Eggers v. Paustian

190 Iowa 638
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJanuary 11, 1921
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 190 Iowa 638 (Eggers v. Paustian) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Eggers v. Paustian, 190 Iowa 638 (iowa 1921).

Opinion

Preston, J.

— The ease has been here before. Eggers v. Paustian, 184 Iowa 1250. The issues are the same. The case was reversed on the former appeal, because the court excluded evidence offered by plaintiff tending to show that defendant was not evicted, but that he voluntarily surrendered the premises because of an agreement between the parties, and because the court erred in excluding evidence given by defendant on a former trial, tending to show that defendant surrendered the premises voluntarily, and not as the result of a constructive eviction. The opinion states that, had the evidence been admitted, the court could not have peremptorily instructed that the written notice to quit, of December 24th, constituted an eviction. The defendant surrendered the premises on February 28th thereafter. The question on this appeal is whether defendant voluntarily surrendered the premises or was evicted. It is argued by appellant that the mere service of a notice to quit is not an eviction. The argument is that the trial court did peremptorily so instruct the jury. The case was presented on the counterclaim. The court placed the burden of proof upon the defendant as to the eviction, and upon plaintiff as to his claim that the lease was voluntarily canceled by agreement of the parties on October 9, 1915.

The instructions state substantially that any act by the landlord of such a character as to deprive the tenant of the'benefits, use, and enjoyment of the leased premises is an eviction; that the undisputed evidence shows that, on December 24, 1915, plaintiff caused written notice to quit and surrender the premises to be served on the defendant; that the service of such notice, followed by the surrender of the premises, constituted an eviction; and that the legal effect of such notice was to terminate the lease March 1, 1916, unless such notice was given in accord[640]*640anee with an agreement between the parties that possession would be surrendered upon giving such notice; but that, if the possession was surrendered by defendant in accordance -with an agreement, as claimed by plaintiff, and not solely because of the written notice to quit and surrender, and if such surrender of possession was voluntary on the part of the defendant, then defendant would not be entitled to damages; and further, that, if the jury should find that, about October 9,1915, plaintiff and defendant entered into an oral agreement by which defendánt agreed to surrender the premises on March 1, 1916, and that, by mutual agreement between them, the lease was then to terminate, and if possession was given in accordance with such agreement, then defendant could not recover; and further, that, if the jury should fail to find that there was such an agreement, the jury should then proceed to consider the counterclaim. Under these instructions, -we think appellant’s contention that the court peremptorily directed the jury that the mere service of the notice, followed by a surrender, would amount to an eviction, cannot be sustained. The court submitted to the jury the disputed question of fact as to whether there was an agreement to cancel the lease, or whether defendant surrendered the premises solely because of the breach of the contract on plaintiff’s part, in serving the notice to quit. The evidence which was excluded on the former trial was admitted in the second trial, as was the evidence in regard to defendant’s efforts at renting another farm, prior to December 24th; and these circumstances were before the jury, as bearing upon the disputed issue. Though plaintiff’s evidence tends to show such an agreement, and the circumstance as to defendant’s looking for another place contradicted defendant’s evidence, there was a jury question.

It is true, as contended by appellant, that defendant said that, from the time Eggers and Hagedorn were out to his place in October, he quit ploughing, and did nothing further with reference to running the place next year, — abandoned his plans for running the farm another year, and tried to get another place; and that, on March 1,1916, he had all his property off the farm. But his testimony must be taken all together. His other evidence, stated briefly, is that plaintiff, Hagedorn, and others came out to the place in October, and told him they had sold the [641]*641farm; that he didn’t know about the terms of the lease at that time; that he didn’t have it, because it was in the bank in Glad-brook ; and that he did not know, at that time, in regard to the provision in the lease about selling upon giving 60 days’ notice; that he learned that afterwards, after he got the contract, which was some time after they were out there in October; that, when he looked at another farm, he didn’t know but that he had to get off. He says:

“I left at the end of one year, because they served a written notice on me and told me I had to get off. I was prepared to farm the place during the remainder of the lease, and would have so continued. I fall-ploughed 15 acres in the fall of 1915, hauled out 325 loads of manure in the spring and fall of 1915, and built 282 rods of fence in the spring and fall of 1915. I quit the place because I got that written notice. I left it just on account of them serving that notice on me. . The notice to quit was served December 24, 1915, and I then decided to leave. Mr. Hagedorn said to me, when they were out there in October, that he had bought the place, and that he was going to see whether he could get possession March 1, 1916.”

He says, too, that, when Mr. Eggers and the others were out there, October 9th, Eggers asked him if he couldn’t look through the house that day, and defendant told him “No,” that he could not, as long as he lived there; and that he told plaintiff that he had the farm leased for three years; that, when he was looking for a farm after he got the contract from the bank, it was because he thought they had the right, under the contract, to sell the farm, and he thought he had to get off; and that, from the time the other parties were out there, he thought he had to get off; that plaintiff did not, at any time, indicate to him, after their meeting in October, that they would not put him off the place; and that thereafter, on December 24th, he got a notice to quit. It is undisputed that plaintiff gave the notice, and he did not waive it after it was given. Plaintiff says: “I knew what was in it when I sent it. I never told him I wouldn’t do that.” It appears from the evidence, without dispute, that the notice was given under the clause in the lease giving plaintiff the right to sell, upon giving defendant 60 days ’ notice. It [642]*642should be remembered that defendant’s looking for another farm, etc., was before the reformation of the lease striking out the provisions in reference to plaintiff’s right to sell. The reformation was on defendant’s plea, before the trial to the jury, and was after defendant had surrendered possession; so that the jury may have believed defendant, when he says that, at the time in October or November, when he was looking for another farm, he supposed they had a right to sell, under the lease, and that he had to get off. Defendant denies that he surrendered voluntarily, and denies that there was any agreement to cancel the lease. This being so, we think there was a jury question, and that the verdict, though there is a conflict, is supported by the evidence. The jury could have found from the evidence that plaintiff did not change his position, or intention of terminating the lease, and that plaintiff’s purpose and intention were to oust the defendant by legal process, if he resisted and did not vacate.

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190 Iowa 638, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/eggers-v-paustian-iowa-1921.