American Oil & Refining Co. v. Clements

1923 OK 1105, 226 P. 349, 99 Okla. 204, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 890
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 11, 1923
Docket12363
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 1923 OK 1105 (American Oil & Refining Co. v. Clements) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Oil & Refining Co. v. Clements, 1923 OK 1105, 226 P. 349, 99 Okla. 204, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 890 (Okla. 1923).

Opinion

Opinion by

THOMPSON, C.

This action was commenced in the district court of Oklahoma county by J. W. Clements, defendant in error, plaintiff below, against the American Oil & Refining Company, a corporation, and Oklahoma Oil Securities Company, a corporation, plaintiffs in error, defendants below, for the recovery of $3,800, claimed to be due him as a commission for the sale of capital stock of the American Oil & Refining Company.

The parties will be referred to as plaintiff and defendants, as they appeared in the lower court.

The petition alleges that the defendants are domestic corporations with principal. places of business at Oklahoma City; that during the month of February, 1917, the plaintiff was employed by the defendants re secure subscriptions for the capital stock of the American Oil & Refining Company, and that, under the terms of the plaintiff’s contract with the defendants, he was to receive a commission of ten cents per share of all stock subscriptions he was able to procure; that on or about the 27th day of March, 1917, he procured the subscription for said stock to the amount of 38,000 shares from C. L. JoHansen, and that said stock reservations, or orders, were made in conformity with the terms of defendants’ instructions to plaintiff and under his agreement with them. There was attached to said petition as exhibit a true copy of one of the reservation blanks, which was executed by the said C. L. JoHansen, by the terms of which he applied for stock in the said corporation in amounts none less than 500 shares and none more than 5,000 shares, aggregating the total of 38,000 shares; that plaintiff tendered the said reservation orders to defendants together with ten cents per share, being the first down payment, and demanded that he be paid his commission of ten cents per share, as provided -by his agreement with the defendants; that defendants refused to accept the applications of the said O. L. JoHansen, without cause, and declined and refused to pay this plaintiff his commission due, under the terms of his said employment, amounting to $3,800, or to issue or reserve said stock, and prayed judgment for $3,800, together with costs of the action. *205 To a better and fuller understanding of the case we set forth in full exhibit “A,” found at pages 6 and 7 of the case-made, which is as follows, to wit:

“Stock Reservation Order.
“Dated at Durant 3-27-1917.
“Oklahoma Oil Securities Co.,
“Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
“Gentlemen:
“I hereby reserve 50 shares of the stock in the American Oil & Refining Company at $1.25 per share, I am handing you herewith $50 which is 10 cents per share.
“I agree to pay the remaining $1.15 per share provided the American Oil & Refining Company drills in two producing wells within ninety days from the date hereof:
“It is understood that these wells shall each produce one hundred barrels of oil or 10,000,000 cubic feet of gas per day.
“It is further understood that the company now has two producing wells and that the two to be drilled in will make four producing wells before I owe any more on this reservation.
“In the event that the company fails to drill in two additional producing wells as above stated within ninety days from the date hereof the 10 cents per share that I am paying herewith shall be refunded to me.
“It is agreed that I am to have two options of paying the $1.15 per share above referred to: First. I can pay all cash and settle in full for $1.10 per share, or I can pay 15 cents per share within ten days after the second of the two wells shall have been drilled in and 25 cents per share each thirty days thereafter until the full amount shall have been paid.
“It is understood and agreed that I am to pay no interest on the deferred payments on this contract.
“The stock certificate for the number of shares shall be full paid and nonassessable and shall be issued to me as soon as I have completed all payments for same.
“It is understood that my stock shall entitle me to a full pro rata interest in everything that the company now owns or may ever own.
“This contract contains all the conditions of the sale.
“(Signed') S. L. JoIIansen, “Town, Durant, Okla.
“Box 342.
“Witness
“J. W. Clements
“Representative.”

To' the above petition defendants filed their joint answer, denying all allegations not admitted, and denied that plaintiff was employed by the American Oil & Refining Company to secure subscriptions for its capital stock, or for any purpose, but admit • that he was so employed by the Oklahoma Oil Securities Company and that all transactions had by plaintiff, with reference to stock, occurred between plaintiff and the Oklahoma Oil Securities Company; that all the capital stock of the American Oil & Refining Company, mentioned in the petition, was offered for subscription and sale by said Oklahoma Oil Securities Company, and that plaintiff’s connection with such subscription was as agent of the Oklahoma Oil Securities Company and was in pursuance of an arrangement and understanding between the two defendants, by the terms of which the American Oil & Refining Company reserved the right to reject subscriptions, of which plaintiff had knowledge and under which it was its right and privilege to reject the subscription^ mentioned in plaintiff’s petition, and that in the exercise of such right it did reject the same, and that under such arrangement between the defendants only a limited amount of the capital stock of the American Oil & Refining Company was available for disposal, under the reservation subscriptions mentioned in the petition, of which the plaintiff had knowledge; and the alleged subscription of 38,000 shares was in excess of the stock so available, and the American Oil & Refining Company refused to furnish the same for that, as well as other good and sufficient reasons; that the alleged subscriptions to the capital stock and the payment thereon were not made, as alleged in said petition, or at all; that the alleged subscriber paid nothing at all on said subscription and was not able, ready, and willing to make payments for such stock, or responsible for such payments, according to the terms of subscription contract, and that said subscription and payment were subterfuges, by which plaintiff sought to secure said 38,000 shares of stock without payment therefor, to the end that they might subsequently sell the same in violation of the good faith due from said plaintiff to his said employer, and prayed that the case may be dismissed.

Plaintiff filed reply by way of general denial.

The cause was tried to a jury and at the close of plaintiff’s testimony defendants demurred to the evidence, especially as to the liability of the American Oil & Refining Company. The demurrer was overruled and exceptions saved.

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Bluebook (online)
1923 OK 1105, 226 P. 349, 99 Okla. 204, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 890, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-oil-refining-co-v-clements-okla-1923.