Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
Litigation

We are subject to legal proceedings and claims, which arise from time to time in the ordinary course of our business and have not been finally adjudicated. In our opinion, the ultimate resolution of these matters is not expected to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements. We record a liability in our consolidated financial statements for these matters when a loss is known or considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. We review these estimates each accounting period as additional information is known and adjust the loss provision when appropriate. If a matter is both probable to result in a liability and the amounts of loss can be reasonably estimated, we estimate and disclose the possible loss or range of loss to the extent necessary to make the consolidated financial statements not misleading. If the loss is not probable or cannot be reasonably estimated, a liability is not recorded in our consolidated financial statements.

Lease Agreements

In addition, certain of our lease agreements include co-tenancy and/or sales-based provisions that may allow a tenant to pay reduced rent and/or terminate a lease prior to its natural expiration if we fail to maintain certain occupancy levels or retain specified named tenants, or if the tenant does not achieve certain specified sales targets. Our occupancy at our consolidated centers has increased from 95% at the end of 2021 to 97% at the end of 2022. If our occupancy declines, certain outlet centers may fall below the minimum co-tenancy thresholds and could trigger many tenants ability to pay reduced rents, which in turn may negatively impact our results of operations.

Employment Agreements

We are party to employment agreements with certain executives that provide for compensation and certain other benefits. The agreements also provide for severance payments under certain circumstances. We are also party to an executive severance plan with certain other executives that provide for severance payments under certain circumstances.

Debt

We provide guarantees to lenders for our joint ventures which include standard non-recourse carve out indemnifications for losses arising from items such as but not limited to fraud, physical waste, payment of taxes, environmental indemnities, misapplication of insurance proceeds or security deposits and failure to maintain required insurance. For construction and mortgage loans, we may include a guaranty of completion as well as a principal guaranty ranging from 0% to 15.5% of principal. The principal guarantees include terms for release based upon satisfactory completion of construction and performance targets including occupancy thresholds and minimum debt service coverage tests. Our joint ventures may contain make whole provisions in the event that demands are made on any existing guarantees. As of December 31, 2022, the maximum amount of joint venture debt guaranteed by the Company is $10.0 million.