Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/2d/55/597.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 00:38:37+00:00

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VIRGINIA JORDAN, Appellant, v. ANDREW B. TALBOT, Respondent.
The jury returned a verdict of $6,500 for forcible entry and detainer and for conversion and $3,000 punitive damages. Plaintiff appeals from an order granting defendant's motion for a new trial.  She also purports to appeal from an order granting judgment notwithstanding the verdict, which is but a step preliminary to final judgment and not an appealable order. (Schramko v. Saulter, 146 Cal. App. 2d 549, 553 [303 P.2d 1061].) The appeal from that order will therefore be dismissed. The record does not show that the final judgment has been entered.
Defendant contends that there is no evidence that he violated either section 1159 or 1160 of the Code of Civil Procedure and that the evidence is therefore insufficient as a matter of law to sustain a verdict for forcible entry and detainer. He bases this contention on the grounds that (1) his entry was not unlawful, since he had a right of reentry; (2) he did not violate subdivision 1 of section 1159, since he did not use force to enter the premises; (3) he did not violate subdivision 2 of section 1159, since that subdivision applies only when a stranger to the title obtains a "scrambling" possession (a possession concurrent with that of the person having a right to possession); (4) he did not violate subdivision 1 of section 1160, since he neither unlawfully nor forcibly [55 Cal. 2d 603] detained possession to the apartment; and that (5) in any case his entry was privileged by virtue of his lien on the property in the apartment.
 In defining forcible entry section 1159 of the Code of Civil Procedure refers to "every person," thereby including owners as well as strangers to the title.  Under section 1172 of the Code of Civil Procedure the plaintiff "shall only be required to show, in addition to the forcible entry or forcible detainer complained of, that he was peaceably in the actual possession at the time of the forcible entry, or was entitled to the possession at the time of the forcible detainer. The defendant may show in his defense that he or his ancestors, or those whose interest in such premises he claims, have been in the quiet possession thereof for the space of one whole year together next before the commencement of the proceedings, and that his interest therein is not ended or determined; and such showing is a bar to the proceedings." Nowhere is it stated that a right of reentry is a defense to an action for forcible entry or detainer.
In Lasserot v. Gamble, supra, Kerr v. O'Keefe, supra, California Products, Inc. v. Mitchell, supra, and Martin v. Cassidy, supra, the landlord entered pursuant to a lease granting him a right of reentry similar to defendant's right of reentry in the present case. In each case the court held that absent a voluntary surrender of the premises by the tenant, the landlord could enforce his right of reentry only by judicial process, not by self-help.  Under section 1161 of the Code of Civil Procedure a lessor may summarily obtain possession of his real property within three days. This remedy is a complete answer to any claim that self-help in necessary.
As in the foregoing cases, the lease herein is silent as to the method of enforcing the right of reentry. [9a] In any event a provision in the lease expressly permitting a forcible entry [55 Cal. 2d 605] would be void as contrary to the public policy set forth in section 1159. (Spencer v. Commercial Co., 30 Wash. 520 [71 P. 53, 55] [involving forcible entry and detainer statutes identical with section 1159]; cf. California Products, Inc. v. Mitchell, supra, 52 Cal. App. 312, 314-315.)  Regardless of who has the right to possession, orderly procedure and preservation of the peace require that the actual possession shall not be disturbed except by legal process.
 Section 1159, subdivision 1, prohibits an entry by means of breaking open doors or windows. Defendant violated this section when he unlocked plaintiff's apartment without her consent and entered with the storage company employees to remove her furniture, even though there was no physical damage to the premises or actual violence.
In Winchester v. Becker, supra, 4 Cal. App. 382, 384, defendant also used a key to unlock the tenant's door in the absence of the tenant. The court held that any unauthorized opening of a closed door is a breaking open of the door within the meaning of this subdivision. The words "breaking open" in section 1159 were given the meaning they had in the common law of burglary. Likewise in McNeil v. Higgins, supra, 86 Cal. App. 2d 723, 725, the court held that an entry through an open window was an entry "gained by the exercise of unlawful force" and in violation of section 1159.
In Karp v. Margolis, supra, 159 Cal. App. 2d 69, 73, the owner of a retail store entered the property with the help of a locksmith in the absence of the occupant. The court held that the entry was peaceable but that the defendant was nevertheless guilty of forcible entry, stating, "[d]efendants also say there can be no forcible entry here because they got possession in the absence of plaintiffs and so there was no violence or circumstances of terror. Forcible entry is not confined to cases where a fight takes place, or physical force or restraint is used, or there are threats of physical harm. ... No flat breach of the peace is necessary [citation], the statute being enacted to obviate such incidents of self help as occurred here."
In Baxley v. Western Loan & Bldg. Co., supra, 135 Cal. App. 426, 429, on which defendant relies, the court held that subdivision 2 of section 1159 applies only to cases of "scrambling possession." No authority was cited for this proposition. It conflicts with the express holdings of this court in McCauley v. Weller, supra, Treat v. Forsyth, supra, and Kerr v. O'Keefe, supra, and is therefore disapproved.potter v. Mercer, 53 Cal. 667, 674, which held that subdivision 2 of section 1159 is not applicable when the owner of the land prohibits reentry by the occupant, likewise conflicts with the foregoing cases and is overruled.
