Medical Center Exhibited Clear Intent to Abandon Leased Premises

What Happened: Two years into a five-year lease, a medical center stopped paying rent and abandoned the property. At least that’s what it looked like to the property manager who found the place empty and stripped of all furnishings. The sign on the door indicating that the tenant had closed its business reenforced the manager’s impression that the place was abandoned. But when the landlord sued for unpaid and accelerated rent, the tenant denied abandoning the property. We were forced out when the landlord reclaimed the premises, it argued.