Havey v. Ericson

26 Mass. App. Dec. 15
CourtMassachusetts District Court, Appellate Division
DecidedDecember 18, 1962
DocketNo. 5667; No. 193
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 26 Mass. App. Dec. 15 (Havey v. Ericson) 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
Havey v. Ericson, 26 Mass. App. Dec. 15 (Mass. Ct. App. 1962).

Opinion

Parker, J.

This is an action in contract for money had and received against Ericson and Town and Country Homes, Inc. The one defendant Ericson was defaulted.

At the trial it could be found that a salesman of the defendant Town and Country showed the plaintiff’s wife certain premises and that on the same evening (30 August 1954) the plaintiff and his wife paid to the defendant Town and Country a deposit of $500.00 and signed an agreement for the purchase of the premises from Richard and Phyllis Ericson. The Ericsons did not sign the agreement at that time and the Town and Country’s agent took it with him. Later it was received by the plaintiff in the mail bearing the signatures of the Ericsons.

The agreement provided for the passing of papers on November 5, 1954, and that “any deposit will be held by Town and Country Homes, Inc. until Conveyance as aforesaid — except as hereinafter provided:

‘If the Seller shall be unable to give title or to make Conveyance as above stipulated because of defects not caused by him at the time of the execution of this agreement, or if any unavoidable, uninsured change in condition of the premise shall occur, the Seller shall be given a reasonable time, but not more than ninety (90) days in which to remove any defect in title, or to restore the premises to the condition they are now [18]*18in, reasonable use and wear excepted’.”

One report states “A copy of the agreement was admitted in evidence and is incorporated herein by reference.” Rule 28 of the Rules of the District Courts (last paragraph) states “Papers on file in the case may not be incorporated by reference except by permission of the Appellate Division.” No such permission was given. Accordingly, the agreement in its entirety is not before us, and we consider only those parts of the agreement contained in the report.

The plaintiff and his wife sold their home previous to 5 November 1954. On that date they had the money to make the purchase. They went to the registry of deeds on that day at the time called' for and had the Ericsons paged. They did not appear.

The plaintiff demanded payment of the $500.00 previous to the service of the writ which was on 31 December 1954.

The court found for the plaintiff in the amount of $500.00 with interest from 5 November 1954.

The defendant Town and Country filed 18 Requests for Rulings. The Court granted Request #6; denied Requests #8, 9, 12, 13, 17 and 18; and ruled that Requests p, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15, and 16, were immaterial in view of his findings. The defendant submitted his case on his brief and made no argument. In his brief he has not argued the court’s action in its disposition of requests #8, 9, 14, 15, 16 and 17, therefore [19]*19any objection, to the court’s rulings on these requests are deemed waived. Lowell v. Marden & Murphy, Inc., 321 Mass. 597, 601-602.

The plaintiff submitted a brief and made an oral argument. We are constrained to observe that the plaintiff in his brief has not aided us in the determination of the case. In neither his brief nor his argument has he cited for help of the court any authorities other than Cabot v. Shaw, 148 Mass. 459, and has not fulfilled the duty of a party to assist the court with appropriate .citation of authority. Lolos v. Berlin, 338 Mass. 10, 14.

We now consider the questions of law which the defendant argued on his brief:

Request #3 — “Upon all the evidence a finding is required that the defendant dealt with the plaintiff as agent of a disclosed principal.”
Request #1 — “If the defendant, in its dealing with the plaintiff, acted as the agent of a disclosed principal, the defendant cannot be held liable on the contract for actions of its disclosed principal.”

The court ruled that both requests were immaterial because of his findings.

“That on or about August 30, 1954, the plaintiff entered into said written agreement and paid to the duly authorized reppresentative of the defendant the sum of $500.00 as a deposit on account of the purchase price of said property in reliance on the representation of such representative that such deposit would be ‘held by Town & Country Homes, Inc., until con[20]*20veyance as aforesaid’ (as provided for by The Terms of such agreement).”

In this action for money had and received, the right to recover does not depend on privity of contract, but on the obligation to restore that which the law implies should be returned because one is unjustly enriched at. another’s expense. Claflin v. Godfrey, 21 Pick 1, 6; Rabinowitz v. People’s National Bank, 235 Mass. 102, 103; Sherman v. Werby, 280 Mass. 157, 160; General Exchange Ins. Corp. v. Driscoll, 315 Mass. 360, 365; Flower v. Suburban Land Co., Inc., 332 Mass. 30, 33.

Requests #1 and #3 are based upon the law applicable to disclosed principals in actions on contracts.

The defendant has received the plaintiff’s money. The agreement signed by the plaintiff was presented to him by the defendant’s agent and states that the money was to be held by the defendant until conveyance. The court properly found that the plaintiff was ready, able and willing to pay for and take conveyance, but that the Seller did not keep its appointment under the agreement, and repudiated the agreement and so relieved the plaintiff from further performance. Carpenter v. Holcomb, 105 Mass. 280.

In view of this, if the defendant were to retain the plaintiff’s money, he would be unjustly enriched at the expense of the plaintiff. There was no prejudicial error in the court’s action which amounted to a denial of these requests.

[21]*21Request #2—"Upon all the evidence a finding is required that the defendant was not a party to the contract between the plaintiff and Richard Ericson.”

This request again is based on the law applicable to actions on a .contract and not to an action for money had and received. In such an action based on principle of unjust enrichment, the law creates the privity and implies the promise. Bouve v. Cottle, 143 Mass. 310, 314. We do not find that there was prejudicial error in the court’s action which amounted to a denial of this request.

Request #4 — "In order to recover against the defendant in an action for money had and received the plaintiff must show that he has the right to recall the money from Richard Ericson, that he so notified the defendant and made demand on the defendant prior to the defendant’s paying the money over to Richard Ericson.”

The defendant cited Cabot v. Shaw, 148 Mass. 459, 460. Where there was a contract based upon a bill of lading to recover money paid for freight in which the plaintiff sought to recover for the goods from a disclosed agent, money, paid for freight on a ship owned by the defendant’s principal which was cost. Again, the action was not for money had and received as is the case at bar, and the principle of unjust enrichment which is the essential of an action on the common count for money had and received is not a part of the decision in Cabot v. Shaw (see cases cited supra).

[22]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
26 Mass. App. Dec. 15, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/havey-v-ericson-massdistctapp-1962.