 Subdivision 1 of section 1160 of the Code of Civil Procedure provides that a person is guilty of a forcible detainer if he "[b]y force or by menaces and threats of violence, unlawfully holds and keeps the possession of any real property, whether the same was acquired peaceably or otherwise." (Italics added.) In the present case there is evidence that the apartment was withheld by force and menace and that such withholding was unlawful.
Force and menace can be implied from defendant's agent's removal of plaintiff's furniture and his admonishment to "Get the hell out of here. You're out. ..."
 Section 791 provides that a lessor having a right to reentry may reenter after the right has accrued upon three days' notice as provided in sections 1161 and 1162 of Code of Civil Procedure. Defendant testified that he posted a three-day notice under plaintiff's door. There is no evidence that plaintiff was personally served or that a copy of the [55 Cal. 2d 609] three-day notice was mailed to her home. The mere act of posting the notice under the door does not comply with section 1162.
Williams v. General Elec. Credit Co., 159 Cal. App. 2d 527 [323 P.2d 1046], on which defendant relies, was an action for trespass after the repossession of a chattel under a conditional sales contract. The forcible entry and detainer statutes were not considered.
 Nor is defendant's position aided by the statutory lien granted to lessors by Civil Code, section 1861a. That statute provides an exemption for most of the property seized by defendant. Moreover, that lien must also be enforced in a lawful manner and without violation of the forcible entry statute.
In Van Dorn v. Couch, 21 Cal. App. 2d Supp. 749, 754-755 [64 P.2d 1197], relied on by defendants, the court permitted a landlord to enter into a furnished apartment without the consent of the occupant to enforce a lien under section 1861a. That case, however, was decided before the present amendment to section 1861a. The statute in effect at that time dealt with liens in favor of keepers of furnished apartments, not with lessors renting an apartment under a lease. Moreover, that statute did not contain the exemption provided for in the present statute. Although both the statutory lien and the lien provided for in the lease gave defendant valuable rights, these rights had to be lawfully enforced.
 We conclude therefore that the evidence supports the verdict of forcible entry and detainer. There was evidence [55 Cal. 2d 610] that defendant entered plaintiff's apartment without her consent. Such an entry violates section 1159 of the Code of Civil Procedure. There was evidence that defendant refused to allow plaintiff to reenter her apartment. Such conduct violates section 1160 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Since the policy of these sections is the preservation of the peace, the rights thereunder may not be contracted away; thus defendant's right of reentry and his lien on personal property in the apartment did not justify his entry into the apartment.
The verdict for conversion was as a matter of law unsupported by the evidence. The new trial was therefore properly granted.
The purported appeal from the order granting judgment notwithstanding the verdict is dismissed. The order granting a new trial is affirmed. Each side is to bear its own costs on appeal.
Gibson, C. J., Peters, J., and Dooling, J., concurred.
It appears to me that upon a review of the entire record the evidence on the points at issue here should be held to be, as a matter of law, insufficient to support a judgment for the plaintiff and that affirmance of the order granting defendant's motion for a new trial should be placed upon that ground.
Plaintiff in her opening brief states that "Briefly, the facts are, that the Appellant [plaintiff] was a tenant in the apartment house of Respondent [defendant]. Respondent served a three day notice on Appellant. Then, one day during the absence of the Appellant, Respondent called Lyon Van and Storage and removed all of Appellant's furniture, rugs, clothing, and personal belongings from said apartment. Respondent did not at any time file an unlawful detainer action to obtain possession."
"Lessor shall have a lien upon all personal effects, furniture and baggage contained in tenants' apartment for all unpaid charges."
On May 10, 1958, defendant served upon plaintiff a three-day notice to quit. Then on May 14, 1958, in plaintiffs' absence defendant's manager entered the premises by means of a key (undisputably without any breach of the peace) and had plaintiff's furniture and other possessions removed by a storage company and stored for plaintiff's account. When plaintiff returned to the apartment and entered it some time after 1:30 a.m. on May 15, 1958, she discovered the absence of her furnishings and made inquiry of the manager. He said to her, "Get the hell out of here. You're out of this place. Don't talk to me about it. Call Mr. Talbot [defendant]." Later the same day she telephoned to defendant's attorney who told her her furniture was at the storage company if she wanted to pick it up. Still later in the day she filed this action for forcible entry and detainer and for conversion.
The jury returned a verdict in plaintiff's favor in the sum of $6,500 as general damages plus $3,000 punitive damages; defendant's motion for new trial was granted as noted hereinabove, and this appeal by plaintiff followed.
I believe that the above-quoted terms of the lease gave defendant a contractual right to enter the apartment and to remove the furnishings, and provide a complete defense to this action.
