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Strickler Co. v. Eisner
42 P.2d 1065
Cal. Ct. App.
1935
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CRAIL, J.

This is аn appeal from a judgment in favor of the plaintiff in an action to recover installments of rent, also taxes and attorneys’ fees, alleged to be due under the terms of a written lease. The appeal is presented upon the judgment roll alone, and the evidence is not before us. The contention of the appelknt is that it affirmatively appears on the face of the findings that the obligations upon which the suit was brought werе secured by a mortgage and that plaintiff is not entitled to obtain a money judgment against thе appelknt unless it forecloses said mortgage in accordance with section 726 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The claim that there is a mortgage is based upon thе language ‍‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‍of paragraph 12 of the lease, which paragraph, but not the entire lease, was set out in the complaint and which reads in part as follows: “That the whole amount of rent reserved hereunder and required to be paid by the lessees . . . shall be аnd are hereby declared to be first and prior liens to the interest of the lessees undеr this lease”, etc. This falls far short of being a mortgage. In the first place the so-called lien is not placed against any specific property or against any proрerty. A lien to be a mortgage must be upon specific property. (Sec. 2920, Civ. Code.) In the second place, while the word “lien” is used, it is apparent from the manner in which it is used thаt the *443 language undertakes to declare merely that the lessor’s rights to the rents are рrior to the interests of the lessees under the lease. As the trial judge ‍‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‍well said in a memorandum opinion, “It appears to me that the intention of the parties as expressеd in the language of the paragraphs in question, considered in the light of the other paragraphs, was to establish the order and priority of the right to receive the rents in relation to other liens or claims subsequently ‍‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‍attaching, rаther than to create a lien on defendant’s lessee’s leasehold as security fоr the rent.”

This brings us to a further and complete answer to appellant’s contention. The trial court considered this provision of the lease “in the light of the other paragrаphs”. And thereupon it found that there was no mortgage between the ‍‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‍parties. As already stated, the evidence is not before us and the entire lease is not set out in the findings or сomplaint, therefore we are bound to presume that the lease as a wholе, if before us, would support the findings.

Appellant’s second contention is that the trial court erred “in permitting the respondent to file its supplemental complaint for causes of action which were alleged to have accrued against appellant subsequent to the filing of the original complaint”. The court did permit the filing of a supplemental complaint which set up installments of rent which had accrued after the ‍‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‍date of the filing of the original complaint, also taxes paid and attorneys’ fees, all of whiсh were proper charges under the terms of the lease. While our attention has nоt been called to a precedent in which the courts of this state have had oсcasion to consider this precise’ question, there is no lack of authority sustaining the court’s action in analogous situations. (Washburn v. Wilkinson, 59 Cal. 538; Valensin v. Valensin, 73 Cal. 106 [14 Pac. 397].) “Where a contract sued on provides for рayments in installments, a supplemental pleading may be filed to cover those installments accruing after suit filed.” (Bancroft’s Code Pleading, sec. 459, p. 662.) Such a rule has been adopted in other jurisdictions (Sigler v. Gordan, 68 Iowa, 441 [27 N. W. 372] ; Pickerill v. Home Realty Co., 79 Ind. App. 447 [136 N. E. 850]; Jordan v. Indianapolis Water Co., 159 Ind. 337 [64 N. E. 680]; May Stores, Inc., *444 v. Bishop, 131 Or. 670 [282 Pac. 1080]) and such a rule in this state would tend to save a multiplicity of actiоns.

Assuming, however, that each installment of rent as it became due constituted a new cаuse of action, nevertheless these successive actions arose out of the same contract. In each case the court had jurisdiction over the parties and the subject of the action. Such actions may be consolidated in the discretion of the court whenever it can be done without prejudice to a substantial right (sec. 1048, Cоde Civ. Proc.) and the consolidation of these successive actions in nowise prеjudiced the rights of appellant. Finally, the appellant sets forth six different grounds upon which he contends his special demurrer should have been sustained. We have examined all of these and we find that the contentions are without merit.

Judgment affirmed.

Stephens, P. J., concurred.

Case Details

Case Name: Strickler Co. v. Eisner
Court Name: California Court of Appeal
Date Published: Mar 22, 1935
Citation: 42 P.2d 1065
Docket Number: Civ. 9316
Court Abbreviation: Cal. Ct. App.
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