O'Rourke v. Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills
O'Rourke v. Fulton Bag & Cotton Mills
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiff leased a warehouse building from defendant for the purpose, expressed in the lease, of conducting therein a public warehouse business. One of the beams supporting one of the floors of the warehouse having given away under the weight of the merchandise stored upon it, and other beams of other floors having shown signs of weakness by sagging, the plaintiff called upon the defendant to remedy the situation, and the defendant, after consulting with counsel, brought suit, alleging that the weight which the floors had been constructed to carry was 150 pounds to the square foot, with a factor of four, and enjoining plaintiff from loading them in excess of 200 pounds, and thereupon plaintiff brought the present suit, asking for the dissolution of the lease and for damages. The rent was payable monthly, and plaintiff had given notes for it. At the end of the month in which the suit was filed, the note then maturing not having been paid, the defendant company notified plaintiff that it exercised its right to cancel the lease for nonpayment of the rent, and accompanied the notice by the return to plaintiff of all the notes. Plaintiff accepted them, but with the qualification that he would consider the cancellation to be simply in compliance with the demand of the pending suit. The warehouse was a government bonded warehouse, out of which goods could not be removed without permission of the government; and several months elapsed after the cancellation of the lease before this permission could be obtained. The lease having thus been canceled, the suit remains one exclusively in damages.
“Floors of all stores and warehouses to be calculated to carry a dead load of 250 pounds. All calculations for strength of floors of buildings .to be with a factor of five.”
By “a factor of five” is meant that the floor must be five times stronger than necessary to carry the ordinary weight it is designed to carry; so that, under this ordinance, a warehouse floor must be designed to sustain theoretically a load of five times 250, or 1,250 pounds to the square foot.
Plaintiff contends that, in view of this law regulating the construction of buildings, and intended for the safety and protection of life and property, there enters into every lease of a building for warehouse purposes in the city of New Orleans, if nothing be said as to what weight the floors of the
This contention of defendant is but the presentation in another form of the main issue in the case, which is whether the floors of the building should have been capable of supporting 250 pounds to the square foot, with a factor of five, in order to come up to the requirements of the lease. For a lessee does not owe rent unless the leased premises are delivered to him, and if he does fio|; owe rent, he cannot default upon the payment of rent; and the leased premises cannot be said to be delivered to him if, the lease calling for a building whose floors are capable of supporting a weight of 250 pounds, with a factor of five, to the square foot, there is delivered a building designed to support 150 pounds, with a factor of four, and the delivery is accompanied by an injunction forbidding the use of the building beyond this reduced weight. If, therefore, the plaintiff is well founded in his said contention as to the 250 pounds, he ceased to owe rent from the moment he notified defendant, by his suit in cancellation, that he was unwilling to accept the building as a compliance with the obligation under the lease to deliver a building designed to sustain a load of 250 pounds to the square foot, with a factor of five. This would be very clear if plaintiff had not gone into possession at all, but, discovering the inadequacy of the building, had refused to accept possession, and had brought suit instead for cancellation, and the suit had proved to be well founded. In such a case a contention on the part of the lessor that the juridical cause of the cancellation of the lease was not his own failure to deliver such a building as the lease called for, but was the failure of the lessee to have paid the rent at the end of. the first month, would not have been entertained seriously. And it is plain that the fact of having gone into possession is legally insignificant, if done under the false impression that the building was such as was called for by the lease. A lessor who thus allows a lessee to go unwittingly into possession of an inadequate building does but superadd injury to his default.
We concur readily in the contention of plaintiff that, in view of the above transcribed building law of the city, requiring warehouse floors to be designed to carry 250 pounds to the square foot with a factor of five, he had a right to assume (in the absence of anything to the contrary either said or written) that this warehouse was of that character, and that the leasing of it by defendant for warehouse purposes amounted to a representation that it was such.
But this alleged defect could not have misled any one, since it is evident enough that the weight which the floors were to be “calculated to carry” was the weight to be on them when the space above them was full, not when empty; evidently, it would be useless, if not absurd, to provide by ordi
Suffice it to say that plaintiff was utterly without right to make any alterations in defendant’s building, and that defendant when called upon to make these alterations chose, instead, to file the injunction suit prohibiting the loading of the floors beyond 200 pounds.
Defendant cites cases where it has been held that a lessee cannot claim damages resulting from the want of such repairs as a lessee is authorized to make and pay for out of the rent. These cases are not in point, since the building was brand new, and did not need repairs.
