McLennan v. Cole

195 N.W. 63, 224 Mich. 225, 1923 Mich. LEXIS 915
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 1, 1923
DocketDocket No. 105
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 195 N.W. 63 (McLennan v. Cole) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McLennan v. Cole, 195 N.W. 63, 224 Mich. 225, 1923 Mich. LEXIS 915 (Mich. 1923).

Opinion

Steere, J.

This suit was begun in the name of plaintiff McLennan as assignee of Arthur F. Brook-man, a real estate broker in Detroit, to enforce payment by defendant Cole of a claim against him for $10,000, less $250 already paid, as commission alleged to have been earned by Brookman as agent for Cole in the sale of his 140-acre farm located near Mt. Clemens, Michigan. McLennan did not appear at the hearing as a witness and Brookman’s interest in the case being recognized he was impleaded as a plaintiff.

Defendant Cole was a farmer, 78 years old at the time of the hearing, in 1922, had lived near Mt. Clemens for 35 years and on the farm in question for 25 years. After the death of his wife, prior to 1917, he offered it for sale. Brookman, who testified that his specialty was acreage and farm lands, learned that it was for sale and in the spring of 1917 interviewed defendant on the subject. Their first two contemporaneous agreements of agency are dated September 4, 1917, being Exhibit A which gives Brookman exclusive authority until 10 days after notice of with[227]*227drawal to sell defendant’s farm for $225 per acre, one-third cash and balance as may be agreed, on & cash commission of 5 per cent., and Exhibit B which is a duplicate of A except the named price per acre is $200. Of these Cole testified:

“Mr. Brookman said he wanted two prices. Would fall back on one if he could not get the other.”

Brookman’s explanation is:

“I had interested other real estate men at $225 per acre, they in turn offering the farm at $250 per acre. Exhibits A and B were at $200 and $225, the former as between Mr. Cole and me and the latter a working agreement in case of trade and to confirm the quotation to the other real estate men.”

Following this Brookman advertised the place and made efforts in other ways to find a purchaser without success until the latter part of August, 1919. In the meantime he had kept in touch with Cole by correspondence and otherwise. ■ He states that “the year 1918 was quiet,” but in 1919 he “made an extra effort and advertised more.” Amongst his efforts was an interview with Cole in July, 1919, at which, as he relates, he told Cole “real estate was slow and the only prospect I had was trailing off. He offered to turn it over to me at $25,000 net.” Cole denied having made such a proposal or any remembrance of Brook-man going to see him in July; said $25,000 was never mentioned until September 3, 1919, when Brookman saw him and said that was all he could get, and did say “he might get $26,000,” and on that occasion he signed Exhibit C, which is the basis of plaintiffs’ claim and reads as follows:

“Exhibit 0
“Detroit, Mich., Sept. 3, 1919.
“I hereby give A. F. Brookman exclusive authority, until 30 days after written notice of withdrawal has been given, to sell my property, known as the W. R. [228]*228Cole Farm of 140 acres, more or less, situate in Harrison township, Macomb county, Mich., on the south side of the Clinton river 1 y% miles east of the Mt. Clemens city hall, for the sum of twenty-five thousand ($25,000) dollars net to owner.
“Terms to be presumably $10,000 down and the balance ($15,000) by contract or mortgage, — 3 to 5 years as may be agreed upon.
“It is understood that A. F. Brookman, in lieu of a commission, is to secure his compensation over_ and above the net amount named above, I to furnish a merchantable abstract brought down to date.
(Signed) “W. R. Cole,
(Signed) “A. F. BROOKMAN.
“It is agreed we are to divide the down or earnest payment. The one-half to A. F. Brookman to be that much towards his commission when paid or else the one-half is to be retained by each if forfeited.”

A short time before procuring Exhibit C from Cole, Brookman was put in touch, at the office of a real estate agent named Robinson, with two men from Sandusky named Osberg and Knopf who were looking for acreage. He showed them a blue print of a plat h.e had prepared of the Cole farm, for which he stated the pricé was $35,000. Negotiations followed in which they submitted to him the following offer (Ex. R):

“Wyandotte, Mich., Aug. 30, 1919. “To Mr. A. F. Brookman,
“Detroit, Mich.
“Dear Sir: We have looked at the 140 acres near Mt. Clemens, and are willing to' make an offer of $30,000, and pay % cash, or will be willing to offer $32,000’ and pay % cash, and % in one year, balance on terms to suit both parties.
“Knopf & Osberg.
“Per C. L. Osberg.”

With this offer in his pocket Brookman went to Cole on September 3d and obtained Exhibit C from him. ■ He testified that he then reported this offer to [229]*229Cole but did not show it to him, and told him they “were willing to offer so and so,” but after their talking about a golf club which was considering the property at a price of $250 an acre which Brookman said was still alive and he expected would “come through,” Cole advised against accepting their offer of a lower price.

Cole testified of this interview:

“He did not tell me at that time, September 3, 1919, or at any time prior to that, that he had an offer for that property at $30,000 at any terms whatever. He did not at the time I signed the paper, September 3, 1919, tell me he had an offer for the property of $32,000 on any terms whatever, anything prior to that —that he had an offer of $30,000 or $32,000. * * * When I signed that paper (Ex. C) I relied on his statement that $25,000 was the best price he could obtain. That was the first time he talked $25,000 to me. He did not tell me the party. Next time I saw Brookman was September 12,”—

After obtaining Exhibit C, Brookman declined Knopf & Qsberg’s offer of August 30th, telling them that he did not submit it to Cole as the latter had said to him, “What is the use of your accepting these propositions when you had the golf club, and think you can get $250 an acre.” Further negotiations followed as to which Knopf testified that they asked more than once to be brought in touch with the owner of the property, to which Brookman objected, saying: “Mr. Cole was a cripple and an invalid, that he was grouchy, * * * he had known him for years and knew just how to handle him and if we went up there we more than likely would spoil the deal.”

On September 12, 1919, Knopf & Osberg finally acceded to the price Brookman insisted upon and gave him a written proposition of that date for submission to Cole offering to pay him $35,000 for his farm (marked Exhibit E) with a preliminary agreement in [230]*230substantial duplicate of their offer, signed by them, for Cole’s acceptance and signature (Exhibit Ea.). The terms of payment and conclusion of the latter, which Cole signed, are as follows:

“Detroit, Mich., Sept. 12, 1919.
“Know All Men by These Presents,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
195 N.W. 63, 224 Mich. 225, 1923 Mich. LEXIS 915, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mclennan-v-cole-mich-1923.