ÿWPCW 4´È 0(×ÿw@ 0JG 0T‘ 0^å 0hC 0r« 0| 0†™ 0 1u¯ 0d$UBˆ %ÊU6Ðv~vÓ„rd"ÔøÔô3|xe($¡¡ \b]b^_{`aEbcd{e2 ÿÿ0Indent1Ô2ÔÔ3  Ô2" ÿÿ0Indent2à0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2, ÿÿ0Indent3à0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô26 ÿÿ0Indent4à0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2@ ÿÿ0Indent5à0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2J ÿÿ0Indent6à0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2T ÿÿ0Indent7à0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô2^ ÿÿ0Indent8à0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àà0 àÔ2ÔÔ3  Ô  ÿÿ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)P ÿÿ8Mac DefaultMac DefaultÓ ` °šXÓ<þ6X9`(*Courier 12pt10cpiX< Œ 9p`(Courier NewPtPtHHÚ(ÿáÿâùFG(üHHÚ(d'hStyl{WP}01•ÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃà Ãà Ãà Ãà Ãà ÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÐ ÐÐHHÐÐ  ÐÐ2ÐÐÿÿ¸æ$ÿÐÐHHÐÐÐÐÐÐÐÐ  ÐÐ ÐÐ ÐÑÑÑGenevaÑÑ ÑÑ € ÑÑ<Px–ÈÑÒÒÒ443!#4ÒÒ$ *$ÒÒ$*$ÒÒ ÿKK ÒÒ  Geneva ÒÒ  Geneva ÒÓ.,ÓÓÓÓ6ÓÓ ÓßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßÑGenevaÑÑ ÑÒ  h HD: Geneva ÒÒ  h HD: Geneva ÒÝ ƒ!ÝÔ . ÔÔ€ÔÝ  ÝÑ  ÑÒ Ü ÒÒ ° Ò›Ñ Ü ÑÑ ý ÑÑ\R AØ'\ÑÑ\R AØ'\ÑÑ7€öëXXdÈdÈ7ÑÞ ÞÌÌÌ€€€€à@ àò òIN€THE€COURT€OF€APPEALS€OF€TENNESSEEÌÌà@ àEASTERN€SECTIONÌó óÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌROY€S.€OAKES,à àà àà àà à)€C/A€NO.€03A01„9609„CH„00302Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)Ìà àPlaintiff„Appellee,à àà à)€HAMBLEN€CHANCERYÌà àà àà àà àà àà à)Ìv.à àà àà àà àà àà à)€HON.€WILLIAM€L.€JENKINS,Ìà àà àà àà àà àà à)€CHANCELLORÌHARRY€LANE€NISSAN,€INC.,à àà à)Ìà àà àà àà àà àà àœ)€AFFIRMED€AND›Ìà àDefendant„Appellant.à àœ)€REMANDED›ÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌLORI€L.€JESSEE€and€HERBERT€M.€BACON,€BACON,€JESSEE,€PERKINS€&ÏSWANSON,€Morristown,€for€Plaintiff„Appellee.ÌÌRODNEY€A.€FIELDS,€LEWIS,€KING,€KRIEG,€WALDROP€&€CATRON,€P.C.,ÏKnoxville,€for€Defendant„Appellant.ÌÌÌÌÌÌÌÌà@ àò òòòO€P€I€N€I€O€Nóóó óÌÌÌà@ àòòÌÓÓóóÌà àà àà àà àà àà àà àà àFranks.€J.ÌÌÌà àà àIn€this€action€for€damages€for€breach€of€lease,€theÏTrial€Judge€awarded€damages€in€the€amount€of€$25,000.00€andÏdefendant€has€appealed.Ìà àà àThe€issues€raised€by€defendant€essentially€can€beÏdistilled€into€one€issue:€did€the€Trial€Court€err€in€œhis›Ïdetermination€of€the€damage€œaward?›Ìà àà àPlaintiff€Roy€Oakes€owns€land€and€a€building€on€SouthÏCumberland€Street€in€Morristown€Tennessee.€€The€building€wasÏbuilt€in€1947„48€and€Oakes€ran€a€car€dealership€at€the€locationÏuntil€1989.€€At€that€time,€he€leased€the€property€to€DefendantÏHarry€Lane€Nissan,€Inc.€€The€lease€was€for€a€term€of€five€years,Ïat€$1,500.00€rent€per€month.Ìà àà àThe€lease€agreement€included€the€following€terms:ÌÓÓÒ Ü ÒÒ  ÒÒ 4 ÒÒ  Òà0 à4.€€Lessee€shall€maintain€and€keep€in€a€goodÏstate€of€repair€both€the€interior€and€exteriorÏof€the€buildings€upon€the€leased€premises.