CONCRETE EQUIPMENT COMPANY, INC., APPELLANT,
v.
UNITED STATES LEASING CORPORATION, APPELLEE
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
The court held that the summary judgment must be reversed because either a material issue of fact existed regarding replevin, or the damages awarded under the breach of contract claim exceeded the remedies authorized by the lease's default clause.
[1] A material issue of fact regarding property detention precludes summary judgment on a replevin claim.
[2] A default clause allowing acceleration of all rent upon breach may be an unenforceable penalty if it exceeds actual damages incurred.
Previewing 2 of 4 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAppellee sued appellant for replevin or damages for a leased computer and for breach of the lease contract. The trial court granted summary judgment f…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Default Clause cases and more on FLexlaw
BASKIN, Judge. This appeal questions the correctness of a summary judgment entered by the trial court. In Count I of the two-count complaint, appellee sought to replevy a leased computer or, alternatively, to obtain damages. In Count II, appellee alleged a breach of its leasing contract, claiming entitlement to damages based upon the default clause contained in the contract. The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of appellee, awarding damages, costs, and interest in the sum of $34,116.20. We reverse.
The final judgment cannot be sustained if it was based upon the replevin claim because the affidavit and the letter filed in opposition to the motion for summary judgment present a material issue of fact as to whether the property was detained. If, however, the final judgment was based upon Count II, it must be reversed because the amount awarded exceeds the remedies authorized by the default clause contained in the lease.1 In order to invoke paragraph 21(a)(v), allowing the lessor to “pursue any other remedy at law or in equity,”2 United States Leasing was required to allege and prove not only a breach, but the actual damages it incurred as a result of the breach as well. Poinsettia Dairy Products v. Wessel Co., 123 Fla. 120, 166 So. 306 (1936). The summary judgment was entered before the necessary proof was established.
Reversed and remanded for further proceedings.
. 21. DEFAULT, (a) If Lessee fails to pay when due any rent or other amount required herein to be paid by Lessee, or if Lessee fails to perform any other provision hereof within 10 days after Lessor shall have demanded in writing performance thereof, or if for any other reason Lessee makes a bulk transfer of furniture, furnishings, fixtures or other equipment or inventory, or if Lessee makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors, whether voluntary or involuntary, or if a petition is filed by or against Lessee under the Bankruptcy Act, or if Lessee has breached any other lease or agreement between Lessee and Lessor, Lessor shall have the right to exercise any one or more of the following remedies:
(i) Lessor may recover from Lessee all rent and other amounts then due and as they shall thereafter become due hereunder. (ii) Lessor may take possession of any or all items of Equipment, wherever same may be located, without demand or notice, without any court order or other process of law and without liability to Lessee for any damages occasioned by such taking of possession. Any such taking of possession shall not constitute a termination of this lease.
(iii) Lessor may recover from Lessee, with respect to any and all items of Equipment, and with or without repossessing Equipment, the sum of (1) all rent and other amounts due and to become due, less a prepayment credit for rent not yet due at the time of payment or judgment, whichever is earlier, equal to the product of the number of months remaining in the current term of this lease at said time, multiplied by the total rent not yet due at said time, multiplied by two tenths of one per cent (.2%); and (2) the reversionary value of Equipment at the end of the current term which for purposes of this paragraph shall be 10% of the total rent as set forth in paragraph 9 above; provided, however, that upon repossession or surrender of Equipment, Lessor may sell or otherwise dispose of Equipment with or without notice and on public or private bid, and apply the net proceeds thereof (after deducting all expenses, including, attorney’s fees, incurred in connection therewith), to the sum of (1) and (2) above. In the event Lessor is unable to sell or otherwise dispose of Equipment within a reasonable time, Lessor may recover from Lessee an amount not less than the sum of the rent and other amounts as set forth in (1) above and all expenses, including attorney’s fees, incurred in taking possession of Equipment.
(iv) As to any item or items of Equipment with respect to which this lease is terminated by Lessor, Lessor may recover from Lessee as to each said item the worth at the time of such termination of the excess, if any, of the amount of rent reserved herein for said item for the balance of the term hereof over the then reasonable rental value of said item for the same period of time.
(v) Lessor may pursue any other remedy at law or in equity.
The validity of the default clause has not been challenged. Whether a default constitutes a penalty or liquidated damages is a question of law to be decided by the court. Paradis v. Second Avenue Used Car Co., 61 So. 2d 919 (Fla. 1952). In Poinsettia Dairy Products v. Wessel Co., 123 Fla. 120, 166 So. 306 (1936), the supreme court held a similar clause to be a penalty, stating:
In stipulating that the damages for breach of the contract shall be the balance of the unpaid purchase price; and that plaintiff, upon such breach, may regard the contract as terminated and sue for the balance of the purchase price, which is all that could have recovered if the entire contract had been performed, the amount stipulated as ‘liquidated damages’ is easily excessive ... and should be regarded as a ‘penalty’ ....
