Hicks v. Norton

155 S.W. 669, 1913 Tex. App. LEXIS 865
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 19, 1913
StatusPublished

This text of 155 S.W. 669 (Hicks v. Norton) 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
Hicks v. Norton, 155 S.W. 669, 1913 Tex. App. LEXIS 865 (Tex. Ct. App. 1913).

Opinion

TALIAFERRO, J.

This is an action by an agent to recover, under an alleged contract, commissions for the sale of land. The case was tried without a jury, and resulted in a judgment for appellee, the defendant below.

Appellant’s first, second, third, and fourth assignments of error assail the judgment of the court as contrary to and unsupported by the evidence.

We have carefully read and considered the record, and find the conclusions of fact and law by the trial court, upon which he based his judgment, to be so admirably clear, concise, and correct that we adopt them as our opinion:

Findings of Fact.
“G. W. Norton, of Louisville, Kentucky, executor of the estate of his deceased father, employed E. G. Hicks, plaintiff herein, as a broker to sell certain lands belonging to the estate and situated in Victoria county, Texas. The employment was made by correspondence between the parties, which is in evidence, and which shows, in substance:
“(1) That Hicks was to receive a 5 per cent, commission on the sale of any of these lands made by him, this commission payable at the close of the sale to the satisfaction of Norton.
“(2) Following this correspondence, Hicks procured a purchaser, who agreed to pay $10 per acre for a tract of 6,720 acres, $1,000 cash until the titles were approved, and then to make a total cash payment of $1 per acre, and give vendor’s lien notes for the balance. This offer was sumbitted to Norton on the 23d of February, 1909. Norton declined to accept the offer as submitted, saying he could not consider giving a deed, unless at least one-fourth of the consideration was paid in cash, but proposed to give a contract of sale instead of a deed; the purchaser paying at the time this contract was executed $1 per acre, and to be entitled to a deed when he paid a total cash payment, including the $1 per acre, equal to one-fourth of the purchase price of the land. When this counter-proposition was made by Norton, he advised the plaintiff that if the sale was made by the contract of sale he would only pay a commission of 5 per cent, from time to time, as and when the consideration for these lands was received in cash, but could pay the balance of the commission at any time the parties made a payment entitling them to a deed, as above provided.
“(3) This counterproposition was accepted by plaintiff and by plaintiff’s proposed purchaser, W. T. Carruthers, and it was the understanding between the parties that plaintiff should procure his commission as outlined in the foregoing paragraph No. 2, and that if the purchaser, Carruthers, should fail to make a cash payment entitling him to a deed, and the’ sale was not consummated to the satisfaction of the defendant, Norton, .then no commission should be paid.
“(4) The purchaser, Carruthers, deposited $1,000 as earnest money to bind the deal until the abstracts were furnished; 30 days being taken in which to have the abstracts furnished and titles passed upon. At the expiration of that time he paid the balance of $1 per acre, making a total of $6,720 paid. He procured a contract of sale which was in words and figures as follows:
“ ‘This agreement, made this 19th day of April, A. D. 1909, by and between George W. Norton, executor of George W. Norton, deceased, of Louisville, Jefferson county, Kentucky, party of the first part, and W. T. Car-ruthers, of Victoria county, state of Texas, party of the second part, witnesseth:
“ ‘That in consideration of the stipulations herein contained, and the payments to be made by the said party of the second part, to sell to the said party of the second part all of those certain tracts or parcels of land, situated in the county of Victoria and state of Texas, containing six thousand, seven hundred and twenty (6,720) acres, more or less, in all, and described as follows, to wit: [Then follows a general description of the 10 sections of land, not necessary for this discussion.]
“ ‘The above-mentioned lands have been sold to the said party of the second part for the sum of sixty-seven thousand two hundred dollars ($67,200.00), of which sum six thousand seven hundred and twenty dollars ($6,-720.00) is cash in hand paid by the said party of the second part to the said party of the first part, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged; and the balance of said purchase money, say sixty thousand four hundred and eighty dollars ($60,480.00), the said party of the second part hereby binds himself to pay as follows: On or before the 19th day of April, 1910, the sum of fifteen thousand one hundred and twenty dollars ($15,-120.00); on or before the 19th day of April, 1911, the sum of fifteen thousand one hundred and twenty dollars ($15,120.00); on or before the 19th day of April, 1912, the sum of fifteen thousand one hundred and twenty dollars ($15,120.00); on or before the 19th day of April, 1913, the sum of fifteen thousand one hundred and twenty dollars ($15,-120.00); all of said payments to bear interest at the rate of seven per cent. (7 per cent.) per annum, payable annually, from date hereof.
“ “The said party of the second part hereby *671 binds himself further to pay all taxes which may be assessed against said lands for the year 1909 and thereafter.
“ ‘It is understood and agreed that the party of the second part shall be entitled at any time to receive a deed from the party of the first part for all of the above-described lands, whenever he shall have paid the sum of sixteen thousand eight hundred dollars ($16,800.00), together with all interest on the total deferred payments up to the date of such payment, and shall execute and deliver to said first party his notes for the balance of the consideration, in amounts, of the maturities, and with the rate of interest, etc., hereinbefore provided, such notes to be secured by vendor’s lien upon the land conveyed.
“ ‘Upon the payment of the total consideration for said lands and interest at any time, the party of the first part shall execute and deliver to the party of the second part a deed, substantially of the form hereto attached.
“ ‘It is further agreed that said second party shall be entitled to a deed for any whole section, hereinbefore described, whenever he shall have paid upon the same the sum of sixty-four hundred dollars ($6,400.00) of principal and all accrued interest, and an additional sum of twelve hundred and eighty dollars ($1,280.00) per section, to be applied as a credit upon the balance of the consideration due on the whole purchase.
“ ‘In case the said second party should desire a deed for any half section of the above lands, the amount of principal to be paid by him shall be fixed by the party of the first part, at the time of such reguest, by a valuation of the two halves of the section in question in such way that the average amount required to be paid to entitle the said second party to" deeds for such section shall not exceed twelve dollars ($12.09) per acre.
“ ‘It is understood and agreed, however, that if default shall have been made in the payment of any of the amounts due under this contract, or upon failure to comply with any of the provisions of.

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

Related

Pryor v. Jolly
40 S.W. 959 (Texas Supreme Court, 1897)
Clark v. Wilson
91 S.W. 627 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1906)
Granger Real Estate Exch. v. Anderson
145 S.W. 262 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1912)
O'Brien v. Gilliland & Armstrong
23 S.W. 244 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1893)
DeCordova & Son v. Bahn
12 S.W. 845 (Texas Supreme Court, 1889)
Carter v. Owens
58 Fla. 204 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1909)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
155 S.W. 669, 1913 Tex. App. LEXIS 865, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hicks-v-norton-texapp-1913.