Equitable Leasing Company sought reclamation, in bankruptcy proceedings, of two air conditioning units in the possession of the bankrupt’s trustee under an alleged lease agreement. The trustee refused to turn over the two units, claiming contrary to the express provisions of the written contract, that the alleged lease was a security agreement, and, as such, void because of the failure of Equitable to file a financing statement with the Secretary of State. Cal. Comm.Code § 9302.

At the referee’s hearing the trustee was allowed, over strenuous objection by Equitable, to introduce oral evidence that clearly contradicted the written terms of the otherwise complete and unambiguous lease agreement. The contested evidence suggested that an oral option had been granted by Equitable to Financial (the bankrupt) enabling the now bankrupt lessee to purchase the air conditioning units upon termination of the lease for $1,094.00.

Equitable objects that this oral evidence was inadmissible under the provisions of the California Commercial Code § 2201 and the parol evidence rule. Equitable also contends, secondly, that it was error to conclude that the written agreement was a conditional sales contract and not a straight lease; thirdly, that it was error to give effect to the alleged oral option to purchase because such an agreement violates the statute of frauds, Cal.Comm.Code § 2201 and Cal.Civ.Code § 1624(1); and finally, that the referee erred in not applying the doctrine of offset after it had been stipulated by the parties that there were rentals due Equitable under the terms of the lease.

Since we conclude that the admission of the contested oral evidence violated the Commercial Code we do not reach Equitable’s additional assignments of error.

Cal.Comm.Code § 2201(1) (West 1964) provides:

The comment following this code section recites that:

The lease contract, which was the only memorandum or writing offered into evidence, contains no mention of an option to purchase the two air conditioning units. To the contrary, the written agreement clearly and expressly provides for a straight lease with ownership remaining with Equitable at all times:

Financial argues, however, that § 2201(1) of the Commercial Code is inapplicable because evidence of the oral option to purchase was introduced only to prove that the agreement was a security device and not a lease. The trustee thus argues that there was no attempt to “enforce” the option. We disagree. By its terms § 2201 of the Commercial Code applies to agreements to sell regardless of whether enforcement is sought “by way of action or defense.” As a result of the introduction of Financial’s oral evidence the trustee was able to exercise the very power it claims under the alleged purchase option agreement: the power to defeat Equitable’s reclamation action and to relegate Equitable’s claim in the air conditioning units to the position of an unperfected security interest. In our view this was “enforcement” of Financial's rights under the alleged oral agreement, and as such it was improper in the absence of “some writing sufficient to indicate that a contract for sale has been made between the parties. .” Cal.Comm.Code § 2201.

Reversed.