Defendant having breached its contract, owes the damages which plaintiff has suffered as a consequence of such breach. The items are as follows:
“So if I let my house to a, person in his quality as a tradesman, or for the purpose of being used as an inn, and the tenant is evicted, the damages and interests for which I am answerable to him will not be confined to the expense of removal and the rents, as in the former instance. The loss of custom, if he cannot meet with any other .suitable house in the neighborhood, ought also, in some degree, to be taken in the account; for, having let my house for the purpose, of a shop, or an inn, this kind of damage is one whereof the risk is foreseen, and to which I am considered as having tacitly submitted.”
The defendant must be held to have contemplated at the time of entering into this lease that if, from any cause, the building failed to answer the purposes of the lease, plaintiff would have to move into another, and would have to move á second time if he found himself compelled to move into an unsuitable building until he could procure a suitable one.
9. Loss of business. This item is not proved with legal certainty.
The jury gave plaintiff judgment for $4,-500. What particular items this amount was allowed for, we are not advised.
The judgment appealed from is reduced to $3,988.62, and as thus amended is affirmed. Plaintiff to pay costs of appeal.
070rehearing
On Application for Rehearing.
“The judgment appealed from is reduced to $3,788.62, and as thus amended is affirmed. Plaintiff to pay costs of appeal.”
Reference
- Full Case Name
- O'ROURKE v. FULTON BAG & COTTON MILLS
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- (Syllabus by MUitorial Staf.) 1.Landlord and Tenant (§ 125*) — Implied Warranty — “Factor or Five.” Where a city ordinance required the floors of all stores and warehouses to be calculated to carry 250 pounds, and all calculations for their strength to be with a “factor of five,” which means that the floor must be five times stronger than necessary to carry the ordinary weight it is designed to carry, the lessee of a warehouse in such city had a right to assume, in the absence of anything to the contrary, either said or written, that the floors complied with the ordinance, and the leasing of the warehouse amounted to a representation by the lessor that it did comply therewith. [Ed. Note — Ebr other cases, see Landlord and Tenant, Cent. Dig. §§ 441 — 443; Dec. Dig. § 125.*] 2. Landlord and Tenant (§ 125*) — Nondelivery oe Possession — Right to Damages. Where, though under a lease, the lessee was entitled to a warehouse with floors callable of supporting 250 pounds with a factor of five to the square foot, the building was designed to support only 150 pounds with a factor of four, and the lessor procured an injunction forbidding the use of the building beyond this reduced weight, whereupon the lessee sued for a cancellation and for damages, and thereafter refused to pay rent, and the lessor then exercised its right to cancel the lease for ñonpayment of the rent, the lessee was not precluded from recovering damages sustained by vacating the building and not having the continued enjoyment thereof, on the theory that they were caused by his own failure to pay the rent, since there was no sufficient delivery of the leased premises, and the lessee did not owe rent from the time he elected, by suing for a cancellation, not to accept the building as a compliance with the lease. [Ed. Note. — Eor other cases, see Landlord and Tenant, Cent. Dig. §§ 441-443; Dec. Dig. § 3. Municipal Corporations (§ 111*) — Building Ordinances — Construction and Validity. A city ordinance, requiring floors of warehouses to be calculated to carry a dead load of 250 pounds, was not obsolete or ineffective even though, as claimed, a “dead load” was the weight of the floors themselves, while the load put thereupon was a “live load,” since this alleged defect could not have misled any one; it being evident that the weight to be put on the floors was the weight which they were to be calculated to carry. [Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Municipal Corporations, Cent. Dig. §§ 245-256; Dec. Dig. § 111.*] 4. Landlord and Tenant (§ 125*) — Defects in Leased Premises — Right to Damages. The carrying capacity of the floors of a warehouse was a matter for experts to determine, and a nonexpert lessee, though he visited and examined the warehouse before leasing it, was not thereby precluded from recovering damages because they did not have the carrying capacity required by a city ordinance. [Ed. Note.- — Eor other cases, see Landlord and Tenant, Cent. Dig. §§ 441-443; Dec. Dig. § 125.