Title: Stoppel v. Mastin
Citation: 220 Kan. 667, 556 P.2d 394
Docket Number: 48,071
State: Kansas
Issuer: Kansas Supreme Court
Date: November 6, 1976

220 Kan. 667 (1976)
556 P.2d 394
LEON STOPPEL, F.C. BRUNGARDT and TWILA BRUNGARDT, Appellees,
v.
C.R. MASTIN, Appellant.
No. 48,071

Supreme Court of Kansas.
Opinion filed November 6, 1976.
Douglas C. Spencer, of Oakley, argued the cause, and Corwin C. Spencer and James A. Spencer, also of Oakley, were with him on the brief for the appellant.
J. Stephen Nystvonger, of Garden City, argued the cause, and Lelyn J. Braun, of Garden City, was with him on the brief for the appellees.
The opinion of the court was delivered by
SCHROEDER,, J.:
The question presented by this appeal concerns the rights of a landlord and his new tenant to the idle ground, *668 where the lease of a holdover tenant on a year-to-year basis is terminated by proper notice. The land in question was being farmed by the holdover tenant on a summer fallowing basis whereby one-half of the ground is seeded to wheat every other year.
C.R. Mastin (defendant-appellant) was operating land owned by Frank C. Brungardt and Twila Brungardt (plaintiffs-appellees) as the holdover tenant in possession of 480 acres of land. The original written lease under which Mastin took possession was dated February 24, 1956. It was for a term of twelve months, beginning August 1, 1956, and ending on August 1, 1957. The lease gave the legal description of the 480 acres in Logan County and, in so far as material to this appeal, Mastin agreed:
The parties stipulated that pursuant to the term of the above lease the original term of the lease expired August 1, 1957, and as the holdover tenant under the terms of that lease the holdover tenancy terminated August 1, 1972. (See, K.S.A. 58-2506, amended L. 1975, ch. 294, § 1.)
On December 9, 1971, Frank C. Brungardt and Twila Brungardt *669 entered into a lease of the above described land with Leon K. Stoppel (plaintiff-appellee) wherein Stoppel was given a three year farm tenancy lease of the premises beginning on March 1, 1972, and ending on March 1, 1975, subject to the rights of the present tenant thereon to remove his growing crops therefrom.
Prior to August 1, 1972, Mastin voluntarily relinquished possession of a part of the land to the Brungardts, and although that land was covered in the lease there is no issue in this case with respect to that land. The parties stipulated that exclusive of that portion of the land under lease from which a crop had been harvested in 1972, concerning which there is no controversy between them, there were 294.7 acres which could have been sowed to wheat in the fall of 1972 (referred to as idle ground under the summer fallowing practice), and Leon K. Stoppel did in fact sow 294.5 acres of this ground to wheat.
The trial court, after hearing all of the evidence and giving consideration to stipulations of the parties, found that the written lease under which Mastin was operating as a holdover tenant was terminated August 1, 1972, by the Brungardts by a notice to terminate tenancy dated March 11, 1972, from the Brungardts' attorney. The trial court also found that Mastin prior to that time was informed by the Brungardts and Stoppel that Stoppel was the new tenant of this land by reason of the written lease heretofore described. The information and new lease were also effective as notice of termination of Mastin's lease under its terms on August 1, 1972. The trial court further found:
"No. 3
"No. 4
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"No. 5A
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"To F.C. and Twila Brungardt, $2,500.00.
"To Leon Stoppel, $5,000.00." (Emphasis added.)
Two actions were filed against Mastin, one by the Brungardts and the other by Stoppel. The trial court consolidated these actions for trial and in accordance with the foregoing findings entered judgment against Mastin of $5,000 in favor of Stoppel and $2,500 in favor of the Brungardts, plus costs and interest of 8% per annum from March 26, 1975.
The findings of fact made by the trial court are not challenged; therefore, we must assume they are supported by sufficient evidence presented at the trial. Except for the written documents, the authenticity of which is not challenged, none of the evidence is set forth in the record. The parties agree Mastin was a holdover tenant under the terms of his original lease. (K.S.A. 58-2506 [now K.S.A. 1975 Supp. 58-2506]; and Woodmancy v. Brady, 176 Kan. 522, 271 P.2d 288.)
Mastin has duly perfected an appeal from the foregoing judgment. He contends the trial court erred in finding that Stoppel was a real party in interest as against him, and that the trial court erred in awarding Stoppel damages in the sum of $5,000.
