Lord & Taylor’s lawsuit against the owners of White Flint Mall was officially shot down by a federal appeals court on Wednesday, reports Bethesda Now. The retailer has been embroiled in a battle with the mall owners for some time over a redevelopment plan that Lord & Taylor claims violates their 1975 lease agreement. Problem is, all the other tenants have already left, and there’s this tricky clause in the initial lease agreement that says White Flint Mall has to remain a “first class high fashion retail” shopping center, a requirement that is ultimately too vague and difficult to enforce. The appellate judge also said that bringing the mall back to its former glory, 40 years later, is unrealistic. The White Flint Mall redevelopment includes more than 5M SF of mixed-use space, parks and a new elementary school, and is at the center of the White Flint/Pike District redevelopment plans to urbanize an area of shopping centers and parking lots. [BethesdaNow]