Gap Sues Simon-Run Malls Seeking to Cancel Leases Over Covid

Gap Inc. and its leading subsidiaries sued top shopping mall operator Simon Property Group LP in Delaware, seeking a Chancery Court order canceling hundreds of store leases or, short of that, letting the retailer avoid rent indefinitely, retroactive to the first coronavirus-related store closures in March.

“Even now, as government restrictions ease for some activities and types of businesses but not others, the disease remains virulent, and extensive guidelines are required” that “will radically change the shopping experience for a long time to come,” the complaint says. “In a world of unforeseeable events, the circumstances the subject stores have faced ...