Zevitas v. Adams

177 N.E. 114, 276 Mass. 307, 1931 Mass. LEXIS 1016
CourtMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
DecidedJuly 2, 1931
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 177 N.E. 114 (Zevitas v. Adams) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Zevitas v. Adams, 177 N.E. 114, 276 Mass. 307, 1931 Mass. LEXIS 1016 (Mass. 1931).

Opinion

Carroll, J.

The plaintiff, the lessee of a building at the corner of Washington and Dover Streets, Boston, the lease expiring May 31, 1935, occupied one of the stores and sublet the remainder. The defendants Charles F. Adams and Thomas B. Gannett as trustees under the will of Harvey Jewell (hereafter referred to as the trustees) are owners of the fee and the lessors of the plaintiff. The defendants Carl Dreyfus and Edwin J. Dreyfus Properties, Inc. were prospective purchasers. The defendant Harry Marcus was interested in the purchase of the property.

The bill alleges that the trustees, as individuals and trustees, “entered into a secret combination and conspiracy,” by wrongful means with Dreyfus and Marcus, to prevent the plaintiff from purchasing the property and “to wipe out plaintiff’s said lease” or to compel the plaintiff and his subtenants to sell their leases at an inadequate price. The plaintiff asserts that he had a contract to dispose of his lease at a fair price to persons ready, able and willing to purchase the same; that the trustees had agreed [310]*310to sell the property to Marcus; that the plaintiff negotiated the contract; that he was to receive $10,000 for his lease and a broker’s commission; that the defendants conspired to prevent this sale. The bill sets out in detail the various meetings, negotiations and proposals made and alleges that by the “power, influence, duress . . . and fraudulent conduct” mentioned in the bill, the defendants caused a number of persons who were about “to hire from the plaintiff . . . vacant portions of said premises, to refuse to have any dealing with the plaintiff”; that as a part of the conspiracy entry was made on the premises and the trustees took possession for alleged breach of conditions, when in fact there was no breach of the conditions of the lease.

The relief asked for was that the defendants be restrained from enforcing “any alleged claim of a breach of terms, covenants and conditions of said lease”; that it be ordered that the trustees illegally entered “or attempted to enter” the premises; that a decree be entered adjudging that no breach had been committed by the plaintiff and that damages be awarded the plaintiff for the injury to his property and business.

The case was referred to a master. The trustees filed an amended answer to recover for the accrued instalments of rent and indemnity under the lease. A final decree was entered dismissing the plaintiff’s bill, providing for certain measures of relief for the trustees, with costs to the defendants. There was no appeal from the interlocutory decree confirming the master’s report. There was an appeal from the allowance of the amendment of the trustees to their answer and an appeal from the final decree. The plaintiff also filed exceptions to the allowance of the trustees’ amended answer. No objections were filed to the master’s report.

The report of the master goes into all the' details involved in the disputes between the parties and the results of the various negotiations. It is not necessary to refer to them, except in a general way. The lease under which the plaintiff held provided that the rent was to be paid in equal monthly instalments on the first day of each month. [311]*311Provision was made for the payment of taxes by the lessee. The lease was upon the condition that if the lessee neglected to perform any of the covenants of the lease the lessors could enter without demand or notice and repossess the premises as of their former estate. One of the plaintiff’s tenants was John Marder; his lease contained a noncom-petition clause reading: “Lessor agrees that he will not lease, let or permit to be occupied any or all of the other remaining stores in the buildings . . . for a business in competition with that this day conducted by the lessee”; the lessor and his assigns were to have the right to sell cigars and tobacco at retail. There was a clause in the lease to the plaintiff to the effect that, if the whole or any part of the building should be destroyed or damaged by fire, the lease was to terminate at the election of the lessors. See Norris Drug Co. v. Gainsboro Building Corp. 260 Mass. 117.

It appeared that early in 1927 the plaintiff was in weak financial condition and was anxious to dispose of his lease. He had no income except from the leased premises; the corner store was yielding but little income. Marcus and the plaintiff carried on negotiations looking to' a sale of the plaintiff’s lease. Marcus attempted to interest Dreyfus and the Dreyfus corporation in the purchase of the fee. The master finds that no agreement was made between Marcus and Zevitas in the spring of 1927 because “a figure could not be agreed upon.” In the summer of 1927 the corner store became vacant. The trustee Adams agreed with Zevitas to extend his lease for five years if a satisfactory sublessee was procured and the premises were improved in a manner satisfactory to Adams. The agreement contained these words: “This offer is open till Nov. 3d, 1927.” In September or October of that year Adams and Dreyfus orally agreed that the trustees would sell the premises subject to the Zevitas lease for $100,000. Marcus and Zevitas continued negotiations and Marcus agreed orally to pay Zevitas $10,000 for the lease. Attorneys were consulted. Disputes arose about the fire clause and the rights of the trustees thereunder, as well as disputes about the [312]*312effect of the noncompetition clause in the Harder lease. Harder was unwilling to surrender his lease. No binding agreement in writing for the sale of the lease to Harcus was made. Zevitas was never authorized by the trustees to sell the property. No sale was made by them to Dreyfus. It appeared that Zevitas failed to pay the rent and taxes and made no request to comply with the offer expiring November 3, 1927, and that the trustees entered upon the premises because of the breach of conditions in the lease.

None of the plaintiff’s rights was interfered with and no case is made out calling for equitable relief. There was no conspiracy or illegal combination between the defendants. The trustees were willing to sell on satisfactory terms; they in no way attempted to injure the plaintiff; they were willing to extend his lease on conditions and he did not see fit to take advantage of the offer according to its terms. Dreyfus and the Dreyfus corporation at one time were willing to buy the property, but no binding agreement was made. Harcus was unwilling to buy the plaintiff’s lease.

To recover the plaintiff must show some actionable wrong. Whatever participation there was by the defendants, it was not a conspiracy and the allegations of conspiracy are mere characterizations. There was no power exercised in combination, as in Pickett v. Walsh, 192 Mass. 572, and Willett v. Herrick, 242 Hass. 471. The trustees were the lessors; they were willing to sell the property; they had no desire to cause any injury to the plaintiff. They were not in such a position of power as illegally to injure the plaintiff and were in no such fiduciary relation to him as to make them guilty of a conspiracy. Loughery v. Central Trust Co. 258 Hass. 172.

From March 1, 1927, to- November 25, 1927, there was no one, other than Dreyfus and Harcus, who was ready, able and willing to buy the reversion at the price of $100,-000; and during this period no one was willing to buy the Zevitas lease at a price acceptable to Zevitas. The plaintiff never was authorized by either of the trustees to act for them in selling the estate.

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Bluebook (online)
177 N.E. 114, 276 Mass. 307, 1931 Mass. LEXIS 1016, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zevitas-v-adams-mass-1931.