Id. at 309.
Comparable rent acceleration clauses were examined in Chandler Leasing Division v. Florida-Vanderbilt Development Corp., 464 F. 2d 267 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 409 U.S. 1041, 93 S.Ct. 527, 34 L.Ed.2d 491 (1972) and Krenek v. Wang Laboratories, Inc., 583 S.W. 2d 454 (Tex.Civ.App.1979). In Chandler the court ruled the default clause not in violation of Florida public policy.
The Krenek court held that the clause constituted a penalty under Texas law. The court’s considerations in Krenek are similar to the considerations expressed by the Florida Supreme Court in Paradis and Poinsettia. For a discussion of the viability of rent acceleration clauses see 5 A. Corbin Contracts § 1065 (1964 and Kaufman Supp.1982); see also American Lease Plan v. Ben-Kro Corp., 508 S.W. 2d 937 (Tex.Civ.App.1974); Electrical Products Corp. v. Williams, 117 Cal.App.2d 813, 256 P. 2d 403 (1953). But see Puritan Leasing v. August, 16 Cal.3d 451, 128 Cal.Rptr. 175, 546 P. 2d 679 (1976) (no policy reason for not applying real property law to chattel lease). Compare A. Corbin Contracts § 1039 A (Kaufman Supp. 1984) (real property lease more like contract than conveyance of real estate).
The default clause in the case before us provides the lessor the right to accelerate the rent in the event of a breach of this contract and, surprisingly, upon breach of any other lease between Concrete and United States Leasing! Another provision authorizes the lessor to retake possession of the leased equipment without terminating the lease.. Furthermore, a re-versionary clause requires an additional payment of 10% of the total rent of the contract over and above the repossession and rent acceleration. Recovery of the item possessed, in addition to receiving all rental payments, may constitute a double recovery. See Monsalvatage and Co. v. Ryder Leasing, Inc., 151 So. 2d 453 (Fla. 3d DCA 1963). But see Chandler. If the default clause were invalid, United States Leasing might be able to repossess and sue for damages which naturally flow from the breach.
. As to how equity would enforce this contract, see Campbell Soup v. Wentz, 172 F. 2d 80 (3d Cir.1948) (contract “carrying a good joke too far”).
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
The Pub. Health Tr. OF Dade Cnty. v. Romart Constr., Inc., 577 So. 2d 636 (Fla. 3d DCA 1991)…asons, (a) The validity and reasonableness of the subject clause was for the [*638] trial court, not the jury, to determine. T.A.S. Heavy Equip., Inc. v. Delint, Inc., 532 So. 2d 23, 25 (Fla. 4th DCA 1988); Concrete Equip. Co. v. U.S. Leasing Corp., 439 So. 2d 224, 225 n. 1 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983); see Nicholas v. Miami Burglar Alarm Co., 266 So. 2d 64, 66 (Fla. 3d DCA 1972). (b) Moreover, as the trial court orally indicated below, the $2,500 liquidated damages was a perfectly reasonable assessment of damages for…
-
Metro. Dade Cnty. v. Frank J. Rooney, Inc., 627 So. 2d 1248 (Fla. 3d DCA 1993)…use, see and compare Public Health Trust of Dade Co. v. Romart Construction, Inc., 577 So. 2d 636 (Fla. 3d DCA 1991); T.A.S. Heavy Equipment, Inc. v. Delint, Inc., 532 So. 2d 23 (Fla. 4th DCA 1988); Concrete Equipment Co. Inc. v. U.S. Leasing Corp., 439 So. 2d 224 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983); Nicholas v. Miami Burglar Alarm Co., 266 So. 2d 64 (Fla. DCA 1972), 297 So. 2d 49 (appeal after remand); 339 So. 2d 175 (affirmed in part, reversed in part) (1976). Whether the liquidated damages clause or the “No Damage for Dela…
Authorities Cited
- Poinsettia Dairy Prods., Inc. v. The Wessel Co., 123 Fla. 120 (Fla. 1936)
- Campbell Soup Co. v. Wentz, 172 F.2d 80 (3d Cir. 1948)
- Woods v. Woods, 151 So. 2d 453 (Fla. 2d DCA 1963)
- Monsalvatge & Co. OF Miami, Inc. v. Ryder Leasing, Inc., 151 So. 2d 453 (Fla. 3d DCA 1963)
- Paradis v. Second Ave. Used Car Co., 61 So. 2d 919 (Fla. 1952)
- Luttrell v. United States, 409 U.S. 1041 (U.S. 1972)
- McKy v. Union Bank & Tr. Co. of Helena, 409 U.S. 1041 (U.S. 1972)
- Chandler Leasing Div. v. Florida-Vanderbilt Dev. Corp., 464 F.2d 267 (5th Cir. 1972)