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Commitments and Contingencies
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12 Months Ended | ||
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Dec. 31, 2011
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| Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract] | |||
| Commitments and Contingencies |
Environmental Matters A majority of the properties we acquire, including land, are subjected to environmental reviews either by us or the previous owners. In addition, we may incur environmental remediation costs associated with certain land parcels we acquire in connection with the development of the land. We have acquired certain properties in urban and industrial areas that may have been leased to or previously owned by commercial and industrial companies that discharged hazardous materials. We establish a liability at the time of acquisition to cover such costs and adjust the liabilities as appropriate when additional information becomes available. We purchase various environmental insurance policies to mitigate our exposure to environmental liabilities. We are not aware of any environmental liability that we believe would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Off-Balance Sheet Liabilities We have issued performance and surety bonds and standby letters of credit in connection with certain development projects. Performance and surety bonds are commonly required by public agencies from real estate developers. Performance and surety bonds are renewable and expire upon the completion of the improvements and infrastructure. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, we had approximately $27.6 million and $38.1 million, respectively, outstanding under such arrangements. At December 31, 2011, we had guaranteed $6.9 million of debt of certain of our unconsolidated investees. See Note 6 for further discussion related to equity commitments to our unconsolidated investees. We may be required or choose to make additional capital contributions to certain of our unconsolidated investees, representing our proportionate ownership interest, should additional capital contributions be necessary to fund development or acquisition costs, repayment of debt or operation shortfalls. See Note 6 for further explanation. Settlement Costs Included within Other Income (Expense) in our Consolidated Statements of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2009 are settlement costs of $13.0 million related to an obligation we assumed in the 2005 acquisition of Catellus. The remaining liability related to these costs was $7.8 million at December 31, 2011.
Litigation In the normal course of business, from time to time, we and our unconsolidated investees are parties to a variety of legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. We believe that, with respect to any such matters that we are currently a party to, the ultimate disposition of any such matter will not result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial position or results of operations. On October 14, 2011, a final order was entered in connection with the settlement of lawsuits filed in connection with the Merger. As part of the settlement, we agreed to pay an aggregate amount of $600,000, which amount was accrued and has been paid. In December 2011, arbitration hearings began in connection with a dispute related to a real estate development project known as Pacific Commons. The plaintiff, Cisco Technology, Inc. (“Cisco”), is seeking rescission of a 2007 Restructuring and Settlement Agreement (the “Contract”) and other agreements, and declaratory relief, and damages for breach of the Contract. Specifically, Cisco seeks (1) declaratory relief that Prologis owes certain Community Facilities District taxes that have been assessed against its land, following Cisco’s purchase of the land from Prologis through the exercise of option agreements; (2) declaratory relief that Prologis’ partial transfers of rights and obligations under the Contract to third parties are void; and (3) damages for alleged breaches of the Contract relating to the plans to build a baseball stadium at Pacific Commons. Although the total damages alleged by Cisco are approximately $200 million, we believe these claims are without merit and are defending these matters vigorously. Based on the facts and circumstances surrounding this dispute, we believe the low end of our range of loss is zero and therefore, in accordance with GAAP, we have not recorded any liability with respect to this matter as of the year-ended December 31, 2011.
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