16.
Commitments and Contingencies

Litigation

The Company is a party to litigation and other disputes that arise in the ordinary course of business. While the outcome of any particular lawsuit or dispute cannot be predicted with certainty, in the opinion of management, the Company's currently pending litigation and disputes are not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company's consolidated financial position, results of operations, or liquidity. Legal fees are expensed as incurred.

Environmental

The Company is subject to numerous environmental laws and regulations. With respect to applicability to the Company, these pertain primarily to chemicals historically used by certain current and former dry cleaning tenants, the existence of asbestos in older shopping centers, underground petroleum storage tanks and other historic land uses. The Company believes that the ultimate disposition of currently known environmental matters will not have a material effect on its financial position, liquidity, or operations. The Company can give no assurance that existing environmental studies with respect to its shopping centers have revealed all potential environmental contamination; that its estimate of liabilities will not change as more information becomes available; that any previous owner, occupant or tenant did not create any material environmental condition not known to the Company; that the current environmental condition of the shopping centers will not be affected by tenants and occupants, by the condition of nearby properties, or by unrelated third parties; and that changes in applicable environmental laws and regulations or their interpretation will not result in additional environmental liability to the Company.

The Company had accrued liabilities of $19.2 million and $17.3 million for environmental assessment and remediation, which are included in Accounts payable, and other liabilities on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Letters of Credit

The Company has the right to issue letters of credit under the Line up to an aggregate amount not to exceed $50.0 million, which reduces the credit availability under the Line. These letters of credit are primarily issued as collateral on behalf of its captive insurance subsidiary and to facilitate the construction of development projects. The Company had $12.9 million and $10.9 million in letters of credit outstanding as of December 31, 2025, and 2024, respectively.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Feb 13, 2026Showing above
2024Feb 14, 2025
2023Feb 16, 2024
2022Feb 17, 2023
2021Feb 17, 2022
2020Feb 17, 2021
2019Feb 18, 2020
2018Feb 21, 2019
2017Feb 27, 2018
2016Feb 27, 2017
2015Feb 18, 2016

About Commitments Disclosures

Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.

Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.