In Baxley v. Western Loan & Bldg. Co. (1933), 135 Cal. App. 426 [27 P.2d 387], as in the case at bench, plaintiff charged forcible entry and detainer under the provisions of sections 1159 and 1160 of the Code of Civil Procedure. fn. 1 [55 Cal. 2d 613] There, defendant was vendor under an installment contract of sale of an apartment house which gave the vendee the right of possession "until a breach or a default by the vendee" and gave the vendor the right upon any breach or default to "reenter upon the premises and resume possession thereof." After the vendee fell in arrears on several payments defendant's employe informed the manager of the apartment that he was going to take possession and remain on the premises for defendant. The manager admitted him, installed him in one of the apartments, and agreed to continue as manager for defendant. The next day plaintiff appeared at the building and demanded that defendant's representative leave the premises, which was refused. During the discussion which followed either force or threats of force were used by both parties.plaintiff then left the premises. It was held (p. 429 ) that no forcible entry was shown under subdivision 1 of section 1159 because the actual entry by defendant was not accompanied "by any kind of violence or circumstances of terror," that subdivision 2 was intended to cover situations where one who had gained peacable access thereafter evicted the occupant by force or the like, and that no such circumstance had occurred. With respect to forcible detainer under the provisions of section 1160, the court, citing various cases, recognized the rule to be that (p. 430 ) "When contractual relations exist between the parties whereby the right to possession has been given to the one taking possession by means of the peaceable entry, then neither the entry nor detention of the property is 'unlawful' within the meaning of said section 1160 dealing with forcible detainer," and held that neither defendant's entry upon nor its detention of the premises was "unlawful" under the provisions of section 1160.
Plaintiff, however, relies upon California Products, Inc. v. Mitchell (1921), 52 Cal. App. 312 [198 P. 646], in which defendants, lessors of premises on which plaintiff was five months in arrears in the payment of rent, removed a lock from the door and entered during plaintiff's absence. The lease provided that at any time the rent was unpaid it should be lawful for the lessors "without previous notice or demand, to re-enter the demised premises and the same peaceably to [55 Cal. 2d 615] hold and enjoy thenceforth as if this lease had not been made." The court, in seemingly mistaken reliance upon Winchester v. Becker (1906), 4 Cal. App. 382 [88 P. 296], held that defendants' entry had been forcible, and was consequently not protected by the quoted lease provision. In the latter case (Winchester v. Becker, supra) defendant had first entered plaintiff's house by means of a key which was secreted over the back door. Plaintiff thereafter recovered this key and ordered defendant's agent off the premises. Defendant then, claiming "under a pretended agreement for a sale of the land on which a deposit of $100 had been paid" (italics added) but which contained no authority for defendant to enter, again entered the premises through the front door by means of a "false key." The finding was that defendant entered "fraudulently and without right" and the reviewing court held that the second entry was forcible within the provisions of subdivision 1 of section 1159 of the Code of Civil Procedure ("breaking open doors, windows, or other parts of a house").
It should be recognized that it is still presumably lawful for adult persons, not convicted of felony, to own real property, contract for its rental, require the tenant to pay the agreed value of occupancy, and provide for security therefor, including a right of peaceful reentry upon any default of the tenant. Tenants and property owners may agree that the latter shall have some rights as against defaulting tenants, short of the time and expense required by court proceedings, and where such rights can be exercised peaceably, as was done here, it seems to me only common and elementary justice that the courts uphold them. It may be further observed that the import and effect of the majority holding in refusing to sustain those rights appears to constitute state action impairing the obligation of a contract in violation of section 10 (clause 1) of article I of the Constitution of the United States and section 16 of article I of the Constitution of California.
Finally, and most distressing in my view, is the seeming alignment of the court on the side of the person who not only breached a contract but, according to the undisputed evidence, appears to have compounded the civil wrong by issuing and passing a check without sufficient funds or credit, to the end of extending her unlawful taking of the owner's property (the use and occupation of his premises) for a further period without compensation. To reward such a person for such conduct at the expense of the innocent party to the contract (whose only wrong consisted in believing that a contract, admittedly executed by competent parties with a lawful object and for a valuable consideration, would be upheld) appears to me to pervert law and subvert justice.
In the circumstances I would hold that as a matter of law plaintiff is not entitled to judgment against defendant for forcible entry and detainer.
McComb, J., and White, J., concurred.
"2. Who, after entering peaceably upon any real property, turns out by force, threats, or menacing conduct, the party in possession."
"2. Who, in the night-time, or during the absence of the occupant of any lands, unlawfully enters upon real property, and who, after demand made for the surrender thereof, for the period of five days, refuses to surrender the same to such former occupant.
"The occupant of real property, within the meaning of this subdivision, is one who, within five days preceding such unlawful entry, was in the peaceable and undisturbed possession of such lands."
FN 4. Prior to 1872 several California cases held, contrary to McCauley v. Weller, supra, that good faith or ownership of the property was a defense to an action for forcible entry or detainer. (See Townsend v. Little, 45 Cal. 673, 676; Powell v. Lane, 45 Cal. 677, 678; Shelby v. Houston, 38 Cal. 410, 422; Thompson v. Smith, 28 Cal. 527, 532.) In Voll v. Hollis, supra, 60 Cal. 569, 575, it was held that Shelby v. Houston and Thompson v. Smith "have no application under the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure ." Townsend v. Little and Powell v. Lane expressly relied on Shelby v. Houston and likewise have no application under those provisions.

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