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Commitments and Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

NOTE 12 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

October 1 litigation. The Company and/or certain of its subsidiaries were named as defendants in a number of lawsuits related to the October 1, 2017 shooting in Las Vegas. The matters involve in large degree the same legal and factual issues, each case being filed on behalf of individuals who are seeking damages for emotional distress, physical injury, medical expenses, economic damages and/or wrongful death. Lawsuits were first filed in October 2017 and include actions originally filed in the District Court of Clark County, Nevada and in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, California. In June 2018, the Company removed to federal court all actions that remained pending in California and Nevada state courts. The Company also initiated declaratory relief actions in federal courts in various districts against individuals who had sued or stated an intent to sue.

 

In connection with the mediation of these matters, the Company and law firms representing plaintiffs in the majority of pending matters and purporting to represent substantially all claimants known to the Company (collectively, the “Claimants”) have entered into a settlement agreement (the “Settlement Agreement”) whereby, subject to the satisfaction of certain monetary and non-monetary conditions, the Company’s insurance carriers will deposit funds into a settlement fund covering the plaintiffs and certain other cases that emerged or were filed prior to October 1, 2019. Pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement, the Company expects that the total amount placed in the fund to be between $735 million and $800 million, subject to and depending on obtaining a minimum level of participation with escalators based on greater participation increasing the amount payable up to $800 million in the event of 100% participation by certain categories of claimants, as defined in the Settlement Agreement. The Company has $751 million of insurance coverage available to fund. Following the mediation a few additional lawsuits were filed against the Company and/or certain of its subsidiaries. While it is possible that these lawsuits may be resolved as part of the Settlement Agreement, no assurances can be made that they will be included. Although the Company continues to believe it is not legally responsible for the perpetrator’s criminal acts, in the interest of avoiding protracted litigation and the related impact on the community, the Company believed it was in the best interests of all parties involved to negotiate and enter into the Settlement Agreement. As a result of the foregoing, the Company believes that it is probable a loss will be incurred and, as of December 31, 2019, the Company accrued a liability of $735 million, which represents the low end of the range of probable loss. In addition, the Company recorded an insurance receivable of $735 million, which represents the entire amount of the liability recorded for the settlement of these cases. While the Company intends for substantially all claimants to be covered by the Settlement Agreement, it remains possible that certain claimants may not join the settlement. In addition, no assurances can be given that the significant conditions to the Settlement Agreement will be satisfied by the Claimants.

 

If the conditions in the Settlement Agreement are not satisfied and the mediation stay is lifted, the Company is currently unable to reliably predict the future developments in, outcome of, and economic costs and other consequences of any such litigation related to this matter. The Company will continue to investigate the factual and legal defenses, and evaluate these matters based on subsequent events, new information and future circumstances. The Company intends to defend against any such lawsuits and believes it ultimately should prevail, but litigation of this type is inherently unpredictable. Although there are significant procedural, factual and legal issues to be resolved that could significantly affect the Company’s belief as to the possibility of liability, the Company currently believes that it is reasonably possible that it could incur liability in connection with certain of these lawsuits. The foregoing determination was made in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, as codified in ASC 450-20, and is not an admission of any liability on the part of the Company or any of its affiliates. Given that these cases would be in the early stages, and in light of the uncertainties surrounding them, the Company does not currently possess sufficient information to determine a range of reasonably possible liability. The insurance carriers have not expressed a reservation of rights or coverage defense that affects the Company’s evaluation of potential losses in connection with these claims. The Company’s general liability insurance coverage provides, as part of the contractual “duty to defend”, payment of legal fees and associated costs incurred to defend covered lawsuits that are filed arising from the October 1, 2017 shooting in Las Vegas. Payment of such fees and costs is in addition to (and not limited by) the limits of the insurance policies and does not erode the total liability coverage available.

 

Other litigation. The Company is a party to various legal proceedings, most of which relate to routine matters incidental to its business. Management does not believe that the outcome of such proceedings will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

Borgata property tax reimbursement agreement. In 2017, Borgata was reimbursed $72 million as settlement for property tax refunds in satisfaction of New Jersey Tax Court and Superior Court judgments of pending tax appeals. The Company recorded the amounts received as an offset to general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations. As required by the agreement to acquire Borgata from Boyd Gaming in August 2016, the Company paid Boyd Gaming half of the settlement amount received by the Company, net of fees and expenses, which was recorded in general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.

 

Other guarantees. The Company and its subsidiaries are party to various guarantee contracts in the normal course of business, which are generally supported by letters of credit issued by financial institutions. The Company’s senior credit facility limits the amount of letters of credit that can be issued to $500 million and the Operating Partnership’s senior credit facility limits the amount to $75 million. At December 31, 2019, $11 million in letters of credit were outstanding under the Company’s senior credit facility. No letters of credit were outstanding under the Operating Partnership’s senior credit facility at December 31, 2019. The amount of available borrowings under each of the credit facilities is reduced by any outstanding letters of credit.

 

In connection with the Extension Agreement, MGM Grand Paradise provided a bank guarantee in an amount of approximately $102 million (when giving effect to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations) to the government of Macau in May 2019 to warrant the fulfillment of labor debts upon the expiration of the Extension Agreement in June 2022.

 

Additionally, the Company provides a guarantee of the $3.01 billion principal amount of indebtedness (and any interest accrued and unpaid thereon) of Bellagio BREIT Venture, which matures in 2029. The terms of the guarantee provide that after the lenders have exhausted certain remedies to collect on the obligations under the indebtedness, the Company would then be responsible for any shortfall between the value of the collateral, which is the real estate assets of Bellagio owned by Bellagio BREIT Venture, and the debt obligation. This guarantee is accounted for under ASC 460 at fair value; such value is immaterial.

 

In connection with the MGP BREIT Venture Transaction, the Company provides a guarantee of the $3.0 billion principal amount of indebtedness (and any interest accrued and unpaid thereon) of MGP BREIT Venture, which has an initial term of twelve years, maturing in 2032, with an anticipated repayment date of March 2030. The terms of the guarantee provide that after the lenders have exhausted certain remedies to collect on the obligations under the indebtedness, the Company would then be responsible for any shortfall between the value of the collateral, which is the real estate assets of Mandalay Bay and MGM Grand Las Vegas, owned by MGP BREIT Venture, and the debt obligation. Refer to Note 1 for further discussion on this subsequent event.