disclosed settlement agreement involving these entities, (ii) an order that the Company subsidiary execute the golf course lease and the “Racino Parcel” lease subject to the settlement agreement, and (iii) an extension of the restrictive covenant against ownership or operation of a casino on the Concord resort property under the settlement agreement, which covenant was set to expire on December 31, 2011. On October 20, 2011, the Cappelli Group filed a complaint with the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Westchester against the Company and certain of its subsidiaries alleging breach of contract and breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing with respect to a casino development agreement relating to a planned casino and resort development in Sullivan County, New York. Plaintiffs are seeking specific performance with respect to such agreement and money damages of $800.0 million, plus interest and attorneys' fees. On March 7, 2012, Concord Associates, L.P. and seven other companies affiliated with Mr. Cappelli and Concord Associates, L.P. filed a new complaint against the Company and certain of its subsidiaries, as well as Empire Resorts, Inc. and its subsidiary Monticiello Raceway Management, Inc., in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. On June 25, 2012, an amended complaint was served against the same parties as well as Kien Huat Realty III Limited and Genting New York , LLC (Genting Parties). The amended complaint alleges unlawful restraint of trade, conspiracy to monopolize and unlawful monopolization, against the Company, the Empire Resorts parties and the Genting Parties as well as tortious interference against the Empire Resorts parties and the Genting Parties, in relation to a proposed development transaction on the same Sullivan County, New York resort property. Plaintiffs seek damages of $1.5 billion, plus interest and attorneys' fees. The Company intends to vigorously defend the claims asserted against the Company and certain of its subsidiaries by the Concord entities for which it believes it has meritorious defenses, but it is too early to assess the outcome.

On December 21, 2011, the Company entered into an Option to Lease Agreement (the Option) covering approximately 190 acres of the Concord resort property with Empire Resorts. The Option included an option payment of $750 thousand to the Company by Empire Resorts. The parties finalized the master development agreement on December 14, 2012, however, it is subject to certain contingencies that make the option payment refundable until the contingencies are satisfied. There can be no guarantee that these contingencies will be satisfied or that the $750 thousand payment will be earned by the Company. Accordingly, this item is included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities at December 31, 2012 in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company expended approximately $11.6 million in pursuit of the necessary environmental and land use approvals and permits for the proposed casino anchored development in Sullivan County, New York. In early 2013, the Company received approval from the Town of Thompson Board on the comprehensive development plan and can now move forward with the submission of individual site plan applications, thus initiating the commencement of the build-out of this site.