Friedlander v. Christianson

320 S.W.2d 404, 1959 Tex. App. LEXIS 1846
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 29, 1959
Docket13361
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 320 S.W.2d 404 (Friedlander v. Christianson) 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
Friedlander v. Christianson, 320 S.W.2d 404, 1959 Tex. App. LEXIS 1846 (Tex. Ct. App. 1959).

Opinion

*405 BELL, Chief Justice.

The appellant sued appellee to recover a real estate commission alleged to he owing because of the sale of property belonging to appellee. The trial court granted the motion for summary judgment filed by appellee, stating' in the judgment as his reasons for giving such judgment that the sale was not made within the time provided in the contract sued upon, and that the description of the property given in the contract of employment was insufficient under Article 6573a, Sec. 28, Vernon’s Ann. Tex.St. The contract upon which the suit is based reads as follows:

“Exclusive Listing Agreement
“Expiration Date July 7, 1956
“Houston, Texas
“May 7th, 1956
“To: Leon Friedlander
“For and in consideration of your agreement to list and for your efforts to find a purchaser, I/we Max' N. Christianson, Owner, the undersigned, hereby authorize and give you, the above named Agent the exclusive right, privilege, and agency . for a period of 60 days from this date, and thereafter until written notice of termination of this'agreement is given, to sell ait a price of $60,000.00 or any sum that I/we may accept,'the property described as follows, to-wit:
“5535 Armour
“If said property is sold or exchanged during the term of this agreement, or if sold within three (3) months after the expiration of this agreement to any purchaser to whom it may have been submitted by the above named Agent before the expiration of this agreement, I/we agree to pay you a commission of 5% of the sale price.
“I/we agree to furnish title policy and make proper conveyance of this property.
“Accepted: '
“/s/ Leon Friedlander /s/ Max N.
Christianson
“By 5/7/56 .Owner”

On the reverse side of the contract was a printed form, which we need not set out in detail, which generally called for information as to the lot size, the availability of utilities, the number of rooms in the building, the type of construction, distance from school, etc. The only portion of the form filled out was in the blank spaces appearing after the words “Owner,” “Address” and “Phone.” In these spaces appeared the name of appellee, “5535 Armour” and “WA 32809.” In the space under the word “Remarks” appeared “Seller operates Christianson Equipment Company on property.”

It will be noticed that nothing on the reverse side of the contract appears above the signature of anyone and there is no reference whatsoever in the contract to any ‘part of the reverse side.

The record in this case consists wholly of the pleadings, the requests for admissions filed by appellant, and the appellee’s reply to such request.

Appellant contends the description given is sufficient when the whole is considered, attaching significance to the following:

1. The contract is headed “Houston, Texas.”

2. The address given is “5535 Armour.”

3. The name of appellee is signed in the space designated “Owner.”

4. On the reverse of the signed contract after the word “Owner” appears ap-pellee’s name.

5. Also on the reverse side after the word “Address” appears “5535 Armour.”

6. Further, under the word “Remarks” appears “Seller operates Christianson Equipment Company on property.”

7. Apparently appellant also contends the parties had discussed the property and had been on it and knew the property involved and its area and that the property *406 was described by metes and bounds in two deeds duly recorded, the recording data being-set out in appellant’s petition.

8. Too, it was alleged appellee owned on Armour Drive only that property numbered “5535” and that was the only property used by Christianson Equipment Company.

The following are the requests for admissions and the answers that appellant contends are of significance:

1. “That the Defendant formerly did business at 5535 Armour Drive in Houston, Texas.”

Answer: The defendant formerly did business there in the sense that he was owner of the majority of the capital stock in Christianson Equipment Company which occupied a building known as 5535 Armour Drive. Defendant conducted his own business at 5519 Lawndale.

2. That Defendant formerly owned Christianson Equipment Company.

Answer: “This Defendant formerly owned the majority of the capital stock of Christianson Equipment Company.”

5. Without setting out verbatim the request, it asked the admission of ownership by Defendant of a tract of approximately 16,240 square feet of specifically described land. The description is by metes and bounds.

Answer: “The Defendant did at one time own the tract of land described in Question No. 5.”

6. The inquiry here was as to Defendant’s ownership of a specifically described 33,306.845 square feet.

Answer: “The Defendant did at one time own the tract of land described in Question No. 6.”

7. “That the property described in questions 5 and 6 above is known as 5535 Armour Drive in Houston, Texas.”

Answer: “There was situated upon the property described in Question 5, a building, and said building was numbered 5535 Armour Drive and was in Houston, Texas. There was no building situated on the tract described in Question No. 6 and no street number had been assigned to that tract.”

15. That sometime prior to July 7, 1956, Plaintiff brought A. G. Sollberger to the Defendant’s place of business on Armour Drive, Houston, Texas, the address being 5535 Armour Drive, and there discussed the purchase of the property between Defendant and A. G. Sollberger.

Answer: “It is true that Plaintiff brought A. G. Sollberger to the Defendant prior to July 7, 1956 and that discussion was had in the building known as 5535 Armour Drive relating to the purchase of property by A. G. Sollberger from the Defendant.”

17. “That Defendant knew that A. G. Sollberger was shown the property by Plaintiff.”

Answer: “The Defendant knew that Plaintiff showed the property belonging to Defendant to A. G. Sollberger at some time prior to July 7, 1956.”

19. “That the Defendant owned no property in Houston, Texas, at 5535 Armour.”

Answer: “The Defendant at one time owned property in Houston, Texas, upon which was situated a building known as 5535 Armour Drive.”

Both tracts of land described in appellant’s requests Nos. 5 and 6 were subsequently sold by the appellee himself to A. G. Sollberger. Appellant seeks to recover a 5% commission of the sale price of both tracts.

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Bluebook (online)
320 S.W.2d 404, 1959 Tex. App. LEXIS 1846, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/friedlander-v-christianson-texapp-1959.