20th Century Lites, Inc. v. Goodman
Appellate Department, Superior Court of California
149 P.2d 88 (1944)
Facts
On September 3, 1941, 20th Century Lites, Inc. (20th Century Lites) (plaintiff) agreed to lease neon sign installations to Herman Goodman (defendant). Goodman made monthly payments under the lease until August 1942. On August 5, 1942, the Government of the United States issued an order prohibiting all outside neon or lighting equipment between the hours of sunset and sunrise. Goodman thereafter sought to have 20th Century Lites remove the signs and to have the contract terminated. 20th Century Lites refused. Beginning September 1, 1942, Goodman ceased making payments. 20th Century Lites brought suit. The trial court found that the purpose of the contract had been frustrated and that, consequently, both parties were excused from performance. Goodman appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Kincaid, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 705,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 44,400 briefs, keyed to 983 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
