Woods v. Lawndale Enterprises, Inc.

24 N.E.2d 193, 302 Ill. App. 570, 1939 Ill. App. LEXIS 571
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedDecember 13, 1939
DocketGen. No. 40,768
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 24 N.E.2d 193 (Woods v. Lawndale Enterprises, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Woods v. Lawndale Enterprises, Inc., 24 N.E.2d 193, 302 Ill. App. 570, 1939 Ill. App. LEXIS 571 (Ill. Ct. App. 1939).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Burke

delivered the opinion of the court.

On October 18, 1937, plaintiff filed his amended five count complaint against Dr. William Eubinson, Lawn-dale Enterprises, Inc., and Lawndale Theatre Corporation, Inc. Later, three additional counts were filed. All the counts, except the additional second count (which the parties call the £1 additional 7th count”) charge the defendants with negligence in allowing a globe, or shade, of an electric light fixture on the leased premises at 4025 West Roosevelt road, Chicago, to be in a state of disrepair. The additional count 7 charges that defendant, Lawndale Enterprises, Inc., the landlord, leased a store to the tenant, Dr. William Rubin-son with a globe or shade or fixture in the store entrance, in a defective condition, and known to be so by the landlord at the time of the letting. The defendants filed answers joining issue. The case was tried before the court and a jury. At the close of plaintiff’s evidence, and on the motion of plaintiff, the defendant, Lawndale Theatre Corporation, Inc., was dismissed from the cause. The jury returned a verdict finding the defendants guilty and assessing plaintiff’s damages at the sum of $2,600. The court entered judgment on the verdict. At the close of plaintiff’s evidence and again at the close of all the evidence, the defendant, Lawndale Enterprises, Inc., moved the court for a directed verdict in its favor, and after the verdict, the same defendant moved for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict, and in the alternative, for a new trial. These motions were overruled. The defendant, Lawn-dale Enterprises, Inc., prosecutes this appeal.

As a general rule of law, a landlord is not liable for injuries on premises leased to a tenant and under the tenant’s control. This rule applies not only to the enclosed portion of the premises, but also to any entrance, passageways, etc., so long as these appurtenances are not reserved nnder the landlord’s control in common for the use of the tenants of the entire building. There are well recognized exceptions to the general rule of the liability of the landlord, among which are (1) a latent defect existing at the date of the lease of the premises to the tenant, which defect was known to the landlord or could have been known by him in the exercise of reasonable care, and which defect could not have been discovered by a reasonable examination of the premises by the tenant; (2) a fraudulent concealment from the tenant by the landlord of a known, dangerous condition; (3) that the thing which did the harm amounted in law to a nuisance; or (4) a promise to repair the premises made by the landlord to the tenant at the time of the leasing. The law is well established that the liability of the landlord is no greater, insofar as the rights of the tenant’s employee is concerned, than the liability of the landlord to the tenant. On these propositions of law, the parties are not in disagreement. Defendant, the landlord, declares that the first five counts arid the first and third additional counts of the amended complaint, do not purport to base any liability under any one of the exceptions to the general rule as to the nonliability of a landlord. Plaintiff admits that the additional count 2 of the amended complaint bases the claimed liability of the landlord upon one of the exceptions. That additional count charges that at the time of the letting, the glass shade or globe was in an insecure condition, that the shade, or globe, was in a dangerous condition, and that defendant knew, or should have known, of such insecure and dangerous condition. Defendant contends that there is not a scintilla of evidence in the record which sustains, or tends to sustain, the allegations last mentioned. Defendant insists that the issue in the case was one of law and not of fact, and that it was the duty of the court to direct a verdict. Hence, it now asks that we enter a judgment notwithstanding the verdict, or in the alternative, reverse and remand the cause for a new trial. Plaintiff repels the contention by stating that he was in the employ of Dr. Rubinson, one of the defendants, and that he was also employed by the other defendant, the landlord, and that the landlord did not relinquish control and dominion over the entrariceway to the store of Dr. Rubinson, and that it was the duty of the landlord to keep the entranceway to the store in a proper state of repair.

The defendant, Lawndale Enterprises, Inc., owned a large three-story building running from 4015 to 4029 West Roosevelt road, Chicago, consisting of a theatre, several stores and mány apartments occupied by different tenants. The theatre was operated by the Lawn-dale Theatre Corporation, Inc. which on motion of plaintiff, was dismissed from the case. On November 27,1936, the defendant, Lawndale Enterprises, Inc., and Dr. William Rubinson executed a sealed lease under which the store known and described as the street floor at 4025 West Roosevelt road, was leased to Dr. Rubinson for a term commencing December 1, 1936, and expiring April 30, 1938. The fourth covenant of the lease reads as follows:

“Lessee has examined said premises prior to and as a condition precedent to his acceptance and the execution hereof, and is satisfied with the physical condition thereof, and his taking possession thereof shall be conclusive evidence of his receipt thereof in good order and repair, except as otherwise specified hereon, and agrees and admits that no representations as to the condition or repair thereof has been made by Lessor or his agent, which is not herein expressed, or endorsed herein; and likewise agrees and admits that no agreement or promise to decorate, alter, repair or improve said premises, either before or after the execution hereof, not contained herein, has been made by Lessor or his agent.”

The fifth covenant requires the lessee to keep the premises and appurtenances thereof in a clean, sightly and healthy condition and in good repair at his own expense; that he shall make all necessary repairs and renewals upon the premises and replace broken globes, glass and fixtures with material of the same size and quality as that broken. A rider attached to the lease also provided that the lessee “shall do all the painting, cleaning and decorating at his own expense.” The building is located on the south side of Roosevelt road; the east part is occupied by the Lawndale Theatre; west of that is a barber shop operated by Carl Merl; adjoining the barber shop on the west was a shoe-shining parlor operated by a man named Sam; west of the shoeshining parlor was Dr. Rubinson’s office, and adjoining his office on the west was a delicatessen store. Dr. Rubinson went into possession of his store on December 1,1936. He was an optometrist. The entrance to Dr. Rubinson’s store is described as being in the shape of an elongated square. The floor was of mosaic tile. There is a slope from the sidewalk level to the door of 5 inches, the entranceway being 45 inches from the sidewalk to the door. At the sidewalk the entrance is 5 feet wide and at the door it is 43 inches wide. The entrance to Dr. Rubinson’s store was in the center of his store. Above the door was a 3-inch moulding and above that was a transom the width of the door and 42 inches high. There were two display windows one on each side of the entrance. There was an electric light fixture flush with the ceiling in the center of the entranceway. The fixture extended down approximately 8 inches, and attached to it by three screws was a glass globe, which the witnesses also describe as a shade. The switch for the entranceway light was in Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
24 N.E.2d 193, 302 Ill. App. 570, 1939 Ill. App. LEXIS 571, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/woods-v-lawndale-enterprises-inc-illappct-1939.