Langenthal v. American Stuyvesant Garage

This action by a car owner against a garage for unexplained disappearance and subsequent damage of the vehicle requires consideration of the detailed written contract executed and exchanged by the parties prior to the loss. Essentially this contract purports to create a long-term lease of space, and expressly negatives a bailment. The question presented here is whether this arrangement falls afoul of the statutory policy expressed in the General Obligations Law.

Generally, the owner of an automobile and the owner of real property are contractually free to define their relationship as that of…