Rosen v. Martin

1924 OK 570, 226 P. 577, 102 Okla. 65, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 128
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 20, 1924
Docket12438
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 1924 OK 570 (Rosen v. Martin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rosen v. Martin, 1924 OK 570, 226 P. 577, 102 Okla. 65, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 128 (Okla. 1924).

Opinion

■GORDON, J.

This action was commenced in the district court of Rogers county. Plaintiff’s petition alleged that W. S. Rosen was the owner of certain real estate in the city of Claremore, Rogers county, Okla. That plaintiff Savoy Amusement Company holds the lease upon said property and is in possession thereunder, operating a picture show or theatre under the name of. “Lyric The-atre” ; that defendant has threatened to tear down and remove a portion of the building so used by Savoy Amusement Company, and will leave the rear end of the building open, and render. it impossible for said Savoy Amusement Company to operate its business. That unless enjoined, defendant will put such threats into effect, causing irreparable injury to plaintiffs, and that plaintiffs have no adequate remedy at law. They pray for injunction restraining defendant from entering upon the real estate, and from tearing down or removing any part thereof. To this petition defendant filed his answer and cross-petition. In his answer, defendant alleged that plaintiff W. S. Rosen is the owner 6f the real estate involved by purchase from the estate of J. B. Boling, deceased; that Boling, while the owner, leased to defendant the building on this real estate for a period of five years from April, 1915. That said contract of lease was in writing, and provided that the defendant should erect certain improvements or additions on the south end of the building in order to make it suitable for “theatre purposes.” and provided further that at the end of the five year period, said Boling would pay the valué of such improvements, or the defendant might remove the same from the premises; that this contract of lease was lost and not recorded, but that plaintiff Rosen had actual notice of the existence of the contract before his purchase. That upon the expiration of said lease defendant called on Rosen for the payment of the value of the improvements placed on said real estate by him, that said plaintiff refused to pay, and thereupon the defendant threatened to and would have removed such improvements except for the commencement of this action. That on the 27th day of March, 1915, he filed for record with the county clerk of Rogers county a statement of the substance of this contract, giving notice thereof to the public; that Savoy Amusement Company took its lease with full knowledge of this contract, and that the improvements placed on said property by the defendant are worth $3.-000.

He prayed judgment for the" sum of $3.000, or permission to remove his improvements. In his cross-petition defendant sets out his election to hold possession of this property for five years additional from May 1, 1920, as provided in hi-s contract, and prays the possession in accordance with said contract.

To this answer and cross-petition the plaintiffs filed a reply denying the allegations of the answer and cross-petition, and alleging that Savoy Amusement Company purchased its lease upon the real estate in good faith and for a valuable consideration, and without notice, and alleged, further, that if the defendant had the lease contract mem tioned, he sold and conveyed all of his interest in the real estate to one John Sampson. Upon these pleadings the cause went *66 to trial. The parties will be designated as In the trial court.

The trial court held the burden of proof to be upon the defendant. The cause was submitted to the court without the intervention of a jury. Stipulation was made that all issues made should be adjudicated. Brooks v. Tyner et al., 38 Okla. 271, 132 Pac. 683.

In the early stages of the trial, much time was devoted to the effort to prove the conditions of the original lease contract between J. M. Boling and others and the defendant, proof having been made by the defendant of the loss of this contract. It later developed that the contract was in the possession of Mrs. Boling, and the original contract was finally introduced in evidence by the plaintiff.

This contract was made on the 24th day of February, 1915, being signed on the one part by J. M. Boling, Mrs. J. M. Boling, and B. M. Davis, and on the othe» part by H. M. Martin. The evidence fails to show what interest Mrs. J. M. Boling or B. M. Davis had in this property, but it is conceded throughout the trial that the lease was valid, and that the subsequent transfers of the property covered by this lease were made by those deriving title from J. M. Bol-ing. This lease provides that the defendant. Martin shall hold the building, which was then occupied by him, for a term of five years, at a stipulated rental. It provides, further, that the defendant “shall have preference in releasing it, if so desired,” and the parties agree that the defendant may make such enlargements of the building as he may desire and wish in order to fit it for use as a moving picture show, the provision in. this regard being as follows:

“It is further understood and agreed by and between the parties hereto that in the event said party of the second part shall make such improvements and enlargements to said premises that he shall do so at his own expense, but at the end of the term hereby granted the parties of the first part shall have the right to purchase such enlargements from the party of the second part, provided, they can agree on price, or that in the event the parties of the first part shall not so desire to purchase such enlargements and improvements, the party of the second part shall have the right to remove the same from said premises, always with the distinct understanding that in doing so, he leaves the present building in as good shape of repair as it is at the present time, that is to say, he is to replace building as it was originally and that the present building shall not be damaged or made unfit for occupancy by reason of such removal.”

At the time this contract was executed the defendant was operating a moving picture show in this building. Soon after its execution he enlarged the building, adding thereto an annex about 30 feet in length, and of practically the same width as the original building. For some months he continued to operate the picture show, but after the expiration of something like a year, he sold the picture show, and the good will, to John Sampson, and Sampson went into possession.. Soon after this sale J. B. Boling died, and his wife became the owner of the property.

On March 16, 1918, the plaintiff Rosen made an agreement to purchase the real estate upon which the picture show was being operated. By the terms of this purchase Rosen was to pay $16,000 for the property, and did on that date issue his check in the sum of $5,000 as a guaranty of good faith. The contract was to be placed in escrow until the owner should furnish abstract of title showing good title, and when satisfactory title was shown the balance of the purchase money should be paid. , On March 27, 1918, defendant Martin filed for record an instrument showing his claim against the property by reason of the construction of a building thereon. Thereafter John Sampson, who was then in possession under his agreement with the defendant, Martin, took a lease upon the property from Rosen, and thereafter transferred this lease to plaintiff Savoy Amusement Company, which was in possession under such lease when this suit was commenced on the 11th day of May, 1920.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1924 OK 570, 226 P. 577, 102 Okla. 65, 1924 Okla. LEXIS 128, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rosen-v-martin-okla-1924.