Note 10 – Litigation Funding Agreement

In September 2017, the Company’s executive officers and its Board of Directors concluded that it was in the Company’s interest to obtain a litigation funding commitment to finance litigation with respect to the ongoing disputes with the Sponsors and the lenders in the 111 West 57^th Street Property project, and to seek to recover value for the Company with respect to its equity investment in 111 West 57^th Street Property, whether by direct recovery or from asserting claims against the Sponsors, their principals and/or certain of the lenders (collectively, “Future Recovery Litigation”).

As a result of developments in the legal proceedings concerning the Company’s equity investment in the 111 West 57^th Property, the Company’s interest in obtaining a litigation funding commitment to finance litigation with respect to the ongoing disputes with the Sponsors and the lenders in the 111 West 57^th Street Property project, and the Company’s efforts to seek to recover value for the Company with respect to its equity investment in the 111 West 57^th Property, the Company’s Board of Directors negotiated and accepted an offer from Mr. Richard Bianco, its long-time chief executive officer, to provide a litigation fund of seven million dollars ($7,000,000) (along with additional amounts as may be necessary from time to time as agreed to by the Company and Mr. Bianco), to fund the Company’s litigation expenses in connection with Future Recovery Litigation, (the “Litigation Funding Agreement”).

In consideration of such financial commitment, the Litigation Funding Agreement provides that any financial recovery in such Future Recovery Litigation shall be distributed as follows:

i.	first, to reimburse Mr. Bianco on a dollar-for-dollar basis for any Company litigation expenses and/or other unpaid amounts advanced by him in connection with Future Recovery Litigation; and

ii.	thereafter, a percentage of the recovery to the Company and a percentage of the recovery to Mr. Bianco, respectively, (the “Recovery Sharing Ratio”); with the ratio and percentages of 30% to 45% depending on the length of time to obtain recovery.

The payment of the amounts pursuant to the Litigation Funding Agreement could become payable by the Company in the future based on the recovery by the Company of amounts relating to the 111 West 57^th Property. The recovery, by the Company, of any amounts are not within the control of the Company and cannot be predicted at this time, and therefore, the aggregate amounts funded pursuant to the Litigation Funding Agreement are presented in a temporary equity classification below total liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets for the periods presented, until such time that the legal proceedings or the Litigation Funding Agreement are concluded. The Company shall not be obligated to repay such funded amounts except as described herein.

Legal expenses incurred attributable to the Litigation Funding Agreement are included in the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of operations as part of professional and outside services, as follows:

(in thousands)	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2018		March 31, 2017
Legal expenses attributable to the Litigation Funding Agreement	$	681	$	-

In April 2018, Mr. R. A. Bianco funded an additional $250,000 of legal expenses pursuant to the Litigation Funding Agreement, for litigation services rendered in March 2018.