Gilbert v. Merrimac Development Corp.

10 Mass. App. Dec. 17
CourtMassachusetts District Court, Appellate Division
DecidedJuly 29, 1955
DocketNo. 4879
StatusPublished

This text of 10 Mass. App. Dec. 17 (Gilbert v. Merrimac Development Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts District Court, Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gilbert v. Merrimac Development Corp., 10 Mass. App. Dec. 17 (Mass. Ct. App. 1955).

Opinion

Brooks, J.

This is an action of contract to recover $1,920.00 alleged to be due under an oral agreement between parties dated August 12, 1953, whereby the plaintiff was to receive from the defendant 5% on all business procured by plaintiff for defendant. Defendant’s answer is general denial, waiver of payment, illegality of the agreement, ultra vires, and the Statute of Frauds.

There was evidence at the trial that the Dartmouth Box Co. had secured a government contract and that plaintiff, who was treasurer of the company, had requested defendant to take an assignment of the contract. Defendant declined to do this, and instead made an oral agreement with plaintiff to pay him a commission of 5% if he could obtain the contract directly for defendant.

There was evidence that plaintiff was instrumental in procuring a Negotiable Marine Corp. contract for defendant and that defendant refused to pay the 5 fo agreed upon. Defendant denied that any such agreement had been made. There was also evidence that plaintiff and defendant had entered into a written agreement, but that any claim thereunder was waived by plaintiff.

At the close of the trial, defendant filed nine requests for rulings as follows:

1. The evidence considered most favorably toward the plaintiff is insufficient as a matter of law to warrant a finding for the plaintiff.
2. As a matter of law the plaintiff has not sustained the burden of proving his case.
3. The evidence considered most favorably toward plaintiff does not warrant a finding that a valid oral contract was entered into by the plaintiff and the defendant.
4. The evidence considered most favorably toward the plaintiff does not warrant a finding that a valid written contract was entered into by the plaintiff and the defendant.
[19]*195. A finding by this Honorable Court that a valid ora! contract was entered into by the plaintiff and the defendant, the plaintiff would be barred from recovery because said contract based on a Government contract would be illegal. (41 U.S.C. §51); (Tocci v. Lembo, 325 Mass. 707); (Nussenbaum v. Chambers and Chambers, 322 Mass. 419, 421, 422).
6. There is no power in a Court to enforce an illegal contract. (Tocci v. Lembo, 325 Mass. 707).
7. An unexecuted written contract is unenforceable.
8. A finding that a valid written contract was made between the plaintiff and defendant would bar the plaintiff from recovery on a written contract because the contract is within the Statute of Frauds. (Marble v. Clinton, 298 Mass. 87).
9. A contract of employment that would take more than a year to complete is within the Statute of Frauds and must be a valid written contract. (Marble v. Clinton, 298 Mass. 87).

The Report is confusing, both in form and substance, as to the disposition of the requests for rulings. So far as can be gathered from the docket entries and the Report, and from the arguments before this court, the trial court denied requests Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8, and allowed requests Nos. 4, 6, 7, and 9. In disposing of request No. 8 the court made the following statement: "The court does not find that a written contract was made.” The court found for plaintiff in the sum of $1,990.88.

The Report concludes with the statement: "Defendant claiming to be aggrieved by the failure of the court to rule on the following requests for ruling (reciting requests No.s 2, 3, and 5) hereby reports the same at (sic) the Appellate Division for determination.”

It is to be noted that the Report does not state that it "contains all the evidence material to the questions reported.” This omission leaves no basis for the allowance of request No. 2. ("As a matter of law, plaintiff has not sustained the burden of proving his case.”) A report to the Appellate Division is like a bill of exceptions in the Superior Court where [20]*20failure to include a similar statement requires the reviewing court, except under limited circumstances, to refuse to consider an exception to the denial of a motion for a directed verdict, Handrahan v. No. Main St. Garage, 312 Mass. 699, or an exception to the refusal of a request for a ruling that the evidence requires a finding in favor of the requesting party. Gaw v. Hew Construction Co., 300 Mass. 250, 251, 252. The same principles apply to a report to the Appellate Division. Irving v. Bonjorno, 327 Mass. 516, 518.

Request No. 3 is disposed of by the court’s finding for plaintiff which presupposes a valid oral agreement. That is to say, plaintiff can recover only if a contract, oral or written, has been established. The court specifically did not find that there was a written contract. Therefore, it must have concluded that there was an oral contract. This is a conclusion of fact supported by credible evidence which will not be disturbed. Sutherland v. McGee, 329 Mass. 330, 531.

Defendant devoted some space in his brief to the contention that the contract was void as coming within the Statute of Frauds. In the first place, the only request for a ruling relating to the Statute of Frauds was No. 9 which was granted by the. court. In the second place, defendant does not include this defense in his list of grievances in the Report. In the third place, were the matter properly before this court, the finding would have to be against defendant’s contention that the contract was within the Statute of Frauds since there is nothing to indicate that it could not be performed within one year. Rowland v. Hackett, 243 Mass. 160, 162. Nickerson v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, 298 Mass. 484, 486.

Request No. 5 presents the question of the legality of the contract between plaintiff and defendant. It is argued by defendant that 41 U.S.C., §51, makes [21]*21illegal the kind of agreement entered into by the parties in this case. Were the section applicable, that result might well follow. Tocci v. Lembo, 325 Mass. 707. §51 is as follows:

Title 41 UNITED STATES CODE
§51. FEES OR KICK-BACKS BY SUBCONTRACTORS ON COST-PLUS-A-FIXED-FEE OR COST REIMBURSABLE CONTRACTS; RECOVERY BY UNITED STATES; CONCLUSIVE PRESUMPTIONS; WITHHOLDING OF PAYMENTS.
"The payment of any fee, commission, or compensation of any kind or the granting of any gift or gratuity of any kind, either directly or indirectly, by or on behalf of a subcontractor, as defined in section ya of this title, (1) to any officer, partner, employee, or agent of a prime contractor holding a contract entered into by any department, agency, or establishment of the United States for the furnishing of supplies, materials, equipment or services of any kind whatsoever, on a cost-plus-a-fixed-fee or other cost reimbursable basis; or to any such prime contractor or (2) to any officer, partner, employee, or agent of a higher tier subcontractor holding a subcontract under the prime contract, or to any such subcontractor either as an inducement for the award of a subcontractor or order from the prime contractor of any subcontractor, or an acknowledgment of a subcontract or order previously awarded, is hereby prohibited.

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Related

Irving v. Bonjorno
99 N.E.2d 643 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1951)
City Manager of Medford v. Civil Service Commission
108 N.E.2d 526 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1952)
Tocci v. Lembo
92 N.E.2d 254 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1950)
Rowland v. Hackel
243 Mass. 160 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1922)
Marble v. Town of Clinton
9 N.E.2d 522 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1937)
Nickerson v. President of Harvard College
11 N.E.2d 444 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1937)
Gaw v. Hew Construction Co.
15 N.E.2d 225 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1938)
Handrahan v. North Main Street Garage, Inc.
46 N.E.2d 12 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1942)
Nussenbaum v. Chambers & Chambers Inc.
77 N.E.2d 780 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1948)

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Bluebook (online)
10 Mass. App. Dec. 17, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gilbert-v-merrimac-development-corp-massdistctapp-1955.