White v. Kane
White v. Kane
Opinion of the Court
— Upon a bill filed by the plaintiff’s testator, the defendants.were perpetually enjoined
We find the facts as established by the evidence to be as follows: The building containing the'rooms in question was let by one Churchill to one Bissell for a term of ten years from October 1, 1881, to September 30, 1891. On September 11, 1885, Bissell sub-let the two rooms in question to the defendants, Uhlmann & Wachtel, for six years, expiring September 15, 1891. This lease was executed on part of Bissell by E. J. White as his attorney in fact, and recited that the rooms let were to be used “as real-estate and conveyance offices.” On June 30,1888, Uhlmann assigned his interest in the lease named to Wachtel, and on May 31, 1890, Wachtel assigned his interest in the lease to the defendant Kane. At the date of the institution of this suit, the rooms were occupied by Kane and Dolan to transact therein their business, the former being a justice of the peace and the latter a constable.
On June 10, 1889, the executors of Bissell and his widow, having authority so to do by the terms of Bissell’s will, let the entire building to E. J. White for a term commencing June 1, 1889, and expiring May 31, 1891, or three and one-half month's before the expiration of the term granted by Bissell in his lifetime to Uhlmann & Wachtel. The lease to White contained a privilege of renewal on part of the lessee for additional four months, or to the date of expiration of Bissell’s lease from Churchill. The lease from Bissell’s executors to E. J. White contained, among others, these provisions: “And said parties of the first part further hereby, in
It appeared by uncontroverted evidence that checks given by Wachtel to White in payment of rent of the two rooms were made payable to E. J. White, trustee, both before and after June 10, 1889, the date when the executors leased to White. There was a change in the form of the bills rendered to Uhlmann & Wachtel after June 10, 1889, the bills being after that date rendered by White in his own name, and not as trustee or agent. There was no claim on part of White that either Uhlmann or Wachtel ever attorned to him as landlord, or that he had requested them so to do, nor was there any claim that there was a formal assignment to White by Bissell’s executors of the' lease granted to Uhlmann & Wachtel by Bissell. White testified that he had notified Wachtel that he had become owner of the premises, but Wachtel denied notice or knowledge of that fact. White instituted the present action on June 12,1890. No action had been taken by him at that time, touching the renewal of the lease for the additional four months. There was no evidence tending to show that the occupancy of rooms for offices of justice of the peace and constable, when properly conducted, created a nuisance, nor was there any evidence tending to show that these offices were not properly conducted for the purposes for which they were occupied. There was evidence tending to show-
In support of the complaint, that the decree is-unwarranted by the evidence, the defendants urge mainly two propositions. The first is that, conceding that the clause in the lease to Uhlmann & Wachtel, that the rooms were to be used as “real-estate and conveyance offices," amounted to a covenant that the rooms were to be thus used, yet the change in the use was not under the evidence an essential and substantial alteration in the mode of use, so as to amount to a breach of covenant. The next is, that there was no privity of any kind between White and Uhlmann & Wachtel, as White was neither the covenantee nor his assignee.
The great industry of counsel on both- sides has collected all the reported cases to be found on the first of the above propositions in the United States. These are Brugman v. Noyes, 6 Wis. 1; DeForest v. Byrne, 1 Hilt. 43; Maddox v. White, 4 Md. 72; Freer v. Stotenbur, 2 Keyes, 467, and Shumway v. Collins, 6 Gray, 227. In Brugmmi v. Noyes the premises were let to be used as cabinet warerooms, the lease containing an express prohibition against the use of them for the manufacture of cabinet ware. The occupancy was about to be changed to that of a cigaf store. The court decided that, in view of the express prohibition, the general clause as to occupancy was not in the
Now, applying the law as thus stated to the facts of this case, it would seem that there was not here such an “essential and substantial alteration in the mode of use as to constitute a breach.” It does not appear that the landlord was subjected to any loss by the change as in DeForest v. Byrne, and Freer v. Stotenbur. supra, nor that the proposed use of the premises was radically different, as in Maddox v. White, sttpra. It does not appear that White (even if he were the owner of the covenant, which he was not) lost any rents by the change, or was likely to do so; in fact it does not even appear that any of the other tenants in the building complained.
But, conceding for the sake of the argument that the change worked a substantial alteration, so as to enable the covenantee to take advantage of it, how could White take advantage of it, when he %was neither the convenantee nor the assignee of the convenantee? When Bissell’s executors, on June 10, 1889, let the" entire building to White for a term expiring May 31, 1891, they could only let it subject to prior leases, and, as Bissell’s lease to Uhlmann & Wachtel for the two rooms did not expire until September 15, 1891, or four
The case of Demarest v. Willard, 8 Cowan, 206, is directly in point. In that case Savage, C. J., points •out very clearly the difference between an assignment -of rents, and the assignment of the reversion. The
We must conclude that, under the law and evidence, White has failed to show such title in himself to the land, as entitled him to sue. upon the covenant, and that for that reason the decree of the trial court must be reversed, and the cause remanded for an assessment-of damages on the injunction bond..
Biggs, J. — I wrote’ the original opinion in this-case. Eor the reasons therein stated- I thought the-judgment ought to be affirmed. The reargument has-confirmed me in that opinion. I, therefore, dissent-from the conclusion reached by my associates.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.