Liability for the expense of preparing ground for crops which cannot be harvested during the term of the lease is a matter generally agreed upon by the parties. It has been held that a tenant is not entitled to recover money expended by him in preparing the land for planting a crop he could not hope to harvest, because it would not mature until after his lease expired. (Kohn v. Babb, 204 Kan. 245, 461 P.2d 775; and Woodmancy v. Brady, supra.)
Generally, a tenant renting on a crop-share basis is not entitled to a crop sown but not maturing before the expiration of his lease. (Kohn v. Babb, supra at 250.)
On the facts in this case Mastin's lease expired August 1, 1972. The notice of termination to Mastin is not challenged. Under the summer fallowing practice conducted by Mastin in growing wheat, *672 the 294.7 acres of idle land could not have been seeded to wheat and harvested before the harvest season of 1973, long after the termination of his lease. (See, Fox v. Flick, 166 Kan. 533, 203 P.2d 186; and Woodmancy v. Brady, supra.) Therefore, under the specific provisions of the sixth paragraph of Mastin's lease, the landlord, "his agent or tenant" had the right to enter upon the 294.7 acres of idle land as soon as Mastin harvested the 1971 wheat, and received notice of termination of his holdover tenancy, for the purpose of preparing the land and seeding it to wheat for the succeeding crop.
Stoppel as the new tenant of the Brungardts on March 1, 1972, by reason of his written three year crop-share lease, had the right to enter upon the premises for the purpose of preparing the land and seeding it to wheat for the crop to be harvested in 1973. (See Finding No. 6; and Duckworth v. Michel, 172 Wash. 234, 19 P.2d 914 [1933].) As such, Stoppel was a real party in interest.
Mastin contends he was required by the terms of his lease to continue farming the land without compensation until August 1, 1972, and his failure to work the 294.7 acres of idle ground prior to August 1, 1972, was a breach of his lease for which Brungardts were entitled to damages. From this premise Mastin argues Stoppel was not a real party in interest. For the reasons stated we think this argument has no merit. The lease Mastin had with the Brungardts specifically gave the Brungardts' new tenant the right to enter upon the land after the 1971 wheat crop was harvested when Mastin was legally notified of the termination of his lease with the Brungardts.
The failure of Mastin to permit Stoppel to enter upon the premises and work the ground for the seeding of wheat in the fall of 1972 resulted in a substantial decrease in the production of the wheat seeded in the fall of 1972 and harvested in 1973. This reduction in wheat yield was the basis upon which the trial court determined the damages. (See, Gowing v. McCandless, 219 Kan. 140, 547 P.2d 338; and 21 Am.Jur.2d, Crops, § 79, p. 665.) The total damages assessed against Mastin were awarded by the trial court in accordance with the terms of Stoppel's crop-share lease, one-third to the Brungardts and two-thirds to Stoppel. (See, Edwards v. Solar Oil Corp., 177 Kan. 219, 277 P.2d 614.)
K.S.A. 1975 Supp. 60-217 (a) provides that every action shall be prosecuted in the name of the real party in interest. In Torkelson v. Bank of Horton, 208 Kan. 267, 491 P.2d 954, this court stated:
Joinder of the landlords and tenant (Stoppel) as plaintiffs in their separate actions against Mastin, the holdover tenant, was proper. (Edwards v. Solar Oil Corp., supra; and 52A C.J.S., Landlord &amp; Tenant, § 822, p. 373.)
The appellant next contends the trial court erred in finding the appellees were unable to mitigate their damages and in awarding the Brungardts damages in the amount of $2,500.
On the record here presented it was through Mastin's own acts that the rights of the Brungardts and Stoppel were frustrated. Mastin attempted to bring undue pressure upon the appellees to force them to answer his dictates for return of the idle land contrary to the provisions of the lease he had with the Brungardts.
Stoppel did enter upon the idle ground about May 10, 1972, and had worked 80 acres before Mastin ordered him off the land. Under these circumstances the appellees did, in fact, attempt every effort to mitigate any losses that may have been occasioned by the willful and wanton acts of Mastin. The conditions Mastin imposed were properly labeled by the trial court as illegal requirements for the possession of the idle ground under the terms of the lease between Mastin and the Brungardts and in particular *674 the sixth paragraph thereof. The damages occasioned by reason of Mastin's failure to comply with the terms of the sixth paragraph in his lease were of his own creation, and these damages cannot be attributed to the appellees. The Brungardts and Stoppel in no way created the situation causing damages in this case.
The judgment of the lower court is affirmed.