The Mall of America is one of Minnesota's most popular destinations. With over 40 million visitors each year, the mall located in Bloomington is home to more than 500 stores, and one huge vacant spot that is out of their control.

This is a wild story that looks like it may finally be coming to an end after a long legal battle that made its way to the US Supreme Court. It all started in 1991, a year before the MOA opened to the public, when a deal was struck between Sears and the mall for one of the giant "anchor store" locations.

READ MORE: Minnesota Town Of 500 Now Sells ‘Starter’ Homes For Over $1 Million

Mall of America Helpless With Sears Space

Get this, the lease between the mall and Sears was for 100 years, and for only $10 per year. Sears even prepaid 30 years' worth of rent and agreed to pay all property taxes for the space.

The lease was a great deal for Sears and the mall at the time, but fast-forward to 2018 when Sears went bankrupt and everything was liquidated. The mall was left with an enormous empty space, and they were unable to do anything with it because of the lease.

Get our free mobile app

It turns out, a liquidating trust for Sears still owns the lease. Several courts, including the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, ruled that the Mall of America must uphold the original agreement and cannot reclaim the 3-story, 160,000 square-foot space.

The Supreme Court Says No

In an attempt to appeal the decision from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, the Mall of America asked the US Supreme Court to take a look at the case. They declined.

It looks like this may be the end of the legal battle. The lease is now being held by Transform Holdco, the company created to manage all of Sears' real estate assets, including the Mall of America lease.

Transform Holdco could sub-lease the space to someone else, but the MOA cannot do anything with the space until the lease expires in 2091. Ouch.