Court Opinion

ID: 9654972
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 18:56:42.627896+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:13:15.151331
License: Public Domain

J. CURTISS BROWN, Chief Justice,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent. The trial court has broad discretion to allow trial amendments, and its decision will be overturned only upon a showing of abuse of discretion. Yowell v. Piper Aircraft Corp., 703 S.W.2d 630, 634 (Tex.1986). The rules of civil procedure allow pleadings to be amended as may be necessary to cause them to conform to the evidence when issues not raised by the pleadings are tried without objection. Tex.R.Civ.P. 67. Here the trial court did not abuse its discretion in granting appellee’s trial amendment alleging the affirmative defenses of constructive eviction and breach of the implied warranty of habitability because evidence supporting these issues was introduced without objection.
As the majority points out, the elements constituting a constructive eviction are: (1) an intention on the part of the landlord that the tenant shall no longer enjoy the premises, which intention may be inferred from the circumstances proven; (2) a material act by the landlord or those acting for him or with his permission that substantially interferes with the use and enjoyment of the premises for the purposes for which they are let; (3) the act must permanently deprive the tenant of the use and enjoyment of the premises; and (4) the tenant must abandon the premises within a reasonable time after the commission of the act. Richker v. Georgandis, 323 S.W.2d 90, 95-96 (Tex.Civ.App.—Houston 1959, writ ref’d n.r.e.).
The jury found that appellant materially breached the lease such that the leased space was not suitable for a medical office as warranted to appellee. The effect of these findings is to establish a material act that substantially interfered with the use and enjoyment of the premises for the purpose for which they were let. Richker v. Georgandis, 323 S.W.2d at 96. While the verdict did not find all elements necessary to constitute a constructive eviction, there was no objection to the court’s charge for failure to submit the remaining elements; thus under Tex.R.Civ.P. 279 the omitted issues are deemed found by the trial court so as to support the judgment if there is evidence in the record to support the presumed findings. A presumed finding of the intention on the part of appellant that appellee should no longer enjoy the premises finds support in the evidence, as do the presumed findings of permanently depriving appellee of the use and enjoyment of the premises, and abandonment. Despite provisions in the lease agreement obligating appellant to provide air conditioning, hot water, janitor, maintenance and security services, electricity, light fixtures and passable ingress and egress, the problems faced by appellee concerning these obligations were many throughout the lease period. The temperature inside the office was often eighty-five degrees or greater, causing appellee literally to sweat on his patients. One patient testified he had to remain outside to get cool air. The roof leaked whenever it rained, causing stained tiles and rotting, mildewed carpets with a stench of mildew centering in the waiting room. Patients had to be directed away from certain areas during rain so that they would not be dripped upon in the waiting room. Mice, roaches, crickets, spiderj, flies and other pests infested the office. Hallways remained dark and dangerous because lights were unreplaced for months. *606The hallways also accumulated puddles of water after rain, and uneven tiles caused people to trip. Cleaning and maintenance were not provided. The parking lot was constantly filled with trash and deep rain puddles. Hot water was not provided, and at one point appellee had no electricity for several days because appellant failed to pay the electric bill. Burglaries occurred, some perhaps caused by the security guards. Other vandalism occurred, including two occasions where everything in ap-pellee’s office was disturbed and damaged when vandals turned on the water in the sinks and allowed them to overflow. Despite frequent attempts by appellee to have these problems solved, the problems persisted. Appellee paid rent until he felt the problems would never be solved, then promptly abandoned the premises despite a shortage of medical office lease space in the area. The evidence supports presumed findings under Rule 279. See Richker v. Georgandis, 323 S.W.2d at 96.
In addition, the submission of material breach as a single broad issue encompassed the independent theory of constructive eviction as permitted by Tex.R.Civ.P. 277, which provides that “It shall be discretionary with the court whether to submit separate questions with respect to each element of a case or to submit issues broadly. It shall not be objectionable that a question is general or includes a combination of elements or issues.” The Texas Supreme Court has clearly mandated that trial courts are permitted, and even urged, to submit the controlling issues of a case in broad terms so as to simplify the jury’s chore. Island Recreational Development Corp. v. Republic of Texas Savings Association, 710 S.W.2d 551, 554 (Tex.1986).
Concerning the majority’s application of the theory of independent covenants, I have grave misgivings as to the viability of the theory although a conclusion on this issue need not be reached here. Appellee in his trial amendment also alleged that appellant breached the implied warranty of habitability arising as a consequence of a landlord-tenant relationship. Our supreme court has recognized that in the rental of a dwelling unit there is an implied warranty by the landlord that the dwelling is habitable and fit for living. Kamarath v. Bennett, 568 S.W.2d 658, 661 (Tex.1978). While I am aware of no cases where Texas courts have specifically extended the application of the warranty to commercial property, I feel the Kamarath case itself indicates the supreme court’s relaxation of laws favoring the landlord and its willingness to avoid the exact unjust results that the theory of independent covenants would allow in a case such as this where a material breach by the landlord renders the premises unusable for the intended purposes for which the premises were let. The evidence before the jury and the trial court and the findings by the jury show beyond a doubt that appellant leased the space to appellee for use as a medical office, that appellant knew of the intended use, and that appellee was unable to use the space for the intended purpose because of numerous acts and omissions by appellant constituting material breach.
I believe the evidence supports the jury’s finding of material breach and the trial amendment alleging constructive eviction and breach of the implied warranty of habitability. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in granting the trial amendment, nor did it err in granting judgment for appellee. I would affirm the trial court’s judgment.