Landlord Must Pay Tenant Damages for Spoiled Food

A Connecticut Superior Court recently upheld the punitive damages that a landlord was supposed to pay to a former tenant. The case involved a dispute over a space in which a tenant was planning to open a restaurant, did not have a signed lease. When monetary issues arose, the landlord “locked them out,” which led to the lawsuit.

A trial court found that “a good deal of the tenant’s testimony was devoid of any credibility,” but found the landlord liable for its unlawful entry and detainer. It awarded damages for spoiled food ($1,853.92) and attorney’s fees of $13,855—$8,855 for the lockout portion of the case and $5,000 for the hearing in damages portion. The total judgment against the landlord, including miscellaneous damages, was $17,762.84.

A Connecticut appeals court upheld the trial court’s decision, but the landlord did not want to pay the punitive damages for spoiled food. However, the Superior Court found that the $1,853.92 in punitive damages was a reasonably equitable award [Michael Richey et al. v. Main Street Stafford, LLC et al., April 2009].