Bagel Shop Successor Tenant Hit For Rent Damages and Attorneys’ Fees in Commercial Lease Case – IL First Dist.

The First District affirmed a money judgment of about $150,000 (including $70,000 in attorneys’ fees) in a commercial lease dispute  in Alecta v. BAB Operations, Inc., 2015 IL App (1st) 132916-U.  An unpublished opinion, it’s useful for its vivid illustration of the importance of lease drafting clarity and an assigning tenant documenting its intent to …

Illinois Court Gives Agency Law Tutorial In Commercial Lease Fight

Three agency law issues that I regularly encounter in commercial litigation practice are (1) authority, (2) ratification and (3) a contract that doesn’t identify a valid entity. The authority question posed is whether an individual – typically a company employee or independent contractor – can bind the company by the individual’s conduct. Ratification applies where a corporate principal accepts the benefits …

Square Footage Discrepancy Not Material Term in Chicago Office Lease Dispute

(photo credit: www.smartofficefurniture.ca)  123 Madison Street Corp. v. Power & Dixon, 2013 IL App (1st) 122795-U examines a commercial lease dispute involving a law firm tenant. The facts: in 2002, plaintiff’s predecessor (the former office building owner) entered into lease with defendant law firm. Over the next few years, the Lease was amended three times …