Tolliver v. 5 G Homes, LLC
Tolliver v. 5 G Homes, LLC
Opinion of the Court
5 G Homes, LLC ("Appellant") appeals from the judgment of the Circuit Court of Cape Girardeau County, finding in favor of Kasey L. Tolliver ("Ms. Tolliver") on her claim for breach of implied warranty of habitability. On appeal, Appellant contends the circuit court erred in entering judgment in favor of Ms. Tolliver because her claim is barred by the exculpatory clause *829in the June 1, 2017 residential lease agreement. Appellant also contends the circuit court erred in ruling against it on its counterclaim for breach of contract and finding Appellant was not entitled to damages for unpaid rent. Finding no error, we affirm.
Factual and Procedural History
In May 2016, Ms. Tolliver and her roommate signed a one-year residential lease for the basement apartment of a property located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. At this time, Appellant did not own the property and was not a party to the lease agreement. In the spring of 2017, during the lease term, Appellant, a property investment firm, purchased the property from the prior owner and, as a result, became Ms. Tolliver's new landlord. It is undisputed that the 2016 lease remained in full force and effect despite the change in landlords. On March 25, 2017, Ms. Tolliver and her roommate renewed their one-year lease with Appellant for the term of June 1, 2017, through May 31, 2018 ("2017 lease"). At trial, the parties agreed the renewed 2017 lease did not go into effect until June 1.
On April 10, 2017,
Frustrated, Ms. Tolliver subsequently contacted the City Inspector who provided an inspection of the property. In his report, dated April 28, the City Inspector noted that one of the bathrooms was very humid, which was causing mold to grow behind the toilet and on the shower floor. Additionally, the drywall at the rear entrance was waterlogged, and the carpet and pad in several of the bedrooms were saturated with water, causing mold to grow in these areas. The City Inspector advised Appellant to remove all sections of waterlogged drywall and replace it with material that would not absorb water. Appellant also was advised to remove water-saturated carpet and pad, and clean existing carpet or replace it with a nonabsorbent flooring material. The City Inspector advised Ms. Tolliver to run an exhaust fan or dehumidifier to remove humidity and prevent mold growth.
In early May, Ms. Tolliver had to move everything out of the bedrooms so a construction crew could begin replacing the carpet. Ms. Tolliver asked Appellant on two occasions to pay for a hotel room during the on-going construction because she and her roommate were suffering from allergies. However, Appellant declined and instead offered to reduce June's rent by half. On May 9, Ms. Tolliver informed Appellant that she and her roommate had decided not to renew their lease, and would vacate the apartment by June 15. Construction continued in the apartment through the month of May. On June 8, the City Inspector gave a follow-up inspection of the apartment. While Appellant had fixed most of the issues, the City Inspector *830noted some surface mold was still growing on the bathroom wall behind the toilet and on the shower floor, and a small section of waterlogged drywall behind the rear foyer doors still needed to be replaced.
On June 15, Ms. Tolliver and her roommate vacated the apartment. Ms. Tolliver did not pay full or partial rent for the month of June. Appellant subsequently terminated the 2017 lease and did not return the security deposit.
Thereafter, Ms. Tolliver filed a petition in small claims court, alleging damages due to a breach of the implied warranty of habitability in the amount of $5,000.
At trial, Ms. Tolliver appeared pro se , and Appellant appeared by counsel and its property manager. Ms. Tolliver and the property manager gave varying accounts of the above-stated events. Additionally, Ms. Tolliver testified that numerous items of her personal property were damaged by the water leakage and mold in the apartment. Ms. Tolliver offered into evidence a list of the damaged items and their values.
Following trial, the circuit court entered its findings of fact, conclusions of law, and judgment, finding in favor of Ms. Tolliver on her claim for breach of implied warranty of habitability. The circuit court found Ms. Tolliver offered evidence that the defects in the apartment were material, and that Appellant failed to correct them within a reasonable time to prevent her damages. The court found Ms. Tolliver suffered damage to her personal property, which "resulted from the negligence, inactions, or actions" of Appellant. The circuit court also found that although the 2017 lease was a valid and enforceable contract, and Ms. Tolliver acknowledged she failed to pay June's rent as required, Ms. Tolliver's testimony established Appellant agreed to waive rent for June. Accordingly, the circuit court ordered Appellant to *831pay Ms. Tolliver damages in the amount of $2,240.
Points on Appeal
Appellant raises two points on appeal. In Point I, Appellant argues the circuit court erred in entering judgment in favor of Ms. Tolliver on her claim for breach of implied warranty of habitability because the claim is barred by the exculpatory clause in the 2017 lease. In Point II, Appellant argues the circuit court erred in entering judgment against it on its counterclaim because Appellant proffered evidence to support a prima facie breach of contract claim.
