XML 34 R19.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.3.1.900
Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015
Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

10.       COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Insurance

We maintain general liability insurance with limits of $300,000,000 per occurrence and per property, and all-risk property and rental value insurance coverage with limits of $1.7 billion per occurrence, including coverage for acts of terrorism, with sub-limits for certain perils such as floods and earthquakes on each of our properties.

 

Fifty Ninth Street Insurance Company, LLC (“FNSIC”), our wholly owned consolidated subsidiary, acts as a direct insurer for coverage for acts of terrorism, including nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological (“NBCR”) acts, as defined by the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, which expires in December 2020. Coverage for acts of terrorism (including NBCR acts) is up to $1.7 billion per occurrence and in the aggregate. Coverage for acts of terrorism (excluding NBCR acts) is fully reinsured by third party insurance companies with no exposure to FNSIC. For NBCR acts, FNSIC is responsible for a $275,000 deductible ($348,000 effective January 1, 2016) and 15% of the balance (16% effective January 1, 2016) of a covered loss, and the Federal government is responsible for the remaining 85% (84% effective January 1, 2016) of a covered loss. We are ultimately responsible for any loss incurred by FNSIC.

 

We continue to monitor the state of the insurance market and the scope and costs of coverage for acts of terrorism. However, we cannot anticipate what coverage will be available on commercially reasonable terms in the future. We are responsible for deductibles and losses in excess of our insurance coverage, which could be material.

 

Our mortgage loans are non-recourse to us and contain customary covenants requiring us to maintain insurance. Although we believe that we have adequate insurance coverage for purposes of these agreements, we may not be able to obtain an equivalent amount of coverage at reasonable costs in the future. If lenders insist on greater coverage than we are able to obtain, it could adversely affect our ability to finance our properties.

 

Rego Park I Litigation

On June 24, 2014, Sears Roebuck and Co. (“Sears”) filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of the State of New York against Vornado and us (and certain of our subsidiaries) with regard to space that Sears leases at our Rego Park I property.  Sears alleges that the defendants are liable for harm Sears has suffered as a result of (a) water intrusions into the premises, (b) two fires in February 2014 that caused damages to those premises, and (c) alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act in the premises' parking garage.  Sears asserts various causes of actions for damages and seeks to compel compliance with landlord's obligations to repair the premises and to provide security, and to compel us to abate a nuisance that Sears claims was a cause of the water intrusions into its premises.  In addition to injunctive relief, Sears seeks, among other things, damages of not less than $4 million and future damages it estimates will not be less than $25 million.  We intend to defend the claims vigorously. The amount or range of reasonable possible losses, if any, cannot be estimated.

 

 

Paramus

In 2001, we leased 30.3 acres of land located in Paramus, New Jersey to IKEA Property, Inc. The lease has a purchase option in 2021 for $75,000,000. The property is encumbered by a $68,000,000 interest-only mortgage loan with a fixed rate of 2.90%, which matures in October 2018. The annual triple-net rent is the sum of $700,000 plus the amount of debt service on the mortgage loan. If the purchase option is exercised, we will receive net cash proceeds of approximately $7,000,000 and recognize a gain on sale of land of approximately $60,000,000. If the purchase option is not exercised, the triple-net rent for the last 20 years would include debt service sufficient to fully amortize $68,000,000 over the remaining 20-year lease term.

 

Letters of Credit

Approximately $2,074,000 of standby letters of credit were issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2015.

 

Other

In October 2015, the New York City Department of Finance (“NYC DOF”) issued a Notice of Determination to us assessing an additional $20,300,000 of transfer taxes (including interest and penalties) in connection with the sale of Kings Plaza in November 2012. We believe that the NYC DOF's claim is without merit and intend to vigorously contest this assessment. We have determined that the likelihood of a loss related to this issue is not probable and, after consultation with legal counsel, that the outcome of this assessment is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

In October 2015, we entered into a settlement agreement with a former bankrupt tenant at our Rego Park I property. During the fourth quarter of 2015, we received approximately $2,100,000 from the bankruptcy estate, which is included as “interest and other income, net” in our consolidated statement of income for the year ended December 31, 2015.

 

There are various other legal actions against us in the ordinary course of business. In our opinion, the outcome of such matters in the aggregate will not have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.