D. H. Overmyer Co. v. United Aircraft Corp.
D. H. Overmyer Co. v. United Aircraft Corp.
Opinion of the Court
In its complaint the plaintiff alleged that the parties entered into a lease, dated July 26, 1966, for a term of two years from December 23, 1966, with a renewal option; that the defendant failed to renew the option and the lease terminated December 23,1968; and that the plaintiff had caused notice to be served on the defendant to vacate the premises on or before February 10, 1969. The defendant answered by denying the latter allegations, and by way of special defense it alleged that it had exercised its right to renew and that monthly rents had been paid in accordance with the terms of the extended lease. In a second special defense the defendant alleged that the plaintiff had waived the legal effect of any notice to vacate the premises by accepting the monthly rental for the period from
The assignment of error addressed to the court’s conclusions is not in conformity with our rules as set forth in § 989 (3) and Form 819 (B) of the Practice Book, but, from the brief and argument, we shall treat the appeal as being on the ground that the conclusions are not supported by the subordinate facts. The conclusions of the court must be tested by the finding and not by the evidence. We do not retry facts or determine the credibility of witnesses. French v. Oberreuter, supra; Klahr v. Kostopoulos, 138 Conn. 653, 655. The conclusion of the court that the defendant had effectively renewed the lease must stand unless it is legally or logically inconsistent with the facts or unless it involves the application of an erroneous rule of law material to the case. Commission on Human Rights & Opportunities v. Veneri, 157 Conn. 20, 23; Yale University v. Benneson, 147 Conn. 254, 255.
The following facts were found by the court. In July, 1966, the plaintiff and the defendant entered into a lease agreement to run from December, 1966, to December 21, 1968. Section XX of the lease contained provisions for the renewal of the lease for three additional successive one-year periods by the defendant’s giving notice of its intention to renew
From these facts the court concluded: The letter of September 3,1968, expressed an unequivocal exercise of the option to extend the lease, and no new documents were required. The changes as to parking spaces and an additional option period contained in the forwarded lease documents could not conceivably be considered to be significant when viewed together with the full lease and the defendant’s desire to
The plaintiff maintains that the defendant did not exercise its option, since the new lease papers submitted varied the terms of the original lease and therefore amounted to a counter offer. In this we cannot agree, as under the renewal option (§ XX) it was not necessary that a new lease be entered into but rather the lease could be extended on giving the required ninety-day notice, and, this having been done, that was all that was required to extend the lease. W. G. Maltby, Inc. v. Associated Realty Co., 114 Conn. 283, 288; Blanck v. Kimland Realty Co., 122 Conn. 317, 320. The letter of September 3, 1968, was an unequivocal expression of the exercise of the option, and the letter containing the new lease documents was superfluous, as was admitted by the plaintiff.
The conclusions of the court are amply supported by the subordinate facts and must stand, since they are legally and logically consistent with the facts found and do not involve the application of any erroneous rule of law material to the case. Solari v. Seperak, 154 Conn. 179, 184.
There is no error.
In this opinion Dearixgtox and DiCexzo, Js., concurred.
“Section XX — renewal option. For and in consideration of the execution of this lease by the tenant, the Landlord, for itself, its successors and assigns, does hereby grant unto the Tenant the right and option to renew and extend the term of this lease for three (3) additional successive periods of one (1) year each. Each such renewal and extension shall be on like covenants, agreements, terms, provisions and conditions as are contained herein (unless changed or modified by mutual consent), except that the annual rental for each of the three (3) additional one (1) year periods shall be eighty-four thousand dollars ($84,000.00) payable in equal monthly installments of seven thousand dollars ($7,000.00) in advance. Such right and option to extend the term or terms hereof may be exercised and the term or terms thereby extended by written notice thereof given by the Tenant to the Landlord not less than ninety (90) days prior to the expiration of the original term hereof or the then extended term.”
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.