23 Haw. 603 | Haw. | 1917
OPINION OF THE COURT BY
Plaintiffs in error bring a writ of error for the purpose of correcting certain alleged errors of law committed by the district court of Honolulu, directed particularly to the action of the district court in sustaining defendant’s demurrer to plaintiffs’ first cause of action set out in their complaint..
Plaintiffs brought an action of assumpsit in the district court of Honolulu against the defendant setting forth in their complaint several causes of action. The first cause of
“That the term of this space privilege covers the same period of time which we have on the premises but subject to a right of cancelling this privilege at any time after the 1st day of August, 1916, you (lessee) to vacate the same one month after receiving such notice of' cancelation.”
Counsel for defendant urges that the contract of lease is void for want of mutuality for the' reason that the lease reserves a right of cancelation to the lessors without a corresponding right reserved to the lessee. We can see no merit in this contention. Clearly a clause of this nature consti
Counsel for defendant further urges, both in his brief and in the argument before this court, that the demurrer was properly sustained on the ground that the first cause of action contained in plaintiffs’ complaint failed to allege that plaintiffs possessed a lease of the premises equal in time to or coextensive with the demise to the defendant. We are of the opinion that the lease contains a definite demise from plaintiffs to defendant up to the 1st day of August, 1916, and that the complaint, although crudely drawn, sufficiently sets forth a cause of action for the recovery of rent accruing prior to that date.
It is well established in this jurisdiction that “rigid rules of pleading are not required in district courts,” McKeague v. Helen, 3 Haw. 328; Hawaii Mill Co. v. Andrade, 14 Haw. 500; Coombs v. Rogers, 22 Haw. 91.
We hold that the district court erred in sustaining the demurrer.
The judgment of the district court is reversed and the cause remanded with instructions to overrule the demurrer of the defendant and for further proceedings consistent with the views herein expressed. Costs awarded to the plaintiffs.