Hopkins v. Holland
Hopkins v. Holland
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court.
This is an appeal from an order of the Circuit Court for Harford County, continuing an injunction. The facts of the case are as follows : Mrs. Mary J. Hopkins leased to. Oliver S. Holland, Jr., a farm in Harford County for “ the term of one year with the privilege of three years.” At the expiration of one year from the beginning of the lease she instituted before a justice of the peace proceedings under Article 53 of the Code to obtain possession of the premises. The justice having rendered judgment in her favor the tenant appealed to the-Circuit Court. In that Court a verdict was given for her and judgment was rendered in her favor for costs and for restitution of possession. After this judgment she caused a warrant of distress to be issued for rent alleged to have become due for the half year which had elapsed since the expiration of the lease. On the fifth day of September, 1895, the day after the distraintwas levied, Holland conveyed all his property to Willard G. Rouse in trust for the benefit of his creditors. On the tenth day of September Holland filed a petition in the Circuit Court praying that the trustee might be directed to pay the rent and costs of distraint. The trustee consented to the passage of an order for the payment, and the Court passed it and the money was paid on the same day to Mrs. Hopkins. On the thirteenth day of September the warrant
At the time when the distraint was issued Holland was occupying the premises wrongfully and against the will of the owner. His right of occupation had expired; and judgment of ouster had been pronounced against him after litigation, in which he had exhausted his means of resistance. When he took his appeal to the Circuit Court he exercised a right given him by the fourth section of Article 53 of the Code. After authorizing an appeal the section proceeds as follows : “ And if said defendant shall file with said justice, to be by him transmitted with the papers in said case to said Court, a good and sufficient bond, with one or more securities, conditioned that he will prosecute said appeal ánd well and truly pay all rent in arrear and all rent which shall accrue pending the determination of said appeal, then the tenant or person in possession of said premises may retain possession thereof until the determination of said appeal.” The defendant was not in any manner absolved from his obligation to pay rent; but the condition on which he was permitted to remain in possession of the premises was that he should secure 'the payment of rent until the determination of the appeal. The statute undoubtedly means that he ought to pay rent as long as he remained in possession of the premises. The appeal kept him in possession, and the bond was required to indemnify the landlord for the damage which the appeal caused. When a tenant by reason of an unsuccessful appeal has been enabled to occupy his landlord’s land it is just and reasonable that he should pay for the whole period of his
The usual course to recover the rent under the'circumstances which' we have detailed is to bring suit on the appeal bond. We do not find it necessary to discuss the propriety of the distress warrant; inasmuch as by the consent of the tenant and his trustee (the complainants in the injunction suit) the money was paid to the landlord. That settled the question finally as between these parties.
Decree reversed with costs and bill dismissed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- MARY J. HOPKINS v. OLIVER S. HOLLAND, JR.
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Landlord, and Tenant—Distraint for Rent after Appeal from fudgment of Ouster—Waiver of Forfeiture—■Tenant Wrongfully -Holding Over— Writ of Restitution as Estoppel. After a landlord has elected to terminate a tenancy, and has obtain.ed a judgment of ejectment from which the tenant appeals and holds over during the appeal, the mere acceptance of rent by the landlord for the time of such holding over does not estop him from enforcing a writ of restitution after the judgment of ouster is affirmed on appeal. When a.landlord obtains a judgment of ejectment against his tenant and the latter appeals therefrom under Code, Art. 53, sec. 4, the tenant retains possession until the determination of the appeal, provided he gives bond to pay all rent in arrears and all rent which ' shall accrue pending the appeal. In this case, after the appeal was determined in favor of the landlord and judgment of ouster entered, he issued a distraint for the rent due after the expiration of the lease. This was paid by the assignee of file tenant with his consent. A warrant of restitution was then issued in the ejectment case and the tenant applied for an injunction to restrain the execution of the same. Held, that the acceptance of the -subsequently accruing rent under these circumstances by the landlord was no waiver of his right to enforce the judgment ¡p ejectment, or election to create a new tenancy, because under the statute the tenant was bound to pay ' rent as long as he remained in possession pending the appeal.