Leda v. Whisnand

207 P.3d 468
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedMay 11, 2009
Docket61639-1-I
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 207 P.3d 468 (Leda v. Whisnand) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Leda v. Whisnand, 207 P.3d 468 (Wash. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

207 P.3d 468 (2009)

Jean LEDA and Steven Leda, husband and wife, Respondents,
v.
Robert WHISNAND, Appellant.

No. 61639-1-I.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 1.

May 11, 2009.

*470 Scott R. Peterson, Gerald Francis Robison, Burien, WA, for Appellant.

Larry M. Trivett, Marysville, WA, for Respondents.

DWYER, A.C.J.

¶ 1 This is a residential landlord-tenant case. Jean and Steven Leda are Robert Whisnand's former landlords. Whisnand appeals from a judgment entered against him in an unlawful detainer action brought by the Ledas. Rejecting Whisnand's primary contention on appeal, we hold that he could neither renew his tenancy nor create a new tenancy by sending the Ledas an unsolicited rent payment after they served him with a 20-day notice to vacate. We also hold, however, *471 that the superior court commissioner abused her discretion by refusing to allow Whisnand to present evidence supporting his other claimed defenses during the unlawful detainer show cause hearing. Accordingly, we reverse and remand for further proceedings.

I

¶ 2 Whisnand rented residential property from the Ledas for $800 per month. He rented on a month-to-month basis. There was no written lease.

¶ 3 On either January 30 or 31, 2008, Steven Leda posted a document entitled "NOTICE TO TERMINATE TENANCY" on the front door of the residence that Whisnand had been renting from the Ledas. The notice informed Whisnand that the Ledas were terminating his tenancy effective February 29, 2008. It was signed by the Ledas' attorney and dated January 31, 2008. In spite of this, Steven Leda filed a sworn affidavit stating that the notice had actually been posted on January 30. Regardless of whether the notice was posted on the 30th or the 31st, on the same day that he posted it Steven Leda also sent a copy of the notice by first-class U.S. mail to the address of the property that Whisnand was renting from the Ledas.

¶ 4 February passed. Whisnand removed neither himself nor his possessions from the property.

¶ 5 On March 1, 2008, the Ledas served Whisnand with a summons and a complaint for unlawful detainer. These pleadings were filed at the Snohomish County Superior Court on March 5, 2008.

¶ 6 On March 13, 2008, Whisnand filed a pro se pleading styled "NOTICE OF APPEARANCE AND ANSWER BY AFFIDAVIT."

¶ 7 The next day, the Ledas filed a motion for an order to show cause why the court should not issue a writ restoring their property to them. The same day, a commissioner of the court granted the Ledas' motion and ordered Whisnand to appear on April 1, 2008, and raise any defense as to why he should not be removed from the property.

¶ 8 The day after the court entered that order, Whisnand mailed two $400 money orders to the Ledas, with the word "RENT" hand-written upon them. The Ledas immediately handed the money orders over to their attorney, who deposited them in his trust account and wrote a letter to Whisnand, stating:

Please be advised that these funds have been deposited into my trust account pending the outcome of the above referenced action. Please also be advised that the Leda's [sic] have not accepted this payment as rent in this matter, as they consider your continued occupancy of their property as unlawful. Furthermore, the deposit of these funds into my trust account does not constitute waiver of any right or claim that the Leda's [sic] have or may have against you. Final disposition of these funds will be determined upon order of the Court.

¶ 9 At the April 1 hearing, Whisnand and the Ledas appeared both personally and by counsel. At the close of the Ledas' presentation, Whisnand's counsel inquired: "Would the Court like to orally examine the witnesses or would you like me to do that?" The court responded:

Counsel, under RCW 59.18.380, the Respondent may answer orally or in writing. Your client has answered in writing. You may also do an offer of proof. If there's anything else that your client would like to say, he certainly may be able to say that. I think what you're asking for the Court to do is to swear the parties in and make this a trial. I will not.

The exchange continued:

[WHISNAND'S COUNSEL]: Okay. I am not. I am just asking that the Court orally examine the parties and —
THE COURT: Counsel, I'm not going to ask the questions. This is not an examination from the bench as far as going through and making questions. I believe that each of you understand your particular positions of your clients, and I would request that you provide me whatever you would like to say. And in fact if you'd look at the Statute, they may answer orally or *472 in writing. I'm giving you an opportunity to do both. Thank you.
[WHISNAND'S COUNSEL]: So will — so will the Court allow me the opportunity to examine the parties and witnesses?
THE COURT: Counsel, I will not swear the parties in. I will not have you cross examine the Plaintiffs. You may make an offer of proof. And I've read the answer of your client from 3/13.

¶ 10 Whisnand's attorney then presented his contention that the deposit of the money orders sent by Whisnand to the Ledas in the Ledas' attorney's trust account either renewed Whisnand's tenancy or created a new one. After the Ledas' attorney responded, the court asked of Whisnand's attorney: "Counsel, is there anything else that you want to say?"

¶ 11 The following exchange then took place:

[WHISNAND'S COUNSEL]: We would just like that the Court consider all of that. And he also believes that actually the lease is not in a period that's terminated at the end of the month, but actually was basically from the 15th through the 15th —
[LEDAS' COUNSEL]: Objection, your Honor. There's nothing on the record about that. The client's had over a month to respond to this. There's absolutely nothing about what the period is on the record in evidence at all, your Honor. So we object.
THE COURT: Objection sustained.
[WHISNAND'S COUNSEL]: Okay.
THE COURT: Is there anything else that you'd like to say?
[WHISNAND'S COUNSEL]: I just want to point out if the Court would orally examine the witness, it could find out this information. That's what we have been asking for.
THE COURT: I understand what you've been asking, and I've given everyone an opportunity to make offers of proof as well as to provide information in writing, in which you have. Counsel, is there anything else that your client felt that he needed to say?
[WHISNAND'S COUNSEL]: Is there anything else you wanted to say to the Court?
MR. WHISNAND: It's — it's plain and simple. In Steve Leda's own exhibition pleading that we paid the first month's rent on the 11th and moved in on the 15th. That's clear. It's in his writing, not mine, your Honor.

The Ledas' own submissions show that Whisnand's first rent payment was made, on November 11, 2006, and that most subsequent rent payments (including the December 2006, January 2007, February 2007, March 2007, and April 2007 payments) were made roughly mid-month.

¶ 12 The court then stated that it would "sign a writ of restitution." Whisnand's counsel inquired: "Will the Court be setting this for trial also?" The court responded:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
207 P.3d 468, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leda-v-whisnand-washctapp-2009.