Baker v. Bakewell

208 S.W. 844, 201 Mo. App. 144, 1919 Mo. App. LEXIS 36
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 4, 1919
StatusPublished

This text of 208 S.W. 844 (Baker v. Bakewell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Baker v. Bakewell, 208 S.W. 844, 201 Mo. App. 144, 1919 Mo. App. LEXIS 36 (Mo. Ct. App. 1919).

Opinion

BECKER, J.

— This is an action by plaintiffs against tbe defendant seeking to recover on an alleged contract. Judgment resulted in favor of plaintiffs and against tbe defendant in tbe sum of $1525, and tbe defendant appeals.

All tbe parties to tbe action are engaged in tbe real estate business, and prior to October 8, 191.4, appellant Bakewell was tbe exclusive agent of one E. II. Britton for tbe sale of a certain piece of real estate. Plaintiffs alleged in tbeir petition tbat on or about October 8, 1914, appellant Bakewell, entered into an agreement with tbe respondents whereby be agreed tbat if tbe respondents would disclose to bim tbe name of a person or institution tbat would likely purchase tbe said Britton property, or introduce such person or institution, or its authorized officer or representative to bim, that, in tbe event of a sale of tbe said Britton property to such person or institution, during the period of time for which tbe said Bakewell bad bis exclusive sales contract for said property, be would pay tbe respondents jointly tbe sum of one-half of five per cent, of tbe purchase price, such five per cent, of the purchase price being the commission provided for in Bakewell’s contract of exclusive sale of the said real estate; tbat in conformity with such alleged contract the respondents on or about October 9, 1914, disclosed to Bakewell tbe name of the Ursuline Convent and Academy as a prospective purchaser of the said Britton property, and introduced tbe said authorized representative of tbe convent to Bake-well and assisted Bakewell, at some expense to themselves, in showing said property to such representative.

Tbat some time after October 8, 1914, and before the expiration of tbe time limit of Bakewell’s exclusive sales agency contract with Britton, tbe sale of the property was made to tbe said Ursuline Convent and Academy for $61,000, and thereby plaintiffs below, re[149]*149spondents here, became jointly entitled to said one-half, of five per cent of $61,000, amounting to $1525.00, for ■which judgment was sought against Bakewell, defendant below, appellant here.

The answer admitted the exclusive contract of sale of the particular property in question as being in Bake-well and denied each and every other allegation in plaintiffs’ petition.

According to plaintiffs’ contention the condition upon which they were to receive the division of the commission was for merely disclosing the name or introducing a person to the defendant who would he likely to purchase the said property, and that if such person did, at any time during the term of the exclusive sales contract held by Bakewell, purchase the property, then they were to receive one-half of five per cent, commission; while defendant’s version of the agreement is that plaintiffs were to secure a purchaser for said property within the time limit specified in the exclusive sales contract before they should bécome entitled to one-half of five per cent, commission.

On behalf of plaintiffs Charles A. Baker testified that he was one of the plaintiffs, was in the real estate business, and that A. C.- Dixon, also one of the plaintiffs, informed him about the first of October, 1914, that the Ursuline Convent and Academy were in the market for twenty-five or thirty acres of ground, preferably in the vicinity of Kirkwood or Webster; that the witness knowing of the Britton property located in that neighborhood being for sale, suggested it as property that might be suitable; that he had noticed defendant Bake-well’s sign upon the Britton property and the following day went to see Mr. Bakewell and was informed by Bakewell that he had an exclusive agency contract for the sale of the property at the price of $65,000; that Bakewell stated he was anxious to make a sale of this property because his agency was about to expire and asked the witness to give him the name of his prospective purchaser, which witness declined to do without consulting Mr. Dixon and the Haydel Realty Company, [150]*150with whom he was associated in the matter; that he did, however, volunteer the information that it was a Catholic educational institution, whereupon Bakewell stated that he was a Catholic and believed by reason thereof he could he of more use than the witness in making the sale, and said “if you will give me the name of the institution I will give you one-half of the five per cent, that I am entitled to if the sale is made to that party;” that the witness replied that he would rather not give the name until he had consulted his associates, to which Bakewell replied: “All you will have to do is to give me the name of this party. I .am a Catholic, my father is a very prominent Catholic and I am sure that I can be of more service in making the sale than you could without me, and all I want you to do is to give me the name. "Whether you get the contract for the sale, or whether you get the earnest money or not, it will make no difference at all. If the sale is made to the institution whose name you give me, I will give you one-half of that five per cent, that I am entitled to.” The witness did not disclose the name at that time but agreed to introduce his associates to Bakewell, which he later on did, with the result that they did disclose to Bakewell the name of the prospective purchaser. That in the early part of December the witness had a conference with Bakewell in which Bake-well said: “Mr. Baker, I am glad you have come in here, I have some things to tell you. Sit down. Mr. Thomas has ‘butted in’ and has made this sale. . . that the sale price was $61,000, and that he, Bakewell, would not get his regular commission, but that Thomas would get the commission and that Baker and his associates would have to go to Thomas or to Mr. Britton for their commission as he, Bakewell, did not get that much himself; that thereafter the witness and Mr. Hay-del and Mr. Dixon called on Bakewell and demanded the payment of one-half of five per cent, commission, which Mr.- Bakewell 'refused and that the witness on December 21st wrote a letter to the defendant demanding the commission.

[151]*151On cross-examination tile witness admitted that in his deposition which had been previously taken, he had been asked what had been ■ said by him and by Mr. Bakewell in their conference- on or about the 10th day of October, 1914, and that he had answered: “I said, ‘Mr. Bakewell, you have a sign on the Britton property at Oakland; what kind of am agency have you?’ Mr. Bakewell replied, ‘I have an exclusive agency and my commission is five per cent, and if you get a buyer, if you have a buyer, I will divide- the commission with you.’ ” And when asked whether that was a true statement of the facts, he replied, “Essentially.” And on redirect examination, and after the above cross-examination, as the above excerpts of his disposition Mr. Baker testified and admitted other 'things which he had testified to in said deposition, among others that Mr. Bakewell had told him, “that it made no difference whether he got the contract or earnest money for the sale, if he would name a purchaser, and that if the deal was closed he would receive his one-half of the five per cent, commission for which he had a contract with Britton.”

The deposition of Henry H. Haydel was introduced on behalf of the plaintiffs and read to the jury. He testified that he was the president of the Haydel Eealty Company; that on two or three occasions he went to the office of Bakewell, in company with plaintiffs Baker and Dixon, with reference to the sale of' the said Brit-ton property, and at one of the conferences Mr. Bake-well stated that, “he had a.

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Bluebook (online)
208 S.W. 844, 201 Mo. App. 144, 1919 Mo. App. LEXIS 36, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/baker-v-bakewell-moctapp-1919.