Coons v. Gunn

263 Cal. App. 2d 594, 69 Cal. Rptr. 876, 1968 Cal. App. LEXIS 2244
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 28, 1968
DocketCiv. No. 31513
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 263 Cal. App. 2d 594 (Coons v. Gunn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Coons v. Gunn, 263 Cal. App. 2d 594, 69 Cal. Rptr. 876, 1968 Cal. App. LEXIS 2244 (Cal. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

ROTH, P. J.

Husband and wife, owners (herein sellers) of an unimproved parcel of hillside residential property (two lots) contracted by way of an executed realtor’s deposit receipt and executed escrow instructions to sell it to appellants husband and wife (herein buyers). Buyers refused to and did not purchase. Sellers assigned their claim for damages to respondent who sued thereon and recovered $20,000, the difference between the contract price and the established reasonable value of the two lots with interest from the date of contract. This appeal is from that judgment.

It is undisputed that one Cole, a licensed real estate salesman employed by one Lindsey, a licensed real estate broker, knew buyers who lived in Encino and had knowledge of the fact that buyers desired to sell their home in Encino. Cole phoned buyers in late December 1964 or early January 1965 and inquired if buyers were still interested in selling their [596]*596house. Buyers said yes and added that because of the arrival of a new baby, they were also interested in buying a new home. Cole testified “. . . [s]o I subsequently spent many, many hours looking for property. ...” He testified that intermittently between the time of the phone call and approximately April 11, showed buyers approximately 11 different parcels of property. As a consequence of an inquiry addressed by Cole “ ... to the girl at the Encino escrow ...” in respect of two dwellings in the Longridge area Cole phoned sellers late in March 1965 and learned that sellers had two lots for sale at $75,000 and received permission from sellers to show the two lots to buyers. Sellers told Cole that he “. . . wanted $75,000 ... to me [and] . . . didn’t care what he sold them for. ’ ’

Cole showed the two lots to buyers and quoted $80,000 as the purchase price. Buyers liked the two lots and told Cole they would buy. Cole had his employer, Lindsey, draft and sign a deposit receipt dated April 11, 1965, which set forth the purchase price of $80,000, $5,000 payable in escrow, balance in cash upon completion of escrow, other terms and certain contingencies in respect of the purchase. Cole presented it to buyers on the same day who also signed and gave Cole a check for $5,000 to be deposited in the escrow. The same day, late at night at about 11 or 12 o’clock, Cole called sellers whom he had not met and proceeded to their place of residence and sellers signed the deposit receipt. Cole then called buyers whether at midnight of the same day or the next day is not clear, and advised them they had purchased the lot under the conditions as outlined in the offer.

It appears also to be undisputed that before the deposit receipt was drawn and immediately or within a day or two after Cole called owner late in March that Lindsey contacted sellers. Lindsey testified in pertinent part as follows: “. . .1 was not particularly satisfied . . . with the reply that Mr. Cole had received from [sellers]. ... In other words, like I guess most real estate brokers, I want a listing on a piece of property which, in essence, I suppose is an employment contract. It gives us a certain amount of protection. So I called [. . .] and was told . . . that he would accept a net figure and that any amounts over and above that net figure were to be considered the commission, but he would not sign a listing agreement as we know it in the business. ’ ’

Sellers corroborated this conversation. They testified “Mr. Lindsey said that he understood from Clifford Cole that we [597]*597owned two lots over in the Longridge area, that Mr. Cole had a potential buyer for them, and he wanted to send over a listing.

“I told Mr. Lindsey that I would not sign a listing, if he had a buyer to bring me a deposit receipt.

1 ‘ Q And what did Mr. Lindsey say, if anything ?

“A He said that he would if his people came to a point of making an actual purchase. ’ ’

The conditions outlined in the deposit receipt copied in haec verba in the escrow instructions signed the next day, April 12, are: 11 This Escrow Is Contingent Upon buyers’ approval of the preliminary title report and CC&R’s and Buyers approval of soil test report, said report to be secured and paid for by buyers herein. Buyers to have five days to approve CC&R’s and preliminary title report after they are delivered into their hands. Buyers to have 14 days to secure and approve soil test report after buyer and seller have signed escrow instructions. [Buyer and seller agree to sign escrow instructions within 24 hours of acceptance of this offer.]1 In the event buyers do not notify escrow holder of their disapproval in writing of said contingencies within above named time period said contingencies shall be automatically approved and no longer a part of this transaction. In the event of buyers disapproval of said contingencies, all monies herein deposited shall be refunded to buyers and this transaction shall be null and void. Sellers herein to deliver subject property free of all liens, bonds and assessments. ’ ’

It is clear too that Cole, prior to or immediately after the date of escrow submitted to buyers a sketch of the level build-able property on each lot, that buyers did not rely thereon and ordered an independent survey on April 14, paid for it and that sellers made no representations, express or implied, in respect of level building site.

Between April 11 and 26, buyers made a number of trips to the two lots. Uncertainty arose in their minds as to the size of the building site on one and the size of the swimming pool site on the other. Partial compaction reports originally ordered by, paid for and delivered to sellers on October 9, 1962 and September 6, 1963, were made available to buyers by Cole. Questions arose as to the soil test and as a consequence of one or all of these reasons buyers advised Cole they would not [598]*598approve the soil test report unless the purchase price was reduced to $70,000.

On April 26, 1965, an amendment to the escrow instructions was executed by both buyers and sellers which stipulated that the purchase price was reduced from $80,000 to $70,000; the commsision to be paid to the broker was reduced from $5,000 to $4,000 and that the buyers waived all contingencies set forth in the escrow quoted above and stipulating that the escrow would close “sooner but no later than June 12, 1965.”

The buyers were temporarily happy with the reduction but further investigation revealed that there were no sewer connections, that septic tanks were forbidden by ordinance and that in order to make proper sewer connections, off-site improvements would have to be made at substantial expense. It should be noted that there is a dispute in the evidence as to whether the facts in respect of sewer connections was discovered prior to the waiver of the escrow contingencies executed April 26, or after. In any event, the buyers asked for an extension of time but almost concurrently "with their request, advised the escrow that they did not intend to consummate the deal. They did not.

The trial court made findings, which by reference adopt as fact substantially all the allegations of the complaint of sellers' assignee and negate as fact all the allegations of the affirmative defenses pleaded by buyers. The court concluded that sellers had performed in all respects.

However, the trial court found by adopting the allegations of Paragraph XI of the complaint, that Cole and Lindsey, the brokers, were agents of buyers.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
263 Cal. App. 2d 594, 69 Cal. Rptr. 876, 1968 Cal. App. LEXIS 2244, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coons-v-gunn-calctapp-1968.