Miller v. Johnson

134 P. 1017, 43 Utah 468, 1913 Utah LEXIS 87
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedApril 25, 1913
DocketNo. 2443-4
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 134 P. 1017 (Miller v. Johnson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Miller v. Johnson, 134 P. 1017, 43 Utah 468, 1913 Utah LEXIS 87 (Utah 1913).

Opinions

STRAUP, J.

These are two cases in ejectment, one against O. E. Johnson and the Johnson Company, a corporation, and the other against Mrs. Butler. They are consolidated on this appeal. The facts in each case are the same. Eor convenience we-refer more particularly to the Johnson Company Case.

On the 10th of August, 1888, William J. Lloyd, the then owner of the land described in the complaint, a lot in Salt Lake City 36 by 165 feet, made a ground lease to the defendants C. E. Johnson, Mrs. Butler, and one Oliver Hodg-son, for a term of ten years, or to and including the 10th of August, 1898, at a rental of forty-five dollars a month. In the lease it was stipulated: “And it is further agreed that the building erected upon the aforesaid lot shall, at the expiration of the time in this lease mentioned, be the property of' the parties of the second part,” the lessees. The lessees went into possession of the lot, and at their own expense erected thereon a two-story brick building, the walls of which rested upon a rock foundation embedded in the soil. The building cannot be removed without tearing it down. The upper story was occupied by Johnson, and was used by him in carrying on a photograph business; the lower, consisting of' two storerooms, was occupied by Butler and Hodgson, each occupying one room. In 1895 Johnson transferred his interest in and to the lease and to the building to the Johnson Company, a corporation of which he was the president and [470]*470general manager and principal stockholder, and which thereafter occupied and used the upper floor of the building in carrying on a photograph business: Johnson and the Johnson Company paid to Lloyd one-third of the ground rent, Butler one-third, and Hodgson one-third, each fifteen dollars a month. In the summer of 1898, and before the lease expired, one B. F. Johnson, on behalf of the Johnson company, saw Lloyd and also his son John H. Lloyd, his agent, “for the purpose of securing an extension of the lease.” He had prepared a draft of a new lease and read it to William J. Lloyd. Lloyd told him the lease “was all right” except the rent was too small, Johnson proposing that each pay but five dollars a month instead of fifteen dollars, and Lloyd insisting that each pay ten dollars a month, and requested Johnson to see his son John about it, and-said “that the present lease — that is, the lease that was then in effect— should be continued.” Johnson saw John Lloyd with respect to the amount of rent to be paid, but they then reached • no definite conclusion or understanding about it. The Johnson Company, however, paid and W. J. Lloyd accepted $7.50 a month for about six months after the written lease had expired. No new lease having been entered into, B. F. Johnson, in December, 1898, drew another proposed lease and presented it to William J. Lloyd, and had a further conversation with him about it. On this point Johnson testified :

“He (William J. Lloyd) at that time said he didn’t care to sign a written lease for any specified time; that the terms of this proposed lease were all right, and he didn’t care to sign a written lease because he thought he probably would sell the property. At all events he wanted to leave it so he could sell it, and he referred me again to his son John Lloyd for an arrangement as to the amount of rent, because we were still disputing about what rent we would pay. When we first got into controversy about the rent I called attention to the fact that we desired the matter settled one way or the other, as we would be obliged to seek a new location for the photograph gallery unless we could get an exten[471]*471sion of tbis lease, and be said that, until we came to some definite conclusion about a new written lease, we could continue to occupy tbe premises on tbe same terms and conditions of tbe old lease, except we were to arrange with bis son about tbe rent, tbe amount of rent to be paid.”

He further testified that be thereafter saw John H. Lloyd,.' and that it was finally agreed between them that tbe rental to be paid by each tenant was eight dollars a month. Tbe Johnson Company continued in possession and paid that amount of rent each month until tbe commencement of tbis action, as also did Mrs. Butler. In November, 1898, about three months after tbe expiration of tbe original lease, W. J. Lloyd purchased Hodgson’s interest in tbe tbe building, and from thence by tenants occupied tbe same room which theretofore bad been occupied by Hodgson.

J. H. Lloyd testified that bis father bad consulted with him in relation to tbe proposed extension of tbe tenancy of Johnson and Butler, and stated that their tenancy might be continued from month to month, but that be did not desire to tie up bis property by any long lease. Tbe Johnson Company and Mrs. Butler paid tbe rent to W. J. Lloyd until bis death in June, 1903, and thereafter to John H. Lloyd, tbe executor of bis estate. On tbe 18th of August, 1910, tbe executor by deed sold and conveyed tbe real estate to tbe plaintiff. Tbe deed described tbe real estate without reference to-any improvements thereon. Tbe executor, thereupon notified tbe Johnson Company and Mrs. Butler that tbe plaintiff “since tbe 18th of August, 1910, has been tbe owner of tbe land and premises above described, together with all our improvements thereon.” Tbe plaintiff, four days after tbe purchase, and on tbe 22d day of August, 1910, served a written-notice and demand on tbe Johnson Company and Butler to vacate and surrender to him tbe land, and all the improvements thereon, not later than tbe 8th of September, 1910. They refused to surrender tbe building, hence these lawsuits.

Tbe plaintiff does not claim to be an innocent purchaser. It is shown, and not denied, that be purchased with full knowledge and notice of all tbe rights and claims, whatever [472]*472they may be, of tbe Johnson Company and Mrs. Butler in .and to tbe improvements. Before tbe plaintiff purchased be inquired about them, and was told that tbe Johnson .Company and Mrs. Butler each claimed an undivided one-third interest in and to tbe building, and that tbe Lloyd estate ■owned tbe other one-third. Both tbe Johnson Company and Mrs. Butler at tbe time of plaintiff’s purchase were, and for a long time prior thereto bad been, in possession of tbe property, tbe Johnson Company of tbe first floor, and Mrs. Butler one of tbe storerooms.

While tbe court found that no agreement was made between William J. Lloyd and C. E. Johnson, except tbe ten-year written lease, or that “be should continue to own and occupy said building,” it nevertheless found that “shortly prior to tbe expiration of tbe term of tbe said written lease, B. F. Johnson, on behalf of tbe Johnson Company, verbally agreed with William J. Lloyd that said Johnson Company could occupy tbe said premises until further arrangements could be made,” and that “John H. Lloyd in behalf of said William J. Lloyd and B. F. Johnson in behalf of tbe Johnson Company agreed upon a rental of eight dollars per month.”

The defendants offered to show that the building placed ■on the lot was of the value of $7000. They also offered to ■show that the building was assessed.each year, first to C. E. Johnsoii, Mrs. Butler, and Hodgson, then to the Johnson Company and Butler, and that the Johnson Company and Mrs. Butler each paid one-third of such taxes until the commencement of the suit; that after Hodgson sold his interest to William J. Lloyd the building was assessed to the Johnson Company, Butler and William J. Lloyd, and that each paid one-third of the taxes. They further offered to show that William J.

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Shurtleff v. Salt Lake City
82 P.2d 561 (Utah Supreme Court, 1938)

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Bluebook (online)
134 P. 1017, 43 Utah 468, 1913 Utah LEXIS 87, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/miller-v-johnson-utah-1913.