Court Opinion

ID: 9658599
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 21:06:08.94723+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:13:56.952931
License: Public Domain

SACKETT, Judge
(dissenting)
I dissent. I would reverse the determination Hullinger was entitled to possession of the farm for the crop year 1987. I would find the trial court erred in not granting a judgment notwithstanding the verdict.
I must disagree with the majority on an issue their opinion does not specifically address, that is, should Iowa Code section 562.6 be construed to allow a sublessee to retain a farm tenancy for a succeeding *899year when the tenancy with the original lessee has been terminated. I find no Iowa case law on this specific point. I do not, however, interpret section 562.6 to allow a sublessee to hold over under such circumstances. I find no requirement under the statute that a landlord serve both a tenant and a subtenant. I feel extending the statute to so provide would be contrary to legislative intent and would create an area of uncertainty in the termination of farm tenancies not envisioned by the statute.
The relevant facts simply are these. The land was leased by the receiver to Snook. The receiver was the party in possession and the person entitled to lease. Snook was served with notice of termination of tenancy on August 15, 1986. After leasing the farm, Snook sublet to Lukane Corp. Lukane Corp. sublet to Hullinger. The receiver-Snook and the Lukane Corp.-Hul-linger leases were both cash rent leases. They both called for cash rent of $20,000. The leases were on different forms.1 They had different terms. The receiver-Snook lease called for the cash rent to be due May 1, 1986, while the Lukane Corp.-Hullinger lease provided the cash rent was due December 1, 1986. The receiver was not a party to the subleases and did not consent to the subleases.
I.
Hullinger has no basis to claim he can hold over for the 1987 crop year. Generally, a lessee cannot create a greater interest in a lease than the interest the lessor has. See Am.Jur.2d Landlord and Tenant § 12, at 56 (1970). The notice to terminate given Snook satisfied the statutory requirement to terminate the Snook lease. Hullinger’s rights flowed from the Snook lease. The statute provides for service on either party or a successor of the party. These words contemplate a single service, even though someone (as did Hullinger here) has succeeded to the rights of either the contracting landlord or tenant.
The statute uses the word or, and consequently does not envision the necessity of serving a series of persons. We must not, under the guise of construction, extend, enlarge, or otherwise change the terms of a statute. Read v. Estate of Mincks, 176 N.W.2d 192, 194 (Iowa 1970).
I have furthermore considered the fact that the statute talks in terms of the lease, not a possessory right, and there is no requirement to serve or identify a party in possession. This tells me the statute does not contemplate the landlord making an inquiry to determine interests of persons beyond the interests of those persons contracting with the landlord.
II.
The decision reached by the majority does not reasonably assign the risk to the person best able to provide for it. In interpreting the law, we need to give some consideration to the position of a party to correct or minimize the problem. See Fritz v. Parkison, 397 N.W.2d 714, 716 (Iowa 1986). The prospective tenant can more easily ascertain the nature and extent of his or her landlord’s interest in the land than can the landlord seeking to terminate a farm lease seek to ascertain persons who may claim lease rights through the contracting tenant. An astute tenant will make inquiry to ascertain that the landlord has an interest to lease. Furthermore, inquiry as to a certain person’s or persons’ ownership of a specific tract of land is not burdensome.
A requirement that a landlord serve notice on any persons claiming to be subtenants to extinguish any possible rights would be difficult — nearly impossible — and would open the door to fraudulent claims of subleases. A terminating landlord would be required to make an inquiry and search the countryside to ascertain the names and addresses of any persons who might claim they were a tenant by virtue of a sublease with the contracting tenant. There is no way to assure they could all be *900found prior to September 1. Frequently, when a farm tenancy is terminated, the feelings between landlord and tenant are hostile. Consequently, it is not reasonable to assume the tenant would cooperate in identifying subleases before the date for terminating tenancies. The subtenant would benefit by not being identified and served. There would be an open invitation for tenants and friends, after the periods for termination had expired, to seek to establish that subleases existed that had not been terminated.
III.
To adopt the majority position will establish uncertainty on issues of terminating farm leases. While I recognize the purpose of the statute is to protect the farm tenant and I applaud such protection, I also recognize an additional reason was to provide for certainty on who was going to farm land in the next year to allow planning for fall work and the purchase of seed, chemicals, fertilizer, and other cropping decisions.
Because subtenants are not readily ascertainable, there will be no certainty that claims of leases for the ensuing crop year have been extinguishable, leaving uncertainty as to the landlord’s ability to enter into new leases. Furthermore, there will be uncertainty as to terms of an alleged lease. For example, here Snook owed his cash rent to the receiver by May 1. According to the Hullinger sublease, he owed cash rent by December 1. Snook’s lease was terminated. What lease would the majority determine Hullinger carried over under? Under the majority’s holding, can a landlord be forced to honor a sublease when the terms are more favorable than the terms of the original lease?
Section 562.6 has been determined to operate only to extend the tenancy on the same terms and conditions as the original lease. Ganzer v. Pfab, 360 N.W.2d 754, 756 (Iowa 1985). Because I find the service of notice on Snook was sufficient to terminate Hollinger’s lease, I would find plaintiff should have a judgment notwithstanding the verdict. Even if I had found, under this record, Hullinger had a lease for the 1987 crop year, I would have found a judgment notwithstanding the verdict should have been entered. There were numerous uncertainties in this case, and valid arguments for plaintiff’s contention it was entitled to the land during the 1987 crop year. The actions for which it is penalized are the actions in seeking to assert these rights. It had a basis for doing so. The fact plaintiff sought to assert these rights does not support a finding of interference with a contract.
I would reverse and enter judgment for plaintiff.

. I have made no attempt to compare their provisions but they appear at first blush to be somewhat similar.