Keydata v. United States: Difference between revisions

• Keydata Corporation = "Keydata" = 1st tenant
• NASA = the National Aeronautics and Space Administration = 2nd tenants
• Wyman Street Trust = "Wyman" = commercial building proprietor
• Keydata & NASA leased a space at a building owned by Wyman in Cambridge, Massachusetts
• NASA needed more space in the leased building
• Keydata was looking to move out of the leased building
• NASA agreed to rent Keydata's computer room in the building
• The contract between the 2 tenants (Keydata & NASA) was set forth in a lease contract executed by the commercial landlord (Wyman)
• Keydata would lease the space to NASA starting on January 1st 1969
• NASA agreed to pay Wyman $39,000 for air-conditioning equipment that Keydata had installed in the computer room
• Wyman would then turn around & hand over the 39,000 to Keydata for the AC equipment
• However, Keydata refused to vacate the computer room by January 1st 1969
• The next day, NASA canceled the lease contract because Keydata hadn't vacated
• Also, NASA didn't pay Wyman the $39,000 for the AC equipment

• Keydata sued NASA to collect the $39,000 payment (for the AC equipment) as Wyman's assignee
• Both parties moved for summary judgment

In a lease involving the U.S. government, must the landlord deliver actual possession of the leased premises at the beginning of the lease term?

• Keydata argued that Wyman only had the right to deliver possession to NASA on January 1st 1969, but no duty to deliver actual possession to NASA.
• Keydata argued that Wyman had fulfilled its obligation as landlord.
• Keydata argued that NASA had illegally rescinded the lease.