Meredith Hardware, Inc. v. Belknap Realty Trust

The defendants appeal from injunctions prohibiting them from doing certain acts in violation of a restrictive covenant against competition contained in the plaintiff’s lease for space in the Meredith Shopping Center in Meredith, New Hampshire. In April 1972, the plaintiff, Meredith Hardware, Inc., leased space in the shopping center from the defendant Belknap Realty Trust. The lease provides that the plaintiff may use the leased premises “only for the operation of a so-called Hardware Store and Home Appliance Store and Garden Center.” The agreement also contains a restrictive covenant whereby…