Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies

In addition to the commitments and contingencies disclosed elsewhere, the Company has the following commitments and contingencies.

The Company is obligated under certain tenant leases, including its proportionate share for leases for non-consolidated entities, to fund the expansion of the underlying leased properties. The Company, under certain circumstances, may guarantee to tenants the completion of base building improvements and the payment of tenant improvement allowances and lease commissions on behalf of its subsidiaries.

The Company had four development projects as of December 31, 2019, which are described in "Properties" in Part I, Item 2 of this Annual Report. Due to the early stage of development of each project and the uncertainty of construction schedules at such stage, the Company is unable to estimate the timing of the required fundings for development projects.

The Company and LCIF are parties to a funding agreement under which the Company may be required to fund distributions made on account of LCIF's OP units. Pursuant to the funding agreement, the parties agreed that, if LCIF does not have sufficient cash available to make a quarterly distribution to its limited partners in an amount in accordance with the partnership agreement, Lexington will fund the shortfall. Payments under the agreement will be made in the form of loans to LCIF and will bear interest at prevailing rates as determined by the Company in its discretion but, no less than the applicable federal rate. LCIF's right to receive these loans will expire if no OP units remain outstanding and all such loans are repaid. No amounts have been advanced under this agreement.

From time to time, the Company is directly or indirectly involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. Management believes, based on currently available information, and after consultation with legal counsel, that although the outcomes of those normal course proceedings are uncertain, the results of such proceedings, in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.

Cummins Inc. v. Lexington Columbus (Jackson Street) L.P. and Wells Fargo Trust Company, N.A. (State of Indiana, County of Bartholomew, in the Bartholomew Superior Court). On October 25, 2018, Cummins Inc., the tenant in the Columbus, Indiana office building, filed a complaint for declaratory relief against Lexington Columbus (Jackson Street) L.P. (“Lex Columbus”), the Company's property owner subsidiary, and Wells Fargo Trust Company, N.A., the trustee for the noteholders with a security interest in the office building. Despite failing to timely provide notice of intent to exercise a $5,000 purchase option for the office building that was expressly due by July 15, 2018, where time was of the essence, Cummins Inc. asked the court for a declaration that it is entitled to purchase the building at the option price and to terminate the lease effective July 31, 2019. Cummins Inc. did not dispute that it failed to comply with the requirements of the purchase option, but alleged that it is entitled to relief under several equitable theories.  Under the subject lease, as a result of the failure of Cummins Inc. to exercise its purchase option and to give notice of non-renewal, Cummins Inc.’s tenancy extended through July 31, 2024, with options to further extend for additional time periods. 

On December 19, 2019, Lex Columbus sold its interest in the Columbus, Indiana office building to Cummins Inc. for a gross purchase price of $46,915 and terminated the Cummins lease as part of a settlement of the litigation.  At the closing of the sale, Cummins Inc. paid rent for the period August 1, 2019 through December 18, 2019 in the amount of $1,885 and reimbursed Lex Columbus for $700 in expenses under the indemnity provision in the lease.  The litigation was dismissed with prejudice on December 20, 2019. 

As of December 31, 2019, the Company maintained an executive severance policy and entered into related agreements with certain of its executive officers whereby the Company's executives are entitled to severance benefits upon certain events. In January 2018, the Company entered into retirement agreements with two of its then executive officers. One of the retirement agreements provides for contingent payments, not to exceed $795, in 2020 following the receipt of certain incentive fees by the Company, if any. As of December 31, 2019, $140 of these contingent payments was earned.