Lawrence v. F. W. Woolworth Co.

Plaintiffs, the landlords of defendant, appeal from a judgment for defendant determining, in an action for declaratory relief, that the landlords, as between them and the tenant, should bear the expense of an increase in property taxes caused by certain improvements constructed by the tenant on the demised premises.

On April 6, 1960, the landlords leased certain unimproved real property in Palo Alto to the tenant for a term of approximately three years, with two successive options granted to the tenant to extend the term for a period of up to three years on each option. Thus, the lease could,…