Standard of Review
Our standard of review in a court-tried case is governed by Murphy v. Carron ,
Discussion
Point I-The Exculpatory Clause
In Point I, Appellant argues the circuit court erred in entering judgment in favor of Ms. Tolliver on her claim for breach of implied warranty of habitability because the claim is barred by the exculpatory clause in the 2017 lease. The exculpatory clause provided:
[T]he Landlord shall not be liable to the Tenant or the Tenant's agents, guests, roomers, or employees for any damage to them or their persons or property, by theft or burglary, water, rain, snow, ice, sleet, fire, mold , explosion, frost, storms, and accidents, or by breakage, stoppage, or leakage of water , gas, heating and sewer pipes, electric wiring or current, or plumbing upon, about or adjacent to the premises, nor for any negligence of others that may cause damage of any character whatsoever.
(emphasis added). On appeal, Appellant contends Ms. Tolliver read and signed the 2017 lease, which contained this clause, and, therefore, she expressly released Appellant from liability for damage to her personal property caused by water leakage or mold. We disagree.
We find the 2017 lease, and the exculpatory clause contained therein, is immaterial to resolving Appellant's claim because sufficient evidence was presented that Ms. Tolliver's damages occurred prior to June 1, 2017, when the original 2016 lease was still in full force and effect. See Emery Bird Thayer Dry Goods Co. v. J. C. Nichols Co. ,
Appellant argues it is unclear which lease was in effect when the damage occurred because Ms. Tolliver remained in the apartment until June 15 and did not present any evidence of the exact date her property was damaged. While we acknowledge Appellant's argument, our standard of review requires this Court to view the evidence and all reasonable inferences in the light most favorable to the circuit court's judgment. See Essex Contracting, Inc. ,
Although we find the 2016 lease is controlling in this case, Appellant argues that, under Missouri precedent, the exculpatory clause in the 2017 lease is effective in releasing it from liability for events that occurred earlier that year, when the 2016 lease was in effect. In support of its argument, Appellant relies on Alack v. Vic Tanny Int'l of Mo., Inc. ,
On appeal, the Missouri Supreme Court addressed the enforceability of exculpatory *833clauses in contracts. The Court found that such clauses must contain "clear, unambiguous, unmistakable, and conspicuous language in order to release a party from his or her own future negligence. The exculpatory language must effectively notify a party that he or she is releasing the other party from claims arising from the other party's own negligence."
We find Appellant misconstrues the Missouri Supreme Court's holding in Alack . Contrary to Appellant's argument, Alack does not stand for the proposition that courts can retroactively apply an exculpatory clause in a contract that was not in effect at the time a party's damages occurred. The Alack Court simply established the requirements of an enforceable exculpatory clause. Appellant does not cite to any other cases to support its argument for retroactive application, and we have found none. Rather, under Missouri law, provisions in a lease (or other contract) that was in effect when a party's damages occurred governs the issues raised, and all other leases-executed prior to or after the controlling lease-are immaterial. See Emery Bird Thayer Dry Goods Co. ,
Accordingly, we find the circuit court did not err in entering judgment in favor of Ms. Tolliver because her claim is not barred by the exculpatory clause in the 2017 lease. Point I is denied.
Point II-Breach of Contract Claim
In Point II, Appellant argues the circuit court erred in entering judgment against it on its counterclaim because Appellant proffered uncontroverted evidence to support a prima facie breach of contract claim. Specifically, Appellant contends Ms. Tolliver materially breached the 2017 lease by remaining in the apartment until June 15 without paying full or partial rent for June. We disagree.
Tenants may use a breach of implied warranty of habitability as a defense to a landlord's action for rent and possession. Moser v. Cline ,
Here, as in Kolb , Ms. Tolliver notified Appellant of the water leakage and mold on multiple occasions. The circuit court found Appellant breached the implied warranty *834of habitability because the defects in the apartment were material, and Appellant failed to correct them within a reasonable time to prevent Ms. Tolliver's damages. Consequently, like in Kolb , Ms. Tolliver vacated the apartment and Appellant terminated the 2017 lease, and, therefore, Ms. Tolliver was relieved of liability for June's rent as well as any other obligations under the lease.
Furthermore, the circuit court specifically found Ms. Tolliver's testimony established that Appellant agreed to waive rent for June. We recognize the circuit court is free to believe or disbelieve all, part, or none of the testimony presented. Watson v. Mense ,
Accordingly, we find the circuit court did not err in entering judgment against Appellant on its breach of contract claim. Point II is denied.
Conclusion
We affirm the judgment of the circuit court.
Lisa P. Page, C.J., and Timothy W. Inman, Sp.J., concur.
Because the relevant events in this case occurred in 2017, all dates referenced hereafter are to 2017 unless otherwise indicated.
Specifically, the small claims petition alleged:
The plaintiff states [she] has a claim against the defendant in the amount of $5,000. The claim arose on or about April 10, 2017 ... as a result of the following events: failed to keep property habitable, failed to provide housing, return deposit, damaged items, medical bills, lasts month rent (sic) and emotional distress.
The damaged items included a mattress, sheets, pillows, shoes, clothes, bags, hats, and photos.
The circuit court stated the amount of damages did not include amounts for medical bills, emotional distress, food costs, or photos because Ms. Tolliver did not provide any evidence to prove those allegations.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.