Monarch Accounting Supplies, Inc. v. Prezioso
Connecticut Supreme Court
170 Conn. 659 (1976)
Monarch Accounting Supplies (plaintiff) leased an office building from William Prezioso (defendant), and the lease did not reserve control of the roof to Prezioso; nevertheless, Prezioso separately leased roof space to an advertising company for a sign. Monarch sued for unjust enrichment, since it held exclusive control of the roof as part of its lease and Prezioso had no right to rent it out separately. The trial court awarded Monarch half of the rent the advertising company had already paid and would pay in the future to Prezioso, plus a fee Monarch had paid a structural engineer for the sign's roof support, and Prezioso appealed.
Whether, in an unjust-enrichment action, the defendant must disgorge the entire benefit he actually received, excluding any future benefit not yet realized.