Commitments And Contingencies |
3 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Mar. 31, 2026 | |
| Commitments And Contingencies [Abstract] | |
| Commitments And Contingencies | Note 16 – Commitments and Contingencies
Litigation Matters
We are currently involved in certain legal proceedings, and we may from time to time, in the normal course of business, be a party to various ordinary course claims from vendors, landlords, tenants, employees and competitors and to other legal proceedings. If management believes that a loss arising from the action is probable and can reasonably be estimated, the Company records the amount of the loss or the minimum estimated liability when the loss is estimated using a range and no point in the range is more probable than another. Management believes that the ultimate outcome of the matters discussed below, individually and in the aggregate, will not likely have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position or overall trends in results of operations. However, litigation and claims are subject to inherent uncertainties and unfavorable outcomes can occur. An unfavorable outcome might include monetary damages. If an unfavorable outcome were to occur, there exists the possibility of a material adverse impact on the results of operation in the period in which the outcome occurs or in future periods. An unfavorable outcome could also have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position or the market prices of the Company’s securities.
Environmental and Asbestos Claims on Reading Legacy Operations
Certain of our subsidiaries were historically involved in railroad operations, coal mining, and manufacturing. Certain of these subsidiaries appear in the chain-of-title of properties that may suffer from environmental issues. Accordingly, certain of these subsidiaries have, from time to time, been named in and may in the future be named in various actions brought under applicable environmental laws. We are in the real estate development business and may encounter from time-to-time environmental conditions at properties that we have acquired for development and which will need to be addressed in the future as part of the development process. These environmental conditions can increase the cost of such projects and adversely affect the value and potential for profit of such projects. We do not currently believe that our exposure under applicable environmental laws is material in amount.
From time to time, there are claims brought against us relating to the exposure of former employees to asbestos and/or coal dust. These are generally covered by an insurance settlement reached in September 1990 with our insurance providers. However, this insurance settlement does not cover litigation by people who were not employees of our historic railroad operations and who may claim direct or second-hand exposure to asbestos, coal dust and/or other chemicals or elements now recognized as potentially causing cancer in humans. Our known exposure to these types of claims, asserted or probable of being asserted, is in our opinion not material.
Certain Civil Litigation
Putative Class Action Litigation
Our Company is a defendant in two actions asserting putative class action claims under the Video Privacy Protection Act (the “VPPA”): Daniel Valentini and Dallace Butler v. Reading International, Inc (2:24-cv-00255-RFB-MDC (D. Nev.)) (“The Valentini Case”), and Berryman v. Reading International, Inc. (1:24-cv-00750-PAE (S.D.N.Y.)) (“The Berryman Case”). The plaintiffs in these cases allege that our Company is a video tape service provider and knowingly disclosed plaintiff’s movie purchase and video-viewing habits to third parties in violation of the VPPA. Valentini and Butler also allege violation of a parallel state statute (California Code section 1799.3, the “California Statute”). Berryman also asserts claims under a similar statute (New York General Business Law Section 671 et seq (the “NY Statute”) and under the NY Arts and Cultural Affairs Law Section 25.07(4) (the “NY AC Statute”) which regulates the disclosure requirements applicable to ticketing service charges and provides a right to recover “actual damages or fifty dollars per violation, whichever is greater.”
Only limited case law exists as to claims under VPPA, a federal statute enacted in 1988. We have not identified any U.S. case in which an adverse VPPA judgment has been entered against a motion picture exhibition company on facts substantially similar to those alleged it this case. Further, the precedent that does exist suggests that theatres with websites selling tickets to cinema exhibitions are not video tape service providers under the statute, even if they operate websites to sell tickets and that the information disclosed through consumer use of cinema websites like ours does not include “personally identifiable information,” a necessary condition for liability under the VPPA.
Our Company has filed motions to dismiss the Valentini and the Berryman claims under Federal rule of Procedure 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim for which relief can be provided. The Valentini motion is on hold, pending the outcome of an appeal to the Ninth Circuit of a trial court decision which the Company believes, if affirmed, will likely result in the dismissal of the Valentini case.
By Opinion and Order dated March 12, 2026, the District Court granted our Company’s motion and dismissed the VPPA and NY Statute claims in their entirety, without leave to amend on the basis that we did not disclose an “personally identifiable information.” As a result of the Court’s ruling, no VPPA or NY Statute claims remain pending against the Company in the Berryman action. Plaintiff has no right to appeal such decision until after resolution of the entire case including the below discussed NY AC Statute claims.
Berryman also asserts claims under the NY AC Statute alleging deficiencies in the disclosure provided by our Company with respect to service charges to residents of New York who purchased tickets online to our New York cinemas. These claims were not the subject of the Company’s renewed motion to dismiss and remain pending. We believe that our disclosure satisfied the requirements of the NY AC Statute.
We also believe that we have defenses to the Valentini Case VPPA claims, including defense on the grounds that provided the basis for the above described dismissal of the Berryman VPPA claims.
Wellington Construction Damage Litigation
A subsidiary of the Company is the defendant in litigation in Wellington, New Zealand titled (Body Corporate 78693 v. Courtenay Car Park Limited & Ors CIV-2021-485-612 & CIV-2023-485-67) which involves various claims related to the dropping of a concrete beam onto adjacent property by a construction subcontractor working for the general contractor engaged by such subsidiary to do demolition work on our subsidiary’s property. In March 2026, the Court has issued its findings that, while our subsidiary would be liable to the plaintiff’s under a theory of strict liability due to the inherently dangerous nature of the construction activity, our subsidiary is entitled to full indemnity from its general contractor under both contractual indemnity and breach of contract theories of recovery. To the extent our general contractor should for any reason fail to make good on its indemnity obligations to us, our subsidiary’s liability is fully covered by insurance. Our co-defendants have appealed the Court’s decision and, in light of such appeal, we have likewise appealed to protect our position. We are advised by counsel that the appeals process is likely to take a couple of years. As of the date of this disclosure, we have no present obligation to settle any amounts in relation to this matter, as the Court has assessed that obligation on other defendants.
Philadelphia Code Violation Litigation
During the third quarter of 2025, our Company was served with a petition styled City of Philadelphia-Plaintiff vs. Reading International, Inc. Control Number 25074006 filed in the Court of Common Pleas under the City’s Code Enforcement Case Program, which among other things, (i) alleges violations of certain sections of the Philadelphia Code on property allegedly owned or under the control of Reading International in Philadelphia; (ii) seeks an order imposing statutory fines and reinspection fees and allowing the Department of Licenses and Inspections to enter the premises identified as 1120 Callowhill Street, Philadelphia Pennsylvania (the “Premises”) to conduct an interior inspection; and (iii) seeks an order compelling the Defendants to correct all alleged violations. We believe that it we have a variety of defenses to the claims, including defenses based on the fact, among other things, that some of the alleged violations were timely cured, that other allegations were timely appealed at the administrative level and that Reading International Inc. did not own the property in question (such property is owned by a subsidiary). We are in discussions with the City and have initiated measures including demolition of a building on the property and taking other actions to correct alleged violations through which we believe a resolution of the dispute will be accomplished. We are still in the talking stage with the City and discovery has not yet begun, but based on such conversations with the City and our review of the facts, we do not currently believe that there is a reasonable likelihood that the litigation will result in a material liability to the Company. |