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62 Me. 546

Bryant v. Sparrow

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine

Decided July 1, 1873

Supreme Judicial Court of Maine · decided 1873-07-01

On exceptions and motion por a new trial, by the defendant because the verdict for the plaintiff was rendered against law and evidence, and for an excessive amount, $400. The action was trespass quare clausum, instituted by a lessee against his lessor for an entry upon and injury to premises, to the use of which the former had a right under a covenant in his lease.

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently July 1951

1 state decisions

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1873-07-01

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Walton, J.

¶1We think the construction put upon the lease from the defendant to the plaintiff, by the judge of the superior court, was correct. It is true that the defendant reserved the right to sell the second lot mentioned in the lease, or to use it to build upon; in which case the lease, so- far as that parcel of land was concerned, was to become inoperative and void. But subject only to this right of the defendant to sell or use the land in question to build upon, the plaintiff was to have the exclusive right to use, occupy and improve it for a garden or nursery; and having in fact taken possession of it for these purposes, and being in the actual occupation of it when the defendant entered, his entry being for a purpose other than that mentioned in the lease, and without the plaintiff’s consent, we think it was a trespass for which trespass guare clausum fregit could be maintained. The right of a tenant to maintain trespass guare clausum fregit against his landlord for an unlawful entry upon him before the tenancy is terminated, is well settled. Dickinson v. Goodspeed, 8 Cush., 119; Brock v. Berry, 31 Maine, 293.

¶2The damages seem to have been very liberally assessed; but on the whole we think the verdict must be allowed to stand.

¶3Motion and exceptions overruled.

¶4Judgment on the verdict.

Appleton, C. J., Dickerson, Daneorth, and Yirgin, JJ., concurred.
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