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Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries - Contingencies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Guarantor Subsidiaries  
Condensed Financial Statements Captions [Line Items]  
Contingencies

Note 12 – Contingencies

Litigation

On March 20, 2019, the board of directors of CBL, the parent of the Operating Partnership, approved the structure of a settlement of a class action lawsuit filed on March 16, 2016 in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida (the “Court”) by Wave Lengths Hair Salons of Florida, Inc. d/b/a Salon Adrian. The CBL entities that were the defendants in the action (and which are responsible for payments under the settlement) are CBL & Associates Properties, Inc., CBL & Associates Limited Partnership, CBL & Associates Management, Inc. and JG Gulf Coast Town Center, LLC (collectively, the “CBL Defendant Entities”).

In its action, plaintiff sought unspecified monetary damages as well as costs and attorneys’ fees, based on allegations that the CBL Defendant Entities overcharged tenants at bulk metered malls for electricity. Under the terms of the proposed settlement, the CBL Defendant Entities have denied all allegations of wrongdoing and have asserted that their actions have at all times been lawful and proper. No Combined Guarantor Subsidiary is a CBL Defendant Entity and no Combined Guarantor Subsidiary is responsible for payment of amounts under the above-referenced settlement. The Court granted final approval to the proposed settlement terms on August 22, 2019.

Class members include past and current tenants of certain Guarantor Properties (the “Guarantor Class Subsidiaries”) during the class period, which extended from January 1, 2011 through the date of the Court's preliminary approval of the settlement. Under the terms of the settlement, class members who are past tenants and made a claim pursuant to the Court's order will receive payment of their claims in cash. Class members who are current tenants will receive monthly credits against rents and future charges for a five-year period that will begin at the time set forth in the settlement agreement (the “credit period”). Any amounts under the settlement allocated to tenants with outstanding amounts payable to the Guarantor Class Subsidiaries, the CBL Defendant Entities or any other affiliate of those entities, including tenants which have declared bankruptcy or declare bankruptcy over the credit period, will first be deducted from the amounts owed to the Guarantor Class Subsidiaries, the CBL Defendant Entities, or any other affiliate of those entities. CBL Defendant Entities will be responsible for directly paying all cash payments that are made to past tenants who have made a claim. CBL Defendant Entities will be responsible for directly funding to the Guarantor Class Subsidiaries an amount equal to any credits that are due to and taken by current tenants of the Guarantor Class Subsidiaries during the credit period. CBL Defendant Entities intend to fund all amounts due to past and current tenants under the settlement such that the Guarantor Class Subsidiaries' cash flows and results of operations are not impacted by the settlement.

The Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries are currently involved in certain other litigation that arises in the ordinary course of business, most of which is expected to be covered by liability insurance. Management makes assumptions and estimates concerning the likelihood and amount of any potential loss relating to these matters using the latest information available. The Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries record a liability for litigation if an unfavorable outcome is probable and the amount of loss or range of loss can be reasonably estimated. If an unfavorable outcome is probable and a reasonable estimate of the loss is a range, the Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries accrue the best estimate within the range. If no amount within the range is a better estimate than any other amount, the Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries accrue the minimum amount within the range. If an unfavorable outcome is probable but the amount of the loss cannot be reasonably estimated, the Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries disclose the nature of the litigation and indicate that an estimate of the loss or range of loss cannot be made. If an unfavorable outcome is reasonably possible and the estimated loss is material, the Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries disclose the nature and estimate of the possible loss of the litigation. Based on current expectations, such matters, both individually and in the aggregate, are not expected to have a material adverse effect on the liquidity, results of operations, business or financial condition of the Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries.    

Environmental Contingencies

The Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries evaluate potential loss contingencies related to environmental matters using the same criteria described above related to litigation matters. Based on current information, an unfavorable outcome concerning such environmental matters, both individually and in the aggregate, is considered to be reasonably possible. However, the Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries believe the maximum potential exposure to loss would not be material to results of operations or financial condition.

The Combined Guarantor Subsidiaries have a master insurance policy that provides coverage through 2022 for certain environmental claims up to $ 10,000 per occurrence and up to $ 50,000 in the aggregate, subject to deductibles and certain exclusions. At certain locations, individual policies are in place.