Mary Cocchiarella v. Donald Driggs, 884 N.W.2d 621 (2016)

Citation: Mary Cocchiarella v. Donald Driggs, 884 N.W.2d 621 (2016)
Parent Document: Mary Cocchiarella v. Donald Driggs, 884 N.W.2d 621 (2016)
Jurisdiction: Minnesota (state)
Effective Date: 2016-08-31
Original Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4252990/mary-cocchiarella-v-donald-driggs/ ↗

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. Amicus curiae Minnesota Multi Housing Association (MMHA) and the dissent argue that interpreting "occupying” to include the legal right of occupancy renders the subsequent phrase "under a lease or contract” redundant. We disagree. The phrase "under a lease or contract” specifies the basis by which a "residential tenant” holds the present occupancy rights to the residential rental property. For example, a tenant who is physically occupying the premises but not under .a lease or contract, such as an adverse possessor, is not a "residential tenant” under the statute. Likewise, a tenant who has a lease or contract with an effective date in the future does not have a present right, to legally or physically occupy the premises, and therefore is not a residential tenant under the statute. As discussed above, this specification is consonant with the creation of a tenancy at common law.

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