American Realty Co. v. Amey

118 A. 475, 121 Me. 545, 1922 Me. LEXIS 103
CourtSupreme Judicial Court of Maine
DecidedOctober 20, 1922
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 118 A. 475 (American Realty Co. v. Amey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Judicial Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Realty Co. v. Amey, 118 A. 475, 121 Me. 545, 1922 Me. LEXIS 103 (Me. 1922).

Opinion

Morrill, J.

The American Realty Company is a subsidiary of the International Paper Company, maintained by the latter company as a part of its organization for securing and maintaining an adequate and constant supply of wood for its mills. On September 25, 1916, the defendant, Amey, was, and for a long time prior thereto had been, employed by American Realty Company with title of “Assistant to the President”; he was attached to the company’s office in Portland, Maine; his immediate superior was the president of the company, Mr. George M. Stearns; his duties, as stated by Mr. Stearns, were “to prepare business that the president should do and didn’t have time to do perhaps. We would have a conference today and discuss various things, and I might ask him to prepare the business the next time I came around. I very seldom was here in Portland at our office more than two or three days at a time, three or four times a month, and we would discuss these various things today and he was to bring me an answer the next visit I came here.”

“(J. Was he instructed by you in relation to being on the lookout for any good propositions?
“A. Always. We were always looking for timberlands; we never had enough. You see, the International Paper Company uses sixty or seventy thousand cords a year, and it is a large amount of wood and we had .... we were always looking for timber-lands.
“Q. Whether or not he was instructed or permitted by you to conduct preliminary negotiations and even secure options to bring in to submit for your approval at times?
“A. That was what I used to ask him to do, to look over these things and bring them-in in concrete form, if he could, for the action of the executive committee, not to purchase anything without asking the executive committee.
[548]*548“Q. You say that he was not authorized to complete any purchase? A. Oh, no.
“Q. Without the action and approval of the executive committee?
“A. No.”

As stated by himself, Amey’s duties were, “principally to provide wood for the mills in Maine and New Hampshire” .... “by buying and operating on their lands, cutting wood on their lands and buying from .... buying wood.”

We shall have occasion later to inquire as to Barnjum’s and Hunt’s knowledge of Amey’s authority and duty.

In August, 1916 Amey learned from one Danforth, who was then superintendent of the Bangor Division of the American Realty Company’s operations, that certain property in Aroostook County owned or controlled by the Stockholm Lumber Company, known as the Milliken lands, might be purchased. We here quote from the very comprehensive findings of the sitting Justice as to the successive steps by which the transactions which are the subject of this suit were completed.

“In 1916 a part of these lands was owned by the Stockholm Lumber Company and a part by the Northern Realty Company. Certain water rights connected with them were owned by the Little Madawaska Improvement Company. All of the stock of the Stockholm Lumber Company was owned by Charles A., Carl E., and M. P. Milliken; all of the stock of the other two said corporations was owned by the Stockholm Lumber Company, except the director’s qualifying shares which were held by the Millikens.

“On September 25th 1916 William B. Danforth, the plaintiff’s agent, acting under the direction of the defendant E. E. Amey, who occupied the position of assistant to the president of the American Realty Company, negotiated for and received a written option running to the American Realty Company for the purchase of all the said Milliken lands, except 500 acres in the east hah of 15 range 4 (Westmanland) for $200,000. The option also included water rights, a stock of goods owned by the Stockholm Lumber Company and certain mill machinery an,d other personal property. The option was executed by the three corporations. By its terms it expired on October 25th 1916, except that a further time expiring November 10th 1916. was provided in order to close deal when option accepted.

[549]*549“On October 14th 1916 Danforth still acting under the direction of Amey met the Millilcens at Bangor and secured an oral modification of the option, reducing the purchase price to $170,000, and providing that all the lands should be conveyed including the 500 acres excepted in the written option. At this conference Danforth orally accepted the option and in behalf of the American Realty Company agreed to take the property.

“On October 30-31 the transaction was closed at the plaintiff’s office in Portland. At the time and place of closing there were present C. A. and C. E. Milliken, Danforth, Amey, R. W. Shaw and C. L. Andrews. Before closing a further modification was agreed to. The store, stock and tenement houses of the Stockholm Lumber Company were agreed to be taken out of the option and retained by that corporation and $18,000 deducted, reducing the purchase price to $152,000. This sum was paid in three checks signed by the defendant Barnjum.

“By direction of Amey the transfer was made not to the American Realty Company but to the defendant, W. D. Hunt. The vote of the corporation authorizing the sale contains this clause “said William D. Hunt being the person indicated by the said American Realty Company as the person to whom said real estate is to be conveyed as provided in said option.”

“It also appears that while the payment was made directly by Barnjum’s checks, the money was furnished, $137,000 by Hunt for Barnjum and himself jointly and $15,000 by Hunt for Amey, Hunt being afterwards reimbursed for the $15,000 by Barnjum’s check. To state this more explicitly Hunt sent Barnjum a check for $155,000. This with the $15,000 to be supplied by Amey making up the $170,000 which was the consideration contemplated by the option as amended in Bangor, and before the $18,000 deduction was made which was only agreed upon at the Portland meeting on October 30-31.

“Of this $155,000, $152,000 was used to pay for the deed and assignments. The case shows that $3,000 was returned by Barnjum to Hunt and that subsequently a $15,000 check for Amey’s part was sent by Barnjum to Hunt.

“The case also shows that a deed was given by Hunt to Amey covering 15-152 of the property received. It does not appear whether this deed was recorded or not. Certain letters passed between Barnjum and Hunt showing an agreement that after Hunt had [550]*550received out of the property $137,000 being balance of investment with interest the 137-152 held by Hunt was to be divided equally between Hunt and Barnjum.

“No express arrangement was made to cover the contingency of possible loss.”

In the Spring of 1917 a part of the property conveyed to Hunt in the preceding October for $152,000 had been sold, and Amey then calle4 the property to the attention of Mr. Stearns, President of the American Realty Company, and recommended its purchase for $238,000. The recommendation described the property as “the town of Westmanland and a small interest in Cyr Plantation consisting of 20,000 acres.” The recommendation was approved by Mr. Stearns, and by Mr. Russell, Vice President of the American Realty Company, and $238,000 was sent to make the purchase, which the parties ineffectively attempted to complete by deeds dated March 14, 1917.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
118 A. 475, 121 Me. 545, 1922 Me. LEXIS 103, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-realty-co-v-amey-me-1922.