Cornerstone Companies & Fairlawn Ventures, Ltd. v. Zipkin

573 N.E.2d 228, 60 Ohio Misc. 2d 14, 1989 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 31
Akron Municipal Court·Decided June 22, 1989·No. No. 89 CVG 2203·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

Hartnett, J.

This case is before the court on defendants’ motion for summary judgment filed March 28, 1989. On the same date defendants also filed a brief in support of the motion, and an affidavit of defendant Laurence S. Zipkin (“L. Zipkin”) in support of the motion. Plaintiff filed a brief in opposition to the motion and an affidavit of John Wickert in opposition to the motion on April 11,1989. Defendants filed a supplemental brief in support of the motion on May 18, 1989, and at the same time filed an affidavit of attorney Katherine S. Blackham in support of the motion. A hearing on the motion was held on May 19, 1989.

This case concerns a retail store area located in the Fairlawn Plaza Shopping Center, Fairlawn, Ohio. On or about November 21,1962, a written lease of the premises was entered into by and between plaintiff or its predecessor in interest as lessor and defendants and/or their predecessor in interest as lessee. The initial term of the lease was to expire on January 31, 1978. Article III of the lease provided for an option to renew for three successive five-year terms.

On February 9, 1989, plaintiff served defendants with a notice to vacate the premises as required by R.C. 1923.04. A second notice to vacate the premises was served by plaintiff on defendants on February 15, 1989.

On March 3,1989, plaintiff filed its complaint in forcible entry and de-tainer seeking restitution of the premises. The basis on which plaintiff alleges it is entitled to restitution of the premises is breach of the terms of the lease. The plaintiff contends that the defendants have purported to assign the lease without the prior written consent of the lessor, which written consent is required by Article XIV of the lease.

Under Civ. R. 56 summary judgment can only be granted if there are no genuine issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

The defendants have maintained plaintiff has waived the notice to vacate required by R.C. 1923.04 because plaintiff accepted rental payments after the day the tenants were requested to vacate (the “vacate day”) set forth in the second notice for [15] periods of occupancy after the vacate day. There is no genuine issue of fact that plaintiff did accept rental payments after the vacate day (February 18, 1989) as follows:

(1) On March 2, 1989, L. Zipkin wrote personal check No. 5210, dated March 2, 1989, in the amount of $2,001.81 payable to the entity “Fairlawn Plaza Center” (“FSC”), the entity which plaintiff desired to be the payee of rental payment checks from defendants. Check No. 5210 was for payment of rent through March 31, 1989.

(2) Plaintiff did not receive check No. 5210 until sometime after March 3, 1989.

(3) Plaintiff cashed or deposited the check on or about March 13,1989.

(4) On or about March 6, 1989, L. Zipldn wrote personal check No. 5211, dated March 6, 1989, in the amount of $32,174.00 payable to FSC. This amount was payable as percentage rent as required by the lease.

(5) Plaintiff cashed or deposited check No. 5211 on or about March 13, 1989.

(6) On or about April 1, 1989, L. Zipldn wrote personal check No. 5230, dated April 1,1989, payable to FSC in the amount of $2,238.99. Check No. 5230 was payment of rent through April 30, 1989.

(7) Plaintiff cashed or deposited check No. 5230 on or about April 5, 1989.

It must be remembered that on the facts of the case before the court we are dealing with a situation (1) where the eviction is not for nonpayment of rent, but is based on an alleged breach of another covenant of the lease, and (2) the waiver alleged by defendants took place after the vacate day. A number of cases have been cited by the defendants for the principle they seek to have the court adopt. In particular they cite Presidential Park Apts. v. Colston (App. 1980), 17 O.O. 3d 220, and Associated Estates Corp. v. Bartell (1985), 24 Ohio App. 3d 6, 24 OBR 28, 492 N.E. 2d 841.

In Colston the plaintiff sought restitution of the premises on the basis of the tenant’s disturbance of his neighbors. Thus, the basis for the eviction was for a reason other than nonpayment of rent, just as in the case now before the court. The Court of Appeals for Franklin Comity noted that the key fact was that at the time of the hearing on May 2, 1979, “plaintiff had already received defendant’s rent payment for the month of May and had not tendered this payment back to defendant. * * *” Id. at 221.

The court commented: “* * * After serving a notice to vacate, it is inconsistent for a landlord to accept and retain rent payments in advance. * * *” Id.

The court further observed that:

“A tenant in occupancy defending such an action is liable for rent during the pendency of the suit, and the landlord may accept rent paid for liability already incurred without acting inconsistently with the notice to vacate. But by accepting future rent payments, the landlord has waived the three-day notice since such acceptance is inconsistent with the landlord’s notice to vacate. * * *” Id.
The court recognized that its holding on this issue “may place a landlord in a difficult position considering the length of time sometimes required to prosecute a forcible entry and detainer action. * * *” Id.

Bartell likewise was a case in which the landlord sought eviction on grounds other than for nonpayment of rent. The landlord complained of “ ‘serious repeated damage to unit, repeated disturbance.’ ” Id. at 7, 24 OBR at 29, 492 N.E. 2d at 843. In Bartell the landlord served the tenant with a three-day notice on January 30, 1984. However, plaintiff continued to accept rent for periods of occupancy [16] beyond that date. For example, plaintiff cashed defendant’s check for the month of April on April 4, 1984.

The court followed the holding in Colston, restating it as follows:

“Since appellee accepted future rent payments from appellant following service of the notice to vacate the premises, appellee has waived the statutory requirement of notice. * * *” (Emphasis sic.) Id. at 9, 24 OBR at 31, 492 N.E. 2d at 845.

Therefore, the “action did not commence” according to the appellate court.

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Cornerstone Companies & Fairlawn Ventures, Ltd. v. Zipkin, 573 N.E.2d 228, 60 Ohio Misc. 2d 14, 1989 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 31 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1989).

573 N.E.2d 228 (Cornerstone Companies & Fairlawn Ventures, Ltd. v. Zipkin) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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