Jaffe v. Patterson Realty Co.

133 N.E.2d 655, 72 Ohio Law. Abs. 147, 1955 Ohio App. LEXIS 783
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 28, 1955
DocketNo. 2285
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 133 N.E.2d 655 (Jaffe v. Patterson Realty Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jaffe v. Patterson Realty Co., 133 N.E.2d 655, 72 Ohio Law. Abs. 147, 1955 Ohio App. LEXIS 783 (Ohio Ct. App. 1955).

Opinion

OPINION

By MILLER, Presiding Judge:

This is a law appeal from a judgment of the Common Pleas Court decreeing that the plaintiff was entitled to have specific performance of [148]*148a certain contract entered into on or about April 7, 1947, whereby the plaintiff’s assignor and the defendant, Patterson Realty Company, agreed to enter into a proposed lease for a certain storeroom located in the Callahan Building, Dayton, Ohio, and which was owned by the said defendant; that the lease of the defendant, Webster Clothes, Inc., for the same premises was subservient to that to which the plaintiff was entitled. The record reveals that in the summer of 1946 the Patterson Realty Company purchased the Callahan Building, and soon thereafter Mr. Lawson Jaffe, the plaintiff’s assignor, contacted Mr. Patterson about leasing the storeroom in question, advising him that he was seeking a location for a jewelry store being operated by Bohlender and Royston, Jewelers, Inc., under the trade name of Royston’s, and of which he was the principal stockholder; that the Royston lease expired in June, 1946, but that he had an oral extension for one year and that thereafter the rental was to be on a monthly basis, as the building was to be torn down and a new one erected, but the plans were indefinite as to just when the work would be started. The storeroom at the time was under lease to Chasebrook Clothes, Inc., which was operating a clothing store therein under the trade name of “Kibler Clothes.” This lease was to expire on December 1, 1946, but it contained a clause providing for a five-year renewal which would extend it to December 1, 1951. Jaffe informed Patterson that he was attempting to purchase this lease, but as yet had been unable to come to terms. From all his representations it appears that Jaffe desired to obtain the room as soon as possible. Soon after the second meeting between Jaffe and Patterson, Jaffe turned over the negotiations for said lease to his agent, Mr. Clair Sammons, who had numerous conferences thereafter with Mr. Patterson and the manager of the building at which the terms and conditions of the lease were fully discussed, including certain alterations Jaffe was going to make on the premises. As a result of these conferences a copy of a proposed lease was mailed to Mr. Jaffe, which was complete in all details with the exception of the date of its execution and of its beginning and termination. The lease was accompanied by the following letter, which is the basis of this action:

“April 7, 1947

“Mr. Lawson Jaffe,

“Mayor’s Jewelry,

“Third and Main Streets,

“Dayton 2, Ohio.

“Dear Mr. Jaffe—

“This will confirm our verbal agreement with respect to the leasing of the store room and space now occupied by Kibler’s Clothing Store in the Callahan Building, Dayton, Ohio, now under lease to Chasebrook, Inc. to November 30, 1951.

“It is our understanding that you are now negotiating to secure an assignment of the Chasebrook, Inc. lease. Upon your acquisition of this lease and the vacation of the premises by the present tenant, or upon the expiration of the present lease, we agree to enter into a lease with you, substantially in the form attached hereto as ‘Exhibit A,’ which lease you may assign to the Bohlander — Royston Jewelries, Inc. without however releasing yourself from the obligations of the lease.

[149]*149“If tlie foregoing correctly states our verbal agreement, and the attached form of lease is satisfactory to you, will you please sign a duplicate of this letter and return the same to us and it shall constitute our contract.

Very truly yours,

PATTERSON REALTY COMPANY

(Signed) Robert Patterson

PRESIDENT”

Within thirty days after the receipt of this letter, Mr. Jaffe approved the same by signing in duplicate and forwarding it to Mr. Patterson. Nothing further was done thereafter except the fact that Jaffe continued his negotiations to acquire the Kibler lease, but in this he was not successful. Then on August 12, 1948, Patterson Realty Company sent the following letter to Mr. Jaffe:

“August 12, 1948.

“Third and Main Sts.,

“Dear Mr. Jaffe:

“We are anxious to proceed with some remodeling of the Callahan Building and before doing so would like to have you confirm our view that neither we nor you are any longer obligated under our exchange of letters on April 7, 1947, relating to the store room occupied by Kibler’s Clothing Store. More than a year has passed and you have not acquired the existing lease, nor have you evidenced plans to negotiate, therefore: we consequently presume that you have abandoned your plans for the use of this corner.

“If you have any different views, we shall be glad to discuss them with you.

Yours very truly,

PATTERSON REALTY COMPANY.

(Signed) Park Wineland

Building Manager.”

In reply to this letter Mr. Jaffe called Mr. Wineland on the telephone and told him that he had been working hard to acquire the Kibler lease but that even though he was unsuccessful, he still had a right to the lease under the contract. Later the Kibler Store was sold to Webster Clothes, Inc., and the lease was duly assigned to it. On October 12, 1949, an agent of the plaintiff wrote a letter to Webster Clothes, Inc., advising it of the plaintiff’s contract for a fifteen-year lease at the termination of their lease expiring on December 31, 1951, and stating that Mr. Jaffe was desirous of negotiating with them with reference to obtaining possession prior to the expiration of their lease. Webster Clothes was also advised that the contract of April 7, 1947, as well as the proposed lease, was recorded in the Recorder’s Office, Book No. 51, page 419, and upon its later request a photostatic copy of the recorded instruments was sent to Webster Clothes. With full knowledge of all these facts Webster Clothes entered into a new lease with Patterson Realty Company for a term of five additional years, making its lease expire on December 31, 1956.

[150]*150The record also discloses that in accordance with the letter of April 7, 1947, Mr. Jaffe assigned all of his right, title and interest in the lease to Bohlander and Royston Jewelers, Inc., and who are now the plaintiffs in this action.

The lower court, in a well considered opinion, held that there was no mistake or patent or latent ambiguity in the agreement made on April 7, 1947, and therefore it was not subject to modification by parol evidence. It was of the further opinion that there was no condition precedent expressed in the alleged agreement because of the use of the conjunction “or” in the following sentence:

“Upon your acquisition of this lease and the vacation of the premises by the present tenant, or upon the expiration of the present lease, we agree to enter into a lease with you, 4 *

The court was also of the opinion that the defendant, Webster Clothes, had actual knowledge of the plaintiff’s claim to a lease, and therefore its lease was subservient to that of the plaintiff’s. We are in full accord with the court’s legal and factual conclusions, and the reason for the same given in a well considered opinion; hence, a further discussion of these questions would serve no useful purpose.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
133 N.E.2d 655, 72 Ohio Law. Abs. 147, 1955 Ohio App. LEXIS 783, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jaffe-v-patterson-realty-co-ohioctapp-1955.