Churchill Forge, Inc. v. Brown

in which Justice HECHT, Justice OWEN, Justice JEFFERSON, and Justice RODRIGUEZ join.

The question in this case is whether by statute or the common law, a commercial landlord is prohibited from contractually obligating its tenant to be responsible for damages caused by the tenant, the tenant’s occupant, or guest. In this case, JoAnn Brown co-signed a lease with her adult son, Carl Jeffrey (“Jeff’), for an apartment owned by Churchill Forge, Inc. Jeff allegedly caused a fire that extensively damaged the apartment complex. Churchill Forge sued JoAnn, asserting that the lease required her, as a…