Expropriation Voids Pre-Existing Lease Agreement

A tenant, having signed a lease agreement with a new owner after the property had been expropriated and subsequently sold, sought to enforce the rights afforded to tenants under the prior lease with the original owner, arguing that the new sale was subject to existing leases. The court rejected the appeal, reasoning that the expropriation of the property extinguished the previous ownership rights and the associated lease agreements, and the new owner, acquiring the property free from those encumbrances following the public taking, was not bound by the terms of the prior tenant's contract.