Commercial Music Company v. Vanzura

440 S.W.2d 345, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2484
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 16, 1969
DocketNo. 11639
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 440 S.W.2d 345 (Commercial Music Company v. Vanzura) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commercial Music Company v. Vanzura, 440 S.W.2d 345, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2484 (Tex. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

HUGHES, Justice.

Appellant, Commercial Music Co., Inc., sued Tex M. Vanzura, d/b/a Pink Lizard Lounge, Roy Eazor and Julia Sawyer alleging that it had been unlawfully evicted from premises in Austin, Travis County, formerly leased to Eazor, presently owned by Mrs. Sawyer and presently leased to Vanzura.

In October 1964, the property in suit was owned by Edward J. Haffner who leased it to Eazor for a period of three years with a three year option. These leases provided that the lease could not be assigned or the premises sublet without the written consent of Lessor.

On May 11, 1966, Eazor executed what is denominated an “Exclusive Concession Lease,” the property leased being described as Ray’s Lounge at 2610 Guadalupe Street and Roy’s Cafe at 2612 Guadalupe Street, Austin, Texas, in favor of appellant. This lease was for a term of five years with an option to renew for one year. The consideration for this lease was stated to be one dollar. It gave Lessee many rights but created few obligations on it. It gave to Lessee “ * * * the right, privilege and option of installing and operating all legal coin operated electrical phonographs, amusement devices, and cigarette machines * * * ” on the premises. It provided for assignment without the consent of Lessor. It provided that Lessee should pay “a percentage of the gross proceeds” to Lessor. The lease contained many other provisions principally for the protection and benefit of Lessee.

On January 7, 1967, Mrs. Sawyer, who had purchased the property in April, 1965, signed, in blank, the following instrument:

“The Undersigned is Landlord of the premises at 2610-C Guadalupe & 2610-B Guadalupe City of Austin, County of Travis, Texas, and hereby consents to the Concession Lease in favor of Austin Phonograph Company and the above assignment of lease on the premises according to its terms. The Undersigned agrees to notify Austin Phonograph Company of any termination of the lease on the premises or that said lease is sought to be transferred with an option for ten days for Austin Phonograph Company to succeed said lease for the remainder of its term.
EXECUTED THIS THE 7th day of January, 1967
/s/ Julia Sawyer Julia Sawyer” 1

[347]*347On June 29, 1967, Mrs. Sawyer and Van-zura executed a lease on these premises for a period of five years with an option to renew for five years. After the execution of this lease Vanzura refused to use appellant’s coin operated machines and installed other machines.

This lease resulted from negotiations between Eazor and Vanzura whereby Van-zura about June 21, 1967, purchased Roy’s Lounge from Eazor. It is obvious that this lease was made before the leases from Haffner to Eazor had expired. The effect of this transaction was that the Haffner leases were surrendered by Eazor and it is this conduct by him which appellant contends activated the following provision of its “Exclusive Concession Lease.”

“2. It is expressly understood that in the event that the LESSOR herein shall not be the owner of the premises herein leased, and shall hold a lease of the property of which the demised premises are a part, then this sublease is and shall remain subject to all of the terms and conditions of such existing lease to the LESSOR so far as they shall be applicable to the premises herein leased. In the event LESSOR holds a lease on the demised premises herein, LESSOR acknowledges that he has this day granted to LESSEE an assignment thereof to enable LESSEE to succeed to said lease in the event of breach by this LESSOR; abandonment by this LESSOR; the attempted sale or assignment by this LESSOR of said lease or equipment located therein; or upon any of the events specified in said lease as constituting a breach or termination thereof upon the election of the owner. LESSOR warrants and covenants that he shall give written notice to LESSEE ten (10) days in advance of any of said acts or events making effective this Assignment.”

Appellant prayed for specific performance of its concession lease, for an injunction and, in the alternative, for damages.

We quote the following from the answer of Mrs, Sawyer:

“The defendant will show that when the instrument described by the plaintiff as a ‘landlord’s waiver’ was presented to her, all of the blanks were in fact still blank and the instrument on its face obviously referred to some other written instrument which did not accompany it. Thereafter, and prior to signing the instrument, she called Mr. Pete Martinez, the man who was then manager of Austin Phonograph Company, and asked him to explain exactly what the so-called ‘landlord’s waiver’ and the other written instrument to which the ‘landlord’s waiver’ referred provided and how they would affect the defendant, Julia Sawyer. Mr. Martinez at first stated that it was only a technical requirement necessary before Austin Phonograph could loan any money to Mr. Eazor. Upon being pressed further Mr. Martinez explained that the ‘landlord’s waiver’ and the other written of the landlord’s lien as to Austin Phonograph Company equipment and would enable Austin Phonograph to recover their machines even if the tenant defaulted and Mrs. Sawyer exercised her landlord’s lien in an effort to get rent money collected. The defendant would show that relying on this explanation she thereafter signed the ‘landlord’s waiver’ not realizing that the instrument which she signed had any significance other that which had been represented to her by the plaintiff agent and employee, Pete Martinez, and the defendant would further show that the plaintiff well knew that the defendant was mistaken in these facts concerning the written instruments.
III.
The defendant will show that there was no consideration for her execution of the so-called ‘landlord’s waiver’ and that, on the contrary, no consideration was even discussed, it being understood that she would sign the instrument as a favor to Mr. Eazor.”

[348]*348Trial was non-jury. Judgment was rendered that appellant take nothing by its suit. There are no findings of fact or conclusions of law.

Appellant has four points three of which are predicated on the validity of the so-called “landlord’s waiver,” the other point being in rebuttal of Vanzura’s plea of bona fide purchaser.

In our opinion it is unnecessary for us to discuss any of appellant’s points for the reason that judgment for appellees was properly based on the pleading and evidence that the “landlord’s waiver” was invalid being procured by misrepresentation by appellant.

We quote the following testimony of Mrs. Sawyer regarding her execution of the “landlord’s waiver:”

“Q How did you get that instrument prior to the time that you signed it?
A Well, sir, it was in my mailbox.
Q All right.
A And, in fact, I was informed by Mr. Martinez several times and by Roy asking me to sign it. I had it for about four days before I signed it.
Q All right. Did you call up Mr. Martinez and ask him to explain to you what the meaning of that instrument was?
A Yes, sir.
Q Were you able to tell from reading the instrument that it also referred to some other instrument?

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Copenhaver v. Berryman
602 S.W.2d 540 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1980)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
440 S.W.2d 345, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2484, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commercial-music-company-v-vanzura-texapp-1969.