Cheshier v. Tidwell

260 S.W.2d 423, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 1941
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 22, 1953
DocketNo. 3106
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 260 S.W.2d 423 (Cheshier v. Tidwell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cheshier v. Tidwell, 260 S.W.2d 423, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 1941 (Tex. Ct. App. 1953).

Opinion

TIREY, Justice.

The action was instituted by appellant to recover from appellee five per cent real estate broker’s commission for the sale of the farm belonging to appellee. The cause was tried without the aid of a jury and appellant was denied relief. At his request the court filed findings of fact and conclusions of law, and we quote the pertinent parts:

‘T. On November 9, 1949, the defendant John D. Tidwell signed the contract in evidence for the sale of approximately 154.63 acres of land, of which he was the owner.

“2. At the time of such signing by the defendant, which came about under the circumstances hereinafter mentioned, the plaintiff was a building contractor and also a real estate broker, duly licensed as such.

“3. The defendant signed said contract, which was prepared by the plaintiff or under his supervision, on the roadside of his farm where it was presented to him by the plaintiff’s agent. The defendant signed the same upon the representation and agreement that the sale and complete transaction would be fully completed within ninety (90) days, upon which said representation by the plaintiff and his agent he relied at the time of signing, and he would not have agreed to said contract or have signed same if he had not believed and relied upon such agreement and representation. Relying and acting upon said agreement and representation aforesaid, the defendant signed said contract without reading it.

“4. After the plaintiff secured the defendant’s signature to said contract, he [424]*424thereafter had no more to do with the transaction or sale in question; and the same was subsequently wound up and concluded during the latter part of 1950 in this fashion:

“The defendant, joined by his wife, conveyed the land to the Veterans’ Land Board of the State of Texas by two separate deeds and the said Veterans’ Land Board thereafter conveyed the same land by two separate deeds to Harold E. Redden and Newton D. Allen; reserving in effect in each conveyance a purchase money lien in favor of the said Land Board, the defendant receiving from the Land Board the total consideration of $12,750.00, which was the amount provided for in said contract of November 9, 1949.

“5. The land in question had not been previously listed with the plaintiff by the defendant, prior to said contract, and the only description given of the land in question in the contract relied on and sued on by the plaintiff is and was as follows:

“The following described property: lying and situated in the County of Ellis, State of Texas,

“Being approximately 154.63 acres of land in Ellis County, Texas, in two tracts, being out of the Benjamin Monroe Survey, W. J. Ely Survey, F. E. Witherspoon Survey.

“6. Said contract further provided: ‘This contract is subject to purchasers obtaining a State Veterans’ loan on the property,’ and that ‘Agent is to receive the sum of 5% commission.^

“7. No evidence was introduced by the plaintiff showing any amount as to ‘a reasonable attorney’s fee,’ as prayed for by him in his petition, although I do find that the amount prayed for in the sum of $150.00 otherwise would be a reasonable and moderate sum for the able services rendered by his attorneys.

“Conclusions of Law.

“1. I conclude that the law is with the defendant.

“2. I conclude in particular that the plaintiff cannot recover anything herein, for the reason that the contract sued on by him does not sufficiently describe the property in question under section 22, article 6573A, of the real estate broker’s law and that said suit is barred by said article and also article 3995 of the Revised Civil Statutes of Texas in regard to the statute of frauds.

“3. I conclude also that said contract, by virtue of said articles aforesaid, was not a binding or enforceable one.

“4. I further conclude that the plaintiff cannot recover an attorney’s fee in this cause, since he did not prove any, and because also such fee is not legally recoverable in this type of an action sounding, as it seems to sound, in contract.”

Appellant assails the judgment rendered against him on seven points. They are substantially: (1, 3 and 4) in permitting defendant to introduce evidence to the effect that the contract sued upon was supposed to contain a provision that the transfer of the property would be fully completed within ninety days and such evidence contradicted the terms of the written contract sued upon, and because time was not of the essence of said contract, and since defendant sold the land to the purchaser produced by appellant, appellant waived such provision, if there was any; (2) in permitting defendant to introduce evidence to the effect that appellant was to assist in the procurement of a State Veterans’ Land Board loan, because such evidence varied and contradicted the terms of the written contract; (5, 6 and 7) in holding that the contract came within the provisions of the statutes of fraud and was unenforceable because of insufficient description of the property in the sales contract, and because a vendor cannot set up such a defense against his broker agent, and since appellant fully performed the terms and conditions of the contract and defendant accepted same, the full performance removed the contract from the statutes of fraud.

A statement is necessary: On the 9th day of November, 1949, John D. Tidwell and wife, in the capacity as seller, executed the following contract with If. E. Redden and M. D. Allen, who were designated as purchaser. We quote the pertinent parts:

[425]*425“John D. Tidwell and wife, Corean Tid-well, hereinafter called seller, acting through the undersigned and duly authorized Agent, hereby sells and agrees to convey unto H. E. Redden and M. D. Allen, hereinafter called purchaser, the following described property lying and situated in the County of Ellis, State of Texas,

“Being approximately 154.63 acres of land in Ellis County, Texas, in two tracts, being out of the Benjamin Monroe Survey, W. J. Ely Survey, F. E. Witherspoon Survey.

“The purchase price is $12,750.00, payable as follows: $ all cash (of which purchaser has deposited with the undersigned Agent $ as part payment, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged by said Agent) ;

“This contract is subject to purchasers obtaining a State Veterans’ loan on the property.

“The said executed note to be secured by vendor’s lien and deed of trust with power of sale and with the usual covenants as to taxes, insurance, and default.

“Seller agrees to furnish Title Policy by Security Title Company to said property, which shall be conveyed free and clear of any and all encumbrances except those named herein.

“Agent is to receive the sum of 5% commission.”

Thereafter, on the 9th of September, 1950, Tidwell and his wife executed warranty deed to the Veterans’ Land Board of the State of Texas, in which deed they recited a cash consideration of $6,375, which deed described 5774ioo acres of land by metes and bounds. On September 12, 1950, Tidwell and wife executed a warranty deed to the Veterans’ Land Board of the State of Texas, which deed recited a cash consideration of $6,375, and conveyed by metes and bounds 96.89 acres of land. Appellee refused to pay the commission, hence this suit.

We are in accord with Conclusion of Law No. 4 of the trial court to the effect that plaintiff was not entitled to recover attorney’s fees.

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Related

James Myers & Associates Inc. v. National Development Co.
722 S.W.2d 491 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1986)
Tidwell v. Cheshier
265 S.W.2d 568 (Texas Supreme Court, 1954)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
260 S.W.2d 423, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 1941, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cheshier-v-tidwell-texapp-1953.