Desmond v. Poulos

237 P.2d 853, 69 Wyo. 129, 1951 Wyo. LEXIS 8
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 27, 1951
DocketNos. 2494, 2495
StatusPublished

This text of 237 P.2d 853 (Desmond v. Poulos) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Desmond v. Poulos, 237 P.2d 853, 69 Wyo. 129, 1951 Wyo. LEXIS 8 (Wyo. 1951).

Opinion

[133]*133OPINION

Riner, Justice.

These two cases by direct appeal are grounded upon the same record, E. V. Desmond being plaintiff and respondent and George M. Poulos being defendant and appellant in No. 2494. In No. 2495 Desmond appears as the appellant and Poulos as the respondent. This situation of the parties has ensued in consequence of the judgment of the District Court of Laramie County on the subject matter involved, that judgment being in part adverse to Desmond and in part adverse to Poulos. Each of these parties being dissatisfied with the several rulings against them have seen fit to bring the record here for review. A brief outline of the pleadings filed below will make it reasonably clear what issues were involved.

Plaintiff Desmond’s amended petition following the requirements of section 3-1408 W.C.S. 1945, providing for abbreviated pleadings on instruments for the payment of money, after alleging in the first paragraph thereof that throughout the year 1948 and at all times mentioned in the pleading plaintiff was a duly licensed real estate broker under Wyoming law, having his place of business at Cheyenne, Wyoming in paragraph 2 thereof avers:

“That on or about the 18th day of July, 1948, the defendant, George M. Poulos, drew and delivered to the plaintiff, E. V. Desmond, a promissory note in writing, of which the following is a copy, with all credits and endorsements thereon:
“For services rendered I agree to pay E. V. Desmond licensed Real Estate Broker a commission of $9,000.
/s/ George M. Poulos
“that there is due to plaintiff on such instrument from the defendant the sum of $9,000, which the plaintiff [134]*134claims, with interest on said amount at seven per cent. (7 %) per annum from the 18th day of July 1948.”

Judgment was prayed against the defendant for the sum of $9,000 with 7% interest from the 18th day of July in 1948 and costs.

The defendant, Poulos’ amended answer and cross-petition states that he admits the allegations in paragraph No. 1 of said pleading and denies the allegations in its paragraph No. 2. In paragraph No. 3 it is alleged in substance that about July 17, 1948, this defendant and his associates (who are not named) residing in Casper, Wyoming, met with plaintiff in Casper to negotiate the purchase of the Henning Hotel in that city. That plaintiff represented “to this defendant and his associates that he had obtained authority from the owner of said business of property to negotiate a sale thereof for the sum of $450,000 (four hundred and fifty thousand dollars), and that he, the plaintiff, could also negotiate a loan of not less than one quarter of a million dollars ($250,000) with an interest rate not to exceed 4% per annum and for a minimum term of ten years repayable in equal monthly or less frequent installments, so that if this defendant and his associates desired to purchase the same for $450,000 it would require minimum capital of only $200,000.”

That defendant and his associates agreed with plaintiff that “they would like to purchase said property for that price providing that the plaintiff was certain he could negotiate a loan to them on the security only of said hotel property in the sum aforesaid and providing that such loan be made by one of the major life insurance companies engaged in the business of making loans with an interest rate not exceeding 4% per annum.” That plaintiff assured defendant and his associates he could obtain such a loan immediately and offered to do so for a total commission of $9,000, this amount to be [135]*135payable after the loan had been made and the sale completed as thus agreed. That pursuant to such agreement plaintiff prepared on a printed form a contract of sale which was executed by W. F. Henning, owner of said business and property, and by and in the name of this defendant as purchaser a true and correct photostatic copy of such contract being attached to defendant’s pleading as Exhibit A, and made a part thereof.

In paragraph 4 it is alleged that thereafter plaintiff tried to obtain such a loan in Denver in the amount aforesaid through Insurance Company representatives and other sources, but failed to find or obtain anyone or any corporation willing and able to make such a loan, in consequence defendant and his associates were unable to purchase said property and the plaintiff failed to perform the services upon which defendant had agreed to pay the $9,000 commission upon the conditions stated above. That for this reason there was a failure of consideration to support said promise.

Paragraph 5 of defendant’s pleading states that at the time plaintiff, obtained the signature of defendant to the statement in plaintiff’s amended petition, said plaintiff represented that defendant’s signature thereto was intended only to evidence the amount of the commission to which plaintiff would be entitled if the loan had been consummated and the purchase of said property completed and said statement, promise or agreement — whatever it may be, “is wholly void and of no force and effect.”

Attached to and following defendant’s amended answer is what is designated as an amended cross-petition which in its first paragraph in large measure repeats the allegations of defendant’s amended answer. In the second paragraph of defendant’s amended cross-petition it is stated:

[136]*136“That upon the representation of the plaintiff that he, the plaintiff, could negotiate such a loan to the defendant and his associates, and that he would negotiate such a loan if the defendant would make out and deliver to the plaintiff his check for Five Thousand ($5,000.00) Dollars payable to W. F. Henning, and execute the contract of purchase, marked exhibit ‘A’ attached to the Answer and Cross-Petition filed herein and made a part hereof by reference, for acceptance by the said W. F. Henning, and the defendant relying upon said representations by the plaintiff executed and delivered said check and contract to the plaintiff for acceptance and execution and delivery to the said W. F. Henning.”

Paragraph 3 of said amended cross-petition avers that said contract was executed by Henning and said check delivered to him. Paragraph 4 of the amended cross-petition also alleges that the time fixed for payment of the balance of $445,000 was September 1st 1948 and plaintiff represented to defendant that if the purchase of said hotel property was not completed by that time that plaintiff had arranged with Henning for the return of said $5,000 down-payment so that the defendant and his associates would incur no loss or expense other than the expense of their trip to Casper.

Paragraph 5 of said amended cross-petition states further that plaintiff obtained no loan in the necessary amount during the time prescribed by the contract of sale; that Henning died prior to September 1st 1948; and that “as a result thereof” the defendant was able to defer the forfeiture of said $5,000 down-payment to Henning’s estate by initiating a proceeding against the executor of his estate which was done upon the prospect that plaintiff might still obtain after September 1st 1948 the necessary loan for defendant and his associates; that plaintiff failed to obtain such loan:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
237 P.2d 853, 69 Wyo. 129, 1951 Wyo. LEXIS 8, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/desmond-v-poulos-wyo-1951.