Opinion ID: 2180190
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Appellant's Status: The Trespass Doctrine

Text: The record is not clear as to the exact status of the appellants in relation to the U Street property. The trial court concluded that they were not tenants, subtenants, or implied tenants, but we see no precise factual finding or legal conclusion that they were trespassers, even though paragraph 12 of Count IV of U Street's counterclaim specifically alleged: Counter-Defendants trespassed on the Premises by entering without owner's permission and without right and by gaining access through another tenant's space. Ms. Touelde and Mr. Samuel paid $30,000 to acquire the assets of Sarete, and made in excess of $16,000 in rent payments directly to Ms. Myers for the operation of Cafe Tango. These payments were accepted by the landlord. Indeed, Ms. Myers accepted a rent payment from Mr. Samuel on July 11, 2000, after Mr. Gebremedhin had relinquished any control over the leasehold and had returned the keys to the premises to her. Not only did she accept the rent payment, but she also gave Mr. Samuel a key to the premises where Cafe Tango was located, although the key did not work. And, there is no indication on this record that Ms. Myers regarded the July 11, 2000 rent payment as having been made in behalf of, Mr. Gebremedhin, as she argued with respect to other payments made by Mr. Samuel. Moreover, appellants' actions at the 1344 U Street property do not fall within the ambit of a trespass. [A] trespass is an unauthorized entry onto property that results in interference with the property owner's possessory interest therein. RICHARD R. POWELL, POWELLON REAL PROPERTY, § 64A.02[1] at 64A-16, at 64A-16 (Michael A. Wolf ed.2000). Given Ms. Myers' dealings with appellants beginning at least in November 1998, it cannot be said that theirs was an unauthorized entry onto the U Street property, at least from November 1998 forward. Significantly, U Street made no effort from November 24, 1998 through September 2000 to evict appellants legally for trespass. Consequently, to determine the status of appellants requires a review of applicable law governing leases and assignments.