Case Name: The Woodbridge Company, Appellant, v. The Charles E. Hires Company, Respondent
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1897-06
Citations: 19 A.D. 128
Docket Number: 
Parties: The Woodbridge Company, Appellant, v. The Charles E. Hires Company, Respondent.
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 19
Pages: 128–130

Head Matter:
The Woodbridge Company, Appellant, v. The Charles E. Hires Company, Respondent.
Lease — eonstmictionof the words “at and from, "when referring to a notice of tcrmination of a lease.
Where a lease contains a clause stating that the lessee may cancel the lease “ without damages, at and from the first day of September, 1895, by giving thirty days’ written notice” to the lessor, the words “at and from” simply fix a point of time at which and from which the lease' may- be terminated by a "written notice of thirty days; and where this notice is given on August 31, 1895, and the premises are not surrendered until October 1, 1895, the condition of the lease under which the tenant was entitled to surrender the premises and terminate his liability for rent has not been complied with. •
O’Brien, J., dissented.
Appeal by the plaintiff, The Woodbridge Company, from a judgment of the Supreme Court in favor of the defendant, entered in the office of the clerk of the county of Hew York on the 5th day of March, 1897/upon the dismissal of its complaint by direction of the court after a trial, at the Hew York Special Term..
Edward W. Sheldon, for the appellant.
John A. Garver, for the respondent.

Opinion:
Patterson, J.:
• The determination of the question arising upon this appeal depends upon the proper construction to be given to that clause in the lease which provides as follows-: " It is further understood and agreed that the party of the second part (the lessee) has the privilege of canceling this lease, without damages, at aiid from the first day of September, 1895, by giving thirty days' written notice to the party of the first part." The meaning of this clause seems to be entirely clear and unmistakable. All the terms and conditions upon which the property was rented by the plaintiff's assignor to the defendant are contained in the lease, and construction can be given to every clause of that instrument without resort being had to extraneous evidence. The words " at and from " simply fix a point of time at which and from which the lease may be terminated, and it may be thus terminated, upon the lessee giving thirty days' written notice to. the lessor. The evidence is distinct that the premises were not surrendered until October. 1, 1895; the notice was not given until August 21, 1895, and, therefore, the condition of the lease upon which the defendant was entitled to surrender the premises and cease to be liable for the rent was not complied with.
The judgment should be reversed and a new trial ordered, with costs to abide the event.
Van Brunt, P. J., Williams and Ingraham, JJ., concurred.