One Sylvan Rd. North v. Lark Int'l. Ltd, No. Spno 9404-15626 (Feb. 21, 1995)

1995 Conn. Super. Ct. 1214-AA
CourtConnecticut Superior Court
DecidedFebruary 21, 1995
DocketNo. SPNO 9404-15626
StatusUnpublished

This text of 1995 Conn. Super. Ct. 1214-AA (One Sylvan Rd. North v. Lark Int'l. Ltd, No. Spno 9404-15626 (Feb. 21, 1995)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
One Sylvan Rd. North v. Lark Int'l. Ltd, No. Spno 9404-15626 (Feb. 21, 1995), 1995 Conn. Super. Ct. 1214-AA (Colo. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

[EDITOR'S NOTE: This case is unpublished as indicated by the issuing court.]MEMORANDUM OF DECISION MOTION TO DISMISS On September 13, 1994 this court rendered an oral decision from the bench on the defendant's Motion to Dismiss dated August 26, 1994. On November 3, 1994 the defendant's Motion for Articulation requesting that the decision be articulated in writing was granted by this court. This memorandum is being issued in response to the Motion for Articulation.

This is a summary process action involving commercial premises. The defendant claims lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter in accordance with P.B. § 143(1). Although the motion to dismiss itself does not specify the exact grounds, the plaintiff argues the court does not have subject matter jurisdiction in that the defendant is not nor has it been actual physical possession of the premises and under these circumstances the allegations of non payment of rent in the Notice to Quit is insufficient for this court to have subject matter jurisdiction.

The Motion to Dismiss shall be used to assert the lack of CT Page 1214-CC jurisdiction over the subject matter. The Southport Manor ConvalescentCenter, Inc. v. Foley, 216 Conn. 11, 12, (1990); Practice Book § 143. Jurisdiction over the subject matter cannot be waived or conferred by consent. Serrani v. Board of Ethics, 225 Conn. 305, 308 (1993). Once the question of lack of jurisdiction of a court is raised, it must be disposed of no matter in what form it is presented and the court must fully resolve it before proceeding with the case. Castro v. Viera,207 Conn. 420, 433-434 (1988). The issue of subject matter jurisdiction may be raised at any time, even on appeal. Concerned Citizens of Sterlingv. Sterling, 204 Conn. 551, 556-557 (1987). The court must decide the issue of subject matter jurisdiction even if not raised by the parties.Tucker v. Maher, 192 Conn. 460, 469 (1984). It may be raised not by the parties but by the trial court. Manley v. Pfeiffer, 176 Conn. 540, 545 (1979). It may be raised by the Appellate Court. Rich TaubmanAssociates v. Harwyn Stamford, Inc., 35 Conn. App. 296, 299 (1994). It may be raised by the Supreme Court. Kolenberg v. Board of Education,206 Conn. 113, 122 (1988).

A motion to dismiss admits all facts which are well pleaded, invokes the existing record and must be decided upon that alone. Youngv. Chase, 18 Conn. App. 85, 90 (1989). The complaint is to be construed CT Page 1214-DD most favorably to the plaintiff. Duguay v. Hopkins, 191 Conn. 222, 227 (1993). In evaluating the sufficiency of the plaintiff's complaint we presume the validity of the allegations. Young v. Chase, supra 90. The motion to dismiss cannot consider matters not contained in the pleadings unless the evidence is brought to the court's attention in a court hearing conducted for that purpose. Standard Tallow Corporation v.Jowdy, 190 Conn. 48, 55 (1983). Under certain circumstances affidavits can be provided for the court to consider as to facts not apparent on the record. Practice Book § 143.

In determining whether to grant a motion to dismiss, the inquiry usually does not extend to the merits of the case. Rhodes v. Hartford,201 Conn. 89, 92 (1986); Lampasona v. Jacobs, 209 Conn. 724, 728 (1989).

The plaintiff, One Sylvan Road North, leased in 1986 the premises in question located in Westport, Connecticut to Lindblad Travel. Simultaneously Lark International Ltd., the defendant, executed a guarantee of the plaintiff's lease with Lindblad Travel. In accordance with the guarantee the defendant, Lark International Ltd., was required to perform the obligations of Lindblad Travel pursuant to the 1986 lease. The 1986 lease granted to Lindblad Travel certain options CT Page 1214-EE including an option to purchase the premises.

On March 1, 1990 Lindblad Travel vacated the premises they had occupied under 1986 lease. The plaintiff, One Sylvan Road North and the defendant, Lark International Ltd., entered into various agreements thereafter.

One agreement dated November 29, 1993, on file in this matter, is a lease between One Sylvan Road North and Reach Marketing, Inc. Reach is now in possession of the premises pursuant to that agreement. The defendant, Lark International Ltd., executed that November 29, 1993 lease agreement. Article 38 of that lease relates to the rights and obligations of Lark International Ltd. and further states that Lark International Ltd. acknowledged that Lark had succeeded to the rights and assumed the obligations of the former tenant, Lindblad Travel.

The pleadings further state that since Lindbald Travel no longer had occupancy, Lark has been paying the rent and additional rent to the plaintiff. There is no evidence that the plaintiff and Lindblad Travel had terminated its lease prior to the November 29, 1993 new lease agreement between the plaintiff, defendant and Reach Marketing, Inc. CT Page 1214-FF

The 1986 lease guarantee gave the defendant the right to step into the shoes of the tenant Lindblad Travel. The defendant did so and paid rent. The defendant, although not taking possession, paid rent and assumed obligations under the lease. The defendant executed an agreement to permit Reach Marketing Inc. to occupy the premises thus further emphasizing the substantial rights the defendant still retained in the property in question.

The first reason set forth in the Motion to Dismiss is that the "non payment of rent when due" reason set forth in the Notice to Quit, under the facts of this case, deprives the court of subject matter jurisdiction. Summary process is a statutory action and must be strictly construed. Jo Mark Sand Gravel Co. v. Panatella, 139 Conn. 598,600-601 (1953). Connecticut General Statutes § 47a-23 states that one of the statutory grounds for a Notice to Quit is "non-payment of rent". Therefore the Notice to Quit on its face states a valid reason.O'Keefe v. Atlantic Refining Co., 132 Conn. 613, 621-622 (1946);Bongiovanni v. Reardon, H-313; Webb v. Ambler, 125 Conn. 543, 553 (1939); Harrison v. Williams, H-537; Rosato v. Keller, H-45, 5 CLT 325, p. 18. CT Page 1214-GG

The second reason set forth in the motion to dismiss is that the defendant is not in occupancy or possession and thus there is no landlord tenant relationship. Continuing this argument the plaintiff states that "non-payment of rent" is not a valid reason if there is no obligation to pay rent. Rent is a contract payment.

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Bluebook (online)
1995 Conn. Super. Ct. 1214-AA, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/one-sylvan-rd-north-v-lark-intl-ltd-no-spno-9404-15626-feb-21-connsuperct-1995.