SLEM, Inc. v. Poker Games, Inc.

666 So. 2d 1114, 95 La.App. 3 Cir. 690, 1995 La. App. LEXIS 3434, 1995 WL 714683
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 6, 1995
DocketNo. 95-690
StatusPublished

This text of 666 So. 2d 1114 (SLEM, Inc. v. Poker Games, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
SLEM, Inc. v. Poker Games, Inc., 666 So. 2d 1114, 95 La.App. 3 Cir. 690, 1995 La. App. LEXIS 3434, 1995 WL 714683 (La. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

| iWILLIAM N. KNIGHT, Judge Pro Tem.

The defendant, Poker Games, Inc. (Poker Games), appeals from a rule to evict it from the establishment owned by the plaintiff, SLEM, Inc. (SLEM). We affirm.

FACTS

SLEM owns and operates Mel’s Diner (Mel’s), which is located at 2956 Johnson Street in Lafayette, Louisiana. Poker Games provided three video poker gaming devices to SLEM for operation at Mel’s under a license issued to SLEM.

On January 23, 1995, SLEM sent written notice to Poker Games that the video poker gaming devices were going to be turned off by the Video Gaming Division, Department of Public Safety, Louisiana State Police and that the company should remove their devices from Mel’s prior to January 30, 1995. In a letter dated January 27, 1995, Poker Games through its counsel refused to do so. On February |z17, 1995, SLEM filed a “Rule to Evict Occupant” in the district court. The video' poker machines remained at Mel’s through the time of the hearing. However, the State Police turned the machines off on or about January 28,1995.

SLEM’s rule to evict was granted by the district judge on March 13, 1995. The judgment ordered Poker Games to deliver possession within twenty-four hours of the rendition of the judgment. Poker Games’ application for new trial was denied on March 14, 1995. On that day Poker Games filed a motion for a suspensive appeal or alternatively a devolutive appeal. The sus-pensive appeal was denied pursuant to La. Code Civ.P. art. 4735. This court denied Poker Games’ writ application regarding the trial court’s denial of its motion for suspen-sive appeal. See Stem, Inc. v. Poker Games, Inc., 95-0743 (La.App. 3 Cir. 5/5/95), writ denied 95-1391 (La. 6/6/95); 655 So.2d 330.

In its appeal from the judgment of eviction, Poker Games alleged the following assignments of error:

1. The trial court erred in failing to dismiss appellees/plaintiffs’ suit for eviction because it had wrongfully evicted appellant/defendant by having the video poker machines turned off prior to serving defendant/appellant with the proper notice to vacate.
2. The trial court erred in failing to dismiss appellees/plaintiffs’ eviction proceeding because appellees/plaintiffs’ vitiated the Notice to Vacate and/or reconducted the lease by the acceptance of the rentals after having forwarded the Notice to Vacate to appel-lani/defendant.
[1116]*11163. The [t]rial [c]ourt erred in not dismissing appellee/plaintiffs’ eviction proceeding because it failed to provide appellant/defendant with proper notice under LSA-C.C.P. Article 4701 (Written Contract) and/or Articles 4701 (Oral Contract).
4. The [t]rial [cjourt erred in not sustaining Appellant/Defendant’s Exceptions.
5. The trial court erred in allowing evidence and testimony to bejjintrodueed into trial which may have served to expand the pleadings.
6. The trial court erred in not dismissing appellees/plaintiffs’ petition for eviction, finding that appellant/defendant had been wrongfully . evicted, and awarding damages to appellant/defendant for wrongful eviction.

RECONDUCTION OF THE LEASE

By its second assignment of error, Poker Games alleges that the trial court erred in failing to dismiss the eviction proceeding filed by SLEM because SLEM vitiated the notice it gave to Poker Games by accepting rent after forwarding the notice. At the crux of the issues raised by this assignment is the kind of contract that existed between Poker Games and SLEM. Poker Games contends that the written contract executed between its representative and Jack Naumann controls the relationship between it and SLEM. SLEM contends that the agreement between the parties was an oral one. In his reasons for judgment, the trial judge stated he found “that there was an oral contract between the plaintiff and the defendant with no specific term, i.e., one ‘at will,’ and with that the plaintiff is entitled to eviction in this matter.”

Poker Games contends that the written contract, executed on June 4, 1992, controls its relationship with Mel’s. At that time, neither SLEM, nor Mel’s was in existence and the location Mel’s occupies was a Kettle restaurant, which was run by Jack Naumann as a franchisee. Naumann terminated his franchise with the Kettle organization and in May of 1994, acquired the lease for the former Kettle location at 2956 Johnston Street for SLEM.

The written contract in question was prepared by Poker Games and is entitled “Participation Agreement.” In its first paragraph the contract provides:

This Agreement is between Poker Games, Inc. a Louisiana | corporation or its assigns (the “Device Owner”) and Jack Naumann at 2106 N.E. Evangeline Thy. Lafayette (sic) Louisiana, (the “Licensed Establishment”).

The trial judge found that this contract, which was drafted by Poker Games, specifically indicated the location it applied to as 2106 N.E. Evangeline Thruway and could not be construed to apply to any other locations, including the location on Johnson Street which subsequently became Mel’s.

Looking at the written contract as a whole, we agree that it does not explicitly name the Mel’s location, nor does it indicate by other language that it was meant to apply to locations other than the one named. Since by its plain language the written contract does not apply to Mel’s, any attempt to interpret the contract to cover Mel’s would be improper. See La.Civ.Code art. 2046.

Alternatively, Poker Games’ counsel alleges that there was an oral contract of lease between it and SLEM and that the terms were the same as those in the written contract. Terrill Sherrick, the general manager of Poker Games, testified that there was an oral agreement with the same terms as the written contract. However, Pat Dibble, an officer of Poker Games, testified that the written contract covered Mel’s and there was no other contract. Jack Naumann testified that the contract was an “at will” contract with no specified term. The trial judge accepted this testimony and ruled accordingly, finding that no specific term existed for the contract between Poker Games and SLEM.

Reasonable evaluations of credibility and reasonable inferences of fact should not be disturbed upon review where there is conflicting testimony. Stobart v. State through Department of Transp. and Development, 617 So.2d 880 (La.1993). Considering the contradictions in the testimony given by Poker Games’ ownjjwitnesses, a reason[1117]*1117able bastó for the trial court’s credibility evaluation exists in the record.

La.Civ.Code art. 2674, entitled “Lease of things” provides that:

To let out a thing is a contract by which one of the parties binds himself to grant to the other the enjoyment of a thing during a certain time, for a certain stipulated price which the other binds himself to pay him.

Without a specified term, a contract of lease does not exist. La.Civ.Code art. 2674.

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666 So. 2d 1114, 95 La.App. 3 Cir. 690, 1995 La. App. LEXIS 3434, 1995 WL 714683, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/slem-inc-v-poker-games-inc-lactapp-1995.