Alex F. Dreyfus Co. v. Breen

126 So. 264, 13 La. App. 479, 1930 La. App. LEXIS 131
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 17, 1930
DocketNo. 11,826
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 126 So. 264 (Alex F. Dreyfus Co. v. Breen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alex F. Dreyfus Co. v. Breen, 126 So. 264, 13 La. App. 479, 1930 La. App. LEXIS 131 (La. Ct. App. 1930).

Opinions

WESTERFIELD, J.

The plaintiff firm is engaged in' business' as a real estate agent. It brings this suit against the defendant for [480]*480a commission in the sum of $1,200 and attorneys’ fees, alleging that on March 28, 1926, defendant entered into a written contract, employing plaintiff as an exclusive agent for a period of 30 days to sell or exchange the property of defendant No. 1037 Broadway street, for the sum of $32,-000 cash, or for any other price agreed upon, and to pay a commission of 4 per cent on the price of the sale made during the life of the contract, or the gross amount of any agreement made within 45 days after the expiration of the term of the contract with any one to whom the property had been quoted during the 30-day term of the contract; that Mrs. Breen, the defendant, on April 30, 1926, within 45 days after the expiration of the contract, accepted an offer of one Hochfelder with whom plaintiff’s salesman had been in negotiation during the term of the contract, to exchange the property for certain real estate owned by Hochfelder on terms mutually agreeable, and involving a valuation of defendant’s property on a basis of $30,000.

Answering plaintiff’s petition, Mrs. Breen admitted the execution of the contract set up in plaintiff’s petition, and also admitted the execution of an agreement to exchange her property for the property of Mr. Hochfelder as alleged. Further answering, she averred that her signature to her contract with plaintiff had been obtained by fraud and misrepresentation, and, in the alternative, averred that the contract between plaintiff and herself expired • within 30 days, or on April 27, 1926, several days prior to the agreement she entered into with Hochfelder. She denied all liability in the premises.

There was judgment below in favor of plaintiff, and defendant has appealed.

The contract sued on is a printed form, With certain parts interlined with ink in handwriting. It reads as follows:

“Standard Exclusive Agency Contract
“New Orleans Real Estate Agents Association
“March 28th 1926
“Alex F. Dreyfus Company,' Inc. (Agent)
“Dear Sir:—
“In consideration of your efforts to find a buyer for the property 1087 Broadway Cor. Zimple, ground measuring 1/2x120 in square of Freret & Audubon, I employ you or your successors, exclusively, to sell same for $82,000. Thirty-two thousand and- 00/ 100 cash, or on the following terms as cash, or for any other price, or terms hereafter agreed upon, and I agree to pay you or your successors, a commission- at the regular rate of 4%, as fixed by the New Orleans Real Estate Agents’ Association, on the gross amount of any agreement to sell or exchange bearing on said property (minimum commission to be $-) made dm> ing the existence of this contract, or on the gross amount of any such agreement made within forty-five days after the expiration or termination of this contract with anyone to whom said property has been quoted, during the term of this contract.
“I give you exclusive authority, to accept a non-interest bearing deposit of ten per cent of the sale price, when satisfactory offer to purchase said property is made, and to place said deposit in any bank you may select, without responsibility on your part in case of failure or suspension of said bank pending settlement with me, out of which deposit you may deduct your commission as above. , In case of employment of counsel to enforce this contract, I will pay twenty-five per cent additional as attorney’s fees, also all costs.
“As you are to act upon the fact of this employment and contract, it is to remain in full force and effect for a period of SO days.
“I agree to refer all applicants to you, and not to interfere in the sale of said property, during the term of this contract.
“Owners’ signature Anna Breen
“Address 1%06 St. Charles Ave.
“Listed By R. C. P.
“Expiration Date April 27, 1926.
“I accept the above employment.
[481]*481“Agent’s Signature Alex .Dreyfus Go. Inc.
‘‘Reg. No. By Alex Dreyfus, Pres.”

(Handwritten provisions italicized.)

Pretermitting any discussion of the question of fraud, we will first notice defendant’s contention to the effect that this contract evidenced only an intention to confer a mandate upon plaintiff for a period of 30 days, authorizing it to sell her property for $32,000 cash. It is argued that, in contracts partially printed and partially written by hand, the handwritten portions, when in conflict with the printed provisions, must prevail. Hagan vs. Scottish Union & National Insurance Company, 186 U. S. 423, 22 S. Ct. 862, 864, 46 L. Ed. 1229. Therefore, it is said that the words “all cash” following the printed word “cash” and the words and figures in ink ■‘thirty days (.30),” emphasize the intention of the parties to create a contract of agency whereby plaintiff was exclusively authorized for 30 days only to sell defendant’s property for cash and not otherwise. These provisions in ink are said to be in conflict with the printed words “sell or exchange” and with the 45-day clause which also appears in print.

The term of the contract may be said to consist of two periods, one of -30 days and one of 45 days. It is not pretended that a cash buyer was obtained or that an exchange was effected during the 30-day period; hence we are not concerned with the alleged inconsistency of any provision of the contract relating to this feature of it.

As to the 45-day period defendant’s liability is made to rest upon her contracting with a prospect with whom plaintiff had been negotiating during the 30-day period. The only conflict that is claimed is an inconsistency with the ink-written term of 30 days, which, it is claimed, terminates all contractual relation between the parties. But as to this we believe the reasonable interpretation to be that the 30-day period was allowed plaintiff to consummate, his efforts to dispose of the property, and the 45-day period was intended only to prevent, the defendant from availing herself of an opportunity which plaintiff had discovered but not developed without compensating the plaintiff for his efforts. We find no inconsistency in these provisions.

Viewing the contract as a whole, and giving due effect to all of its provisions, it is plain that defendant’s liability must depend upon the effect which must be given her action in agreeing with Hochfelder to exchange the property within the 45-day period. If we had been called upon to decide this issue a year or so ago, our conclusion might have been different, for in a similar case involving a similar contract we held that an agent was entitled to his commission, but, when our opinion was reviewed by the Supreme Court, it was pronounced erroneous. The case to which we refer is that of Clesi vs. Cooney, 164 La. 658, 114 So. 584, 585.

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Bluebook (online)
126 So. 264, 13 La. App. 479, 1930 La. App. LEXIS 131, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alex-f-dreyfus-co-v-breen-lactapp-1930.