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3 E.D. Smith 409

Beckmann v. Bormann

New York Court of Common Pleas

Decided November 15, 1854

New York Court of Common Pleas · decided 1854-11-15

Ib April, 1851, the defendant was in possession of the premises, No. 36 Stone stréet, in the city of New York, under an assignment to him of the unexpired term of a lease, originally granted to one Kothe, for five years, from May, 1848. The lease contained a covenant of reentry, in the event of default in the payment of the rent, and a provision that all alterations, when made, should be deemed fixtures and a part of the freehold.

Decided 1854-11-15

By the Court. Ingraham, First J.

¶1The referee has found that by the terms of the lease, the fixtures, including the chimney, kitchen, and range, were to be a part of the freehold. That the defendant sold them to the plaintiff, with other property, for $295. That he also transferred the premises to the defendant by a lease for two years, and that he at the time signed a paper, in which he declared himself to be the owner of the kitchen and chimney.

¶2During the term, the kitchen and chimney were under-mined in digging a sewer, and were thereby destroyed. Subsequently, the original landlord entered and took possession of the premi*418ses for non-payment of rent, and afterwards leased the premises to another person.

¶3The plaintiff claims damages for the want of title of the defendant to the chimney and kitchen, and the referee has awarded $102 60.

¶4The finding of the referee is in accordance with the first point of the appellant, that only $295 were paid for the lease and fixtures together, and he has accordingly allowed damages only for the value of the kitchen, chimney, and range.

¶5In this property the defendant had no interest, except the right to use it for the term of the lease. During that period he had a right to the possession, and to transfer it to another. But he had no title to the property beyond the lease, and when he certified himself to be the ■ owner of the property, and declared that he had sold the same, and received the pay therefor, he became responsible to make good his title thereto.

¶6In such a case, the purchaser is not bound to take notice of the vendor’s title. A vendor gives an implied warranty of title in selling personal property, and in this case he went further, because he expressly averred himself to be the owner.

¶7The subsequent destruction of the property by a third person does not relieve the defendant. The right of action accrued when the property was sold, although the cause for bringing the action was not discovered till afterwards. When the property was destroyed, the tenant had a right of action for the injury during the term only, and the original landlord for the damages to the fee, and whether destroyed or not was immaterial to both the parties to this action, except so far as the defendant’s term was unexpired.

¶8So, also, the forfeiture of the lease could not relieve the defendant from damages for the breach of his contract previously. Whether any deduction should be made in the damages on account of the destruction of the property, need not be decided, because no such point was made before the referee.

¶9The plaintiff was entitled to recover, and I see no ground on which we can interfere with his report.

¶10Judgment affirmed.

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