Vertrees v. Tennessee Auto Corporation

5 Tenn. App. 140, 1927 Tenn. App. LEXIS 46
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedApril 16, 1927
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 5 Tenn. App. 140 (Vertrees v. Tennessee Auto Corporation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Vertrees v. Tennessee Auto Corporation, 5 Tenn. App. 140, 1927 Tenn. App. LEXIS 46 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1927).

Opinion

FAW, P. J.

The Chancellor filed a written finding of facts and opinion which contains a sufficient statement of the issués in the case. The appellant’s assignments of error challenge certain of the Chancellor’s findings of fact and his conclusions of law upon the facts thus found, but his statement of the issues is not criticized.

The Chancellor’s opinion, which contains his statement of the issues and his finding of “the material, determinative and controlling facts, ” is as follows:

“This is a suit by the complainant to recover of the defendant $1542 damages for breach of a lease contract. It1 is alleged that the damages suffered were caused by the failure of the defendant to take good care of the larger boiler on the premises and deliver same to the owner in as good .condition -as when received, • and by its reckless, negligent and improper use and treatment thereof during the term of the lease contract.
“The material, determinative and controlling facts follow:
“On January 1, 1919, complainant leased to the defendant certain business buildings situated on Broadway and Grundy street, Nashville, Tennessee, for a term of three years, commencing January 1, 1919, and ending December 31, 1921, with an option to extend the lease for another term of three years, which option was exercised in accordance with the lease, and the lease extended to Decern- *142 ber 31, 1924. Prior to tbe execution of this lease, the Ténnessee Auto Company, another business concern, had occupied this property from 1908 until 1918.
“The material provisions of said lease — the basis of this lawsuit, are as follows:
‘It is further agreed the said Tennessee Auto Corporation, as lessee, agrees and binds itself to take good care of the property, not to injure or deface in any way the improvements contained in this lease or-permit anyone else to do so, but deliver the same to the agents or owner in as good condition as when received or may be at completion of repairs agreed on in this contract, except, however, the usual wear and tear or unavoidable damage by fire, storm or other casualty not due to the fault' or negligence of said lessees.’
“It is further stipulated in said lease that the lessee cannot ‘make any change or alteration in said buildings without' the consent of the lessor in writing.’
“The large boiler was comparatively new, having been purchased and installed in 1913 by Kennedy & Co., when the lessee went into possession in 1919. This type of boiler, with ordinary and proper care, would have lasted twenty-five years. It had been in use only about five years when the lessee took possession of the premises, giving sufficient and satisfactory service. When the lease terminated December 31, 1924, this boiler had cracks in it, and was in such condition that it could not be used at all, the condition of the boiler being such that it would cost more to repair it than to purchase and install a new boiler of the same type.
“After the defendant took possession under the lease contract, it took out insurance with the Maryland Casualty Co. in 1919, against explosion and cracking of the boiler and this boiler was inspected during the heating season of 1919 by Mr. Emerson, and twice a year thereafter until the policy was cancelled in 1922. These inspections would occur, one during the heating season and one during the summer months. The last inspection made by Mr. Emerson was in 1922, and at this time he discovered a leak indicating that the boiler was cracked. Mr. Emerson’s duties were to inspect the boilers insured by his company and to ascertain whether they were cracked or not. . He carefully examined this boiler in his inspections, and discovered no cracks until 1922.
“When the option to extend the lease was exercised by the lessee and after the boiler had been used by it for a period of three years, no complaint was made to the lessor of any cracks or leaks in it. The first information that came to the notice of the lessor, Mr. Vertrees, of the defective condition of the boiler, was in the summer of 1923, and the first demand made upon him to repair same was in the summer of 1924, before the expiration of the *143 lease December 31, 1924. When the lessee took possession of-the premises, the boiler was giving good service and when it surrendered possession at least three different sections of it were cracked, and it was useless for the purpose for which it was employed.
“The difference in the condition of the boiler when the lease began and when it terminated did not result from usual wear and tear, etc., but from the failure of the lessee to take good care of it, and its negligent, improper and careless use of same.
“When the lessee took possession of the buildings in 1919, they were in good repair as to windows, doors and glass. When these buildings were returned, there were some broken window glass and doors, and some of the window sash had been entirely removed. The broken window glass and the removal of the window sash did not result from usual wear and tear, or unavoidable damage by fire, storm or other casualty, not due to the fault of the lessee, but from the failure of the lessee to take good care of this property and its negligent and improper use thereof; nor were the window sash removed with the written consent of the lessor. The injuries to the doors to these buildings were the result of usual wear and tear except the breaking of the glass therein, and in the transom, such as might naturally be expected to result from their use in the business conducted by the lessee. The evidence as to the cost of replacing these items is meager and unsatisfactory.
“The burden is on the complainant to show the condition of the boiler, window glass and frames January 1, 1919, and to show their condition December 31, 1924, when they were returned, and if the condition in the latter period was different from that in the first, the burden then shifts to the defendant to show that it was the result of usflal wear and tear, or unavoidable damage by fire, storm or other casualty, not due to its fault or negligence. The terms ‘ordinary wear and tear’ and ‘usual wear and tear’ have the same legal significance, and do not include injuries to property through the negligent care and use of same by the tenant.
“The court is of opinion that the defendant has breached the lease contract entered into in this case, by failing to take good care of the leased property and return same to lessor in as good condition as received, usual wear and tear excepted, and is liable to respond'to complainant in damages for such failure. The amount of damages suffered not sufficiently appearing from the proof, the cause will be referred to the Clerk and Master to ascertain and report same from the proof on file and such proof as may be taken and filed.
“Decree accordingly, “Newman, Chancellor,”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
5 Tenn. App. 140, 1927 Tenn. App. LEXIS 46, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/vertrees-v-tennessee-auto-corporation-tennctapp-1927.