ÌÌà0 à7.€€Lessee€agrees,€upon€the€termination€of€theÏLease,€to€return€the€said€premises€to€the€LessorÏin€as€good€a€condition€as€when€Lessee€tookÏpossession,€reasonable€and€ordinary€wear€andÏtear€excepted.ÌÌà0 à8.€€This€is€a€net„net€lease€with€Lessee€payingÏall€taxes,€insurance€premiums€and€expenses€ofÏall€maintenance€and€upkeep€to€maintain€saidÏbuilding€in€a€good€state€of€repair.ÌÌà0 à9.€€Default€by€the€Lessee€in€the€payment€of€anyÍrental€when€due,€failure€to€pay€taxes€in€aÏtimely€manner,€or€failure€to€keep€the€premisesÏinsured€as€agreed€herein€and€pay€the€premises,Ïtherefore,€or€Lesseeððs€failure€to€maintain€andÏkeep€the€premises€in€a€good€state€of€repairÏshall,€at€the€option€of€the€Lessor,€cause€thisÏlease€to€terminate€and€be€of€no€further€forceÏand€effect,€and€the€Lessor€shall€be€entitled€toÏthe€immediate€peaceful€possession€of€theÏpremised,€provided,€however,€Lessor€shall€remainÏliable€for€any€and€all€monetary€payments€thenÏdue€under€the€terms€of€this€Lease€or€to€becomeÏdue€in€the€future,€mitigated€only€to€the€extentÏof€the€net€proceeds€of€any€monies€received€byÏLessor€from€third€parties€who€shall€occupy€theÏpremises€under€a€rental€agreement€for€theÏremaining€term€of€this€Lease.€.€.€.ÌÌÒ 4 ÒÒ ° ÒÒ Ü ÒÒ ° ÒÓÓà àà àDefendant€occupied€the€leased€premises€through€1991,Ïoperating€a€Buick„Oldsmobile€dealership.€€At€the€end€of€1991,Ïthe€Buick„Oldsmobile€franchise€was€moved€across€town€to€the€sameÏbuilding€used€for€the€Nissan€franchise.€€Except€for€two€shortÏsublease€agreements€and€some€storage€by€defendant,€the€buildingÏwas€vacant€for€the€remainder€of€the€lease€term.€Ìà àà àThere€is€much€testimony€as€to€the€œstark›€difference€inÏthe€condition€of€the€property€œat€the€inception€and€at›€the€end€ofÏthe€lease.€€€Witnesses€for€plaintiff€testified€as€to€the€well„maintained€and€neat€condition€of€the€building€before€the€lease.€ÏThis€condition€was€credited€in€part€to€œan›€overallÏrenovation/redecoration€3„5€years€before€the€lease€began.€ÏTestimony€as€to€the€condition€of€the€property€after€the€leaseÏended€told€of€rugs€marked€with€grease,€the€removal€of€fixturesÍfrom€the€restrooms,€an€alarm€system€which€had€been€dismantledÏand€was€beyond€repair,€the€disappearance€of€an€awning,€and€waterÏdamage€to€the€tiles,€the€walls,€the€ceiling,€and€the€roof.€€Ìà àà àReview€of€damage€awards€by€a€trial€court€is€òòde€novoóóÏaccompanied€by€a€presumption€of€the€correctness€of€the€findings.€ÏT.R.A.P.€13(d);€òòLeek€v.€Powellóó,€884€S.W.2d€118,€120€(Tenn.App.Ï1994).€Ìà àà àDefendant€argues€that€the€damages€were€not€proven€withÏreasonable€certainty.€€He€disputes€the€specificity€of€theÏreceipts€and€argues€that€the€Trial€Court€should€have€consideredÏdepreciation€of€the€property€when€calculating€replacement€costs.€ÏHe€further€argues€that€plaintiff€is€not€entitled€to€recoverÏbecause€he€had€a€duty€to€mitigate€the€damage,€which€he€allegedlyÏknew€was€occurring.