Knight v. Hicks

505 S.W.2d 638, 1974 Tex. App. LEXIS 2388
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 7, 1974
Docket8396
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 505 S.W.2d 638 (Knight v. Hicks) 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
Knight v. Hicks, 505 S.W.2d 638, 1974 Tex. App. LEXIS 2388 (Tex. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinions

ROBINSON, Justice.

This is a suit by Ed Hicks against J. E. Knight to recover a commission'in connection with the sale of a tract of farm land by Knight, the owner, to Joe Bob Johnson. The trial court entered judgment on a jury verdict. The defendant appeals. The judgment is affirmed.

By appropriate assignments of error, defendant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support the jury’s finding that plaintiff Hicks was the procuring cause of the sale by Knight to Joe Bob Johnson.

The testimony concerning the times and nature of the relevant conversations is partially in conflict. In such a case the jury may accept all, part, or none of the testimony of any one witness, or it may accept part of one witness’ testimony and part of another’s. Reinke v. Thomas, 369 S.W.2d 692 (Tex.Civ.App. — Waco 1963, writ ref’d n.r.e.).

According to the version of the testimony most favorable to plaintiff, he was told by Herschel Johnson in April or May of 1971 that he was looking for a place for his son, Joe Bob Johnson, to buy. Hicks referred him to a tract of land called the Fleming place. Herschel Johnson said that he was going to pass on any land that his son, Joe Bob, bought, that he would get Joe Bob and go look at the land, and that it was not necessary for Hicks to show it to them. In this connection, Joe Bob Johnson testified that he was the one interested in the purchase of the land, that he did go to look at it with his father, and [641]*641they decided not to buy it. Herschel Johnson told Hicks to continue to look for something.

Thereafter in July or August, Hicks sought to interest Herschel Johnson in another place that Hicks had for sale. Herschel Johnson said that they would not be interested in this particular place because it was too far from them. This conversation took place at the barn on the Johnson farm. Joe Bob Johnson was present under the shed. He stopped work once in awhile and came over to listen, but did not say anything. During the conversation, Herschel pointed to Knight’s land across the road and said that that was the place he would like to buy if Hicks could get a listing on it. He then asked about the possibility of his buying the land and then having Joe Bob get a hundred thousand dollar loan on it and selling it to him. Hicks contacted Knight and got an oral listing on the Knight land. Hicks told Joe Bob Johnson that he had a listing on the Knight land. He told Joe Bob that he had the listing and then went to talk to Herschel Johnson whom he told that Knight wanted $500 per acre. Herschel Johnson told Hicks that he would discuss it with Joe Bob and let him know. That afternoon Herschel Johnson told Hicks that he wanted to offer $450 per acre. Hicks informed Knight that he had an offer on the land and then got the written listing that was offered in evidence.

Shortly after signing the listing Knight saw Herschel Johnson and asked him if he would be interested in buying his land. Johnson told Knight that he had not talked to anyone about buying the land and Knight priced it to him less the commission. Herschel Johnson then asked Hicks to stay out of the deal and said that Hicks would “blow the deál” if he told Knight of their conversations. He offered to pay Hicks a portion of the commission if he would leave the deal alone. The next morning Hicks talked to Knight and told him that he had talked with Herschel Johnson concerning the property and that Herschel had offered to pay part of the commission. Hicks told Knight, “the plan is for him to buy the land, and Joe Bob is going to be interested in it.”

Following this course of events, Knight contacted Herschel Johnson who told him that he could not handle the property with the $64,000 loan on it. Knight said, “Well, I am going to try to sell it to Joe Bob.” Joe Bob Johnson and Knight reached an agreement. Herschel Johnson, Joe Bob Johnson, and Knight went to the lawyer’s office where they gave him the information for the sales contract to Joe Bob Johnson. The sale was later completed, the deed delivered, and the consideration paid.

The rule of law which governs this case is set forth in Goodwin v. Gunter, 109 Tex. 56, 185 S.W. 295 (1916), 195 S.W. 848 (1917) as follows:

“ . . . But the commissions are earned and the broker is entitled to their payment according to the contract if, while it is in force, he procures a purchaser to whom the owner directly makes a sale upon terms which are satisfactory to himself, though different from those limited to the broker and yielding the owner a less amount than that for which the broker was empowered to sell. This is but a rule of fairness and right. In such a case the owner receives the full benefit of the broker’s effort. Through the diligence of the broker a buyer is produced. Having interested a prospective buyer the broker is entitled to a fair opportunity of making a sale to him upon the terms authorized. That the owner, pending the broker’s negotiation, may, in disregard or repudiation of his obligation to respect the broker’s right to conclude the transaction, take the matter into his own hands, avail himself of the broker’s effort, close a sale upon satisfactory terms, and yet deny the broker’s right of compensation, is a proposition not to be countenanced.”

Applying this rule the only question is whether it was through Hicks’ efforts that [642]*642Knight was caused to enter upon the negotiation with Joe Bob Johnson, so as to constitute Hicks the procuring cause of the sale. The question is one of fact for the trier of the facts. We find that the evidence is sufficient to support the jury-finding that the efforts of Ed Hicks were the procuring cause of the sale by J. E. Knight, of land to Joe Bob Johnson. The question of procuring cause is not determined by the fact that Hicks did not personally show the land to Joe Bob Johnson. It rests on the proposition supported by the evidence in this case that Herschel Johnson did not enter the sales transaction solely on his own behalf, but that it was understood between the parties that Joe Bob Johnson was an interested party in the conversations concerning the land. Shepard v. Wesson, 266 S.W.2d 393 (Tex.Civ.App.—Amarillo 1953, no writ).

Defendant correctly argues that where the negotiations with a buyer have broken down and the broker has abandoned his efforts, and later the owner sells to the same buyer, a different rule prevails, but that rule is not controlling here because there is ample evidence Hicks had not abandoned the transaction.

Defendant’s next contention is that the undisputed evidence shows that the listing agreement relied on by plaintiff is insufficient as a matter of law to comply with the requirements of the Statute of Frauds and Article 6573a, Vernon’s Ann. Civ.St.

Section 28 of Article 6573a, V.A.C.S., provides:

“No action shall be brought in any court in this State for the recovery of any commission for the sale or purchase of real estate unless the promise or agreement upon which action shall be brought, or some memorandum, thereof, shall be in writing and signed by the party to be charged therewith or by some person by him thereunder lawfully authorized.”

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Bluebook (online)
505 S.W.2d 638, 1974 Tex. App. LEXIS 2388, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/knight-v-hicks-texapp-1974.