Harvey v. Winters

1 La. App. 383, 1925 La. App. LEXIS 2
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 5, 1925
DocketNo. 8723
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 1 La. App. 383 (Harvey v. Winters) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harvey v. Winters, 1 La. App. 383, 1925 La. App. LEXIS 2 (La. Ct. App. 1925).

Opinion

CLAIBORNE, J.

Plaintiff claims a brok- | er’s commission.

He avers that lie is a real estate agent; that the defendant was the owner óf a lot at the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Liberty Street; that on August 30, 1919, defendant authorized him to find a purchaser for said lot; that he secured from one Silverstein an offer of $5,000; that defendant declined the same but signed a counter offer to sell for $5,750; that Silverstein signed another offer to purchase for $5,250; that the defendant herein and the said Silverstein got together on September 6, 1919, and the above property was, in due course, sold by the defendant to Silverstein foils,600 on September 30, 1919; plaintiff further alleged that the defendant and Silverstein were unknown to each other and that it was through plaintiff’s efforts that the sale was effected; that the customary commission of real estate agents for selling property is three per cent, of the purchase price. He prays for judgment for $16S.OO. i

The defendant admitted that plaintiff was a real estate agent and 'that he, the defendant, was., owner of the lo't mentioned in plaintiff’s petition; he also admitted that he had sold the property; but denied all the other allegations of the petition. He defended further on thi-ee grounds:

1st. That he did not employ the plaintiff; that the plaintiff came to him and asked him if he would not sell;

2nd. That he gave plaintiff an authorization to sell to expire on September 2nd; and

3rd. For the limited price of $5,750, and' that plaintiff did not secure a purchaser-within that-time,, nor for that price.-- ;

There was judgment for defendant and plaintiff has appealed.

The defendant admits that he is bound only by the following. document marked B.

“S. A. Harvey,
Real Estate arid Insurance.
I, the undersigned, hereby offer Fifty-seven Hundred and Fifty Dollars for the corner lot and improvements, property situated corner Napoleon and Liberty arid etc. It is understood and agreed that this offer • will irrevocably hold until Sept. 2, 1919, at 6 p. m. and etc.
New Orleans, August 30, 1919, I am the owner of the above property and agree to sell same as above offer. I agree to pay $150 commission as above, ■ and as per my contract.
(Signed) A. J. -Winter.”

The facts are that the plaintiff became aware that the defendant desired to sell his lot and that one Silverstein wanted to buy a lot on Napoleon Avenue; on August 30, 1919, at 9:30 a. m. plaintiff telephoned to the defendant to inquire if he wanted to sell his lot; defendant answered that he would sell for $5,800; between 10 and 11 a. m. of the same day plaintiff called on Silverstein and got him to make a written offer of $5,000; plaintiff, submitted the offer to the defendant who declined it; the defendant then signed the document B copied above dated August 30th agreeing to sell for $5,750; Silverstein, through the plaintiff, then made another offer in writing on September 1st for $5,250, which defendant declined to accept.

On September 2, 1919, the plaintiff wrote to the defendant the following letter:

“Mr. A. J. Winters.
Dear Sir:
I have introduced your property corner of Napoleon Avenue and Liberty ■* * * to Mrs. Sam Silverstein, and should they come to see you about it to purchase it from you, I will be entitled to a 3% commission, on the amount of sale, as I am the procuring cause in selling -the property. Therefore, please ■ protect 'me on the commission.
I_ beg to remain,
Yours very truly,
(Sighed):-, Sri A, Harvey!”'

[385]*385On September 4, 1919, defendant answered this letter as follows:

“S. A. Harvey.
Dear' Sir:
Your letter to hand and so far as my agreement with you signed option until September 2, 1919, is considered now closed. Please accept this as final.
Respectfully,
(Signed) A. J. Winter.”

On the same day, September 4, 1919, the defendant telephoned to Silverstein and asked him if .he was still in the market for lots on Napoleon Avenue, and receiving an affirmative answer, defendant told him that his lot was still for sale and to come over and see him. A couple of days after, the defendant rang him up again and told him that the price was $5,600; the defendant agreed with the same Silverstein to sell him the lot for the price of $5,600; and the act of salé was actually passed and the price.paid on September 29, 1919.

Defendant admitted that he did not know Silverstein as- a purchaser before plaintiff introduced him to him. He knew plaintiff was a real estate broker, and he promised him a commission if he sold the property within three days.

1st. We have decided that when one receives ' the services of another in the line of his business, he is presumed to bind himself to pay the usual compensation for such- services. ' No. 8528 Ct. App. It is then ‘ immaterial whether the defendant sought the services of plaintiff, or whether the plaintiff solicited the employment. But in this ease every doubt on the question is removed by the admission of defendant that he would pay plaintiff a commission if he sold his lot' for $5,800 within three days.

2nd. It is true that in order to earn his commission the broker must procure a purchaser within' the time specified in his contract. But this-rule has this modification:

“If the negotiations between the principal ' and the' customer continue uninterruptedly after the expiration of the time allowed the broker, and a sale is made of which the broker is accordingly the procuring cause, he is entitled to a commission, although the sale is not consummated until after the expiration of the time limited.” 9 C. J. I. 92, pp. 608-619; 19 Cyc., pp. 254-602.

In the case of Gottschalk vs. Jennings, 1 La. Ann. 5, the defendant employed the plaintiff to sell a property; he submitted it for $50,000 to Mercer, who offered $40,000, which the defendant refused, demanding $45,000; subsequently the defendant withdrew the sale from the plaintiff and put it in the hands of Hewes, another broker, who sold it to Mercer for $40,000. Held, that plaintiff “was an efficient instrument in bringing about the sale and was therefore entitled to a commission.” The court said;

“After he (the plaintiff) had thus rendered services which eventually enured to the advantage of the defendants they could not deprive him of all compensation .by withdrawing the plan from his hands, - discharging him, and consummating the negotiation through other agents.”

In Jenkins vs. Trott, 3 La. Ann. 671, the court adopted the language of an English case in which it was held:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Kirkland v. Bray
241 So. 2d 601 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1970)
Veters v. Krushevski
100 So. 2d 93 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1958)
Foulks v. Richardson
87 So. 2d 335 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1956)
Womack Agencies v. Fisher
86 So. 2d 732 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1956)
Caruso-Goll v. La Nasa
72 So. 2d 13 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1954)
Myevre v. Davila
10 So. 2d 119 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1942)
Seymour v. Franek
5 So. 2d 394 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1942)
Zollinger v. Gust
192 So. 132 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1939)
Wolf v. Casamento
185 So. 537 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1939)
Mobley-Rosenthal, Inc. v. Weiss
152 So. 589 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1934)
Viguerie v. Mathes
120 So. 542 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1929)
Blasini v. Charbonnet
121 So. 205 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1929)
Harvey v. Aronson
3 La. App. 751 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1926)
Fellman v. Ecuyer
2 La. App. 398 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1925)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1 La. App. 383, 1925 La. App. LEXIS 2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harvey-v-winters-lactapp-1925.