*] 5. Landlord and Tenant (§ 125*) — Actions eob Damages — Evidence — Admissibility. In an action by tbe lessee of a warehouse for damages because the floors did not have a carrying capacity of 250 pounds to the square foot, as required by the lease, where damages for overloading the floors were not sought .by the lessor and it was admitted that the floors did not have such carrying capacity, the only issue being as to whether the lease called for such capacity, evidence that the lessee loaded the floors beyond 250 pounds to tbe square foot was immaterial. [Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Landlord and Tenant, Gent. Dig. §§ 441-443; Dee. Dig. 6. Landlord and Tenant (§ 125*) — Breach by Landlord — Damages. A lessee’s damages because the floors of the leased warehouse did not have the carrying capacity required by the lease was not limited to the amount which would have brought'the building up to the requirements of the lease, where he had no right to make alterations in the building and the lessor, when called upon to make such alterations, instead of doing so, filed a suit for an injunction to prohibit the loading of the floors beyond their capacity. [Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Landlord and Tenant, Gent. - Dig. §§ 441-443; Dec. Dig. § 7. Landlord and Tenant (§ 125*) — Breach by Landlord — Damages. Where because the floors of a leased warehouse did not have the carrying capacity required by the, lease, the lessee was compelled to move temporarily into another warehouse, goods in which were subject to a higher rate of insurance' than in the leased building, and was therefore compelled to and did pay the difference in the insurance to a party whose goods he had contracted to store, he was entitled to recover this amount from the lessor. [Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Landlord and Tenant, Gent. Dig. §§ 441-443; Dec. Dig. § 125.*] 8. Landlord and Tenant (§ 125*) — Breach by Landlord — Damages. Where because of the defective condition of the floors of a leased warehouse the lessee incurred expense in labor and drayage in moving goods from a defective floor to another and in moving them into another warehouse, which would not have been incurred if the goods had been moved out in the regular course of business, he could recover such expense from the lessor. [Ed. Note. — For other eases, see Landlord and Tenant, Cent. Dig. §§ 441-443; Dec. Dig. § 125.*] 9. Landlord and Tenant (§ 125*) — Breach by Landlord — Damages. The lessee of a warehouse paid the government the premium for bonding the warehouse for one year. Thereafter, because of the defective condition of the floors, he discontinued using the warehouse for receiving goods on storage, but kept some goods therein for some time longer because of the necessity of obtaining the government’s consent to their removal. Held, that he was entitled to recover from the lessor the proportionate part of the premium paid, but only from the time that the goods were removed from the warehouse, and not from the time that he discontinued receiving goods thereat. [Ed. Note. — Wot other cases, see Landlord and Tenant, Cent. Dig. §§ 441-443; Dec. Dig. § 125.*] 10. Landlord, and Tenant (§ 125*) — Breach by Landlord — Damages. Where the lessee of a bonded warehouse, because of the defective condition of its floors, was compelled to obtain another warehouse in which to receive goods, but was unable for soma time to obtain the government’s consent to the removal of the goods from the first warehouse, during which time he was required by the government regulations to keep a storekeeper and an inspector at each warehouse, though he was doing no business and receiving no goods a1 the first warehouse, he was entitled to recover from the lessor the salaries of the extra employés which he was required to employ. [Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Landlord and Tenant, Gent. Dig. §§ 441 — 443; Dec. Dig. § 125.*] 11. Landlord and Tenant (§ 125*) — Breach by Landlord — Damages. Such lessee was entitled to recover from the lessor the amount uselessly paid to a telephone company while he was compelled to maintain both warehouses. [Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Landlord and-Tenant, Cent. Dig. §§ 441-443; Dec. Dig. jf, 125.*] 12. Landlord and Tenant (§ 125*) — Breach by Landlord — Damages. Where the lessee of a warehouse because of the defective condition of its floors was compelled to move temporarily into another building until he secured a suitable building, he was entitled to recover of the lessor the expense of removing his goods from the temporary building to the new warehouse. [Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Landlord and Tenant, Cent. Dig. §§ 441-443; Dec. Dig. § 125.*] 13. Landlord and Tenant (§ 125*) — Breach by Landlord — Damages. The lessee of a warehouse who, because of the defective condition of its floors, was compelled to move into a temporary warehouse, where the cost of insurance and the cost of labor in handling goods was greater than in the leased warehouse, was entitled to recover this difference from the lessor. [Ed. Note. — Eor other cases, see Landlord and Tenant, Cent. Dig. §§ 441-443; Dec. Dig. § 125.*] 14. Landlord and Tenant (§ 125*) — Breach bt Landlord — Damages. The lessee of a warehouse who, because of the defective condition of its floors, sued for a cancellation of the lease and for damages was not entitled to recover the amount paid to experts for examining and reporting on the building with a view to supporting his side of the controversy, since such expenses are not recoverable in a suit for breach of contract, at least in the absence of malice or fraud. [Ed. Note. — Eor other cases, see Landlord and Tenant, Gent Dig. §§ 441-443; Dec. Dig. § 125.*] On Application for Rehearing. 15. Appeal and Error (§ 1185*) — Judgment —Correction. A clerical error in amount in the opinion and judgment of the Supreme Court would be corrected without granting a rehearing. [Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Appeal and Error, Cent. Dig. §§ 4636-4641; Dec. Dig. § 1185.*]