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Clanton v. Smith

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Feb 25, 1991
170 A.D.2d 643 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991)

Opinion

February 25, 1991

Appeal from the Supreme Court, Suffolk County (Mellan, J.H.O.).


Ordered that the appeal from the order is dismissed, and it is further,

Ordered that the judgment is affirmed, and it is further,

Ordered that the plaintiff is awarded one bill of costs.

The appeal from the intermediate order must be dismissed because the right of direct appeal therefrom terminated with the entry of judgment in the action (see, Matter of Aho, 39 N.Y.2d 241, 248). The issues raised on appeal from the order are brought up for review and have been considered on the appeal from the judgment (CPLR 5501 [a] [1]).

The plaintiff and the defendant held title to certain real property as tenants in common. On December 3, 1984, the parties entered into a written sale/leaseback contract wherein the plaintiff agreed to sell his one-half interest in the property to the defendant. As part of his consideration for the sale, the defendant agreed to lease all of the property to a corporation to be formed for the purpose of operating a campground on the property. Pursuant to the contract, the plaintiff and the defendant also agreed that they were each to hold 50% of the corporate stock in the corporation which they agreed to form.

On April 30, 1985, the plaintiff deeded his interest in the property to the defendant. However, the defendant would not agree to a leaseback arrangement that conformed to the terms of the contract, despite his admission that the leaseback arrangement was an important part of the consideration.

Therefore, we conclude that the court properly rescinded the contract and the subsequent deed, mortgage and bond. The defendant's failure to execute a lease that conformed with the provisions of the contract amounts to a substantial breach. This failure to perform was so fundamental that it defeated the object of the parties in making the contract (see, Callanan v Keeseville, Ausable Chasm Lake Champlain R.R. Co., 199 N.Y. 268). Thus, rescission was the proper remedy. Thompson, J.P., Brown, Sullivan and Miller, JJ., concur.


Summaries of

Clanton v. Smith

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department
Feb 25, 1991
170 A.D.2d 643 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991)
Case details for

Clanton v. Smith

Case Details

Full title:JOHN J. CLANTON, Respondent, v. EUGENE G. SMITH, Appellant

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Second Department

Date published: Feb 25, 1991

Citations

170 A.D.2d 643 (N.Y. App. Div. 1991)
567 N.Y.S.2d 67

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