Stuyvesant v. Grissler

12 Abb. Pr. 6
CourtThe Superior Court of New York City
DecidedJuly 1, 1868
StatusPublished

This text of 12 Abb. Pr. 6 (Stuyvesant v. Grissler) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering The Superior Court of New York City primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stuyvesant v. Grissler, 12 Abb. Pr. 6 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1868).

Opinion

Monell, J.

The power of the court to appoint a receiver, in an action to recover the possession of real property, having been determined by this court in Ireland n. Mchols (1 Sweeny, 208), I am not at liberty to examine the question, and must regard it as settled, notwithstanding doubts of its correctness may have been raised by the very able argument of the defendant’s counsel. That decision, however, goes only to the power of the court, leaving it still discretionary to appoint, or to refuse to appoint a receiver, as the facts of the case shall seem to justify. The plaintiff claims to recover the possession of the premises on the ground, First. That under his proceedings and judgment in the district court he was put in possession, and thereby, by force of the statute (2 Rev. Stat., 515, § 43), the lease to Browning & Moore, and the relation of landlord and tenant, was canceled and annulled ; or, Second. That as landlord, he may maintain the action, under the right reserved in the lease, of re-entry for the non-payment of rent (2 Rev. Stat., 505, § 30). That statute provides, that whenever a half years’ rent shall be in arrear from a tenant to his landlord, if the landlord, has a subsisting right by law to re-enter for the non-payment of such rent, he may bring an action of ejectment for the recovery of the possession of the demised premises. It is very clear, I think, that this action cannot be sustained upon the second ground. The statute relied on gives an action [13]*13by a landlord against his tenant, to recover from such tenant the possession of demised premises. It does not give an action against those who succeed to the tenant unless, possibly, it be to the whole premises and to the whole term. But where demised premises are held in severalty by different persons, although having a common source of title, a landlord cannot proceed against all collectively, although he may, perhaps, against each separately. The statute does not provide for apportioning the rent among those who have severally succeeded to the rights and interests of the tenants of the whole premises, yet, I think, it may be done, and an action be maintained for the recovery of a portion, from one holding as assignee of a part only of the demised premises. I am therefore of opinion, that an action under the statute can be maintained for the recovery of the possession of a part only of demised premises, against a person in possession of such part, under the re-entry clause in the lease, notwithstanding there has been no apportionment of the rent, and without making such apportionment. Ho demand of rent is necessary. If rent is in arrear, the landlord may by action re-enter upon the whole, or upon any part which-may be separately held (Main v. Green, 32 Barb., 448; Jackson v. Wyckoff, 5 Wend., 53.

But under the statute, the action can be maintained only where the relation of landlord and tenant exists, and where the landlord has a “ subsisting right by law to re-enter.”

In the lease before me, the landlord expressly reserved to himself the right to re-enter, and if he had not deprived himself of such right, by destroying the relation of landlord and tenant, and by extinguishing or causing to be canceled and annulled the instrument which contains the reservation, I should be of opinion that this action could be sustained under the statute. [14]*14The effect, as declared by the statute, of a judgment in favor of a landlord in summary proceedings to recover possession of land (2 Rev. Stat., 515, § 43) is, to cancel and annul the agreement for the use of the premises, and extinguish the relation of landlord and tenant; and, with the single exception of the right to collect rent due prior to the eviction (Hinsdale v. White, 6 Hill, 507; Whitney v. Meyers, 1 Duer, 266), the lease becomes void for every purpose, from and after the judgment and the possession of the landlord under it.

The right to re-enter for non-payment of rent is in the nature of a forfeiture (Doe dem. Wheeldon v. Paul, 3 Carr. & P., 613), and the plaintiff having once enforced the forfeiture and re-entered upon the premises, he exhausted his remedies. The relation of landlord and tenant terminated, and with it all right of either party' under the lease, except to recover rent down to the time of eviction.

The action in this case is a possessory action, and the plaintiff having re-entered for a forfeiture, bis pos1session cannot be secured or continued by a second judgment for the same forfeiture. In Clowes v. Hakes (2 Caines, 335), the tenant having absconded while rent was in arrear, the landlord took possession of the premises and brought ejectment under the statute, in order, as was claimed, to bar the tenant’s right under the lease. But the court held it to be against the whole theory of the action. To sustain a right of action under the statute, the plaintiff must not only establish an existing relation of landlord and tenant, but a subsisting right by law to re-enter. H, therefore, he claims that he was lawfully in possession under the proceedings in the district court, and has been casually ejected by the defendants, then he cannot but claim that the lease to Browning & Moore is canceled and annulled, and that all relation of landlord and tenant has ceased; and in that aspect, that the de[15]*15fendants were mere trespassers. If that be so, then the plaintiff has no subsisting right by law to re-enter under the statute. The defendants, Grrissler & Fausell, must be treated either as tenants or trespassers. If the former, it can only be by a revival of the lease to Browning & Moore, through the foreclosure and sale, and that, I understand, the plaintiff rejects. If treated as trespassers, then it is clear the statute has no application.

My examination, however, of the other facts presented in this case, has led me to the conclusion that the defendants cannot be treated as trespassers, but must be treated as having acquired the whole of the unexpired term of the lease to Browning & Moore, and," therefore, as being lawfully in possession of the demised premises. If I am correct in the effect which I give to the purchase under the foreclosure sale, then the lease was revived, the relation of landlord and tenant restored, and the plaintiff may have all the remedies, which, in that relation, he could have had, as against his original tenants, before the summary proceedings were instituted, and as if these proceedings had never been instituted. Of course this conclusion goes to sustain the right of action under the statute ; but as the plaintiff has not made the forfeiture his cause of action, but has proceeded against the defendants as mere trespassers, thus ignoring the lease and their holding under it, he cannot, under his present complaint, be permitted to show facts which would bring him within the statute.

The mortgage of Browning & Moore was of their leasehold interest in the demised premises, and so far as it operated as a conveyance, it was an assignment by the lessees to the lessor of the lease. It did assign to the plaintiff (with a defeasance), all the rights and interests of the tenants in the lease and premises, including their right of redemption given by the statute. [16]*16The plaintiff, however, was not a mortgagee in possession.

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Main v. Green
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Jackson ex dem. Clowes v. Hakes
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Jackson ex dem. Norton v. Wyckoff
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Ireland v. Nichols
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
12 Abb. Pr. 6, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stuyvesant-v-grissler-nysuperctnyc-1868.