Bauman v. Smith

499 S.W.2d 935, 1972 Tenn. App. LEXIS 288
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedJanuary 17, 1972
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 499 S.W.2d 935 (Bauman v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bauman v. Smith, 499 S.W.2d 935, 1972 Tenn. App. LEXIS 288 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinions

CARNEY, Presiding Judge.

The complainant below, S. Richard Bau-man, has appealed from a decree of the Chancery Court dismissing his original bill against the defendants, Eulyse M. Smith, James B. Cartwright, and Arnold M. Weiss, in which he sought a money judgment for services rendered on a quantum meruit basis. Complainant Bauman, defendants Eulyse M. Smith, James B. Cartwright, and Arnold M. Weiss, in February, 1968, formed a partnership for the purpose of constructing a high-rise apartment building located at 232 South Highland, Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee.

Complainant Bauman had been the moving spirit in procuring the land and making tentative arrangements for rezoning of the property and temporary financing. For lack of adequate financing he formed the partnership with the defendants, Smith, Cartwright, and Weiss. Connecticut General Life Insurance Company made a commitment to carry the permanent financing of the building. The parties were without funds for temporary financing. Application was made by the partnership for a temporary construction loan from First National Bank of Memphis, Tennessee. The bank expressed interest in temporary financing of the construction but refused to advance the funds so long as the complainant Bauman was interested in the partnership because Bauman was heavily indebted to the First National Bank for financing of a Howard Johnson Motel which was nearly complete in the City of Memphis.

It was then agreed between the complainant and the defendants that the complainant would assign all of his right, title and interest in the partnership to the three defendants who would form a new partnership. After the First National Bank was paid off and had no further interest in the project, the defendants would then reassign to the complainant a one-fourth interest in the partnership without additional cost to the complainant. The assignment was made on or about March 13, 1968. First National Bank advanced temporary financing for construction and complainant continued rendering services to the three-party partnership in anticipation of his being taken back into the partnership following liquidation of the debt to First National Bank.

Complainant continued as agent for the partnership, negotiated with general contractors, architects, plumbing contractors, negotiated leases with prospective tenants, hired a resident manager; designed the operating budget and set up the necessary bookkeeping procedures for the partners. Disputes arose between the complainant on the one hand and the three defendants on the other relative to his activities in behalf of the apartment project.

The defendants insisted upon the complainant putting up additional capital if he insisted upon being readmitted to the partnership. When the complainant refused to put up additional capital, the defendants issued an ultimatum to him to stay away from the premises. The complainant com[937]*937plied. After the temporary financing to the First National Bank was paid off, the complainant again sought readmission to the partnership as per the original agreement but was refused.

The complainant then filed his suit in the present cause seeking a money judgment for the reasonable value of the services rendered to the three defendants following the assignment of his interest in the partnership of date March 13, 1968. Trial was held before a jury and the jury found in favor of the complainant with reference to Issue No. I. The effect of this finding was that the four parties did orally agree at the time of the assignment on March 13, 1968, that the complainant’s 25% interest in the partnership would be reassigned to him, without additional cost to him, when the First National Bank’s temporary loan was paid off and the permanent loan was closed.

His Honor the Chancellor refused to submit Issue No. II proposed by the complainant which was as follows:

“If your answer to Issue No. 1 is ’yes’ state the reasonable value of the services rendered by complainant, if you find he rendered services in behalf of the partnership, subsequent to March 13, 1968.”

The defendants contended that the agreement with the complainant was that he would have a right to come into the venture or an option to come back into the partnership by matching or coming up with his pro rata share of contributions made by the other parties. They admitted that under the agreement complainant Bauman was to continue to render services to the three defendants.

Defendants objected to the submission of Issue No. II on the ground that the complainant had an express contract for services to be rendered though they did not agree as to the specific terms of the contract and, therefore, he was not entitled to recover on a quantum meruit basis.

The Chancellor ruled in favor of the defendants and refused to submit special request No. 2. The defendants made a motion that the Court notwithstanding the verdict of the jury on Issue of Fact No. 1 render final decree in favor of the defendants because under the pleadings, proof and theory of the complainant, complainant was entitled to no relief and that the verdict of the jury could not form the basis for any decree.

In complainant’s original bill he had averred the reasonable value of his services rendered to the partnership to be the sum of $35,000. He prayed for a money judgment in an amount not to exceed $35,000 and that he have “such other relief, both general and special, to which he may be entitled.” His Honor the Chancellor rendered a memorandum opinion in which he stated that the complainant could not be awarded damages for breach of contract because the complainant had not proven nor sought the award of damages.

The Chancellor stated that he could not grant specific performance because a partnership is the result of a voluntary agreement of the parties and does not result by operation of law, citing DuPont Rayon Co. v. Roberson, 12 Tenn.App. 261; Payne v. Fowler, 12 Tenn.App. 449. On the authority of Cultra v. Douglas (1969), 60 Tenn.App. 116, 444 S.W.2d 575, His Honor the Chancellor refused to grant specific performance of the contract which the defendants had breached.

On the authority of Robinson v. Durabilt Mfg. Co., (1953), 195 Tenn. 452, 260 S.W.2d 174, and Capps v. Groseclose (1895), 95 Tenn. 329, 32 S.W. 199, the Chancellor held that the complainant had no right to recover in quantum meruit or on the basis of a contract implied in law where the parties had an express contract. The Chancellor sustained the defendants’ motion for a decree notwithstanding the verdict of the jury and dismissed the complainant’s original bill with prejudice.

[938]*938By proper assignments of error the complainant insists in this Court that His Hon- or the Chancellor was in error in refusing to submit Issue No. II to the jury to determine the value, if any, of services rendered by the complainant to the defendants and in granting defendants’ motion for a decree notwithstanding the verdict of the jury on Issue No. I.

In our opinion these assignments of error are well-taken and the judgment of the lower Court must be reversed. The Chancellor approved the finding of the jury that the defendants had agreed to reassign to the complainant a 25% interest in the partnership without additional cost to him after First National Bank’s temporary loan had been paid off and the permanent loan closed.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
499 S.W.2d 935, 1972 Tenn. App. LEXIS 288, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bauman-v-smith-tennctapp-1972.