144 N.Y.S. 815 | N.Y. App. Term. | 1913
The action was for two months’ rent under a written lease. The facts are undisputed. The plaintiff entered into a lease with one Ponzoni, whereby certain premises were rented to him for a term of three years at a yearly rental of $3,150 per year, payable in equal monthly payments, which rent Ponzoni
The defendants entered into possession under the assignment and the plaintiff accepted rent from them. Subsequently the defendants assigned the lease to George and Ernest Adams, who went into possession, and the landlord accepted rent from them. Subsequently they assigned the lease to Andrew Veuyenklis, who went into possession, and the landlord accepted rent from him. The Adams and Veuyenklis executed an assumption agreement similar to that executed by the defendants. Rent for the months of May and June, 1913, being unpaid, plaintiff’s action is to recover $500 thereof, waiving the remainder.
The learned trial justice dismissed the complaint upon the merits. In this he erred. By the assignment of the lease, together with the agreement, on the part of the assignee, to assume all the covenants of the lease, not alone did the assignee become obligated to pay the rent by reason of privity of estate, but also by privity of contract with the lessor. When the assignee, therefore, in turn assigned the lease and his assignee went into possession, the privity of estate was broken but the privity of contract was not thereby destroyed, and the defendants remained liable upon
It was nothing more than accepting payment through the hands of another of the rent reserved by the original lease and in accordance with its terms and conditions. Durand v. Curtis, 57 N. Y. 7; Manley v. Berman, 60 Misc. Rep. 91; Dassori v. Zarek, 71 App. Div. 538.
The judgment must, therefore, be reversed and a new trial ordered, with costs to the appellant to abide the event.
Lehman and Whitaker, JJ., concur.
Judgment reversed and new trial ordered, with costs to appellant to abide event.