Ìà àà àRegarding€the€duty€to€mitigate,€defendant€argues€thatÏwhen€plaintiff€noticed€ceiling€leaks€during€a€1991€visit€to€theÏproperty,€he€could€have€invoked€Section€Nine€of€the€lease€toÏtake€back€possession€of€the€property€and€minimize€the€damage€andÏrepair€costs.€€Defendant€claims€that€because€plaintiff€insteadÏlet€the€problem€continue€for€several€years,€he€is€not€entitledÏto€the€higher€cost€of€repair€and€replacement€that€was€requiredÏat€the€end€of€the€lease.€Ìà àà àThe€standard€for€mitigation€of€damages€is€reasonableÍcare.€€œòòCummins›€v.€Brodieóó,€667€S.W.2d€759,€766€(Tenn.App.€œ1983);òò›Ïœalso€see›€Hailey€v.€Cunninghamóó,€654€S.W.2d€392,€396€(Tenn.€1983).€ÏHere,€the€Trial€Court€found€credible€plaintiffððs€assertions€thatÏhe€had€told€several€members€of€defendantððs€staff€on€severalÏoccasions€about€the€leaks€and€the€need€for€repair.€€This€findingÏis€accompanied€by€a€presumption€of€correctness€which€is€notÏovercome€by€the€testimony€in€the€record.€€œThe›€action€ofÏrequesting€œthe›€roof€be€repaired€was€reasonable,€considering€thatÏthe€other€covenants€of€the€lease€were€being€followed€andÏplaintiff€could€fairly€assume€that€defendant€would€correct€theÏproblem.€€Given€these€efforts€by€plaintiff€and€taking€intoÏconsideration€that€the€Trial€Court€did€acknowledge€that€œthe›€dutyÏto€mitigate€was€a€factor€in€his€determination€of€damages,€theÏevidence€does€not€preponderate€against€this€aspect€of€the€TrialÏCourtððs€assessment€of€damages.Ìà àà àAs€to€the€amount€damages€awarded,€the€measure€ofÏdamages€for€a€lesseeððs€breach€of€covenant€to€repair€is€theÏreasonable€cost€of€restoring€the€premises€to€its€priorÏcondition.€€òòVertress€v.€Tennessee€Auto€Corporationóó,€5€Tenn.App.Ï140,€152€(1927);€€22€Am.€Jur.€2d€Damages€ðð420€(1988).€€The€TrialÏCourt€utilized€the€cost€of€repair€as€the€measure€of€damages,€andÏstated€that€he€had€taken€into€consideration€depreciation€and€theÏduty€to€mitigate€in€assessing€the€$25,000.00€damages.€€The€awardÍreflected€a€significant€decrease€in€the€hourly€rate€paid€forÏrestoration€labor€by€Tim€Oakes.€€The€Trial€Court€also€consideredÏthe€remaining€life„span€of€the€old€roof€and€avoided€awarding€aÏwindfall€for€the€installment€of€the€new€roof€made€of€œa€sturdier›Ïproduct,€by€awarding€two„fifths€of€the€costs€of€the€new€roof€asÏdamages.€€Depreciation€on€the€missing€awning€resulted€in€anÏaward€of€one„third€of€its€cost.€€Likewise,€the€assessment€forÏpainting€the€interior€of€the€building€was€significantly€lessÏthan€its€total€cost.€€œÌà àà àWe›€affirm€the€judgment€of€the€Trial€Courtððs€award€ofÏdamages,€because€the€evidence€does€not€€preponderate€against€theÏaward.€€T.R.A.P.€Rule€13(d).Ìà àà àœThe›€cause€œis€remanded›€with€the€cost€of€the€appealÏassessed€to€the€appellant.ÌÌÓÓÌÌÌÌà àà àà àà àà àà à________________________Ìà àà àà àà àà àà àHerschel€P.€Franks,€J.ÌÌÌCONCUR:ÌÌÌÌÌÌ___________________________ÌDon€T.€McMurray,€J.ÌÌÌÌÌÌÌ___________________________ÌWilliam€H.€Inman,€Sr.J.ÌÌ