Just Because Lights Are Easy to Remove Doesn’t Mean They’re Not Fixtures

What Happened: Nobody had any issue with the auto dealer’s removal of the “Ford” sign it had installed on the lot at its own expense and owned. But the tenant also took away six large light stands when its lease came to an end. The landlord claimed that the lights were fixtures and sued the tenant for breach of lease and “conversion” of property, since the tenant destroyed the lights after removing them. The tenant denied that the lights were fixtures. But the court disagreed and found the tenant guilty of waste.